Chapter 17
Haylee
No answer.
Haylee’s heart dropped to her toes as she knocked on the door again.
The rental cabin was dark and quiet. No pitter patter of paws, or voices, or Christmas music. She peered through the sliding glass door just to be sure, but there was no trace of Logan, Grandma Charlotte, Jasper, or the Christmas tree Logan overpaid for.
It was Christmas Day. Nothing in Sunset Ridge would be open before tomorrow. Where could they possibly have gone?
Unless they left town.
Calling Logan would have been smarter. But she once again misplaced her phone, which at the time, she took as a sign that she was supposed to talk to him in person.
She didn’t want to leave room for miscommunication over a text message or the letter she very briefly considered writing him.
She was a little burned out on letters, at the moment
Besides, it was much easier to steal one of those toe-curling kisses if they were face-to-face. Or tackle him with one, which she’d been dead set on doing until she discovered his rental cabin was empty.
It was another of her irrational plans: kiss first, talk later.
After she cried herself dry the previous night, she crumpled up the letter and stuffed it in her purse. She took Melly home after the family movie was over and crawled into the crowded bed with her little pack, wishing she never had to leave.
But as soon as the sun broke through the clouds this morning, Melly was wide awake, demanding pancakes and presents.
That’s what she got for letting her daughter sleep in her bed.
Melly and Allie both jumped on the bed, insistent that Haylee leave the comfort of her self-made blanket fort.
Allie licked Haylee’s face once, causing Haylee to groan.
Melly giggled like it was the funniest thing she’d ever seen, so Allie, wanting to please her favorite little human, did it again.
And again. And again until Haylee finally declared a truce and promised to make reindeer pancakes.
In all that commotion, her purse was knocked off her nightstand—it was anyone’s guess who was at fault—and the crumpled-up letter fell out.
She had every intention of throwing it away right then and there, but then Allie charged back into the room, swiping it out of her hand like it was a ball, and ran off with it.
The morning erupted into its usual chaos, Christmas style.
It was everything she wanted for this small, intimate Christmas. Even the reindeer pancakes—ones she didn’t burn—turned out to be a hit with both Melly and Allie.
As she was washing the dishes, she discovered the crumpled-up piece of paper on the floor, where Allie had discarded it.
Instead of throwing it away, she smoothed it out and stared at the lines written in all caps.
She still owed Logan a code word. And really, what more did she have to lose?
So, as Melly started her three-hundredth rewatch of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Haylee picked up reading where she’d left off last night.
My buddy Logan is like a brother to me. He’s also a fan of things like Christmas carnivals and big, loud family dinners, and most importantly to you—he loves dogs. He lets them sleep in the bed.
Haylee smiled at that. She didn’t trust people who didn’t allow dogs in their beds.
I know what you’re thinking. How arrogant and full of myself I must be for trying to set my ex-girlfriend up with my best friend. But it’s not like that at all. I’ve been fortunate to know you both, and I think I’d be doing you both a disservice if I didn’t orchestrate a way for you two to meet.
Maybe I’m wrong about you two. If I am, no harm, no foul. I promise not to meddle beyond this letter.
But consider for a moment: What if I’m right?
Oh, the code word is Rudolph.
Captain Dylan Webber
That letter was the reason Haylee showed up at Logan’s rental cabin. Dylan saw something in each of them and followed one of his famous hunches.
As it turned out, this hunch was spot on.
She went around back, just to be sure she wasn’t missing anything. Though there appeared to be fresh paw prints in the snow, there was no further trace of Logan.
Haylee, admitting defeat and feeling a renewed determination to locate her phone, turned to leave. But of course, in true Ed fashion, she barely made it to the back corner of the cabin before the moose blocked the path back to her car.
“You scared the jingle bells out of me, Ed!” Haylee pressed her palm to her chest and focused on her breathing.
Once she caught her breath, she added, “I thought we were good here. I thought once the person you were stalking finally admitted their feelings and all that, you walked off into the sunset until you found your next victim.”
Ed snorted, either amused or insulted. Possibly a little of both.
“I’m here, Ed. I’m here because I realize pushing Logan away last night was stupid.
Of course he didn’t know his best friend was trying to pull an Ed and play matchmaker.
He was going off one of those hunches, and it turned out he was right.
Is it a little weird? Yeah, it’s a little weird falling for your ex-boyfriend’s best friend.
It’s like a bad romance novel trope—don’t tell Jamie I said that.
But hey, my life has been anything but normal.
I mean, come on, I’m having a full-on conversation with a moose on Christmas Day. What is normal about that?”
Ed did that head tilt again, and Haylee fought back her giggle.
She didn’t want to offend the moose who, intentionally or not, helped her realize the way she felt about Logan.
It was a story she’d one day tell her grandkids.
As long as she didn’t upset him and end up flattened like a pancake in the snow.
“I’m here to tell Logan that I love him, but he’s gone. What am I missing in the Santa Cupid playbook?”
“You love me?”
Logan’s voice startled a small scream out of her, and Ed snorted louder. She cautiously scanned her surroundings until her gaze landed on the handsome soldier himself, leaning against the side of the cabin, opposite Ed.
Had he been here all along?
“Is this part of your military training, sneaking up on people like some sort of ninja?”
“I heard a voice out back,” Logan said, smartly waiting a few paces behind Haylee, likely to ensure he didn’t startle Ed. “I also saw the giant moose and figured it was safer to go around the other way.”
“I didn’t even hear you,” she said over her shoulder. Though, to be fair, she hadn’t heard Ed either.
“You were a little busy talking to the moose.”
“Heard that, did you?”
“Yep. Especially the part where you said you loved me. But maybe you could repeat that again, just to be clear.”
She shuffled backward, one cautious step at a time, never taking her eyes off Ed. “I read Dylan’s letter.”
“I know—”
“No, I read the rest of Dylan’s letter. Emphasis on the rest.”
“Are you okay?”
“Well, I’m wearing boots and a coat today, so that’s a start.”
Logan chuckled, and all the tension Haylee’d been holding released at the sound. They had plenty to discuss as far as that letter went, but it could wait. It was Christmas after all. And all she wanted was to spend it with the ones she loved.
“It’s true,” Haylee said. “I love you. Since you already overheard that part, there’s no point in taking it back. I know it’s fast—”
Logan reached for her hand and squeezed. “It’s not fast if it’s true. And Haylee Evans?”
“Yeah?” she asked, the word hardly a whisper as she cautiously turned to face him, still aware that Ed was close enough to startle.
“Nothing is truer than how much I have fallen in love with you. I meant what I said last night. I’m not going anywhere. Sunset Ridge is my home now. You and Melly are my home. I’ll take things as slowly as you want, but I already know how this ends.”
“You do?”
“With us together—all of us. You, me, Melly, the dogs. One giant, happy family.” Logan cupped her cheek, and she pressed her face firmly into his palm. “I love you, Haylee Evans. I love you so much.”
Ed snorted once more, swinging his muscled shoulders as he walked off.
“Merry Christmas, Ed,” Haylee called out to the moose. Then she looked at Logan, who she was quite certain was going to kiss her. “Do you want to know what the code word was?”
“What’s that?”
“Rudolph.”
“Of course it was.” Logan laughed as he drew her closer.
And then he kissed her, not just once, but twice.