“Ha!” That would be the true test of their compatibility—how long it took for his brothers and sister at the fire station to scare her away. However, if it really was fate, even they wouldn’t be able to come between them.
Jak realized he was moving fast. Five minutes together and three chance encounters did not guarantee she was The One. Good thing he had something much stronger than that to go on—his gut. Jak wasn’t sure about this spot to meet her. His gut wasn’t confident anyway. But ever since the night of the concert, and every day since, his gut had vouched for Jillian. When Jak finally got to know her, he’d be even more crazy about her. Jak was ready to take her home to meet his mom and considering staying with PCFD rather than taking the wildland job if it meant staying close to Jillian.
It was crazy. Jak admitted that fully and willingly—to himself at least. Just like meeting her three separate times was crazy. Just like his gut being so sure after such little time. Just like an old homeless woman making a fruitcake prophecy then disappearing was crazy.
Jak checked his watch. Twenty minutes had passed. Two more minutes, that was all he was waiting. Moving might not be the best idea, but he wasn’t convinced standing still was any better. He would follow Jillian to the ends of the earth, so it didn’t make sense to kick back and wait for her here.
One minute passed. Only two blue coats in sight, one on a man, one on a kid.
Another minute passed. In a last ditch effort, Jak squinted into the tree line. A blue coat and gray pants broke through and started down the slope toward him! And from the size of the skier, it appeared to be a woman.
This was it! Fate had come through again. Jak was happier than Tiny Tim on Christmas morning.
Jak eased his way away from the lift. There would be no missing each other this time. Jillian was skiing alone. Either she’d left Emma in the dust or they had split up to have a better chance of finding him. Jak’s firehouse brothers would have done the same thing for him.
With his helmet in hand, Jak waved her down with one ski pole. Jillian adjusted her path toward him. A rush of relief rose in him that she wasn’t trying to avoid him for some unknown reason.
She sent a spray of snow as she gracefully skidded to a stop, which turned into a magical mist between them. After three months, he could finally talk to her. Date her. Get down on one knee and—
The woman pulled off her goggles and ski cap in one smooth motion, revealing long blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
Cold air slapped Jak in the mouth as his jaw dropped into the powder at his feet.
“Hi, handsome,” said the blonde. “Thanks for waiting for me. I would have come sooner if I knew you were here.” She gave him a wink.
The woman was very pretty—and very forward—and definitely not Jillian. Jak was so dejected at the turn of fate that he couldn’t speak.
She continued. “It’s a little early for après ski, but for a hottie like you I’ll hang my skis up for the day and let you buy me a drink.” Another wink. “Or two.”
“Sorry,” said Jak. “I was waiting for my … destiny.”
“Oh, honey,” said the blonde, leaning in and resting a gloved hand on the side of his neck. In a suddenly sultry voice, she added, “I’ll show you all the destiny you can handle. Just follow me.”
Jak jumped back, skis and all, about five feet. The last thing he needed was some floozy hanging on him when Jillian did show up. He scanned his surroundings and thankfully saw no sign of Jillian.
“Not today.” Not ever. Jak turned on his heel and bolted toward the ski lift line. He hazarded a look back and saw the blonde stick her tongue out at him then ski off in a different direction.
“Jillian will show up,” Jak assured himself as he glided into the single-skier line. There was still half a ski day left, plus night skiing. “Sure as Santa, she’ll show sometime.”
Jak didn’t know if he could repeat that five times fast, but he did know that unless he found her sooner, he would be the last person off this mountain.
7
As Jillian rode the lift for the last run of the day, her eyes swept back and forth over the skiers below her. Seeing Jak in the snow below her, standing there so far from any trail had made her day.
That was twice! One more meeting would make three times.
Three times I will meet my true love.
Three times broken, three times to heal.
Had he been saying it was already three? Between her surprise at seeing him there, the distance separating them, and the howling wind, Jillian hadn’t really followed the conversation, even after trying to reconstruct it with Emma. Together they had pieced Silverlode Express Lift. At the bottom of the lift, Jillian was pretty sure.
So for the rest of the day, she had to avoid that spot. Park City Resort was big enough to ski all day without going by there. She was pretty sure he had said that was three times, and she didn’t want to have that discussion all over again. Tempting herself by being near him wasn’t smart either.
Jillian had fully expected to see him at some point again today even though she was avoiding Silverlode. If she ran into him somewhere else besides Silverlode Lift, she could count it as organic, right? A mountain this size with so many people here. Maybe it was all for the best to not see him and blur the lines of the three meetings rule.
The number of skiers had thinned a little, but it was still busy. No one wearing Jak’s brash red ski coat and black pants was in sight.
Jillian pulled off a glove, pulled her phone out, and snapped a selfie then sent it to both of her parents. Thanks for the lift ticket! Now I can say I’ve skied the greatest snow on Earth!
In her three and a half years in Utah, Jillian had never splurged the almost a hundred bucks for a day on the slopes, much to Emma’s dismay. Emma practically lived on the mountain in the winter and was only too happy to lend Jillian all the gear and clothing she needed. She also knew all the tricks, like pulling up the car after the parking lot started to empty while your best friend took one last run.
