When the Snow Falls

by Fern Michaels

  We approached a crowd standing in front of a building. From the distance, it was difficult for me to see the building except for the gold top gleaming in the sunlight.

  “The Golden Roof, Altstadt von Innsbruck’s most famous landmark,” Mark said.

  After a few tourists left, I was finally able to get a better view of the Golden Roof. Several sculpted reliefs and painted murals adorned the house’s façade.

  “It’s gorgeous. Do you know how far back it dates?” I asked Mark.

  “Fifteen hundred. There’s also an interesting piece of history attached to it. The roof was decorated with over two thousand fire-gilded copper tiles to commemorate the wedding of Emperor Maximilian I to Bianca Maria Sforza.” Mark smiled as he said this.

  “His wife’s name was Bianca?”

  “Yes. I swear, I didn’t make this up. It’s just a coincidence. Anyway, the emperor and his wife would use the house’s balcony to view tournaments and any other events that were conducted here in the square.”

  “Would you like a photo?” A middle-aged American tourist and his wife gestured to my cell phone camera.

  “Oh, yes! That would be great.” I handed my cell phone to the man and showed him where to click to take the photo. “Just be sure to get the gold roof. I know with all these tourists around, you won’t have a chance to get the entire building.”

  The man nodded. “One, two, three!”

  “Thank you.” I took my cell phone back and viewed the photo.

  “How is it? Do you need me to take another?” the tourist asked.

  “No, thank you. It’s perfect.”

  Mark shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked at the photo. “Not bad. We’ll have to blow it up when we get back home. I think that’s the best picture of us yet.”

  “Mark, let me get one of you alone in front of the building.”

  He posed for me, making a silly face.

  After we were done taking photos, Mark took my hand and led me toward the shops. “Let’s do some shopping.”

  I was immediately drawn to a hand-knit sweater boutique. I always had a weakness for beautiful wool sweaters.

  “Let’s go in here, Mark.”

  “Why don’t you go ahead? I just want to browse in a men’s shoe store I saw. This way you can take your time trying on sweaters. I’ll come get you. I’m sure you’ll take longer than me.” Mark grinned.

  “Not all women take forever shopping.” I shook my head as I entered the store.

  It actually didn’t take me long to pick out four sweaters I fell in love with. Two were for me and the other two were for my mother. Before paying for my sweaters, I lingered for a few more minutes. Once I was satisfied that I’d seen all of the merchandise and didn’t want anything else, I headed over to the cashier. Mark stepped into the boutique after I finished paying.

  “Too late!” Mark snapped his fingers. “I wanted to get that for you.”

  “You’ve already paid for so much. I know I’m only a vet tech, but I’m not completely poor!”

  “Okay. I thought you were.”

  I swatted Mark’s arm playfully. “You’re being a bad boy today.”

  “Guilty as charged.” He held up his hands in resignation.

  After leaving the sweater shop, we browsed in a few other stores.

  “Can we take a break at one of the cafés? These boots I’m wearing today aren’t the most comfortable.”

  “Sure. I have a favorite café from the last time I was here. Follow me.”

  We turned onto a side street that was, much to my astonishment, devoid of tourists. I suddenly stopped.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “You have to take a picture of me on this street. Just look at the perspective with the narrowness of the street and the buildings that seem to slope inward, not to mention the mountain in the backdrop. I know this will make a great shot.”

  I pulled my phone out of my purse and handed it to Mark. Then I struck a pose, placing my hands on either side of my hips and bending my knees to my left. Turning my face to the side, I puckered up my lips. Mark couldn’t stop laughing.

  “Sexy! Okay, now let’s do a serious one too.”

  I stood this time with my hands behind my back and smiled.

  After taking the photo, Mark examined it and said, “Bella Bianca.”

  Mark linked his arm with mine and led me to a tiny café. As we approached the door, I could smell the espresso, and pastries that had probably just come out of the oven. The café was practically empty, with just one other couple seated. We took a table at the back.

