by R. R. Banks
I had barely finished arranging the gifts under the tree and replacing his stocking by the fireplace when I heard tiny footsteps overhead. Holly came out of the kitchen having put on a bathrobe and cupping a large mug of coffee in her hands and smiled toward the steps as Charlie appeared, rubbing the slumber out of his eyes. He came down three steps before his eyes fully focused on the tree and the piles of gifts. My heart nearly burst as his face lit up and he ran down the rest of the steps into the living room. His hands clasped in front of him and he bounced up and down a few times before running to hug me. He didn't hesitate to give Holly a hug, too, and then tossed himself into the middle of the floor, curling his legs under him and reaching his little hands toward his stocking. I handed it to him and then walked into the back of the house, hoping that Cletus had followed through with my request for that morning. I grinned when I found that he had, and I came back into the living room carrying a box that I held out to Holly.
"I think that you should probably go ahead and open this," I told her.
She sat on the couch and took the box into her lap. As soon as she opened it, there was a soft mewling sound from inside. Holly gasped and reached in, pulling out the tiny kitten inside. She nuzzled her face into its fur. When she pulled back from it she noticed the tag attached to the red ribbon tied around the kitten's neck.
"Spirit?" she asked.
"That's his name. I promised you I would find your holiday spirit."
She smiled and stood to kiss me.
"Thank you," she said. "I love him."
"I love you."
She nuzzled the tip of my nose with hers.
"I love you, too."
A few minutes later Holly came over to me as I settled into a recliner to watch Charlie dig through his stocking with Spirit playing with a ribbon beside him. She perched on the arm of the chair and handed me a wrapped box.
"I had it in my luggage," she confessed.
I opened the box and found a "Do Not Enter" sign. I picked it up and looked at her strangely.
"What's this?" I asked.
"I found it in one of those little shops we went to. I thought that you could bring it onto the train with you. I wouldn't want anyone wandering into your sleeper car."
I put the sign on the table beside me and laughed, reaching up to pull Holly down into my lap.
"Never," I said. "I don't need anyone else."
I kissed her, and she looked over at Charlie and then back at me.
"You know what?" she asked.
"What?"
"I think that I finally love Christmas."
Epilogue
Holly
Four months later…
"Explain to me again why you didn't just have Boom Boom come pick us up. I thought that the two of you were doing well with your exposure therapy."
I closed the door to the sleeper car and sat down in the chair by the window, taking a bite of my bagel. Graham still adamantly refused to fly on any commercial airline, but he and Boom Boom had been working together to get him more accustomed to flying by taking flights together every couple of weeks. Now that Charlie had come to live with him full time, those flights were usually to bring him to visit his mother for a couple of days. This time, though, he told me that we were going to take the train to pick him up from his visit. Though I wasn't thrilled with the idea of another journey on the train, it was reassuring that we would have a sleeper car that would prevent me from having to fight for space in a seat and I did look forward to some time away from work just to spend with Graham.
"Exposure therapy is going fine," Graham said. "He got a little flippy again last time, but I almost breathed the whole time."
"That's good. So why didn't he come get us?"
"He was busy this weekend. Apparently, he is getting quite the following as a private pilot."
"Well, that plane you gave him was like the best Christmas toy ever. I suppose he wants to play with it as much as he can."
He came to the side of the chair and leaned down to kiss me on my cheek.
"Why don't you just relax and try to enjoy the trip? The last time we were on a train it was winter, so why don't you try to enjoy some of the scenery?"
I sighed and nodded, peering out the window. I felt like I was being a sullen child, but something about being back on the train was making me feel out of sorts, like there was some sort of unfinished business between me and the train. Graham placed a case on the bed and opened it, allowing Spirit to hop out. He prowled around the floor for a few minutes, trying to figure out where he was, then jumped into my lap and curled up.
"Was the excitement of boarding just too much for you?" I asked, stroking his soft fur.
"I'll be back," Graham said, reaching for the door.
"Going to the lounge?" I asked.
"No. I already had my drink. I want to ask the conductor if we're running on time."
"We've only been going for ten minutes."
"I just want to check."
He closed the door behind him and I turned back to the window, letting the movement of the train start to lull me. Graham returned several minutes later, and we sat watching the fresh green scenery slipping by until the sun slipping down made it too dark to see anything else. After a late dinner in the club car, a ritual that I had to admit I could probably get used to if he decided that train trips were going to be a regular thing, I changed into stretchy pants and a light sweater in deference to the cool spring night. The train was supposed to arrive at our destination in the early hours of the morning and I had no intention of either wandering out in my pajamas or trying to get dressed when I was barely awake. The clothes meant that I could sleep comfortably and still maintain my dignity when we got off the train.
