“Where can we find her?” Gio asked.
“She’s at the Ice Castle, just on the other end of town past the gardens.”
Colton thanked Ellen and Holly, then he turned back to the others. “The staff will let you in if anyone wants to return to the cabin. Ace and I can find out what’s going on and let you all know.” No one moved, squeezing Colton’s heart. “Okay then, let’s go.” They all walked down the cobblestone streets, admiring the storefronts and charming buildings. The snow garden was beautiful, and despite no guests other than them, it had been decorated with tiny, twinkling white lights. But he noticed, unlike the photos he’d seen online, that all the deer and little woodland creatures made of snow were missing.
“When Joshua said their town hall was closed,” Colton said, “I had no idea what it meant.”
“It’s not your fault, love.” Ace squeezed Colton’s hand.
When they reached the Ice Castle, no lights were turned on. Everything was dark around the castle, and by the look of it, maybe even inside. Colton peaked through one of the windows. “I can see a couple of lanterns on inside.”
Joker pulled the large white doors open. “It’s not locked, so Clara must be here.”
They all filed through the doors. It was almost as cold inside as outside, which meant the heating wasn’t on, and it was hard to see the interior of the Castle without more lighting. He could make out several double doors that led to other rooms. It was huge, with a long hall they followed toward a glowing light at the end. Why wouldn’t Clara turn on the lights?
“Hello?” Colton called out as they reached the open room. “Clara?”
“Son of a nutcracker!” An older woman who reminded Colton very much of Betty White during herGolden Girlsyears spun around, a hand to her chest. “You scared the Dickens out of me.”
“My apologies,” Colton said, holding back a smile. “I’m Colton Connolly.”
Her face lit up. “Oh, Mr. Connolly! How wonderful to meet you in person.” She quickly held out her hand, and he shook it. Clara might be a petite woman, but she had one hell of a grip.
“This is my husband, Ace, and our family.”
Clara shook Ace’s hand and greeted everyone else. She turned back to him and smiled. “We’re so delighted to have you and your family here. With everything going on, we weren’t expecting visitors.”
“That’s what I came to talk to you about. My assistant, Joshua, told me the town hall was closed. I had no idea your town hall and the Ice Castle were the same building.”
Clara gasped. “Oh no. Oh my. I’m so very sorry.”
“What happened?” Jack asked, looking around. “It looks like you don’t have any power.”
Clara shook her head and sighed. “The snowstorm knocked out a good deal of our power in town. It’s why some of the businesses are closed. But the worst impact has been to the Ice Castle. The power won’t come on, and no one can figure out why.”
“Mind if I take a look?” Jack asked. “It’s kind of my specialty, along with tech.”
“An extra set of eyes wouldn’t hurt.” She turned and pointed inside. “Noel is just inside. Poor thing has been trying to fix the panel, but I think it’s too much for him. The Ice Castle was retrofitted with all-new wiring a few years ago.”
Jack went off to check it out, and Clara turned back to Colton. “Sadly, even if we could get the Ice Castle up and running, there’s been some damage to the roof, and our usual contractors have been swamped making repairs in other towns that also have damaged structures due to the storm. Then there’s the issue of our deliveries.”
“What do you mean?” Colton asked, aware of Mason and Lucky going off to inspect the ceiling.
“Winterhaven sources everything from local businesses and farms,” Clara said. “Every year, we put in our orders early enough to give us time to set up for the Christmas season. This year, when our deliveries were scheduled to ship, the snowstorm blew in, making travel impossible. The vendors waited as long as they could, but the storm was worse than anyone expected. They were forced to cancel our orders. By the time the weather cleared, it was too late to reorder. Our shipments would never arrive in time.”
“That’s terrible,” Fitz said, his gaze sympathetic.
Clara shook her head sadly. “It’s a devastating blow. The Christmas season is what keeps our little town alive. Without this year’s guests, I don’t know how we’ll manage.”
Colton opened his mouth to respond when Jack returned, a tall, bearded man with kind eyes following behind. Most likely Noel. The frown on Jack’s face didn’t bode well.
“The main and sub panels need replacing.”
Noel sighed. “I’m afraid that’s beyond my capabilities. I’m just a handyman in my off time. I don’t know how to replace something that complicated.”
“Your roof is leaking,” Lucky said, Mason at his side.
“Oh dear.” Clara put a hand to her head. “I’m going to have to break the news to the mayor.”
