by Sabrina York
She grinned. “Exactly, right?”
As soon as they finished their drinks, Nick wandered over to the window. “Looks like Marv cleared a path for us.”
Emily gathered her things and followed Nick to the covered walkway. She ruffled the top of Buster’s head as Nick put him in the truck. “I’m going to run home and change, and I’ll see you back here soon.”
“I’ll be here, but Buster is going to sit the party out. He’s not quite trustworthy enough to let him roam on his own. I’ll be back a little before noon.”
She hopped in the Jeep, glad Sara had shown her how to engage the four-wheel drive, and let the heater warm up before following Nick out of the grounds and turning onto her snow packed street. She fixed Bella’s breakfast and hurried upstairs to shower. As she went about getting ready, Nick and their night together overshadowed her thoughts. She recalled his not so subtle questions about her freelance work and if she’d ever thought about working in a small town or submitting articles to editors in the Pacific Northwest.
She kept trying to figure out how she felt. As she was putting on mascara, it hit her. She was content. If she was honest with herself, she hadn’t truly been content since she left Snow Valley. Sure, she loved the vibrancy of New York and the hustle of being a journalist, but she had been missing a whole part of her life she’d shut off when she left Nick. Her dreams of sharing all the city had to offer with him had been just that—dreams. Watching him interact with people and hearing him talk about his life and the hardware store, she knew he wouldn’t ever leave Snow Valley. After all, he was the mayor. She smoothed her long glossy hair, making sure the milk chocolate highlights she paid a fortune for in the city framed her face. She glanced at the woman in the mirror and wondered if she’d consider moving back to Snow Valley.
When Emily and Bella set out for the lodge, the sun was shining, and the new fallen snow glittered all around them. She gazed at the lodge, with the snowy mountains behind it and the snow sparkling all around. It was like a scene on a Christmas card. She opened the door to staff wearing festive aprons. Others in elf costumes rushed around, placing platters of food on the tables. After making sure Bella was settled on her bed, she looked into the office for MaryAnn, the head of housekeeping, and told her where she had put the bedding she’d borrowed last night. Smiling, MaryAnn waved away her concerns and told her she’d take care of it.
With her conscience eased, she stowed her things in the office behind the coffee counter and switched out her snow boots for her city boots, running her hands over her black skirt and tights, brushing away a few specks of lint. The metallic threads in her red sweater added the perfect amount of party sparkle, as did her dangly earrings.
She roamed through the tables and marveled at the array of treats. The kids would love the Christmas tree brownies, penguins made from chocolate crème filled cookies, cake pops decorated like snowmen, and chocolate coated pretzel rods covered with all sorts of sprinkles and candy bits. Their chef had made beautiful Grinch kabobs using green grapes, apples, and strawberries. A Christmas tree centerpiece made entirely of fruit graced the table. She saw the warming trays awaiting the hot food dishes and another table with reindeer chow, Santa crunch popcorn, and lollipops.
Marcy was prepping the coffee counter and had trays of homemade marshmallows ready to add to the hot chocolate. A man in a tuxedo played Christmas tunes on the piano, and the fresh scent of pine filled the whole lodge. She captured a few photos for Sara as she looped through the lobby.
As Emily walked by the entryway, Nick came through the door. “Wow, everything looks incredible. Are you ready? Two busloads of kids are on the way.”
“We’re set. Bring them on.”
He winked at her. “You did great, Em. Thanks.”
She watched Nick standing under the portico, fidgeting like a kid himself, as he waited for the first bus to arrive. He greeted each of the children with a handshake and welcomed them to the party. Elves stood by the door urging a few of the more reluctant guests inside.
Many of the children had attended the party in past years, and the older ones took charge of picking out trees to decorate, recruiting a few of the younger ones to help. Staff members and even the police officers wore reindeer antlers with lights and jingling bells and guided the youngest guests to the coloring stations. Elves were already starting a game of charades and eliciting giggles from their audience.
Bella relished the attention two little girls were paying her as they watched the elves’ silliness. There was no set schedule, and all the youngsters wandered around, snacking and eating, moving from decorating trees to playing games.
Emily caught Nick chowing down on a reindeer slider. “Looks like everyone is having fun, including you.”
He held up his finger and took several swallows from his cup of hot chocolate. “This is the greatest, isn’t it? I can’t wait until Santa arrives.”
“I’m going to check out the trees and see how they’re doing on the decorating projects. We have to pick a winner, remember?” Emily headed toward the stairs, and Nick hurried to catch her.
“I’ll come with you.”
All the trees in the guest rooms were done, but there was still a group of siblings working on the larger blue and silver tree in the sitting area. Next, they wandered downstairs to check on the trees in the library, and both the peacock and pet themed trees were almost done. The tree by the coffee bar was complete, as were a few others placed near the tables and the one by the piano.
“They all look so nice, it’s going to be hard to choose,” said Emily, glancing around the lobby.
“I think the silver and blue one upstairs is looking the best,” Nick whispered.
