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mind meeting you there. I understand you have to work.” The expression on her face said just that, too.
    Past women in his life had resented his job taking up so much of his time, especially during the summer. Hearing Jane say she understood was refreshing.
    “It’s a wonderful thing, what you’re doing,” she continued. “I can’t imagine not having the resources to make my children’s Christmas special.”
    “I know; it’s tough. I’ve helped out before with delivering the presents, and there’s nothing better than seeing those little faces light up when they see what we brought them. It’s the best feeling,” he admitted.
    “I bet it is.” She smiled and took a hesitant step closer to him, close enough that he could smell her sweet, delectable scent. “It’s so great of you to volunteer like that. You’re such a nice guy.”
    Chris wanted to groan out loud. Great. So she thought he was nice . Which was fine, really, since he wasn’t interested in the pretty widow. Well, there was that chemistry thing they had going on, but he didn’t even know her, had only talked to her now twice. Still, there was this pull, this inexplicable need to learn more about her. He hoped he wasn’t playing with fire—he had enough of that in his daily life.
    Yet Chris had a feeling the widow Jane was worth a few burns.

Chapter Three
    “Do you need any help getting out of the car, Jane?”
    She rolled her eyes at Mindy and grabbed the door handle. “I think I can manage.”
    Her big sister called after her as Jane slid out of her seat, “Hey, I’m just trying to be nice.”
    Mindy was always trying to be nice. She was the nice sister, the good sister. The one who could do anything and everything and it always turned out perfectly. Jane had developed a love-hate relationship with her when they were kids, but they had been growing closer ever since Jane moved back to Lone Pine Lake. And she was finding out life wasn’t as perfect as Mindy had always made it out to be.
    “So Marty’s not coming home for the weekend?” Jane opened the passenger door and slid her children out of the middle seat of her sister’s SUV. Mindy’s two kids sat in the back.
    Mindy shrugged and slammed her door with a bit of extra force. “He’s staying in San Francisco. Says the conference ran over and he can’t come home until Sunday night.”
    Jane said nothing. It didn’t sound right. Ever since she’d come home, things between Mindy and her husband hadn’t been good. Yes, every marriage had its problems—Jane and Stephen hadn’t been immune to it, either; they’d had their issues just like everyone else. But she’d always been able to trust Stephen.
    She wasn’t sure about Marty. Heck, she’d barely seen him since she’d moved back to Lone Pine, and she’d been there for months already. And Mindy seemed so brittle lately, like she’d break at any moment. Mindy complained about him and their marriage constantly.
    Jane mused on this as they all walked together to the front entrance of the town rec hall. When the children ran ahead of them, Jane was surprised to see a line at the door, though at least it seemed to be moving quickly. It was cold outside and an early winter storm was headed their way, bringing with it plenty of rain for the weekend. Jane’s thin skin ensured she was cold the majority of the time.
    When they got to the front door, a woman sat behind a table, taking everyone’s money and handing them entrance tickets. Mindy whipped out her wallet and waved her hand in Jane’s direction. “I’ve got it for all of us.”
    “Oh, Min, you don’t have to do that…”
    “No, no, I insist. It’s for charity, after all. Marty’s always telling me we need write-offs.”
    “But—”
    “Jane, seriously, learn how to take a gift.” She started to hand over her cash to the older woman sitting behind the fold-out table. “Two adults, five children, please.”
    The woman shook her head, jerking her thumb in