“You kids go on,” Daddy said. “I think I’m going to stay behind and nurse my knee.”
“And flirt with my mom,” Brandon muttered as they left.
“I think that’s fine with her,” Brooke told him. “And really, if she’s going to flirt with a man, she couldn’t pick a nicer one than my dad.”
Brandon shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. He’s okay. They just don’t need to be in a hurry.”
“At their age?” put in Eric. “You gotta be kidding.”
“Live and let live, that’s what I say,” said Dylan the philosopher. “Anyway, it might be okay if they got together. We could have some fun holidays.”
Brandon acknowledged that with a nod and another shrug.
Eric sent Brooke a look that about singed her panties. “I’m all for fun,” he said.
And after a couple of games with the brothers, he lured her away to a deserted corner of the lodge and showed her exactly what kind of fun he was thinking of. Merry Christmas. Ho, ho...oooh.
* * *
Olivia had put on a CD of Christmas music and right now an instrumental version of “Angels We Have Heard on High” played in the background. She freshened James’s hot chocolate and then sat down with a sigh.
“You’re tired,” he said. “I should go and let you get some rest.”
“Oh, no. Don’t. The first week in January is always slow and there’ll be plenty of time for rest after you’re all gone. And I must say,” she added, “I’m going to hate to see you leave.”
“I don’t plan on staying away for long. I’ve grown rather fond of this place. And the woman who runs it,” he said with a grin. “I’m wondering about New Year’s Eve. Are you all booked up?”
“We can always make room at the lodge for Santa.”
“Good, because he’s planning on coming back.”
They both smiled at each other and sipped their chocolate. And there, in her living room, with the music playing and her little tree aglow, he realized he’d been given a very special gift. Santa had gotten back his Christmas spirit.
Chapter Twenty-One
And a Happy New Year!
Missy awoke the day after Christmas wishing she could turn back the clock and start the whole holiday adventure again. But the party was over, and it was time to go back to her real life. Ick. She snuggled under the down comforter, hoping for a few more minutes.
That was all she got, because pretty soon Buddy was whining to go out. And then the kids were awake. Well, nothing wrong with getting in some more time in this winter wonderland.
She savored the early-morning walk in the snow, took in the sky tinged pink and violet, the mighty mountains rising around the town. And back in the lodge at breakfast, her taste buds savored Olivia’s fancy breakfast crepes and every bit of conversation with the Claussens, who, along with John, were her breakfast companions.
In another hour or two, she’d be going back to her life in the city, back to her dumpy neighborhood and Style Savings. But you’ve got new friends, she reminded herself. And a dog. And two happy children. Yes, life could be worse. Still, it was hard not to picture herself moving up here, working in some cute salon, John coming up to visit on a regular basis. Sigh.
There’d been no more mention of Sleeping Lady Salon from Olivia, and Missy didn’t feel right bugging her. The woman was busy running this place. She had other things to do besides play fairy godmother to a struggling hairstylist.
Well, Missy concluded, she could find the salon on her way out of town (leave the tree-destroying dog in the car), see if they’d let her send in a résumé. Why not? She had nothing to lose.
She thought of John’s eagle tattoo. Maybe she’d get one of those, too. If she ever had the money.
As they stood up to leave, John said, “I was wondering, would you and the kids like to come over to my place next weekend? I’ve got a Wii.”
Carlos had been busy taunting his sister, pulling on her braids, but he displayed his gift for supersonic hearing by jumping into the conversation. “Wii?”
“Wii bowling,” John said.
“Oh, yeah.” Carlos was all over it.
So was Missy. So she lived in a dumpy neighborhood and had a crappy job. She and her kids had a date with John Truman. She left the dining room with John’s phone number and address—and a big smile on her face.
She’d just finished packing when there was a knock on her door. It was Olivia.
“I just talked to Sarah at Sleeping Lady Salon. She’d be happy to have you stop by and see her this morning. If you like, you can leave the kids here with me.”
“Really?” This was simply too good to be true.
“She’s talking about expanding this spring. She’ll need another stylist.”
Missy threw her arms around Olivia. “Thank you!”
“Don’t thank me, honey. I have ulterior motives. I’d like to see you and your children move up here. I want grandchildren.”
Except... “I don’t think I can afford to live here.”
“I bet you can. I know a young man who has a cottage up on Juniper Ridge. I hear he’s looking for a renter.”
Could her life, after all those bumpy years, come together this easily? She sure hoped so.
The Claussens were the next to stop at her door. “Thought we’d put your address in our GPS,” said Mr. Claussen. “That way we can drop off your dog food and talk with your landlady.” Translation: and pay a hefty pet deposit.
Then it was hugs all around and a promise from Brooke to come to Style Savings and get her hair done. How Missy’s life had changed since coming to this place. She’d arrived as a single mom with nothing but the hope of giving her kids a nice Christmas and she was leaving with new friends who already felt like family. And...the beginning of a possible romance. Could it get any better?
