On Christmas Hill

by Nichole Chase

“I’m a bit insulted that the bar is so low.” He tucked some of the hair under my hat.

  “My dad and I used to roast hot dogs in the fireplace.” I wasn’t sure why I was telling him this. Part of me really wanted to keep up the tradition. “Drove my mom crazy, but I looked forward to it every year.”

  “Hot dogs it is.” His face softened for a minute. “I’m sorry he’s gone.”

  “It’s okay. I mean, it’s not okay. But, it is what it is. Christmas hasn’t really been the same though.” I stepped away from him and started walking in the direction we’d originally been headed. “I think that’s why mom’s trying something different this year.”

  “What’s that?” Nate stayed close as we dodged the people walking along the sidewalk.

  “She’s going skiing with some friends. She’d always wanted to go, but dad hated leaving home for Christmas and time off was far and few between at the holidays.” I shook my head. “I guess that’s a family trait, huh?” I couldn’t help but wonder if dad knew about Christmas Hill; if he believed in everything that Aunt Gertie and Nate believed.

  “You didn’t want to go skiing?”

  “Not really. I just wanted to stay home, but then I got the call about Aunt Gertie.” I frowned. “I wish I had met her in person, had been here when she needed me. I wish Dad had told me more about his family. I wish… a lot of things.”

  “You’re here now.”

  “Yeah.” I was here now. Wouldn’t Dad have wanted me to take care of his family’s property? Their legacy?

  “Nate! Nate!” Squeals interrupted my thoughts as two small bodies slammed into the back of Nate’s legs. Remy began bouncing and yapping happily. There wasn’t much Remy like better than kids willing to play with him.

  “Whoa!” Nate reached behind him to steady the tiny children gripping his legs.

  “I knew it was you!” The little boy looked up at Nate with large blue eyes. “Jilly didn’t think it was you because you were making kissy faces at her.” The little boy shot me a disgusted look.

  “Who is she?” The little girl looked at me from where she held onto Nate. Remy jumped up to try and kiss her cheek, making her giggle.

  “Jilly, Matt, this is Molly, Gertie’s niece. And that little fella is Remy.” Nate winked at me. “Where’s your dad, monsters? Have you finally finished him off?”

  “They’re trying.” A deep voice drew my attention from the munchkins clutching Nate. A man walked in our direction, carrying shopping bags with a frazzled look. “I’m not sure how much more I can take.” He smiled at the kids who made huffing noises.

  “C’mon, Dad. We’re not that bad!” Matt rolled his eyes.

  “Says who?” The man mock frowned. “Who’s your friend, Nate?”

  “Molly, this is Taylor. Taylor, this is Gertie’s niece, Molly.”

  “Ah! How are you liking the Hill?” Taylor set one of his bags down and shook his hand.

  “You knew Gertie?” Jilly let go of Nate’s leg and hopped up and down. “She was so cool! Do you make cookies, too?”

  “Gertie was my aunt.” I smiled at the little girl.

  “No way.”

  “Yes, way.” I laughed. “But unfortunately, I’m not so great at making cookies.”

  “That’s okay. Just put some icing on them and no one will know. That’s what we do.” Matt smiled and Taylor groaned. Matt was the older of the two and he knelt down to pet Remy, who immediately flopped over so he could get belly scratches.

  “I knew there was something weird about that last batch.” Nate reached down and tickled Matt’s sides.

  “Do you know Santa? Gertie gave him my letter last year.” Jilly pulled on my jacket, the nails on her little fingers painted messily red and green.

  “Um, I haven’t met Santa yet.” Not wanting to disappoint her I changed the subject. “I like your finger nails! Did you do them?”

  “Daddy did it!” Jilly preened for a minute. “I bet he would paint your nails too if you ask nicely.”

  “Or better yet, I won’t do them if you ask nicely.” Taylor’s voice rumbled out of his chest, holding a hint of embarrassment.

  “I think he did a lovely job.” I smiled at Jilly and then Taylor. I was starting to put the pieces together about their little family.

