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Chapter 1
Sebastian Rockwell slammed his finger down onto the stereo button—once, twice, three times for good measure. “It’s way too early for Christmas music,” he muttered to himself.
But somewhere on the other side of the airwaves, the Little Drummer Boy continued his pa-rum-pum-pum-pum, completely unmoved by this particular driver’s lack of holiday spirit.
“Spare some change for the poor?” a tightly bundled gentleman mouthed through the car window.
Sebastian looked up at the traffic light, which was still stuck—rather unhelpfully—on red, then rolled down his window and handed the stranger a twenty.
“Merry Christmas,” the volunteer said, his smile growing wide and bright. “God bless!”
“Yeah, yeah, you too.” Sebastian couldn’t roll his window back up fast enough. It wasn’t that he hated Christmas… well, not exactly.
He loved the winter season—a good thing since he was born and raised and still continued to live in Alaska. And he liked getting and giving gifts well enough. Drinking cocoa and watching the nativity play at church was nice, too.
Actually, he did love all the little things about the holiday season when taken separately. It was the way they came together all at once, like a giant avalanche of merriment, that he just couldn’t bring himself to be happy about.
Back when he’d been a kid, each holiday was enjoyed separately, one at a time.
But now?
Sometimes the Christmas decorations were up even before Halloween had its moment in the seasonal spotlight. And from then on out, it was planning and lists and obligations. He had to be merry and bright. Otherwise, he was seen as being cold, cruel.
It was enough to make any warm-blooded guy go “bah-humbug.”
Of course, the very worst part of everything by far was how very opposite his mother felt about this particular holiday.
Secret Santas, white elephant gift exchanges, giving trees—they did it all each and every year, and each and every year they heaped yet another tradition onto the giant mountain of rubbish that had already taken over the better parts of both November and December. His poor dad had even needed to construct a second shed in the backyard to hold the overflow of all the accumulated decorations.
Unfortunately, he knew this year would be the absolute worst Christmas yet.
Now that his brother Oscar had gotten himself married like a good son and Noah had moved out of state with his new lady love, that meant only Sebastian was unhitched and thus subject to his mother’s zealous matchmaking efforts. Because if there was one thing that woman loved more than a good Christmas cookie recipe, it was trying to find love for each of her strapping, not-so-young-anymore sons.
He gritted his teeth as he pulled the car to a stop outside his parents’ quad-level Anchorage home. Thanksgiving had come and gone, and his mother had already bought and wrapped all their gifts for the year. The big day was less than a week away, and he still didn’t have an exit strategy.
“Dear God,” he prayed from where he sat in his idling car. “Please, could you send me a Christmas miracle or two to help me make it through?”
“Yoo-hoo!” his mother called from the now open doorway of his childhood home. “Are you going to come in now, or would you rather wait for the frostbite to set in first?”
“Nice,” Sebastian muttered to God. “Couldn’t even let me hold on to that hope for like a day? A minute?” He gritted his teeth and headed into his mother’s waiting arms.
Just a few more days to go.
But could he manage to survive that long?
Riley McKinley smiled as she walked through downtown Seattle. All around her, the streets were decked with garlands, lights, and banners wishing its inhabitants season’s greetings. She stopped in at Starbucks for a minty hot cocoa before continuing the rest of the trek toward her office.
“Merry Christmas!” she sang to the barista both when she ordered her drink and when the spiky haired college boy handed her the steaming beverage in a festive red cup. Riley snuggled into the big, chunky scarf her grandmother had hand-knit for her several years ago and headed back into the busy streets.
This was her last working day before taking an entire ten days off to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. Taking so much time off at year’s end meant shorter summer vacations, but it was worth it. Riley could think of no better way to spend her free time than baking cookies with her nieces and nephews and decorating every square inch of her parents’ home with hand-strung cranberry chains and freshly cut pine branches.
Yes, today would be a good day, and the days to follow would be even better.
Unfortunately, the moment she crossed through the door to the office she shared with a few other area realtors, everything changed.
Rather than cheery holiday jingles, she was greeted by the sound of arguing and the sight of her most particular client, Mr. Evers.
“Look, she’s here now.” The receptionist, Gloria, motioned toward Riley and mouthed “Sorry!” once Mr. Evers had turned his back to her.
“Mr. Evers, what a pleasant surprise,” she greeted him with a sincere smile despite the dramatic scene unfolding before her. If you expected good things to happen, they usually did. Especially around Christmas. The season itself was a kind of magic, as if God granted extra miracles this time of year as his way of celebrating Jesus’s birth.
“Not pleasant for me,” Mr. Evers grumbled, cutting off her stream of positive thoughts at the quick. “I’ve finally found the perfect investment property, but your assistant tells me I can’t go to see it until the new year. We both know it will be off the market by then.”
“Of course, of course. I’ll be happy to take you now, if you’ll just follow me. I can—”
He raised his hand to cut her off, a slight smile appearing now that he was on the path to getting his way. “Not today. Tomorrow, though.”
