Page 19 of Matchmaking Under the Mistletoe

“Just know they don’t have bad intentions, but they tend to get a bit over excited about newcomers. Just think, the last guy insulted Huey during his first day as the fire chief, so they hated him at first. You’re off to a much better start than he was.”

“What do you mean he insulted Huey? How rude!” I say, feeling suddenly protective of the older gentleman.

Brian lets out a laugh at my reaction as we get out of the car. “It was all a big misunderstanding, and he and Huey are great friends now. Anyway, just promise me you won’t go running for the hills if they all turn up today.”

“Ugh, I promise. But just so you know, this town is not normal. At least I can grab some coffee before—” I say just before we enter the inn, where there are at least twenty people standing around the fire.

“Good morning, Mayor,” one of them calls out. All the eyes turn to stare at us as we approach, and all the conversations they’d been having before our entrance come to an abrupt halt.

Are all these people seriously here because of me? Surely not, right?

“Good morning, Wayne,” Brian responds. “What are y’all up to this morning?”

“Well, we thought we’d grab lunch at the restaurant,” the man responds, and the crowd behind him nods.

“Yeah, we’ve heard great things about the Christmas specials y’all are trying out,” one of the women adds.

“Hmm, y’all do realize it’s not even nine in the morning, right?” Brian questions, raising his eyebrow.

“Oh, umm, yeah. We, uhhh, just wanted to make sure we didn’t have to wait too long, you know? I’ve heard y’all are wrapped up with that snowstorm we had come through,” another responds.

Brian lets out a chuckle before saying, “Oh right. So all of you decided to come to lunch for the first time ever, just by chance?”

Several in the group steal guilty glances at each other before just nodding back at him.Well, I guess that answers that. This town is seriously on another level.

“Awesome, well in that case, we’ll leave y’all to your wait then. We’ve got a meeting to get to,” Brian says, motioning for me to lead the way to his office.

Before I can move, one of the ladies pipes up, “You must be Millie! Welcome to Springside!”

I look to Brian, and after a moment, we both burst into laughter at the absurdity of the morning.

“Yeah, Christmas specials my ass,” Brian says, shaking his head. “Y’all are really something else. Come on, Millie, we don’t have to give in to their craziness,” he says, reaching to pull me around them, and while I appreciate that he’s giving me an out, the antics of this town are growing on me rapidly. Plus, it doesn’t seem like it’s gonna stop anytime soon, so I may as well learn to embrace it.

“No, no, it’s fine,” I tell him before turning back to the crowd in front of us. “Hey, everyone, I’m Millie. It’s nice to meet y’all.”

The next twenty minutes are a flurry of people introducing themselves and asking questions about everything from living in D.C., to my totaled car.

Damn, these people really did their research,I think to myself as one asks me if we had a good trip to Saddle Ridge yesterday.

After a few more minutes, Brian finally says, “All right, y’all got what you wanted. I expect a full report on how your lunch was when I see you at the Cattlemen’s breakfast next week, Wayne. Hopefully, it’s worth the wait.”

“Sure thing,” the older man says, tipping his hat at us as we walk to the office to get started for the day. Settling into the overstuffed armchair in the corner and pulling out my notebook, I can’t resist the urge to smile. Damn, despite the craziness of my arrival I have to admit, I think this town is gonna be a fun new adventure.

CHAPTER 11

BRIAN

“Y’all ready for tomorrow?” Huey asks through the phone speaker, while I fix myself a cup of coffee later the following week. It’s the morning before the maze, and I’m confident Millie and I will both be running on copious amounts of caffeine today getting everything set up.

“Yeah, I think so. Millie’s done a great job getting everything organized, so I think it’ll be a fun event. You planning to come?” I question before taking a long sip of my drink.

“I’ll be there with bells on,” he says, and I laugh because I wouldn’t be surprised if he meant it literally. “I meant to ask you yesterday, have you heard anything else about the insurance adjuster for the inn?”

“No. I’ve called, and John said they’re still trying to get caught up from all the damages the snow caused last week. When Bridget talked to him, he said apparently we weren’t the only people this happened to, and combined with all the vehicle accidents and the holidays, they’ll be backed up for a couple weeks.”

“Huh, well at least it was just the one room. I’m sure they’ll get you sorted out. Anyway, I’ve gotta go check on the cows so I’ll see you two tonight.”

“See you then,” I say, ending the call, and trying not to think about the woman who’s consumed all of my thoughts recently.

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