Christmas in Snow Valley

by Cindy Roland Anderson

  Paisley ran the cookie trays out to the punch table, made sure Myranda and her sisters were ready, and told her mom to open the doors, before rushing to the bathroom to change. She slipped into the dress and threw on heavy nylons and the red pumps she’d found in Amber’s closet.

  Amber burst in, a bottle of aerosol hair spray in one hand and a makeup bag in the other. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Paisley.

  “No stinking way!”

  Paisley grinned. Worth every penny. She spun and let the skirt fly out around her knees.

  “I love it!” Amber squealed and bounced on her toes.

  “It’s perfect – right?”

  Amber put her hand on Paisley’s shoulder and pushed her onto the folding chair set up before the mirror. “You look incredible in that dress. Now hold still and let me tame your mane.”

  In just three minutes, Amber had Paisley’s hair pulled up and dug through the makeup bag for black eyeliner. Amber rushed through Paisley’s makeup with unnatural skill. When Paisley turned to the mirror, she was stunned to see the woman staring back at her.

  “The lipstick matches your dress perfectly,” said Amber.

  Paisley pursed her lips together to even out the application.

  There, perfect.

  Amber pecked her on the cheek. “If I didn’t love you so much, I’d have to hate you for looking so beautiful. Love the dress.” She twittered her fingers as she floated out of the bathroom. Paisley took one more spin in front of the mirror and then bolted for the door. She still had to introduce the band to get the night rolling. There was also an unfinished conversation with Clay. Paisley nodded once, as she half-ran, half-power walked to the Ball – in this dress, anything was possible.

  Stepping up to the mic, Paisley remembered why she liked to be at the soundboard – no one could see you from there. With over a hundred pairs of eyes boring into her, she felt the need to clear her throat.

  “Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the annual Christmas Ball.”

  Pause for polite clapping. Continue.

  “We have a special Christmas treat planned for you. Some of you may recognize the faces up on stage tonight. Please welcome Snow Valley’s very own Iron Stix.” Paisley clapped as she backed away from the mic and the band took their places.

  “Merry Christmas, Snow Valley,” Amber cooed into the mic. “We are the Iron Stix and we’re going to start off the night with some Jingle Bell Rock.”

  Bill led off and the others joined in two measures later. Paisley liked the tinny sound she’d added to his guitar, but decided to tone it down a bit and made her way to the soundboard.

  Once there, it was difficult to tear herself away until the sight of the Adams twins snickering near the punch bowl had her striding across the dance floor. They turned tail and ran when they saw her coming and Paisley motioned to Myranda to keep an eye on them.

  When Jingle Bell Rock ended, the band sang Run, Run, Rudolf, and then Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree. People clogged the dance floor.

  Paisley noticed April and Wade lost in being together. Big surprise. Everyone knew it would happen one day. The pastor in training, James, spun Jessica across the floor. She was grace personified and Paisley felt the chime of a Christmas miracle to see her happy again.

  Two of Miranda’s sisters had snagged the Adams twins and shuffled their way across the dance floor, their faces beet red and chagrined

  Paisley had to give it to the girls, they knew how to keep the boys occupied.

  When the song ended, Paisley had to scramble to adjust things as Clay set aside his bass and took Bill’s guitar.

  Amber gave the audience a spotlight smile. “Here’s Clay Jett with Blue Christmas.”

  Clay’s voice, as deep as dark chocolate, floated through the speakers and Paisley had to grab the edge of the table as her knees went weak. She closed her eyes. The gentle notes lifted and fell as Clay caressed them forth.

  Clay’s rendition of the Christmas classic told her so much more than the actual words. His longing strummed her heart strings, setting loose a horde of butterflies in her stomach. Paisley’s hand went to her chest where the low notes from the guitar thumped. Two hot tears slid down her face.

  Who was she kidding? As much as she loved Snow Valley, it would never be the same after Clay. She’d fallen for him – hard. And there was no chance of recovery.

