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

“My mother says that all the time.” Candy grinned.


Cody tried out a smile. It felt nice. “I guess all mothers do.”


They had breakfast in silence, the good kind of silence not the awkward kind, and then set about to fix the rest of the house. Candy cleaned while Cody began repairs—a few fuses had blown over the years, light bulbs needed to be exchanged, door hinges oiled. He drove to town twice to get hardware, and each time he failed to explain to Terence that he wasn’t keen on meeting for tea. The old man promised him the most delicious cake.


Before Cody was ready for it, Saturday afternoon arrived.


Terence and Gladys lived on the other side of the town, a short drive away. Their house, Cody saw as he pulled up in the driveway, hadn’t changed. It still looked like it had in his childhood, down to the tacky Christmas decorations. Somebody else must have put them up for the couple; they were both well too old to climb up ladders and put nativity scenes on rooftops.


Chapter 13