  “Where are you two headed?” Taylor looked at Nate, obviously wanting to not talk about his handiwork.

  “Mattie’s and then to the hardware store. Tree fell on the fence in the back of the property.” Nate shook his head.

  “Would you like to come with us? Grab some food?” I asked Taylor. The poor man looked exhausted.

  “Thank you, but we already had lunch.” Taylor smiled and it transformed his face. He was handsome and I found myself wondering why he was raising his children by himself. A man that looked like that and was obviously a devoted father shouldn’t be on the market for very long. “And we still have several stops to make.”

  “Aw, Dad!” Matt grabbed his free hand. “Can’t we eat again?”

  “Another time, Matt. We need to go get some food for the new puppies and make it home before they destroy the house.” A little bit of the frazzled look came back into his eyes and I felt sorry for him. It was obvious he was trying to do everything he could to make those kids happy.

  “Next time, buddy.” Nate knelt down and clucked Matt’s chin. “Why don’t you come see the reindeer on tomorrow? Give them some treats after a long night of work and eat some dinner.”

  The kids jumped up and down while Taylor looked relieved. His smile was grateful as they left.

  “I hope you don’t mind me inviting them.” Nate frowned. “They usually come for dinner, but I should have asked.”

  “That sounds nice, actually.” It had been a while since I had spent Christmas around children. “Should we buy some groceries?”

  “I suppose if I’m going to cook we might need to buy something or there won’t be anything to eat at our place.” Nate’s eyes sparkled as he looked at me. There was something there in his eyes and his words. It took me a minute to understand why my heart was beating faster. Our place.

  “Unless you all want to be sick on Christmas that might be a good idea.”

  Chapter Six

  The food at Mattie’s was delicious and I didn’t want to leave. Holiday music played in the back ground and there was a general sense of happiness you only experienced around the holidays. I was actually surprised so many people were working on Christmas Eve, but Nate seemed to think it was all normal. Maybe it was because it was a tourist town.

  Mattie came right out of the back to say hello to Nate and then made a fuss over me. People had stared and smiled when they heard I was Gertie’s niece. It was weird, like being famous. They even brought a plate for Remy and he had made quick work of the food.

  “Did people treat Gertie like this?” I leaned over the table and whispered to Nate. “People are staring at me.”

  “Not so much. They all knew Gertie. They’re just excited to meet the new resident of Christmas Hill.”

  “Do they—do they know?” I lowered my voice even more.

  “Know what?” Nate’s smile grew as he leaned forward some more.

  “About Santa Claus. About my family being related to Santa.”

  “Oh, that’s a not so well kept secret. More of a legend up here, really.” Nate patted my hand that was holding my coffee cup. “You’re the only one that seems to have trouble believing it.”

  I looked around the room and my eyes met those of several children grinning shyly at me. I wiggled my fingers in a small wave and watched as they giggled. Nate sipped his coffee, his eyes on me the whole time.

  “They say children are the ones that see the truth. Somewhere when we hit adulthood, we lose the ability to believe. But it’s different here in Silver Town.”

  “What makes it different?”

  “Christmas Hill.” Nate sat his cup down. “Your family makes it different.”

  “Nate,” I sighed. I set
my coffee cup down, too. “It’s just so much to accept.”

  “You’ve seen it already, Molly. The dog door? The mistletoe?”

  Heat crept up my neck as I remembered being pressed against him in the barn, the mistletoe sparkling above our heads. There were the boots, too, with my initials in gold thread. I shifted my feet under the table. Had they been there the whole time? Or the mistletoe? But the dog door had disappeared and the mistletoe grew while I watched. I looked at my hands curiously. Was there magic in my family?

  “It’s there, Molly.” Warm fingers wrapped around my empty hand. “The magic of Christmas Hill, of Christmas, lives in your family.”

  “How do I just take over? I know nothing about this part of my family.” I felt my eyebrows pull together. “You say to trust things will take care of themselves, but I’m a planner. That’s near impossible for me.”

  “You won’t be alone. The whole town will be here to help you learn the ropes.”

