Free Christmas on Main Street by Susan Donovan, Alexis Morgan, Joann Ross, Luann McLane

didn’t argue her point. Instead he took the overnight case out of her hand and moved out of her way. “Come in and warm up.”
    After stomping as much snow off her boots as she could, she walked into the cabin, nearly weeping with relief at the warmth of the fire, which cast a glow over the walls of logs she knew had been milled by the Douchett men from trees grown on the property.
    He skimmed a look over her. Her jeans, which she’d worn instead of waterproof ski pants because she hadn’t planned to be wading through snow, were soaked nearly to her knees. “You’ll want to get out of those wet clothes. Maybe take a hot bath.”
    “I’ve been imaging that tub for the last hour,” she admitted, unzipping her parka.
    He helped her out of it, hanging it on a hook by the door. “Lucky for you, we’ve unlimited hot water.”
    She smiled at that idea. “I was thinking about that, too.”
    He smiled back, and for a suspended moment, it was almost like old times. Just two friends enjoying the same thought. “Did you leave anything else in the car?”
    “A larger suitcase and gifts from my family in the trunk.”
    “Give me the keys.” After she’d handed them over, he walked into the kitchen area and retrieved a heavy black garbage bag, which she assumed he intended to use as waterproofing against the snow, from beneath the sink. “I’ll go get them.
    “Would you like some coffee, brandy, or wine before I go? My grandmother wasn’t kidding when she said the place was well stocked. We’ve got enough booze to open our own bar.”
    Her nerves were already so jangled from the drive, Kelli knew if she drank any more coffee, she’d never get to sleep. And brandy might be more than she could handle right now. “As it happens, wine was involved in that fantasy,” she said.
    “Red or white?”
    “Red.”
    “You’ve got it.”
    He pulled a bottle from the cupboard and deftly opened it with an attachment on a black folding knife.
    “That’s very MacGyverish of you,” she said.
    “We Marines pride ourselves on making the most with the least. And, hey, this Leatherman is Oregon made.” He smiled at her as he poured the ruby wine into a glass. “Here you go.”
    His fingers brushed hers as he handed her the fat, stemless glass. At first she’d thought he might have done it on purpose, but his friendly, harmless expression gave nothing away as he sat down on a bench by the door and began pulling on his boots.
    “So, I’ll retrieve your stuff while you run your bath,” he said. “Unless you’d rather I hang around and warm you up myself.”
    Surely he was kidding. Wasn’t he?
    “The wine and bath will be fine,” she said mildly. “But thank you for the offer. It was very generous of you.”
    “Always happy to help out,” he said cheerfully. But there was a devilish gleam in his brown eyes she’d never seen from him before. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
    With that, he was out the door, leaving her wondering if she might have actually been safer staying in the car.

12
    “Think of it as another mission.” Cole mimicked his grandmother’s voice as he carried the bag of presents and the bright polka-dot suitcase that matched the smaller one she’d shown up with back to the cabin. Although the car was definitely stuck, from what he could tell, she hadn’t broken the wheel, so he should be able to pull it out in the morning.
    “Don’t go rushing in without taking time to plan your strategy,” he continued. “Give her time to realize she misses you. . . .
    “Thanks a bunch, Grandmère.”
    It was an obvious setup. Thinking about it, both families had to be in on it. At least some of them. Matt had seemed oblivious—though, since they were tight, it was possible the others had been afraid he’d spill the beans.
    Cole was not alone in his thinking.
    “We were set up,” Kelli announced the moment he entered the cabin. She was standing in front of the fire, the wineglass cradled in