Colorado Christmas Magic

by Caitlin McKenna

  Jack frowned. “How did you get here without a car?”

  “I walked.”

  “It’s starting to come down out there,” Michael said, and everyone looked out the window.

  Jack couldn’t have Lisa wandering around in freezing cold temperatures. “You’re not walking. Come on. Sit down. Have something to eat, and then I’ll take you wherever you need to go.”

  “I’ve intruded on you and your family too much already.”

  “My shift is over in fifteen minutes,” Gabriel said. “I’ll be happy to help you folks out. I can give you a ride.” He set his gaze on Lisa.

  “Thank you, but—” She glanced at the waiter and did a double take. Disappointment seemed to drain from her face as she couldn’t stop staring at the good-looking guy. “What’s your name?”

  “Gabriel.”

  “Thank you, Gabriel.” Her eyes seemed much brighter. “I’m Lisa, and I’ll take you up on your offer.”

  “Great.” Gabriel flashed her an impressive grin and Jack wondered if the sudden spark between them was related to the Scrooge Legend. “Are you staying in town?”

  “Yes. At Mrs. Richardson’s out on Evergreen Lane.”

  “I live on Evergreen Lane.”

  “What?” Lisa let out a little laugh. “This is a happy coincidence.”

  “It sure is.” Gabriel moved closer to her, forgetting the rest of the party at the table. “You’re going to love Mrs. Richardson. I’ve known her since I was five years old. She’ll pamper you so much, you’re not going to want to leave.”

  “I’m really starting to like St. Nicholas.” Lisa beamed, tucking her chin down in a flirtatious way.

  “I’m so glad to hear it,” he said. “Now, let me get all of you a piece of our famous angel food cake. It’s on me.”

  “That’s very sweet of you. Thank you.” She watched him go, then sat back down and opened her handbag, taking out her makeup pouch.

  Jack and his parents were throwing glances at each other, not daring to speak, while Lisa was in her own world, fixing her face in the mirror of a tiny compact.

  Bill, on the other hand, seemed to be the only one not fazed by what had just happened. “Did Mary tell you about the ripple effect?” he asked Jack.

  “Ripple effect?” Jack gave him an exhausted look. Did he really want to know?

  “As you’ve discovered, the Scrooge Legend doesn’t only affect one person, it affects many. It has a ripple effect,” Bill explained. “And this right here is the ripple effect in action.” He laughed as he polished off the last bite of the turkey potpie.

  “Here you go.” Gabriel set down a huge piece of angel food cake covered with drizzled chocolate right in front of Lisa. “I brought five forks in case anyone else wants to try it.”

  “Thank you.” Lisa smiled at Gabriel before he walked away, then took a small taste of the cake. “Delicious.” She passed out the forks. “Dig in, everyone.”

  Bill picked up a fork and started at the opposite end while Jack and his parents only watched.

  “This is so good.” Lisa purred, slowly taking another bite. She closed her eyes for a moment, seeming to savor the flavor, then she fixed her gaze on Jack. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out between us, but I truly hope you and Charley are happy together.”

  Bill cleared his throat and motioned to the front door. “I believe your work is done here, young man.”

  Jack picked up his keys and cell phone off the table, then hurried out the door.

  * * *

  Charley sat in the back of Tom and Rebecca’s car, forcing herself to make idle chitchat even though her thoughts were far away. She wanted to believe that she and Jack would be okay, that he’d be able to finally get through to his ex, but she didn’t know for sure. Lisa seemed so obsessed with Jack. Leaving him with her was difficult, but the thought of having her show up indefinitely was worse.

  Before going back to the B&B, Tom and Rebecca stopped by Santa’s mailbox to drop in a wish for their friend Dave, and then they posed for a few pictures in front of the Christmas tree in the town square. Charley took some great ones of them with the snow falling around them. It not only reminded her of her walk with Jack, but the couple was standing in the exact same spot where she and Jack had stood. The same spot where she’d been so incredibly happy only a few hours earlier. How fast life changed.

