by Joanne Rock
But Gavin was an international snowboard cross star. He traveled around the globe to chase snow and, she guessed, attractive women. He wouldn’t spend time in the tiny village of Yuletide now that he had a successful career of his own. Besides, she’d checked his schedule before she booked her trip—just to be safe. And she’d seen with her own eyes that Gavin had been in Park City, Utah, preparing for snowboard season as part of the U.S. team.
“But he’s not in town…now?” She battled the urge to retrieve her phone and double-check the team schedule. She couldn’t have possibly misread it.
Her allergies stirred, fueled by a wave of anxiety. She’d planned her timing so carefully for this homecoming.
“I’m sure he’ll come to the wedding, so if he’s not here yet, I bet he will be here soon.”
Rachel set the mug on the counter before any more spilled, her lungs feeling wheezy. Her mother had recovered a good deal of her standing in Yuletide if she knew this much local gossip. “I’m surprised he could afford to leave the training program during December with the Olympics right around the corner.”
She was already breathing faster than her Christmas allergies would allow.
“He’s still in training for snowboard cross events, so he keeps a place in Colorado, but I see him next door from time to time.” Her mother must have noticed all the breathing because she set her mug down. “Honey, are you okay?”
Rachel shook her head, searching through her purse for an inhaler. Or maybe a new life. “No.” Settling for the lung-clearing effects of albuterol, she took a puff and set it down on the counter. “I just had no idea that so much was changing in town. And I’m surprised you never mentioned him to me.”
She was more surprised Kiersten hadn’t mentioned it.
“Are you?” Her mother shook her head, genuinely perplexed. “I guess it didn’t occur to me when we were on the phone the last few times. But I thought you liked him?”
Rachel tried to will away the wheezing, but a squeaky inhalation seemed determined to ignore her wishes.
“Uhm.” She wondered if it was too late to call back the Uber and return to Brooklyn. Too bad the train didn’t run this far north for two more days. She’d have to tough it out in Yuletide at least a little longer. “It’s complicated. And I’m surprised Kiersten never told me he bought a house here.”
She itched. Wondered if her allergic reaction to pine now included hives, or if that was all courtesy of Gavin.
“Kiersten has had too much on her mind to think about anything but the wedding.” Her mother went back to drinking her tea. “You must know Gavin is the best man?”
No doubt about it, she’d been kept in the dark on purpose. She was going to strangle Kiersten when she saw her.
“Now I do.” Her lungs made a whistling sound. “Do you have a Christmas tree up already?” That had to be the source of her sudden distress and not the thought of Gavin Blake.
“It’s two weeks before Christmas. Of course I have a tree up.” Her mother slid off the counter stool. “Do you want to see it?”
“My allergies have gotten worse in the last few years. I think balsam is a trigger.” And Yuletide. And her embarrassing past. Not necessarily in that order. “Mom, I’m going to spend the night and talk to Kiersten in the morning, but I’m not sure I can patch things up with Luke before the wedding.”
She wouldn’t have come home at all if she’d known her one-time crush was living next door. Although damn it, if Luke and Gavin had put aside their differences, Luke sure couldn’t hold a grudge against her. She’d been blameless in that whole debacle. It hurt to remember how much she could have used the support of her friends when her father was reported missing but, instead, they hadn’t been speaking to her. Even Kiersten, for a while, had believed Rachel had helped distract the town so her father could abscond with the money.
“You just got here,” her mother protested. “It’s been eight long years. You can’t run out the door at the first asthma attack. I’ll take down the tree.”
“It’s not only that—”
“Don’t be silly. I’ll speak to Katie Garrett about her rudeness, and you will have a nice visit with Kiersten tomorrow. We’ll get it all straightened out. You’ll see.”
Spoken like a woman who took the upbeat elf creed seriously.
Slumping against the kitchen counter, Rachel decided no amount of chamomile was going to fix this. For now, she’d see the tree to appease her mother and then figure out what to tell Kiersten before she left Yuletide.
It wasn’t that she was embarrassed to see an old flame or anything—even though she had chased Gavin with all the subtlety of a goofy, lovesick teenager. But Gavin being here complicated things. What if people thought she only returned because he’d moved in next door? What if Luke thought that too? She’d come home to make peace with Luke, not start trouble all over again.
But Luke and Gavin had clearly renewed their friendship, so she didn’t see why she had to remain the villain in the old drama. She would at least talk to Kiersten and see what she could do to patch things up.
It wasn’t like the citizens of Yuletide could force her out of town, could they? Imagining herself bombarded with snowballs by a bunch of felt-clad villagers helped distract her from the pang of anxiety underneath it.
She wasn’t going to escape town without running into Gavin Blake.
Chapter Two
“Four…three…two…”
The crowd around the hundred-foot Christmas tree in the Yuletide town square counted down to the lighting ceremony two weeks before Christmas. Gavin Blake waited and watched along with all the rest of the tourists. He’d been back in town—off and on, according to his training schedule—for a month now, but he hadn’t made it a point to be outdoors at this time of day to see the daily tree lighting.
