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“And I told you there was a dishwasher,” Leah said. “After all, you’re the guest. It isn’t right for you to be doing the dishes.”

“Pfft...” Martha waved away her worry. “How else are we going to catch up?”

Just then the power went out and it didn’t come right back on.

“Oh no.” Leah glanced up at the darkened ceiling lights. “Breakfast isn’t finished.”

He couldn’t help but think that breakfast would be the least of her problems if the power stayed off.

“Maybe I should bring up the local radio station,” Leah said.

Just then the lights came back on. Leah reached for her cell phone and activated a radio app. They were playing Christmas music. She set her phone on the counter as she went about finishing breakfast.

When “Holly Jolly Christmas” stopped playing, the DJ came on. “For those of you who haven’t heard, there’s a storm warning up for most of New England until tomorrow morning. Vermont has issued a state of emergency, advising you to stay off the roads. There are reports of accidents all over due to the icy roads. High winds are supposed to continue. Some gusts could reach eighty to ninety miles per hour. With ice on everything, it’s not a good combination. Some power outages have already been reported, as well. Stay home, stay warm, and stay safe. And now back to the music.”

“That certainly didn’t sound good,” Martha said.

Both Leah and Shaun agreed.

Not wanting to focus on the fact his departure was once more going to be delayed, Shaun asked, “What can I do to help you get ready for the storm?”

Leah looked at him. “You’re my guest. You shouldn’t do anything.”

“And this is a huge storm,” he said. “Let us help you prepare for it.”

She sighed as though resolved to the fact that he was going to insist on giving her a hand. She told Shaun where he could find some jar candles and a few lanterns.

After he’d gathered those and placed them on the table, he left Mochi in the warm kitchen and went out to bring in firewood for the fireplace. As the lights kept flickering, it was inevitable that they were going to lose power.

By the time he was finished, he entered the kitchen and was introduced to the people gathered around the kitchen table. Henry, who had short gray hair and black-rimmed glasses as well as a friendly smile and firm handshake. He was as easy to get along with as his wife. And there was a young newlywed couple, Molly and Brock Gallagher. They were headed to Maine to visit some family.

Leah turned to him. “Thank you for gathering that stuff. You don’t know how much I appreciate it.”

“I don’t mind at all.”

Ding.

It was his cell phone. Thinking that it might be his father again, he pulled the phone out of his pocket. He glanced at the screen to see it was a message from his ex.

Without looking at it, he stuffed his phone into his pocket. He thought he was done hearing from her when they’d received their final divorce decree.

From what he’d heard from his sister, his ex, Mandi, had moved on. She had a boyfriend. So, why was she messaging him?

No. He gave himself a mental shake. He wasn’t going to wonder about it. Whatever it was didn’t matter to him. She was out of his life. And he was never letting her back in. The only problem was that Louisville seemed incredibly small with her living in the same town as him.

“Okay, everyone,” Leah said. “Please, sit down and eat while the food is still warm.”

His instinct was to take a seat next to her, but instead he took a seat at the other end of the table. When he glanced down at his feet for Mochi, he found the spot empty.

He looked around for Mochi. And then he noticed Leah pick up Mochi and hold her on her lap. The quickly growing pup barely fit there.

Everyone oohed and aahed over Mochi. And that dog was totally eating it up. With the way Leah was fussing over her, Mochi would be impossible to live with after this. Unless...

Perhaps Mochi really had found her new home. Leah had certainly taken a liking to her. Would it be such a stretch for Leah to adopt her?

The thought was bitter sweet for him. He’d gotten used to having Mochi around for the past two months. He knew she liked belly rubs every night before bedtime. He knew her teddy bear was her favorite toy. And that she had a gentle snore when she was sound asleep.

He’d never let himself get close to a dog before her. He knew it would set himself up for being hurt when they went to their forever home. But Mochi made it impossible to keep her at arm’s length.