Page 50 of Snowed In for Christmas

After a tense pause, it seemed as though Ethan got the message. He skirted away in the opposite direction, and with his head held high, Tommy continued toward Grace.

But it wasn't until he reached her and realized that she hadn't witnessed that metaphorical shootout at the OK Corral that he realized how out of line he'd been. Tommy had no right to feel territorial, did he?

Then again, as long as Grace was in his town, he couldn't help but think of her as his. After all, if she left, that meant she'd chosen not to be, right?

But if she stayed…

He cut himself off from finishing that thought, once again remembering why he was at the inn and what he needed to focus on.

"You gonna stay here and hunker down? Because I ten-out-of-ten donotrecommend going outside right now. The weather outside isfrightful."

"I'm staying right here," Grace said, laughing at his goofy tone.

But he also picked up a distinct air of relief in the breathy sound of her laugh, and she wasn't alone in feeling it. Lightening the mood between them was all well and good—and totally in his nature—but he was also relieved that she planned to stay in. He didn't need her venturing out into the storm any more than he wanted his sister exposed to the elements.

"Wise choice," Tommy replied, grateful that he'd know where she was and that she'd be safe within these walls if it got really bad out there.

Unable to help himself, he reached up and gently tucked a strand of hair behind Grace's ear, noting that she hadn't done it even though it was a habit of hers when she was nervous. Maybe that meant he didn't make her as uncomfortable as he feared he might after last night's argument.

Realizing he was in danger of mixing up his priorities again, Tommy broke the moment by stepping back just as Nick walked up.

Tommy nodded at him, turning his back on Grace even though it nearly killed him to do it. "What's up?"

Nick shrugged, looking cool as a cucumber despite the tension that clung to everyone in the building. "Oh, you know, just another day in Snow Hill."

"Bro, do you have everything under control here, or do I need to tell my sergeant that I need to stay here and pick up your slack?"

"Tommy, I've been running this place for years," Nick replied with a wry grin. "I can handle it."

Tommy grunted, shaking his head. "Uh-huh."

"Relax. We're all set. But we'll have an even fuller house soon. Jack just called and said they're sending over some people who were here for a day trip and didn't have a place to ride out the storm."

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Day trip? Why would anyone take aday tripright into a blizzard?"

"You know no one ever thinks we'll really get hit with a storm like this," Nick explained, unconcerned. "But it's fine. We're booked solid with guests, but we've got enough blankets and pillows to make pallets on the floor for everyone else."

"Good," Tommy said, running through some logistics in his mind. "You still have enough provisions even with the extra mouths to feed?"

"Mom wasn't kidding when she said we had a ton. We'd be set for the apocalypse if it came down to it."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Hilarious. Well, if you need anything, lemme know."

"Will do, and watch your back out there," Nick replied with a nod before ambling off.

Tommy turned around to say goodbye to Grace before he headed back into the cold—not in a forever kind of way, of course. He wasn'tthatdramatic—but unfortunately for him… she was gone.

CHAPTER17

Grace

The inn wasabuzz with the sound of guests and locals alike preparing for the storm. Grace weaved through the busy crowd, balancing a precarious stack of blankets in her arms, her mind focused on the task at hand. She paused near a window, eyeing the grey, churning sky outside.

"Looks like you could use a hand with those," Ethan's voice came from behind her, casual and friendly.

Startled, Grace turned and smiled in relief. "Hey, Ethan. Yeah, thanks. This is a bigger job than I thought."

Ethan took half the blankets from her, their hands brushing briefly in the exchange. "Your room all set for the night?"

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