Welcome To Winterville: A Small Town Holiday Romance

by Carrie Elks

  Holly squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back, and it made everything feel right. “You could have called,” she said. “Josh has a car.” She couldn’t help but grin. Because her beautiful family and gorgeous friends were crazy.

  “You would have ignored us.” Gabe walked up the step and hugged her, then shook Josh’s hand. “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t.”

  “Maybe until lunchtime.”

  “Yeah, well I can’t wait until lunchtime to open my gifts. So you’re coming back with us now.” His eyes flickered to Josh’s. “Okay?”

  “Works for me.” Josh’s voice was thick. She looked over her shoulder at him, and his eyes were shining. As though he loved that they were including him in this.

  He deserved it. Winterville owed it to him. More than they knew.

  She pressed her lips to his cheek. “Come on, let’s go.”

  She’d given him a LEGO Millennium Falcon for Christmas. Josh still had no idea how she’d tracked it down in twenty-four hours, let alone how she’d gotten it to Winterville in time for Christmas morning. When he asked her, she’d smiled enigmatically and told him to build the damn thing.

  So that’s what he was doing right now. Putting bricks together, or rather, showing the six kids who’d run over as soon as he’d opened his present how to build the Falcon, listening to them as they talked excitedly about Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker and all the things he used to love so much.

  It felt as though the entire population of Winterville were still hanging around the Inn. Half of them were in the kitchen, cleaning up after the huge breakfast they’d served. That was where Holly was right now, though when he’d tried to follow her she’d shooed him back.

  “You’re a guest, for now. Next year you can help clean up.”

  Next year. He liked the sound of that.

  “So, hey.” North sat down on the bench beside him. One of the kids moved the half-built Falcon a few inches to the left, as though afraid North was going to butt in on the building.

  “Hey.” Josh gave him a tight smile.

  “I wanted to apologize to you.” North tapped his fingers on his thigh.

  “What for?”

  “For hitting you eight years ago. And for treating you like the enemy for the past month.”

  “I guess I was the enemy.” A ghost of a smile flickered across Josh’s lips. “Or at least it must have seemed that way.”

  “Yeah, well it doesn’t matter. I was brought up better than that. If my grandma could have seen me.” North winced. “We welcome everybody here in Winterville. Even when they’ve just bought it.”

  “Apology accepted. On both counts.”

  North’s gaze met his. “Holly’s important to us all. She has this tough exterior, but inside, I don’t know. She’s kinda soft.”

  “I know.” Josh nodded. “And you don’t need to worry about me hurting her. I won’t be doing that ever again.”

  “Does that mean you’ll be sticking around?”

  “I’m planning on it. I have a few things to take care of in Cincinnati, but this month has proved I can work remotely a lot of the time. Plus I’m recruiting someone to take over the reins there.”

  North gave him a look of respect. “That’ll make Holly happy.”

  “Not as happy as I’ll be.”

  The door to the Inn opened, and they both turned to look at the new arrival. Holly’s mom swept in, wearing what looked like a white fox fur coat, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders.

  “Cruella’s arrived,” North murmured. The next moment, they both stood up. Then they looked at each other and laughed.

  “Were you about to protect Holly?” North asked him.

  Josh nodded. “Yeah. You?”

  “Yep. But she doesn’t need our protection, does she?”

  No she didn’t. Holly Winter could kick ass all on her own. She could drive grown businessmen into submission, and save towns without losing her breath.

  And she definitely didn’t need his help dealing with her mom.

  “I might just head over there anyway,” Josh murmured, his eyes following the streak of white fur as Susannah searched for her daughter.

  “Good idea. If you need me, holler.”

  By the time he reached the kitchen, he saw that Susannah had found Holly. The two of them were standing in the corner by the back door. She looked up and saw him, her lips curling into a smile.

  And damn if that smile didn’t hit him right in the chest.

  “You okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She nodded.

  “I’ll be around if you need me.” He gave her a wink.