Emily agreed. “Have you been outside to check out the snow art? They’re having fun with those bottles of spray-on food coloring. Pretty impressive artists.” They both agreed on a colorful Christmas mural gracing a large snowbank as the winner.
Jean waved as she came up to them. “Mayor Morgan, sorry to interrupt. Curt from the newspaper is here and wants to get a photo and talk to you for a minute.”
Nick turned to Emily. “Maybe you should come with me, introduce yourself to Curt. I’m sure he’d be interested in a journalist with a degree from NYU.”
She laughed and, with a flick of her hand, motioned for him to go. “I have to check on Santa.”
After calling Clive and confirming they were on schedule and would be at the lodge in fifteen minutes, Emily approached the microphone stationed near the piano. “I’ve just received word that Santa has been spotted and will be arriving shortly. Please finish what you’re doing and make your way to the lobby to prepare to greet him and Mrs. Claus.”
The level of excitement among the guests went up a few notches as they hurried to complete the gingerbread houses and cookies they were decorating. The staff refilled trays as soon as they were empty and made sure the trash was collected and any stray plates or napkins tossed. Santa and the gifts would be the highlight of the next hour, leaving another hour for a few more games and last-minute activities, plus the awards and prizes.
The kids pressed their noses to the cold windows and watched as the sleigh pulled by two shiny chestnut colored horses stopped under the covered walkway. Nick helped Mrs. Claus and Santa, decked out in their red velvet outfits, down from the sleigh, and elves ran to tote in the first of several bags filled with toys. Santa and Mrs. Claus were welcomed with applause and cheers and led to their chairs in the center of the lobby by Nick.
Elves opened the bags and handed Santa the gifts. Other elves helped keep the children moving as they came up to retrieve their package and thank Santa. The first bag held gifts for all the youngest guests so they wouldn’t have to wait long to visit with the guest of honor. All of them got so excited, and one little girl, overcome with emotions, stood in front of him and cried. Mrs. Claus held her on her lap for a few minutes until she calmed down.
It took more than an hour to dispense all the gifts,
and as quickly as the paper was torn off the boxes, staff was on hand to collect it. As Emily watched the smiling faces and excited eyes of those who opened something they didn’t expect, she committed them to memory. This was one article that would almost write itself, and she knew it would be a perfect holiday story.
Nick came up behind her and whispered. “I told Curt you were writing a small-town Christmas article. He said to send it to him.”
She turned to him, eyes wide. “You didn’t?”
“The answer is always no if you don’t ask. He wants to see it. He also says he has quite a few contacts in Seattle and could put you in touch with some editors who are always looking for talented writers.” He wiggled his brows at her.
“We need to focus on the winners and get the prizes ready. We’re running out of time.” She moved to the gingerbread table and pointed to a neat and tidy house with overlapping chocolate wafer candies for a roof. “I think this is the best one.”
Nick agreed, and they moved to the library to check the trees before creeping up the staircase to look at the blue and silver tree, which was done and looked as professional as the one in the lobby. “I think this is the clear winner,” he said.
“We need to check the candy cane count. I already gave out the movie passes to the kids who found the multi-colored ones.” She went downstairs and found the buckets lined up on a table. The elves had counted the candies and left a note on the winning bucket.
“It looks like Santa is wrapping things up,” Nick laughed at his pun. Emily rolled her eyes. She handed him the names of the winners and grabbed the envelope with the prizes before making her way to Santa and Mrs. Claus. Nick used the microphone and announced the winners.
“Please make your way to the gorgeous lady in the red sweater standing behind Santa, and she’ll give you your prizes. Congratulations to all of you and thank you for coming.”
The kids burst into applause and whooped and hollered. All the sweet treats and the excitement made for a lively crowd. Santa and Mrs. Claus said their goodbyes, hugging the little ones as they trudged out to the sleigh. Some of the kids made a few more stops at the food table on their way to retrieve their coats and pick up their goody bags before they lined up for the bus.
Nick was on hand, helping each of them on the bus, wishing all of them a Merry Christmas and waving as the last bus pulled away. While he and Emily had been outside with the kids, the staff inside had swept through and cleared the tables, consolidating the leftovers and placing them around the coffee counter and tables for guest snacks. The games and activities had been boxed up for next year.
All the boxes from the decorations had already been collected by Stan’s crew. Any of the trees that weren’t quite perfect had been adjusted, and all of them were stunning. Emily captured more pictures of her favorites and sent them to Sara.
She thanked Marcy and the rest of the crew for their hard work before changing into her snow boots and collecting her things from the office. She ran into Carol, who was all smiles, in the main hallway. “Terrific party, Emily. Wonderful job on your part.” She lowered her voice and said, “You and Nick are quite the team and did such a fine job hosting. All of us have been trying to set him up for years. Now I understand why we’ve never succeeded.” She winked and was off to check on something.
Guests were beginning to check in for the evening, and the pianist continued to play Christmas carols as they admired the trees in the lobby. Bella greeted a few guests on her way to Emily’s side. Nick appeared from the hallway carrying two bags. He held them up to her and said, “Leftovers for my staff at City Hall. What’s on your agenda tonight?”
