Laura shrugged. "Margie and Harry were good to me when the boys were young and I needed work. They never minded Ryan and the others tagging along and 'helping' me while I cleaned. More like the boys were bugging Harry and running wild. But Harry never did seem to mind." Laura laughed softly at the memory.
Tara agreed. "You know my grandpa, the great outdoorsman. He's a man's man and he's always liked boys and wished he'd had a son. Mom was too girly-girl for him. He loved having Chad and his friends around."
Laura nodded. "I'll always have a soft spot for Margie and Harry. Not just because of how they helped me, but because they helped make the boys' childhoods special. They have nothing but fond memories of the lodge."
Tara thought Laura gave her a rather pointed look. Spearing. As if the fond memories were despite Tara.
"I used to watch you and Chad and Ryan play together when you were little," Laura said, watching Tara closely. "Despite all the teasing your brother and Ryan did to you, you were always a good sport. You and Ryan got along better than any little girl and little boy I ever knew. I always thought what you had was special.
"I told Ryan, told all my boys, that when they found a woman who was their best friend, they should marry her. That's the kind of love that makes a marriage last."
Tara dropped Laura's gaze and stared in her lap, playing with her hands as she swallowed a lump. "Laura, I'm sorry about coming back and upsetting Ryan's life. I didn't mean—"
Laura cut her off. "You could do worse than my boy. He's a good man. He could be your best friend again, if you'd let him."
18
Ryan never showed up at the hospital, the coward. Not while Tara, Gram, and Laura waited for Harry to come out of post-op. Not while Harry was being settled in his room. Not while Tara visited with Harry, thinking he looked smaller than life as he lay in his hospital bed connected to an IV and all sorts of monitors while an old Christmas classic movie played on the TV overhead. Not when relief surged through her that this was not going to be the tragic Christmas she'd feared. Not even when Rick picked Tara up to drive her home to the lodge.
Tara couldn't stay at the hospital until Christmas waiting for Ryan to show up. In fact, she came to the conclusion her presence was probably keeping him away. So reluctantly, she texted Rick and asked him to pick her up.
It was better this way. It really was. She couldn't face Ryan's cold shoulder and accusing eyes again. She was disappointed, terribly disappointed, in him, and in herself for being disappointed. Laura's little talk with Tara had given her hope again, and hope, in this case, was a dangerous and unreasonable creature.
What did she really think was going to happen between her and Ryan? A Christmas miracle?
Tara imagined Laura had texted Ryan the minute she left with Rick. And Ryan had probably swooped in to visit Harry as soon as the hospital was clear of her presence. At least, she hoped Ryan would visit Harry. He darn well should.
She and Rick rode in companionable silence for most of the half-hour trip on snowy roads through snowy woods to the lodge. But she was still fuming and silently berating Ryan.
Dusk was falling as they pulled into the long driveway into Echo Bay Resort. As they came around the corner and the lodge came into view, Tara gasped. No longer was the lodge roof piled high with snow. The roof, the actual roof, was clear. Piles of shoveled snow surrounded the lodge.
"Someone's cleared the roof." Tara's eyes clouded with tears.
"Looks like it," Rick said in his understated way.
"I wonder who—"
Rick shook his head. "Yeah, I wonder."
She wasn't looking at him. From the tone of his voice, she could only imagine him rolling his eyes.
He pulled directly in front of the front porch and came to a stop.
She smiled at him. "I take back every bad thing I ever said about you, Rick."
He grinned. "You said bad things about me?"
She laughed. "All the time. Back in the day, anyway. You and the boys were always merciless with me." She paused. "Thank you for today. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up when you did."
"You would have thought of something." He looked almost embarrassed.
"I owe you coffee, probably for life," she said.
"You can buy me a cup tomorrow. After that, we're even."
She jumped out of the truck and slammed the door tightly shut behind her. She didn't wait for him to pull away. She simply ran into the lodge. There was so much to do.
Clearing the roof would have fixed the leaks. But there was the cleanup and the laundry and the apologies...