  “Please stay,” Susannah said, looking over at him. “I want to apologize to both of you for last night. Garrick didn’t mean to let the cat out of the bag. He’s devastated it caused so many issues.”

  Holly pulled her lip between her teeth. “Why did he say it in the first place?”

  “He thought he was building a relationship with you both. He knows it’s important for me to get to know you better, and he thought he was helping.” Her mom sighed. “He knows he wasn’t now. He’d like to apologize to you himself. If you’ll let him.”

  “I don’t know.” Holly rubbed her temple with the heel of her hand.

  “And I want to apologize to you, too. For everything.” Her mom’s voice was soft. “I really thought this year would be the time we could rebuild our relationship. I made so many mistakes, Holly. For so many years. I hate that you can barely bring yourself to look at me.”

  Holly blinked, her eyes glassy. “It’s not that I can’t look at you. It’s that every time we talk it ends in an argument.”

  “I didn’t know how to love you,” her mom whispered, wringing her fingers together. “From the moment you were born, I was afraid. And my mother was there, knowing exactly how to take care of you. How to feed you, how to rock you to sleep. I should have fought harder for you. But the two of you were always so content to be together. I was young and foolish and felt excluded.”

  “I wanted a mom. All my life I wanted nothing more than a mom.” Holly’s voice was thick.

  “And I thought I couldn’t be who you wanted. Until that summer in Italy. Remember how much fun we had? For the first time I thought we could build a relationship again.”

  “And then you turned your back on me. It hurt.” Holly blinked back the tears. Josh clenched his teeth, knowing they needed to talk. But it didn’t stop him from wanting to hold Holly in his arms.

  “I was so selfish,” her mom whispered. “When your grandma arrived and whisked you away the day of your wedding, it felt like your birth all over again. You two had this special relationship that I couldn’t penetrate. When you were hurt or in pain you always looked for her.”

  “Because you were never there.” Holly’s expression was stormy.

  “I know. I was selfish. I thought that motherhood was like in the movies. That I could swoop in and you’d love me unconditionally. But I now know that I was wrong, and it’s too late now because you’ve grown up and you don’t need me anymore.”

  “I needed you when Grandma died.” Holly’s eyes welled up.

  Susannah nodded. “I didn’t think that you wanted me. Look at you, sweetheart. You’re an amazing woman. You have a wonderful career, and so much success. And that’s all down to you and my mom. I wish I had something to do with the person you’ve turned out to be, but I don’t.” She sighed. “All I ask is that maybe you’ll give me a chance to get to know you all over again. I want to be your friend, not your enemy.”

  Holly looked at Josh. There was a lost expression on her face. Like she was the child she used to be, hoping for somebody to make it all better. He walked over to her, kissing her on the temple. She curled her arm around his waist.

  “Okay?” he murmured.

  She nodded, melting against him. “Can we talk about this later this week?” she asked her mom. “Maybe we can come over for dinner or something?”

  Hope flashed in
her mom’s eyes. “I’d like that very much.” She pulled open her purse, rifling in it until she found what she was looking for. “I have a little Christmas gift for you,” she said, passing the wrapped present to Holly.

  “I didn’t get you anything.” Holly turned the silver box over in her hand.

  “You did.” Her mom smiled. “You gave me hope.” She patted her daughter’s hand, a smile on her lips. “Now open it.”

  Holly tugged at the ivory ribbon, then tore into the silver paper, revealing a blue velvet jewelry box. As she opened the lid, she gasped when she saw what was inside.

  A silver butterfly locket, the wings embellished with diamonds. With shaking hands she pressed at the wings, swallowing hard when they opened to reveal a photograph.

  Josh leaned over her shoulder, taking in the tiny picture of Candy, wearing a red Santa suit, her hair perfectly coiffed and a big smile on her face. On her lap was a little girl of six or seven, smiling widely to reveal a toothless gap.

  Holly. She looked beautiful even as a kid.

