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

by Sabrina York

  “Pardon?” Why would Rose Brock say the mansion was theirs?

  “We need to keep this under wraps. Whichever family’s legacy the mansion is a part of, I will need to deal with my family. Let’s just take this one step at a time and follow where the leads take us.”

  She told Owen about her experience with Mrs. Byrd and the items she’d purchased. She pointed out some of them in the living room. He slipped his shoes off and put his legs on the oversized ottoman. She turned on some music and it played softly in the background. Eventually Gina put her legs up on the sofa and Owen settled her in his lap. Before either of them knew it, they slipped off to sleep.

  Someone was banging on the door. Angel jumped up and rushed over to Gina, nuzzling her awake. Gina woke with a start.

  “Gina, Gina, can you hear me?” Juliet’s muffled voice sounded through the door.

  Gina hurried to the door and yanked it open.

  “Thank goodness, I thought maybe…” Juliet trailed off when she saw Owen sitting up on the sofa. “Oh my. I’m sorry, but—”

  Colton stepped up behind his wife and took in the scene. He didn’t appear the least bit phased. “We got a call from your mother—”

  “Is she okay? What’s happened?”

  Owen got up and stood beside Gina. He extended his hand to Colton. “I’m Owen Brock.” Colton’s eyebrows shot skyward and Juliet’s mouth formed in the shape of an ‘O’. Owen extended his hand to Juliet, not allowing their responses to stop him. “Juliet, I’m sincerely sorry for my deception when we met the other day. I wanted to be incognito. I didn’t want my sister, Rose locating me.” Juliet nodded her understanding. “Come inside and tell us what’s happening.”

  Gina closed the door behind them and glanced at the clock over the fireplace. It was four-thirty in the morning.

  “You didn’t have your phone,” Juliet said as she handed it to her. “I found it at the reception desk. I’m so glad you’re safe!”

  “Carla has been trying to reach you for a few hours,” Colton said. “The library caught fire. No one knows what happened. It burned to the ground earlier this morning.”

  “Oh, my God,” Gina said. “Is Mom OK?”

  “Yes,” Colton replied. “She’s fine, but she’s very upset. She said the two of you had discussed a family matter yesterday and said you were going to the library to search for additional information. She was terrified you died in the fire.”

  “When she couldn’t reach you, she called us,” Juliet said, finally composing herself. “I’m so glad she was wrong,” Juliet said, hugging Gina tightly.

  “So am I, but why in heaven’s name didn’t she come over instead of waking you both up?”

  “Your brother wouldn’t let her leave the house. The snow is coming down in piles and has been for hours now. Most of the roads are closed,” Juliet said.

  “You should probably give her a quick call,” Owen said. “I’ll go make us a pot of coffee.” Owen looked at Colton. “Do you happen to know your way around her kitchen?”

  “I do.” Colton and Owen walked into the kitchen.

  Gina phoned her mother and told her she was home safe and sound. She apologized for causing her to worry. She assured her mom that she hadn’t been avoiding her, she’d left her phone upstairs. After her mother’s reassurance that everyone was okay, Gina told her mother she’d speak with her tomorrow, she loved her, and then hung up.

  “So…” Juliet said as she snuggled up to Gina. “You and Mister Hottie,” she whispered into Gina’s ear.

  They walked back into the living room and Juliet took a seat on the sofa. Gina took the loveseat and tucked her feet up on the other cushion.

  “Don’t even start. We were just talking and fell asleep on the sofa.”

  “Even you have to admit, there’s definitely some Christmas chemistry going on between the two of you.” Juliet’s face shown with excitement.

  Gina shushed Juliet and asked, “Hey, by the way, how did you not know who Owen was? You grew up in Glenville.”

  “Owen was a few years ahead of me. And we didn’t exactly run in the same circles. I did mention to Colton that Owen looked like someone I knew but I couldn’t place him. It’s been years. There must be more to his story than hiding from his sister. So why the made-up name?”

