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He forced himself to look around at the town all decked out for the holidays. The whole town from the pharmacy to the fire station had a lot of decorations. There were Christmas trees in the windows. Garland on the street lamps. There were red, white, and green decorations everywhere. He’d never seen this much Christmas in one town in his life.

“Can you believe this place?” He stared at a three-foot-high reindeer with a glowing red nose in a shop window.

“I’m thinking that I need to get a move on my Christmas decorations at the inn.”

“If you want, I could give you a hand when we get back.” Then realizing he might be overstepping, he said, “I mean, I can help if you want me to.”

She glanced over at him. His heart started to pound. His gaze dipped to her full, rosy lips. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her. He’d bet that her kisses were sweeter than her pancakes.

Just then someone bumped into him as they passed him on the sidewalk. He glanced in the direction of the person who’d run into him, but they’d already moved on. By the time his gaze returned to Leah, she had her head turned in the opposite direction. And just like that the spell had ended.

Chapter Eleven

Snowflakes started to fall.

Shaun looked up. The sunshine was now eclipsed by a wall of clouds. He watched as the large flakes danced through the sky and lazily fell to earth. Within seconds of touching the sidewalk, the snowflake melted. It was too warm out for the snow to stick to the ground, but that wouldn’t last long.

When evening set in, the temperature would dip, and the snowflakes would begin to accumulate. Something told him that Kringle Falls was going to have a white Christmas this year.

“We’re here.” Leah’s voice had a ring of excitement.

He glanced at the door that read: Kringle Soap Co. He had to admit he was curious about the place. He followed Leah inside.

The decor was old fashioned. He wasn’t sure if it was because the store had been around a long time without being redecorated or if it was a deliberate style choice. Or perhaps it was a bit of both.

There was a light floral scent that hung in the air. It wasn’t in-your-face strong. It was more like the gentle scent that was carried in a summer breeze.

The walls were a dark gray with lots of dark stained wood shelves. There were rows of metal pendant lights highlighting the shelves of baskets filled with colorful soaps.

Leah grabbed a shopping basket from the stack near the front door. He followed her as she examined and sniffed the various soaps.

“So, this is where the little soap in the bathroom came from.” He noticed that she’d already dropped a few in her basket.

“They did. The guests really like them. After the guests check out, there are never any left in the suites.”

“That’s because they don’t use them. They probably take them home.”

Leah laughed. “Do you think?”

“I do. I had an uncle that would always pack up the little soaps, shampoos, and whatever else the hotels would supply. He claimed he paid for them, so why not take them home.”

“I guess it’s hard to argue with that sort of logic.” When she glanced over, she asked, “What are you thinking now?”

“That I did it wrong. I’ve already used my soap. By the way, it smells great.”

“Did you find something you like?” The female voice had them turning to face a woman about Leah’s age. She had warm-brown hair pulled up into a bun and a friendly smile.

“I did,” Leah said. “I’m—”

“Leah from the Kringle B&B, right?” The woman continued to smile.

“That’s right.” Leah smiled. “You have a good memory. And you’re Holly. Right?”

“Yes.” Her gaze moved to Shaun. “But I don’t think I’ve met you before.”

He shook his head. “You haven’t. This is my first visit to Kringle Falls.”

“But there will be a second and third visit, right?” When he shrugged, her smile broadened. She held her hand out to him. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Holly Berry.”