As the top of the lift neared, Jillian wondered what she’d do if she did run into Jak on the last run. Half a day later, in a completely different part of the resort counted as a new encounter, right? If only she’d been given a rulebook along with the inspiration God had spoken to her that day.
She let the question ride as she raised the safety bar, raised her tips, and raised one pole in a salute to her parents and their determination that she have this experience and raised the other to her best friend Emma for an amazing final day together.
If she went to the right she could ski by Hidden Lake lift. It had been a few hours since Jak had told her to meet him there. Would he still be waiting? Oh, how she longed to know and oh, how she longed to see him.
“Don’t do it, girl,” Jillian told herself. “Don’t risk it.”
She hated to admit it, but that was good advice. If Jak was the right one for her, she’d find him one more time and they could proceed from there. It was actually a nice touch by her guardian angel to make their first two meetings happen in places where they didn’t have the choice to just stick together.
Jillian slid her hands through the straps on her ski poles and headed down the slope. The snow wasn’t as powdery as it had been at the start of the day, but Jillian wasn’t picky. It was still the best ski day of her life. Jillian took her time weaving back and forth over the easy path, loving the cold air blowing across her face and the burst of adrenaline every time she got the sensation that she might topple over.
The bottom of the hill approached, and still no sign of Jak or his red coat. And there was Emma’s Jeep, its headlights flashing to guide her in. Jillian pointed her skis toward the Jeep. She glanced right—no Jak. Glance left—no Jak. At least she didn’t have to worry about what she’d do if she ran into him again on the mountain today.
They loaded her skis on the rack, boots in the back, then cranked up the heater and thawed as Emma joined the line of cars full of skiers done for
the day.
8
Jak drove toward the annual Station 3 Christmas Party with an empty passenger seat next to him. It was a good thing he wasn’t a betting man or he would have lost a lot of money on a bet of him finding true love before the night was out. Ere the night was out. With only one thing left on the calendar before the day was up and the prophecy all but expired, he was convinced the long shot really was too long.
As had become his custom, Jak detoured to hit a few extra streets downtown, and as he drove carefully down the snowy streets of Park City, he kept an eye out for Jillian. Two days before Christmas, the streets were packed, decorations shined in every window, and a general attitude of Christmas cheer was obvious on the faces of people he passed on the sidewalk. And as he’d become accustomed to, he made it all the way through the downtown streets and to Pineapple’s without spotting the gray eyes he sought.
So much for fate. So much for the fruitcake prophecy. So much for love this year.
He arrived in the parking lot of a few minutes before the party was set to start. Because of their changing shifts every year, the party always took place on a different day and at a different time. This one was in the afternoon because half of the crew had other plans for Christmas Eve. Instead of climbing out and heading inside, Jak shut off his truck and watched the tiny snowflakes hit his windshield and slowly lose their shape as they morphed into miniscule water droplets, too small to even roll down the windshield.
Would this be his last winter in Park City? His last Station 3 Christmas Party? Though he still couldn’t explain it, what he’d miss the most if he left Park City would be another chance to run into Jillian. His gut had never been so wrong.
The clock had ticked away all its seconds and was about to strike midnight on his fairy tale. The Christmas fantasy this year had run its course and gone up in a puff of snow.
A car pulled into the parking lot, pulled around, and came to a stop directly in front of Jak with its headlights right in his face. The driver of the other car flashed the high beams, and Jak climbed out.
Garrett got out of his truck and went around to help open the door for Maci. At least things were going well for a couple of the guys.
“No Jak and Jill?” asked Garrett. By now, everyone on the crew knew all about the search for Jillian, and his failure to track her down after their third encounter that day on the slopes.
“No Jak and Jill, and thanks for bringing up a painful subject,” replied Jak with a smile.
“Speaking of painful subjects, did you hear the latest on Tom?”
“No,” said Jak, “but since the rest of you have hit the big time, I’m sure he has too.”
Like the third wheel he was, Jak started walking toward the building alongside Garrett and Maci.
“If the rumors are true, Kent might come back to Park City a married man.”
Jak didn’t believe it. That was a little too farfetched. “The rumors are always true, aren’t they?”
“Yeah,” said Garrett with a laugh. They reached the building and he put a hand on the door handle. “I don’t want to trigger you again so soon, but Maci isn’t going to be the only significant other in there tonight.”
“What are you talking about?” Jak looked at his watch. “Who says I’m going alone? It’s still early. In the timeline of miracles, there’s a veritable eternity left.”
“That’s the spirit,” said Maci. “I never thought the two of us would be together here, but somehow it happened.”
“Good,” muttered Garrett in a stage whisper. “You give him hope so I can be the realist.” He pulled the door open. “Shall we?”
Maci stepped in, but Jak stayed put. “I’m going to hang out here to put off the shame of being the only single guy inside.”
“And give your miracle time to work,” added Maci.
“And that,” said Jak. “A veritable eternity.”
Garrett shrugged. “It is Christmastime.”
“And I did eat more fruitcake than anyone.”
