by Elena Aitken
Home For The Holidays
Elena Aitken
Bella Andre
JH Croix
Erika Kelly
Erin Nicholas
Kait Nolan
Katy Regnery
Jill Sanders
Cora Seton
Melanie Shawn
Introduction
The holidays are all about home and family—be they blood or the family you make. This collection of ten holiday romances is sure to warm the cockles of your heart, so curl up with a mug of hot cocoa and your favorite blanket and lose yourself in these delightful small town romances.
We Wish You A Happily Ever After
Elena Aitken
When firefighter Jeremy Davis responds to an emergency call at the home of the town’s resident Santa Claus only weeks before Christmas, it’s anything but routine when he comes face to face with the man’s granddaughter. He hasn’t laid eyes on Bella since their first awkward kiss thirteen years ago and now she's all grown up—and gorgeous.
Bella Burton is in town to help her aging grandfather—and to take a break from her flailing singing career. The last thing she expected was to run into the scrawny boy she used to spend her summers with. Especially since the sexy, strong man he’d turned into was far from the kid she remembers.
It may have been over a decade ago, but the connection between them that they were too young to recognize when they were kids, is still very much alive and it’s stronger than ever. But Bella’s only in town for a short time. Can the magic of Christmas, and the spirit of the season spark a love that’s strong enough to last long past the holidays?
We Wish You A Happily Ever After
Copyright © 2020 by Elena Aitken
ISBN: 978-1-989685-22-8
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
Chapter 1
“10-4. I’m on my way.” Jeremy Davis shook his head and muttered a silent curse as he ended the radio call, flipped his lights and sirens on, and as safely as he could on the icy mountain roads, steered the fire truck into a giant U-turn in the middle of the highway to head in the opposite direction.
Next to him, his new partner, rookie Natalie didn’t even bother hiding the broad smile that crossed her face, and Jeremy had to work hard not to laugh. It wasn’t that long ago that he was an overexcited newbie, eager for every call.
He pressed down on the accelerator as soon as it was safe to do so. His heart raced, the familiar adrenaline flowing through his veins the way it always did when there was an emergency fire call, which admittedly, and thankfully, wasn’t very often in the quiet mountain town of Glacier Falls.
Which was why Jeremy had been using his afternoon to head out to the Ever After Ranch with the ladder truck to help out the Turner sisters with their latest big idea for a Christmas open house. The entire town was excited for the event, and even if Jeremy wasn’t secretly a huge fan of all things Christmas, he would have volunteered his time to help the ladies out with the lights.
But not today.
At least not yet.
Not when there was an actual fire call to respond to.
“What do you think it is this time?”
Jeremy simply sighed in response, because it was a fair question. They were on their way to Roy Burton’s house for the second time that week—and the fourth time that month. Beyond the fact that the old man was increasingly becoming a danger to himself, he was also starting to be a danger to those around him if the limited resources of the Glacier Falls fire department were regularly being called to his house to put out his forgetful fires. As the second-in-command at the department, the chief had asked Jeremy to handle the situation, which meant that it would be Jeremy’s job to report Mr. Burton’s state to the appropriate authorities if he believed it to be a real problem. Roy was a longtime resident of Glacier Falls, and a beloved neighbor, but he didn’t have any family in town, and that made things a little trickier. Especially because, as far as Jeremy knew, his family hadn’t visited him in years.
The fact was, the old man shouldn’t be on his own. It was only a matter of time before something really serious happened. And because Jeremy had grown up in Glacier Falls, where Roy Burton was largely regarded as the town grandfather—to the point where he even played Santa Claus every Christmas—Jeremy was fond of the man. Almost as if he were his own family. “Could be anything,” he said after a moment, hoping upon hope that it was once again a minor issue. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if something happened to Roy because he’d failed to act sooner.
He stepped on the gas pedal a little harder.
It only took another few moments to arrive in front of the familiar bungalow in the middle of town. Lydia Arthur, Roy’s neighbor, stood on the sidewalk, wearing a puffy, full-length parka over her dressing gown. With her feet jammed in clunky boots and a long wool scarf wrapped around her head, her arms waving frantically as the truck pulled up, she looked every bit the concerned neighbor, the way she did every time they arrived.
There was no obvious signs of a fire inside the home—a fact Jeremy was grateful for—but it also didn’t mean anything. They moved quickly: Jeremy ran to the front door, while Natalie went to Mrs. Arthur to see what she could learn, which very likely was a variation on the story they heard every time.
“I called and he didn’t answer.”
“I knocked on his door and he didn’t answer.”
“I smelled something unusual.”