Stormy met her at the door and pulled her into a hug. "You're back!"
"I am, indeed."
"How's Harry?"
"Up and ornery and asking for coffee." Tara looked around the lodge. The fire crackled happily. Groups of guests milled around contentedly. Someone was even playing Christmas songs on the piano. No one looked upset or worried or hassled.
"How are things here?" Tara asked, but she had the feeling she already knew.
"We're great. Everything's back to normal." Stormy pulled her inside as she pointed upward. "We're standing under the mistletoe. I don't want anyone getting ideas." She laughed. "Ryan was really a wonder. Once he stepped in and took charge, it was like magic. Everything fell into place. He charmed the guests, recruited a group of his friends, and cleared the roof while we cleaned the rooms."
Stormy smiled again. "You should have heard the ruckus they made up there—stomping and laughing and shoveling. Piles of snow flying off the roof past the windows. Someone was playing Christmas music. It sounded more like a party than a work crew. I was almost tempted to join them." Stormy winked. "I did bring them coffee once or twice, handed it right out the second floor windows.
"The guests made a joke of running out between shovelfuls of snow coming off the roof and the kids thought it was great fun.
"During all the festivities, Ryan got on the horn to the laundry service and somehow sweet-talked them into making an emergency delivery despite the snowy roads. As if that wasn't enough, he got a handyman from town to come out and repair the damage the leaks caused in the rooms.
"Now that we now that Harry's going to be all right, it was all simply an exciting morning adventure."
Tara's eyes misted up again. She'd misjudged Ryan so badly. "Ryan did all this?"
Stormy nodded. "He showed up shortly after you left. He just left about fifteen minutes ago. He raided the kitchen and fed his crew lunch on the house, but I don't think Harry will mind. If you want to catch him—"
Tara shook her head. "What a wonder. Did he cancel my roof-clearing service appointment for the twenty-seventh, too?"
"You'll have to ask him, but I wouldn't put it past him."
All day long Tara had been silently calling Ryan a coward and thinking all kinds of horrible things about him. And all the time he'd been taking care of them, doing what needed to be done here when she was sure he'd rather have been at the hospital.
"Hey?" Stormy looked concerned. "Are you okay?"
Tara nodded. "Ryan really loves this place."
Stormy nodded. "He certainly treated it like it was his own today, and I don't mean that in a bad way. You should have seen him with the guests. I think we're due for more repeat business because of the accident, rather than less."
Stormy paused and snapped her fingers. "I almost forgot. Ryan got a card for Harry and passed it around. Most of the guests have already signed it. You can take it to Harry when you visit him tomorrow. And Carter says to tell Harry he's saving the best kindling for the blaze he's going to make for Harry when he comes home.
"Come to think of it," Stormy said. "Ryan even ordered another couple of cords of wood and had them delivered. Carter complained to him that he was running low."
Was there anything Ryan hadn't done or thought of?
Stormy looked Tara over. "You look beat. Things are under control. Why don't you take a rest in your room?
"
Tara nodded. "I think I will. Thank you."
Back in her room, Tara immediately noticed that the wet towels she'd used to mop up the leak were gone. The wall was dry. The bed neatly made. The curtains were open and there was a light on in Ryan's cabin across the way. The snow had finally stopped and it was just clear enough to make out the happy glow coming from Ryan's window.
Tara pulled out her cell phone. She owed Ryan a debt she'd never be able to repay. She stared at the phone and frowned. It was narcissistic to think he'd done any of this for her. If she were cynical, she would have said he'd done it to win points in his battle with her for the lodge. But she wasn't so jaded that she could overlook Ryan's true nature and love for this place and her grandparents. He'd done it for Harry and Margie. In a way, she didn't owe him any thanks at all.
In another, she owed him everything. Her grandfather's heart attack had made things clearer than they'd ever been. She had arrived just in time to take care of her grandparents with the purest of intentions and the worst-case scenario of an implementation strategy.
