Even if he could buy the place from her—and he had no doubt she’d inflate the value if she had any idea how much he wanted it—he didn’t want to live in the same town. She tended to suck him in with her dark judgment, and he’d always been afraid he might turn as bitter and miserable as her if they spent too much time together.

His phone dinged, and he grabbed it from the coffee table.

He smiled at Angi’s face on his home screen. He’d taken the photo of her at one of the holiday events downtown, capturing her easy smile at a candid moment when she hadn’t known he was looking.

Are you home?

Yes. Enjoying the tree.

Do you want to build a snowman?

He chuckled as he glanced out of the window to the dark night. It might be cold and windy in Magnolia, but the sky was clear. No chance of snow.

Is that a trick question?

Come out front.

Anticipation squeezed his chest as he levered himself off the couch. He opened the front door to reveal Angi at the curb next to her car, surrounded by several grocery bags.

“You know the doorbell works,” he called.

She beckoned him to her. “I didn’t want to unpack the car if you weren’t home.”

He walked forward, not bothering with shoes. His feet stung as they hit the cold concrete of the front walk, and he thought about the physical discomfort he’d dealt with in the military. How that had been easy compared to the way his heart now seemed to constantly ache.

“Where else would I be?”

She studied him for a moment, brushing her long hair away from her face when the wind whipped at it. She wore a knee-length corduroy skirt with boots and a heavy canvas jacket with a bright red scarf tied around her neck.

“I don’t know where you might be spending your time,” she told him. “Because you’ve been avoiding me.”

“The dance is tomorrow night, Ang. We’ve both been busy.”

Something like disappointment flashed in her dark eyes, and he felt a chill chase through him that had nothing to do with the outside temperature.

“That’s why I’m here.” She smiled so broadly he thought maybe he’d mistaken the previous emotion. “We have one more project to finish.”

He glanced at the grocery bags. “The mill looks amazing. I stopped by this afternoon. There’s not a thing that could be added.”

“Snowmen,” she said. “You can’t have a winter wonderland dance without snowmen.”

“I think you could,” he said, even as he leaned over the trunk and pulled out two large shopping bags. “We’ll have a very successful dance without snowmen.”

“Except it would be like a sundae with no cherry on top.” She shut the trunk and picked up the bags she’d left on the ground. “Cherries are the best part.”

“You seem especially happy tonight.”

“I’m glad you think so,” she answered, which wasn’t exactly the same as agreeing with him.