When the Snow Falls

by Fern Michaels

  “Good evening, miss.”

  “Good evening.”

  “This is for us?” I asked Mark incredulously.

  “Yes. I thought it would be fun riding in a horse-drawn carriage, complete with bells, through Innsbruck. It’ll be just like those Christmas TV commercials.” Mark grinned.

  “You’re too much!” I laughed.

  “So you approve of your latest Christmas gift?”

  “You don’t need to get me any more gifts! This trip is more than enough of a gift!”

  Mark shrugged his shoulders. “What can I say? I love surprising you. Are you ready?”

  He held out his arm for me, and I linked mine through his. Helping me step up into the carriage, I noticed how beautiful the sky looked now that it was twilight. The carriage driver draped a heavy blanket over our laps. Mark scooted closer to me as we huddled together to stay warm.

  The carriage took off at a steady clip. I leaned my head against Mark’s shoulder as I stared at the gorgeous winter landscape before me. It was quite dark, except for the few lights from the various ski lodges that were strewn both at the base and in the mountaintops. When we approached the village, more lights from shops and restaurants greeted us.

  Half an hour later, as the carriage was making its way back to the lodge, we passed the village church, which looked even more beautiful at night and was aglow not only from the lights that hung in front of its façade but also from those that shone through the stained-glass windows.

  As we got closer, I saw a choir of boys singing on the front lawn of the church. The notes from “O Little Town of Bethlehem” reached us.

  “How charming!” I looked at Mark. He leaned over and placed a kiss on my cheek.

  “They’re practicing for the big night—Christmas Eve. They go around caroling earlier in the evening. Then they sing for the Vigil Mass at midnight.”

  “I keep forgetting that you’ve been here before.”

  “Why the sad face suddenly?” Mark lifted my chin so that our eyes met.

  “It’s silly. Never mind.”

  “Nothing you say can be silly. Out with it!”

  I exhaled deeply and shook my head. “It’s really stupid. I just wish this were your first time here too. That way we’d be experiencing it all for the first time together.”

  “That’s sweet. Why would you think it was silly?”

  “Because I know you’ve had a life before me. I feel childish even having that thought.”

  “I can understand how you feel, Bianca. Ever since I met you at your parents’ house last year, I’ve wanted to experience everything with you. That’s probably why I brought you here, in addition to knowing you’ve always wanted to visit the Alps. When I came here on a business trip and fell in love with Innsbruck, I couldn’t help feeling sad that I was here for work. I wished I had someone special with me. Yes, I wanted to make your dream of coming to the Alps a reality, but I also wanted to reexperience it with you. And we are doing things for the first time. I didn’t take a carriage ride when I was here, and there’s this . . .” Mark’s voice trailed off.

  “There’s this what?”

  “I can’t say. I almost slipped. It’s another surprise.”

  “Another surprise?”

  “Yes, and don’t give me a lecture again on how this trip was enough of a gift and blah, blah, blah. Let’s relax and enjoy the last few minutes of this ride.”

  I laughed before planting a kiss on Mark’s lips. He returned the kiss and tried to pull away, but I didn’t let him.

  When I finally broke the kiss, I whispered, “I love you, Mark.”

  “I love you too, Bianca.”

  That night, I remember wishing I could prolong that moment forever.

  Chapter 2

  The next afternoon, I was in our hotel room, taking a much-needed nap after we returned from skiing. A couple of hours later, I was awakened by a sweet fragrance. Opening my eyes, I saw white everywhere, which confused me because I remembered our hotel room was painted in hues of brick red and cream. Sitting up, my eyes finally focused on all the white I was seeing. There were bouquets upon bouquets of white roses, which had become my signature flower ever since Mark had given them to me on our first date.

  “Mark! You didn’t!” I turned, looking for him in bed, but he wasn’t there.

  “Mark! Are you in the bathroom?”

  More silence greeted me. Mark never took naps and didn’t even sleep much at night. I was always amazed at how he functioned on so little sleep. He often went walking when he felt restless. Sometimes he even took walks at the crack of dawn when he couldn’t sleep. He was probably out walking now.

