Snow Place Like Home

Chapter Three

Jason

Jason didn't sleep at all that night, his mind occupied by the elegant beauty who waltzed into his town. She was the essence of feminine — tall, long legs, curvy — at least from what he gathered with her clothes still on. In the brief moments he spent with her, he noticed her smooth, coffee-colored skin, sweet lavender scent, and fiery eyes.

YoYo had shown him pictures of her family, so he had seen what Shonna looked like as a young girl, but he would never have imagined the woman she'd become. Never had he seen such a gorgeous creature. Merely touching her hand was enough to wake his sleeping dick from its seven-year slumber, which was insane.

Jason had never reacted to a woman this way. Beautiful women passed through Blackstone all the time, tourists from around the world looking for a good time. He didn't believe in casual sex. He had been with one woman his entire life, his high school sweetheart, Alicia Smith, turned fiancé, turned the woman who left him at the altar. No one had sparked his interest since. Until now.

But Shonna was a tourist herself, a visitor passing through town. He had wanted to press her for answers as to what brought her here and why she chose to stay in her late grandmother's home. He hadn't read YoYo's letter before sending it to her, and it made him wonder how much Shonna knew about him, if anything. She had no reaction when he introduced himself, so it was likely her grandmother hadn't mentioned her matchmaking intentions.

A low whine pulled him out of his thoughts. Penny, the ninety-pound husky, was staring at him with one blue eye and one brown eye.

"What?" He asked. "It's too early to go outside."

The dog whined again and gave a low bark.

Jason sighed and slid out of bed. "I'm up."

Penny danced excitedly around his feet. Jason threw on a jacket, shoved his feet into his shoes, and followed the exuberant canine through the French doors leading out to the frosty patch of grass outside his window.

Jason was a co-owner of a historic mansion that he and his partner Rigby turned into a luxury resort — the Snow Raven Inn. The building's classic Victorian style initially drew Jason to the place. The second was its location. Blackstone was a port town that overlooked Blackstone Bay and served as a terminal for cruise ships. The mansion had good bones, so renovations had been a cinch, especially with Jason's background in construction. Both Jason and Rigby lived at the inn, and there were eleven other rooms for guests, each with a private bathroom.

Jason lived in Anchorage all his life. It was where he planned to build a life with his future wife, but after Alicia left, nothing was keeping him tethered there. He needed a fresh start, so for two years, he worked on the Alaskan cruise lines as an expedition guide, where he got to explore different areas of the state he had never been to before.

Aboard the ship is where he met Rigby Jones, a seasoned chef from the Bahamas who, after he lost his restaurant in a hurricane, journeyed north and ended up in Jason's neck of the woods. They hit it off instantly and became fast friends. Now, seven years later, the man was not just his business partner and co-owner of the inn, he was like a brother.

It was pitch black outside except for the ocean of stars overhead. After Penny handled her business, she meandered about, exploring her surroundings until she was finally satisfied that no blade of grass went ignored by her snout. Once they were back inside, Jason showered and dressed, then left the canine in his room before setting about his daily duties.

Running an inn hadn't been Jason's dream, not by far. But now that he was, he couldn't see himself doing anything else. After paying some invoices to vendors and updating the inventory list, he set about ordering the items they needed. Then he made his way to the kitchen, where Rigby was prepping for the breakfast crowd.

"Hey, morning," Jason said.

"Morning."

"Need any help?"

"You already know the answer to that. Why are you bugging me?"

Needing to keep his hand occupied while he talked, Jason washed his hands and started chopping vegetables.

"You remember that letter I told you about? The one YoYo left me."

"Of course," he laughed. "The old woman wanted you to marry her granddaughter."

"I met her yesterday."

Rigby turned to give him his full attention. "And?"

"She's beautiful." Jason couldn't help the smile that crept across his face. Then he thought about her attitude and the way she dressed, which was nothing like he was used to. He added, "And high-maintenance. And a tourist."

"Then forget the letter."

"I can't just forget the letter." YoYo's final words to him were asking him to take care of her granddaughter. To love her. How could he ignore that? There had to be a good reason YoYo thought he and Shonna would be a good match, but despite him being physically attracted to her, he didn't see anything beyond that.

"Alright. Then ask for a sign," Rigby suggested.

"A sign?"

"Yes. Whenever I need to know the right path to take, I ask God to show me what to do or what not to do, and He always does. Since you don't believe in the big guy, then it's up to YoYo to tell you."

Jason shook his head. Despite Rigby being as sexually free as he was, he was traditional in a lot of ways. His religious beliefs being one.

"So, what? I just ask YoYo to strike me with lightning or something?"

He chuckled. "Nothing like that. Let's say... if YoYo's granddaughter shows up on your doorstep, take a chance. Ask her out and see where things go."

Jason wasn't at all worried about her showing up out of the blue. She had no reason to come to his inn when she was staying at her grandmother's house.

"Alright," he agreed. "You're on. If she shows up here, I'll take the letter seriously and see if there is anything between us."