Page 6 of Christmas at the Guest House

She patted her belly, and Colette chuckled.

“So the name is Belinda now?” She raised an eyebrow in question.

“For now.” Lacy shrugged one shoulder, a grin tugging at her lips. “But we change it almost every single day. So who knows what it will be tomorrow?”

Colette laughed again, and the two women turned and strode toward the exit of the kennel. They secured everything for the night, and then Colette walked with Lacy back to her car.

“Want me to drive you home?” Lacy offered, but Colette shook her head to decline.

“It’s a nice evening,” she explained. “I think I’d like the walk.”

Lacy nodded before pulling Colette into a hug. They said their goodbyes, and Colette stood to watch as Lacy pulled away. They didn’t live far from the kennel, but with the ice and snow posing a threat to Lacy now that her center of gravity was almost entirely off balance, Colette knew her cousin had insisted that his wife drive instead of risking the walk.

Tucking her hands in the pockets of her winter coat, Colette began her walk back home. Despite the snow-covered lawns, the sidewalks had been shoveled and salted until they were clear. The sound of her footsteps on the pavement and the hush of a winter evening wrapping around her calmed the bits of her that had begun to ache. Being with Lacy in the dog kennel had staved off some of her loneliness, but now it was settling on her all over again.

She missed Emma. She knew that the ache would dull over time, but Colette couldn’t imagine a time where she wouldn’t miss the old woman that she had loved so much. She wished that Emma could have been here long enough to meet Derek’s daughter.

As Colette’s boots crunched over the salt covered sidewalk, she made a silent promise to herself to love the little girl a little extra for Emma too.

CHAPTERFOUR

Zach drummed his fingers on the steering wheel while “Carol of the Bells”played on the radio. His head swiveled from side to side as he tried to take in the beautiful, picturesque town. From the moment he had pulled off the highway, he’d been bombarded with sight after sight that looked like it would fit perfectly on the front of a Christmas card.

The small buildings were painted bright, cheery colors, and they were all decorated with beautiful, lush wreaths. The sparkling, multicolored lights twinkled in the sunshine, and the fine layer of snow that had fallen the night prior was mostly undisturbed where it lay across charming front lawns. And as small, perfect snowflakes started to fall from the sky for the second time that day, he felt like he was inside a snow globe.

Zach’s stomach gave a loud, insistent growl. He hadn’t planned much of his trip to Snowy Pine Ridge. In fact, his plan had consisted of one step and one step only—get there. Now that he was on the main road that ran through the center of town, he didn’t quite know where to go next. Zach looked around him, taking in the names of businesses as he passed.

About half a block away, a lit up white sign with red writing caught his eye.

“Frosty’s Shack,” Zach said as he read the scrawling crimson script. “Of course it’s named after Frosty the Snowman.”

Zach chuckled as he turned into the parking lot and turned off the engine to his car. He glanced toward the building, taking in its brick exterior and large, welcoming windows. His stomach gave another loud rumble in protest, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to wait much longer. Pushing the door to the car open, he stepped out into the cool, snowy air. His shoes crunched over the flattened snow of the parking lot as he made his way toward the door.

The moment he grabbed the handle and tugged, a bell chimed merrily, announcing his arrival. The space was relatively small, but well decorated. It reminded Zach of a classic diner, with black and white floors, red leather booths lining the walls, and red stools pushed up to the short counter by a vintage cash register. The stools at the counter were filled with people, as were two of the booths, and people turned to look at him as he stepped into the warm, inviting space.

A woman stood beside the counter. Her brown hair was swept back from her face, and he could see the tip of a pencil sticking up behind her head from where it secured her hair. She gazed at him with curiosity as he approached, her eyes a startling hazel that he was able to make out even at a distance. And they watched him like a hawk, not missing a step.

“Take a seat anywhere,” the woman called out.

Her tone was brusque and frank, but somehow didn’t seem unkind. Zach didn’t know why, but he found himself immediately thinking of the kind of teachers he had growing up that were always described as “tough but fair,” and how you always knew they were the ones that cared the most.

He made his way over to one of the empty booths and cast another glance back to the woman, who was now locked in conversation with one of the older men sitting at the bar. From his distance, Zach couldn’t make out the name tag on the apron that she wore.

Drumming his fingers on the table, he turned to glance out the window to try to pass the time while he waited for a server to approach him. People were milling about the sidewalk, making their way from business to business. But somehow, no one seemed to be in any particular hurry.

People stopped to talk to one another, they smiled, and they laughed. From where he sat, he could spot what appeared to be a town square just beyond the row of buildings across the street. A large, gleaming Christmas tree stood in the middle, its lights twinkling merrily even in the daylight, and Zach was almost overcome by how charming everything was all over again.

His friend Dennis, a fellow artist, had told him about this place. How during the times when he had struggled most with creating and with painting, he would escape to Snowy Pine Ridge, and somehow, his inspiration would always return to him. Dennis had once said that he wasn’t sure if it was the town itself, or the people, but there was something magical about it that would have him feeling excited to create in no time at all.

Zach had been skeptical any time he’d heard Dennis talk about it. And even last night when he was packing up his things and preparing to make the trip himself, he had doubted it would work. But although he hadn’t even been in the town for an entire thirty minutes, he was already starting to think that Dennis might have been on to something.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there, staring out the window and watching the people of Snowy Pine Ridge go about their daily lives, but it was enough time that his stomach gave three more loud grumbles. Finally, he saw someone moving toward him out of the corner of his eye.

Turning to glance in that direction, Zach spotted the same woman he’d seen earlier approaching. He gave her a quick, broad smile as his gaze flicked downward to her name tag as she got closer, glimpsing the name LOUISE stamped in bold black letters.

“Hello there,” Louise said in the same brusque voice she’d used when he’d walked in the restaurant. “How are you doing today?”

“I’m doing well, thank you.” Zach gave her what he hoped was a charming smile.

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