“I’m in the Christmas mood, so I plan to decorate the tree at Sara’s. I’ve been meaning to all week but haven’t had the time. Care to join me?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” he said, setting the bags down while he helped her into her coat. “I’ll drop these off and be by within the hour.”
Bella ate her dinner while Emily took the opportunity to start a fire and relax in the recliner as she scrolled through her photos, sending more of them to Sara and letting her know everything went off without a hitch.
She also checked her email and saw a message from Curt at the newspaper reiterating what Nick had said and asking her to stop by and chat with him next week. The doorbell chimed, and she found Nick on the front step holding a massive bouquet of red roses and a takeout bag from the Chinese place they used to frequent.
“For you,” he said, giving her a slight bow as he handed her the vase and struggled to hold the leash as Buster pulled on it.
“These are gorgeous, but you didn’t need to do that.” She stepped into the house, and he followed.
He freed Buster from his tether and the pup rushed toward Bella. Nick glanced at the bouquet and met Emily’s eyes. “They’re more than a thank you. Did you know red roses symbolize true love?”
She blushed as she set the vase on the granite counter in the kitchen. “I believe I have read that somewhere.” She added plates to the counter.
He reached for her hands. “I rearranged a few things and took the next week off. I know you’ll have stuff to do for Latte Da, but I want to spend as much time as possible with you. Just the two of us, like old times. I want to try to make up for all the years we lost. I hope I can convince you to come home.” He lifted her chin and brushed his lips against hers.
“That’s a good start,” she said, smiling. “I think you could put a little more effort into it though.”
He arched his brows and put his arm around her shoulders, bent her toward the ground and kissed her. Her foot lifted off the ground as she took delight in the contrast of his soft lips and stubbly chin against her skin, listening to their hearts pound in unison. When he finally released her and she stood, she touched her forehead to his. “There’s no place I’d rather be.”
Also By Tammy L. Grace
COOPER HARRINGTON DETECTIVE NOVELS
Killer Music
Deadly Connection
Dead Wrong
HOMETOWN HARBOR SERIES
Hometown Harbor: The Beginning (FREE Prequel Novella)
Finding Home
Home Blooms
A Promise of Home
Pieces of Home
Finally Home
STAND-ALONE BOOKS
A Season for Hope: A Christmas Novella (Christmas in Silver Falls Book 1)
The Magic of the Season: A Christmas Novella (Christmas in Silver Falls Book 2)
GLASS BEACH COTTAGE SERIES
Beach Haven
About Gammy L. Grace
Tammy L. Grace is the award-winning author of the Cooper Harrington Detective Novels, the best-selling Hometown Harbor Series, the Glass Beach Cottage Series, and the Christmas in Silver Falls novellas. Tammy also writes under the pen name of Casey Wilson and will be releasing two dog-centric books in 2020 for Bookouture. You’ll find Tammy online at www.tammylgrace.com where you can join her mailing list and be part of her exclusive group of readers. Connect with Tammy on your favorite social media and book platforms.
Mission: Impossible to Wed
Mission: Impossible to Wed
By Jacki Delecki
Praise
“Entertaining and suspenseful adventure!”
“Jacki does it again… another great series from a talented writer!”
“A real page turner, filled with action and suspense and of course romance… Now I’m hooked…”
“I want to read everything that’s ever written in this series.”
“…a fabulous story, beautifully written and filled with great characters and no cliffhangers.”
“It was exciting, sexy and all the things I can expect from her books.”
“Can’t turn the pages fast enough!”
“Action packed romance! Highly recommend this author…”
“Fast paced and perfectly told!”
— from Reviews
Book Description
; She’s the family peacemaker...
Fashion designer, Lauren Harrison, dreads nothing more than yet another wedding—particularly that she has “agreed” to design the dress for her half-sister during the Christmas season.
He’s her sister’s ex...
Gabe Griffin, the best man to his multimillionaire scientist brother Gavin, would rather return to the field as an elite Delta Force soldier than think about marriage—especially between his brother and some self-absorbed, status-seeking woman like Tiffany. But the task of delivering the dress and the designer has fallen into his hands.
Alongside Lauren’s bridezilla sister, the country wedding only gets worse when she is forced to interact with Gabe, her secret crush, as he transports the dress and her to the venue, due to the raging blizzard. Sparks fly, but will the close proximity change their minds about love? Or will Gabe’s mission to prevent his brother’s wedding with her help thwart Lauren’s high school fantasies?
Enjoy this contemporary romance of holiday fun, set against the backdrop of the remote Eastern Washington countryside!
To Matrice Hussey who never runs out of creative and crazy-fun “what-ifs.”
1
Gabe Griffin checked the flight monitor for an update on her arrival from JFK. He gritted his teeth as he held in the swear words he acquired in the military. Had to look good for the civilians.
“Weather” had delayed her flight for an hour. And, to make it worse, their connecting flight had been canceled because of the snow. Of course, what could you expect when you had to have a Christmas destination wedding in a remote location in the mountains of Washington?
