Not Christmas Without You

by Jane Porter

  Not Christmas Without You

  A Love on Chance Avenue Romance

  Jane Porter

  Not Christmas Without You

  Copyright © 2018 Jane Porter

  EPUB Edition

  Tule Publishing Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  First Publication by Tule Publishing Group 2019

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN: 978-1-949707-34-2

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  Dedication

  Dedicated to my readers everywhere. I write each and every book for you!

  With special thanks to my JP Street Team and my Jane Porter Facebook group for being so supportive always, as well as grateful thanks and love to Lee Hyat, Elisabeth Ringvard, Shari Bartholomew, Michelle Roark, Heidi Pergolski, and Jerilynn Moselle for giving me wonderful feedback on this story in particular!

  And last but not least, thank you to Meghan Farrell Fuhrmann, for your help. I am beyond grateful and I wouldn’t have a Christmas story every year if it wasn’t for you!

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  The Taming of the Sheenans

  Excerpt from Christmas at Copper Mountain

  More by Jane Porter

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  It wasn’t the worst breakup in history.

  Charity Wright knew that on the spectrum of heartbreaks, hers was mild. It was the sort of thing that someone might say “I have a touch of the flu,” except hers was a touch of heartbreak. Not so devastating that the holidays would be completely ruined but dispiriting, for sure. She secretly suspected that she might be getting too old to believe that happy-ever-afters could exist. And yet, she wasn’t a good pessimist. She preferred to see the glass as half-full, but on the inside she was increasingly worried. Was something wrong with her?

  Why couldn’t she meet “the one”? Or, had she met the one—her thoughts immediately went to her first love, Joe Wyatt, before shying away—and she’d blown her only opportunity for happy-ever-after? Maybe soul mates didn’t exist. Maybe there wouldn’t be a Mr. Right for her, never mind a Mr. Perfect.

  Her younger sister, Amanda, said Charity hadn’t found Mr. Right because Charity’s standards weren’t high enough—at least not since Joe, and he was years ago.

  Older-sister Jenny said it was because all those romance novels Charity had read growing up had poisoned her brain, making her think that love was easy and fun. Obviously Jenny had never read a romance novel, because in romance, love was not easy or fun. Love was a battlefield, with a little nod to the great 80s’ singer, Pat Benatar.

  This was why Charity needed a break from men and dating. She was just too banged up. A little too bruised. Charity was usually a never-ending well of hope, but at the moment, her hope was running dry. Which was why she kept thinking about Tricia’s offer to attend the travel agent familiarization trip in Wyoming in Tricia’s place.

  It’d be a chance to get away from Marietta, a chance to have a break from the real estate office—as she unfortunately worked with her ex, the double-timing Greg—and a chance to go somewhere she’d never been. The Tetons were only a five-hour drive from Marietta, but she’d never been.

  Growing up, the Wright sisters hadn’t traveled much because the family didn’t have the means to travel, never mind manage rent and food. But Charity was thirty now, and this travel agent familiarization would get her there, and even better, it was free. A four-night, five-day all-expense paid trip to a little ski resort in Wyoming. Would it be so wrong to go?

  Was it so awful to pretend to be Tricia Thorpe instead of Charity Wright?

  It wasn’t as if Tricia was a stranger. Tricia had been a close friend since they were girls, and Tricia’s brother married Charity’s sister, Jenny, making them family. And since Tricia couldn’t go on the trip due to a work conflict, and the Little Teton ski resort really wanted Marietta Travel to participate, why couldn’t Charity represent Marietta Travel?

  It wasn’t as if Charity knew nothing about the travel agency. She’d worked for them one summer when they were shorthanded and she was in between jobs. True, she hadn’t actually booked travel, but she’d filed brochures and printed travel itineraries and assisted the agents with their research. She actually quite liked the job. She’d hoped they would hire her and train her, but they had wanted someone with experience, someone who already knew how to use the computer software and had a client base. That’s how Charity had ended up working for Sam Melk at Melk Realty, and then how she met Greg, who’d been hired a year after she started there. They were no longer dating, but Greg remained a problem, making little digs, constantly goading her. Charity shouldn’t have ever dated him in the first place, but what was done was done. All she could do was move forward.

  A trip to Wyoming sounded like the perfect break, a most welcome break. Provided she didn’t have to ski—of course she’d been skiing at Bridger Bowl, just outside of Bozeman and she’d also done a little bit of skiing at Big Sky—but she was still quite an intermediate skier, and wasn’t cut out for black diamond anything.

  Tricia had said no skiing was required. Tricia said Charity simply needed to soak up all the information and report back, and if there was anything Charity did well, it was taking notes.

