Snowy Nights at the Lonely Hearts Hotel: A heart-warming feel-good romance

by Karen King

  Logan was momentarily stunned. Jade had never taken Chloe overnight before. His next reaction was irritation; it was typical of Jade to phone up and dictate the terms without bothering to consider that he might have plans.

  ‘Logan? Are you still there?’ Jade repeated, an edge to her voice now as if ready to snap if he protested.

  He pulled himself together. ‘Yes, I’m still here. You took me by surprise, that’s all. Look, you can’t demand to have Chloe overnight just like that. She hasn’t seen you for months. You need to see her more often and give me time to prepare her. This is a big step for her.’

  ‘Well, my parents are having a family gathering and they want Chloe to be there to meet everyone. They haven’t seen her for such a long time. You’re not going to be awkward about this, are you?’ She was on the defence now. ‘She’s my daughter too and you have her for Christmas Day.’

  Logan took a deep breath, forcing back the retort that he wished Jade would remember that Chloe was her daughter more often. And it was typical of Jade to expect him to fall in with her demands. It was Christmas time, for goodness’ sake! Chloe had only met Jade’s parents once, about two years ago. They were strangers to her, although they did send her presents and cards for her birthday and Christmas.

  ‘It’s out of the question,’ he told her firmly. ‘You’re welcome to come and see Chloe for a couple of hours on Boxing Day but you need to form a regular relationship with her before I’m going to allow you to take her away overnight. And I need more than a few days’ notice.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘No buts. We’re in Boxing Day if you want to pop in and see Chloe. Goodbye, Jade.’

  He ended the call, trying to mask his annoyance, and puzzlement. Jade had never wanted to spend much time with Chloe before; she’d pop in for the odd hour every few months and that was it. Why had she suddenly decided that she wanted to take her for an overnight stay at her parents’?

  Chloe looked up as he came in. ‘Was that an awkward customer?’ she asked, perceptive as ever.

  ‘It was Mummy. She’s going to try and see you on Boxing Day.’ He worded it carefully in case Jade didn’t turn up. She’d let Chloe down before.

  Chloe’s face lit up. ‘Really? Will she bring me a present?’

  It always hurt Logan how pleased Chloe was to see her mother, not because he resented that but because Jade was so indifferent to her.

  ‘I’m sure she will. But don’t get too excited, poppet. She might not be able to make it. Now let’s get this Christmas cake iced.’

  His hands were covered in icing when the landline rang a few minutes later.

  ‘I’ll get it!’ Chloe had the receiver off the hook before he could protest. He’d always told her not to answer the landline in case it was a work call.

  ‘Hello,’ Chloe said politely. ‘This is Chloe. Daddy is busy right now.’ Then her face lit up. ‘Mummy!’

  Jade? She never used the landline. Logan quickly washed his hands. What did she want now?

  ‘Really? To see Nanny and Grandad? Oh yes!’ Chloe was practically jumping up and down with excitement.

  Damn Jade. She’d phoned up and told Chloe all about it and now Chloe was looking forward to it.

  ‘Mummy is going to take me to see Nanny and Grandad on Boxing Day and I’m going to sleep in the bedroom Mummy slept in when she was a little girl,’ Chloe told him excitedly.

  ‘Let me speak to Mummy, poppet.’ Logan held his hand out for the phone. ‘Can you let Oscar out into the garden and watch him for a bit, please.’

  As soon as the little girl had gone out of the room he snapped, ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing telling Chloe you’re going to take her to stay with her grandparents? I told you that you couldn’t.’

  ‘You’re being unreasonable. Chloe wants to come. You’ve got no right to stop me, Logan. I am her mother!’

  ‘And Chloe is in my care. I’ll talk to her about it and call you back later.’ Logan finished the call before it turned into an argument.

  ‘Oscar wants to come in now, Daddy!’ Chloe came bounding in, the dog at her heels. She looked at his face. ‘I can go with Mummy, can’t I?’

  Logan crouched down so he could read Chloe’s expression better. ‘Are you sure you want to? You haven’t been away from home overnight before.’

