Christmas In Silver Bell Falls

by Samantha Chase

  “Dude, I know you think you’re awesome and all, but one Christmas with you is not going to wipe out a lifetime of bad ones.”

  “I know that,” Josiah snapped.

  “Do you? Because I’d hate to see you get your hopes up like you’re going to be the one to change everything around for her and when it doesn’t work out that way, you’re going to be all butt-hurt and pout.”

  “I don’t pout.”

  “You are the king of pouting,” Mark deadpanned. “I can tell you’re pouting right now.”

  Josiah was ready to deny it but knew he wouldn’t be able to pull it off. “Anyway…”

  “Anyway, “Mark interrupted, “I think it’s great you met someone and you want to do something this big for her. Just…be careful, especially since she’s not planning on staying in Silver Bell then…” He paused. “Oh…that’s what you’re hoping for. You’re hoping you’ll make this grand gesture and she’ll want to stay.”

  He sighed with frustration. “Am I hoping for that? Yes. Am I counting on it?” He paused. “I don’t know. I have no idea how she’s going to respond to any of this. I haven’t even been able to convince her to come to the damn parade. Every time we go someplace and she hears Christmas music, she just about loses her mind.”

  “Then you definitely have your work cut out for you. If she feels that strongly about the whole thing, I can’t imagine her wanting to live there full-time. That town has Christmas written all over it—and not just in December. It’s a year-round thing there, dude. Have you even thought about that?”

  “Of course I have! I just hoped…I guess I want her to stay for me and not have it be about the damn town.”

  “If it were any other town in the country, I think you’d have a shot. But Silver Bell? For someone who hates Christmas? You really are asking for a miracle.”

  “Perfect time of year for one!” Josiah quipped.

  He heard Mark chuckle. “Josiah, I want you to think really hard about this. What are you going to do if this effort of yours…if it isn’t enough? What happens if she still wants to leave? What are you going to do?”

  It was something Josiah was refusing to let himself about. In his mind, Melanie was going to stay. She was going to realize she was in love with him and that they were meant to be together.

  And learn to love Christmas again.

  “I can’t think about that,” he replied honestly. “Mark…you’re going to have to trust me on this one. I’ve never felt like this before and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to show Melanie how much she means to me.”

  On the other end, Mark sighed. “I’m not going to talk you out of this, am I?”

  “Afraid not. This is something I have to do.”

  “Promise me something and then I’ve got to get back to work.”

  “Anything.”

  “If things don’t go quite the way you planned, promise me you’ll come here for a few days and hang out with us. I don’t want you staying up there alone.”

  Josiah felt like his brother had reached into his chest and squeezed his heart. He had to swallow the lump in his throat before he could answer. “I will,” he finally said.

  When he hung up, Josiah leaned back in his chair, let out a shaky breath and scrubbed a weary hand over his face.

  A knock on his office door was the only thing stopping him from obsessing about the conversation with his brother. “Come in.” He looked up to see Betty Jo Taylor, the head of the parade committee, standing in the doorway. “What can I do for you today, Ms. Taylor?” he asked pleasantly.

  She was a short and plump woman in her sixties and Josiah towered over her. Wringing her hands, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “It’s terrible, Sheriff, just terrible!”

  Before he asked what she was referring to, he led her over to a chair and helped her sit down. “Okay now, why don’t you tell me what’s going on?” he asked gently.

  “Well, you know how we always try to get a small-town celebrity to participate in the parade, right?”

  He nodded.

  “I had worked for months to get the channel seven weathergirl, Susannah Kane, to come and join us. We had everything all set and she just called and backed out!” she cried. “She didn’t even give us a reason. She just said she couldn’t do it!”

  Josiah wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with this information so he waited Betty Jo out.

  Wiping at the tears that had yet to really fall, she looked up at Josiah full of hope. “I know you’ve been dating Carol Harper’s granddaughter—she’s an author, right?”

