I’ll be home for Christmas, you can count on me...

The soulful voice of Bing Crosby filled the tiny car that was currently climbing through the foothills, snow-covered mountains beckoning in the distance.

Claire Corbett sighed deeply and relaxed her grip on the steering wheel. There was nothing to be worried about. She’d get to spend Christmas in the mountains, in an actual snow castle, and though it would mean work and not a vacation, she’d get a real, white Christmas out of it.

Next to her, her step-brother Dylan groaned and then jammed his earbuds into his ear, turning up the volume on his phone until she could hear a rapid, dull bass.

“Not much longer,” she said and smiled.

In answer, Dylan turned away from her to stare out of the window.

Claire sighed again. Then, determined that nothing would ruin this trip she’d been looking forward to, she turned up the volume of her battered radio.

“I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams,” she sang along, a tentative smile tugging on her lips as she eyed the snow-covered mountaintops looming above.

She’d never spent a holiday in the mountains before.

Claire loved Christmas. It had always been her favorite time of the year. But usually, it meant gathering in her parent’s tiny house, trying to deal with her relatives and all the drama and chaos family gatherings caused.

But this year was different. This year, she’d gotten a surprise contract just when her last had ended. She’d saved up enough that she’d looked forward to a few quiet weeks while she went hunting for the next—and that was when this gig had dropped right into her lap.

A snow castle in the mountains. A tourist attraction that was always at its busiest during the winter months. And, due to a family emergency, the couple that owned the property had been forced to take the next plane to Europe, to look after an injured family member.

Claire didn’t know all the details, but then, she didn’t need to. She’d worked in the hotel business all of her life, branching out into event management in the past few years.

It was the work she loved—but it also meant that most of the time, all she could get was a limited contract that ran out after a year or two.

She was good enough at what she did that she usually had no problem finding a new position. But recently, it felt like the job was becoming something of a drag. Her last two jobs had been in hotels that belonged to big chains, and there just wasn’t much space for any individual effort there. In the end, she’d been no more than a little cog in a giant machine—and that wasn’t why she’d fallen in love with the hotel business.

At least it pays the bills. And jobs in a privately owned hotel that’s open to innovation and new ideas are like one in a million.

Claire tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. This new job definitely looked like one of those one in a million opportunities—but for the first time in her career, Claire wondered whether she was really up to the task.

The property belonged to a shifter, her friend had told her, which was one of the reasons it had been difficult for them to find a manager they could trust in their absence. And while Claire was not a shifter herself, her father had recently married again—a deer shifter. They were currently off on their honeymoon to Barbados.

Which left Claire with the task of looking after her new step-brother Dylan—who hadn’t been happy at all to be foisted off onto Claire.

Before them, the road had steadily turned steeper, foothills turning into mountains as they drove on. The radio was still playing Christmas songs, and Claire was happily humming along to the Carol of the Bell. The street was covered with a layer of snow now, and Claire was driving slowly, keeping her eyes out for a sign.

At last, behind a turn, the road split into two—and there was the sign she’d been expecting. It was made of white plastic that seemed to be lit from inside, forming the silhouette of a castle made of ice.

Claire found herself grinning as she looked at it. If she didn’t know better, she’d think it was made of real ice, the way it glistened in the afternoon sun.

Snow Castle: 2 miles, the sign read. Claire turned up the radio, loudly singing along to White Christmas until Dylan turned around and gave her an unimpressed look.

She grinned at him and reached out for his left earbud. He pulled back with an annoyed look, but at least pulled it out himself.

“Two miles. We’ll have all afternoon left to get settled in. Are you excited?” she asked brightly.

“Whatever,” Dylan said with all the sullenness only a fourteen year old boy could muster.

Claire ignored his pouting, still softly singing along as her tiny car bravely climbed the incline. The street must have been cleared of snow recently, but there was already a thin, fresh layer of new snow on the street.