Would a manager appointed by Cheryl from Northwest Resort Management Services have shown the love for the lodge and gone to such lengths to make sure the resort ran smoothly? Could that manager have rounded up volunteer locals to help out in an emergency the way Ryan had? Would the locals love the lodge as they had all these years Harry and Margie had run it if a big corporation took over? Would Harry's legacy die with him?
Maybe the best gift she could give her grandparents this season would be letting them decide what they wanted, really and truly wanted, for Echo Bay, even if that meant selling it to Ryan now rather than willing it to her.
She made up her mind to put the question to her grandfather when she visited him tomorrow.
She stared at her phone again, finally texting Ryan two simple words: Thank you.
Harry looked much better when Tara walked into his room the next day carrying a Christmas poinsettia. His color had returned and he sat up in bed finishing his breakfast. Gram sat next to him eating a Danish from the cafeteria.
"Look who's here, Margie!" Harry sounded happy to see Tara.
She walked over and gave him a kiss. "You look good. You scared us yesterday. I thought Gram told you to be careful up there. I did, too, and you laughed it off. So what is this disobeying orders business?"
Harry chuckled. "Henpecked, that's what I am. And paying the price for that disobedience. That snow may have been soft, but it wasn't soft enough. I'm bruised six ways from Sunday."
Tara set the plant on the nightstand next to his bed and hugged her grandmother. "You'll both be happy to know the lodge is back to normal and running like a well-oiled machine."
Harry's eyes lit up as he patted Margie's hand. "I knew our girl would take care of things!"
Tara removed her scarf and took a seat in the guest chair across the bed from Gram. "Not so fast. I'd love to take credit, but I think lying will get me on Santa's naughty list and I've been bad enough already this year."
Harry furrowed his forehead. "What do you mean? Did my excellent staff take care of things?"
"They helped and followed orders. But Ryan deserves the credit." She related everything he'd done.
Margie got tears in her eyes.
Harry looked moved, too. "Ryan's a good one."
"Yes, he is." And she meant it. Tara was nervous, but she'd just been handed her opportunity to bring up the lodge and its future. "And he loves Echo Bay Resort like no one else, except maybe you two." Tara winked at them and took a deep breath.
"I have to apologize to both of you. I came here for Christmas to do what I thought was best for you both and the lodge. But it turns out that although I acted in love and had the best of intentions, I pretty much was just forcing my opinions on you.
"As much as I love Echo Bay, I have no desire to run it." She swallowed hard. "That was always Chad and Ryan's dream. I thought hiring a company to manage it so you two could take it easy and semi-retire was the best alternative. But since I've arrived, I've realized that I'm not sure that's what you want." She bit her lip.
"So please answer me truthfully—my desires aside, what do you want to do with Echo Bay? Do you want to sell it to Ryan? He'd be really good for it, and owning it's the only way he'll take over as the manager."
She rushed on before they could cut her off and answer. "Because if you do, I have no objections. Truly. He'd be good for the place. There's no need to hang onto it and run yourself ragged just so you can leave it to me. If you want to sell to Ryan, I'll help you make the arrangements and call off my management company."
Harry and Margie looked at each other as if trying to get confirmation from each other that it was okay to say what they really thought.
"I'm serious," Tara said. "Chad's dream can live on through Ryan. He's not Chad, but he's been as much like a grandson to you as anyone." Tara choked up. "If we're all truthful, he's been a better grandchild to you than I've been.
"Look, I've seen how much you care for him and how much he loves Echo Bay. There's nothing wrong with wanting him to be the one to continue your tradition."
Harry cleared his throat. "You've been a good granddaughter to us, Tara. Don't ever think different."
Margie nodded as tears stood in her eyes. "We love you like nobody's business."
Tara had tears in her eyes now, too. Some cheering up she was doing. "I know. And I love you both so much, too. Which is why I want what you want and what's best for everyone, not just me."
Harry shot another glance at Margie. It wasn't like Harry not to speak up, but he seemed to be walking softly and afraid of something. "Ryan has the touch with the place. He just seems to know what to do and when to do it. It has to do with loving it. If you love something, you can't keep away from it. You get to know it." Harry smiled slightly and there was a tease in his eyes. "Kind of like I know that old girl over there." He nodded toward Margie.
