She turned round to strike back down the path she’d come up, only to realise it had vanished completely. The snow was so heavy now, the path was totally hidden. Oh crap. This was stupid, and dangerous. She was fairly near the top of the hill, it made more sense to keep climbing upwards, that way she could find her way to the road which went across the top of the hills and led back down to Hope Christmas. With any luck there might be someone as idiotic as her out in their car, and she could follow the sounds of their engine.
It was hard going in the snow. Luckily she’d come out in wellies, but her feet were soon freezing, and her gloves wet through from where she’d scrabbled at the snow. She was puffed out, and ridiculously feeling quite hot, considering she was in the middle of a snowstorm. Cursing herself for getting into this idiotic position, she nearly wept with relief when she could just make out the sound of a motorbike in the distance. Pulling herself up the last steep bit, she managed to get to the top of the hill, and a few hundred yards away to her relief, she saw that there was someone on a motorbike, who’d paused on the road.
It wasn’t just any someone, it was Michael Nicholas, sitting astride his motorbike, looking as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
‘Well you’re a sight for sore eyes,’ said Pippa, ‘I was worried I’d lost the road.’
‘Luckily you’ve found it again,’ said Michael. ‘If you hop on the back, I’ll make sure you get down safely.’
So, feeling slightly surreal, Pippa got on the back of Michael’s bike and he negotiated his way carefully down the road. She should have felt terrified, with the road being so hazardous, but somehow she didn’t; she felt safe and contented, as though everything would be well.
Michael deposited her at the bottom of the lane.
‘I expect you know the way from here,’ he said. ‘You’ll be ok, now, Pippa. Everything’s going to be fine.’
Pippa walked down the lane feeling a little bemused. As she got to the gate, to her surprise, she found Dan leaning against it, waiting for her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
‘You,’ she said, remembering she was angry. ‘I’m not talking to you.’
Then she looked around her. She’d left him way back in the fields, and Michael had brought her home on his bike. How had Dan got there so quickly?
‘How did you get here?’
‘Ralph Nicholas showed me a shortcut, across Blackstock Farm which I’d never seen before,’ said Dan. ‘He seemed to think you’d be coming in this direction.’
Ralph and Michael helping them both? What a strange coincidence.
‘Look, Pippa, I’m so sorry. For everything I’ve put you through. You’re right, I’ve been ridiculously unfair to you. Ever since that bloody injury, it’s like I haven’t been able to think straight. But for the first time, now I am.’
The injury – that’s where all this had started – Dan falling out of that tree. Pippa thought back to that awful day in hospital, when she thought she’d lost him forever.
‘Oh Dan,’ she said. ‘We’ve wasted so much time.’
‘But there’s one thing I’m not muddled about, not anymore,’ said Dan. ‘And that’s you. I pushed you away because I was afraid. I thought I’d ruin your life by staying. I was afraid you’d grow to resent me. But I’m too selfish, Pippa. I’m sorry. I can’t do it anymore. I miss you and love you too much to ever want to be without you again.’
‘Oh Dan,’ said Pippa. ‘You idiot. Please, just come home.’
My Broken Brain
My last entry ever. Christmas Eve, 6pm
So we’ve come full circle, and ended where we began. And I’ve learnt a valuable lesson.
I might be broken. I might not be the person I used to be. But I still love the people I used to love, and they still love me.
I look at Pippa and the children every day and feel blessed that we’ve come through this storm. I was mad to ever think I could manage without them. To think that because I’d changed they wouldn’t accept me anymore.
Life isn’t the way it was. But we’ve all come through this stronger. And whatever the future holds, I know it will be fine.
Because Pippa and I are together again. And I’m back where I belong. And nothing will ever take me away from here ever again.
Epilogue
‘More mulled wine for you two lovebirds?’ Cat came up to Dan and Pippa proffering a jug of hot spiced wine. She and Noel had decided to have an impromptu party for Christmas Eve, and the whole village seemed to have turned out. Diana Carew was there, hot footing it from the nativity play, which she had taken over from Marianne this year, about which there had already been complaints.
‘Oh god,’ Marianne had confided in Cat, who had had to endure watching the twins as mice in a play that had gone on forever, ‘I’m going to be back doing it again next year aren’t I?’
Pippa and Dan meantime were attached to each other like limpets. They appeared not to have let go of one another since they’d arrived back home the previous day. Cat was so pleased for them, it was like the balance of the universe righting itself now Pippa and Dan were an item again.