When Claire took another turn, a snowflake was blown against her windshield. Then, there was another, and another, and a moment later, it was snowing for real.

Fat, heavy snowflakes of perfect white were dancing in the air. Carrie was so delighted that she almost missed the fact that the road was about to end.

“Look! We’re here!” She turned to Dylan, who’d finally straightened to stare out the window alongside her.

Before them, a tunnel opened up, leading through the mountain. It was lined by more of the glittering, translucent plastic ice that looked like stalactites. Here, they were arranged to form a gate, which stood currently wide open. Another sign listed the opening hours, and promised parking space at the other end of the tunnel.

“Ready for an adventure?” she asked Dylan, starting up her car again.

Dylan gave her an unimpressed sigh. “Sure,” he said with heavy irony.

Even so, Claire saw him press his face against the window to watch, and she bit back a smile.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe they’d get to know each other during their time at the snow castle.

She knew it had to be difficult for a kid his age to see his mom marry again.

It was different for her; she was an adult with her own life. She was just glad that her dad had found someone to love again. But in Dylan’s place, she’d probably feel worried that someone was going to steal her parent’s love.

“There’s WiFi at the castle,” she told him with a smile.

In answer, Dylan finally turned towards her. “Seriously?” His face had immediately brightened.

“But that doesn’t mean you get to stay inside all day to play games online,” she said sternly. “I promised your mom.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Dylan muttered again, but at least this time, he didn’t put in his earbuds.

Before them, the tunnel ended. As they drove out from the mountain, Claire was blinded for a moment.

A plain of pure white stretched in front of them.

It was still snowing, but only lightly. The sun was shining. There was snow as far as she could see—and when she turned her head to the right, she saw a gentle incline. There was a path that lead up a small hill—and there at the top stood what she could only describe as a castle.

The building was incredible. It was huge, a giant mansion that seemed to be built from blocks of gray stone, with two towers rising up. The sloping roofs were covered in snow that glittered and gleamed in the sunlight. It looked like something right out of a movie.

Claire took a deep breath, unable to look away. She’d seen pictures when she’d accepted the job, but those hadn’t prepared her for how incredibly real it would feel.

This wasn’t a theme park.

Something about the castle spoke to her, as if the heavy stone and the sun gleaming on the snow had a language of their own. Even from the parking lot at the bottom of the hill, she knew that the icicles hanging from the roofs would be cold to her touch, and that the stone would be heavy granite.

As grandiose as the castle looked, for some reason it didn’t feel like the tourist traps she was used to. For some reason, it seemed real—like a real home. As if at any moment, a prince might come charging out of it on a white horse.

“Isn’t it amazing?” she asked softly.

Even Dylan had fallen silent. For once, he didn’t make any of his sarcastic remarks in return.

But when she turned to look at him with a smile, the sudden screech of tires interrupted her.

There, behind them, a car had come through the tunnel. It was a nice car—a BMW, all black. But apparently, its driver wasn’t used to the snow, because it was spinning wildly, careening dangerously close to her tiny, white Subaru.

For a terrified heartbeat, Claire could only think of how she hadn’t even paid it off yet.

Then, with another screech that made her wince, the BMW came to a stop, without sliding into her car.

Claire breathed a sigh of relief. At the same moment, the car’s door opened and a man hurriedly stepped out. He nearly slipped on the snow, catching himself just in time by grabbing hold of the door.

“I hate snow,” he declared, giving his car a grim look. “And I hate ice. And I really hate Christmas.”

Then he let go of the door. At the first step he took, he lost his footing, ending up sprawled on his behind right in front of Claire so that she had to bite back a giggle.

And then he looked up.

Green eyes met Claire’s. At the same time, Claire felt all breath leave her lungs as she staggered.

The man’s eyes were incredible. She’d never seen anything like it before. They were green—but the sort of green you only found when the summer sun hit a newly unfurled leaf.

