Page 29 of A Pen Pal for Christmas

“She got distracted by ornaments.”

“Happens to the best of us,” he said, his mouth curving into an amused smile.

“What about you? I know you said you weren’t competing, but I could’ve sworn I saw you helping Jamie after Nick bailed.”

“Yeah… Nick ditched Jamie to help Holly. Guess the new recipe she’s prepping for dinner tonight needed a taste-tester.”

“How convenient,” I teased, then looked around. “So, where’s Jamie, then? Did he bail, too?”

“Yep.”

“He was losing, wasn’t he?”

“I tried to help, but he was already too far behind. Figured I’d come check on you now that I was free, though.” His tone was light, but there was something steady in his gaze that made me feel like he was measuring my mood. “How’s it going?”

I hesitated. “It’s… fine. Fun, even. I’m stuck on a clue, though. Wanna join my team now that I got ditched, too?”

Hudson studied me for a moment, then nodded toward the path. “After you.”

“Okay,” I said, squinting at the paper as we walked. “‘The place where joy and history meet—look high, not low, for your next treat.’”

“Cryptic.”

I groaned. “Right? Why are these always so vague?”

Hudson glanced around the square. “What about the clock tower?”

I squinted at it. “You might be right. Let’s check.”

As we approached, a shadow shifted in my peripheral vision. I turned, my pulse quickening, but when I looked again, the street was empty.

Just a trick of the light.

“All good?” Hudson asked.

Of course he’d pick up on my unease, stopping to turn to me when my steps had faltered. Was there anything this guy missed?

I nodded, glancing over my shoulder once more, then forced a smile as we fell into step again. The soft crunch of snow beneath our boots filled the silence, and for a moment, it was almost easy to forget about why I was on edge.

I opened my mouth to ask Hudson about his time in the military, but then snapped it shut before I could utter a word. Dane stood at the edge of the square, leaning against a lamppost. He wasn’t doing anything overtly threatening, though, just watching. But it was the kind of watching that made my skin crawl.

“What is it?” Hudson asked, his voice low as he followed my gaze. Then his body stiffened, the shift subtle but unmistakable.

“Dane,” I whispered.

I’d thought he’d left by now. He hadn’t reappeared ever since that chat at the cafe, so I was starting to think I was off the hook.

But, apparently not.

My breath caught as I studied him, leaning too casually against the lamppost like he didn’t have a care in the world. But his eyes—they were sharp, calculating, and fixed on me. A chill swept through me, colder than the snow underfoot. My fingers tightened around my clue sheet, the paper crumpling slightly as I fought the urge to bolt.

Hudson didn’t move, didn’t make any sudden gestures. Instead, his eyes stayed on Dane, his jaw tense. “Has he tried to talk to you since the coffee shop?”

“No. But…” I hesitated, the words sticking in my throat.

“But what?”

I started to reply, then shook my head, hating how paranoid I’d sound if I actually let him in on my thoughts about the drawer in my room. “Nothing. Never mind.”

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