  Her love for Clay, the kind of love that made the whole world look brighter, would taint this town. The cookie party would be boring, the carnival humdrum, and even work, which she usually took great satisfaction in, would be routine. It wasn’t spontaneity she craved, it was Clay. He was the one who swept the monotony out of her days and replaced it with music. Just hearing him sing was enough to make her heart race and his kiss – oh, his kiss! Her lips tingled just thinking about it.

  When she opened her eyes, Clay was looking at her. She held his gaze and there was no one and nothing else in the room but her and Clay. The last note hung between them, humming with desire. He didn’t move when he finished and Paisley couldn’t look away. She had so much to tell him and couldn’t find the words.

  Amber sashayed onto the stage and took the mic. “Wasn’t he great?!” Thunderous applause sounded and Paisley’s eyes swept the room. The Rock & Roll Christmas Ball was the best one they’d ever had.

  Clay took the guitar off of his shoulder and handed it to Bill who strummed the first lines of Merry Christmas Baby.

  Taking the stairs two at a time, Clay had Paisley in his arms before Bill finished the introduction.

  “I’ll go,” she whispered as she reached up to brush his hair off his forehead. “I just want to be with you, I don’t care where.”

  Clay used his thumbs to wipe away the tears and continued to cradle her face in his hands. “You didn’t make another bet with Amber, did you?”

  Paisley laughed through her tears. “No, this is me. I want to go with you.”

  Clay smiled. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Paisley gripped his arms. “But you’re studio? You can’t give that up.”

  Clay tipped his head. “Who said I would have to give up the studio?”

  Being this close to Clay made it hard for Paisley to think. She couldn’t put two and two together. “I don’t understand.”

  “My studio will be here.”

  “What?”

  “I’m buying my dad’s old barn and remodeling. Didn’t we go over that?”

  Paisley thought back to last week. “I didn’t read the building information.” She could have kicked herself. “All this time I thought you planned to leave after Christmas.”

  Clay chuckled and Paisley pressed her hand to his shirt to feel the gentle rumble.

  Clay rested his forehead against hers. “Snow Valley is my home. I took off trying to find a dream and all along it was here with sugar cookies, the Iron Stix, and this gorgeous girl I couldn’t forget. Once I saw you at the tree lighting, I knew I’d never be able to leave again.”

  “You could have clued me in.” Paisley stepped deeper into his embrace.

  “Technically – I did,” he said as he leaned closer. His breath whispered across her lips and Paisley closed her eyes. Like his song had only moments before, his kiss told her so much more than his words. There was longing there, and joy, pure joy that lifted her to her tip toes.

  Paisley worked her fingers into Clay’s hair and kissed him back, letting go of all her worries and getting lost in the moment. This kiss was one she wanted to remember forever, This, was magic.

  Romances by

  Lucy McConnell

  Just click on a cover to learn more.

  About the Author

  Lucy McConnell has always been a reader and a writer. Once caught up in a writing a story, she disappears into a cave until the first draft is done. She writes fantasy, clean romance, Christian romance, historical fiction, and cookbooks under the name Christina Dymock.

  When she’s not writing, you can find her
volunteering at the elementary school or the church; shuttling kids to baseball, soccer, basketball, or football, depending on the time of year; skiing with her family; wake boarding; cycling; or curled up with a good book.

  You can visit her website at: http://lucymcconnell.wordpress.com/

  Or sign up for her newsletter at:

  LucyMcConnellNews

  If you enjoyed Christmas in Snow Valley then you’ll love

  Summer in Snow Valley now available!

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  #1 Bestselling Amazon Authors of Christmas in Snow Valley, have teamed up again with six wonderful summer novellas that are sure to make your summer sweet and sassy!