His eyes seemed to be made of light, like emeralds filled with sunshine. There was something strangely powerful to them. All of a sudden, despite the snow surrounding them, Claire felt like she’d stepped into a different world—a world of summer and sun and a brilliant, powerful light.

Then the man winced and slowly moved to his feet. With his eyes no longer trained on hers, the spell was broken. Claire could breathe again.

“Sorry to hear that,” she said with amusement. “It sounds like you’ve come to the wrong place. This is the Snow Castle.”

“I know,” he said ruefully. “Sorry about that.”

He held out his hand, and Claire shook it automatically, her words sticking in her mouth when the most delicious warmth seemed to emanate from his skin. It gave her goosebumps. It felt like rays of warm sunlight caressing her all over...

“I’m Claire,” she said a moment later, still breathless. “Claire Corbett.”

“Raul. Raul Romero.”

More heat flooded her body when she finally got a good look at him. His eyes weren’t the only thing that was remarkable about him.

He had the perfect build of a movie star. He hadn’t come dressed for the weather; he only wore a sweater that stretched over rock-hard pecs and defined abs. His hair was gold, with reflexes of red in the sunlight. It was long enough to curl—and long enough to bury her fingers in it.

She blushed when she realized what she’d been thinking.

A guy like that, exuding such strong masculinity, with the body of a model and the face of a rock star, wouldn’t look twice at someone like her.

If there was something working in a hotel had taught her, it was that she was basically invisible to VIPs. Which had always suited her just fine. She liked being in the background and making sure that everything worked properly.

But now, with his eyes on her, she felt like the proverbial deer in the headlights. Because the way he was staring at her, his light-filled eyes turning all warm and appreciative, felt like way too much attention.

“Are you staying here? We might just change your mind about Christmas,” she said cheerfully, retreating back into her safe work persona.

This was something she knew how to do. Being a good host, representing the hotel in the best light, making sure that every guest found something he hadn’t even known he was looking for.

“Oh. You live here?” He tilted his head at her as a smile tugged at his lips. “This trip just got a lot more interesting...”

“I work here,” she said, a rush of heat filling her at his words. “I’ve only just arrived myself. This is my little brother, Dylan—”

“Step-brother,” Dylan said frostily, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at Raul.

Claire sighed softly.

“Anyway, you must be cold. I hope you brought more than what you’re wearing. I was assured we can expect lots and lots of snow. A guaranteed White Christmas.” She beamed at Raul. His answering smile did crazy things to her stomach again.

I’m here for work, she told herself sternly. Flings with guests are really, really unprofessional.

He was probably just being friendly. No one who looked like Raul would be interested in a fling with her. And definitely not in anything serious. And that was the only thing Claire really cared about. She’d seen too many of her friends end up disappointed. It just didn’t seem worth it to invest so much time in dating if all a guy wanted from her was a few nights of fun.

Maybe I’ll finally sign up for one of those matchmaking services when I’m done with this gig.

Then she took another quick look at the way his knit sweater stretched over broad shoulder and incredible biceps.

But I bet they won’t be able to find me a man like this...

“I’m not cold,” Raul said with a little shrug. “I rarely feel cold. There’s probably a human word for that.”

“A human word?” Claire repeated, looking at him with new interest.

Next to her, Dylan had suddenly straightened. “I knew it!” he said triumphantly. “You’re a shifter. What are you?”

“You’re both deer shifters, then?” Raul said. “I could smell it.”

Claire quickly shook her head. “I’m not. Dylan is.”

Again Raul looked at her with his incredible light-filled eyes. She saw him inhaling discreetly. Was he trying to sniff her...?

“Cinnamon. Vanilla. Sunlight. Hmm,” he muttered.

“The cookies I’ve had in the car,” Claire said, tilting her head at him in amusement. “I’m not a cookie shifter, I assure you.”

Surprised, Raul broke out into laughter. “Sorry. I was just trying to figure out why... Never mind. You must be cold. Let’s head up to the castle.”