  “What about you?” I swallowed and met his eyes. “Are you planning on sticking around Christmas Hill?”

  Nate’s eyes grew serious. “Let’s go. I want to show you something.”

  My heart sunk a little when he didn’t answer and I tried to not be disappointed. We’d had one kiss, it wasn’t like it had been a declaration of love. He was free to go when or wherever he wanted.

  “Sure.” I stood up and pulled my hat and coat back on.

  People smiled at us as we paid the bill. Mattie came out with a covered dish and handed it to me, kissing my cheek and welcoming me to the town. It was like being welcomed home.

  Outside, Nate led me to the hardware store where we grabbed the supplies he needed for the fence. It was a small building with wooden floors that gave the place a real Mom and Pop feel. The little man that owned the place talked with Nate for a few minutes, asking about the reindeer. When he realized I was Gertie’s niece, he walked around the corner and hugged me until I looked at Nate for help.

  When we were finally able to extricate ourselves from the shop, we dropped off the supplies at the truck and made a mad dash into the grocery store to grab food for Christmas dinner. I’d been worried about bringing Remy but Nate assured me it would be fine. As we stood in line, Nate ran off for something. He came back holding a package of hotdogs over his head in victory.

  “Almost forgot!”

  He set the packages on the belt and I felt my heart melt a little. Standing on my tiptoes I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled his head down to mine. I meant for it to be a sweet kiss, but Nate had other plans. Pulling me against him, his lips teased mine open and I lost track of things like, time and location. When the clerk cleared her throat to get our attention, I realized that we had given everyone quite a show.

  “I will have to stock up on hot dogs if that’s your response to them.” Nate laughed.

  Someone behind us whistled and I fought the urge to hide my face Nate’s shirt. The clerk was smiling as she rang up our items and I bit my lips in embarrassment. As we left the store, I even heard someone sigh and whisper.

  “Ready to go back?” Nate pulled me under his arm as we walked back to the truck. “Or do you have anything else you need to get while we’re in town?”

  “No, I’ve got everything.” I had grabbed the things I’d needed in the grocery store. “I want to make sure none of the reindeer hurt themselves. They have a big night tonight.”

  “Good plan.” He looked up at the sky and frowned. “Looks like more snow soon.”

  When we got back to the long drive way for Christmas Hill, Nate pulled over just outside of the gate. We hadn’t talked much, but I’d caught Nate looking at me from time to time. I watched him curiously as he walked around the truck and pulled open my door. He took my hand and helped me out of the truck.

  “What are we doing?”

  “I told you I had something to show you.” Nate smiled and pulled me off the driveway. We walked for a few minutes, deeper into the woods. It was beautiful, the snow pristine and glistening. After a while the trees started to thin a little. “When I was seventeen, I ran away from my foster home. The family was… not so great and I knew they were counting down the days until the State stopped sending my check and they could kick me out.”

  “Nate,” I said his name quietly. No one deserved to be treated that way.

  “I’m not telling you to make you feel bad for me, but so you’ll understand. Here we are.” He lifted a low hanging branch out of my way. “I came to Silver Town on accident. I’d hitch-hiked with a trucker carrying Christmas decorations.” He snorted. “It was Christmas Eve and there were people everywhere. Last minute shoppers, families out spending time together, Christmas lights, and carolers. Real-life carolers.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen real-life carolers.” I squeezed his fingers, my heart hurting for the younger him.

  “Don’t let anyone hear you say that, or they’ll be up here serenading you before you can blink.” Nate smiled at me. He pulled me up onto a large rock that was in the clearing. “When I was running, I worried cops might be looking for me, so stayed off the roads as much as possible. I didn’t know where I was going or what I was going to do. I was just going.”

  He looked out over the trees and I realized you could see the lights of Silver Town in the distance. Turning around I looked at the clearing. When my eyes landed on the roof of Aunt Gertie’s house, I stopped. The snow sparkled along the edges and there seemed to be a soft glow coming from that direction. Almost like the Aurora Borealis.

