It didn’t take too much to convince Tamara of the change in accommodation, which was an acknowledgement in itself that Hanna had made the right choice.

While Hanna drove the truck carefully back to Silver Stone, Tamara leaned her face against the cool window and looked miserable. “I’m sorry. I’m being a terrible friend.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s bad enough to be sick. You don’t need to feel guilty on top of it.” Hanna thought of something. “I do have a favour to ask, other than the things you’re already doing, like lending us clothes.”

“Anything. Well, anything except dancing a jig or cooking onions,” Tamara joked.

It was hard to ask for help, but there was no way around it. Hanna couldn’t afford to rent a vehicle, and living out in the country meant she couldn’t walk to her jobsites. “Is there a spare vehicle on the ranch I can borrow for a short time? Mine is going to be in the shop for a while getting body work done.”

“Of course. We’ll ask Caleb, and he’ll get you set up.” Tamara glanced across at her, a sad smile on her lips. “You really didn’t catch much of a break, did you?”

“We made it out alive.” It was the most important thing, and Hanna was going to focus on it.

Back at Silver Stone, the girls had made a huge blanket fort, draping fabric over the couch and strategically positioned pillows. Crissy came when Hanna called her, though, Emma at her side, their fingers clasped together.

“Have you had fun playing?” Hanna asked.

Crissy nodded. “Emma’s Auntie Lisa made us grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch.”

“Sounds yummy.” She caught Crissy’s free hand. “Mommy found us somewhere to stay for the next little while until we find a new house.”

Emma frowned. “I want Crissy to stay with me.”

Hanna went to reassure her that they would visit lots, but it was Crissy who spoke up. “Santa Claus said he was going to take care of me, remember?”

Confusion filtered in, at least on Hanna’s part.

Emma’s face lit up, though, as if she’d completely understood what was going on. “Okay. You want to borrow a stuffie? You can’t have Professor G because he would miss me, but you can have someone else come sleep over with you.”

Without another word of complaint, Crissy and Emma raced from the room to find Crissy a friend to borrow.

Hanna wandered into the kitchen feeling a little as if she’d been hit by a truck. Tamara had vanished into her bedroom to lie down, profuse apologies spilling from her lips until Hanna had given her a dirty look and sent her from the room.

Lisa put a plate of food in front of Hanna. “I hear you found somewhere to stay?”

“One of the—” Hanna paused. Okay, this was going to be more awkward than she’d imagined. She stuck to basic information. “One of the firefighters has extra space, so we’re going to stay there until we figure out the next thing to do.”

Lisa settled on the stool beside her. “I know Tamara would love to have you here if she were feeling better, but her pregnancy isn’t cooperating. I’m here to help take up the slack, so I stole the guest room. With the holidays, we’ve got other family coming to visit over the next couple weeks.”

“Don’t you apologize, either.” Hanna took a big bite of the gooey cheese sandwich and let the warmth travel all the way down before she let out a contented sigh. “I know if we needed to stay you’d make it work, but this will be fine.”

A roof over their heads and a built-in babysitter. All positive things, especially if she ignored the flutter of anticipation in her belly when she thought about the fact she would be living in the same house as Brad Ford.

All that muscle and manhood, and yet he’d been gentle and cautious when he’d invited her to join him and his father. And he’d promised nothing would happen that she didn’t want while they were living there—

That’s where the fluttering got even stronger, because if she were to tell the honest truth, what she wanted to happen was more than nothing.

Caleb Stone came through with a vehicle for her to use. The truck was slightly smaller than the boat Tamara had her drive earlier in the day but still sturdier than her car. And as Crissy waved goodbye to her friends and Hanna headed through the snow toward Lone Pine ranch, the sense of being tossed into a strange pick your own adventure story rolled over her again.

“Do I get to have my own room?” Crissy asked.

“Yes, but remember we’re guests in their home. We need to be polite and mind our manners. And Mr. Ford will be helping take care of you when Mommy has to go to work in the evening.”

Crissy took a while to process that. “Not Mrs. Nonnie?”

“Not for right now.”

Another pause. “I should make Mrs. Nonnie a Christmas card.”

Resilience, thy name is Crissy. “That would be a good idea.”

Crissy turned toward her, a hand on Hanna’s arm as she announced excitedly, “I’m going to make Christmas cards for all the firefighters. Because they were helpers.”

Hanna’s throat tightened. “They were good helpers, weren’t they?”

Her daughter’s fingers tangled in hers for a moment until Hanna had to pull her hand free to use both hands on the wheel as they went up the long, twisting driveway. At the top of the ridge, the low bungalow that was the main house for Lone Pine ranch appeared. Weathered boards graced the outside, and mature trees surrounded it.

“Look, Mommy.” Crissy pointed to the top of the roof where smoke drifted from the chimney. “Santa’s chimney.”

Hanna laughed, the sound surprising her. “I sure hope he’s not climbing down right now, or he’s going to get a hot foot.”

“Santa’s fireproof,” Crissy informed her.

That would explain so much.