  Charity shut down her computer, walked through Melk Realty turning off printers and lights, adjusting the thermostat for the night, before locking the door on the office and making her way two blocks south on Main Street to Marietta Travel.

  Outside, festive white lights framed the windows and green garland wrapped around the light posts lining the street. The decorations on Main Street were familiar and beloved, and while Charity cherished her life in Marietta, there were disadvantages to living in a small town. She knew everyone, and everyone knew her, which also meant they knew when her romantic life derailed.

  Marietta Travel still blazed with light and, peeking through the front window painted with a huge blue globe, topped with a jaunty red ribbon and the words The World is Yours in a gorgeous font, Charity spotted Tricia still at her desk in the glassed-in office at the very back.

  Charity gave the painted window a quick critical study before trying the door. The paint was holding up. Good. She’d worried it might crack with the cold but it looked perfect still. No one but Tricia knew Charity had painted the window when Tricia’s usual sign painter tripped on his own icy sidewalk and broke his wrist, preventing him from doing the job. Tricia knew that Charity w
as forever sketching clothes, and asked Charity if she’d be willing to decorate their window for the Marietta Stroll, and Charity hadn’t been able to turn down the chance to make a little extra money on the side. With both of her parents now retired, money in her family was always tight.

  Charity stuck her head inside the front door and called to Tricia, “Hey, Trish, am I interrupting?”

  Tricia left her desk and waved her in. “Just wrapping up a few things. Come on back.”

  “Anything I can help with?”

  “Nope, just organizing itineraries to go out to customers tomorrow.” Tricia gave her a hopeful look. “Have you decided about the Little Teton familiarization trip?”

  “I think I want to do it.”

  “Good! It should be fun. Most of the agents will probably be older, but there might be a few other young ones.”

  “I don’t care about that. I’d love to be able to help you. You’re always looking out for me.”

  “Well, it would help us. The owners really want Marietta Travel there, aware that we have some clients with deep pockets, and you know our clientele. You know what people here are looking for when they say they want a great weekend getaway, or a cool, but affordable ski trip.”

  “I do think it’d be fun to learn something new. I promise to take extensive notes.”

  “I know you will. That’s why I’m encouraging you to go. You go be our ears and eyes, report back if Little Teton is the new place for us to recommend.” Tricia gave her a sly look. “It also means you’d miss the Stroll this weekend, and we all know Greg is going to parade his Miss Livingston around all weekend. Do you really want to be there to see that?”

  “No.” That alone made Charity shudder. “Definitely don’t want to be party to that, but at the same time, I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

  “You won’t. They want us there. They’re excited Marietta Travel is participating. I’ll send some of my business cards with you, and an old driver’s license for checking in.”

  “Do I need to dye my hair brown? Mandy could—”

  “No, don’t! It’d never be the same. And no one will say anything about the hair color, not when everyone is turning their hair blue these days. Just go and have fun and forget about Greg and what a two-timing schmuck he is, okay?”

  “Easier said than done, but yes, that’s the plan.”

  *

  The last time Quinn Douglas had flown into Jackson Hole he’d been with his former girlfriend, Alice, and her father Leo Sterling on their private plane, flying in from Seattle for Christmas at the Sterling’s vast Wyoming ranch with the equally impressive, sprawling ten-thousand-square-foot “lodge.”

  By the time they’d arrived on December twenty-third, the Sterling ranch house had already been prepped by staff for the holidays, with a fourteen-foot tree in the great room, and fresh green boughs wrapping the rough-hewn bannister railings. Gingerbread cookies had been baked and fires had crackled in all seven fireplaces. There had been a lot of eating and drinking and extravagant gift giving. Quinn had found Christmas with the Sterlings perfectly enjoyable—after all, it was his second holiday spent with them—but a Sterling Christmas was a far cry to his humble beginnings in Paradise Valley, Montana.

  Last year, on Christmas Day, he drove to Marietta for an evening meal with his family—sister McKenna and her clan, brother Rory and his new bride. McKenna hosted a Douglas family dinner at her and Trey’s house, and it was the complete opposite of the Sterling Christmas—noisy and chaotic with babies crying and kids fighting and lots of good-natured ribbing and laughter. There was no staff to do the work, thus everyone pitched in, with cooking and kids and cleanup.

  Quinn enjoyed playing bachelor uncle, even on his back in front of the living room fire with his nieces and nephews crawling all over him. He’d loved being with his family, and he adored the nieces and nephews, but it made him question the future. His future.

  His phone rang as he waited for his rental car to be brought around. He glanced at the number. Alice.

  Quinn tensed and then took a deep breath and answered the call. Even though they’d broken up over the summer, she still stayed in close touch, in hopes that they might get back together. “Hey,” he said, answering, the call.

  “So you made it?” she asked.

  “Just got here. Picking up my car now.”

