Chapter One
Lucy
Snowflakes hit my face the moment I step out of my tiny hatchback, the kind that melt instantly and run down your skin like cold fingertips. My breath fogs the air as I tug the last box out of the backseat—one labeledCHRISTMAS CRAPin pink glitter marker, because yes, I am absolutely that person.
A new town. A new job. A new chance to not screw things up.
The rental cabin sits halfway up a pine-lined ridge. It’s small, a little crooked, a little drafty, but adorable—like something from a low-budget holiday movie. If I squint, I can almost see a wood-burning stove glowing inside, cookies baking, and a happily-ever-after waiting around the corner.
“Hi!”
The voice snaps my fantasy in half. A little girl stands at the bottom of my porch steps, wearing purple boots and a jacket two sizes too big. Blonde curls peek from beneath a knit hat with a sparkly pom-pom.
She grins so wide I swear I can feel the warmth from here.
“I’m Holly,” she announces.
“Well, hello, Holly.” I tuck the box under one arm. “I’m Lucy. I’m the new librarian.”
Her eyes widen like I just told her I’m Santa Claus. “You’re the book lady!”
I laugh. “I’ll take that.”
She’s already climbing my steps, inspecting every inch of the porch with the intensity of a building inspector. “Are you gonna live here?”
“Yep. This little cabin is mine for the next twelve months.”
“It’s cute,” she decides. “Like a gingerbread house!”
I glow. Someone gets it. “Exactly what I thought.”
A new voice cuts through the snow, low and sharp-edged.
“It’s a potential death trap.”
The hair on my arms stands straight up.
I turn.
And see him.
Good Lord.
A man—huge, hard, broad-shouldered, built like he eats lumber for breakfast—walks up the path with a duffel bag slung over his back. Dark beanie, navy coat, heavy boots crunching through snow. His jaw looks carved, dusted with stubble. His eyes, from this distance, look like storm clouds sizing me up.
This is not a holiday movie hero. This is the man who shows up before the heroine learns about consequences.
Holly beams. “Uncle Ash!”
He nods at her but doesn’t smile. He stops at the bottom of my steps, looking me up and down in one slow sweep that makes my skin prickle.
“You the new tenant?”
Wow. Friendly.
“Yes,” I say. “Lucy.”
He jerks his chin once. “Ash. Cabin next door.”