“…one! Deck the halls!” The onlookers crowed with delight at the spectacle, a flood of red and green spilling over all of them while the local elementary school choir burst into a rendition of “O Christmas Tree.”
Gavin knew the choir varied according to the day, and the whole schedule was online at the Yuletide website to help visitors plan their trip. Chris Chambers, the idea man behind the town revitalization efforts, might have been a crook, but there was no denying his vision to remake Harristown into a Christmas-themed tourism destination had paid off.
Not for the first time, Gavin’s gaze strayed to the Chambers’ house next door to his own on the other side of the town square, remembering the girl who used to live there. Remembering the time she’d sneaked out of an upstairs window to tag along with him when she’d heard he was going to a bonfire in the woods with some friends from school. He’d been scared she would break her neck climbing back in, so he had canceled his plans and walked her back home, giving her hell the whole way so he didn’t do something stupid like make a pass at her.
He knew, even then, that Luke’s ex was off-limits. It didn’t take a genius to see the guy had been crazy about her even after their split. But damn. Rachel Chambers had been something special. They’d all been friends for years before everything started changing when Luke went into the military. Luke had been a year older than Gavin and Rachel, and they’d spent more time together that year he’d been gone. Just as friends, but still.
When Luke returned from his deployment, Gavin figured things would go back to normal for the three of them. But then Rachel dumped Luke and things took a turn for the awkward.
Fat snowflakes swirled like memories in the dusk. Tonight, the second floor of the old Chambers’ house was quiet except for the lighted wreaths. He could see a family on the front porch, a father holding open the front door so a mother pushing a stroller could enter the gift shop.
Then, on the side of the house, he noticed a slender figure in a dark coat and red ski cap darting out into the snow.
Something about the woman made him do a double take. The furtive way she peered around, maybe. Or the careful way she pushed the door closed
behind her with an extra shove—like a woman who knew that it would stick otherwise.
He couldn’t see her well, since she wore her hat low on her forehead and she kept her face turned away from the overflowing town square. But the long, dark hair tied in a ribbon in the middle of her back was familiar. So was the way she moved. Of course, Rachel Chambers hadn’t set foot in Yuletide for eight years—ever since the summer he’d let his guard down and kissed her. She wouldn’t come home now, of all times, with Luke’s wedding just around the corner.
Curious all the same, Gavin left the tree revelers behind to take a closer look, telling himself he was just being a good homeowner since the woman had been skulking around the alleyway next to his house. With his boots crunching through the packed snow, he continued to watch her as she headed toward the parking lot, her steps light and quick. Most of the foot traffic moved in the opposite direction, with families and couples heading into town for dinner or shopping. She darted and dodged, keeping her head down as if she was determined not to be seen.
Closing the distance between them, he calculated the best angle of pursuit. She glanced up once, and he could have sworn her gaze landed on the vintage blue Cadillac sedan parked at the far end. That would be Molly Chambers’ vehicle—and another indicator that his strange hunch was correct.
Well, damn.
His pulse quickened. He was about to intercept Yuletide’s second most infamous escapee—one Rachel Chambers.
If she’d glanced up again, she would have seen him coming toward her. But after she spotted the vehicle, she simply put her head down and picked up the pace, digging in the pocket of her dark overcoat for a ring of jingling keys. A few sets of headlights flashed over her while cars found spots in the lot, but there wasn’t as much activity on the far end near the carousel and the private party igloos.
“Rachel.” He said her name aloud before he reached her, not wanting to scare her in a dark parking lot.
Too late, since she jumped about a foot in the air, emitting a little yelp. Eyes wide, she met his gaze before glancing around, as if to see how many other people had recognized her.
“It’s just me: Gavin.” He wondered if that made her any less wary as he stood in her path, however. They hadn’t parted on the best of terms.
Far from it. He’d been angry with himself for kissing her that day, but he’d taken some of those emotions out on her in the icy silence of the aftermath. Not one of his better moments.
For a second, she blinked up at him, blue eyes wide. She still had that sweet, girl-next-door appeal. But there had always been an edge to her, too. A wicked gleam behind the innocence. A twinkle of mischief.
She edged past him. “Hi. Sorry I don’t have time to visit. I need to see a friend.” Fumbling her keys with her red mittens, she dropped them in the snow.
“No problem.” He moved to help her retrieve them, hearing the brush-off in her tone. “I’m glad to see you back in town.”
“If that’s true—and I doubt it—then that makes you the only person besides my mother who would ever admit it.” She sounded breathless and agitated.
Irritated.
The last time he’d spoken to her, she’d been breathless for much better reasons. At least at the start of the day. His fingers closed around her keys where they’d fallen behind the Cadillac front tire. Gavin turned toward her, the two of them still crouched side by side in the snow.
“I’ve always regretted the way we parted, Rachel. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about what happened.” He reached for her hand in the shadowy darkness lit mostly by the empty Christmas carousel spinning around nearby. He held her wrist and deposited the keys into her mitten.