  “I wish I was there. I love Jackson Hole.”

  “It is gorgeous,” he agreed, suppressing the ambivalence he felt every time they talked.

  Alice had wanted to marry him. She still wanted to marry him. They’d dated for almost three years, and she’d taken the breakup hard, feeling as if she’d invested a huge chunk of her life into him and she was still trying to get him back. There would be no going back. He didn’t know how to explain it to her without hurting her more, and so he smashed his unease and tried to be supportive, hoping that eventually she’d meet someone new and be able to move on.

  “Lots of snow?” she asked.

  “It’s been snowing all day.”

  “The powder would be amazing.” Alice sighed wistfully. “We haven’t had great snow in the Cascades yet, which reminds me why I’ve called. Dad is still interested in that resort. He knows they’re struggling financially and he’s considering making them an offer.”

  “I don’t think they’re looking to sell.”

  “But they would, for the right price.”

  “Your dad lowballs everyone.”

  “Come on, sweetie, that’s not fair. He’s just a tough negotiator, and it’s what makes him so successful.”

  “Mmm.” Quinn wasn’t about to contradict her, because Alice had always been a daddy’s girl, but Leo Sterling was ruthless, and he’d made a fortune by taking advantage of those who were desperate. It wasn’t the way Quinn had been raised and it made him leery of the future. If he married Alice, he could walk out of professional sports and be set for life, not because of what he’d achieved, but because her father, Leo Sterling, had built a dazzling real estate empire of luxury properties across the world and was one of the wealthiest men on the West Coast. Quinn could leave baseball behind—and Alice was desperate for him to leave ball and get off the road—and then Quinn could become her father’s right hand, the son he never had. It was all that Alice wanted.

  And nothing Quinn wanted.

  He tried to share with Alice his reservations, but she couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t want to be part of her family’s company. His resistance to working with her family became an issue between them, and it made him question his commitment to her.

  If he truly loved Alice, the shifting of his career shouldn’t be so hard. If he loved Alice, he should be happy to stay in Seattle and become vice president of Sterling Luxury Resorts. It would be a cushy job. All the hard work would have been done for him. All he needed to do was show up, dress the part, wine and dine clients, shake hands, sign a few autographs and be the good son-in-law, Seattle Mariner third baseman, Quinn Douglas, baseball hero.

  There was nothing about the job description that appealed, though.

  “The car is here,” he said, noting the black four-wheel-drive truck pulling up.

  “So what shall I tell Dad? That you’ll report back?”

  “Alice, I’m here for me. I’m looking for investment opportunities for me.”

  “You’re getting into property, too?”

  “I’m looking for investments that make sense to me. This one is close to home—”

  “It’s five hours from your family, across the Tetons. I wouldn’t call it convenient.”

  “I have a house four hours from here, and I like driving.”

  “Dad says they are in deep. They’re not going to survive this year. You don’t want to take on something like that. You could lose your shirt.”

  “I’m not looking to buy them. I’m looking to invest in them. Huge difference.”

  “Dad wants them. Don’t undermine him.”

  “Peter Pace, the ow
ner of Little Teton, is an old friend. I’m not going to stand by and let him go bankrupt if I can help.”

  “You played minor league ball with him. You barely knew him.”

  “We were roommates in single A ball. I knew him quite well.”

  “But that was years ago. Don’t throw your money away. Dad says—”

  “Your dad is smart. He is. But his way isn’t always the right way, Alice. We both know that. Goodbye.”

  Quinn hung up before she could reply and ground his teeth together. This was the part he couldn’t stomach. Alice might be beautiful and smart and well connected, but she didn’t understand that he came from a very different family, with different values. And maybe his parents had died when he was a teenager, but he was old enough to have internalized those values. People mattered. Kindness mattered. Integrity mattered.

  Alice had a good side, and he admired her immensely for being ambitious and hardworking, but he wasn’t ever going to be able to peel her away from Seattle, and he had family in Montana and it was his dream to one day return to Montana full time. When he broached the subject to Alice in early July, she recoiled, rejecting the idea of ever living in Montana permanently, and he suddenly had clarity on their relationship.

  He could love someone, but it didn’t make the relationship right.

  He could want the best for someone, but it didn’t mean that person was his person.

  And so instead of proposing, during the July All-Star Break, he broke up with her. It had been five months since he ended the relationship but she was still hanging on, determined to get him back.

  He had no plans to get back together with her. Ever. She was a great woman. She just wasn’t his woman.

  *

  Charity had been worried that forecast of snow would make the drive over the Teton Pass treacherous, but her seven-year-old Subaru handled the roads beautifully, and yes, the snow fell steadily, but there was no wind and her windshield wipers did a great job of scraping the window clean, keeping her view clear.