  “Nice and cozy,” I said.

  “Just how I like it.”

  We ordered café lattes and two popular Austrian sweets. Mark ordered a slice of Sacher torte, a chocolate layer cake with an apricot preserve filling and a chocolate ganache frosting. I ordered a marillenstrudel, or apricot strudel.

  As we waited for our coffee and desserts, I took my compact out of my purse, inspecting my hair and makeup. When I lowered my compact, I saw a small gift-wrapped box sitting in my dessert plate. Mark was sitting with his elbows on the table and his chin resting in his hands, waiting for me to notice the gift.

  At this point, I knew it was no use scolding him anymore. He’d made up his mind that he was going to surprise me every day of our stay here. I just shook my head and smiled. And I had to admit, I was enjoying receiving his surprises so much that I had begun to wonder what my next one would be.

  I was about to untie the bow on the box when Mark interrupted me. “It’s not completely covered in gift wrap. You can just lift the cover.”

  I did as he instructed, and the first thing I saw was a flash of gold that glinted brightly under the lights from the chandelier overhead.

  “Oh! How cute! It’s a small replica of the Golden Roof house we visited!” Carefully lifting the ceramic piece out of the box, I admired its details, which were exactly like the adornments on the Golden Roof.

  “I love it! Thank you, Mark! I’ll think about our trip every time I look at it.” I leaned over the table and kissed him on the lips.

  The waitress came over with our orders. Once she left, Mark took my hand in his. “Bianca, this gift symbolizes more than just our trip to Innsbruck. You know how crazy I am about you. I think about you almost constantly when we’re not together. I was even daydreaming the other day during a meeting at work. I know I can’t be with you twenty-four/seven, but I’d like to be with you as much as I can. I want you to move in with me.”

  I was taken aback. Of course, things had been going so well with us, so this would be the next logical step. But I still wasn’t expecting it.

  “If you need to think about it, please take some time. I know I’m springing this on you since we haven’t discussed living together before.”

  “No,” I said. Mark’s face looked crestfallen before I added, “What I mean is, I don’t need to think about it. I’d love to move in with you. I also think about you every moment we’re not together.” I squeezed Mark’s hand. He squeezed mine back before releasing it to stroke my cheek with the back of his hand.

  “Someday I’m going to build your own gold house.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. It’ll be tacky. I’d settle for a modern design, much like the homes I’ve seen you design for your clients.” I giggled.

  “I guess my sarcasm is rubbing off on you. Rest assured, your house will be my best design because you’ll be my muse.”

  After we had our pastries, we ordered more coffee and lingered in the café, enjoying its cozy, intimate surroundings and each other’s company. As I sipped my café latte, I glanced out of the window I was seated next to and noticed a child staring at us. I wondered how we must have looked to her. Could she tell we were madly in love? And was she able to detect the glow in our faces that came from planning our dreams for the future together?

  Later, whenever I reflected on that afternoon in the café, I couldn’t help but think how foolish we were,
for all we talked about was how happy we would be, never anticipating the trials that would surely come.

  Chapter 5

  Mark and I returned to Innsbruck’s Old Town on Christmas Eve. We walked through the Christmas Market that was held there every year. Innsbruck actually had four different Christmas Markets in different parts of the city. Lights shaped as snowflakes and icicles dangled from the overhead cables, and a lit Christmas tree completed the magical scenery. The Alps looked more dramatic at night as their snow-capped peaks loomed over the village.

  We decided to have a quiet Christmas Eve. Earlier, Mark had arranged for our hotel to bring a late dinner to our room. I couldn’t help but be a little surprised—and disappointed—since he’d had something grand planned for me almost every day of our trip. In addition to it being Christmas Eve, it was also my birthday. It seemed odd that he wasn’t going to mark either occasion in a more memorable way. Then again, we were quite exhausted after the long day we’d had yesterday, when Mark had surprised me by driving to Salzburg, where we took the original Sound of Music tour.