Hanna pulled into the open parking space beside two much larger trucks, taking a deep breath before coming around to help Crissy. She passed her little girl the bag Emma had loaned her then offered a hand as together they marched up to the front porch. In the windows, bright lights flickered as if they were candles.

Crissy made a soft sound of amazement as she looked out into the trees where a group of deer lifted their heads to stare back cautiously. “Are those reindeer?” she asked in an awed whisper.

From this distance, Hanna couldn’t tell. “Probably whitetail.”

“They’re friends with Rudolph.” Crissy said it with such conviction Hanna didn’t have the heart to say anything else. Then the door was swinging open, and the warmth pouring out carried with it the scent of roast beef and cinnamon.

Brad stepped aside as he welcomed them in. “Just put your things down anywhere.”

Crissy slipped out of her boots and put them carefully on the mat, placing her bag neatly by the toes before coming back and catching Hanna by the hand, suddenly shy.

A deep chuckle filled the air. Hanna glanced to the opposite side of the room where a man who was much smaller than Brad stood with his hands resting on two canes. It was his father, his face familiar, but while Brad was clean shaven on both his chin and head, Patrick Ford’s hair and full-length beard had gone snowy white.

His lips curled upward. “Well, look who’s come for a visit.”

Crissy lit up like someone had thrown the switch in Times Square.

“Mr. Patrick,” she shouted, crossing the short distance of the front foyer and throwing herself at him.

Suddenly what Brad had worried would be an awkward moment turned into a bit of a free-for-all. Crissy clung to his father’s knees while Hanna looked on with an indulgent smile before turning to him. “Patrick and I met a number of years ago. Obviously Crissy knows him too.”

Patrick squeezed Crissy gently before turning a grin in Brad’s direction. Probably proud he’d managed to pull off a fast one. He hadn’t mentioned a word beyond being glad to help out needy folk during the holiday time. “I’m a volunteer reader in Crissy’s class. She likes it when I use voices, just like you used to.”

Crissy gaped up at Brad before a little-girl giggle escaped. “You like voices?”

His dad nodded, more serious now. “Crissy, I’m sorry to hear about your house, but in the meantime, I’m glad you’ve come to stay with us. I think we’re going to get along just fine.”

“Thank you for giving us a place to stay,” Hanna offered softly.

Patrick waved a hand. “Glad to be of help. Supper will be ready in a half an hour, so we’ve got time to get you settled.”

He gestured them away from the living room and down the long hallway. “First rooms are the office and a bathroom. Then the house splits into two directions. My room is at the end of that hallway.” He pointed off to the right. “And Brad has the rooms down at the end that way.”

A buzzer went off in the back, and his dad motioned for Brad to deal with it. “Put the roast on the stove,” he ordered. “I’ll get the girls settled.”

Which was good, because it saved Brad the awkwardness of trying to figure out exactly where to put the two of them. There were four open bedrooms, but only one had access to an en suite bathroom. It made the most sense for Hanna to stay there, but…

It was the room next to his. No way on earth could he suggest she use it without the proposition coming out wrong.

Nope, it was better to let fate, spelled P A T R I C K, take control of this one.

It was strangely right to have more people at the table. Crissy asked Patrick for help in cutting up her meat, Hanna watching every move for signs of discomfort. She relaxed as time passed, and it was clear her daughter really was comfortable around both Patrick and Brad.

Brad was the one who felt incredibly awkward. Somehow they got through to the end of the meal without him tangling his tongue or dropping anything as he passed the food around the table. And afterward when Hanna insisted on washing up, Patrick offered Crissy a broom and told her she’d have jobs to do every day as well.

Crissy spoke quietly. “Mommy says I’m good at chores.”

“Good to know. I like having a helper,” Patrick said. He eyed Crissy closely. “How are you at cuddling kittens?”

One little girl was about to bounce her way through the roof, quietness erased. “You have kittens?”

As Patrick got permission from Hanna to take Crissy to the nearby barn to visit the kittens, Brad had to smile. He’d known Patrick would thrive on this—all the time they’d been kids, his dad had been the one who nurtured their love of animals. It had been his mom who’d encouraged him to go into firefighting.

Brad tucked away the leftovers before joining Hanna at the sink. “Crissy is doing well.”

Hanna moved the washcloth over the plate slowly, her chin dipping. “She talks about Mr. Patrick all the time. That’s why I thought it would work for us to be here for a while. It should make it easier for her.”

“Well, then, I’m glad we can help out.” Only he’d been watching closely, and she was still washing the same plate she’d been on when he stepped to her side. He pulled it out of her hands and placed it in the drying rack before tugging her to face him. “And how are you doing?”

She was fighting to keep from crying, that much was clear. He just stood there and waited for a sign of what she wanted.

Hanna took a shaky breath, swallowed hard then opened her mouth to hesitantly ask, “Can I have a hug?”

Oh God. “Of course, sugar.”

It was different than when she’d surprised him in the office. Then her hug had been fierce and determined, as if the motion had exploded out of her nearly the same way as his invitation to stay with them. Unlike that one, this embrace wasn’t about giving, but getting.

