Jingle Bell Romance
Mia Ross
Julia Stanton loves Christmas—almost as much as she loves the home she’s made in Holiday Harbor. So when her beloved pastor’s prodigal son returns for a brief visit, she hatches a plan to keep Nick McHenry in town.Growing up as an ambassador’s daughter, she’s charmed countless dignitaries and surely she can get the brooding bachelor to see how much joy there is in a family-filled holiday. Julia never expects to feel the spark of something more for Nick. But it will take more than attraction to turn this handsome scrooge into her hometown hero.
Falling For Scrooge
Julia Stanton loves Christmas—almost as much as she loves the home she’s made in Holiday Harbor. So when her beloved pastor’s prodigal son returns for a brief visit, she hatches a plan to keep Nick McHenry in town. Growing up as an ambassador’s daughter, she’s charmed countless dignitaries and surely she can get the brooding bachelor to see how much joy there is in a family-filled holiday. Julia never expects to feel the spark of something more for Nick. But it will take more than attraction to turn this handsome scrooge into her hometown hero.
Holiday Harbor: Where love is just around the bend.
“I thought you wanted to
keep your new life here a secret.”
“Some reporter will track me down eventually. This way, I control the situation.” Leaning forward, Julia pinned him with a knowing look. “Yesterday, you told me you miss getting the scoop. I’m giving you one, right here, right now. Take it or leave it.”
Nick knew if he didn’t grab this opportunity, another journalist would. Of course, agreeing meant he’d be stuck in Holiday Harbor longer than he’d planned. But a story like this was worth it. And getting to know the reclusive ambassador’s daughter through personal interviews would be downright fascinating.
“Once folks know you’re here,” he commented, “your online orders should go through the roof.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. It would be nice to do my books with black ink instead of red.”
He scoffed. “Like that’s a problem for you.”
That got him a steely glare. “Rule number one—assume nothing. Things in my life aren’t always what they seem to be.”
MIA ROSS
loves great stories. She enjoys reading about fascinating people, long-ago times and exotic places. But only for a little while, because her reality is pretty sweet. Married to her college sweetheart, she’s the proud mom of two amazing kids, whose schedules keep her hopping. Busy as she is, she can’t imagine trading her life for anyone else’s—and she has a pretty good imagination. You can visit her online at www.miaross.com (http://www.miaross.com).
Jingle Bell Romance
Mia Ross
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Give, and it will be given to you.
—Luke 6:38
For Ruth
Acknowledgments
To the very talented folks who help me make
my books everything they can be: Elaine Spencer, Melissa Endlich and the dedicated staff
at Love Inspired Books.
More thanks to the gang at Seekerville
(www.seekerville.net (http://www.seekerville.net)). Whether I’m looking for advice or just some cheerleaders, you never let me down.
My wonderful—and very patient—
friends and family surround me with support
and encouragement every single day.
Without you, this book would still just be
a quirky idea floating around in my head.
Contents
Chapter One (#ud36f2668-d947-5325-8324-7aff8294f49d)
Chapter Two (#u898e5d3e-c99c-552a-82d7-afad4d2cd952)
Chapter Three (#u385f89de-4449-556c-aa0a-5d15f517a858)
Chapter Four (#u95ac3eff-714a-5f6f-85cf-b43574fd7bdc)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)
Questions for Discussion (#litres_trial_promo)
Excerpt (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and Julia Stanton was expecting a busy day at Toyland. Looking forward to some coffee to ward off the chilly morning air, she was about to pull open the door of Holiday Harbor Sweets when a man’s black leather glove closed over top of her hand.
“Ladies first,” said a deep voice, and she looked up into the darkest brown eyes she’d ever seen. Framed by a tanned face and hair that was just a little too long, those eyes had a piercing quality, as if their owner noticed things other people missed and didn’t always like what he saw.
