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“Is there any other place?” he asked.

Merry shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Everything is booked because of the holiday season. You’d have to head down the highway to reach the closest hotel, and like I told you, the highway is shut down. From what I heard, it’s not going to reopen tonight. If you like, I could call over to the B&B to see if they have any rooms left. With it being the holidays, they get booked quickly.”

“Oh.” What choice did he have? It was definitely too cold out to sleep in his SUV, even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. “Thank you. I would appreciate it.”

“No problem.” She sent him a warm smile that put him at ease.

“I’ll be right back with the puppies.”

Her brows knit together. “Excuse me. How many puppies are there?”

“There are four." When her brow crinkled, he asked, "Is that going to be a problem?”

“Candi told me there would be three. That’s all I have space for.”

He hesitated. The store seemed pretty big. He found it hard to believe they couldn’t make space for one more puppy. But he wasn’t going to argue.

He already knew which puppy he’d keep with him—Mochi. Everyone loved her, but as soon as they found out she wasn’t perfect, they would move on. He could see the way it disappointed Mochi each time a potential family would dote on her, but then after hearing she had hip dysplasia, they would move on without a backward glance.

Sometimes, he didn’t understand how his father could do this job year after year. It was rough when you got to know the dogs—got to know their loving hearts—and then saw them passed over time and time again. It was so disappointing for them and him.

“I understand. I’ll go get the puppies.” And then he headed out the door.

Chapter Two

She never imagined herself an innkeeper.

Leah Mitchell reminded herself that it was only temporary. Her life was waiting for her back in California. Her job as an office manager at an L.A. talent agency would be there for her after the holidays. And her cute little apartment with a glimpse of the ocean from her bedroom window was also awaiting her return.

She was set to sign the papers for the inn to be sold just before Christmas. Until then, her grandmother had left instructions in her will that Leah was to manage the inn for the minimum of a month. On paper it didn’t seem that long; in reality it felt like forever.

And yet to her surprise, she loved meeting the guests as they arrived at the inn. Some even had stories of her grandmother to share with her. It gave her a glimpse of the woman she’d never had the opportunity to know.

However, this winter storm had caused a number of cancellations. Right now, she had four registered guests staying at the B&B. There was an older couple in the living room, warming themselves in front of the fireplace. And a young couple had already gone up to their room.

With everyone tended to, Leah moved to the kitchen where she had Christmas carols playing on the radio. She softly hummed along as she gathered the rest of the ingredients to the waffles she intended to serve in the morning.

She liked to mix the dry ingredients together the evening before, and then it didn’t take her so long in the morning. Along with the waffles, she intended to serve scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns.

Sometimes, she switched up the menu with things like French toast or pancakes. It all depended on her mood and how many guests she had at the time. Even though she’d only been at the B&B for a couple of weeks, she was starting to get the hang of things.

Lucky for her, her grandmother’s assistant, Lucy, had been keeping the B&B going until they located Leah. And when she arrived, Lucy had shown her the ropes. But now Lucy had been called away on a family emergency, and Leah was figuring things out for herself.

She couldn’t believe her grandmother had left her the inn. She hadn’t even known her grandmother. In fact, her mother had told her she was dead, which obviously wasn’t the truth. Leah had no idea why her mother had lied to her.

Leah had hoped by coming to Kringle Falls, she might be able to find some of those answers. And even though she’d been there for a couple of weeks, she was still no closer to finding the answers than she was while she was living in California.

Buzz-buzz.

Leah set aside the wooden spoon she’d been using to stir the flour mixture. She hoped it was someone wanting a reservation.

She pressed the phone to her ear. “Kringle Falls B&B. How may I help you?”

“Hi, Leah. It’s Merry Kringle. How are you doing this evening?”

Merry Kringle was one of the first people she’d met when she arrived in Kringle Falls. Merry was married to the town’s mayor, and she was the kindest lady.

But when Merry called, it wasn’t just to catch up on things. She always needed something, which was fine with Leah because it usually meant she wanted to send guests to the inn.