Christmas Ever After

by Karen Schaler

  Riley stared out the window. All the whirling snow was making her sleepy. She’d only gotten a few hours of sleep the night before, and she could never sleep on a plane or in a car. The last thing she remembered was letting her head fall back against the cool leather seat and thinking she would just rest her eyes for a few minutes . . .

  “Miss Reynolds? Miss Reynolds?”

  Riley heard her name faintly, as if it were coming from far, far away. Until it got louder and sounded closer.

  “Miss Reynolds?”

  Riley awoke with a start, sitting straight up. She couldn’t believe she’d actually fallen asleep.

  “What? I mean, yes?” She rubbed her blurry eyes.

  Harry turned around in his seat and smiled at her. “We’ve arrived.”

  Chapter Eight

  Still groggy, Riley looked out of the frosted SUV’s window and blinked several times. She rubbed her eyes again as if not believing what she was seeing. For a second, she actually wondered if she were still asleep and dreaming because what she saw in front of her looked like a Christmas fairy tale.

  It was that special time, right before dark, that everyone called “magic hour” and tonight the magic was turning the Colorado winter sky different shades of violet that were reflecting on what Riley guessed was Christmas Lake. The pristine frozen lake was covered with fresh snow and tucked up against the majestic mountains. All along the water’s edge there were spectacular evergreens decorated with white twinkling Christmas lights.

  But what really caught Riley’s attention was the one beautiful Christmas tree standing all alone right in the middle of the lake. It was the only tree that had multicolored lights of bright red, green, gold, and silver.

  “Welcome to Christmas Lake Lodge,” Harry said proudly, as if he owned the lodge himself.

  “Wow,” Riley said softly. “Now I see why they call it Christmas Lake.”

  “It’s really something,” Harry said, smiling. “This lodge always reminds me of what Christmas should be like.”

  Riley gave Harry a curious look. “How’s that?” she asked.

  “You’ll see,” Harry said cheerfully as he got out of the car and went to open her door.

  Riley was still taking it all in as she stepped out of the SUV.

  Immediately, the lodge itself had her full attention. It was even more magical than the video she’d seen during her interview. The entire lodge was outlined in white Christmas lights, giving it a whimsical charm like something straight out of a Christmas fairy tale. It was two stories, and there was garland with more white lights draped all along a wraparound balcony. In every window there was a gorgeous giant wreath with a huge red velvet bow. The same style wreath, with an even bigger bow, hung on the front door.

  It all looked so . . . welcoming.

  This was a home that knew love. She could already feel it.

  “You go on into the lodge,” Harry said, bringing her back to reality. “Get out of the snow. I’ll bring in your luggage.”

  “Thank you,” she called back to him as she looked up at the sky and could only see a blur of whirling snowflakes all around her. “And thank you for getting us here safely. Are you’re going to be able to get back down the mountain tonight? It looks like this snow isn’t letting up anytime soon.”

  “This isn’t anything to worry about,” Harry said with a chuckle as he continued to get her luggage out of the trunk. “I’ve been in a lot worse.” He held up her small carry-on suitcase and garment bag. “This is all you have?” he asked, sounding impressed. “I wish you’d teach my wife how to pack.”

  Riley laughed. “I do a lot of author events, so I’ve gotten pretty good at planning my professional attire for these things and keeping it simple.”

  Harry paused. “Professional attire? You need professional attire for a Christmas Camp?”

  “Of course,” Riley said as she made her way down the walkway to the lodge’s front door. She inhaled, enjoying the fragrant Douglas firs that lined the path. Each tree had its own set of white twinkle lights.

  She was almost to the front door when she passed an impressive five-foot-tall wood carving of a bear. As soon as she did, music started playing.

  “We wish you a BEARy Christmas . . .

  We wish you a BEARy Christmas . . .

  We wish you a BEARy Christmas . . .

  And a happy BEAR year!”

  She jumped back, startled.

  The music stopped.

  When she started walking again, it started back up.

  “We wish you a BEARy Christmas . . .”

  She froze and looked around, but there was no one.

  “Okay, who is messing with me?” she asked out loud.

  Silence.

  She suspiciously eyed the bear. She took a step toward it.

  Silence.

  She took another step.

  Nothing.

  Relieved, she continued toward the front door. Instantly, the song came back on.

  “We wish you a BEARy Christmas . . .

  We wish you a BEARy Christmas . . .

  And a happy BEAR year!”

  A little freaked out, she ran the rest of the way and yanked the door open and dashed inside, shutting the door quickly behind her.

  She looked out the window at the bear. She laughed to herself. “Okay, that was just weird.”

  When a dog barked, she whirled around.

  Directly in front of her, staring up at her with dark-brown soulful eyes, was a Bernese Mountain Dog who stood almost three feet tall. Riley guessed he looked like he weighed at least seventy pounds. He was mostly black with some touches of chocolate brown, and the breed’s characteristic white stripe down the middle of his face that continued on to circle his nose. He had little tufts of brown above his eyes that looked like eyebrows.