He was wearing classic black, from his briefcase and cashmere dress coat to a pair of stylish boots that were better suited to a business meeting in Manhattan than the slushy sidewalks of northern Maine. Set against the gently falling slow, his outfit gave him a dark, dangerous look. Until he smiled. The gesture lightened his intense features, and unabashed male interest flashed in his eyes.
When he opened the door and motioned her ahead of him, she returned the smile. “Thank you.”
“Since I know who you are,” he continued while they joined the to-go line, “I’m thinking you know who I am, too.”
She laughed. “The notorious Nick McHenry. My friend Bree Landry tells me you’re the toughest magazine editor she’s ever worked for.”
“Aw, she’s just being nice. Speaking of Bree, when are she and Cooper due back from their honeymoon in the Caribbean?”
“Her last email said ‘in time for Christmas.’ That was about a week ago.”
“I’m surprised she didn’t mention to me that you’re living here now. It’s not every day you find the daughter of a U.S. Ambassador cooling her heels in a backwater place like this.”
His unmasked disdain for the quaint village she’d called home for six months irked her to say the least. “Why would you say that? I thought you grew up here.”
“I did. First chance I got, I was outta here.”
“Too bad you didn’t stay out.” A young woman interrupted their conversation with an unforgiving scowl. Normally sweet and cheerful, Lucy Wilson looked as if she’d just run across her worst enemy.
“Hey there, Lucky,” Nick replied. “How’ve you been?”
“I know you and your idiot buddies all thought that was funny in high school,” she snarled, “but it wasn’t. It’s even less funny now.”
“Right. Sorry.” His brush-off tone made it clear he wasn’t sorry at all, and Julia couldn’t understand why he seemed to be going out of his way to make Lucy angry.
“What are you doing here anyway?” Lucy demanded.
“Mom invited me up for Thanksgiving,” he replied smoothly, not showing the tiniest bit of concern about the bitter reception he’d gotten. “You wouldn’t want me to disappoint her, would you?”
“You haven’t been back in what? Seven years?” she challenged him. “Why now?”
For the first time, the seemingly unflappable man showed irritation with her less-than-welcoming attitude. “Planning to showcase my personal business on page one of the local paper again?”
Julia couldn’t imagine why on earth they were going at it in public this way. She was starting to feel uncomfortable standing in the middle of this showdown, but there was no polite way to walk away.
“That was ages ago, and you totally deserved it.”
Still locked in a glaring contest with her, he said, “Not that anyone around here will care, but I wanted to meet my niece and nephew.”
“Whatever. Take my word on this one,” she cautioned Julia. “He’s been nothing but trouble his whole life.”
Julia glanced at him, and he nodded solemnly in agreement. His glum expression was clearly an act, though. The bemused twinkle in his eyes gave him away. Without another word, Lucy shoved past him and charged out the door without ordering anything. The overhead bells jangled sharply as she left, and Julia faced Nick with a frown of her own. “You were needling her on purpose.”
There was that wicked grin again. “Yeah.”
“Why on earth would you do that? Especially this time of year.”
“You mean because it’s Christmas?” When she nodded, he shrugged. “To me, vacation’s over, and I’ve got a ton of work to do. I need a bagel, some decent coffee and a wireless connection so I can plow through the pile of emails I haven’t been able to read since I got here Wednesday. I don’t have time to make nice with someone who’s determined to hate me no matter what I say or do.”
Julia was confused. “Why haven’t you been able to check your email? I thought you were staying with your sister, Lainie, and her family.”
“I am.” He gave her a suspicious look that appeared so natural for him, she assumed it was his normal way of interacting with people he’d just met. “How did you know that?”
“When I moved here in the spring, I didn’t know anyone, and she took me under her wing. She and I have gotten to be good friends. She told me you were coming and would be staying with them. I know they have wireless at their house.”
“Sure, but no privacy. I can’t concentrate with everyone yakking all the time.”
Why had he even bothered to come back? she wondered. The holidays were for family, but aside from the comment about meeting his niece and nephew, he didn’t seem to appreciate that at all.
