Christmas at the Guest House (Snowy Pine Ridge Book 4) by Fiona Baker

Author:Fiona Baker [Baker, Fiona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-18T22:00:00+00:00

Zach sat back on his stool, smiling at the painting before him and how it was coming together. It would be finished soon, and he was proud of it. Prouder than he could recall being about a painting in quite some time.

His phone began ringing, the bright, merry chiming snapping him out of his moment of contemplation. He reached into his pocket, fishing out his phone and glancing at the screen. The name DENNIS bounced across the top of it, and he smiled as he pressed accept and raised the device to his ear.

“Hey, bud,” he said, genuine affection rolling through him.

“Hey, hey, hey.” Dennis’s jovial voice sounded on the other end of the line. “How are you? How’s Snowy Pine Ridge treating you?”

“It’s great, man.” Zach blew out a breath. “Really great, actually. I’m painting right now.”

“Anything good?”

He chuckled. “Surprisingly, yes. It’s different. Realist landscapes. But it’s good.”

“I knew it.” Dennis laughed, and Zach could hear the other man’s smile through the phone. “I knew it would be the perfect place to help you find your center.”

“You know how much I hate to say it, but you were right.”

“Where are you staying?”

“A gorgeous house. Old Victorian. The woman who used to live here passed away a few months ago and left everything to the younger woman that was taking care of her. She lives on the grounds, actually, but she didn’t want to move into this massive place. So now I’m here.”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, followed by Dennis blowing out a breath and then asking, “You wouldn’t be talking about Emma and Colette by any chance, would you?”

It hadn’t occurred to Zach that Dennis would have known the old woman, and he found himself wishing that he hadn’t phrased it in the way he had.

“I am,” Zach answered, his voice taking on a softer tone. “Colette is my landlord.”

“Oh. Wow. I didn’t know that Emma had passed. I’m so sorry to hear that. She was an amazing woman.”

“That’s what Colette said too. And everyone I’ve met so far as well. Everyone seems to have loved her.”

“I remember Colette too, although I didn’t interact with her much. She was quiet. It was always Emma who did the talking. But I always thought Colette seemed sweet.”

Zach paused, a smile tugging at his lips as he thought of his current landlord. “She is.”

“Pretty too.” Dennis’s voice had taken on a pointed tone, and Zach rolled his eyes at the ceiling and groaned.

“Don’t act like you haven’t noticed.” Dennis laughed, and Zach could practically picture the amused glint in his eyes.

“Of course I’ve noticed.” Zach pursed his lips to hold back the smile that threatened to break forth. “But that doesn’t mean I want to talk about it.”

“You know, for someone who’s so blunt about everything else, you sure play things close to the vest when it comes to the romance stuff.”

“No, I don’t. Besides, I don’t know if anything could ever happen between us. She’s a little too practical for that.

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