  Gina ran through a very short version of what happened. The guys came out a few minutes later, talking away like they were the best of friends.

  “You have an open invitation to come up to the ski resort any time. You’ll usually find me there,” Colton said as they walked into the living room.

  Colton handed his wife her coffee and sat down beside her. Gina thought that Owen would hand her a mug and sit in the chair. Instead he slid her legs off the loveseat, sat down close beside her, and put his arm around her, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  “Is everything worked out with your mom?” Owen asked.

  “For now. I tried to convince her that I wasn’t avoiding her. She’s really upset. Besides, she just lost her job; all the books and historical reports are ashes.”

  “That’s not entirely true,” Colton said.

  “What do you mean?” Gina asked.

  “Everything from historical to current day information regarding Glenville is stored in the basement of the courthouse.”

  “That’s right,” Juliet responded. “Colton spent days down in the archives. The history of Glenville is safe.”

  Owen rubbed Gina’s shoulder. “Your mother will be relieved to hear the town’s history is still intact.”

  “But mom no longer has a job.” Gina dropped her chin to her chest. “She just can’t cut a break.” She kept the rest of her thoughts to herself. She would have to move back in with her family for them to keep the place.

  “Don’t worry so much about it. Things have a way of working themselves out,” Owen said.

  “So, Owen.” Juliet attempted to take the spotlight off her friend. “How long are you here for?”

  11

  The record four plus feet of fresh snow blanketing the ground was all the talk at Mistletoe Lodge. Everyone had been advised to stay off the roads until the snowplows could clear them off. If it were not for Colton’s team plowing the roads at Forever Christmas, Owen wouldn’t have made it out. He entered the foyer of his mom’s home and was immediately accosted by Rose as she hurried down the stairs.

  “Just who do you think you are, Owen Brock?” Rose’s screech was so high-pitched it reverberated throughout the foyer. “You had no right to fire Reggie!”

  “Reggie?” Was she now blaming him for things he didn’t do?

  “Reggie Welch. Our attorney.” Rose planted her hands on her hips and threw him a scalding look.

  “I had every right. Least you forget, I have guardianship over Mother. It’s my responsibility to see that she is safe and well cared for. I’m the person father designated to look after this family. Not you, Rose.” Owen’s anger was held at bay by a thread. “You, my dear sister, had no authority to have any papers relating to mother, her living arrangements, or her estate drawn up. And you will be responsible for covering any attorney costs for those worthless documents.”

  “What are you talking about? Reggie would never charge me.”

  “Whatever you say. However, your time here is quickly drawing to an end.” Owen hung his hat, gloves, and coat on the hat tree. “As of the first of the new year, you are no longer welcome to live in this house.”

  “What are you talking about? This is my home. I can live here for as long as I please. Besides, who will take care of mother?”

  “By all accounts, mother’s welfare means nothing to you. Your idea of taking care of her was sending her off to live in a nursing home surrounded by strangers. You haven’t tried to do what is best for Mom, but what’s best for Rose. You will leave this house or I’ll have you thrown out.” He hated for it to go that far, but Owen’s concern was the health and wellbeing of his mother and he would go to any le
ngth to protect her…even from his own sister.

  “You wouldn’t dare,” Rose seethed.

  “Watch me.” His rage held barely in check. Owen was done talking. It was two days before Christmas Eve and Owen had every intention of deciphering all this chaos by Christmas Eve. He brushed past Rose and headed up the stairs to see his mother. He hoped Rose would concede and he wouldn’t have to drag is own sister into court. Nonetheless if it came down to it, then so be it.

  Owen left Rose standing there. She and her brother had been in many a fight in their lifetime, even so, she couldn’t believe he would kick her out, or worse, take her to court. Still, Reggie had sounded concerned when she’d spoken to him last night. She still had an ace up her sleeve—the old mansion did belong to her family and she was going to take it back. Owen wouldn’t stop her, because he wouldn’t know until the mansion was transferred into her name. Reggie would see to that.