  Getting out of bed, I went over to one of the vases of roses and inhaled deeply their fragrance. I smiled. He must’ve snuck out while I was napping to buy all these flowers. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard him placing them all around the room. Then again, I was a heavy sleeper, unlike him. Even after a year of dating, he was still so thoughtful and romantic. My thoughts soon drifted to how Mark had made love to me all night long. The sound of our hotel room door opening shook me out of my thoughts as Mark came in.

  “Good afternoon, beautiful!” Mark acted as if everything were normal, like our entire room wasn’t covered in roses.

  I decided to play along and merely said, “Good afternoon,” without looking at him, as I picked up my brush and went into the bathroom to brush my hair. It only took Mark a couple of minutes to come over to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and began trailing kisses down the side of my neck.

  I whispered, “Thank you for the gorgeous roses. You know, one bouquet would have been enough.”

  Mark stopped kissing my neck and looked at my image in the medicine cabinet mirror. “What fun would that have been? And it wouldn’t have been a surprise.”

  “Receiving flowers unexpectedly is always a surprise!” I tapped the handle of my brush gently on the tip of his nose, scolding him.

  He took the brush from my hand and brushed my hair. Even though my hair was short and I could style it with my fingers if I wanted to, I still liked running a brush through it. The way Mark caressed the brush through my scalp was very sensual. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling, not even noticing that our conversation had stopped. When I finally opened my eyes, Mark was staring at my expression in the mirror. I could tell he wanted me, and I wanted him. Turning around, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him, never releasing his lips even after he lifted me off the floor and carried me to bed, where we made love.

  Mark fell asleep with his head on my chest. I thought back to the way he had looked at me earlier, while I brushed my hair. I was amazed by how he could still stare at me as if he were seeing me for the first time. His face had held the same expression as the night we met at my parents’ on Christmas Eve. And in that moment, I realized that he had fallen in love with me at first sight.

  Chapter 3

  “Every bone in my body aches!” I whined as I lay outstretched on the bed.

  “You’re just not used to skiing. But come on! All the fun we had was worth the aches.” Mark sat at the foot of our bed and began massaging my sore calves.

  “Yes, it was fun, but I think I’m enjoying this even more.” I smiled and closed my eyes, relaxing. Suddenly, I felt Mark’s lips on mine.

  “Don’t get too comfortable, Bianca. We’re going out soon,” he said after kissing me.

  “Again?”

  “We still haven’t had lunch, and it’s almost two o’clock.”

  “Let’s just order room service. We can light the fire and have a cozy afternoon in the warmth of our hotel.” My eyes pleaded with Mark.

  “Usually, I can’t resist when you beg me, but not today, Signorina Simone. I have another surprise for you.”

  “I guess you’ve planned a surprise for me every day of our week here.” I said this as a statement rather than a question because I knew what his answer would be. Mark merely smiled mischievously.

&n
bsp; “I’m going to take a quick shower and let you rest a bit before it’s your turn to get ready, but you’ll have to hurry. I want to be out of here within the hour.”

  “Yes, sir!” I saluted Mark. He shook his head before stepping into the bathroom. I giggled.

  Shortly over an hour later, Mark was driving our rental car up the winding roads of a mountain. Soon, I saw signs leading to the Hungerburg Funicular. When we had first arrived in Innsbruck, I had overheard a group of tourists in our hotel lobby saying they were headed there. I had no idea what it was, other than a tourist attraction. Usually, I liked to research the city I was traveling to, but I hadn’t had time to read up on Innsbruck before we left for our trip. My job as a vet tech at a veterinarian’s office in Newport left me so exhausted by the end of the workday that all I wanted to do was veg out on the couch with a glass of wine and watch TV. I loved my job and someday hoped to open a no-kill adoption shelter. My parents were looking after Frenchie, my French bulldog, and Sheila, my Australian shepherd, while I was away.