  “You see it, don’t you?” Nate’s voice was quiet. “I saw it that night. I’d walked along the edge of the woods and would hide when I saw a car coming. At one point I fell down into a ravine. I got lost and found this little clearing. I thought I was going to have to spend the night out here in the snow.”

  My eyes left the soft glow coming from Christmas Hill and found Nate’s. My heart ached for the young man with no family. Despite what was obviously a hard childhood, he was obviously a man with a large heart.

  “Something drew me up there to Gertie’s house. I just knew I would be safe there.” Nate starred off in the distance, lost in his memories. “Gertie was feeding the reindeer when she saw me, getting their harnesses out, and setting things up for that night. She just started telling me what to do.” He laughed. “And I did it. Set my bag down and grabbed a pail of feed. When we were done she told me to come inside and get some food. I never left. Years later, after learning more about the magic of this place, Gertie told me she had asked for a family—someone to share Christmas Hill with. Christmas Hill granted her wish. That’s part of the magic, it gives you what you need.”

  Hoping down from the stone, he moved in front of me so we were almost eye level. “You asked if I would stay and help with Christmas Hill.”

  I nodded my head. For some reason, the thought of doing it, staying, seemed real at the thought of having Nate with me.

  “Christmas Hill is my home. But I wanted more than that, Molly. I asked for you.”

  “But… Christmas Hill would have come to me no matter what. It doesn’t mean Christmas Hill sent me.” His words bounced around in my head. He wanted me? Asked for me?

  He must’ve seen the questions in my eyes, because he cupped my cheek and smiled. “I knew you were going to inherit but I didn’t know you were the answer to my Christmas wish. It could have been a friend you brought with you, someone that broke down in the driveway, or a friend’s distance cousin that came for dinner. But it wasn’t any of those people. It’s you. You, Molly. I knew it the moment I saw you with Comet.”

  “I…” Looking at him, I was lost for words. “Me?”

  “You.” Nate smiled. “I’m not asking for anything other than a chance to prove it to you.”

  “To prove what?”

  “That you’re meant for Christmas Hill.” He ran his thumb over my bottom lip and I shivered. “That you’re meant for me.”

  I stared into his eyes, lost for
a minute while I thought over what he said. There was magic to this place. Whether it was the kind out of storybooks, or the kind that came from being happy, there was magic. Something bubbled in my chest and I acknowledged it for what it was-- longing. I wanted it to be real, to be part of this world. I wanted Nate.

  “Okay. Prove it.”

  He lifted me off the rock in a heartbeat and spun me in a circle before covering my mouth with his. My heart almost exploded from his eager kisses, the taste of him filling my senses. When his hands slid under my jacket to grip my waist, I shivered in anticipation. This felt right. Like I had found the place I belonged. Right there in Nate’s arms.

  “We have to hurry. I need to get the fence set up and then we need to get the reindeer ready.” He set me down carefully and kissed my forehead.

  “You’re serious, aren’t you? Santa Claus is really going to come here for his reindeer?”

  “Just you wait.”

  Chapter Seven

  It hadn’t taken long for us to set the temporary fence up, but we almost hadn’t been in time. One of the mother deer and the young deer that had been so excitable earlier today were munching near the fallen trees. Nate made quick work of the task and I enjoyed watching him work. He was fast and efficient, and probably didn’t need any help at all, but I tried anyway.

  “Gah!” The snow under my feet crumbled, and I fell off of the log I was perched on, landing flat on my back. The air whooshed out of my lungs and I stared up at the bare branches above my head for a minute.

  “I’m starting to think you really are clumsy.” Nate’s face appeared above mine, a large grin splitting his face.

  I grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at his head. He ducked, but a little bit of it still caught his head. He lunged down for me and I tried to roll out of the way, but he was too quick. He half landed on me and scooped a handful of snow onto my head.

  “Argh!” My hat fell off as I tried to escape, but all that did was allow him better access to my hair. I scooped my own hands full of snow and rubbed them into his cheeks. His face twisted as the snow touched his skin and he scrambled away from me.