It appeared that it could. At Sleeping Lady Salon she showed Sarah White the pictures she’d taken on her old digital camera of her impromptu makeovers, and Sarah was properly impressed.
“You’re a natural,” Sarah said. “I like that.”
And Missy liked what she saw of the salon. It was elegant and expensive-looking with big picture windows that revealed a stunning view of the mountains, and a receptionist who made lattes for the customers. With the exception of Sarah, who seemed to be around Olivia’s age, the stylists were young and well dressed. It was the kind of place where Missy had always dreamed of working.
“Could you start in March?” Sarah asked.
“You bet!” Missy grabbed the woman’s hand and shook it. “Thank you so much! I won’t let you down.”
“Olivia recommended you, so I know you won’t,” Sarah said. “But I don’t put up with any nonsense. No calling in sick because you stayed out late dancing at the Red Barn or drinking at Zelda’s, young lady.”
“I’ve got kids. That won’t be happening.”
“Good,” Sarah said. “See that it doesn’t.” Then, just when Missy was beginning to wonder what sort of dragon lady she’d be working for, Sarah added with a wink, “And when you get up here I want a makeover like the ones you showed me.”
“No problem.”
Half an hour later Missy returned to the lodge to find Olivia and John in the lobby, playing Sorry! with the kids. She walked in just as Carlos was pumping the air and exclaiming, “I won!”
“No fair,” Lalla said, pouting.
Sometimes life wasn’t fair, Missy thought, unable to keep the grin off her face. Sometimes it gave a girl way more good things than she deserved.
Olivia looked up and saw her. “You got the job,” she guessed.
“I did. I start this spring. Guys, how would you like to move up here to Icicle Falls, where we can see Grandma Olivia all the time?”
Lalla’s loss at Sorr
y! was instantly forgotten. “Yes!” she cried, bouncing up and down in her seat.
“Can Buddy come?” Carlos wanted to know.
“Of course,” Missy told him.
“Yes!” Now both children were bouncing up and down.
“We’d better get going before they break the furniture,” Missy decided. “Come on, guys, time to check out.”
John got up, too. “I thought I’d follow you back. You might need help with your chains.”
Olivia smiled approvingly. “Ah, John Truman, I see a wonderful new year ahead of you.”
“Thanks,” he said, and shook her hand.
“Hey,” he said to Missy as they headed for the door, “I bet that hamburger place is open. You guys want to get a burger before we leave?”
* * *
Olivia watched as Missy and John and the kids went out the door. If ever there was a perfect ending to a story, those two were it. She smiled, thinking about her own story. It hadn’t turned out so badly, either.
James had managed to sneak in a moment for just the two of them and had given her a goodbye kiss that felt more like hello. And he and his family now had reservations for New Year’s Eve.
She looked around the lodge, at the sleigh in the lobby, filled with presents, the mistletoe, the poinsettias and the greenery she’d draped on the stairs.
Merry Christmas to all, she thought, remembering the famous Christmas poem about Santa. She could hardly wait to see what the new year brought.
Epilogue
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town...Again
It was Christmas Eve a year later and the Icicle Creek Lodge was ablaze with twinkle lights thanks to the united efforts of the Claussen and Wallace men. Inside the lodge good smells drifted out from the dining room, floating down the hallway to tantalize the guests with the promise of a wonderful dinner to come. Poinsettias perched everywhere, and the big tree in the lobby stood magnificent, a study in silver this year, hung with vintage ornaments and tinsel and old-fashioned colored lights. People strolled in from a day of skiing to help themselves to hot chocolate or hot cider.
Jane and Vera sat in cozy armchairs in the lobby, enjoying the fire in the fireplace. “I hear Santa’s making an appearance again this year,” Vera said.
“He already made an appearance to Olivia,” Jane said, happy to have insider information.
“No!” Vera declared.
“Oh, yes. I saw the ring. It’s lovely. And they’re getting married right here on New Year’s Eve.”
“Well, I hope we’re invited,” Vera said.
“We’d better be. I want a piece of that wedding cake. Gingerbread Haus is making it.”
“Of course you’re invited,” said a voice at Jane’s elbow. Startled, she turned to see Brooke Claussen, pink-cheeked from an afternoon on the slopes with her fiancé, Eric. They’d be getting married on Valentine’s Day. “I need to make it easy for Eric to remember our anniversary,” she’d joked.
“So, any special presentations by Santa tonight?” Jane asked Brooke slyly.
“You’ll see...”
Jane could hardly wait.
* * *
Later that evening, the dining room was full of guests oohing and aahing over the flowers on the tables, the candles, the holiday china and crystal. In addition to the Claussens and Jane and Vera, the Williamses and the Spikes had returned, and there were several new families seated at the tables, ready to enjoy Olivia’s cooking.
One couple, who had come in just for the Christmas Eve dinner, sat at a quiet corner table over by the window. Missy Monroe was now living in a sweet little cottage on Juniper Ridge. John Truman, who was coming up for regular visits, sat across from her. Lately he’d been talking with his boss about working from home. And he’d been talking to Missy about finding a house with three bedrooms in Icicle Falls.
