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I fed my furry little dictator and was just putting on my long down coat and boots when the doorbell rang. That would be the aforementioned world-​champion kisser.

Scrambling to the door as if my life depended on it, I pulled it open, taking in the delectable sight of Kerr’s handsome face, dark brooding eyes, and shock of dark hair falling onto his forehead from under his black beanie. He was wearing a navy North Face jacket and jeans with his boots, and even though there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary about his outfit it still made him look hotter than a male stripper troupe comprised of Pedro Pascal, Jonathan Bailey, Tom Holland, AND Andrew Garfield.

He glanced up under his dark brows to meet my gaze, and it about ended me right then and there.

He arched an eyebrow. “Okay?”

I realized that I was standing there staring at him like a loon, so I snapped myself out of it before he changed his mind about taking me out. “All good.” I stepped toward him, rising onto tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek and enjoying the bashful smile on his face before closing the door behind me and sliding my arm through his. “Looking forward to Inverglen’s big switch-on event?”

He chuckled. “Absolutely.”

We headed down the driveway and onto the pavement, toward the town center. A light smattering of snow lay on the ground. The first of the season’s snowfall in town had begun to fall that afternoon. I felt there was something special about the first snowfall in town arriving on December 1. It made my already glowing heart shine all the brighter with festive cheer.

“Who do you think will be flipping the switch?” I asked.

“Pretty sure it’ll be PTA Sally again.”

I laughed. Sally practically ran this place. She was the head of the Parent Teacher Association and the main organizer of the holiday lights, plus the new Christmas lights competition. She had her finger in every pie and knew everything that was going on with everyone. Rumor had it that she had a tribe of spies who fed back all the local gossip to her. She also lived on our street, so news of my relationship with Kerr would no doubt be all over town by now.

Kerr was looking at me with a soft smile on his face.

“What?” I asked curiously.

“I love your laugh. It’s so generous and beautiful and it makes me feel . . . happy.”

Blood rushed to my cheeks. “That is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me,” I told him slowly as my mind disassembled Drew’s negative opinion of my laugh brick by brick, constructing Kerr’s charmingly evocative description in its place.

He shrugged, turning his gaze back onto the street ahead. “It’s true.”

I squeezed his arm tightly.

“How was work?” he asked. “Solved the mystery of your patient yet?”

I shook my head, the bitter sting of disappointment replacing the warm glow created by his kind words. “Hit a wall. She’s definitely becoming more and more lucid though, so I’ll keep talking to her to find out as much as possible.” I grinned. “Talking is my strength, after all.”

He shot me a smile. “You have many strengths.”

A seed of pride bloomed in my chest. Kerr made me feel so good about myself in the same way that Rona and Aisha did, yet I didn’t even know him that well yet. Why hadn’t Drew made me feel that way when he had been my husband? Surely one’s spouse was meant to be their biggest champion?

It also begged the question of why I hadn’t realized so much had been wrong in our marriage. Up until fairly recently, I would have told anyone who asked that it had been the perfect relationship, that Drew was the ideal man. The rose-​tinted spectacles getting practically slapped off my face had been a revelation.

It was difficult to determine what had been the exact trigger for the slap. It hadn’t only been Drew’s unfeeling behavior, but also the contrasting modeling by Kerr of how I could be treated—​empathetically and kindly and almost with . . . reverence at times. I practically glowed with self-​worth whenever I was with him.

We turned a corner, heading down the long main street, which would eventually, about a mile down, intersect the crossroads in the middle of town.

“How was work for you today?” I asked him, burrowing a little further into his side as an icy blast of wind carried up the hill and directly into us.

He placed his hand on my forearm, where I held on to him as he gave me a reassuring rub. “Fine. All caught up after Katie looked after the place while we were off following the fire.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You were only off for one day. It’s taken you this long to catch up?”

He shrugged. “Things are busy. And I’m single-​handed so it’s all down to me.”

We walked a few steps in silence as I pondered. “Why don’t you hire someone else to work for you?”

He winced. “I fare best on my own.”

I found that hard to believe. Sure, he was an introverted, solitary sort, and that was fine. But he gelled so well with others when he allowed himself to. “But you worked with that older vet, didn’t you? When you first started?”