  Catching Caytie by Amazon Top Seller Cindy Roland Anderson

  On the night Caytie Holbrook intends to break up with her cheating boyfriend, he blindsides her by announcing their engagement at a dinner party. When Caytie discovers her father is in on the scheme, she runs away from her home in Beverly Hills to hide out at her uncle’s ranch in Snow Valley, Montana. While Snow Valley is a beautiful place, Caytie only plans to stay until her twenty-fifth birthday when she’ll inherit a trust fund her grandmother left her, allowing her to pursue her dream to move to Italy. That is until she meets Jace McAllister, an incredibly sexy—although somewhat grumpy—cowboy who threatens to disrupt her plans.

  Tin Foil Tiaras by Amazon Top Seller Jeanette Lewis

  Cameron Elliott has come to Snow Valley to coach Annalisa Drake in the Miss Snow Valley pageant, and prove to her demanding boss that she deserves a place at the prestigious Westbrooke Agency. But Annalisa’s handsome and protective big brother, Kyle, is determined to keep his sister from becoming a reluctant beauty queen. As Cameron tries to win Kyle over, Kyle insists some things are more valuable than a title and as crazy as it sounds, Cameron might just believe him.

  A Touch of Love by Amazon Top Seller Cami Checketts

  Annie Stirland has endured a lifetime of teasing, embarrassment, and isolation due to her speech impediment. When irresistible cowboy, Luke Wilson, seems to be falling for her, she’s certain he’s too good to be true. A tragedy involving his ex-girlfriend proves she’s right. What man can resist sheltering someone they once loved? Annie knows she should walk away, but Luke isn’t ready to give her up.

  First Love by Amazon Top Seller Taylor Hart

  Janet Snow doesn’t expect to get caught in a full-blown make out session at her brother’s wedding. Especially not with Michael Hamilton, the boy she’d written off ten years ago. Even though they both agree to no complications, Janet's not sure they can stick to it given their past. After a trip to the hot springs, a helicopter ride, and a proposal, even the most cautious single mother would start to wonder if true love really is just about the timing. Now Janet has to make a choice—play it safe or trust that her first love could also be her last.

  Romancing Rebecca by Amazon Top Seller and Award-winning Author Kimberley Montpetit

  Rebecca Dash loved spending her teen summers swooning over Jane Austin and helping her aunt at the Starry Skies Bed & Breakfast in Snow Valley. But as a recent college grad, she’d rather write sappy romance novels than go out with guys that make her a nervous wreck. When a team of fire-fighters set up camp on the lawns of the B&B and Captain Wade catches her eye, Becca soon learns that there’s more to a happily-ever-after than a flirty firemen with muscles the size of the Montana hills.

  Love in Light and Shadow by Amazon Top Seller and Award-winning Author Lucy McConnell

  Mercedes O'Shay has sworn off gorgeous men because they have a tendency to break her heart. When she meets her new neighbor, Chet Bauer, she immediately puts him in the Do Not Date category based on his well-defined muscles and stunning blue eyes. But the more Mercedes learns about the cowboy who reads classics and forges iron, the more she realizes the heart doesn't see in black and white; it sees light and shadows.

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  Five Christmas romances set in the picturesque town of Echo Ridge, NY for just 99 cents!

  Continue reading for the first chapter of The Candy Counter Heiress, a Christmas Kisses original.

  The Candy Counter Heiress

  By Lucy McConnell

  Chapter 1

  Reese Gates watched the silver-backed candy thermometer with a careful eye. Even though the numbers on the new thermometer were easy to read compared to the old one Grandma Ruth broke yesterday, one couldn’t leave caramel unattended when it was this close to 224 degrees.

  The golden liquid bubbled, content to release steam and thicken, while Reese fretted over the difference between two degrees. Because of the Christmas rush, learning the personality of a new piece of equipment was more stressful than it was a fun experiment. Reese squatted down to be on level with the mercury. She leaned in closer, the sugar and cream steam heating her face. If she took the pan off the burner too soon, the caramels wouldn’t set properly. If she waited too long, they’d be hard, like suckers. Nothing less than the best made it into the display case at The Candy Counter, located in Kenworth’s Department Store, so her calculations had better be right.