  When they finally arrived back at the B&B, Tom and Rebecca went in the direction of a warm fire in the living room, while Charley started for the stairs.

  Mary came bounding out of the kitchen and almost collided with her. “Oh, Charley, excuse me!”

  Charley quickly cast her eyes to the ground, but it was too late. Mary could immediately tell something was wrong.

  “What happened?” she asked, her voice full of concern.

  “His ex happened.”

  “Oh,” Mary said on a sigh. “The requirement.”

  Charley frowned. “This has nothing to do with—” She froze, took a breath. She started to replay the conversation she’d had with Lisa over in her head. And then she saw it. “She’s the Scrooge.” Her voice was breathy. “Mary, I think she’s the Scrooge!” Charley grabbed her hand. “Please, tell me she is.”

  “What did you give her?” she asked calmly.

  “I... I gave her what is most dear to me.” Charley’s eyes riveted to hers. “I gave her time with Jack.”

  Mary smiled, nodding. “And how do you feel right now?”

  Charley put her hand to her chest, trying to slow her racing heart. She had passed through anger, through betrayal, through fear. She’d taken a chance on love again, let it go, and it had come back to her stronger than ever. She hoped Jack would finally get through to Lisa because she wanted her to be happy. She wanted their issues to be resolved so they could all enjoy a life filled with love. “I feel hopeful that it will all be okay. That everything will work out because we’re truly meant to be.”

  “Well done, Charley, well done.”

  She threw her arms around Mary and gave her a big hug. “I’ve got to find Jack. Is he here? Did he come back?”

  “I don’t know, dear. Did you check his room?”

  Charley took the stairs two at a time. She flew down the hallway to the very last room on the left and banged on the door. “Jack! Jack!” She waited a second, then two. She banged again when she heard an alert come in on her phone. Thinking it was from Jack, she withdrew her phone and discovered that Reality Check had left a comment on her blog. She quickly opened it.

  My Dear Sweet One,

  This thread is done, and it’s the last that I’ll be sending. True love awaits, don’t hesitate, go find your happy ending.

  Charley smiled, and then her eyes shot up, hearing commotion coming from downstairs. A moment later, Jack appeared, out of breath, at the top of the stairs. He came to a dead stop when he saw Charley standing by his door.

  Their gazes locked on to each other, and all the things she wanted to say to him rushed through her head. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him and how much she missed him the second she left. She wanted to tell him that she would move anywhere, at any time, to be with him. She had so much to say, but she didn’t know where to begin.

  “Fun fact,” she finally managed through a voice breaking with emotion. “The holidays are when couples break up the most.” She took a step toward him.

  “You consider that a fun fact?” Jack took a step toward her.

  “People don’t call me The Cold Hard Facts Queen for no reason.” She took another step.

  “Here’s a real fun fact: the most streamed song last year was ‘All I Want for Christmas is You.’”

  Her chin trembled as she slowly nodded. “One point to Jack Brody. That’s a good fun fact.”

  “Yeah, it is,” he said, smiling. “Because it’s true.”

&
nbsp; She ran into his arms. He held her tight before he picked her up and twirled her.

  “I love you, Charlotte,” he whispered, staring into her eyes. “I love you so much.”

  “Oh, Jack, I love you, too, with all of my heart.”

  Jack found her mouth and tenderly kissed her. When he at last pulled back, Charley searched his eyes. She saw so much love, devotion, and trust. She saw someone to laugh with and cry with. Jack kissed her again on her lips before he kissed her on one cheek, and then the other, and then on her forehead. He covered her face with little kisses until she couldn’t stop laughing. He then put his arm around her as they walked down the hallway, and she snuggled into him knowing that wherever she was, as long as she was with Jack, she would always be home.

  Epilogue

  Two days later, Mary sat relaxing in the living room, reading on her iPad, when Joe came in with a tray of milk and cookies.