Some might think that Lydia was simply a nosy old woman, but Jeremy knew better. Her interest in Mr. Burton was more than simple neighborly interest. The older woman was definitely sweet on Roy. Anyone could see it.
“Mr. Burton?” Jeremy banged his fist on the wooden door and, without waiting for an answer, tried the handle. Unlocked. “Roy?” he called out as he entered the home. “Are you in here?”
Before he could take more than a few steps in the door, Jeremy was hit with the acrid smell of burnt food. He quickstepped it into the kitchen, spotted the flames inside the oven, and quickly flicked the dial on the controls to turn the heat off. The safest thing to do was to let the fire burn itself out inside the oven. Opening the door would only provide oxygen to fan the flames.
“Roy?” Jeremy turned away from the oven to scan the rest of the kitchen. The man was nowhere to be found. Which meant he was probably napping. One last look toward the oven, where the flames were almost out, and Jeremy assessed the situation safe enough to go in search of the man, whom he found in the living room, fast asleep on the couch. His hearing aids were on the table next to him.
Gently, so as not to startle him, Jeremy sat next to Roy and shook his shoulder until his eyelids fluttered open. “Roy. It’s Jeremy Davis.” He spoke in an excessively raised voice as he gestured to the table with the hearing aids. “I’m sorry to wake you, but I—”
“What is going
on in here?”
A female voice behind him caused Jeremy to turn. The woman was silhouetted in the doorway with the low afternoon sun behind her. Jeremy couldn’t make out her face, but something about her was familiar. He moved to stand and greet the woman, but before he could, she dropped the bag she was holding to the ground and pushed past him.
“What is wrong with my grandfather?”
Grandfather?
Seeing Papa laying on the couch, the giant fireman towering over him, stopped Bella’s heart for a moment. The groceries that had been so important that she couldn’t wait until later to pick them up were forgotten as she dropped them to the ground and rushed to his side past the firefighter, who, from what she could tell, was only in the way and if anything, confusing her grandpa.
“Papa? Are you okay? What happened? Why do I smell smoke? Were you—”
“Bella?”
The firefighter said her name, which only annoyed her because she knew who she was. What she didn’t know was what had happened.
“Bella Hoffman?”
She spun around to look at the idiot man who wasn’t doing anything to help her. “I go by Burton actually. Is there someone in charge here?” she demanded as she looked past the imbecile in front of her, out the door where she’d seen another firefighter, a woman, speaking to Mrs. Arthur when she’d returned to the house. “Where is the other one?”
“The other…firefighter?”
“Yes.” She was quickly losing patience. “I need someone who is in charge to tell me what happened and what is wrong with my grandfather. When I left him, he was doing just fine and going to have a—” As her own words filled the room, she realized what she was saying. She turned back to her grandfather, who was now struggling to sit up and put his hearing aids in at the same time.
“A nap?” The annoying firefighter finished for her with a smugness to his voice that made her see red. “Were you having a nap, Roy?” He leaned in next to Bella, and the fresh, crisp scent of him filled her, causing her to momentarily forget that she was completely unimpressed by his presence.
She shook her head and refocused on the real issue. “Papa? Are you—”
“Having a nap,” he interrupted her with a chuckle. “At least I was.” Papa looked between her and the firefighter, whose nearness was starting to distract her on a cellular level that was increasingly frustrating. “What’s happening here?”
“Yes.” Bella spun to the other man, a move she instantly regretted because he was standing much closer than she thought. She came practically nose to nose with him but instead of bumping into him, she took a step back and hit her leg on the coffee table that had trapped her between the couch and the firefighter, who seemed to have grown in size in the last few seconds.
He grabbed her shoulder, preventing her from crashing hard on her bottom, and held her a moment longer than was necessary.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded, momentarily unable to speak, which was ridiculous because she was never at a loss for words, especially if it involved a man. And never in an emergency situation, which she had to assume they were still in.
“We had a call that there was a fire,” he said, still holding her shoulder.
She nodded as if it made sense, which it didn’t. The fact that there was a fire truck outside and a firefighter standing in front of her notwithstanding.
“A fire?”
“In the oven.”
“In the—oh shit.” Her hand flew to her mouth as she realized exactly what had happened.
The frozen lasagna she’d popped in to heat up before running out to the store to get the garlic bread and salad so she could serve Papa a home-cooked meal. Or at least, a home-prepared meal.
The man in front of her chuckled. “I assume you had something to do with that?” He looked strangely relieved, even though there was nothing about the situation that called for relief.
She nodded and shook her head all at once.
Beside her, her grandfather had risen to his feet, a smile on his always friendly face. “You thought it was me again, didn’t you, Jeremy? Joke’s on you this time. I told you I’d be more careful.”