  Grandma Ruth sniffed the air. “It’s ready,” she said from her stool at the dipping counter. Reese’s mom nodded in agreement. The length of the counter was stainless steel, but under Grandma’s chocolate-covered hand was a one-inch slab of marble. It was the same slab she’d used for the last fifty years. One day it would be Reese’s, as would the chocolate molds lining the far wall and the lease to The Candy Counter.

  Reese checked the thermometer—not that Grandma’s nose had ever been wrong. Her caramels came out perfect every time. At least, they used to ... until yesterday, when she’d forgotten she was making a batch and they ended up throwing away an expensive saucepan and airing out the food-grade kitchen with industrial fans. Burnt sugar stink, stank, stunk.

  Reese made a face. It also stunk that Grandma had been doing a lot of forgetting lately. Watching her now, Reese marveled at the speed with which she dipped the lemon fondant and with a swoop of her pointer finger created the elegant L to mark it.

  Satisfied with the time, temperature, color, and thickness, Reese clutched the heavy black handles and swung the pan off the burner and onto a waiting trivet. She poured in two teaspoons of high-quality vanilla and stirred quickly. Once the vanilla was incorporated, Reese placed the nine-by-thirteen-inch pan she’d buttered to within an inch of its life next to the pot. Then she carefully poured the still-boiling liquid inside. Leaving the caramel to cool on the counter, she set the saucepot in the stainless steel sink and filled it with hot water to soak. Grandma would wash and dry it after Reese and her mother, Joy, left for Kenworth’s.

  The outside door opened and shut in less time than it took to chew a truffle. All three women hissed. One cold blast of air could cause the chocolates Ruth had been dipping by hand for the last forty minutes to bloom, making them chalky and unsellable—an offense worse than breaking a window at the Gates’ house.

  “Other door!” all three women yelled at the same time.

  “Sorry,” said the muffled offender, his scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face. “I’ll go out the other way.” He pulled down his winter gear, and a slow heat started in Reese’s belly.

  Andy.

  “Pop said you needed these right away.” Andy held up a box. Even though he ran his own company doing computer something or other, Andy made time to help his dad with deliveries.

  Reese recognized the Just Sugar Coat It label on the side. They were running dangerously low on candy cups necessitating an overnight order. Andy’s dad owned the shipping store in town, and Andy had been helping him out during the holidays. Technically, he could have waited until this afternoon to deliver, but in a small town like Echo Ridge, neighbors went out of their way to help one another. Even if it meant delivering a package at—Reese glanced at the clo
ck on the wall—six forty-five in the morning.

  “Thank you so much. I hope that will last us through the holiday. Can you just set it there?” Joy nodded to the top of the fridge. Her hands were busy popping chocolate Santas out of the molds and wrapping the little guys in gold foil. Once she was done with that, they would slide into red boxes with cellophane windows.

  Reese moved to help her mom. She kept her head down, as if she were concentrating on the foil wrapping, as her eyes followed Andy’s big frame across the room. At six-foot-one, he had no trouble placing the box on top of the fridge. She smiled at the curls poking out from under his stocking hat. They weren’t tight spirals, just a flip at the ends that looked both boyish and incredibly manly at the same time.

  “Oh man, more Santas? How many do you make each year?” Andy asked as he sidled up to Reese.

  Reese felt her neck warm with Andy standing so close. If the heat traveled to her hands, she’d melt the Santa she was suddenly fumbling with. “A-about fifteen hundred.”

  Andy let out a low whistle. “How many can you make a day?”

  “A hundred and fifty if we do two sets, one in the morning and one at night,” answered Joy absently. Stepping around the counter, she picked up an empty storage box and began filling it with the wrapped Santas.

  “I think I’m done.” Grandma used her dipping hand to wipe her brow, leaving behind a semisweet chocolate streak. She wiped at her head, trying to get it off. “Joy, honey, what is this?”

  “It’s chocolate, Mom.” Joy bustled over to the sink and doused a washcloth. “Here, I can help you with that.”