Page 9 of Mine For The Winter

“Of course he does. I’m eminently likeable.” And he’d had some experience with babies. Been a stepdad to one for as long as you could blink an eye. But he’d messed that up the way he messed up everything.

Leaving a trail of broken lives behind him.

“And you’re staying for Christmas,” Everley said firmly. “Or I’m going to chase you to the airport and drag you back.”

His eyes met Gabe’s. His brother gave a shrug which Kris knew well. It meant just go with it. Be chill. Everything’s going to be okay.

“I’ll probably stay until Christmas,” Kris told her and Everley let out a squeal of pleasure.

“Yes! I’m so happy.” She hugged him even tighter. “This is going to be the best Christmas yet.”

* * *

Kris woke up at a stupidly early hour the following morning. He’d stayed in one of North’s guest rooms at his brother’s insistence, while Alaska arranged for his cabin at the Inn to be ready.

Pulling some clothes from his suitcase on, he tiptoed into the kitchen, being careful not to wake up North or his family, because Amber was pregnant and she deserved some sleep. Grabbing his coat from the hook by the door, he slid his feet into his engineer boots and decided to walk into town to grab some coffee.

It had snowed overnight. Enough for his feet to make imprints in the sidewalk as he passed the Cold Start Garage. There was a guy sitting in his car outside the garage drinking a coffee and eating what looked like a breakfast burger. He glanced up at Kris and looked away, uninterested. That made a change, at least.

A few cars passed him as he made it into the town square. And then his phone buzzed and he grabbed it out of his pocket, his brow lifting when he saw who was calling.

“Hey. You’re up early.”

“I’m on the first shift,” Alaska said. “Just wanted to let you know your cabin should be ready by lunchtime. The cleaners are already in this morning, and the electrician will go in later to make sure that everything’s in working order.”

“You didn’t need to do that,” Kris protested. “I could have done it.”

“I know, but you’re our guest. And I have a vested interest in making your stay as cosy as possible,” Alaska told him.

“How did you know I was awake anyway?”

“Amber called. She said your coat and boots were gone. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t skip town while everyone was sleeping.”

Of course. You couldn’t do anything around here without somebody noticing. He wasn’t sure if he liked that or not yet.

“I’ll pay you back,” Kris promised. He’d always had time for Alaska. The quietest of the cousins, she was the kindest, too. And they’d once almost lost her as a kid.

It was hard to forget that.

“Actually, I was hoping you’d say that. We could use some help on the Christmas Trail.”

“The what?”

She laughed. “We’re building a trail around the Inn for the kids. Lots of twists and turns and things to find. A little bit of fun. It opens soon but we need some extra hands to get everything set.”

“Happy to help,” Kris said. “You can tell me all about it later.

“It’s a deal.” She sounded happy, and that made him kind of happy too. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yes you will,” Kris promised. “And thanks. For everything.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Alaska told him. “I’m just glad you’re home.”

When she ended the call, he pushed the phone back into his pocket and walked into the warmth of the Cold Fingers Café. The place was decorated for the holidays, garland and ornaments covering every surface, with a large tree adorned in sparkling lights in the corner.

He headed straight to the counter because he needed caffeine like he needed oxygen right now.

“Kristopher Winter,” Dolores said, a huge smile splitting her face. “I heard you were back and I was wondering how long it’d take you to come by to say hi. I was about to pull your scrawny behind out of North’s place and demand a hug.”

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