On Frozen Hills

by KJ Swann

  On Frozen Hills

  KJ Swann

  After Glows Publishing

  © Copyright 2017 KJ Swann

  Published by After Glows Publishing

  PO Box 224

  Middleburg, FL 32050

  AfterGlowsPublishing.com

  * * *

  Cover by LKO Designs

  Formatting by AG Formatting

  * * *

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  AfterGlowsPublishing.com

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Note from the publisher

  On Frozen Hills

  * * *

  Ivy has done everything her father has told her to do, where to go to school and what job to get. But the only thing she isn’t bending on is who the right man is for her. She’s tired of doing what she’s told and wants a change.

  Jace Tysen was never good enough for his daughter in the eyes of Michael Mercer, who dislikes the career choice that Jace had made for himself. Jace had his own demons to deal with from his past and only Ivy knows the truth behind it all.

  Now the holidays are upon them and Jace refuses to go with Ivy to Shaftsbury, Vermont claiming that her father didn’t like him. But Ivy’s had enough of the excuses he gives every year, so it forces Ivy to go alone, but not before giving him an ultimatum: either show up or they’re done.

  What choices will be made?

  Will Ivy and Jace stay together or will Ivy once again follow her father’s orders?

  1

  Shivering, Ivy curled onto her side and brushed the wavy brown hair out of her eyes. She yawned and reached out to Jace, only to find his side of the bed empty. For the second time that week she’d woken alone. Sitting up, it was easy to see why she was shivering—most of the covers were on Jace’s side of the bed, and the floor. Grumbling profanities, she got up, snatched her robe from the hook behind the door, and stalked out to the living room. Jace stood in front of the window, staring out into the approaching dawn.

  “Why are you out of bed so early?”

  Jace shrugged. “Woke up from a nightmare, again, and then I started doing some thinking.”

  “Another nightmare? You need help, love. Don’t you think it’s time you talked to someone about them? You can’t continue like this. It must be serious if it’s weighing on your mind at this time of morning.

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever stop having nightmares about Sawyer’s death. Reliving the moment night after night has only made it worse. I can’t stop wondering if I could have stopped Sawyer from ignoring the order to evacuate. He just had to try to be a hero and look where it got him! When that building came crashing around him, there was nothing anyone could do but wait until the flames had been extinguished so we could start digging. Damn it, why didn’t he listen? We’re taught to obey orders. Why in the hell didn’t he?”

  Wrapping her arms around him, Ivy nuzzled her cheek against his back. “Baby, no one can comprehend why Sawyer did what he did that day. Only he knew. But you need to start getting help with these nightmares.” When Jace protested, Ivy placed her hands on his shoulders.

  Turning around, Jace caressed her cheek and sighed. “You know what weekend this is.”

  “Yes, but it’s almost Christmas too. I thought we had it settled you were coming with me this year. It’s the anniversary of Sawyer’s death, but that’s all the more reason you shouldn’t be sitting here alone dwelling on it.”

  Jace remained silent, which irritated Ivy. She pulled away and tried to peer into his eyes, but he refused to meet her gaze. “You aren’t going, are you?”

  His only response was to shake his head. Ivy was too disappointed to say a word. Every year it was the same thing. She didn’t understand why he wouldn’t make the trip to her family cabin up in Shaftsbury, Vermont. He was the one person she didn’t wish to be without during the holidays. Her dad drove her nuts, and while she loved being around her mother, after a while, she became overwhelming too.

  Fists clenched, she stepped away from him, bitterness and disappointment coursing through her. “Fine. Once again, you’re making yourself look like a fool with my family. My dad is just waiting for any excuse to get you out of my life, and, ultimately, you’re handing it to him.”

  Jace brushed his hands through his hair. “I don’t like spending time with him. He’s hated me ever since I decided to start firefighter training out of high school. He’s made that clear plenty of times. So why make Christmas unbearable being around him, if I don’t have to?”

  “That means not being around me,”

  “I know, and I’m sorry, sweetie.”

  “No! I don’t think you are. It isn’t the first family function you’ve missed. There’s been Memorial Day weekends, 4th of July get-togethers, birthdays, Thanksgivings, as well as Christmas. You never attended them even when they invited you back in high school. So why should I believe you’re sorry or you want to be in my life?”

  “Babe, of course I want to be in your life! Just because I don’t want to be around your dad doesn’t mean anything. You’re the one who means the world to me.”

  “If I meant anything to you, you’d be going with me.”

  “Ivy—”

  “Just stop right there, Jace.”

