“Don’t you worry. We’ve got this.”

  Clara nodded. “The rest of the boys are back at the Ice Castle. Red was assessing the damages. Mason and Lucky were inspecting the roof. They said they’d put together a list of supplies. Jack was removing the old panel and inspecting the wiring with King. You have no idea how grateful Christopher and I are.” She wiped a tear from her eye.

  “Christopher?”

  “My husband. Christopher Snow. He’s the mayor of Winterhaven. I’m sorry he couldn’t be here. He’s at the reindeer farm.”

  Colton opened his mouth, but no reply was forthcoming. Had he heard her right? The hospitality manager, Clara, married the mayor, Christopher Snow, who looked like Santa and had a reindeer farm. Leo’s precious little head was going to explode. Finally, Colton found his words.

  “You have a reindeer farm?”

  “Oh yes. Christopher loves animals. It started one winter when he rescued a poor, injured, abandoned calf. A few months later, he’d rescued another. His herd grew from there. He takes care of them year-round. Every winter, we offer sleigh rides, and leading up to Christmas, guests can take a photo with him and his reindeer.”

  “Does he grow the beard for Christmas?”

  Clara laughed and waved a hand. “Oh no. That’s what he always looks like.”

  Well, I’ll be damned.

  Another meep had Colton glancing toward the counter in time to see Merry trip on something, flail, and disappear just before a loud thump suggested he’d hit the floor. Ouch! Unable to take it any longer, Colton shot off a text.

  “That poor boy is going to knock himself out one of these days,” Clara tsked, shaking her head.

  Noel had run around the counter to help Merry, lifting him and putting him on his feet like he didn’t weigh a thing. Poor Merry looked like his little heart was about to burst out of his chest at any moment.

  The bell above the café door jingled loudly as it flew open. A flurry of faux fur rushed through. A heartbeat later, Fitz dropped into the chair beside Colton and ran a hand through his wind-swept hair.

  “I came as fast as I could.”

  Colton gaped at him. “Did you just run here from the tree farm?”

  “The woods,” Fitz corrected. “You said there was a matchmaking emergency?”

  Clara laughed joyously. “Oh, you boys are fun to have around.”

  Fitz scanned the café, his eyes landing on Merry and Noel. He gasped loudly, a hand flying to his chest, or at least where his chest would have been were it not buried beneath several layers of furry winter coat.

  “Sweet Sally Hansen,” Fitz whispered. “Well, I know what Paul Bunyan wants for Christmas, and it’s not more plaid.”

  Colton snickered. “Poor Merry. I think he needs help.”

  “Of course he needs help. That’s a lot of man for a sweet little virgin.”

  Colton and Clara exchanged glances.

  “How do you know Merry’s a virgin?” Colton asked quietly.

  “Oh, honey.” Fitz patted Colton’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m here now.” He removed his scarf, earmuffs, gloves, and winter coat, revealing a fluffy white cashmere sweater underneath. “First, I’m going to get something to eat since your heathen of a husband promised me breakfast, only to get distracted by something shiny like the magpie he is and drag me across all of snowy creation on an empty stomach. I’ll help with the tree once I’m no longer famished. Excuse me.”

  That was Colton’s cue to get moving. He stood and promised Clara he would keep her updated. He’d check up on the guys, then head back to the cabin to review the invoices and make some phone calls. Even if he could get in all the supplies needed for the Ice Castle and the Christmas haul for the town, it would take some time. First things first. They needed to get the Ice Castle up and running, which meant electricity, wiring, and all that other stuff, and that meant talking to Jack first.

  Colton strolled down the cobblestone street, his gloved hands in his pockets. Everyone he walked by greeted him cheerfully. It was such a nice change. And the scenery was breathtaking. All the quaint little shops reminded him of the European villages he’d traveled to when he was younger. The price of living in such a small town was that everyone knew everyone else’s business. Judging by how many people greeted him, the entire town knew what Colton and his family were up to.

  Then again, everyone in his family knew what everyone else was up to. Ace was as bad of a gossip as Fitz. And Jack and Joker? They were almost as bad as the Cuban Mom Mafia. Which reminded him, he needed to get Ace to video call his mother on Christmas Eve.