"Oh, Harry." Gram used her embarrassed tone, but her expression said she was pleased.
"I've always thought Ryan would be a good choice for the lodge," Harry said. "He's offered me a fair price and he'll let Gram and me stay on until we die if that's what we want to do." Harry paused. "But I can tell from the look on her face, your grandma is worried that if we sell to Ryan, you'll never come see us here again. That would break her heart." His tone was gruff, which meant it would break his, too, the old softie. He was trying to act tough, but it was easy enough to see through him.
"So," Tara said, "let me see if I have this right. You want to sell to Ryan, and I agree with you that's the best solution for everyone. But if I refuse to visit once he's the owner, that's a deal breaker?"
"I think you about got it, kid," Harry said as Margie adjusted the pillow behind his back for him.
"Ryan's upset with me now," Tara said. "But once I bow out and give him my blessing to buy it, I think he'll forgive me." She hoped. "If I promise to come back and visit, we'll have a deal?"
Harry nodded. "We'll have a deal."
"Can I make it a condition of the sale that Ryan holds my room for me and gives it to me on the house whenever I want to come? Within reason, of course."
"Sounds reasonable to me." Harry's smile reached from ear to ear. He looked as pleased as the Grinch on Christmas Day as he carved the roast beast.
Margie beamed.
"Okay, then." Tara reached across and patted her grandfather's gnarled hands where they rested against the blankets. "You have a deal, on one more condition—let me tell Ryan. On Christmas. Bowing out of this battle will be my gift to him, if it's all right with the two of you."
"Sounds more than fair to me," Harry said.
"Good," Tara said. "And no more climbing on the roof for you. Let Ryan do it. From what Stormy said, he knows how to make a party of it."
Tara left the hospital with a light heart. Or, at least, a lighter heart. Her grandparents were ecstatic. The only thing that could have made them happier was Tara and
Ryan getting back together and giving them the great-grandchild they longed for. And the truth was, if Tara had still really believed in Santa, she would have put that wish on top of her list, too. Realistically, she wasn't sure Ryan was ready to forgive her, or ever would be. After all, she'd already broken one engagement to him and all but turned him down a second time. How many chances did a girl get? Then again, that was only two. Wasn't three supposed to be the charm?
The least she could do was leave Echo Bay with a clear heart. And that meant coming clean with Ryan. She headed to a quaint little gift shop along Main Street and stopped in to buy a Christmas card with the right sentiments, not too optimistic they'd have an I'm-so-sorry-please-forgive-me-and-now-you-can-buy-the-lodge section.
How does one find a card that strikes perfect balance of true feeling, romance, and forgiveness? Did she go sappy sweet? Sexy come-on? Funny? This greeting card had the weight of her world on it. It had to immediately convey that she still loved Ryan, make him smile, and beg his forgiveness. A tall order, and one she was willing to pay a premium price for.
The clerk greeted her the minute she walked in the door. "Merry Christmas! Can I help you find something?"
"Just looking for a Christmas card."
"You've come to the right place." The middle-aged woman came out from behind the counter and showed Tara to the greeting-card section. Which she could have found on her own, but the woman seemed to want something to do. "We're a bit picked over."
"That's what I get for waiting until the last minute." Tara turned her attention to the cards. "Thanks for your help."
"You're Harry and Margie's granddaughter, aren't you?" The woman just would not leave.
"Yes."
"I heard Harry fell off the roof yesterday." The woman sounded and looked concerned. "How is he doing?"
"Great. He's recovering quickly. He'll be home for Christmas Eve."
"That is a relief." The woman smiled. "We all love Harry. He's a fixture around here. What would we do without him?"
Fortunately, another customer came in and diverted the clerk's attention. "Let me know if you need any help." She wandered off to help the new arrival.
Christmas Duet: A Big City, Small Town Christmas Romance Bundle Page 34