  Shaking her head, Ivy walked away with tears streaming down her face. In the bedroom, she dug out her bags and threw them onto the bed. She couldn’t believe he was backing out on her once again. I should’ve known he wouldn’t go. She collapsed onto the bed and let the tears fall. Ivy loved Jace with all her heart. She didn’t want to lose him over something stupid like this. Fine, Dad and Jace have their issues, but at some point, they’ll have to get over them.

  “Hun.” Jace leaned against the doorway to their room.

  “What?”

  “I’m sorry. I just don’t want to go.”

  When Ivy didn’t respond, Jace slowly walked to kneel in front of her. “Baby. I need you to understand where I’m coming from.”

  “I do to a point, but I need you there with me. It’s Christmas. Why can’t you do this for me?”

  Closing his eyes, Jace kissed Ivy on the cheek. Ivy knew that was the end of this for now. A couple of hours later, she was rushing around their apartment, getting her things packed for her trip up the mountains. Her boyfriend, on the other hand, was dragging his feet. Jace didn’t want to go, fine, but she was hoping he’d changed his mind in the few hours they hadn’t talked. Not likely, if he was lounging on the couch.

 
“I see you haven’t packed anything and you’re not ready.”

  “I told you I wasn’t going. I’m sure your dad will be ecstatic when I don’t show up.”

  “Don’t be like this. You always come up with excuses not to go. Okay, so you two don’t get along right now, but things could change.”

  Jace cocked an eyebrow. Ivy knew that look—he didn’t believe a word she said.

  “I’m sorry, but nothing will ever change his mind about me. He hates the fact I chose to be a firefighter, and he hates that I moved you from Vermont all the way to the big city.”

  “You know that has nothing to do with it.”

  “Whatever, Ivy. Believe what you want to.”

  Sighing, Ivy walked back to their room to finish packing. If he didn’t want to go, then fine, whatever. She was done arguing about it. She was pressed for time and had to leave in the next hour to make sure she got there by nightfall, it being a three-and-a-half-hour drive.

  As Ivy loaded was loading luggage into her car an hour later, Jace came sauntering over from the entrance of their apartment building. Ivy eyed him. “What are you doing down here?”

  “After you left the apartment without saying goodbye, I knew I was in some sort of doghouse.”

  Ivy stood with her hands on her hips. She wasn’t going to give him an inch. She always seemed to give in when he came back apologizing. “Looks like you get to stay in that doghouse you created for yourself.”

  Shock was written all over Jace’s face. Ivy had hit a nerve.

  “You could always stay here and have Christmas with me, you know.”

  “Forget it. My family would be disappointed if I didn’t show up, and believe me when I say I understand disappointment well enough to not want to do that to them.”

  “Damnit! What do you expect me to do while you’re gone?”

  “You can think about what you want from this relationship and maybe show up at the family cabin in Shaftsbury. I love you, Jace. I do. We go through this each time we go to one of my family events. It would be nice to spend a family holiday with my boyfriend. Please think about it.”

  * * *

  Jace stood there bewildered as Ivy left. What could he say? Everything she’d told him was true. Jace ran his hands through his hair. He had no clue what the hell he wanted. He was greeted by ringing when he returned to the apartment and rushed to answer the phone. “Ivy?”

  “No. It’s her father.”

  “Hi, Mr. Mercer. Ivy just left for the cabin. She should be there in a few hours.”

  “Hmm. You aren’t with her once again. Let me guess. You pulled your usual ‘I don’t want to go because your dad doesn’t like me’ bit.”

  “Yeah, so what of it?”

  “Oh, you’ve done us a favor this year. Take my advice, Jace—find a new place to stay while she’s gone. Get out of her life. Let her be happy.”

  Mr. Mercer hung up before Jace could respond. He slowly put the receiver back on its base and collapsed on the love seat next to the table.

  He rubbed his face with his hands. How in the hell had he gotten himself into this mess? In the living room stood several pictures of him and Ivy smiling at each other or kissing and very much in love. He walked over to the end table and opened the drawer. Inside sat a small black box. Yeah, he knew exactly what he’d done to earn the cold shoulder from Ivy. The thing he needed to figure out now was how he was going to get himself out of it.

  Tossing the box back and forth in his hands, he thought about everything that had transpired. How many times have I used some lame excuses to get out of her family events? God. Did he truly love Ivy? Was he going to let her dad push him out of her life just because of their mutual hatred for each other? Jace had his answers. He went to pack his clothes only to find Ivy had packed them and left a note on top.

  * * *

  Jace,

  I know you and my dad don’t see eye to eye, but I’d love to see you up there. It wouldn’t be Christmas without you.

  Love,

  Ivy

  * * *

  Taking a deep breath, Jace knew what he was going to do, and he also knew Mr. Mercer wasn’t going to like unexpected company. His cell phone vibrated. Ivy! Jace tapped the screen to open the text.