  Rose heard a muffled ring. It sounded as if it were coming from Owen’s coat. As she approached the hat tree, the ring increased in volume. She glanced up the stairs. Both Owen and Betty were with Mother in her sitting room down the hall, so she slipped her hand into the pocket of Owen’s coat and pulled his phone out. The screen displayed the name, Gina Jamerson. Jamerson! It dawned on her. Owen had been hiding out at Mistletoe Lodge and making friends with that Jamerson bitch. He must’ve already known that the Jamersons were the ones that stole the mansion from their family. This couldn’t be better if she’d planned it herself. Rose headed for the library as she answered the phone.

  “Hello,” she answered sweetly.

  “Um, hello. Is Owen there?” Gina’s confused voice inquired.

  “He’s not here right now. I believe he’s tied up with family business. He mentioned something about heading over to the courthouse to file a petition on the ownership rights for the old tavern.” Rose could hardly restrain herself. With any luck this lie would run rampant and all the townspeople would realize that the mansion belonged to the Brocks.

  “I was told the town is closed.”

  “It is. But when one of the Brocks requests a favor, people go out of their way to see to it. Can I have him call you?”

  “No…no, thank you. Goodbye.” Gina disconnected the call. Rose quickly pulled up the call history on her brother’s phone and deleted the last call. Then she slipped the phone back into his coat pocket. Owen was no match for her. How dare he try to throw her out into the street!

  “Good morning, Mother,” Rose said as she walked into her mother’s sitting room. Owen was holding Mom’s hand. She was positive he’d been spewing lies about her. “I have something you need to see.”

  “What is it, dear?” Mrs. Brock asked as Owen remained beside her. His face was a mask of stone.

  “Reggie and I have completed our research. You remember, the old tavern. The one you claim great-great-grandfather owned? The one that was stolen from our family.”

  Their mother sat quietly, as if she were sifting through her thoughts.

  “Surely you recall all our conversations.” Rose prodded her. “You claim a man named Jamerson stole the mansion from us.”

  Rose focused on Owen and she reveled in her direct hit as Owen’s eyes narrowed and his lips clenched.

  “Yes, Rose. I do recall those conversations. I believe what I said was that my great-grandfather lost the deed to the mansion in a card game to a man named Jamerson.” Her mother smiled at her. “Great Grandpa Fred Brock lost it due to his gambling addiction. My great-grandmother took my grandfather and grand uncle and left him. It was not a common thing in those days, but she was fed up with his ways and wanted her children raised in a loving and stable home. They all moved in with Fred’s parents and Fred was forbidden to return home.”

  “I have a document verifying that Fred Brock was the legal owner of the mansion and it was stolen from him. As such the mansion will revert to our family.” Rose was basking in her revelation.

  “It’s a moot point, Rose,” Owen said. “There is evidence showing that great-great-grandfather Brock signed over ownership of the mansion to Mr. Jamerson. And as such, his heirs are the legal owners.”

  “Are you so willing to give up and give into some nobodies?” Rose asked in a sickly-sweet tone as she attempted to come off as a wounded sister. “To walk away from a legacy that belongs to us, not to some gambler who tricked our great-great-grandfather into signing away our legacy?”

  “The family legacy means everything to me,” Owen said quietly. “And I’m doing what needs to be done to preserve that legacy. I won’t allow anyone to defame the Brock name.” His steely eyes seared into hers.

  “Mother—” Rose knew, given time she could convince her mother to stand with her.

  “Rose, dear. You are forgetting that your great-great-grandfather was also no more than a gambler.” Their mother’s demeanor was strong and confident, like the person she’d once been years before. “It’s not the family name that makes the person, Rose. It’s the person’s character and values that make the family.”

  Gina stared down at her phone. She was confident her impression of Owen was spot on. How could she be so wrong? Had she not learned years ago, that those that have always win, and those such as her, never do? She had the emotional scars to show for it and yet, here she stood…once again the fool.