  A knot instantly formed in his stomach when he realized where Betty Jo was going with this. All he could do was nod.

  “I know it’s short notice and all but…do you think Melanie would do it? All she’d have to do is ride in the back of Ed Kincaid’s red convertible and wave,” she said, her voice getting more and more cheerful as she spoke. “I figured we could set up a display of her books in the library and maybe get her publisher to ship some to us by priority mail so we can set up a table for her to sign them after the parade! Can you ask her, Josiah?”

  His eyes went wide. “Me? You want me to ask Melanie?”

  Betty Jo stood and fluffed her hair. “Well of course you,” she said with a chuckle. “How could she say no to such a handsome man?” She reached up and patted him on the cheek. “You know how much her grandma loved Silver Bell and all the Christmas festivities. I think it would be real sweet to have her granddaughter here to fill in for her! The townspeople will go nuts! And just think of the story we can write for the paper!” She let out a little squeal of delight. “You ask her, Sheriff, and give her my number!”

  In the blink of an eye, Betty Jo was gone and Josiah felt like he had just been through a tiny tornado.

  He was having a hard enough time getting Melanie to give him an answer about just coming to watch the damn parade. How was he supposed to convince her to be a part of it?

  ****

  Melanie froze in place with the butcher knife precariously close to cutting her finger. She stared at Josiah as if he had grown a second head. “You told her no, right?”

  “Well…”

  “Why couldn’t you just tell her no?” she cried. “You know how I feel about these things!” Tossing the knife down, she paced back and forth in the kitchen. “And you honestly think I’d want to sit in a red car—probably wearing a Santa hat or something—and wave to the crowds while Christmas music is playing all around me? Seriously?”

  “Okay, I’ll admit I didn’t think it through, but it all happened so fast!” He explained to her how Betty Jo was. “And I thought she was going to cry! What was I supposed to do?”

  “Um…say no,” she said sarcastically.

  Josiah crossed the room and went to her and wrapped her in his arms. She fought him at first, but after a minute she sagged against him with her head on his chest. “I’ve gotta be honest with you here, Mel,” he said lightly and hoped she didn’t mind him using her nickname. “I don’t see what the big deal is. They’re willing to make a fuss over you and your books, which your publisher will love. You just have to smile and wave. If you want, you can put your iPod on and we’ll hide the earbuds so you won’t have to hear the Christmas music. Come on. What do you say?”

  She sighed loudly. “And you won’t let them force me to wear a Santa hat, right?”

  He couldn’t help but chuckle as he hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. “If you’d like, we’ll get you a special tiara or one of those really furry hats.”

  “I wouldn’t mind the tiara,” she said, but she was still muffled against his chest.

  “Then I’ll see what I can do,” he promised.

  When she pulled away and went back to making dinner, Josiah felt a wave of relief wash over him. She was coming to the parade. Granted, it was still under protest, but he couldn’t imagine her not getting caught up in all the fun.

  Looking at her now, he was a little overwh
elmed with emotion. Her whole life was upside down right now and yet she was rolling along with it. It was one of the things he loved about her.

  Wait. Love?

  Yeah. No doubt about it.

  Slowly, Josiah walked over to her and carefully took the knife from her hand and put it aside. When she looked up at him questioningly, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. Slowly, softly at first, and then he went deeper. She didn’t shy away from meeting his passion and when he maneuvered them out of the kitchen and toward the bedroom, she went willingly.

  And when he closed the door behind him and slowly undressed her, she gave him a sexy smile and returned the favor.

  They didn’t need to talk about it.

  They didn’t need to think about anything beyond this moment.

  And right now, this moment—in Josiah’s mind—was the most perfect one yet.

  ****

  Two days later, she found him sitting on the front steps of his tiny house frowning. Pulling her coat tightly around her, she walked over. “Are you okay?”

  For a minute, it didn’t seem like he’d heard her and then he looked up. “You know how sometimes something seems like a really good idea but then you realize you didn’t really think it through?”