  Chloe’s face lit up. ‘Yeah! I can’t believe that I’m having a sleepover at Nanny and Grandad’s. Wait until I tell Ella.’ Ella was her best friend at school. She clapped her hands excitedly, then the sparkle in her eyes was replaced by a frown on her forehead. ‘But what about you? Won’t you be lonely without me?’

  It was typical of Chloe to worry about him. She so obviously wanted to go with Jade, how could he say no? Jade’s parents lived in Bristol so it wasn’t that far away. He could drive up and get Chloe if she wanted to come home. He had to fight back his own feelings and let her go.

  ‘I’ll miss you, poppet, but you know how busy I always am. You can have a super time while I get some work done, then we can do something special when you come back home. How does that sound?’

  ‘Brilliant!’ She grinned. ‘I can’t believe I’m going to sleep in Mummy’s old bed. Can I pack my polar bear pyjamas?’

  As he watched his little daughter’s face light up he knew that he couldn’t refuse her. Well, Jade had better not let her down or she’d get a piece of his mind. Chloe was old enough to understand now and it was time that Jade made more of a commitment towards her. And he hoped Jade wouldn’t be accompanied by one of her male friends either. She might be committed to her work, but she hated to be without a man in her life and from what he could gather, there had been a string of them since they’d split up. Not that he’d exactly been a monk himself, but he’d kept his dating life away from Chloe, only seeing his women friends when Annie could babysit. Chloe was his top priority. He wanted her to feel secure and there was no way he was going to introduce another woman to his precious daughter and risk Chloe getting attached to her only for the woman to leave when she got fed up. It was him and Chloe now, and that was the way it was going to stay.

  Then he realised he hadn’t told Chloe about the new party arrangements. He hoped she wouldn’t be upset; she was really looking forward to the party and she loved Hannah, Lee and the twins. He doubted if it would be as much fun this year without them, although he was sure Hannah’s sister would do her best. Still, Chloe would get to meet her other friends and it was better than spending Christmas Day alone.

  He sat down and beckoned Chloe to sit by him. ‘I need to talk to you about the party, poppet. It’s going to be a bit different this year.’ He explained what had happened.

  Chloe looked worried. ‘Are the twins very ill?’ she asked.

  ‘They are quite poorly but they’ll be better soon. They’ll be home just after Christmas. And Hannah’s sister is coming down from Birmingham to run the LH party.’

  Chloe looked up at him, surprised. ‘She must be very kind to do that,’ she said.

  ‘Yes, she must be,’ Logan agreed. ‘Now go and put your coat on, poppet, and get Oscar’s lead for me, we need to get going.’

  ‘I bet Hannah’s glad she’s got a sister to help her,’ Chloe said, as she returned with her coat. ‘I wish I had a sister.’

  ‘You don’t need one, you’ve got me,’ Logan told her, bending down to help her with the buttons. He held out his pinky finger. ‘Me and you forever, remember?

  Chloe linked her pinky finger with his. ‘Forever,’ she said.

  Chapter Four

  The drive down to Cornwall brought back so many memories from Saffy’s childhood, when they’d all packed into Mum’s old Ford Escort with Mum’s friend Jackie and her daughter Emily, and driven down to the caravan they rented for two weeks every summer. They’d always been pretty fortunate with the weather and had spent the days building sandcastles on the beach, flying kites, paddling and hunting for sea creatures in rock pools. The evenings were spent happily in the club on the
campsite where Mum and Jackie relaxed with a couple of drinks while Hannah, Emily and she had soon made friends with the other children and spent the evening playing and dancing. Sometimes Mum and Jackie had got up and danced too, giggling and messing around. It was the only time Saffy remembered really seeing her mum relaxed. Most of the time her face was tight, pale and worried.

  Hannah had always said that one day she was going to live in Cornwall, so when the supermarket Lee worked at opened a couple of branches down there and asked Lee to manage one of them they had both jumped at the chance. Saffy guessed it was Hannah’s memories of Mum dancing and giggling at the campsite club that had made her organise a Christmas party for the single families. Hannah always wanted to make things better for people, had done even as a child, rushing to make a cup of tea for Mum when she came in from work, getting Saffy to help her tidy up. She’d always been bossy too.

