Aunt Santa

Chapter 15

The ride back to the cabin felt shorter this time, but it was far less scenic with the snow falling over the world like a heavy curtain. Once they pulled away from the town and its string of lights, Sara wondered how Henrik and Jakob could even determine where they were going.

All she could see in every direction was snow and darkness. Occasionally, there was a strip of moonlight that cast over the jutting rocks. Once, she looked over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of the glittering ocean, but it disappeared so quickly that it might as well have been a mirage.

The adrenaline rush that had shot through her body in the bar was going to fade soon. The exhaustion she'd been keeping at bay for hours, so focused on Sam and BB and how they were faring, was starting to creep back in.

All they had to do was leave the hat on the table with the milk and cookies. Maybe she'd ask BB to write a note for the owner, who she believed to be Santa. And then they could go back to the hotel and get a good night's sleep before heading back to the airport in the morning.

She heard BB let out a muffled shout. Sara leaned forward and tried to ask her what was wrong, but the snowmobile was too loud, roaring through the snow. Instead, she looked up and saw for herself what had grabbed her niece's attention.

The cabin had appeared once they'd crested a small hill. Though it had been dark when they left it, the fire in the hearth extinguished, the small structure now made itself known with light. A lantern glowed from each window and as they drew closer, Sara could see smoke puffing out from the chimney. "Someone's inside," she said, though no one could hear her through her helmet. Despite herself, her heart started to pound.

In minutes, they'd brought the snowmobiles to a stop next to the cabin. Sara pulled off her helmet quickly and helped BB hop off. "It's him," BB said and before Sara could say anything to try and temper her expectations, BB ran up to the cabin and burst through the door.
There was no one inside. But any disappointment Sara might have felt was softened by how the cabin had changed since they'd left it just hours before.

"Oh, wow," BB said in one breath as she gazed around the room. Someone had strung up fresh garland around the walls, the ends held up by festive gnomes that now adorned the shelves. There was a tree in the corner that hadn't been there before, wrapped in colorful lights and sprigs of holly. A fire was roaring in the fireplace and the room smelled like warm spice.

Even the cots in the alcove had been freshly made with red-and-white striped sheets. Henrik, Jakob, and Sam had walked in behind them and stopped, taking it all in as well.

Henrik uttered a word Sara had never heard before, his mouth dropped open in surprise. "Do you know who did this?"

"I do not. I thought we were the last people here." He shook his head. "Apparently not."

"It was definitely Santa," BB declared. She had already made a circle around the cabin, inspecting every inch of the space and trodding wet snow all over the floors. "He must've known we were returning his hat." She wrapped her arms around Sara's leg and peered up at her. "But why didn't he wait for us?"

"I don't know." She was too stunned by the change in the room to offer any kind of plausible explanation.

"Perhaps he wanted to make it home before the storm," Jakob suggested. He had been standing at the window, watching the snow fall, and now crossed over to Henrik to talk to him in hushed tones.

"We're stuck here, aren't we?" Sam witnessed the conversation too and shot Sara an accusing look. "We're stuck here all night."

"I'm afraid so." Henrik cleared his throat and started to remove his snowsuit. "There is no visibility and it would not be safe to operate the machines."