Gingerbread Houses with the Mountain Man (Christmas in Appleridge #3)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Cedar

“Look Daddy! I got it to stand!” Auggie, my seven-year-old son, cheered. His four walls were intact and glued together by royal icing, just like I’ve shown him.

“Wow buddy! It looks great! I’m so proud of you!” Pride burst through me like a firework. It was his first year gluing the walls himself.

“Thank you. La, do you want me to help you?” Auggie asked his five-year-old sister, Lola, her house not standing as well. It looked like the icing spilled and Lola just went with it.

“Please Auggie!”

Just like his kind and caring soul always did, he jumped into action, rushing over to help his sister. I had a feeling I might need to step in, but for now, I’d let the two of them work on it.

Every year, my family had an annual gingerbread house building party.

It wasn’t competitive but for fun and my parents, my brother, and I always made one.

We’d prep the houses the day before and get together the next day for a decorating party.

Then we’d display the houses for the rest of the holiday season.

It had become an annual tradition and one we treasured. I promised my parents to keep it alive and pass it down through the generations.

“I’m not so sure about my roof. What do you two think?” I held up the roof piece and placed it on the house, noticing how it was about an inch off on one side.

“You have a hole, Daddy!” My sweet Lola said, and I chuckled.

“Oh no! You figured it out! What should I do?” I clapped my hands together, my eyes wide.

“Get the back up!” Auggie called as Lola jumped on her tiptoes, both of them giggling.

“You two are so smart!” I grabbed the other roof piece I made from the tray. “What would I do without you?”

Peanut, our family’s golden retriever, suddenly started barking his head off, which made me look over towards the front door. He rarely barked that way unless someone was at the door.

“Keep building kids!” I said as I wiped my hands on a towel and threw said towel over my shoulder. Strolling over to the door to check my ring camera, I saw two bright blinking yellow lights at the end of my driveway. Hazard lights.

What the hell?

Is someone stuck out there?

I hurried back into the kitchen and tossed the towel down.

“Stay here kids. Peanut needs to go out.” I grabbed my jacket, hat, and the dog’s leash before sliding on my boots and walking outside.

I clipped Peanut onto the lead in the driveway and walked the rest of the way alone.

As I got closer, I saw the car half sticking out of the snow, the front half buried deep in a snowbank.

Uh oh.

As I opened my mouth to shout, a woman popped out of the car, her eyes wide, her hat slightly crooked, panic written all over her face.

It was endearing, adorable, and she was downright gorgeous.

“I’m so sorry! I crashed right into your driveway.

Stupid snowbank ate like half my car! Do you know of any tow trucks I could call in town? ”

My heart jumped into my throat, and my body pulled towards her like a magnetic. Who was this woman and why was she making me feel this way? “Sorry, love, but no tow trucks are coming this far up the mountain in a storm like this. Best chances will be in the morning.”

“Oh no. Looks like I’m sleeping in my car tonight.

My rental is another mile up the mountain.

Why didn’t I check the weather?” She paced back and forth in front of her car, and I couldn’t help but drag my eyes down her body, taking in her gorgeous curves and voluptuous body I wanted to sink my teeth into.

Her blue eyes sparkled in the snowy evening, and I imagined what she might look like underneath her clothes, my mind instantly going to places it shouldn’t.

“Not from around here?”

“No. I drove in from the city. Kind of stupid of me not to think about a snowstorm. Ah well. Sorry to bother you. I’ll just wait here until I can get a tow.”

“There’s no way I’m letting you spend the night outside in the freezing cold snow.” I said. Her pink cheeks, reddish nose, and ruby red lips were too hard to ignore. I wanted to rescue her and then make her mine forever.

“My car has heat. I’ve got a full tank of gas and plenty of snacks. I even brought a pillow and blanket from home. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“How about you come inside and warm up? I’ve got plenty of space here for you to crash and then in the morning, we can call a tow and—”

“Wait, don’t get me wrong, you seem very nice, but I’m not going to sleep at a stranger’s house. Seriously, it sounds like the start of every horror movie ever made.”

I chuckled. “You aren’t wrong. But the two kids inside building gingerbread houses and our dog Peanut would beg to differ.” I nodded towards Peanut, who had managed to cover himself in the freshly fallen snow as he rolled around in it.

“Two kids building gingerbread houses? Hmm, that sounds a little too good to be true.”

“I’ll show you. If you get creeped out after coming in, you can go back to your car. Though I highly suggest you don’t. It’s not safe, and you’d be much warmer and comfortable inside my cabin.”

A corner of her lip turned up in a smile. “Why do I feel like you’re trying to convince me?”

“I look out for others, that’s all.” And maybe a small part of me wanted to tuck her under my arm and never let her go.

“Okay, fine. I need to pee anyway.”

“I promise no funny business.”

“Okay. I’m trusting you, stranger.”

“Good. My name is Cedar, by the way. Figured we should be on first name basis if you’re planning on spending the night.”

“I’m Aurora. Or A for short.” She walked around to the driver’s side and pulled open the door. Reaching in, she killed the engine and grabbed her bag from the passenger seat.

“Here, let me help.” I took her bag and hoisted it onto my shoulder, along with her pillow, while she grabbed her purse and blanket. She followed me up the driveway and I stopped to unhook Peanut, who went crazy smelling Aurora.

“I know, buddy. New scents. It’s okay.” I rubbed his head as Aurora giggled at the dog’s affections.

Peanut and I led her to the front door and inside, both of my kids waiting by the front door. I should’ve known. The nosy little things couldn’t help themselves.

“Well, hi, there kids. Are the houses ready?” I asked while unleashing Peanut, who immediately ran over to Aurora to sniff her butt.

“Yep!” Auggie said. “We even did yours!”

I forced a smile, as one so often did while parenting. I could only imagine what the kitchen table looked like. “We have a new guest. Her name is Aurora. Auggie and Lola, can you say hi to our guest?”

“Hi!” They both said in unison before scrambling off to the kitchen.

“And there’s the proof. Two kids and a dog.” I set Aurora’s bag on the floor by the entryway and took off my boots. I took her blanket and pillow and set them down on the entryway table while offering to take her coat.

“There must be a wife around then, yes?” Aurora asked, her eyes holding mine steady.

I liked her boldness. Getting straight to the point.

“Nope. No wife. Just a single dad.”

Her mouth dropped open slightly, but she quickly recovered. I grinned inwardly. My night took an unexpected turn. A very unexpected one.

But I liked it.

A lot.