After tugging her coat back on, Noelle stepped out of the tavern and looked around. To the right were cheery streets, the inn, and—farther down—the pontoon pier. To the left was the outline of a beech and pine forest illuminated just by moonlight.

Noelle went left.

She'd lied to Avery; she was still hungry. But she had become overwhelmed at all the sights, sounds, and even smells attacking her senses, furiously and all at once. She needed to clear her head, and a quick stroll alone in the crisp, winter night seemed like her best option.

Her new clothes were warm, although the sweater's collar occasionally itched against her neck. But if she just imagined asphalt instead of ice, high-rise apartments instead of Nordic chalets, traffic lights instead of flickering lanterns, and the smell of urine mixed with Chinese food instead of the ever present aroma of gingerbread spice, it was just like walking in Manhattan after a night of partying.

Once Noelle had left the muffled carol singing behind, only the sharp crunch of frozen snow under her boots broke the otherwise silent night. The cold air burned in her lungs, but the peace she found by being the only person in the immediate vicinity was priceless. Her previous fatigue was gone, having been replaced by an inexplicable urge to keep walking. Before she knew it, Noelle had passed several rows of houses and was standing at the edge of a thicket.

The trees had grown far enough apart to wander between, but close enough together where their branches—long pine needles covered in a shimmering layer of snow—touched. There was no movement around or within, and only the occasional ray of bright moonlight shone through, as if illuminating a path just for her.

Watch out for the wolves. Piet's warning popped back into her mind, but it was quickly replaced by the bar maid's insistence on the unlikeliness of such an encounter. Which should she believe? The innkeeper with the flirtatious smile who could have had an ulterior motives or a waitress who knew nothing of her and therefore no reason to lie?

Pushing aside a low-hanging branch, Noelle entered the forest.

Trudging through the underbrush reminded her of wandering around in cane fields in St. Kitts as she played hide-and-go-seek with the local kids. Except in a much colder setting, of course. Just like then, there was something freeing in exploring without limitations, in forging her own path in the pristine powder.

"Aooo." The howl came from the distance sending a chill through her, stopping Noelle dead in her tracks. Frantically looking around, she saw no movements or changes in shadows.

"Pull yourself together," she said to herself out loud while searching for her footprints in the snow to lead her back to the town.

But there were none.

That's impossible, she thought, blinking to clear her vision of perhaps a trick of light. It was no good. No matter which way she looked, all Noelle saw outside her immediate circle of distraught movements was virgin snow.

After taking a deep breath and doing her best to recall which of the nearly identical looking trees she'd passed, Noelle headed back the way she (hopefully) came.

"Aooo," another howl rang out, this time louder and closer.

Noelle increased her pace.

There are no wolves here, she mentally tried to dispel her greatest fear with logic.

"Aooo," the creature answered, as if reading her thoughts.

Dodging a fallen branch she was sure she didn't cross before, Noelle changed directions. She ran even faster now, swerving between the bare trunks of tall beeches and the spiky needles of evergreen pines. The dry or frozen vegetation grabbed at her fleeing body like the claws of a predator entrapping its prey.

Noelle tripped, barely catching herself before she slammed face first into craggily bark. She struggled for breath, but the sound of approaching footsteps and a low, guttural growl were unmistakable even over her own wheezing. Snapping her head around, she anxiously searched for signs of an attacker. Unlike before, this time, something definitely moved in the underbrush. Whether the twinkle of glowing eyes and the flash of white teeth were truly real or only in her imagination, Noelle didn't wait to confirm.

Fearing she'd faint from fright any moment, she picked the clearest path away from what was approaching and made a run for it.

Without looking back and not even really focusing forward, Noelle concentrated on where her feet landed. She didn't know how long she'd been fleeing—it could have been ten seconds as easily as ten minutes—but eventually the snow became more compact and less cluttered with woodsy detritus. She was confident she was nearly out of the forest, but also that she was still being pursued.

Noelle didn't stop until she collided with something both tall and rugged, but also soft.

Not something. Someone.

"Where are you running to?" Nick asked, grabbing her by the elbows and taking a step back to steady them both.

Noelle struggled for breath. "I . . . wolf . . . back . . . in the forest," she managed to huff.

Nick frowned. "Wolf? You saw a wolf here?"