Okay, so she’d have one showing on her day off, but then nine uninterrupted days of holiday bliss. That wouldn’t be so bad. “Yes, okay. I’ll set up the showing. What’s the property’s address?”
“The Frosty Peak in Fairbanks.”
Riley was taken aback by the unfamiliar name. As a realtor, it was her job to know every street, subdivision, and home around the greater Seattle neighborhood—but she hadn’t heard of this one. Certainly, there was no way her client could mean the Fairbanks up in Alaska.
Mr. Evers continued undeterred. “I’ll cover the cost of your flight, of course. Next one goes out bright and early in the morning. Should give us enough time to get a good look before nightfall.”
“F-f-flight?”
“How else will we get there? On foot?” He chuckled.
“Mr. Evers,” Riley started slowly, afraid of how he would answer the next question. “Is this property in Alaska?”
“That’s the only Fairbanks I know. I thought your assistant already gave you the details by phone.”
At that precise moment, Riley’s phone buzzed with a text that had been sent at least fifteen minutes ago. Ugh, she definitely needed to switch cell carriers. She forced a laugh and waved the phone before her client’s eyes. “There it is now.”
“Like I was saying,” Mr. Evers continued, “it needs to be now. This resort just went on the market, and I know I can’t be the only one eager to grab it right up. Don’t want to lose out on a beauty like this.”
Riley wracked her brain for some kind of solution to this sudden crisis. “Maybe I could put in a few calls to the offices around the area. See if anyone there would be able to help arrange the showing.”
He shook his head adamantly, and Riley felt all her cheerful holiday plans slipping back into nothingness. “It has to be you. You handle all my acquisitions. You know what I need. Anyone else will just waste my time.”
What about my time? Riley wondered, doing her best to suppress the sigh that so desperately wanted to escape her lips.
&nb
sp; Mr. Evers placed a conciliatory hand on her shoulder and waited for her to look him directly in the eye. She’d seen him use this negotiating tactic before, but never on her. Oh, she was a goner now for sure. “I know it’s the holidays, and I’m prepared to raise your commission. It will be a big one.”
When he told her what the asking price was and offered to raise her commission on the deal by a full three percent, all of Riley’s doubts were at last silenced. With this kind of windfall, she could afford to send her parents on a cruise for their thirty-fifth anniversary coming up this year.
Yes, it was decided. If everything went smoothly once they were up in Fairbanks, she could still make it home before the end of Christmas day.
That just left one question. “What time do we leave?” she asked while inwardly reminding herself that it would be okay.
Christmas wasn’t a place. It was a feeling, and she refused to leave it behind.
Chapter 2
The next afternoon, Sebastian was back at his parents’ house to help his mother put the finishing touches on the cats’ gifts. Yes, gifts for the cats—and they were homemade at that.
About a year and a half ago his veterinarian brother, Oscar, had foisted a pregnant stray upon their mom, and she’d gone from zero to crazy cat lady in a matter of days.
She’d named all five kittens after 80’s pop icons and forced one upon each of her sons, including Sebastian, so that she could visit the little kitties whenever she needed to—and it was often, far too often.
Sebastian’s feline companion was called Sting, and his mother had refused any attempt to change it to something more current and less embarrassing.
“Isn’t this the cutest?” his mother asked, holding up a Police-themed sweater she’d knit for the cat. “And wait until you see what I’ve got planned for Billy Idol.”
He rolled his eyes, then broke out into a huge laugh as his mother’s cats, Sadie Madonna and Boy George, trotted into the room wearing matching Christmas sweaters. “You really need some grandkids, Mom,” Sebastian said without thinking.
“First, I need to round out my daughters-in-law,” she said without missing a beat. “Don’t you think?”
He groaned, the beginnings of a headache coming on. “If you start that again, I’m leaving.”
Her face fell for a moment before she returned to her bedazzling. “You know I worry about you. I’d have really thought Noah would be last to find somebody, but you just know he and Taylor will be announcing a wedding date any day now.”
It had only been a few months since his brother Noah had fallen for the lady Army officer and moved clear across the country to be with her, but still, no one would be surprised when they took the natural next step in their relationship.
“I’ll find somebody good, Mom. I’ll find the best daughter-in-law you could ever possibly dream of, but when I’m ready.”
His mother pouted her lower lip but said nothing.
This was his chance to take the heat off once and for all. He smiled casually and said, “I really think it’s time you started asking Oscar and Lolly about their baby plans, don’t you? Besides, I’ve got my hands full with work… and Sting.”
“Work,” his mother muttered. “I still can’t believe you tossed your degree aside like that to play sports for a living.”
Sebastian used his business degree all the time when it came to his career as a winter sports advisor for the state’s most popular chain of resorts, but his mother often forgot that. He assumed it was more about her than himself, though, given the fact that her PhD sat dusty and unused during her extended sabbatical for the last several years. He didn’t know why she’d suddenly chosen to take a break from the university, and she’d always changed the subject whenever asked.
Still, she seemed happy at home with her cats, so nobody pressed too hard, least of all Sebastian.