Hanna leaned into him, and he cradled her against him. He kept his touch innocent, offering his strength. They stood there for a good five minutes, her cheek turned so her ear pressed hard against his chest, her arms wrapped around him clinging tight as if she weren’t ready to stand on her own two feet yet.

She’d done enough standing on her own in the last twenty-four hours as far as he was concerned.

Slowly her breathing evened out, and when she gave him a final squeeze before stepping back slowly and wiping at her eyes, he waited a moment so she could pull herself together. Handing her a box of tissues drew a shaky laugh from her lips.

“Sorry about that.”

Brad snorted, and her head shot up in surprise. “Seriously? Don’t apologize for needing a hug. Not only do I understand, I’m surprised you haven’t had a meltdown. And that’s not any kind of judgment call on you. Being involved in a fire is traumatic.”

“You can say that again,” she said dryly. She stepped back farther and smiled up at him. “Okay, I promise I won’t keep breaking down and crying on you. Why don’t you tell me what your favourite cookies are? I can start baking tomorrow.”

Crissy came running back into the room a few minutes later followed by Patrick who looked pleased as he worked his way into the room, leaning on his dual canes. “Looks as if we have a very talented cat-cuddler at our service,” he informed Brad.

“There are four kittens,” Crissy said as she snuggled against Hanna, looking up at her with love in her eyes. “And none of them have names yet. Mr. Patrick said I get to name them.”

“That’s a special treat.” Hanna glanced at Patrick. “Thank you.”

She was saying it for more than just the kittens, and it was clear he knew that as he dipped his chin then winked. “My favourite show starts in fifteen minutes. Anyone want to join me?”

Crissy followed after him into the living room, but Hanna hesitated in the kitchen. “Can I use your phone? I should make some calls to see what’s going to happen with housing and everything else.”

Brad set her up on their landline, then took off to the back rooms to call the RCMP to double check if there was anything needed for their investigation that required Hanna. He didn’t want her to be surprised. Figured if he could warn her ahead of time that would probably be best.

He was stepping to his bedroom when he realized the door on the other side of his was open. And while there wasn’t too much in the room, a robe lay on the bed and a pair of slippers waited on the floor beside it. Smaller slippers than he wore but far too big to be Crissy’s.

He was either going to give his dad something wonderful for Christmas or a lump of coal.

Brad headed out to the barns to take care of the last couple of animals they owned. The horses bumped their noses against his hand, and Brad enjoyed the relaxing pace, but not even the familiarity of the task was enough to distract him from his current situation.

Hanna Lane was in his house. Sweet, determined, tenderhearted Hanna, who in the course of the last day had set his feet on a different path than he’d expected. Yes, he wanted to date her. And yes, his plans had always included some sort of nebulous future and family flavour.

But this was real. Having her and Crissy here in his house had turned someday into someday soon.

He wandered around outside, kicking up snow and staring up into the starry sky, killing time as he let his mind wander. Problem-solving the way he always had by using his feet.

There was still his brother to deal with, and more family baggage to put away, but right now the only thing he could concentrate on was her. And staying outside in the frigid cold seemed far more logical than going in and having to face her.

Sometime while he’d been in the barns, both the girls had headed off to bed, which was probably for the best. Still that meant that he was hard-pressed to simply get ready for bed, staring at the wall between their rooms and wondering…

Just wondering.

When he finally fell asleep, he was too restless to sleep well, which meant when he woke at six as usual, Brad stumbled into the kitchen to get the coffeemaker going, jerking to a stop when he realized the pot was full. And hot.

And he wasn’t alone.

Brad turned slowly, blinking to wake up. Hanna stiffened where she sat at the table, her eyes sweeping over him as fiery-red bloomed in her cheeks. She got stuck staring at his waist, and that’s when he realized that, like most mornings, he wore nothing but a pair of pyjama bottoms.

The fact she couldn’t seem to tear her gaze off his body did something good for his ego.

But when other parts of him began to react, he stepped carefully behind the counter and offered a wave. “Sorry. Forgot.”

“Coffee first, engage brain second?” She lifted her gaze to his eyes, and while she was still blushing furiously, she was smiling. She outright snickered when he picked up his empty cup and tried to take a sip. “Umm, Brad? You take anything with your cup of air?”

He glared at her without wanting to glare. Her lips simply curled up harder.

He folded his arms over his chest, lowering his voice to a growl. “Perky morning person. Damn. I rescind the invitation.”

Hanna laughed. The pure bright sound broke over the kitchen and delighted him nearly as much as the fact that her eyes were once again dipping over his body in appreciation. She seemed to like his biceps.

He liked that she liked his biceps.

He pointed over his shoulder as she rose to her feet. “I’ll get a shirt.”

“I’ll pour your coffee. Black?”

“Triple, triple,” he admitted.

“Got it.” She got busy at the counter, and he strode back to the hallway, but a glance over his shoulder said she was sneaking a peek at his backside as he left the room.

Brad could put up with her being a morning person.