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“Yes.” She sat up and attempted to talk over the dog barks. “You heard that noise? I didn’t just dream it?”

“Mochi, quiet.” Shaun’s tone was firm, and the pup actually listened to him. Shaun turned his attention back to her. “I heard it. And it sounds like we weren’t the only ones to hear it.”

Henry and Brock rushed into the room. Henry had his robe on. Brock had tossed on a pair of jeans but didn’t stop long enough for a shirt or shoes. Their gazes searched the room.

Henry said, “We heard that loud boom. Martha thought the house was collapsing. I told her to stay in bed, and I would check on things.” His gaze went from her to Shaun. “Do we know what that noise was?”

“We don’t,” Shaun said. “Why don’t you guys look around inside? I’ll take Mochi, and we’ll head outside to look around.”

She nodded in agreement. Her heart was still pounding. Her gaze swept through the room again, making sure she hadn’t missed something. She hadn’t.

Now she had to hope there wasn’t something wrong with the house. She didn’t have the money for a big repair bill.

The sound replayed over and over in his mind.

It was too loud for it not to have been inside the inn or very close to it. All bundled up, Shaun and Mochi headed outside. His gaze moved to the guest cottage. It appeared to be okay from the front.

His gaze swept over the backyard. There were some broken limbs here and there from the high winds. All in all it didn’t look too bad.

The steps weren’t nearly as icy as they had been the day before. They made their way down them and turned toward the driveway where he found the most damage.

A tree had split in half. It must have been dead or close to it for it to have been torn apart in the winds. And worse yet, it had hit his SUV.

Shaun’s steps quickened as he approached the scene. A big limb—bigger than the circumference of his thigh—was now draped over the hood of his vehicle.

He stood there, staring at his two-year-old SUV, which he only had seven more payments to make for. He’d been adding extra to each loan payment to pay it off sooner. And now… His stomach roiled.

The windshield was practically non-existent. Part of the tree trunk was resting on the passenger’s side fender. The navy-blue metal was scrunched up like a pop can that had been crushed. As he peered closer, he could see that the tire was as flat as one of Leah’s pancakes. He didn’t even want to think of the damage under the crinkled hood.

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the hunk of tree. He lifted with all his might. It didn’t budge at all.

Mochi whined at his side, drawing his attention. There was nothing he could do for his vehicle—at least not yet. So, he walked Mochi around the yard until she did her business, and then they headed back inside.

As soon as they entered the back door, he heard voices in the kitchen. The whole house appeared to be up bright and early. Too bad the power still hadn’t come back on. It was mighty cold in the house, so he left his coat on.

With Mochi by his side, they approached the kitchen and peered inside. Henry and Brock, who was now wearing a black hoodie, were seated at the table. It looked like Henry was munching on some buttered bread.

Leah and Martha were searching the cabinets with flashlights, as though trying to come up with meal options that didn’t require electricity. At the moment, none of that interested him. He’d lost his appetite.

Henry was the first to notice him standing there. “We didn’t find anything to account for the noise in the house. Did you see anything outside?”

Shaun nodded. “Part of a big tree split in half and came down.”

Henry nodded. “That would do it. Any damage?”

Shaun nodded again. “My SUV.”

“Oh, Shaun.” Leah stopped what she was doing and turned to him. “I’m so sorry. How bad is it?”

“I don’t know. I can’t budge the tree to see beneath it. But it’s not good.”

“Is it drivable?” Brock asked.

“No. The windshield is blown out, or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that it was blown in. The passenger side of the front end appears to have extensive damage.”

Leah stepped forward. “What can I do to help?”

“Do you have a chainsaw?”