  Ivy: Stopping for gas and hoping you saw my note. Talk soon. Luv u.

  Smiling, he responded.

  Yes, I did. Going to be leaving soon. Don’t tell your dad. Love you too.

  He waited for her response.

  Ivy: What? Why?

  Jace: Tell you later.

  Ivy: Okay.

  With that, he put the cell phone down and finished getting stuff gathered up. He wondered what kind of shit storm he was going to encounter once he was up there but knew in his heart he was doing the right thing. Time to show Ivy’s dad he can’t continue to drive a wedge between us. He pictured the look on Ivy’s face when he showed up. Jace chuckled at what her dad would do when he arrived. He had no idea how this trip would turn out. If Mr. Mercer had his way, Jace wouldn’t be coming back here to live.

  As Jace heaved his stuff into his truck, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. The name on the display had him smiling again.

  “Hello.”

  “Jace, I just got a call from my dad asking if I was still coming.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “I told him of course I was still coming.”

  “Good.”

  “What’s going on with you and my dad? What was this conversation he had with you?”

  “You mean the conversation I said I’d tell you about later?”

  “Yes.”

  Jace sighed. “Well I might as well tell you now. But you can’t let your dad know what’s going on.”

  “Okay, just tell me.”

  Jace launched into the tale of what Mr. Mercer had told him about staying away and it would be doing them a favor.

  “What? I can’t believe he said that. Why would he say something like that?” Ivy screeched in Jace’s ear.

  “Why wouldn’t he? Look at all the times I’ve stayed behind or thrown a fit about going up to their cabin for Christmas. Then when he called, and I answered, he knew what had happened.”

  Ivy exhaled softly. “Leave it to my dad to think he knows what’s best for me. He can see I would never leave you, so I don’t care what he has up his sleeve. But it’s not going to work.”

  “Maybe he feels this was the final straw and you got tired of it year after year.”

  “Hard to say, but I’ll see what he has on his mind when I get up there.”

  “Just play along till I get there.”

  “Don’t worry, I will. I can’t wait to see my dad’s face when you show up. We both know how much he hates surprises.”

  Jace chuckled. “Yeah, should be interesting. See you soon. Drive safely.”

  “I will and love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  Jace revved the engine of his Dodge Ram, and peeled out of the parking lot with one thing on his mind.

  Keeping my girl.

  Michael paced back and forth before yelling upstairs, “Tessa, turn that goddamn music off.”

  Vivian shook her head at her husband.

  Tessa came storming down the stairs and glared at her dad from behind brown hair that had streaks of purple, pink, and orange running through it. “You dragged me to this godforsaken cabin in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do but listen to my music. Hell, not even Jace wants to be here.”

  Michael stared at his youngest daughter in disbelief. “Now listen here, Tessa, we have Derrick coming up for the holidays, and you, in fact, wanted him here, remember. So you will respect me, got it?”

  Snorting, Tessa stomped back up the stairs. She slammed the door, and her music blared once again.

  Growling in frustration, Michael turned to Vivian. “What are we going to do with her? She’s constantly undermining me!”

  “Well, you did this to yourself, Michael.”

&nb
sp; “What in the hell are you talking about?”

  “You always have to rule everyone with an iron fist. Ivy upped and moved to New York with Jace to get away with it, and Tessa is rebelling the only way she can right now.”

  Grumbling to himself, Michael went back to pacing in front of the window.

  “Ivy will be here shortly, so why are you pacing?”

  Michael didn’t respond. He kept watching out of the windows for Ivy’s vehicle, hoping Derrick, the young man from his bank, would show up before her and not at the same time. Less to explain that way.

  A car was slowly making its way up the drive. It wasn’t Ivy’s silver Toyota Corolla, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Derrick’s here.”

  Vivian frowned at her husband. “I can’t believe you’re going through with this. Ivy will be livid with you. I’m letting you know right now I don’t stand behind this one bit.”

  “Why? All because I want her to see the type of guy I want her to be with? At least Tessa’s making a good choice in dating him.”

  “You’re making a foolish mistake and could cost us our daughter in the process.”

  “Oh, stop overreacting. I don’t think she’ll do anything.”

  “If you seriously think that, then you don’t understand her very well at all.”

  * * *

  With that, Vivian stalked toward the kitchen. She knew who her daughter’s heart belonged to and nothing would change it. She also knew her husband was a stubborn man. He disliked, no, hated Jace and was always trying to talk Ivy into leaving him, but she would never do it. Vivian wasn’t looking forward to seeing her reaction to Tessa’s boyfriend, who Michael planned to push for her to find someone just like him. Out in the foyer, Michael greeted Derrick. Closing her eyes, Vivian took a deep breath before greeting their visitor—the gracious host she was supposed to be.