  He’d just reached the Ice Castle when his phone pinged. Checking his messages, he opened a text from Laz and groaned. He tapped Laz’s number, and Laz picked up on the first ring.

  “Why is my husband halfway up what looks to be a far larger tree than what I asked him for?”

  “Because your husband is Ace.”

  Colton sighed and opened the door, stepping inside the Ice Castle. “What is he doing, and are there any injuries I should know about? Do I need to have a medic and a snowmobile on standby?”

  “It’s too early to tell. He said he wanted to make sure there were no furry creatures before he chopped it down.”

  Colton stopped in his tracks. “I’m sorry, did you say ‘before he chopped it down?’ No. Oh no. He is not to do any chopping. Do you hear me, Lazarus? What happened to the tree farm?”

  “They only have smaller trees. Jovie, the tree lot manager, said we could chop down any of the trees behind the lot if we planted one in its place, so she gave us a tree to plant, and a few minutes later, Ace found ‘the one.’”

  “Who has the ax now?” Colton asked, afraid to know.

  “Um….”

  “Laz? Let me speak to Gio.”

  “He’s not here.”

  The most authoritative and levelheaded of the bunch wasn’t there with Colton’s ax-wielding husband? It was fine. Colton was fine. He certainly wasn’t worried. “Where is Gio?”

  “He had to take Cookie back to the tree farm to warm up. We weren’t expecting to have to go into the woods.”

  So, that left Laz to keep an eye on both Ace and Leo. “I’ll get back to you.” Colton hung up and hurried through the Ice Castle. “King!”

  King poked his head out from one of the rooms. “Yeah? Everything okay?”

  “My husband is in the woods halfway up a twenty-foot tree he intends to chop down with an ax, and Laz is the only one there to keep an eye on him and Leo.”

  King’s blue eyes went wide. “Son of a nutcracker.” He took off, and Colton let out a sigh of relief. As long as King was there, it would be fine. Though he wished Gio had been there too, he understood that the cold and snow could be too much for the dogs. It was why Duchess and Chip had stayed at the Ice Castle with Jack and Joker. Speaking of Joker, Colton hadn’t seen him all day.

  “Jack?” Colton called out, heading for the room where he remembered the electrical panel had been.

  “In here,” Jack called out.

  Colton followed Jack’s voice and found him sitting at a large wooden table with a bunch of wires and what looked to be some metal box. He knew nothing of wiring and electrical things.

  “I got the invoices from Clara on all the supplies. I need you to email me exactly what you need so I can start getting that stuff in first. Also, where’s Joker?”

  “Since there isn’t much we can do until the supplies come in, he’s on the hunt for the perfect Christmas present for Gio.” Jack snorted. “What do you get a billionaire for Christmas? He struggles with it every year.”

  Colton sat opposite Jack. “As if Gio wouldn’t love whatever Joker gives him.”

  “You try telling Sacha that.”

  “Or, I could stay out of it,” Colton replied, making Jack chuckle. “By the way, your boyfriend broke the speed barrier, running from the woods behind the Christmas tree farm to the café.”

  Jack lifted his gaze. “Sweater, food, or matchmaking opportunity?”

  “Last one.”

  Jack shook his head, amused.

  “You ever think of proposing?” Colton asked, curious.

  Something fizzled, sparked, and then burst into flames in front of Jack, who jumped, lost his balance, and yelped as he fell out of his chair.

  “Shit, are you okay?” Colton hurried over to help Jack up. His friend groaned and pushed himself to his feet. He brushed the dust off his clothes, then seemed to remember what Colton said, and his head shot up.

  “Why…who…um…has Fitz said something?”

  Colton shook his head. Poor Jack looked like he was about to lose his breakfast. Colton held his hands up in front of him. “It’s okay. Relax. Fitz hasn’t mentioned anything. I was just curious.”

  Jack let out a shaky sigh. “Oh. Okay. Good. Yeah, um, no. I’ve thought…things, but um, I don’t think—I mean, I’m not, um….” He cleared his throat and set his chair to rights before sitting down. “So, what was that I heard about Ace? Something about an ax?”