It took Bella a moment, but she stared at her grandfather. “What do you mean, again? Does this happen a lot? And…” She turned to the firefighter, who all of a sudden she was looking at in a new light. “Wait. Jeremy?”
There was no way.
“Jeremy Davis? Who I used to play hide-and-seek with when I came to visit?”
His handsome—and much more grown up than she remembered—face split into a smile. “More like hide-and-forget.” He nodded. “It’s good to see you, Bella. It’s been…what…ten years?”
“Thirteen.”
His eyes went round and he shook his head. “Wow. That long, hey?”
“My Bella here isn’t much for the mountains,” Papa said.
Even though she knew it hurt her grandfather that she hadn’t been to visit him, there was still so much pride and love in his voice. It only made her feel guiltier.
“Besides, you can’t become a famous singer in the middle of nowhere,” he continued. “The city has always been where she belongs.”
The twinge of guilt in her gut sharpened into a full-out pain.
“A singer, huh?” Jeremy gave her an appreciative look. “Your voice always was amazing. Good for you.”
“You remember?”
He grinned, his lips twitching up at the corner. “I remember a lot of things.”
Despite herself, a blush heated her chest, threatening to creep up her neck.
“If you two are done flapping your gums, can you leave me to my nap?” Papa broke the awkwardness, which a moment later only got more awkward when he added, “Bella, is that lasagna done yet?”
Jeremy lifted an eyebrow as his lips widened to a full-fledged grin. “Lasagna, huh? You might need different dinner plans.”
Bella took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “How about we chat in the kitchen?”
The last thing she needed was her grandfather thinking she wasn’t able to take care of things. Especially considering she’d been in town less than twenty-four hours and she was here to help him out over the holidays.
The moment she was in the kitchen and out of earshot, she spun around and slammed directly into a very hard chest. She’d expected him to follow her, but not that close. And she definitely hadn’t expected that kind of brick wall chest.
Then again, what did she have to base it on? A fourteen-year-old version of Jeremy Davis? Probably not a great comparison.
Bella took a step back and for the first time looked at her old friend properly.
His shoulders were massive—must be the jacket.
He was ridiculously tall—must be the boots.
And his chest—well, she already knew that felt like something chiseled out of stone.
No, he was definitely not the skinny, slightly goofy teenage boy she remembered.
Before she could say anything, Jeremy spoke. “Burton?”
She shrugged. “I decided to go with my mother’s maiden name. It has a nicer ring to it for my career.”
“Makes sense.” He nodded. “So, Bella Burton, it was you who started this fire?”
“What do you mean, this fire? Also, what actual fir—” The question died on her lips as her eyes landed on the blacked-out window of the oven door. “Oh.”
She turned back to Jeremy, who was nodding.
“I assume you had the oven too high or—”
“Shit.”
He cocked his head.
“I forgot to take the cardboard off the top.” Bella realized how it sounded as she said it. It couldn’t sound any other way. But still, she’d been in a hurry and that’s exactly what had happened. “I was distracted,” she said by way of explanation. “I was trying to…never mind.” She didn’t need to explain to this relative stranger that she’d been trying to impress her grandfather and do something nice for him, but was already
running late when she showed up and in her haste had made a ridiculous mistake.
Her shoulders fell as she looked again at the oven. Maybe she’d just order takeout?
“Don’t worry about it.” Jeremy put a hand on her arm and instantly, her body reacted the way it had earlier when he’d stopped her from falling. “But I do think we should talk about all the other calls we’ve had to Roy’s place lately and—”
“Jer?”
An impossibly young woman dressed in matching fire gear appeared in the doorway.
“We gotta go.”
Jeremy nodded in her direction. “Busy day. But we should talk later, okay? Are you in town for a bit?”
Bella nodded.
“Great.” Jeremy squeezed her arm one more time before he turned and left the room.
She heard him say good-bye to her grandfather before he left. Then the door closed with a thunk, and Bella was left feeling lonely and oddly excited all at the same time.
Chapter 2
Bella.
Bella Hoff—Burton. He mentally corrected himself. It did have a nice ring to it.
Bella Burton.
What were the odds?
Jeremy shoveled another load of snow from the drive of the firehall and tossed it over his shoulder. It had been snowing for the last two days straight, which wasn’t unexpected for December in the mountain town of Glacier Falls, not at all. But it never failed to take some residents, and particularly some of the tourists, off guard and cause some very busy days as Jeremy and the rest of the crew responded to a never-ending list of fender benders and cars in a ditch.
Fortunately, none of the incidents he’d responded to had been very serious and staying busy wasn’t so bad.
Unless you had other things you wanted to do.