  We visited all the famous sites where the movie had been filmed: the Mirabell Gardens, where Julie Andrews’s character, Maria, sang “Do-Re-Mi”; the Leopold-skron Palace, where the famous boat scene was filmed; the gazebo at Hellbrunn Palace—my favorite—where Maria and Baron von Trapp kissed; Nonnberg Abbey, which is still a convent today; the gorgeous Salzburg Lake District; Mondsee, where Maria and von Trapp’s wedding was filmed for the movie. And, of course, throughout the bus tour, the original soundtrack from the movie played. I was in Sound of Music heaven, to say the least!

  As we strolled through the Christmas Market, I linked my arm through Mark’s.

  “I love Christmas Eve more than Christmas Day.”

  “I think I do too. For me, it’s the waiting for the birth of Christ at midnight. I love the suspense of it all.”

  I laughed. “Suspense? It’s not like we don’t know what happens!”

  “You know what I mean. There’s a certain excitement building up.”

  “True. I think I love Christmas Eve so much because it’s more of a big deal in my family. We have our big Feast of the Seven Fishes, and we open our gifts at midnight, although some years we went to midnight mass and waited to open our gifts after we returned home from church.”

  “I’m sure it has something to do with it being your birthday as well.” Mark winked.

  “Well, believe it or not, I almost forget it’s my birthday, but not when I was a kid. I made sure my parents remembered that I was due double my share of gifts since it fell on Christmas Eve. Now, as an adult, I’m more focused on Christmas like everyone else is.” I pouted, pretending I was upset that the attention was deflected from my birthday.

  “Well, we’ll have to rectify that. You will never forget it’s also your birthday on Christmas Eve as long as you’re with me.” Mark kissed me lightly on the lips.

  We walked over to the lit Christmas tree in the square. Mark took a few photos with his cell phone camera. Then we stood with our arms wrapped around each other and stared at the lights on the tree.

  Mark turned to me, his expression becoming somber.

  “I was going to wait until midnight to give you this next gift, but I can’t. And the moment feels right.”

  “Well, I’m going to wait until midnight to give you my gifts.”

  Mark ignored my comment. I wondered if he had even heard me. Suddenly, he looked very pale.

  “Are you feeling all right, Mark?”

  “Oh, my boot is unlaced.”

  He bent down and began tying his boot. I shrugged my shoulders and returned my attention to the star on top of the Christmas tree. I used to love to make wishes as I looked at the star that adorned my family’s tree when I was a child. My thoughts were interrupted by Mark, who was tugging my hand. I looked down and saw he was now on one knee, holding an open black velvet box. Inside, the most beautiful princess-cut diamond shimmered brilliantly.

  “Bianca, you’ve already made me the happiest I’ve ever been. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my days without you as my wife. I want to share every moment with you. Your love has made me a better person, and I know together our lives will be rich ones. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

  Mark’s voice cracked a little. In the year that we’d dated, I had never seen him nervous. Tears fell down my face.

  “Yes, yes, yes! I’ll marry you.”

  Mark slipped the ring onto my finger and then stood up, lifting me high in the air as he spun me around.

  “Oh, and happy birthday, by the way!” Mark shouted as he continued twirling me around.

  Tears continued to stream down my face as I laughed. My gaze landed on the star atop the village Christmas tree, and I thought about how all of my dreams were coming true.

  Chapter 6

  “Wake up! Wake up! Santa’s here!”

  Mark’s voice roused me out of a deep slumber.

  “I’m not ready to wake up. Santa can wait.”

  “No, he can’t. It’s Christmas. You don’t want the day to be over in a flash because you were too lazy to get out of bed, Bianca!” Mark pulled the blanket off me.

  “All right. All right. I’m getting up. What time is it anyway?”

  “Seven A.M. My favorite time of the day!”

  “Seven? Mark, we went to bed at close to two! You could’ve at least let me get in another couple of hours of sleep.”

  “If you want, you can take a nap in the afternoon. I just couldn’t wait to open gifts.” Mark was grinning from ear to ear, like a schoolboy. I couldn’t resist smiling.

