Chapter Three
Rill stared at Owenas he grabbed the axe and headed for the shed.Who was he?He’d been polite and companionable. The tough guy youth she’d known had vanished. It was like he was an entirely different person. He was still strong, and dang...the flex of his shoulders as he chopped...she fanned her overheated face. “Cool it, Rill.” He disappeared into the shed, and she turned toward the inn. She wouldn’t be caught waiting for another glimpse.
The amount of maintenance that had been done in the last two years was amazing. Both the inside and outside of the inn was looking better than it had since she was a kid. He must be responsible for a lot of it.
She gazed fondly on her former home. So many memories inside this beautiful stone and wood structure. The far corner of the deck still held the rattan furniture her parents had purchased before they passed. Regular staining and the inn’s oversized eaves had preserved it nicely.
Joyful memories of living and loving with her parents flooded her heart. Then the sadness after their death when her aunt gave up her own life to come live with Rill at the inn. Auntie O had decided it was better for Rill’s mental health to stay in the home she’d grown up in rather than to be uprooted on the heels of the tragedy.
As a sad and disappointed teen, the stability had helped her deal with her parents’ passing. As an adult, she realized just how much her father’s sister had sacrificed for her. That, in a nutshell, was why Rill came home without hesitation. Family sacrificed for each other, and her aunt had left her job, her home, and her life to be there for Rill. Rill would never hesitate to do the same.
She pulled off her gloves and stepped up onto the deck, running her hands on the smooth wooden railings. The floor was solid, the stain flawless. The windows sparkled in the glow from the kitchen lights. The inn’s eaves were lit with multi-colored Christmas lights, and there was a small potted spruce on the deck which was decorated with lights and shiny gold balls. Her heart swelled. She loved her life in Saskatoon, but Snowy Hollow and Sleigh Bells Inn would always be home. She’d missed this place and her family.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs behind her just as Owen spoke. “Why are you standing outside? It’s freezing.” His voice was puzzled, but not uncaring.
“Just thinking about how much I missed this place.” She inhaled deeply. “The air’s so fresh and clean.” It wasn’t just the pine and spruce she liked. It was the hint of woodsmoke from the fireplaces inside. The air had something special. No, that wasn’t quite right. “The air is, I don’t know how to describe it. City air stinks. Even a small city like Saskatoon. There are so many smells, they just blend into each other and make stink. Here, I can smell things individually.”
A gust of wind buffeted her with snowflakes. She shivered. “Just like that,” she turned to face him, “That smells like snow.” Snow glittered on his dark hair, making him appear softer, more approachable. Sexier. Her cheeks grew hot. Hopefully, he’d blame any redness on the chill, not her errant hormones.
“That smells like a lot of snow,” he corrected. “You’re lucky you got here early. Judging by the forecast, we’re in for a big dump. Six inches or more. We could be snowed in for a while. These back roads aren’t high on the province’s plowing list.”
Weirdly, the idea of being snowed in with Owen both thrilled and worried her. She loved those holiday romances where the couple was stranded and had nothing better to do than get to know each other and fall in love. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought.
“Let’s finish this discussion inside,” she said. “I’m starting to feel the cold.” The wind was rising as the temperature dropped. As much as she loved the fresh air, her face stung from the cold. She stomped off her boots and wiped them on the bristly welcome mat before opening the wooden screen door.
She was startled to realize it was the door her father had built the year before he passed. She’d slammed it as a teen and broken it. Auntie O had taken it down and replaced it with a metal door.
“Someone fixed the door.” She paused to stroke the wooden frame, tears in her eyes. She blinked them away, opened the inner door, and stepped inside.
“It was one of the first tasks Ophelia gave me after hiring me full time. Honestly, it was a lot of work. Someone did a real number on it.” He followed her inside and closed both doors behind them.
Embarrassment chased the chill from her face. “That would have been me. Auntie O wouldn’t let me date the captain of the football team. Said he wasn’t respectful of women. I got mad and slammed out of the house. The screen was stuck, but I was going so fast I went right through and busted it to pieces when I got caught up in the screen. I thought it was gone forever. Auntie O didn’t punish me, but honestly, knowing I broke the last thing my father built was punishment enough. Thank you for fixing it, it means a lot to have it back.”More than she’d ever be able to express. It was like having her father here again.She flashed Owen her warmest smile.
“You’re welcome. I admit it was a challenge. Sorry about your parents.”
The quiet words made her smile. She had adapted to her parents being gone, at least as much as one ever got used to being an orphan. Thirteen years was a long time, and there was still pain and a sense of loss, but she’d been blessed that her father’s younger sister had stepped in so willingly. Now, Auntie O was Rill’s only living relative.
“Thank you for fixing it. I miss them most this time of year. I mean at Christmas.” She hung her jacket on the wooden hooks lining the wall behind the door. Hooks she’d hung with her father. They’d made the wooden boot rack below it as well. It too shone with fresh stain and varnish.
