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“You can put the stuff in the dishwasher. My back is sore for some reason and not enjoying all of the bending over.”

“No problem.” He took the plate she handed him and placed it into the dishwasher, which was almost full.

They continued to work until Leah returned. Leah didn’t smile. The news wasn’t good.

When his gaze met hers, she said, “I swear I did my best.”

“Don’t sweat it. I understand. I really appreciate you trying.”

“They’re still helping to clear fallen trees in the area. I also asked if there was someone who could help us, and they said everyone they knew was working on clearing storm damage. I’m so sorry, Shaun.”

He silently nodded. And this was the problem with staying in an out-of-the-way small town—there weren’t enough resources. “Can you recommend an auto garage in town?”

Leah nodded. “I don’t know anything about them, but I remember the name: We Fix It Auto.”

Martha started the dish washer and turned to him. “I’m glad you have an option. And while you are waiting for your car to be fixed, you can enjoy some more time in Kringle Falls. There’s lots to see and a bunch of cute shops to visit.” And then she turned to Leah. “The kitchen is under control. Now I have to head upstairs and see what sort of mess the husband made of our suitcases.”

“Thanks, Martha,” Leah said as the woman passed by her.

“No problem, dear. No problem at all.”

And then it was just the three of them: him, Mochi, and Leah.

“Would you happen to have a room available tonight? And probably tomorrow night?” After that, he’d hopefully be headed home with his SUV looking worse for wear. But he could deal with the body damage when he got back to Kentucky.

She hesitated, but then she nodded. “I do. And you’re welcome to stay—free of charge too.”

“No. I couldn’t do that.”

Leah grabbed a dish cloth from the sink, rinsed it out, and then moved to the table to start wiping it down. “Of course you can accept a free room. After all, it was my tree that landed on top of your vehicle.”

“I told you before it’s not your fault. It was an act of nature.”

She nodded. “But I’d still feel better if you’d just let me give you the room, and then we’ll put the repairs through on my insurance.” Her eyes widened. “My insurance. I need to call them.” Leaving the dish cloth on the table, she rushed out of the room.

Shaun finished wiping off the table before he headed back to his room to see if his phone had charged yet. He had not expected to be out of town for this long. He was going to have to call his business partner and let him know what was going on.

He picked up his phone to see that it was forty-three percent charged. But it was the thirteen text messages that held his attention. He normally didn’t get many messages.

When he checked, he found they were all from his ex-wife. When he looked at the messages, they were mostly about her wanting him to call. The rest were her complaining because he was ignoring her. He deleted all of them. When he was about to call her back, he paused. She was no longer his problem. They had no kids, no pets, no nothing to keep them connected in any way.

Instead he called his dad back. As the phone rang, his thoughts kept straying back to Leah. When he’d asked her if he could stay on, he’d noticed her hesitancy. He wondered what had caused it. Had he upset her in some way? He hoped not.

Chapter Nine

Her plan had run afoul.

Leah had planned to use this time without guests to continue her search of the inn. She was searching for information about her family—and possibly the identity of her father.

Although she didn’t know if her father was from Kringle Falls or if her mother had met him later on. There was so much she didn’t know—so much she longed to know.

She supposed she could ask around town, but she was leaving it as a last resort. It wouldn’t be easy admitting to strangers that she didn’t know who her father was. Of course, if it came to that she would do it, but not until she checked every inch of the inn for answers.

Originally, she’d thought with having to stay in Kringle Falls for a month that she would have lots of time to search the property. Back then she hadn’t understood what it took to keep the inn running smoothly. Or how snooping around was awkward with guests underfoot.

She’d waved everyone off except for Shaun. In fact, she hadn’t seen him since breakfast. If it wasn’t for the fact that his vehicle was pinned down by a tree limb, she would have thought he’d left without a word.

Maybe he’d gone back to bed. After all, neither of them had gotten much sleep after staying up late to talk in front of the fireplace. A little smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. In fact, it was the nicest time she’d had since she’d arrived in Kringle Falls.