Page 86 of Merry Mended Hearts

GRACE

I grew frantic.

I’d scoured every inch I could think of at the inn, but my notebook was nowhere in sight. Where could it have gone?

The only hope I could see was to check with Boone, but I wasn’t sure if he would even be coming back for the sleigh ride tonight. Regardless, I watched the clock, which somehow only made time move that much more slowly.

What was I going to do if he didn’t return? I’d have to let the notebook—and all the incredible scenes I’d drafted while I’d been here—go.

Which would make this trip completely wasted.

This had happened before. Many of my author friends had had computers crash or flash drives burn out. They’d lost entire manuscripts. At least I didn’t lose my entire book. I could recapture all the thoughts I’d written if I had to.

I’d rather not have to.

After a delicious meal of roasted steak garnished with garlic butter, potatoes, and the most succulent green beans I’d ever had, I bundled up in my snow gear and joined the bustle downstairs.

Guests gathered in the main area below, peering out the windows. There was a different energy in the air, one of excitement and anticipation that I couldn’t help mirroring. Every person here was dressed like I was—bundled up in preparation for the ride up the mountain to wherever this bonfire was slated to be held.

The prospect of a mountaintop bonfire in the blazing cold wasn’t all that appealing. But the chance to see Boone again was.

Considering how the cold had overtaken me the last time I’d been out in it for an extended period of time, I decided to take a few more precautions and layer up. And considering how overheated I felt in my puffy coat zipped and my beanie on my brown hair, I’d succeeded.

I was starting to cook in all these extra layers I’d put on.

The faint tinkle of bells jingled outside, and the crowd began to stir. Not far from where I stood, Lacie and Jared nestled close to one another, caught up in their own conversation.

I wondered if they’d gotten anything sorted out yet.

“Here they come!” a woman called to the rest of us, moving from her position at the window.

Other guests cheered in response, and my heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, two large sleighs pulled forward on the snow outside, each pulled by a pair of horses, waiting for the guests to pile out.

I hurried the rest of the way down the stairs, eager, hoping for a sight of Boone in his thick coat with the wool lining, his tufted fur hat and thick gloves. I passed Lacie and Jared, who were now arguing about something near the Christmas tree, and pushed my way out into the night.

The cold was overwhelmingly stark against the heat that had gathered beneath my coat. I sucked in a breath through my teeth and stared at the stars filling the clear sky overhead.

“Wow,” I muttered.

There was something to be said about the winter sky and the sheer number of stars spoking through its blue canvas. I shivered and moved aside for a couple who had followed me out only to stop short.

Two men held the reins for the sleighs.

Neither of them was Boone.

“That’s our call!” Junie announced. “Those who are coming for the bonfire, the time to leave is now. I repeat, the sleighs are leaving now!”

People shouted, one woman squealed in excitement, and I even noticed the woman who’d been holding the dog the first day I’d arrived now walking hand-in-hand with her daughter toward the sleigh in the front.

I hurried to catch Junie’s arm.

“Junie,” I said, adding, “Sorry,” at the look of surprise on Junie’s face.

She wore a bright pink hat with yarn that seemed to have exploded on her head. It stuck out at all angles but was so endearing on her freckled face that I suspected the hat had been designed that way on purpose. It totally fit Junie’s spunky, laid-back style.

“Grace!” Junie’s smile widened. “Do you need something? You’re joining us, right?”

She peered behind me, distracted by something. I glanced back as well, catching sight of the radio through the window. Is that what Junie was looking at?

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