And Marianne and Gabriel seemed to have sorted out their differences too. Eve was coming for Christmas lunch, and when she discovered that Gabriel had reconsidered the situation with Steven, had changed her mind and agreed to stay in Hope Christmas. Steven would be moving in with her after Christmas.
‘It’s going to be a wrench,’ Marianne said, ‘but it’s definitely the right thing to do, and Gabe agrees with me now, which is great.’
As for her own family, well it looked like they’d gained an extra member. It turned out Will had a complicated family situation and was going to be alone for Christmas, so Cat had asked him to stay with them instead. He’d hit it off instantly with James, who appeared pleased to have a surrogate brother. And Noel too seemed pleased of the extra male company. Lou Lou was a little unsure what to make of the new arrival, but Cat was hoping as she was little enough, she’d soon come round.
All in all, it felt like a very happy Christmas. A perfect one, in fact.
‘Anything I can do?’ asked Angela.
‘Enjoy yourself,’ said Cat. ‘Go on it’s Christmas.’
‘I still think Mum would be better off near me,’ Kay was arguing with Noel, but Cat could tell her heart wasn’t in it.
‘When’s Santa coming?’ asked Lou Lou. Since she’d visited Santa at Pippa’s she’d been asking the same question every day. ‘Want Santa now!’
‘Time for bed,’ said Mel, picking her daughter up and carrying her up the stairs. ‘Come on, sweetie. When you wake up, Santa will be here.’
Lou Lou was already asleep by the time Cat had popped up to see how Mel was getting on.
‘Shall we sort her stocking out now?’ whispered Mel, who had been even more excited about planning what to put in Lou Lou’s stocking than Cat was – it had always been Cat’s favourite part of Christmas when the children were small, and it was lovely to have the ritual back.
‘Ok,’ whispered Cat, ‘but let’s not put it back in her room till we go to bed, otherwise she might wake up at ten o’clock and think Santa’s been.’
Giggling together, they crept out of Lou Lou’s room with the stocking and went to the cupboard in Cat’s bedroom where she had hidden the presents for years.
‘You do know we worked out your hiding place ages ago, don’t you?’ said Mel, as she stuffed some chocolate coins in the bottom of the stocking.
‘No, I didn’t,’ said Cat. ‘Don’t tell me you always found out what your presents were before the big day.’
‘There was one year when James found his Playstation,’ said Mel, ‘but usually you’d wrapped them before we got to them.’
‘I’m glad to hear it,’ said Cat, ‘I’d hate to think I’d ruined your Christmases.’
‘You could never do that,’ said Mel, ‘we’ve always had the best Christmases ever.’
She gave her mum a hug, and Cat felt
a lovely warm tingly feeling. Her family was growing up, but some things would always stay precious and perfect.
‘And this one is going to be the best yet,’ said Cat. ‘Come on that’s us done, let’s go down and join the party.’
And join the party they did. Everyone was in cheerful mood, the mulled wine was flowing, and the chatter constant. Cat looked round her with satisfaction, as the Christmas lights sparkled on the Christmas tree. Her favourite time of year, with all her favourite people. Life didn’t get better than this.
The doorbell rang and in walked Ralph and Michael Nicholas, to the delight of all.
‘Our guests of honour,’ said Cat, with a smile. ‘I think we all owe you both something this year.’
‘Which is what we’re here for,’ said Ralph, giving a very small bow.
‘Let’s raise our glasses,’ said Noel. ‘To families, friendship and love.’
‘And a very happy Christmas to us all,’ said Cat. ‘A perfect one, in fact.’
If you liked Coming Home for Christmas, why not try …
An absorbing novel about family, love and friendship from the bestselling author of Last Christmas.
Buy the ebook.
If you liked Coming Home for Christmas, why not try …
It’s the most wonderful time of year. Isn’t it?
Discover the true spirit of Christmas with this seasonal treat for fans of Love, Actually and The Holiday.
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About the Author
Julia Williams has always made up stories in her head, and until recently she thought everyone else did too. She grew up in London, one of eight children, including a twin sister. She was a children’s editor at Scholastic for several years before going freelance after the birth of her second child. It was then she decided to try her hand at writing. The result, her debut novel, Pastures New, was a bestseller and has sold across Europe.
To find out more about Julia go to her website at www.juliawilliamsauthor.com or follow Julia on Twitter @JCCWilliams.
By the same author:
Pastures New
Strictly Love
Last Christmas
The Bridesmaid Pact
The Summer Season
A Merry Little Christmas
Midsummer Magic
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
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Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
http://www.harpercollins.com
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