  “You are such a dear,” she said as he set the tray down on the coffee table and sat next to her.

  “You worked so hard on this one, Mrs. Carroll.”

  “So did you, Mr. Carroll.” She took a cookie off the plate.

  Joe glanced at her iPad. “What are you reading?”

  “Charley’s blog. She announced her new recommendation post called ‘Great Places in The States.’ Want to take a guess which town is first on her list?” She handed her iPad to Joe.

  “Oh, boy,” he said, skimming the article. “We’re going to be bombarded with visitors.”

  “Nothing we can’t handle.” She took a drink of milk. “Besides, everyone needs a breather and a reality check once in a while.” She winked at Joe.

  “Yes, R.C., they do.” He took a cookie for himself. “I never knew my wife was such an amazing poet.”

  “I have a wonderful muse,” she said, curling up next to him.

  He put his arm around her, enjoying a little peace and quiet.

  A moment later they heard ting, ting, ting, ting. It was the familiar sound of metal bouncing off the bricks inside the fireplace, and out dropped an ornate silver-and-gold metallic tube.

  Joe sighed. “I just sat down.”

  “Don’t I know it.” Mary got up and went over to the fireplace. After setting the fire screen to one side, she picked up the tube, opened one of the ends, and pulled out a scroll. “Oh, my.” Her eyes flew over the elaborate cursive writing, reading as fast as she could. “It looks like Santa’s sending us another Scrooge. And this one is going to be a doozy.”

  * * *

  Acknowledgments

  Even though this is my sixth novel, Colorado Christmas Magic is my first with Harlequin’s Carina Press imprint and their amazing publishing team. I am so grateful in particular to my fantastic editor, Deborah Nemeth, for believing in Colorado Christmas Magic from the beginning, and whose keen eye and wonderful suggestions have made my story a stronger one. I’d also like to give a heartfelt thank-you to my acquiring editor, Stephanie Doig, who brought me into the wonderful Harlequin family.

  A big thank-you to my early-on editors—Caroline Tolley for showing me the path forward, and Barbara Bettis for her great insight.

  I wouldn’t be able to be an author if it weren’t for my support team. I am blessed to have such a sweet and caring husband who takes it upon himself to do all the errands and bring home dinner so I can keep working. Thank you, honey. And a tremendous thank-you to my sister who goes above and beyond, reading every version of every scene. She can recite this book in her sleep.

  Thank you so much to my dear friends Kerry Gutierrez, Luisa Leschin, Lucy Lin, and Frank Sharp who have read these pages at all hours of the night, and thank you to Danielle Leigh Reads, Danica Sorber, and Barb Barkley for their added support.

  Many thanks to all of my readers out there—may the magic of the holiday season bring you love, joy, and laughter that will last throughout the year.

  About the Author

  Ever since she can remember, Caitlin McKenna has always loved a good story. Whether it was in the form of a long-winded joke told by her dad around the dinner table, or an outlandish story of alien abduction and missing homework imagined by one of her classmates, she loved to hear every one of them. Naturally, her love of a good story landed her in Hollywood where she embarked on an acting and screenwriting career.

  While in the theatre, she had the opportunity to play complex characters like Anne Boleyn in Anne of the Thousand Days, and Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion, which has helped her tremendously as a writer when fleshing out her own characters. Even though Caitlin saw her stories as movies in her head, she felt the need to have more control over them, so she switched her focus from screenplays to novels.

  Now she enjoys writing any story where love drives the narrative. Her previously published novels include No Such Luck, My Big Fake Irish Life, Super Natalie, Manifesting Mr. Right, and her dystopian thriller, Logging Off. When not writing, she can be found at one of the major studios working as a voice-over actress and voice-casting director for an upcoming movie or television show.

  Caitlin lives with her husband and two spoiled dachshunds in Southern California, and is working on her next novel.