Graham sat in the bed reading, while I played with Spirit, but soon my little furry companion decided that he, too, was done for the day and curled up in the little bed I had put in the corner of the room to go to sleep. I climbed onto the bed with Graham and nestled myself into the crook of his side, falling asleep within seconds of my head coming to rest on his chest, so I could hear the beating of his heart.
I don't know how long I was sleeping before a familiar lurching feeling sent me tumbling off of the bed.
"Son of a bitch!" I shouted when I hit the floor.
"What?" Graham asked, sitting up. "What's wrong?"
"I am never sleeping on a train again," I said, getting onto my knees and grabbing the bed. "Where's Spirit? Did I land on him?"
I heard a meow from the other side of the room as if he was answering me and sighed with relief.
"Is the train moving?" Graham asked, crossing to the window and peering out into the darkness of the night beyond.
I paused to pay attention to the sounds around me and the feeling of the floor beneath me. I let out an exasperated sigh.
"No." I slammed my hands onto the mattress and climbed to my feet. "What is it with me? Do I curse trains? Is this because I used to poke the toy train at the hobby shop so it would derail?"
Graham stared at me.
"You know what I love about you? That I just keep learning new things."
I narrowed my eyes at him and started to the door, intending to find a conductor and find out what was happening. As I touched the door, however, the lights in the train went out.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," I said. "This just can't be happening."
I looked behind me and saw that Graham was holding his phone up like a flashlight as he scooped Spirit into his arms. He held the kitten out to me to put in her case and went around the room repacking the belongings that we had gotten out of our bags. He slung them over his shoulder and followed me out of the train. We had taken a few steps before I realized that the train was silent. I distinctly remembered the shouting and chaos from our last train trip, and this was eerily different. We passed through three cars looking for a conductor or an open door before I finally saw a figure walking toward me. The glow of the emergency lights was so
dim that it took a few steps before I recognized it.
"Vera!"
"Hey, Holly. Graham."
She smiled at me, seemingly totally unfazed by what was happening.
"What are you doing here?"
"Going on a trip, just like you, I guess. Weird what's happening with the train. I wonder why it stopped."
There was something strange about her voice, a singsong quality that triggered my suspicion even more.
"Where are all the other passengers?" I asked. "There were other people when we got on."
"They must have already gotten off," Graham said. "Maybe after the incident last year they put in some new protocols to handle situations like this. That evacuation was pretty chaotic, so maybe they have new methods to make sure that everyone gets off safely."
I tried to accept that, but something about all of this didn't make sense. We went through another train car and finally saw the conductor standing next to an open door. He gestured toward it.
"I'm so sorry for the inconvenience again, Mr. Castle," he said.
It was the same conductor from our first trip, but I remembered how apologetic he had sounded that night and his voice lacked that quality now. Vera and Graham funneled me toward the front of the line so that I would be the first to climb down out of the train and for the first time it occurred to me that I didn't even know where we were. I glanced at Graham for reassurance and he nodded toward the door. As I stepped down from the train I realized that we weren't at a platform, but that the surroundings looked familiar. I looked to the side and saw the little slumbering train station. I immediately knew where we were.
Graham and Vera stepped down off of the train.
"There are no other passengers, are there?" I asked.
Graham shrugged.
"Maybe they all got rides already. We should go see if we can find a ride."
I was figuring out that there was something happening, something that Graham had planned, but I didn't let out. I wanted to go along with it and see where it carried me. We waved goodbye to the conductor and walked the short distance to the train station. It was as quiet and empty as it had been the first time that I had seen it, and I didn't bother to try the doors. We walked around the side of the building but instead of finding the pickup and drop-off area empty as it had been, Boom Boom was already waiting for us.
He sat astride his tractor, the machine hooked up to the hay wagon. Garlands of flowers were draped on the sides of the wagon and I saw flower petals sprinkled across the hay inside.
"Well, look who we have here," he said.
"Hi, Boom Boom," Graham said. "Out looking for BillyBob again?"
"No. We found him. He's established a retreat out in the woods to teach skinnyfishing. Got himself a few students, too. Tonight, I'm just out for a nice drive. It looks like I came at just the right time, too. Could you use a ride?"
"We'd appreciate that,” Graham said. It looks like we just have really bad luck with trains."
We walked up to the wagon and Graham and Vera climbed inside. I paused at the back.
"Alright. What's going on here?"
They both looked at me innocently.
"What do you mean?" Vera asked.
I had given up on the pretense, the anticipation too much for me to handle.
"Well, Boom Boom was supposedly not able to pick us up for a flight because he was doing another flight, and Vera, I know for a fact that you don't know anybody anywhere near around here so there's no reason for you to get on a train -- conveniently without telling me, by the way."
They exchanged glances and Boom Boom leaned back over his shoulder.
"I think that she's on to us," he said.
"Well, can you at least pretend that all of this is just a big coincidence? Just until we get to the hollow?" Graham asked.
I laughed.