  He barked again. But it wasn’t a threatening, scary kind of bark. It was more of a welcoming bark, especially because he was also wagging his tail.

  “Well, hello to you, too,” Riley said with a smile. “Aren’t you the great guard dog?”

  He gave her a curious look, then turned around and trotted off, plopping himself down next to a spectacular stone fireplace where a roaring fire crackled away.

  Riley laughed, watching him. “Or not.”

  As she walked farther into the room, she turned around, slowly taking it all in. It was enchanting.

  The lobby looked like a giant cozy living room. Every inch, from top to bottom, was beautifully furnished with charming Christmas decorations. The stone fireplace reached up to the soaring beamed ceiling. Draped across its mantel was a gorgeous garland that was lit up with white lights and covered with pine cones, red berries, and red-and-green plaid bows outlined in a gold trim that glittered in the light.

  On a bookcase next to the fireplace, there was a collection of colorful nutcrackers of all shapes and sizes, ranging from just five inches tall to more than two feet tall. They all wore military outfits, and most of them also had crowns and carried swords. They looked fierce, ready for battle. But it was the nutcracker on the far right that captured Riley’s attention. It was a little different from the rest. It was about twelve inches high and wore a tall black hat instead of a crown. The hat looked like it was made of fur, and there was also fur around its jacket. It looked older than then the rest of them, and something about it was familiar . . .

  The next thing that caught Riley’s attention was the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, showcasing a postcard-perfect view of the mountains and Christmas Lake. Even with the snow falling, she could catch a glimpse of the one lone tree lit up on the lake.

  Inside the lodge, right in front of the window, there was another festive Christmas tree planted in a big, red ceramic pot that was rimmed with pine cones. The tree was decorated with red velvet bows and dozens of hand-carved wooden ornaments.


  Riley walked over to the tree to get a closer look. She smiled as she carefully touched a little ornament. It was a cute pair of wooden skies. When she accidently knocked it off the branch, she caught it just before it hit the floor.

  “Nice save,” a husky male voice said from behind her.

  Startled, Riley whirled around and then did a double take when she recognized the guy who had rescued her from falling outside the TV station the day before.

  “You?!” they both said at the same time.

  Riley recovered first. “You’re the guy who helped me outside the TV station in New York. What are you doing here?”

  The guy looked equally confused. “What are you doing here?”

  Riley stood up straighter. “I’m hosting the Christmas Boot Camp. Are you one of the guests? What are the odds?”

  The guy didn’t look amused.

  “No, I’m not a guest, and it’s a Christmas Camp, not a boot camp.”

  “That’s right, sorry,” Riley said with a guilty smile. “I keep getting that mixed up.”

  The dog came over and sat down next to the guy, keeping an eye on Riley.

  “I’m Luke. Luke Larchmont. My family owns this lodge,” the man said with authority.

  Riley’s eyes grew huge. She shook her head, trying to make sense of what she was hearing. “Your family owns the lodge?”

  “That’s right,” Luke said.

  Riley, still processing, forced a smile and quickly held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Riley—”

  “Yes, I know who you are,” Luke shot back. “You’re the author who ran out on a live interview on national TV, an interview I had finish, something I was completely unprepared to do.”

  Riley could see how upset he was. She bit down hard on her lower lip. “About that, I am so sorry that happened. None of that, of course, was planned and—”

  “What are you doing here?” Luke asked, cutting her off again. He folded his arms in front of his chest. Nothing about his tone was welcoming.

  The dog was looking back and forth between Riley and Luke as if he were following the conversation.

  Riley took a deep breath and continued, choosing her words carefully. “I’m here to apologize and explain. I really appreciate you giving me this second chance to come here and talk to you and . . .”

  But Riley was cut off yet again when Luke held up his hand.

  “What do you mean a second chance?” he asked. “I certainly never invited you here. I told Mike I was done with his crazy plan. I’m canceling the Christmas Camp.”

  Riley shook her head, more confused. “But Mike said I needed to come here to talk to you so we could work this out.”

  “And he said I invited you here?” Luke asked.

  Riley felt her stomach twist into a knot. “You didn’t?” She didn’t know what was going on, but one thing she did know was that she was going to kill Mike.

  Riley realized by the look on Luke’s face that he obviously had no clue she was coming, and she knew this had to be another one of Mike’s schemes.

  Beyond embarrassed, Riley started for the door. “I am so sorry,” she said. “I think there has been a huge miscommunication. I’ll go right now.”

  But right when she got to the door, it opened and Harry entered.

  “No one is going anywhere in this weather,” Harry said, brushing the snow off him.

  “What?” Riley asked as she hurried over to Harry. She needed to get out of there as fast as possible. “I thought you said everything was fine, that you drive in this snow all the time.”

  “Snow, yes,” Harry said. “But now it’s a blizzard. I don’t drive in blizzards.”

  Riley’s pulse quickened as she started to panic.

  “It can’t be that bad,” she said as she flung open the door. An icy gust of wind and whirling snow instantly blasted her. She couldn’t see even a few inches in front of her.