  She felt a wave of panic for a moment, fearing he was referring to them and their relationship. Instead of speaking, she simply nodded.

  “Yeah, well…I was all about downsizing and saving money so I could buy this property, that I didn’t realize how much I was giving up by living in such a small space.”

  She sat down beside him – which wasn’t easy considering how narrow the steps were. “Like what?”

  Turning his head, he looked at her for a minute and then turned away. “You know what? It’s nothing,” he said dismissively. “It’s not a big deal.” He stood up quickly and held out his hand to her. “What would you like to do today? How about we go to lunch at that sandwich shop you like so much?”

  Melanie knew he was trying to change the subject, but she wasn’t about to let that happen. “I don’t want to go out to lunch. I want you to tell me what’s bothering you.”

  He frowned at her. “I already told you it’s nothing.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You make me tell you everything. I share all of my stupid feelings with you and you’re not willing to do the same?”

  His shoulders sagged and he sighed. “Okay, but once I tell you, you can’t complain that you didn’t really want to know.”

  “I wouldn’t do that.”

  The look of disbelief he gave her spoke volumes.

  “Josiah…” she whined.

  “Fine,” he growled and took a few steps away and began to pace. “I picked this place because it had everything I needed. I was able to declutter and get rid of a lot of stuff I didn’t need and it seemed perfect. I still have a storage unit because I knew I wasn’t going to live here forever.”

  “O-kay,” she said slowly.

  “Anyway…” He sighed and stopped pacing to look at her. “Don’t laugh but…I miss having my Christmas decorations up.”

  Melanie wasn’t sure what she was expecting him to say, but that wasn’t it. “That’s it? That’s what has you all sad and mopey?”

  “Mopey?” he repeated incredulously. “I am not mopey.”

  “Sweetheart, you are the poster-child for mopey right now.” She walked over and hugged him. “Okay, so why can’t you decorate?”

  He pulled back and looked down at her and the frown was back. “You’ve seen the inside of my place right?”

  She nodded.

  “There’s no room for a tree or a manger or…anything!”

  “Well maybe not all those things but I’m sure you can do a few of them,” she said. “You can hang a stocking and maybe some twinkly lights.”

  He shook his head. “I know you don’t get it but…” He shrugged. “I like having a tree. I like decorating it and seeing gifts under it.”

  “You have one at the office, right?”

  Releasing her, he moved away. “Just…let’s just forget about it.” He fished his car keys out of his pocket. “Come on. Let’s go into town and grab something to eat.”

  She knew he was smiling but that it wasn’t genuine. While she might not understand what all the fuss was about, it was clearly a big deal to him. “Let me just go and grab my stuff,” she said and walked back into the cabin. A quick glance around showed her it was pretty sparse inside. It was decorated but not in anything from this century and it was actually kind of…depressing.

  Grabbing her purse, she was about to walk out the door when she had an idea. She knew she may regret it, but Melanie also knew she wanted to do something to make Josiah smile, just like he had done for her so many times since they’d met.

  Feeling a little more excited than she thought she would, Melanie walked outside and walked right up to Josiah and kissed him soundly on the lips.

  “You all right?” he asked.

  Taking his hands in hers, she pulled him close. “It occurred to me when I went to get my purse that there is a lot of open space in the cabin.”

  Josiah looked over her shoulder toward the house and then back to her. “You want to go to the mall and get some furniture?”

  She laughed. “No, I don’t want to go to the mall,” she sighed dramatically. “I was thinking maybe you might want to…set up your tree and your Christmas decorations in the cabin.”

  His eyes went wide and then he smiled bigger and brighter than she’d ever seen. “Really? You mean it?”

  She nodded and then let out a little scream when he lifted her up and spun her around before kissing her.

  Yeah, this was definitely the right decision.

  Chapter Six

  Josiah had thought Melanie would put up more of a resistance regarding the decorations. Hell, he even thought he was going to have to come right out and ask her if he could do it—he never thought she would have offered so quickly.