  Saffy suddenly felt nostalgic for those long-ago holidays and wished she’d driven down while it was still light so she could see the ocean clearly at the Avonmouth Docks in Bristol, and watch the coastline come into view as she drove through Cornwall. She’d have a walk along the beach one of the days before she went back, she promised herself. Take Oscar – if dogs were allowed on the beach, that was.

  * * *

  It was gone ten when she finally arrived in Port Breok, where Hannah lived. Colourful lights lit up the darkness, twinkling at the windows of the houses, suspended across the street from one side to the other, and glistening on Christmas trees in front gardens. Reindeers and Santa Clauses adorned the rooftops of several houses and a huge Christmas tree sparkled with multi-coloured lights in the middle of the green. This was a town that seriously loved Christmas. No wonder Hannah loved it here; she loved Christmas too.

  Only now Hannah was thousands of miles away, worrying over the twins and wishing she was home. In one of her many messages Hannah had said there was parking space around the back of the house so Saffy followed the instructions her sister had given her and a couple of minutes later parked up by the garages. She reached over for her coat on the back seat, leaving her luggage in the back of the car until she’d fetched the key from Logan. Opening the note folder on her phone where she’d pasted the most important information Hannah had sent her, she scanned for Logan’s phone number and address. Here it was, Daisy Cottage, and Hannah said it was directly opposite Liwus Helyk.

  Saffy got out of the car, pulling up the collar of her long camel coat and tied the belt – God, it was freezing! Then, slipping her hands in her pockets to keep them warm, she walked around the corner and along the pavement to Daisy Cottage. It was quite a large, thatched cottage, set back from the road and surrounded by a low wall – as most of the houses in the street were. Fairy lights flickered inside the window frame and a cheerful holly wreath hung on the door. There was no sign of any daisies but then it was winter – she guessed the front lawn would be covered in them during spring and summer. She unlatched the gate and walked down the path, wondering if she should have phoned Logan first. She had her finger on the bell ready to press it when the door opened so swiftly she almost fell onto the tall, fair-haired – and very sexy – guy standing in front of her.

  ‘Whoa!’ He reached out to hold her shoulders, steadying her, and her body zinged to attention. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to open it so quickly but I’ve been watching out for you. I didn’t want you to ring the bell in case it woke my little girl up.’

  Saffy looked up straight into deep blue eyes that held a slight glint, as if his body had reacted to her in the same way. She tore her glance away from the enticing eyes, down to the attractive stubble on his cheeks, almost subconsciously taking in the trim body clad in faded blue jeans, white T-shirt, jumper and bare feet – did this guy have ice for blood? – then realised he was still holding her and quickly stepped back. He immediately released her. ‘You’re Logan?’

  ‘I am. And you’re Hannah’s sister, Saffy?’

  ‘That’s me. I’ve come for Oscar and the key, please. Sorry to disturb you so late.’

  ‘Not a problem.’ He took a key from his pocket and handed it to her. Then she heard a soft whine and a gorgeous white and black spaniel poked his head through Logan’s slightly open legs.

  ‘Hey, boy, you’ll have me over.’ Logan stepped aside and grabbed the dog’s collar so he couldn’t run off.

  ‘He’s adorable!’ Saffy said, bending down to stroke the springer spaniel, who responded by wagging his tail enthusiastically. ‘And he’s grown so much! He was only a puppy when I last saw him.’

  ‘Yes, Hannah said it has been a while since you came down.’

  That sounded almost judgemental! Saffy shot him a questioning look and was taken aback by the disapproving look on his face. It was almost as if he was telling her off. Had Hannah been complaining about Saffy’s lack of visits? Well, it was none of his damn business.

  She stood up and coolly met his gaze. ‘Well, I’m here now. So if you can pass me Oscar’s lead I’ll take him over to Hannah’s and leave you to get on with your evening.’

  ‘I’ve got it here, waiting for you. You’ll have to be firm with him, he can be a bit scatty and runs off, chasing anything.’ Logan reached out with his free hand to take the lead off the banister and clipped it onto Oscar’s collar then handed the lead to Saffy. ‘I’ve promised Hannah I’ll be on hand if you need anything so call me if you need help.’

