Christmas at Mistletoe Lodge: New Holiday Romances to Benefit St. Jude Hospital

by Sabrina York

  Jake had worked as hard outside as she had inside, clearing away fallen debris, replacing cobblestones on the paths, and trimming back tree branches and brush. The tasks seemed endless and right after dinner, he had gone outside again.

  Even as tired as she was, she didn’t want the time alone with Jake to end. He didn’t talk about his life in Europe, but each day that passed she felt as though he were moving further and further away from that life, and closer to the one with her in Seattle. She stretched again and pulled the covers over her shoulders and turned on her side, daydreaming what it would be like to plan a lifetime with Jake.

  Woofy barked and jumped onto Miranda’s bed. Startled, she pushed against her dog. “Settle down, Woofy. Let me sleep.” She pulled the down comforter over her shoulders again and snuggled into its warmth. “Just a few hours, that’s all I’ll need.”

  Woofy bounded off the bed, barked again, and grabbed the comforter in his mouth and yanked. It slid off the bed to collect in a pool of green silk around Woofy’s paws. He barked again and picked up something in his mouth.

  Miranda yawned and stretched. “I don’t want to play. It’s the middle of the night. Some of us need our sleep.” She sat on the edge of the bed and reached for the comforter. Woofy leapt in the middle of it and deposited a wool hat in her lap.

  It was soggy and wet. “This is Jake’s.”

  Woofy barked again and rushed to the door of her bedroom, then turned around and bounded back toward her.

  “Jake’s in trouble.” She pulled her jeans and sweater over her negligée, grabbed a coat and boots and followed Woofy down the stairs and out the front door. He waited as she pulled on her boots and as soon as she had he took off.

  The night was clear and bright after last night’s rainfall as Miranda chased after Woofy in the direction of the field. He bolted around the perimeter and headed in the direction of the pond.

  Jake was half in and half out of the water. He looked unconscious. She rushed toward him and knelt. “Jake. Jake.” There was a bloody gash over his eye.

  He moaned. “Hit my head on a branch.”

  Miranda dug her heels into the soft ground and shouted, “Woofy. Grab hold of Jake’s sweater. We have to pull him out of the water.”

  “Hey, I like this sweater.” Jake groaned again and launched out of the water and struggled to his feet. He swayed and dropped down onto all fours. “Dizzy.”

  Miranda hooked her arm under his shoulder and helped him stand. “We need to get you to the lodge. You have to promise me that you will stay conscious.”

  “Tall order.”

  Miranda shoved open the door to the lodge and followed Woofy inside. He’d been her guard the whole way back from the pond, barking and leading the way as though to make sure Jake stayed awake.

  She wasn’t sure how she’d managed to get Jake here. If he had lost consciousness, she doubted that she could have dragged, let along carried him to the lodge. She headed to the great room. Thankfully, Jake had banked the fire in the fireplace and embers glowed a deep crimson as though waiting for wood to spark them back to life. She removed the sheets she’d used to protect the furniture while she painted the walls and propped him on the sofa by the fire. Next she built the flames higher and draped a blanket over his shoulders.

  She needed to keep busy. Jake could have died from exposure if Woofy hadn’t alerted her to the danger. She shivered and added another log to the fire.

  His teeth chattered as he said, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I have to remove my wet clothes.” His lips quirked up at the corners. “You don’t have to close your eyes.”

  His eyelids drooped and closed as he sank against the back of the sofa. His head listed to the side as he slumped forward.

  Panic seared through her as she leapt into action and pulled him to a sitting position. The cut over his eye had stopped bleeding, and so far, a lump hadn’t formed, but not being a doctor, she didn’t know if he was out of danger. What she did know was that she had to keep him conscious.

  She shook him gently. “No, you don’t. You hit your head. You have to stay awake.” She shook him again and this time his eyes fluttered open.

  “You saved my life.”

  “Let’s keep it that way, and technically Woofy saved you when he brought me to you.” She yanked off his shoes and socks and pulled his sweater over his head. Easy part over. She reached for his belt, but he covered her hand with his.

  “I can do the rest. You concentrate on the fire.”

  She raised her finger and pointed at him. “Okay, but make it fast, or I’ll think that you’ve lost consciousness.”

  She turned toward the fire and reached for more kindling and heard a low chuckle.

  He chuckled again. “That’s the first time a woman has ever told me to go faster.”

  16

  It had been a long night. Miranda had made a pot of coffee and found a stash of board games to help pass the time. When they discovered that they both hated playing board games, Miranda made a second pot, an omelet and chocolate scones and they’d talked through the night about everything from books they’d read to the dreams they’d had as children.

  “I was tired of coffee, so I made hot chocolate with lots of whipped cream.” Miranda handed Jake a mug and sat down next to him on the sofa in front of the fire. She blew on her drink. “How are you feeling?”

  “Like an idiot.”

  “Well…,” she grinned. “What were you doing out by the pond in the dark?”

  He took a long pull on his drink. “This is good. I was clearing away the debris.”

  For some reason she sensed he was being evasive. She took a sip of her hot cocoa as Woofy jumped up on the sofa and nestled between her and Jake. “What this room needs is a Christmas tree,” she said. I found a box of decorations when I rearranged this room so I would have room to paint.”