  After seeing more signs leading to Hungerburg Funicular, I was convinced this was Mark’s next surprise for me.

  “Have you heard anything about the Hungerburg Funicular?” Mark asked after we parked our rental car.

  “I know it’s a tourist attraction, but that’s about it.”

  “It’s probably one of the most popular attractions in Innsbruck. It’s a railway that travels up the mountain’s incline with the assistance of a cable. Not only are the views astounding from the summit but the funicular itself is an engineering feat.”

  “Sounds cool.”

  “You have no idea how cool. I can’t wait!” Mark rubbed his hands together in excitement.

  We purchased our tickets for the funicular right as the next scheduled railway arrived, making it just in time to board before departure.

  “The view is already gorgeous from this height.” I shaded the sun from my eyes and took in the expanse of the panorama before me.

  “This view is nothing. Wait until we get to Seegrube. There are four stations along the funicular’s route. We’re getting off at Hungerburg station, where we’ll take the Nordkette cable car to Seegrube. That’s where the views are at their most breathtaking.”

  With the funicular’s lightning-fast speed, it didn’t take long to reach Hungerburg station.

  “Wow!”

  “Incredible, right?”

  I nodded my head.

  “The Hungerburg Funicular is beyond brilliant. A London architect by the name of Zaha Hadid designed it, along with the funicular’s four stations and the bridge that goes over the river Inn. The Hungerburg station itself is considered a modern architectural wonder. We’ll come back to the station later. There are shops and restaurants. Also, we’ll stick around until it starts to get dark. You have to see the way the architecture and the funicular light up at night.”

  “This is a wonderful surprise. Thank you!” I hugged Mark.

  He rubbed my back and kissed my forehead before saying, “There’s more to the surprise.”

  It wasn’t long before it was time to step off the funicular and wait on line to board the Nordkette cable car. In a few moments, we were on the cable car, climbing ever higher. Usually, I wasn’t afraid of heights, so I dared to glance down at the wide expanse and drop below us. I felt a brief flash of fear wash over me. Returning my gaze to the view in front of me, I took a deep breath. The Alps looked so close that I could almost imagine what it must feel like to be a falcon soaring to such heights.

  Our cable car arrived in Seegrube. In addition to being able to see remarkable views of the town, we were surrounded by 360-degree vistas of mountain chains. Mark and I walked slowly, savoring the Alps’ pristine landscape. I loved how the snow-covered peaks contrasted against the sky, making it appear an even deeper shade of blue.

  “When I was in St. Thomas and saw the sky and water, I finally understood what people meant when they talked about Caribbean blue. I had never seen such intense hues of blue. But the blue of the Alpine sky is just as unforgettable.”

  “I know exactly what you mean, Bianca.” Mark brushed my cheek with the back of his hand. “So, what do you say we grab a bite to eat?”

  “Up here?”

  “Yes, it’s a town.”

  “I keep forgetting that people live up in the mountains, like Heidi!” I laughed.

  “Well, where I’m taking you for lunch—” Mark stopped in midsentence and glanced at his watch. “Well, it’s four o’clock now, so we can consider this an early dinner. Anyway, as I was saying, where I’m taking you to eat is the other half of my surprise.”

  A short while later, we arrived at the Restaurant Seegrube, which had a rustic, Austrian charm and could pass for a very large house. Its exterior was all wood and resembled a chateau, complete with window boxes and shutters. Picnic-style tables surrounded the front and sides of the property. With a view this gorgeous, I couldn’t see how anyone would choose to dine indoors—well, at least in the warmer months.

  No one was seated at any of the tables.

  “I guess it’s too cold to eat outdoors,” I said to Mark.

  “Well, yes and no. You get a few brave people, mostly the locals, who don’t mind eating in the cold. But the reason you don’t see anyone dining out here today is that I rented the restaurant for a few hours. This way we have it all to ourselves.” Mark said this nonchalantly, as if it were every day that someone rented an entire restaurant at the top of the Alps.