  ‘Thank you, but I’m quite sure I’ll manage. I’d hate to trouble you any further.’ She took the lead from him and marched off with Oscar.

  All she wanted to do was get inside, have a hot drink and go to bed, Saffy thought, as she walked around the back of Hannah’s house again to get her luggage from the car. Too late she realised how difficult it would be to take the suitcase, hand luggage, presents and the odds and ends she’d brought down for the party while holding Oscar on his lead. Especially as Oscar was now sniffing around like mad and obviously wanted to go for a walk.

  ‘I’ll take you for a walk tomorrow, Oscar,’ Saffy promised, tying his lead to a post so she could open the car boot. She decided to just take her suitcase – thankfully a four-wheeler she could easily push along – and handbag; she could get the other things out of the boot tomorrow. She locked her car then set off back to Hannah’s house. The sound of the wheels of her suitcase rolling over the pebbles echoed through the dark, empty street. There were a few lights on in the windows of neighbouring houses, and the Christmas lights sparkled in the darkness, but Hannah’s house, which she was now standing outside, stood in silent darkness. A large, pebbledash cottage set back from the road with a small front garden surrounded by a low narrow wall, it looked bigger than she remembered. Last time she’d visited it had been bustling with life, Mum and Jon had been there too, friends, neighbours, and Hannah and Lee so proud of their twins. It had been a happy time.

  Oscar started to whine, as if he was anxious to be home. Saffy put the key in the lock and stepped inside the cottage into the long hallway, carpeted with a deep red and grey patterned carpet. Three doors lined the left wall and a staircase, covered with the same carpet and with a polished mahogany banister, was directly opposite, towards the back of the hall. She remembered that the staircase led to the guest bedrooms; the family quarters were the two bedrooms at the back. She let Oscar off the lead, lifted her suitcase inside and closed the door, her eyes immediately resting on the photos lining the right wall. Most of them were of the twins and seemed to be fairly recent. The twins looked so cute and had grown so much. They were only babies when she last saw them. She felt a pang of guilt. She should have found the time to come down and see them all more. What if something happened to them? Hannah said Miles had complications. She shook the thought from her mind. They would be okay, measles could be dangerous but – according to the website she’d quickly Googled yesterday – most children recovered fine with no side effects at all.

  She shivered. It was freezing. Hannah had said she’d left the heating on
a really low setting so the pipes wouldn’t freeze. She’d better turn it up. She opened the door of the front lounge where Hannah had told her the central heating control was and felt for the light switch, flicking it on. This time the carpet was beige patterned, and the large room was furnished with a comfy dark green leather Chesterfield suite consisting of a three-seater, two-seater and a chair, with a dark green rug over the carpet in the centre of the room, and a long sideboard along one wall. A TV sat in the far corner and there was an open fire and surround in the middle of the main wall facing. Running along the length of another wall was a huge unit full of photos, books and ornaments. On the wall were more photos, including a large frame of assorted family photos. Centre place was one of Saffy, Hannah and Mum taken at the twins’ christening, Saffy noticed with surprise. A pile of toddler paraphernalia was neatly placed in the far corner by the window. It looked comfy, a family room.

  She went to close the curtains – thick green velveteen – across the diamond-patterned leaded bay window. She hated curtains left open when it was dark outside.

  Thank goodness Hannah had central heating and she didn’t have to light that fire, she thought, heading over to the thermostat she’d spotted on the wall in the far corner of the room. It was set to seven degrees at the moment, which she knew was the freeze setting. She pressed the button to turn it up. Nothing happened. She tried again. Still nothing. It must be on auto and she couldn’t remember what Hannah had said she had to do to turn it to manual. She took her phone out of her pocket and scrolled down to Hannah’s messages, found the one she wanted and followed the instructions. Seven degrees still flashed on the screen.

  Damn. It wasn’t working.

  Well, all she could do was wrap up warm and go to bed with a hot drink. Thank goodness she’d brought her onesie with her. She’d sort out the heating in the morning.