"Alright." I climbed up into the hay and settled down beside Graham. "Boom Boom, I love what you've done with the wagon. It's very pretty."
"Thank you," he said, starting the tractor. "It's my spring motif."
The tractor rumbled over the field and I leaned back in Graham's arms, staring up at the clear sky. The stars sparkled against the cloudless expanse and I sighed happily as I watched them slide by. I sat up and looked over at Vera, who clung to the sides of the wagon, her eyes wide with uncertainty.
"Don't worry," I said. "You'll get used to it."
The words sounded both strange and completely authentic as they came out of my mouth. I had spent such a short time in the hollow, and yet it felt comfortable and familiar, like a home that I never knew that I had, or needed. She nodded at me, offering a somewhat shaky smile.
I expected for Boom Boom to bring us to the motel or to Rue's house, but instead the wagon brought us to a house that I hadn't seen the last time that I was in the hollow. Graham hopped over the side of the wagon and held out a hand to help me down.
"Whose house is this?" I asked.
Graham smiled, but didn't say anything. He held my hand as we walked toward the house, Vera following behind us. He didn't pause on the porch, but turned the knob and walked right into the house. I stepped in after him and looked around, admiring the beautiful rooms.
"Holly!"
I looked up, surprised to hear Charlie's voice coming at me from the top of the stairs.
"Charlie!"
He ran down the stairs toward me and jumped into my arms for a hug.
"Are you surprised?" he asked.
"So surprised. I thought that we were going to pick you up."
"Daddy, it worked! She didn't know I was going to be here."
He wriggled out of my arms and rushed toward Graham, who scooped him up and gave him a kiss.
"I know. We must have done a good job."
Charlie grabbed his father by either cheek and held his head still to look him in the eye with all the seriousness that a little child could muster.
"Does she like it?"
Graham leaned forward to rest his forehead against Charlie's.
"I don't know yet," he said.
"Do I like what?" I asked.
"I'm going to talk to Holly for a minute, OK?"
Charlie nodded, and Graham lowered him to the floor. He ran toward Vera and they went into the living room where she opened one of her bags and pulled out a new toy that she had brought him. I looked back at Graham and found him on one knee. I gasped, my hand coming to my mouth.
"Holly, people say it's an accident that I met you, that if things didn't go wrong, we wouldn't be together. I don't think that's true. I think that everything went exactly the right way, because it meant that I ended up right here, right now, with you. But I can't leave anything up to chance again. I told you once that all I cared about was Charlie having a family. Now I know that what I really needed was for both of us to have a family, and we found that with you. We've seen each other in some pretty terrible moments and I still love you. I love you more every day and I want to keep loving you more every day. Holly, will you marry me?"
I felt my breath catch in my throat and I nodded.
"Yes," I managed to say. Graham smiled and slipped a sparkling diamond onto my hand before gathering me in his arms. I kissed him, but then pushed him away from me. "As long as you don't let any more trains throw me on the floor.'
He laughed.
"That wasn't supposed to happen. Planes and cars from now on."
"I'll hold you to that."
We kissed again, and I felt like the world was lighting up around us. Nothing else mattered anymore. When our lips parted, I glanced around again.
"You never answered my question."
"What question?"
"Whose house is this?"
"Ours!" Charlie said from his spot on the carpet.
Graham laughed and nodded.
"Thank you, Charlie." He looked at me. "It's a vacation home for us," he said. "So, we can come back to the hollow as a family whenever we want to."
"And you are alw
ays welcome," Boom Boom added.
I had forgotten that he was standing there and when I looked toward him I realized that several other people had slipped into the house. Rue and Richard leaned against the wall, their arms wrapped around each other's waists. Day stood to the other side, her hands clasped over her mouth. I could see the shadows of others beyond the door and heard a voice coming through.
"What happened?" Cletus shouted in.
"She said yes!" Boom Boom shouted back.
I laughed as cheers rose up from both in and out of the house and Graham swept me up off my feet, spinning me around in his arms. As he lowered me to my feet and Charlie ran over to join our embrace, I eyed an antique desk sitting in one corner of the room and had the sudden compulsion to write a thank you note to the North Pole.
THE END
A Note from the Author
Thank you for reading The Christmas Surprise . I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, may I ask you to please write a review? I would really appreciate it and be forever grateful. Reviews are very important and allow me to keep writing the books that you love to read!
Flip this page to read another one of my books. Included here as a special treat just for you is - Snow and the 7 Hunks , Her Hunk , and Major O !
Thank you for reading my books and letting me serve you doing what I love!
R.R. Banks
Snow and the 7 Hunks
Do you ever get tired of being a good girl?
I know I do, with a name like Snow I guess it's expected.
But there is nothing good about my boss' new wife.
That witch took over the office.
And she's determined to turn my fairy tale into a living nightmare.
Hello, Enchanted Woods, an exclusive retreat for worn-out girls like me.