  Website: CaitlinMcKenna.com

  Twitter: Twitter.com/CaitMcKenna

  Instagram: Instagram.com/AuthorCaitlinMcKenna/

  Facebook: Facebook.com/AuthorCaitlinMcKenna/

  Email: AuthorCaitlinMcKenna@gmail.com

  A pro hockey player learns that home is where the heart is in Sweet as Pie, the first book in the Good Southern Women series from USA TODAY bestselling author Alicia Hunter Pace.

  Keep reading for an excerpt!

  Prologue

  Hell on Earth.

  Pro hockey defenseman Jake Champagne understood the meaning of the phrase, but had never lived it until that March day at the end of his second season with the Nashville Sound.

  He woke to the sound of pounding and the smell of hockey stench. At first, he thought the pounding was in his head but, as the fog cleared, he realized someone was intent on getting into his hotel room. When he opened his eyes, the first image he saw was a blurry half-empty bottle of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. No wonder he couldn’t see straight. He was usually a beer guy, but special nights called for special liquor and last night had been spectacular—though not in a good way.

  Oh, no. Not at all. After hoisting the cup two years in a row, his team had gone four up and four down in the playoffs. Plus, it was cold here in Boston and he hated the cold, hated the snow. You wouldn’t catch any snow on the ground in March in the Mississippi Delta—or any other time either. That was just one of the things he missed about home.

  The pounding on the door became more intense just as a warm body rolled over next to him.

  Hellfire and brimstone. It was all coming back now, and that was where the hockey stench was coming from. She was wearing his nasty jersey, had insisted on wearing it while they made love. He laughed under his breath. Made love. Ha.

  He pulled on his sweatpants and caught sight of the clock as he crossed the room. Five forty-one freaking a.m.! The team plane didn’t leave until ten o’clock. He was going to kill somebody—probably Robbie. His best friend most likely hadn’t been to sleep yet. The last time he’d seen him, Robbie’d been doing shots with a redhead, the companion of the blonde in his own bed. He jerked open the door. “What do you want?”

  Not Robbie. It was Sound staff member Oliver Klepacki, who frowned at the tone of Jake’s voice. “Sparks.” He used Jake’s nickname.

  Dread washed over Jake. This man was not in the habit of knocking on hotel doors at this hour. In fact, from the looks of him, he had just rolled out himself. “Sorry, Packi. Is something wrong?”

  “You need to call your mother.”

  After closing the door, Jake reached for his phone with shaking hands. He’d turned it off last night, even before c
oming back to the room with his latest charming companion. Not wanting to talk to anyone who might want to commiserate over the loss to the Colonials or the minutes he’d spent in the penalty box because he’d showed his ass on the ice for no good reason, he’d taken the landline phone off the hook.

  But that seemed small now. Something bad had happened. Christine Jacob Champagne was a Mississippi Delta Southern belle who took breakfast in her room every morning at eight o’clock. She spoke to no one before then. In any case, she wasn’t the type to hunt down her grown son like a dog who needed his worm medicine.

  He didn’t call right away. There had to be a clue on his phone, and he couldn’t take another breath without knowing if his dad and sister were okay.

  Fourteen missed calls, five voice mails, and six text messages later, he knew. His uncle Blake—the man who had put him on skates at four years old—had had a heart attack.

  And he was dead. The texts and voice mails hadn’t said so. His mother would never leave that in a message, but he had to be. Otherwise she wouldn’t have hunted him down in Boston at this hour.

  He started to call, but paused and looked down at the woman in his bed. His mother would probably know she was here, would probably be able to smell her through the phone. He went into the bathroom, quietly drawing the door shut behind him before he dialed.

  “Darling boy.” Christine answered immediately.

  “Uncle Blake?” he said.

  There were tears in her voice. “I know how you loved him.”

  Loved. Jake hadn’t realized that he’d still held out a miniscule bit of hope until his mother spoke in the past tense. He had known before he even made the call, but—at the same time—how was it possible?

  “So hard to believe...only forty-seven...” Christine’s voice trailed off.