Carlos and Lalla sat between them, Lalla swaying in her seat, serenading them with a slightly off-key rendition of “The Little Drummer Boy,” while Carlos wolfed down a roll.
Missy smiled across the table at John, who seemed to be having a hard time sitting still.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Huh? Oh. Nothing,” he said, trying to make his voice sound carefree.
She shrugged and helped herself to a dinner roll. Eric Wallace brought wine to their table, told the woman she looked lovely and then wished them bon appétit.
“So, do you like my dress?” she asked John, obviously hoping for a compliment.
He nodded.
“I got it at Gilded Lily’s. On sale.” She smoothed the velvety fabric. “It’s the nicest dress I’ve ever had.”
“You look beautiful,” he said.
“I look beautiful, too,” said Lalla, adjusting her tiara. It was certainly an accurate statement.
“Yes, you do,” agreed her mother. “But it’s bad manners to say so. You have to wait and let someone tell you.”
The child frowned. “But what if nobody does?”
“Someone will, don’t worry,” the young man said.
And so dinner continued, diners enjoying both the food and the holiday atmosphere.
And then dessert was served, an old-fashioned figgy pudding that brought rave reviews from the guests. And as everyone was raving, John saw James Claussen slip away from his table.
Ten minutes later, Santa appeared, bearing a big red velveteen sack of gifts and calling, “Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas!” And John began to fidget with his dinner napkin.
“What have we here for Jane?” Santa said, stopping by Jane and Vera’s table and pulling out a small box of gift soaps. “Have you been naughty this year?” he teased.
“Of course,” she said, taking the present.
“That’s what I was afraid of.” He laughed and continued to make his rounds.
Exclamations of delight rose around the room as women opened presents to find bath salts or soaps and children received puzzles and coloring books. Then Santa’s sack was almost empty and there was only one table left to visit.
“I don’t need a grandma now,” Lalla informed James as he approached the table. “I have Grandma Olivia. And Carlos has a dog.”
“I think Santa has one more big present for you guys this year,” James said. “But first...” He held out a wrapped coloring book to her. For Carlos he dug deep in his bag and found a small car. Then he tipped the bag and shook it. Nothing came out, and the expectant smile on Missy’s face faded.
“Well, now, that’s odd. I seem to have run out of presents. Oh, wait.” James reached inside his suit and pulled out a small black velvet box wrapped with a gold ribbon, and Missy put a hand to her mouth and gasped. “This is for you,” he said softly, and laid it on the table in front of Missy.
Hands shaking, she picked it up and opened it. Then burst into tears.
“So, Missy, will you marry me?” John asked eagerly.
“Yes!” she cried, and bounded up from her seat to run and hug him as the dining room erupted in applause.
“We get a dad for Christmas?” Carlos said in awe.
“And another grandma,” John said, before kissing Missy.
“Two grandmas,” Lalla said breathlessly.
* * *
“What a difference from last year,” James said later as he and Olivia sat in her private quarters enjoying hot chocolate laced with peppermint schnapps.
“I’m so glad it all worked out for those two,” she said, snuggling against him.
“I’m so glad it worked out for all of us,” James said. “Are you ready for our big day?”
“I’m more than ready,” she said. “It’s going to be so wonderful to have you and Brooke up here year-round.”
“I’m glad she was able to get that teaching job.”
“Who knows, maybe this time next year we’ll be expecting a grandchild.”
For a moment James’s smile was wistful, but not for long. Faith would have been happy to see how his story turned out, he reminded himself. And it couldn’t have turned out better. He took one final sip of his hot chocolate, then set it aside and dimmed the lamp next to the couch. With a sweet, willing woman beside him and a future bright with promise, it would be silly to waste this rare moment of solitude.
“Have I told you recently that I love you, Olivia Wallace?” he asked softly.
“I seem to remember you mentioning it,” she said, giving him a dimpled smile. “But feel free to repeat yourself.”
“I do love you,” he said, and took her in his arms. And then Santa went off duty for the night, and it was just James Claussen and the woman he loved, ringing in Christmas together.
* * * * *
Acknowledgments
I have several people to thank for helping me make this book happen. First, a huge thanks to the brain trust: Susan Wiggs, Elsa Watson, Anjalee Banerjee, Lois Dyer and Kate Breslin. You’re all proof that girlfriends are the best present a woman could ever get. Thank you, also, to my incredible agent, Paige Wheeler, who is always there for me, and to Paula Eykelhof, my beloved editor, who is simply brilliant. I’d also like to thank Mike at the Aberdeen, Washington, animal shelter for not only giving me a tour of the facility but also giving me a crash course in the business of caring for animals. I wish all of you a merry Christmas and a stocking full of joy.
Recipes from Olivia
Christmas is the season for goodies, and when it comes to creating wonderful treats, no one can beat Olivia Wallace. She wanted to share her favorites with you.
Gumdrop Cookies
(Makes about 3 dozen)
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1½ cups granulated sugar
1 egg
The Lodge on Holly Road Page 26