'Twas the Week Before Christmas. Olivia Miles

ringing. Guests slated to arrive in the coming days were inquiring about the weather conditions and yet another had already cancelled their weekend reservation. By the time she made it back to the dining area, Max was already gone.

      Holly smiled to herself as she set down the wicker laundry basket outside the linen closet. She folded a soft ivory hand towel and placed it on its appropriate shelf, her mind firmly on Max instead of the task. She had thought her heart would nearly stop when she saw his tall, muscular frame standing in the doorway of Lucy’s Place that morning—it was her usual morning stop, and his presence had shaken her routine...in a good way. She had always enjoyed her quick trip into town to pick up a stack of fresh pies and have a cup of coffee with Lucy, but something told her from now on she would always have one eye on that diner door, half expecting him to walk through, looking every bit the strapping, rugged man that had so unexpectedly appeared this morning.