  “Whoa!” She quickly shut the door. She was trapped. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath before she turned back around to face Luke.

  Their eyes locked.

  The dog barked.

  “It’s okay, Comet,” Luke said, never taking his eyes of Riley.

  But all Riley could think was that all this, being trapped at a lodge where she wasn’t wanted, was anything but okay.

  Chapter Nine

  Luke turned his attention to Harry.

  “You’re right,” Luke said. “No one should be driving in this weather. You are more than welcome to stay. We have plenty of rooms.”

  Harry gave Luke a grateful smile.

  “Thank you. I appreciate that,” Harry said. “Actually, I’ve always heard great things about this lodge. My wife and I always wanted to come here, but we just never made it happen.” Harry looked around, impressed. “She would have loved all these Christmas decorations. She loved everything about Christmas. She passed several years ago, but she is with me more than ever this time of year.” Harry smiled as he walked over to the bookcase and admired a nutcracker from the collection.

  “That’s wonderful that you have so many special memories of your time with her,” Riley said.

  Harry smiled and nodded. “Especially at Christmas.”

  When Harry walked over to the big picture window, Riley joined him.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Harry asked, looking out the window.

  She gave him a funny look. “The blizzard? Beautiful? More like a menace since it’s keeping us trapped here.”

  “I can think of worse places to be trapped,” Harry said with a chuckle.

  When Riley turned around, she found Luke staring at her. His expression was impossible to read.

  “I really am sorry about this,” she said. “I’m going to call Mike and get this all straightened out.”

  But when Riley got out her cell phone, she barely had a signal. She started walking around the lobby holding up her phone, hoping to find a better connection.

  Comet, the dog, was following her.

  She looked down at him. “So what’s the secret here? Where is the good signal?” She walked over to the fireplace but still didn’t have any luck. She looked back at Luke. “Where’s the best place to get a strong signal?”

  Luke shrugged. “Depends, but right now you’re not going to get anything with the storm blowing through here.” He looked over at Harry. “Please sit, make yourself comfortable. You must be worn out after that drive up here in this weather.

  When Harry sat down on the couch, Riley picked a big overstuffed comfy chair to sit down in, too. It was just close enough to the fire that she could feel the warmth from the flickering flames.

  As soon as she sat down, Comet came over to her.

  She smiled at him. “Sit.”

  “Oh, he doesn’t do that,” Luke said. “Only for my mom.”

  Comet instantly sat and looked up at Riley with adoring eyes.

  Luke shook his head, surprised. “Well, that’s a first. Come here, Comet.”

  Comet quickly trotted over to Luke.

  “Sit,” Luke said.

  Comet didn’t move. He just stared back at him.

  Luke pointed to the floor. “Sit, Comet. Sit.”

  Comet just kept standing and wagging his tail.

  Riley patted her leg. “Come here, Comet,”

  When Comet ran over to her, Riley leaned down and gave him a hug. “You’re a good boy, aren’t you?”

  Comet barked and wagged his tail some more.

  “Sit,” Riley said.

  Comet sat perfectly on cue.

  “Seriously?” Luke asked Comet. “That’s how it’s going to be?”

  Comet barked again, looking quite pleased with himself.

  Riley tried to hide her laugh. “Why is he named Comet?”

  “After the rein
deer, right?” Harry asked.

  Luke nodded and smiled. “Exactly. Comet is my mom’s dog. She named him.”

  “Reindeer?” Riley asked, confused.

  Luke raised an eyebrow at her. “You know, Santa’s reindeer. I thought you would have gotten that right away, you being Miss Christmas and all.”

  Riley laughed loudly. “Miss Christmas? Where did you get that crazy idea from?”

  “Mike,” Luke said, but he didn’t look amused. “And what’s so crazy about it? I thought that’s why you were doing this Christmas Camp thing and writing a Christmas novel.”

  Riley’s smile quickly faded while she tried to comprehend what Mike had done now. The question that hit her full force was, why she was paying him so much when all he’d done lately was wreak havoc on her life? She could have done that on her own for free.

  She forced herself to smile. “What exactly did Mike say?”

  “When he was pitching me to have you do this Christmas Camp, he told me you’d be perfect because you loved all things Christmas and were Christmas twenty-four seven,” Luke said, starting to look concerned. “Are you saying it isn’t true?”

  Riley knew she had to choose her words carefully. She cleared her throat. “I’m saying Mike definitely has a way with words, that’s for sure.”

  She was saved from having to say anything more, though, when Harry jumped in. “What’s this Christmas Camp you’re talking about?” he asked, intrigued.

  “Oh, it was just something we were going to do—a weekend of special Christmas activities here at the lodge to help people really embrace their Christmas spirit,” Luke said.

  “That sounds great,” Harry said. “But now you’re not going to do it?”

  Luke looked into Riley’s eyes. “No. The plans have changed.”

  “Well, that’s too bad,” Harry said. “I like the sound of this Christmas Camp. I bet it would have been really popular.”

  “We had literally thousands of people who wanted to come,” Riley said.