He was trying to work out an appropriate response in his head when his cell buzzed in his pocket. Grateful for the distraction, he answered the call and turned his back to his mother at her craft table to obtain a small measure of privacy.
“Sebastian?” his boss, Mr. Petrov, shouted into the phone. “Oh, good! I was worried I wouldn’t get you, you being on holiday leave and all that.”
“Well, you’ve got me. What can I do for you?” Sebastian scratched the side of his neck as he listened.
“Look, I know you’re home with your family celebrating, but I have a potential buyer coming up to the Fairbanks location tonight. He’s willing to pay above asking price if we can accommodate him now and, well, he really needs to be able to get a feel for the place in action.”
“But isn’t it closed for renovations?” Sebastian asked, having only gone up to the Fairbanks resort a few times over the past several years and not being entirely familiar with the place.
“Yes, that’s why I’m calling. Could you play tour guide? Show the man a great time, help him see what it could be when it opens back up. Basically seal the deal? What do you say?”
Sebastian turned back toward his mother, who was happily sewing sequins onto one of the cat sweaters. She would be just fine without him for the next couple days. Besides, he’d already put in more than his fair share of time. Now his brothers needed to step up to the plate.
“How long are we talking?” he asked quietly, refusing to meet his mother’s inquiring gaze.
“Oh, a couple days, tops. We’ll have you back in time for Christmas dinner. And there’ll be a nice bonus in it for you when the deal goes through.”
“I’ll do it,” he said, listening as his boss rattled off a few more details, and then said goodbye.
Now he just had to tell his mother that he’d miss all the “fun” activities she had planned for Christmas Eve, and then make a quick escape before she could try to guilt him into changing his mind.
Riley gripped down on the arm rests as the plane began its descent into Fairbanks. She’d always hated to fly and often managed to avoid it, but she also knew better than to say no to her top client, especially when he was willing to offer such a generous bonus.
The passenger next to her faked a cough and glowered at her from his aisle seat, making her feel even more trapped on the slowly sinking plane.
To make matters worse, the homesickness had already set in. Seeing all the happy travelers heading toward their families and Christmas while she was moving away made her heart ache. She pictured her father’s calloused hands and her mother’s bright eyes. Oh, how she missed them today! But she was doing this for them—to give them the break, the getaway they so deserved.
Knowing that helped a little, but not enough to overcome the general anxiety she felt at being so far from home and such an important time of year.
Normally, they’d all be setting up for a big pre-caroling dinner right about now. With turkey and yams and her mother’s signature spinach and clementine salad, they’d fill their bellies as a measure against the cold before traveling the neighborhood and singing their merry hearts out.
When the plane at last popped down onto the tarmac, she turned her iPhone back on, stuck her earbuds in, and fired up her favorite holiday playlist.
It helped to keep her spirits up as she waited for the plane to pull up to the gate so they could all de-board.
Oh, Mr. Evers, she thought, couldn’t it have waited for just one week?
She knew resistance on her part could cost her client the deal, which was another reason she’d ultimately agreed. She liked Mr. Evers, and she loved what she did for a living, too.
It’s just any other day. Just any other week, she told herself as Wham! sang all about last Christmas.
She flipped through the notifications on her phone as she waited, but actively avoided checking Facebook, her mother’s social media channel of choice. It would only hurt more if she saw firsthand what she was missing. She’d catch up on their holiday when she’d returned from hers.
Her email was filled to the brim with holiday greetings from every
department store or online boutique she’d ever shopped at. As she mass deleted the flurry of good tidings, she vowed to be more judicious when it came to handing out her email address in the future.
There were so many emails trying to sell her last minute gift ideas that she almost missed the note that had come in from Gloria, the office assistant.
Luckily, she was able to pluck it out of the trash and take a look just as the plane at last pulled into the gate.
Riley,
Hope I catch you on time! Wanted to let you know that a man named Sebastian Rockwell will be picking you up from the airport in Fairbanks. He’s tall with brown hair, and he’ll have a sign with your name.
Good luck out there.
And Merry Christmas!
Gloria
Riley shoved her phone back into her pocket and rose to collect her carry-on from the overhead bin. At least she wouldn’t have to find a cab. Maybe that was her Christmas miracle for the year.
Chapter 3
Sebastian shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot as he stood waiting at the luggage claim. Somehow his job had evolved from showing the potential buyer the sites and activities around the resort to now also playing chauffeur to the fancy relator being flown in from Seattle to help broker the deal.
Riley McKinley, his sign said in quickly scrawled marker.
“McKinley?” Sebastian had asked his boss when he’d read out the name over the phone. “As in Denali? Like the mountain?”
“Yeah,” Mr. Petrov had said with a chuckle. “I got a kick out of that, too. Almost as if this deal is destined, so don’t screw it up.”
Sebastian frowned. “I could always turn around and head back home, if you’re going to be like that.”
“You know I’m only kidding. I asked you up because you’re the best at what you do. And this needs to be the best performance of your career. Got it?” Roman Petrov always knew exactly when to stroke his employees’ egos, and Sebastian was no exception.
The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection Page 15