  His head made a slight bow. “Your wish is my command, milady. I’ll chop down a proper Christmas tree for you as soon as I’ve finished my hot chocolate.” He paused. “I was thinking of something you said last night about how much you enjoyed painting the murals. Why don’t you start painting again? You’re really talented.”

  Miranda held her mug in both hands and let the warmth of the hot chocolate seep through. “Thank you.” She clipped off the part where she wanted to add the word, “but”. It felt as though all her life she had used that word to keep from reaching for her dreams. “Did you ever doubt that you could support yourself with your music?”

  He leaned back against the sofa. “All the time and there are dark moments when I still do. That’s not the worst of it.”

  She turned to face him, remembering something he had said on the first day she’d arrived. “You said you were lonely. How is that possible? You are in a band and I’m sure you meet people every day.”

  He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. “Things on the surface aren’t always what they seem. I’m the only one in the band who is single and as far as the fans are concerned…” He opened his eyes. “My life is great.”

  She smiled. “I hear a ‘but.’ I’m familiar with that word.” She took a sip of her hot chocolate. “It’s stopped me from doing a lot of things in my life – pursuing a life as a painter for one. What has that word stopped you from doing?”

  “It has stopped me from going after the one person in my life that matters: you. You have whipped cream on your lip.”

  He brushed his thumb over her mouth, sending delightful chills racing through her. She leaned in for a kiss.

  Without warning, Woofy jumped from the sofa and raced toward the entry.

  “Woofy, what has gotten into you?” Miranda said, setting down her cup and jogging after him. There was a bounce in her step as she replayed Jake’s words in her thoughts. He hadn’t said he loved her and yet she felt it in the way he looked at her.

  Woofy wagged his tail and faced the front door. She’d learned to trust Woofy, but she had a strange feeling that she did
n’t want to open the door.

  “Don’t be silly,” she said under her breath. “Your mother was the one who had premonitions, not you.”

  She reached for the handle. The door burst open and Owen and a woman with salt and pepper curls and rosy cheeks that reminded Miranda of how Mrs. Claus might look, entered with an armful of groceries.

  Stunned, she stepped back as though facing an invasion.

  “We are here to help,” Owen announced. “And there are more of us on the way. This is my Mary. Would have been here sooner but a tree fell across the road in the storm. Darndest thing. It took a crew days to get it cleared.” He set his box down and took Mary’s from her and stacked it next to his. “Looks like you and Jake made good progress.”

  Mary held out her hand to shake Miranda’s. “I’ve heard so much about you. I feel as though we were meant to be friends. Don’t be afraid to put me to work. Your aunt said Jake’s parents invited half of Seattle to the party.”

  Miranda couldn’t breathe. “You talked to my aunt?

  “Miranda,” Juliet, her friend and co-worker from the Animal Castle, squealed, running up the stairs with DeDe, the bakery owner, close behind. “This place is so cute,” Juliet said, spinning around in a circle.

  “Your aunt said you needed a wedding cake,” Dede said. “I’ve brought all the ingredients I’ll need. Jake’s parents just drove into the parking lot.”

  “Don’t forget the car full of musicians,” DeDe added. “They said the are members of Jake’s band and are here to perform and make sure he returns to Europe after his parents renew their vows.”

  Miranda felt as though the floor had dropped out from under her. She reached out for the registration desk to steady her legs. “Really?” she managed.

  Juliet’s voice lowered as Owen, Mary, and DeDe debated if they had brought enough food. “How are you doing? I couldn’t believe it when your aunt said that you and Jake were here alone. Has it been horrible?”

  “It’s been…”

  “Did I hear someone say that my parents had arrived?”

  “And your band,” Miranda said through mounting anger. “When were you going to tell me that you were leaving?”

  He reached out to her. “Let me explain.”

  She turned away from him. “I was a fool to believe that we could start again.”

  Miranda pressed her hand against her stomach and raced up to the stairs. She felt sick. She knew everyone watched her with pity in their eyes. She didn’t care. She would collect herself, take a long shower, change and when she returned downstairs, she’d be back to the person she had been before Jake dropped back into her life. She’d be detached, unemotional, and unavailable.

  17

  The pond and waterfall sanctuary shone liked polished glass. Every inch had been groomed and treated with loving care. Jake knew from the beginning that this would be his gift to Miranda. He’d hoped it would symbolize a beginning instead of an end.

  He pulled a stubborn weed from the base of the stone bench and tossed it into the bucket. Since his band and parents had arrived, Miranda hadn’t spoken more than a handful of words to him. She’d met the members of his band and been lovely and gracious with his parents.

  He deserved her cold shoulder. He should have been honest. He didn’t want to give up a chance to be with her, and he didn’t want to give up his life in Europe. What person would think that was okay?

  “Do you think there are fish in the pond?” his dad said.

  Jake nodded and shoved to his feet. “Probably. We need more lights.”

  “You put up enough lights to cover a city block, but sure. We can string more lights.”

