The door opened on a warm wonderland of fragrances. The aromas of Christmas pine, fresh-brewed coffee, cinnamon rolls, bacon, and hot cocoa blended to fill her senses with pleasure. Twinkling lights were strung above the dining room. Old-fashioned Christmas carols drifted from a wall-mounted speaker.

In one corner, a lush green Christmas tree glittered with lights and ornaments.

“Well, hello, Conner!” The middle-aged woman bustling toward them looked like a small-town version of Dolly Parton, complete with bleached curls, long red nails, fake lashes, and crimson lips spread in a welcoming smile. “Always a treat to see you,” she said. “Now tell me, who is this pretty lady? Is she new in town?”

Conner introduced the two women. “Megan, this is Francine, who runs the place and makes the best scrambled eggs and flapjacks in the known universe.”

“You have a lovely place, Francine,” Megan said. “I’ve never been here before, but as soon as I walked in, I felt the magic of Christmas.”

“Why, thank you, honey! What a nice thing to say!” Francine turned back to Conner. “So, have you come to collect?”

“That depends on whether I can talk Megan, here, into having more than coffee.”

Francine batted her indecently long eyelashes. “Conner, I swear you could talk a woman into just about anything!”

“Am I missing something?” Megan asked.

“Here’s the deal, honey,” Francine explained. “I made this arrangement with the boys at Christmas Tree Ranch. In return for this beautiful tree, each of the partners gets a free breakfast with the lady of his choice. Travis and Rush have already collected. That leaves just Conner, and I take it you’re his lady of the day.”

“Lady of the day?” Megan felt a prickle of misgiving. It appeared she was with the town Casanova. All the more reason to keep up her guard.

“Want to go for it?” Conner asked. “I guarantee you’ll be glad you did. Francine’s breakfasts are a taste of heaven.”

Megan took a quick moment to think about it. She’d made breakfast for her family that morning, but she hadn’t eaten much. And the work of digging through snow to find her keys had given her an appetite.

“I wouldn’t turn that down,” she said. “But I was planning to pay.”

Conner gave her a wink. “I’ll take a rain check on that.” What a charming rascal, Megan thought. She already had the man pegged.

Francine showed them to a table and brought two cups of coffee, along with a basket of fresh rolls and pastries. By now, it was after 10:00. Most of the customers had finished their meals and left. The dining room was quiet except for the Christmas music on the speaker and the muted sounds of kitchen work behind the swinging door.

Megan put a croissant on her bread plate, cut off a small piece, and popped it into her mouth. The flaky pastry literally melted on her tongue. “Oh, my goodness!” she exclaimed, cutting off a bigger bite.