  It was Colton’s turn to groan. “It’s nothing. King’s going to take care of it.” At least, he hoped so.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “I don’t think this is a logical solution,” Leo said, scrunching up his nose.

  Ace grabbed one tree branch and tested its strength before doing the same to the one across from it. “How else are we supposed to know if there are any squirrels or chipmunks up here?”

  “What if you get bitten?” Laz asked worriedly.

  “Please,” Ace grunted as he pulled himself up. “This is Winterhaven. They’ll probably apologize and knit me a sweater.”

  “Unlikely,” Leo muttered. “Besides, chipmunks live most of their lives on the ground and underground.”

  “Thanks, Jane Goodall.” With a grunt, Ace pulled himself up again, grabbing another branch. It reminded him of the rock-climbing wall at work. Hm, climbing that wall used to be a lot easier. Maybe he needed to add some more pull-ups to his weekly workout.

  “Jane Goodall studied chimpanzees, not chipmunks.”

  “Just keep an eye out for squirrels. And bears.” Ace was almost to the top. So far, no fluffy-tailed rodents.

  “You think we’ll see a bear?” Laz asked excitedly.

  “If we see a bear, we go in the opposite direction,” Ace called down. “We don’t stand there and take pictures. Got it?” He was down two Boyfriends; he didn’t need to lose a third.

  Colton was going to murder him dead. Technically, losing Fitz had not been Ace’s fault. Yes, he’d gotten distracted and forgot to feed the giant Pomeranian, but he’d had every intention of doing so when Fitz caught up with him, tackled him, and tried to smother him with his faux fur coat. Then Fitz got a text and took off like there was a Black Friday sale on cashmere sweaters.

  “This tree is too big,” Laz said. “Didn’t Colton ask for a nine- or ten-foot tree?”

  “But this one is perfect! Look how full it is.” Just a few more branches….

  “The question isn’t about whether there’s enough room in the cabin,” Leo offered. “The question is, how are we going to transport it? This tree has to weigh hundreds of pounds, if not more.”

  “If the Grouchy Smurf can carry his dog on his shoulders, I can carry this tree,” Ace grumbled.

  “Grouchy Smurf doesn’t have a dog,” Leo said. “He’s too small.”

  “I think he’s talking about Joker,” Laz muttered. “Maybe we should call Red.”

  Ace scoffed. “Red’s not the only one with muscles around here.”

  “What if you throw out your back?”

  “Again with that? Why is everyone suddenly so concerned about me throwing out my back? I’m in the best shape of my life.”

  Leo stepped next to the tree’s base and looked up at him. “At forty-five, your bones aren’t what they used to be.”

  Ace stopped climbing and wrapped his arm around the tree to steady himself so he could thrust a finger at the snowy ground several feet away. “Go stand over there.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t need you giving me science.”

  Leo opened his mouth to reply when his phone pinged. He removed it from his pocket, pulled off one of his red mittens, and tapped away. His eyes went wide. Uh-oh. Oh no.

  “Don’t say it,” Ace warned.

  “I need to go.”

  “What? No. Leo, you stay right there.”

  Leo tucked his phone away and pulled his mitten back on. “It’s Santa. I know where he is.”

  How was it possible to want to both hug and strangle someone? Ace couldn’t lose Leo. Of all the Boyfriends, Leo was the most unpredictable. Who knew what trouble he could get into if he wandered off alone? What if he got distracted and got lost in the woods? Wild animals were in there with claws and pointy fangs, and oh nooo. He would not let Leo get eaten by wolves!

  “No. Nope. Stay right there. We’ll go see him later.”

  “But he might not be in the same place later. I’ll be fine. I can get there on my own.”

  Before Ace could say another word, Leo took off.

  “This is not good,” Laz said.

  Ace watched Leo until he was a red spec on the snow-white horizon. “Why did you let him go?” Damn you, tree, and your fullness! “And how is he so fast?”

  Laz arched an eyebrow at him. “Probably science.”