  Yeah, she was softening toward the whole Christmas thing and the thought made him smile.

  Once the decision was made, they went to the diner for some lunch and then to Josiah’s storage unit to get his Christmas decorations. They brought everything back to the cabin and stacked all of the boxes in the living room. Melanie didn’t ask what was in any of them or why there were so many; she simply worked alongside of him.

  When everything was stacked up, she turned to him with a big smile on her face. “Now what?”

  Josiah looked around the room and already knew how he wanted to decorate it, but they were missing one key thing. “Now we go and chop down a tree.”

  Melanie’s eyes went wide. “Chop one down? Don’t…don’t you have…like, you know…an artificial one?”

  He made a tsk-ing sound. “Never in my entire life have we had a fake tree. We always went and cut one down.” Taking her by the hand, he gently tugged her behind him as he went back outside.

  “Now? We’re going to go and do this now?” she cried.

  Josiah nodded. “If it’s all right with you, I think we can find a great one right here on the property. Carol used to plant them as seedlings years ago. I think we’ll be able to find a good one.” He looked at her and smiled. “You up for the hunt?”

  Melanie looked around. “How big is this property again?”

  “About fifteen acres.”

  She groaned. “Maybe…maybe you should go alone and do it. It will be faster that way. I’ll stay here and make some cocoa.”

  His eyes lit up. “I have an even better idea,” he began. “I have a thermos at my place. Why don’t you make the cocoa while I go and grab the thermos and some supplies and we’ll head out together?”

  “Josiah…”

  “It’ll be fun,” he said. “I promise.” He gave her his most charming smile in hopes of winning her over. She looked at him and he could see the reluctance in her eyes and knew he had to be careful not to push too hard or all of this could just blow up
in his face. “Please,” he added softly.

  Melanie’s shoulders sagged as she nodded. “Okay. Let me get started on the cocoa.”

  Josiah reached for her and pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the tip of her nose. “Thank you.”

  She looked up at him curiously. “For what?”

  “The last few years, I’ve gone out and done this myself. Before that I had my dad with me or at least one sibling. It’s nice to have someone with me for company and I’m really glad it’s you.”

  Everything about her seemed to soften at his words. “I’m not swinging the axe though,” she warned. “I’ll be more than happy to stand back and watch, but I’m definitely not cutting anything.”

  “That’s fine,” he smiled. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He watched Melanie walk back into the cabin before going over to his own place and getting the needed supplies.

  With his backpack filled with everything they needed, Josiah walked back over to the cabin and let himself in.

  “Just in time,” Melanie said from the kitchen. “Cocoa is ready. Do you have the thermos?”

  He held up a large silver thermos.

  “Good grief,” she chuckled. “How many cups is that thing?”

  “It holds six cups,” he said nonchalantly. “Why?”

  “How long do you plan on us being out there?”

  “I don’t think we’ll need to drink all six cups but it’s the only one I have so…” he shrugged. Noticing she was still a bit wide-eyed, Josiah walked over to her and poured the cocoa into the thermos himself and then put the lid on. “Ready?”

  “I just need to grab my hat and gloves,” she said as she walked to the front closet to get them. “How long does it normally take you to find a good tree?”

  “It varies. I mean, some years I’ve walked into the woods and spotted it right away. Other years it’s taken a couple of hours.”

  “Oh.”

  “Come on, Mel,” he said, taking her hands in his. “Don’t be like that. You’re looking for it to be over before it’s even begun.”

  Her shoulders sagged. “It’s just…you know how I feel about all of this,” she began diplomatically. “I’m willing to have the decorations and all, but…I just don’t see why we need to walk around in the freezing cold to find a tree. There are dozens of Christmas tree lots all over town. Why can’t we just go to one of them? It would be faster, we wouldn’t have to lug a tree all over the property and we can be back here snuggled in front of the fire much sooner.” She batted her lashes at him.