Not her concern, she reminded herself sternly. If he wanted to neglect his relatives, that was his own business.
They moved up a spot in line, and Julia told him, “There’s no internet in here.”
“I know, but someone around here must’ve smartened up by now. Know any place in this map dot town that’s made it into the twenty-first century?”
Julia had the kind of connection he needed at her shop, but she was hesitant to tell him so. If she did, it would be common courtesy to allow him to use it, and she wasn’t at all certain she wanted him camped out in her store on such a busy shopping day. With his brooding vibe and incessant grumbling, he’d probably scare away half her customers.
You get what you give, Julia.
In her memory, she heard her mother’s gentle voice repeating one of her personal philosophies. Gisele Stanton had lived her entire life that way, abandoning a promising orchestral career to accompany her ambassador husband to every corner of the globe. While Julia had no intention of putting aside her own wishes for anyone ever again, she always did her best to follow her mother’s generous example.
“I have wireless at Toyland,” she finally said before she could think better of it. “You’re welcome to use it—with one condition.”
“Twenty bucks a minute?”
While she knew he was joking, the cynical remark spoke volumes about how this jaded journalist viewed the world. “You have to buy a toy to place under my Gifting Tree. They’ll go to local children to make their Christmas a little brighter.”
He blinked. Charity appeared to be a foreign concept to him. “You’re kidding.”
“Not at all.” She gave him her sweetest smile, the one that over the years had charmed countless dignitaries and a crown prince or two. “That’s the deal—take it or leave it.”
“Next!”
Eyeing Julia incredulously, Nick turned to the young woman behind the counter. Dressed in a red-and-green-striped shirt and fuzzy stocking cap, she tilted her head expectantly. “What can I get you?”
He rattled off a complex order, and she laughed. “You’re kidding, right? I don’t know what half that stuff is.”
“Fine.” His jaw tightened, as if he was struggling to keep control of what seemed to be a remarkably short temper. “What’ve you got?”
“Regular or decaf, large or small. I’ve got some choco-peppermint holiday creamer if you want that.”
His grimace made it clear he wanted nothing to do with creamer, holiday or otherwise. “I’ll take a large regular, black, with a poppy seed bagel.” At her give-me-a-break look, he sighed. “Plain bagel.”
“Coming right up.”
He didn’t respond, but as the overhead speakers crackled with “Deck the Halls,” he groaned softly. “This Podunk town wouldn’t know a latte or decent music if someone force-fed it to them.”
Because she was far from perfect, Julia made it a habit to be tolerant of other people’s shortcomings. But his constant griping was getting on her nerves. “Not a morning person, Mr. McHenry?”
“Not a Christmas person,” he corrected her as he reached into his inner coat pocket for his designer wallet. “Lainie calls me Scrooge, and she’s not far off. I’m not into the decorations and sappy carols and all that. Never have been, never will be.”
She waited a moment, then attempted to lighten the mood with, “Aren’t you going to say ‘bah, humbug’?”
He replied only with a wry grin, and she wondered if he enjoyed his Scrooge-y demeanor. He certainly had no qualms about showing his more abrasive side. Although she was still new in town, something told her Lucy wasn’t the only local resident who wouldn’t be pleased to see him. In a few short minutes, Julia had discovered he had a bristly personality and a sharp tongue. Honing that kind of sarcasm must have taken years, and she suspected he’d never been one who played well with others.
“This is such a wonderful time of year,” she said gently while he paid for his order. “I can’t imagine why you hate it so much.”
“Trust me. You’d rather not know.”
He didn’t elaborate, and Julia moved up to take his place at the front of the line. “Just the usual, Ellen. Thanks.”
Nick stood to the side but leaned in to add, “Miss Stanton’s order is on me.”
“Okay.”
Ellen scurried off to fill a take-out bag, and Julia looked at Nick. “That’s really not necessary.”
“You’re helping me out, so I figure it’s the least I can do.”