  “You’re too much!”

  “I’ve lit the fireplace to make it feel even cozier in here. And I ran out to the bakery to buy a few Danish. Room service should be here any moment with a fresh pot of coffee.”

  “The bakery was open already?”

  “Of course! Bakers rise early to get all of their baking done.”

  “Sounds like it should’ve been your calling.” I threw my pillow at Mark.

  “I’m going to ignore that because it’s Christmas, or else I would be pummeling you right now in a pillow fight!”

  I got out of bed and went to the bathroom. After I brushed my teeth, I splashed cold water on my face, hoping it would wake me up. Suddenly, I remembered what had happened last night. Mark had proposed to me! Glancing down at my left ring finger, I admired my gorgeous diamond. It really had happened. I hadn’t been dreaming. I remembered falling asleep staring at all of the diamond’s sparkling facets. Guilt stabbed me for a moment as I thought about how I had greeted Mark this morning.

  I stepped out of the bathroom. Mark was at the door. Room service had arrived with our coffee. Quickly walking over to the Christmas tree in our room, I picked up one of Mark’s gifts before he returned and had time to notice. I placed it under two Danish on his plate. Fortunately, the Danish were huge and the gift was fully concealed.

  Mark carried the tray containing the coffee to the blanket he had set up on the floor in front of the fireplace.

  “I didn’t know you were getting fruit and cheese in addition to the coffee.”

  “I didn’t. This is the hotel’s complimentary Christmas gift to us. They brought it up while you were brushing your teeth.”

  I got down on my knees next to Mark, who was sitting cross-legged while he poured coffee into our cups. I kissed him on the cheek and whispered, “Thank you for making last night so special. I can’t wait to be your wife.”

  Mark put the coffee carafe down before hugging me. We kissed for a long time. Soon, we got lost in the moment and made love, forgetting about our breakfast.

  When we finally got around to eating, Mark didn’t notice the gift I’d hidden under the Danish even after he devoured one.

  “I can never get enough Austrian pastries! Maybe we should move here and open our own bakery.”

  “We don’t have to open our own bakery. We can just come here every ye
ar.”

  “True.” Mark picked up his second Danish. “Hey! What’s this?” He took the gift I’d left for him on his plate, holding it out to me questioningly.

  “My special Christmas gift for you. I can’t believe you didn’t notice it after picking up the first Danish.”

  “How could I? These Danish are humongous! Thank you.” Mark leaned over and kissed me.

  “Well, don’t thank me yet. Open it first and see if you like it.”

  “Something tells me I’ll love it!” Mark smiled as he tore off the wrapping paper from his gift.

  “Wow! A platinum watch! This is gorgeous, Bianca, but it must’ve cost you a fortune. You shouldn’t have.”

  “Shhh! You deserve it. And who says you’re the only one who’s allowed to splurge on me? Turn it over.”

  Mark turned the watch over and read aloud the engraving I’d had the jeweler etch into the back.

  “ ‘May every moment of your life be filled with happiness. ’ Bianca! That’s beautiful. Thank you!” Mark hugged me for what felt like a long time. We sat silently, enjoying the moment.

  “It’s going to be hard returning home and back to work. When I’m with you, all I want to do is have fun.” Mark began massaging the back of my neck. It felt so good that I was tempted to make love to him again.

  “I know. But just think: we’ll be moving in together. I’m so excited thinking about that!”

  “And don’t forget, you’ll also be planning a wedding.”

  “I’m kind of surprised you asked me to move in with you, Mark, considering you knew you were going to pop the question. Why didn’t you wait to ask me to move in with you until after you proposed?”

  “I figured asking you to move in with me before I asked you to marry me would throw you off. Usually, when couples move in together, some time passes before the question about getting married comes up. I wanted the proposal to be a complete surprise. And from your reaction, I can tell it was.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been that surprised in my life.”

  “If you’d rather wait until after we get married to live together, I understand, Bianca.”