Maci called over her shoulder, “Maybe an angel will come down and deliver your Little Miss Jillian just in time.”
“I think it’s likely,” said Jak. “We’ll be right in.”
Through the closing door, Jak heard Christmas music and people laughing. The normal grill scents of Pineapple’s were augmented by the strong scent of cinnamony cider. The night would be fixed in his mind forever, since it could very well be one of the last times he saw them all together. Well, besides Kent and his stupid Hawaii trip.
To the left of the door was a small alcove, protected by thick trees and therefore dry and free of snow. A bench was there for overflow on busy nights at the restaurant. Jak pulled his phone out, sat on the bench, and opened the email. The email.
“If we don’t hear from you by Christmas, we’ll know your answer. If you want it, the Managing Wildfire Specialist job is yours. Just e-sign on the dotted line and we’ll see you January 9th.”
The job was even better than what he’d been expecting. The two and a half times his current salary was very nice, but the real draw was the position of influence on pretty much any Type I wildfire in the country. As soon as wildfires started in late spring he’d be back and forth between the Incident Command Post and his new home in northern California, up until late fall when the last fire went out. Jak could use his gift in a bigger role than he was now doing, and more days out of every year. Every wildland season more than a dozen firefighters lost their lives fighting wildfires. Jak knew that, with the grace of God, he could prevent some of those.
With Jillian all but out of the picture, everything holding him to Park City was inside those doors—those four men and one woman who had become the only brothers and sister he’d known. They’d understand. Each of them had dedicated their lives to a sacred calling, and if Jak felt directed by the hand of God to a role in which he could make a bigger difference in more lives, none of them would argue.
Sure they’d give him a hard time, and call him a traitor, and pretend like they’d forgotten who he was before he even left, but when it came down to it, he’d still be a brother to every one of them for the rest of his life, and vice versa.
Jak’s mom would understand as well. She supported him in his career, and every time he left for months at a time, she told him to go worry about saving lives and she’d worry about keeping him safe with her prayers. Park City never was big enough for her son, another thing she’d always told him.
If it really was God’s plan for him to move on to the Forest Service job, didn’t it have to be God’s plan that he find the right woman this Christmas season? And wasn’t it practically a gimme that that woman was Jillian? Because his gut felt exactly the same about her as he did about accepting the larger wildland role.
For the thousandth time he wondered if God would really speak to him through a little old lady and her fruitcake. She was far from the image of the angel that graced so many Christmas trees with their halos, wings, white robes and little trumpets announcing the birth of the Savior of the World.
Jak looked up into the falling flakes, thinking back to the first Christmas night. The angels had announced it, though they weren’t the only players the night of that first Noel. Kings came from afar and brought gifts. Shepherds came to visit the babe in his manger. And if the Christmas songs were correct, a little drummer boy played, animals stood by, and three ships came sailing in.
Who was Jak to say a bedraggled little old lady didn’t visit the new family, bringing them an unlikely dessert?
The door opened. Beckett said, “Party’s in here, Viking. I’m stag too, so you won’t be the only loner.”
Jak was wasting time sitting out here alone. It wasn’t like he was going to make any major life decision right here on the porch and his time was limited with these people he loved so much. Actually, the lack of an answer by this fruitcake deadline was all he needed. January ninth he would be in a different part of the country, ready to take on a whole new level
of responsibility.
“Just gotta send a quick email.”
Beckett nodded and closed the door.
Jak woke his phone and the email was there staring at him again. He scrolled down to the link and clicked through to the contract again. Everything was filled out for him, and he’d already read through the contract a dozen times so he knew it was all in order. The only thing it lacked was his John Hancock in the box at the bottom of the page.
JAK FINLAYSON, he typed, then he put one hand on the door, took one last look out over the parking lot in a last desperate search for a pair of magically-appearing gray eyes.
No eyes. No Jillian.
No Christmas miracle.
Jak clicked Accept. A new job, a chance to use his talents on a hundredfold scale would have to count as his Christmas miracle.
He pulled the door open and the sounds of his family Christmas party floated out. There was no reason to tell the guys tonight about the new job. They’d be the first to know, besides his mom, but it could wait until next shift. Let them have their happy holiday first.
The rec room in the back of Pineapple’s had an entirely new look to it, partly because of the Christmas decorations, but mostly due to the newcomers. From one look around the room, Jak could tell these guys would be celebrating Christmas Eve with entirely different people from now on.
After snapping a candid picture of his crew and their dates, Jak powered off his phone, slid it into his coat pocket, and hung it by the door.
9
Jillian finished another name plate and set it carefully on top of the stack to dry. Eleanor Sutherland. Jillian had no idea who that was, just that she was an elderly person with nowhere to go tomorrow for Christmas dinner so she would be attending the Homecooked Holidays event. Jillian’s program at the U had set her up with the organization during her junior year as a service opportunity, and Jillian had grown to love feeding the lonely senior citizens. She was flying back home tomorrow, so unfortunately she’d miss the event, but she was spending her last day in Park City helping prepare for it.
Her Christmas Miracle: Park City Firefighter Romances Page 6