  “It’s lovely,” Holly whispered. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Now I should go.” Impulsively, her mom leaned forward and kissed Holly’s cheek. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas, Mom.” Holly leaned against Josh, watching as her mother walked out of the kitchen. She leaned her head against his shoulder, and he smoothed the hair from her face.

  “You okay?” he murmured.

  She tilted her head to look up at him. “Yeah, I am.” She slid her arms around him, breathing softly against his neck.

  “You should be. You’re amazing. The strongest woman I’ve ever met.”

  She pressed her lips to his throat. “Are you for real? I keep wondering if it’s eight years ago and I’m having some kind of weird psychedelic flash forward.”

  “Completely real. Pinch me if you don’t believe me.”

  She did, and it hurt his nipple like a bitch, but he’d offered, after all. “Okay. So we’ve established I’m real and we’re both adults. And I don’t have to rush off to London for a year. So what happens next?”

  Holly looked up at him, her eyes so full of emotion it made his heart clatter against his ribcage. “Let’s go for a walk in the snow,” she whispered.

  It seemed like symmetry to bring him back here of all places. To the little cabin in the snow where he’d first kissed her all those years ago.

  And now they were kissing in here again. His hands tangled in her hair, her body wedged between his and the wooden walls, as his tongue slid and danced against hers.

  He’d ruined her for any other man, and she didn’t care a bit. Because nobody else existed for her.

  “I have another gift for you,” she whispered. He grinned and she shook her head. “No, not that, you dirty minded man. A proper gift.” She pulled it out of her pocket. A flash of white caught his eye.

  “My pebble?” he asked, seeing the stone in her hand.

  “No. Not yours. It’s a new one.”

  He took it between his fingers, inspecting it closely. A butterfly was painted on the surface in lilacs and blues. It caught the light shining through the window. “It looks almost the same.”

  “I found the pebble and asked Alaska to paint it. She’s artsy that way.”

  “I love it.” He slid it into his pocket, then pulled his old one out. “I guess two’s a crowd, huh?”

  “You can keep the old one, too.”

  He shook his head. “No. That’s the one I used to touch to remember you existed. I don’t need that memory anymore. You’re here.” He reached out to cup her cheek. She leaned her face against his palm. “Let’s leave it here in the cabin.”

  She nodded. “We could put it in the fireplace.”

  They leaned down together, nestling the old white pebble among the dark embers of a long-extinguished fire. “I have one more thing for you,” Holly told him.

  He shook his head, amused. “You have to stop with the gifts. They’re making me feel inadequate.”

  “Inadequate? You gave me a town. Imagine trying to top that?”

  He smiled smugly.

  “Anyway, that’s kind of what I want to give you.” She unfolded a piece of paper. There was handwriting at the top, followed by five signatures and Kris’s name printed at the bottom.

  “We hereby gift Joshua Gerber one seventh of Winterville.” He blinked at the words he’d read out loud. “What’s this?”

  “You gave us Winterville, but we want you to be part of it. We all agreed. Even Kris, who wasn’t very pleased because he was sleeping off his Christmas dinner when we called him in England.” Holly smiled at Josh’s confused expression. “We don’t want to do this without you. You can be as involved as you want to be, but you get to own a part of this town, too.”

  “You all want me to be part of this?” he murmured, looking at the signatures again. They’d signed in age order. North, then Gabe. Everley and Holly. At the end was Alaska, and Kris’s name with a cc next to it.

  “I won’t do it without you.” Holly lifted her chin.

  “I thought we agreed not to mix business and pleasure.” He still looked bemused, as though he was trying to take it all in.

  Holly took a deep breath. “The thing is, I want to do everything with you. I want to fall asleep with you at night and wake up with you in the morning. I want you to know every part of me. The brave parts and the scared parts. The laughter and the sadness. I don’t want secrets or lies or things that come between us. I won’t do that again. So if I’m going to do this and try to turn this town around, I want to do it with you. Whether you play a big role or a small one, I want you to be part of it. With me. Us.”