  Jake reached into the box of supplies they’d brought along and wound a strand of lights over a low hanging branch. His dad had joined him to help with the finishing touches and Jake welcomed the distraction from the crazy party preparations.

  “You put a lot of work into fixing the lodge and the fairgrounds, son. Pity you won’t be here to enjoy it.”

  Jake took a step back to gauge where he should string more lights. People kept saying the same thing to him on an almost hourly schedule. He ignored his father’s statement for the moment and scanned the pond. He’d repaired the fairy statue, trimmed the bushes away from the pond, and hung lights.

  “Something’s missing,” he said more to himself than his dad.

  “I think I know what you need.” Jake’s dad withdrew a set of lights shaped like crystal stars from the supplies. “It has been my experience that a woman should be treated like a queen. I’ll shape these into a crown to place on the statue’s head.”

  “Is that the secret to you and Mom being happily married for so long?”

  “The secret to being happy with someone is to be present, regardless of where you live. You going to let Miranda get away a second time?”

  His dad’s bluntness caught him off guard. His dad hadn’t ever asked him about Miranda. Why now? “Miranda has a business here and I have mine in Europe. We missed our window.”

  “Did you now?” His father handed him the string of lights that he had shaped into a crown. “How are we going to plug these in without an outlet?”

  Jake reached around his father and showed him a small box the size of a business card. “They are on batteries.”

  “Fancy that. There seems to be a solution for everything these days.”

  18

  The day had finally arrived.

  Sun glistened over the newly fallen snow as though to welcome the guests. The lodge was a Christmas wonderland with every inch decorated in a reds, greens, and golds. Guests packed the great room as Jake’s parents renewed their vows, and when they kissed, they received a round of applause. Miranda stood in the back of the room, trying to be invisible. She should be excited that everything had turned out so well, but she felt as though a weight had pressed over her heart.

  She’d been avoiding Jake. Not easy to do today as his parents insisted she attend the ceremonies. And she couldn’t refuse. It was not their fault it hadn’t worked out between her and Jake.

  Now he was working his way in her direction, shaking hands with friends and nodding when someone asked him a question. She braced for the confrontation she knew was coming. The anger was still there, but it was more directed at herself than at him. They kept getting it wrong.

  Jake reached her side, hands in his pockets, a somber expression on his face. “There’s something I want to show you.”

  “There’s nothing for us to say to each other.”

  “Please.”

  “I’m not going with you. If you want to show me something, take a picture.”

  “Harsh.”

  Silence squeezed around her, making it hard to breathe. She’d been deliberately rude.

  He’d leave, this time for good. Her heart felt like it had broken into a million pieces.

  Woofy trotted over and barked. Not the soft, isn’t that cute, type of bark, but a

  deep-throated, I’m getting warmed up bark.

  The guests turned in her direction.

  “Woofy, shush,” Miranda said.

  He barked again, louder this time.

  She turned toward Jake. “You put him up to this.”

  He held up his hands. “Actually, I think it was your aunt’s idea. I saw her a few minutes

  ago talking to Woofy.”

  “My aunt can’t talk to animals.”

  “You do.”

  Woofy nudged her leg and glanced toward her with big, soulful brown eyes.

  “I’ll come with you.”

  Miranda expected there was something in the lodge he wanted to show her. Instead he draped a thick, red velvet cape around her shoulders, made her wear boots, and blindfolded her. Because the path kept twisting and turning, it was impossible to get her bearings

  At long last they stopped and he removed the blindfold.

  She gasped.

  The pond had been transformed into a fairy wonderland that took her
breath away. Frozen water cascaded over the rocks in layers of crystal ice that reflected the twinkling lights that formed a roof of stars. She hugged her arms to her waist and ordered her heart not to melt. She knew he had worked on the lodge and fairground for his parents, but this place was for her.

  The most stunning of all was the life-size fairy shaped from reeds who stood as regal as a queen on the gentle hill that overlooked the pond. Her long hair flowed into her trailing gown that cascaded over the moss floor of the forest.

  “She’s wearing a crown,” Miranda said in awe.

  “And this one is for you.” Jake produced a crown like the fairy’s and placed it on Miranda’s head.

  Her eyes brimmed. “Jake… This is what you were doing the night you fell into the water?”

  “I wanted to surprise you, to show you how much you mean to me. This sanctuary has always felt like this was our place and I thought if I could fix it up the way it was meant to be, you’d understand.” He shook his head. “We’re so good talking as friends. We can talk for hours. But when things get more serious it all seems to fall apart and one of us runs. I’ve loved you from the first day in grammar school when I sat behind you in math class and pulled your braids. I still loved you even after you broke up with me, and I love you now. I’ve never stopped loving you.”

  She adjusted the crown he’d given her, blinking as a tear rolled down her cheek. Her heart poured out to him. He was right. They were great at being friends. They knew how to do that. The next step was a big one, and one she wanted to take. She swiped away the tear and let the others fall.

  “I remembered you even before math class. You’d ridden your bike to school. I remember because when you were putting your bike away, I heard a dog bark. It was in the middle of the street and it didn’t see the car headed its way. You raced out into the street and saved the dog. When I realized that we were in the same math class, I made a point of sitting in front of you.”