One Snowy Night (Sweet Home, Alaska #1) - Patience Griffin Page 0,103

her, like she was still mine and we were going to be together forever.”

He traced Beau’s death date on the headstone, though it felt impossible that his brother was really gone. “I’m a complete idiot. I don’t know what to do.”

He looked up but couldn’t see the sky, only snow. He wasn’t going to get an answer from Beau this time. The answer was really inside himself but he didn’t want to pull it out and examine it. He might have to let go of the past if he did.

He returned to his car and slid behind the wheel but didn’t want to go home just yet. Hope would be there. Though he’d made his decision, he wasn’t certain he could keep from pulling her into his arms again. Instead he drove into town to check if the paint had dried in the break room. Then he paced the aisles, remembering how he’d followed his grandpa around the hardware store as he helped customers, until he was old enough himself to help customers find what they needed. Some of his best lessons about human nature came from working at this store. Donovan settled in behind the old cash register—which they were keeping for nostalgia’s sake—and thought about the countless hours he’d spent checking out items for the citizens of Sweet Home and the tourists who came to see the eclectic hardware store. Donovan longed to go back to those days, when Beau was alive and this town was their home. Finally, around midnight he put his memories away and drove back to the lodge.

The second he walked in the door, Hope—with Boomer in her arms—jumped to her feet from her place on the couch. She had such a worried look on her face that panic made his heart pound.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Where were you?” she said. “It’s snowing.”

“Did something happen to Ella?”

“Ella’s fine. She went to bed. I didn’t know where you were.”

“I went for a drive.”

“But the weather is horrible!” She turned away as if she were composing herself. “Boomer was worried. Ella asked after you, too.”

Boomer must have heard his name. He wiggled to get down, and she set him on the floor and released him. He scampered across the hardwood and slid to a stop at Donovan’s feet.

“Come here, you good-for-nothing ragamuffin.” He leaned over and ruffled his furry head.

Hope walked toward Donovan with a pad of Post-it notes and a pen in her hand, holding them out.

“What’s this for?”

“Ella and I have this system,” Hope said. “We leave a Post-it on the microwave telling the other person where we are.”

Yes, he’d seen their notes to each other stuck there.

Hope didn’t look him in the eye. “It’s a simple courtesy, letting everyone know where you are. And when you might get home.” She gave him a pointed look. “It’s what people do, so others—especially dogs and children—don’t worry about them.”

His chest warmed unexpectedly. Hope worries over me. It was dumb that it pleased him so. And frightened him. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just don’t do it again.” She turned away. “It’s the snow, you know?”

He did know. A heavy snowfall would naturally frighten her more than the average Alaskan. When others saw snow as a nuisance, she would see mangled bodies and death.

He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back a little so she could lean against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. “I’m truly sorry.”

She relaxed and suddenly he didn’t feel the need to apologize for the kiss at the Hungry Bear. He just needed to make sure he didn’t hurt Hope.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.

She slowly moved away from him. “Now that you’re home safe and sound, I’ll head to bed.”

“Good night, Hope. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She said nothing more as she slipped on her boots and her coat, grabbed a thermos, and went out the door.

Two seconds later, he realized he still had Boomer. And he’d made a promise to his daughter. He put on his coat and his hat and he and Boomer went to Wandering Moose Cabin. He knocked lightly, not wanting to wake up Ella if she was already asleep. Especially if it meant he could steal a kiss from Hope out here on the porch.

But Ella opened the door. “Oh! You brought me Boomer!” The cabin smelled of hot cocoa.

“He likes sleeping with you.” Donovan looked inside. “You know, we’ll need to get you a bigger bed soon. It won’t be