  Little shit. Ace glared at Laz. “You’re supposed to be the nice one.”

  “Also, what did you want me to do? Tackle him? I’m not Fitz.”

  He was not wrong. “He’s got an impressive tackle for a guy who weighs less than his coat.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  Ace stilled and looked down. “What uh-oh? No uh-oh.”

  Why? He had one job. Get a Christmas tree. That was it. He could have done that all on his lonesome, but nooo, Colton made him take the Boyfriend Collective, and now who knew what pain was about to be inflicted upon his person.

  “So…you don’t want to know that King is heading this way?”

  “Sugar honey iced tea!”

  Laz stared at him. “Since when do you not curse?”

  “I blame Winterhaven!” Ace carefully but quickly tried to climb back down. It had been a lot easier going up. Just what he didn’t need.

  “I think I’m going to go,” Laz said, walking backward away from the tree.

  “Don’t you dare, Lazarus! You stay here and document my demise! I want my husband to see that my undoing was all his fault.”

  “So loving.”

  “Ace, get your ass down here,” King growled. He looked around, and Ace let his head fall against the tree bark. He was done for. “Where’s Leo?”

  “Here’s the thing,” Ace said as he missed a tree branch. He cursed loudly before he caught himself on another branch.

  “Damn it, Ace, get out of there.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to do. And your fiancé ran off to see Santa. What is up with that?”

  King cursed under his breath and shook his head. “I have no idea. He’s being very secretive. It’s not like him.”

  “Where’s Laz?”

  King squinted and pointed off in the distance. “Almost to town.”

  “How are they so fast?” Ace stepped down onto another branch. “Shit.”

  “What?”

  “I think I’m stuck.”

  “On what?”

  “I don’t know. I think my coat is stuck on something.” Oh my God, could this day get any worse? Why did you say that? What’s wrong with you? Something squeaked, and he froze. “Um….” He glanced up and cursed under his breath. “King,” he whispered.

  “What is it?”

  “There’s a squirrel. It’s one of those red pointy-eared ones. He looks like he’s on steroids. There’s intent in his eyes, King. I think he’s about to body-slam me.”

  “Ace,” King growled. “Get out of the damn tree.”

  “I can’t! I’m stuck. What do I do?” Ace glanced over at the squirrel, who was up on its hind legs, tail twitching. “He’s staring into my soul. I think he might be their leader. He’s plotting how to end me.”

  “It’s a squirrel.”

  “The hell it is. He’s about to go all Bane on me.”

  “Who?”

  “Are you serious?” Ace cursed again. “Bane. The Batman villain on steroids? Kris Kringle on a cookie, watch a movie!” He slowly reached back to try and feel what his coat was caught on when he heard a bark. Oh no. Fuuuuuuck. “Please tell me that’s not—”

  “Chip and Joker? Okay, I won’t tell you.”

  “I have to get out of this tree!” Fuck the coat! Abort! Abort! He reached to unzip his coat when seventy-five pounds of psycho Belgian Malinois slammed into the trunk, shaking the entire damned tree. “Chip, no!”

  Chip barked his face off at the squirrel, who naturally lost its shit and jumped onto Ace’s head. He screamed and tried to brush it off, but the little bastard was fast and jumpy.

  “Get it off!” Suddenly, there were two squirrels. Ace yelped again. “He’s using his dark magic to multiply!”

  “This is amazing,” Joker managed to say through uncontrollable laughter. Because that’s what brothers did when you were being assaulted by fluffy-tailed vermin. They laughed. And did nothing to help.

  “King! Chop down the tree!”

  “I am not chopping down the tree.”

  “Then glare the squirrels into submission!” Ace swatted at one, but of course, missed. Why was everyone so much faster than him? Was he not getting enough fiber? He was not about to start eating Bran Flakes. AARP could cool their jets and stop trying to hurry him into retirement.

  Something cracked, and Ace yelped as he fell, hitting every branch on his way down—so many branches—before he plopped into the snow on his back. He groaned, and Chip appeared over him, licking his face.

  Squirrel attack, falling out of a tree, and dog slobber. Just another day that ended in “Y.”