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know what? Why the hell not?” She shot him a grin that made him laugh again . . . something he normally didn’t do this time of year.
    “Your attitude keeps getting better and better,” he told her, and then thought with surprise, So does mine . This morning he’d been ready to bite the head off anyone who came near him, and now he was laughing. Amazing. At first glance, Claire Collins might appear to have big-city sophistication, to be the type of woman he would never approach . . . and yet he felt drawn to her in more ways than one.
    “So, what do you do for a living?”
    “I’m a hairstylist at Sweet Indulgence Salon and Day Spa.”
    He glanced her way. “Sounds fancy.”
    “It is. I was at a conference in Denver for hair extensions.”
    “Okay, what are hair extensions?”
    “Human hair that is weaved into your own.It can be very damaging, and this company has a new process that’s state-of-the-art.”
    He raised his eyebrows, then pointed to his head. “Wait, someone else’s real hair? People really do that?”
    “Yep.”
    He looked at her beautiful auburn hair with a frown.
    “It’s mine,” she assured him with a chuckle.“Wow, it’s really coming down. How can you even see?”
    “I know the area like the back of my hand. But the good news is that we’re almost to my cabin.”
    She nodded and looked out the window at the tall pine trees dripping with freshly fallen snow. “It’s beautiful here.”
    “That it is.” But before long it would be pitch-black . . . much different from in the city. Instead of sirens and honking horns, Claire would be hearing the sounds of nature.
    As if reading his mind, Claire turned and said, “I’m thinking I’m in for quite a Christmas adventure.”
    Jesse arched one eyebrow in agreement. “Yes, my little Southern city slicker, I believe you’re right.” Just as he pulled into the clearing where his cabin stood, three deer scampered across his front yard.
    Claire’s eyes rounded and she put a hand up to her chest and stared out the window. “Oh, look!”
    “That’s common. There’s a lake out back. I see deer all the time.” Among other animals that he would warn her about later, but if she was this freaked-out about deer, he had his work cut out for him.
    “No . . . I mean, that’s your so-called log cabin?” She turned and looked at him. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Chapter Three
    “ W hat do you mean?” Jesse asked as he killed the engine.
    “Um, Jesse, this isn’t a log cabin.”
    “Well, technically, it’s a log and timber hybrid with stone accents.”
    Claire shook her head. “No, I mean, cabins are little.” She made a small square with her fingers. “This is a . . . a lodge.”
    Jesse shrugged. “It was my family home and my mother loved to entertain, especially—,” he began, but paused. “Anyway, she wanted plenty of guest rooms. My parents were both artists and designed it from the ground up. It’s more than I need, but I’ll never sell it.”
    Claire looked out of the window through the swirling snow. “Wow, it’s magnificent, Jesse. I don’t blame you one bit. With the pine trees and the mountains . . . wow, it looks like a scene inside a snow globe.” She turned to look at him.“So your parents don’t live here anymore?”
    A shadow passed over his face as he removed the keys from the ignition. “No.”
    Claire wanted to ask more, but he abruptly turned and opened his door. A moment later he was at her side. “Oh . . .” She looked down at her sock feet and winced.
    “We’ve established that I can carry you,” he reminded her with a wry smile. “Just link your arms around my neck and hold on, okay?”
    “But—”
    “Claire, just promise not to wiggle and we’ll be fine.”
    After a brief hesitation she said, “Okay, I promise.”
    “Good. Now, just relax. I’ll come back later for the packages and supplies.”
    Claire felt a bit shy about linking her arms around him, but after she nodded, he