A thought hits me like a lightning bolt. “Are you married?”
Emotions pass across Holt’s face that make my stomach knot.
“Our Mommy died,” Lauren says quietly.
“Oh.” The word comes out of me like a breath.
He gives me a sad smile. “Three years ago now.”
I swallow hard. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
“We’re finding a new normal, aren’t we, girls?”
“Yep. And Mommy is always with us.” Leah’s sweet voice has tears clogging my throat.
“That’s right.” Holt nods. “Now, where can we take you, Miss Gia?”
“I was going to see if I could get a room at Buckleberry Inn again. It was sort of a spontaneous decision to come here.”
Holt winces. “You don’t have a reservation already?”
“No. Should I have?”
“The Ice Festival is this week. Every hotel in the surrounding area is booked. It’s kind of a big deal around here.”
“Well, fu—udge.”
Holt snorts. “You can stay with us until we find you a room. We’ve got a guest bedroom that no one ever uses.”
“Yeah! Have a sleepover with us!” Lauren says from the back. Leah echoes her excitement.
“Holt, you don’t have to do that. I’m sure I can find somewhere to stay.”
“Not at this time of night on a Sunday.”
“Only if you’re sure.”
“We’re sure,” Lauren says.
Holt doesn’t respond, just grins and puts the truck in drive.
This is not how I expected my first day in Pine Creek Falls to go. When I got the harebrained idea to make the trek out here, I imagined I’d find a room and then hole up in the coffee shop in town to work. After multiple delays at the airport and then having to drive slowly in the snow, getting stranded on the side of the road was just the cherry on top of the shit sundae I’d been given.
Now I’m in a truck with my one-night stand and his two little girls, and I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.
What if tomorrow comes and I still can’t find a room? This is awkward enough as it is. If I have to stay with Holt longer than one night, I might end up doing something stupid.
Like kissing the hell out of the hot single dad.
My jaw drops as we park in Holt’s driveway. His house is gorgeous. It’s modern yet full of natural elements. Stone columns hold up the wraparound porch, and wooden plank siding surrounds the house. Christmas lights are strung around the roof edge, shining brightly through the snow.
“Holt, your house is beautiful.”
“Thanks. I built it myself.”
My eyebrows wing up my forehead. “Seriously?”
He smirks. “I’m much more than meets the eye.”