  She’d spent the morning with Juliet learning about the Brock family. Juliet had explained to her that the Brocks were the most influential family in Glenville. And based on her research, Owen was rumored to be a shark in the courtroom. Gina had hoped he would offer his expertise to her. What a fool she’d been. Owen would never betray his family, not for her.

  The Jamersons were outgunned in this fight, but Gina wasn’t going to abandon her family to the power of the Brocks. Even if it meant standing against the man she’d lost her heart to.

  “Owen has left three messages in the last two hours,” Della told Gina as she approached the reception desk. “Are you planning on calling him back?”

  “No. I’m not,” Gina answered.

  “I see.” Della raised an eyebrow. “What happened between now and two hours ago, when you were practically skipping around here like a giddy schoolgirl?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “What do I tell Owen when he calls back?”

  “Tell him you’ve given me the messages.” Gina picked up the things she needed and started walking away. She hesitated and turned back to Della. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be upset with you.”

  “What happened?” Della asked again. “It can’t be that bad, can it?”

  “Owen told me he was going to check on his mother. Now I find out that he’s planning on trying to steal back something that belongs to my family. The Brocks have everything. Why do they need an old mansion anyhow? Don’t they have a perfectly good mansion now?”

  Della rubbed the side of her forehead, a blank look on her face. “Umm…yes?”

  “You bet they do. I’d think one mansion per family is more than adequate.”

  “You’ve completely lost me. I want to help. What mansion? Start from the beginning and tell me what’s happened, step-by-step.”

  Gina told Della everything from the day she’d walked into the old tavern and met Mrs. Byrd until last night at her apartment. It felt good to have someone to simply talk to. When Della didn’t say anything after Gina finished her story she finally asked, “Well?”

  “I didn’t think you really wanted a response. I kinda thought you just wanted me to listen,” Della confessed.

  “I did. But now that I’ve told you everything, I’d like to hear your thoughts.”

  “I can certainly understand why you’re so upset. Even so, Owen has called you multiple times. I’m no expert, but something tells me if he were trying to take this tavern-slash-mansion from your family, he wouldn’t be trying to get hold of you.”

  “He lied right from the start, giving us a false name. Why would this be any different? Now
that I think of it, there appears to be a pattern forming.”

  “It’s your call, but if I were you, I’d definitely give him the benefit of the doubt.” Della shook her head once and went back to what she was doing.

  “Wait. I have one more question,” Della said. Gina stopped and looked at her. “What exactly would you do with the old mansion if you did get it?”

  “I haven’t really thought that far ahead,” Gina admitted.

  “Maybe you should.”

  12

  Gina and Angel had just returned from their walk. She closed the door to her apartment and locked them in for the night. She was washing her dishes when someone banged on her door. She froze and listened.

  “Gina, it’s me, Owen. I know you’re in there. I asked at the reception desk and was told you’ve been off for hours.” Owen knocked on her door again. “Would you please open the door? Why have you been avoiding me?”

  “Like he doesn’t know,” Gina whispered to Angel. Angel whimpered and nudged Gina in the arm.

  Owen knocked for a while longer and finally he stopped. She snuck up to the door and looked through the peephole. All she saw was an empty hallway. Lost and alone, Gina turned out her lights and went to bed.

  The next morning, Gina and Angel got ready early and headed for the door. Gina pulled her door open and Angel’s short stub wagged wildly as she poked at Owen who was sitting on the floor next to her door. His legs were bent and he was resting his forearms on his knees. He started rubbing Angel’s head as she’d worked herself between his knees. Gina noticed a shadow of whiskers on his face and if she wasn’t mistaken, those were the same clothes he wore yesterday.

  “What are you doing here, Owen? Have you been here all night?”

  “Yes, I have,” he answered her as he stood. “Why are you avoiding me?” Owen scrubbed his face with his hands and sighed heavily. “Yesterday, I’d thought that you and I had something special between us.”