Cody Laughman, a lonely firefighter in New York City, gets a blast from the past when his late father’s lawyer approaches him with news. It has been three years since Cody’s father’s death, the family house needs to be sold. Although Cody is glad to get rid of this part of his life, there is one final thing he needs to do -- fly home to Muffin, Alaska, and make the property presentable.<br><br>He expects this to be a quick visit, just cleaning up some old memories he usually ignores. But memories are stubborn, and on top of everything else, he finds a real Christmas elf living in the attic of his house. Not a tiny fairy, but a full-grown, deliciously handsome man. He doesn’t even have pointed ears.<br><br>But can Cody open up to the possibility of finding love, when the ghost of Christmas past is still haunting him?

The Firefighter in the Snow

But the bread his houseguest took out of the oven a good hour later looked, and indeed, smelled delicious. While Candy had been in the kitchen making bread, Cody had succeeded in repairing the water heater so he could take a shower. Everything felt better once he stood under the steaming hot water. It sprayed his face and cascaded down his body, washing away dirt and worries at the same time. No thoughts of New York and his job, of his nice but estranged colleagues. Not even a thought of his parents disturbed the serenity of this moment, however brief it was. All he thought about was that he would need to shovel snow later today, and that Candy, whoever he truly was, seemed like good company for now.


When breakfast was served—in the living room, in front of the fireplace—Cody was on his third cup of hot chocolate. Sure, it was but dried milk, water, cocoa powder and a bit of sugar, but it was exactly what Cody needed.


Chapter 6