She shook her head. "Not . . . exactly. But I was lost . . . and I heard . . .." She trailed off as a white blur behind Nick caught her attention. Before she could decide whether to scream or run, the beast's identity became clear. "A Husky?"

Nick let her go and turned to the happily trotting canine. "Ah, you met my dog?"

"Your dog?" she asked incredulously. Did he mean that she'd been running from a sled dog this entire time thinking it was a wolf?

The revelation came as both a relief and a shock, but as Noelle slowly gathered her bearings, she finally looked around. While she had thought she'd be near the edge of the forest barely out of the tree line, she was in fact several blocks away in a central square.

"That's right," Nick said, bending down and scratching the black and white dog behind the ears. "His name is Otso, which means Bear in Finnish, but he's a big bunny rabbit."

Noelle was still confused. "What was he doing in the forest?"

"The forest?" Nick asked, standing. "He's been here with me the entire time. You see he was just coming from the opposite direction."

Noelle raised her hand to her forehead and massaged her temple as she turned in a circle. The forest wasn't visible in any direction. All she could see were houses around the square, which had a large Christmas tree in the middle with an open ladder at the base. "What were you doing here?" she asked, realizing how out of place he also was in the otherwise deserted space.

"We had a rogue red squirrel that got into the tree earlier so I'm just putting back all the ornaments she knocked down," he said, reaching for a golden teardrop at his feet before climbing the ladder.

Noticing a silver sphere nearby, Noelle picked it up. "I thought you said you were a business owner, but here you are in the middle of the night trimming a tree?"

He laughed and re-hung the ornament. "We all do our part around here. Some more than others. Think of me like a behind-the-scenes guy who helps keep things running," he said before extending his hand for the other trinket. "Plus, it's nowhere near middle of the night. It's barely even seven."

Noelle handed him the globe. "Sorry. Jet lag."

Their fingertips touched in the exchange. While hers were like icicles, Nick's exuded warmth. Noelle drew her hand away as if she'd been burned. She'd just spent the last fifteen minutes running for what she thought was her life; this was no time for a romantic meet-cute.

"Could you just point me in the direction of the Aurora, please?" she asked, pulling her coat tighter around her.

"Of course, but I could also walk with—"

"That won't be necessary. Safest place on Earth, right?" she repeated his earlier declaration regarding the town's distinction. "I'll be fine after a proper night's sleep."

He climbed off the ladder. "Fair enough. But will you do one thing for me first?"

Noelle flinched. She'd been in more than her fair share of situations where a guy tied agreeing to her (often very reasonable) request to some outlandish wish on his part. Like when Calvin Woods wouldn't let her use his Macy's employee discount until she promised to model whatever garment she'd buy with it. Noelle didn't know how he'd found out she was planning to purchase fancy lingerie (not for Calvin's benefit), but she bought a black turtleneck and matching slacks, instead.

"What do you have in mind?" she asked, tentatively.

He smiled. "Don't worry. It's nothing bad. Come."

After leading her to the other side of the tree, Nick picked up two electrical cords. One was leading to the tree, while the other ran under a trip blocking cover across the square.

"Will you do the honors?" he asked, handing Noelle the opposite ends.

Must I? she thought cynically, but she was also surprised at the tiny bit of curiosity lurking deep down to see the thirty-foot tall tree in all of its shimmering glory. Taking the cords, she shrugged. "Why not?" she asked before pushing the pronged end into the receptor.

As if a master switch had been thrown, the multi-colored lights on the tree lit up starting at the top and cascading downward until the entire thing shone. But the effect didn't stop, and instead, it radiated out to the rest of the plaza. First a log house with a sharp A-line roof on the left suddenly dazzled in white fairy lights, its shuttered windows surrounded by multiple glowing strands. The effect spread in a clockwise direction to the next house and then to the one thereafter and the one after that, until every single building surrounding the tree was bathed in light.

"Wow," Noelle exhaled the single syllable, otherwise lost for words at what just happened.

"Wow, indeed," Nick agreed before Otso let out a pleased bark.

This is my #NaNoWriMo2019 project and while I absolutely love all of my silent readers, I would LOVE to get your encouragement while writing this story. So please, please, please add it to your libraries, vote on the chapters (updates daily!) and leave me comments. <3