  “You didn’t!” But of course I knew he had. Just like when he reserved the Kingscote for our first date in Newport. Somehow he always managed to surpass his previous surprises.

  “I would do anything for you, Bianca. Anything.”

  Our eyes locked. I had never loved anyone the way I loved him. And just when I thought of how my feelings for him couldn’t possibly grow any stronger, they did.

  I walked over to him and stood on my tiptoes so that our faces touched. Placing my hands on his shoulders, I whispered, “I love you so much, Mark.”

  “I love you more.”

  This was a game we often played. I usually replied with, “No, I love you more.” But I was too overcome with emotion at that moment to play along. Tears filled my eyes. I kissed him. We hugged each other and stared at the Alps.

  “Excuse me? We’re ready for you now, if you’d follow me.”

  A woman dressed in a traditional Austrian folk costume led us to a table.

  “While you can’t go wrong with any of the tables at the Restaurant Seegrube, this table does have what we believe is the best view of the Alps,” the hostess said proudly. “Your waiter will be with you shortly.”

  Mark sat alongside me on the bench. I wondered why he wasn’t sitting opposite me. He saw my questioning glance and said, “This way I can watch the view with you.”

  “You’re too adorable, Mr. Vitale!” I playfully nudged his side with my elbow. He nudged me back.

  We drank steins of beer and ate our first course, goulash accompanied with the most delicious rolls. Then our entrees of Wiener schnitzel came out. The veal was so tender.

  After dinner, Mark patted his stomach. “If I die today, I will have died a satisfied and happy man. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Bianca, nature calls. Feel free to order dessert for both of us. Surprise me.”

  “Oh, so I finally get to surprise you.”

  “Hey! I like receiving them as much as I like giving them.” Mark winked before he left in search of the restroom.

  I couldn’t stop looking at the view but knew I should decide what I wanted for dessert. It wasn’t hard to choose once I perused the menu options. Naturally, I wanted the traditional Austrian dessert of Apfelstrudel. I wanted to keep this trip as authentically Austrian as possible.

  Once Mark returned from the restroom, we decided to head inside to eat our dessert. The sun had now fully set and it was getting quite cold, especially at this summit.

  The interior was dimly lit, addin
g to the restaurant’s romantic ambience. Soft jazz was coming from a live quartet.

  “I know you’re sore from skiing this morning, but think you can bear to dance with me for a song or two?”

  I smiled, and that was the only confirmation Mark needed to know that I would dance with him. Ever since our first date, dancing had become one of our favorite things to do together. Mark had introduced me to jazz, and we’d been to jazz clubs both in Newport and Boston. He’d promised to take me to a few of the more famous ones in New York City. I loved dancing with him, feeling his body pressed up close against mine as we swayed to the music.

  As promised, Mark took me back to the Hungerburg station after we left Seegrube. We did a little shopping and then rested up in one of the cafés before heading to the funicular to return to Innsbruck. Mark was right about the lighting and the dramatic nighttime view of the station and the bridge that spanned the Inn River. The funiculars were also lit up. In the distance, we saw quick flashes of light coming off them as they sped through.

  Once we stepped off the funicular in Innsbruck, we made our way over to where we had parked our car.

  “This afternoon and night have been magical, Mark. I’ll never forget them.”

  “Neither will I, Bianca. Now let’s get back to our hotel before I just collapse here and fall asleep.”

  “That makes two of us!” I laughed.

  Driving along the winding, dark roads that led to our hotel, we sang Christmas carols. Though we were exhausted, we still made the most of our time together. Mark’s appreciation for life and his never wasting a moment to be happy were the qualities I loved most about him.

  Chapter 4

  Mark and I strolled through the streets of Innsbruck’s Old Town, which was also known as Altstadt von Innsbruck. It was a charming, picturesque village where no cars were allowed. Historical and modern buildings were equally breathtaking in their architecture. And, of course, the mountains’ backdrop further added to the town’s allure. Winding side streets housed a few museums as well as restaurants and cafés.