“Sorry for what? That my father thought it would be a great idea to bankrupt the town? That he timed it to happen while everyone was distracted by my ex-boyfriend proposing in skywriting? Or that my embarrassment over making out with you caused me to flee and look as guilty as my crooked dad?” She yanked her wrist away from him and shot to her feet, already sifting through the set to find the door key. Her breathing sounded labored, like she’d just finished a snowboard run at full speed.
“I felt bad about all those things, Rach. But I’m sorry I acted like an ass and clammed up when Luke came along.” He shook his head, uncomfortable with the memory. “I had no right to hang you out to dry like that.”
Key in the door, she let go of the fob. The thick metal elf icon banged against the door. Her shoulders rose and fell with her breathing.
“It’s been eight years.” She sighed out the number. Or tried to. It came out as more of a wheeze. “If Luke hasn’t put it behind him, he’s not as much of a grown-up as we all gave him credit for.”
Good to know his actions hadn’t kept her up at night. But he wasn’t letting himself off the hook yet.
“Are you okay?” He held a hand out to her, cupping her shoulder through her dark coat.
“I’m fine.” She shook her head, her face illuminated by the blue and yellow lights of one of the animals on the carousel as it spun past. “Just a tree allergy, I think.”
“In thirty-degree weather?” He frowned.
“I might actually be allergic to the whole town.” She pulled an inhaler out of her pocket and took a quick puff.
“I’m sure it’s not as bad as all that. I’ve been hoping I’d see you again ever since I bought Jingle Elf’s house.” He didn’t move his hand right away, enjoying the feel of her.
They’d been friends for a long time before things fell apart. When she’d been Luke’s girlfriend, he’d been respectful of that, giving her a wide berth because he’d always felt a bit more than friendly toward her. But with his training schedule, he’d been wary of jumping into a relationship even as a teen. He shouldn’t have been surprised when she started dating Luke.
Then, after his friends had split, he should have known it was only a matter of time before the chemistry simmered to the surface.
“I never would have guessed you’d want to be a part of the madness that is Yuletide.” She shivered lightly. “I’ve been back in town for a day and Katie Garrett is already threatening to have me thrown out on my ear.”
“I’ve always loved it here. You know that.” Gavin remembered a time when her father had been a mentor to him, giving the local teens all a role in helping the Christmas town take shape in the early years. “And it’s past time you reminded the old guard you have just as much of a right to be here as any of them.” He noticed a few of the town board members in the next row, wearing their tree-lighting finery and the light-up necklaces that said “Yuletide.” “Although, unless you’re prepared to do that right now, maybe you should let me drive you where you want to go.”
Glancing over her shoulder, Rachel pulled her hat lower. “That’s okay. I’m going in to Lake Placid. I can take Mom’s car.”
“You realize there isn’t a more recognizable vehicle in town outside of St. Nick’s sleigh?” He kept his voice down, unwilling to end this unlikely reunion with the intrusion of a bunch of the town founders who’d grown cynical since the Chris Chambers’ embezzlement. “That Cadillac is going to announce your presence pretty quickly.”
Rachel glanced back and forth between him and the car. “I don’t know.”
Insulted that he didn’t look like the better option, he tugged the keys free from the door. “The Rachel Chambers I once knew had a sense of adventure.”
He held out his hand, waiting. And yes, hoping.
“And look where that got me?” she whispered, but took his hand just the same. “I’m a pariah in my own town.”
Leading her toward his truck a few spaces on, he made sure they stayed out of the reflected carousel lights.
“Not if I have anything to say about it.” Unlocking the passenger door, he helped her up into the old F150 he’d bought when he purchased the house. He hurried to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel before she changed her mind.
“Oh really? I’m not sure you’re going
to be much help salvaging my reputation.”
He really shouldn’t get involved. He knew that. Championing Rachel in this town would be bad for the business he wanted to open. It could hurt his chances of accomplishing a whole laundry list of things he wanted to tackle in town, starting with a fundraiser he needed the town council to approve.
But he owed her, didn’t he?
“That’s where you’re wrong.” A plan came together in his mind—a way to make up to her the wrong that he’d done all those years ago. “I’m a local sports hero these days.” He wasn’t bragging. People placed a whole lot of emphasis on sports. “I’ve got some standing in town.”
“I don’t think that’s going to help me. I might just tarnish your Olympic halo.” She rubbed a knuckle along the passenger window, as if she could clear the icy layer on the outside.
They sat in the cold truck while he waited for the defroster to kick in enough to clear the windows.
He knew she had a valid point.
“I kept my mouth shut eight years ago when I should have defended you to everyone. At the time, I thought maybe you hadn’t been honest with me, and that maybe you really were still with Luke.” Gavin had felt like he’d betrayed his friend, and the guilt had made him say things he later regretted. “I know better now, thanks to making amends with Luke. And I’d like to help you feel welcome in Yuletide again.”
“You don’t have to do any such thing.” She turned toward him, a hand on his arm. “I’m not going to stay in town long anyhow.”
He could see the hint of vulnerability in her pretty eyes. Was she leaving because things were uncomfortable for her here? He couldn’t abide that. Not when he’d been a part of the reason she’d felt ostracized. He knew exactly how to fix it.