  He swallowed, his warm eyes still on hers. “You want me here?”

  “Every part of you, Josh. And I know you still have a business to run. So you can be a silent partner if you prefer.”

  “I engaged a recruitment firm yesterday to start searching for a new CEO.” He pressed his lips to her head. His voice was soft, emotional. “I’ll still be part of Gerber Enterprises, but it will free my time up.”

  “To be here?”

  “Yes. To be with you.”

  “Does your grandfather know?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, and he’s not impressed. But he’ll come around.” He didn’t sound as though he cared either way. “The business will survive, and so will he.”

  She lifted her head, both it and her heart so full of emotion she could burst. “I love you,” she told him.

  “And I will never get bored of hearing it. Not ever.”

  She pressed her lips to his cheek. “That’s good, because I plan on telling you a lot.”

  “Say it again,” he whispered.

  She grinned against his cheek. “I love you.”

  “And I love you.” He swept his lips over hers. “Now let’s go spend the rest of Christmas with your family.”

  Epilogue

  The following June…

  Winterville looked so different in the high heat of summer. The lawns – covered with snow until March – were now the deepest green, and the fir trees that lined the slope down toward Marshall’s Gap stood proudly snow free, though Holly thought they looked a little naked without their little caps of white. The sun was shining, and there wasn’t a cloud in the glorious blue sky. It was the perfect day to reopen Winterville after a spring of renovations.

  She was standing with her cousins and Josh on a podium they’d erected in front of the Winterville Inn. Everley was wearing a pretty pink summer dress, and Alaska – who’d been dragged reluctantly from her favorite position behind the reception desk – was wearing a light blouse and red shorts – the new summer uniform for all that worked in the Inn. Gabe and North were wearing jeans and polo shirts – their tan, muscled arms making all the women sigh.

  And next to her was Josh.

  Her Josh.

  The man who’d begun a new life with her here in Winterville.

  He was wea
ring a suit, though the heat of the sun had made him shuck off his jacket and remove his tie. She knew it was neatly rolled up in his pocket, in case he needed it later. His sleeves were pushed up to just below his elbow, revealing his strong, muscled forearms that did strange things to her.

  Gray Hartson was here, too. The famous singer and his family had come in for the opening day of the season. After spending Christmas Eve in Winterville, they’d struck up a bond with the Winter family, and had been regular visitors while the renovations were taking place.

  And now he was here to sing Candy’s songs once again. This time to a crowd of people lining the lawns in front of the Winterville Inn, ready to celebrate Christmas in June.

  She’d kind of stolen it from Hallmark, but made it one month early, because June was the start of their vacation season.

  “Yeah, we’re ready.”

  Josh squeezed her hand as she walked toward the microphone. She’d argued with North and Everley that either of them would be better than her to make a speech at the opening ceremony. But somehow she’d ended up with the short straw, and she was trying to take it like a champ.

  A really nervous, anxious champ.

  “Hello everybody.” She forced a smile onto her face as she leaned toward the mic. The crowd let up a big roar. Scanning the front, she saw her mom and Garrick standing there, smiling up at her. The two of them had stuck around while the renovations were taking place. Garrick had even dirtied it up with the guys, helping to lay tiles and paint walls so they could get everything ready as quick as possible.

  And her mom? Well, she’d done her best to build bridges. And Holly had, too. It was an ongoing process. You didn’t solve years of hurt with a few months of friendship. But she liked her mom being around.

  “The Winter family would like to extend a huge welcome to you all. As you can see, the town has been freshly renovated this year. We’ve upgraded all of our hotel rooms and renovated our cabins. We’ve refreshed the Jingle Bell Theater, which I’m delighted to announce has a brand new director, in the form of Miss Everley Winter.” She grinned at Everley, who blew out a lungful of air. “We have a brand new season of summer shows coming your way, and we very much hope you’ll come back this holiday season, when we’ll be restarting our Winter Revues.”