Baffled by his sudden shift in attitude from grim to generous, she smiled and offered her hand. “Then it’s Julia.”
“And I’m Nick.” Mischief brightened his features as they shook. “Does this mean you’re ignoring Lucy’s warning about me?”
“For now.” It was hard to resist the glimmer in his eyes, but she did her best. This guy probably had women fawning all over him on a daily basis. She didn’t want to give him any reason to think she’d be doing the same. “I like her very much, but I make up my own mind about people.”
Ellen returned with her breakfast, and Julia thanked her, taking the bag and cup while Nick paid. He added a nice tip, then angled to the side to allow Julia to leave the store in front of him.
Out on the sidewalk, a cold gust of wind hit them, and he shuddered. “Man, I hate winter.”
“Really? I love it.” To prove her point, she took in a deep breath of crisp, cool Maine air. “It smells clean and fresh, like anything’s possible.”
“It smells cold,” he muttered, glaring at the lazily falling snow as if he could will it to stop. “I’m headed back to Richmond today.”
“What a fabulous city, with all that history,” she commented, hoping to draw him into a more pleasant conversation. “How long have you been living there?”
He shrugged. “A year, I guess.”
“Virginia is a long way from here. What made you choose it?”
“No special reason. I just kept moving south ’til I found a spot where I can stand all the seasons.”
He didn’t sound all that thrilled with where he’d landed, and she wondered if he was still searching for a permanent place to live. Then again, maybe he didn’t even want to settle down. Having moved from one diplomatic post to another with her parents, the gypsy lifestyle no longer appealed to her. Still, she could understand how the excitement of it might be attractive to someone else.
Since Nick was clearly happy to be on his way out of town, there was no point in probing any further. Unfortunately, that meant she’d drained her usual well of small talk, and she was relieved when they reached her shop.
They paused outside the antique door, and Nick held their food while she dug out her keys. When she looked up, she noticed his eyes were fixed on the simple white church across the square. “Pretty, isn’t it?” she asked.
“My father’s church,” he replied in a clipped tone. “But if you asked him, I doubt he’d claim me. I’m the black sheep of the clan.”
Delivered in a near monotone, she couldn’t decide if the confession pained him or angered him. The flash of anger in his eyes answered that question better than any words. “I attend services there, and I enjoy his sermons very much,” Julia said.
“I can’t say the same.” Nick’s face twisted into something between a smirk and a scowl. “I guess they’re easier to take when they’re not aimed at you.”
Attempting to redirect the conversation, she said, “It’s a lovely church, with all that leaded glass and hand-carved woodwork. I’ve always been curious about who built it.”
His nasty expression faded, and he met her eyes calmly. “You’ve been here long enough to know the Landrys built it in 1817, a year after they got here.”
“On Christmas Day,” she added. “Which is how the town got its name.”
“You’re just trying to distract me with this little history lesson.”
For some reason, he was trying to start a fight with her. Rather than join in, she laughed. “Is it working?”
That got her a slow easy smile, completely at odds with the intensity she’d assumed was part of his personality. A pleasant surprise, it brightened his gloomy expression. “Let’s just say I could think of worse ways to kill a few hours before my flight than spending it with such a beautiful woman.”
His rapidly shifting moods set off alarm bells in her head, making her wonder what else he was hiding beneath that cool, detached exterior. Shaking off the thought, she cautioned herself that he was too arrogant to interest her.
She’d spent most of her twenty-eight years traveling the world, and she’d run across more than her share of alpha males along the way. The last one—a dashing Italian banker—all but destroyed her life before vanishing into thin air. Thanks to him, she’d given up on men a long time ago. Especially men like Nick, who clearly had no intention of sticking around.
* * *
Although he’d grown up here, Nick felt more claustrophobic than ever.
Perched on the rocky Atlantic coast, the village had been built around a town square with a white gazebo currently draped with fresh pine boughs. Up and down Main Street, shops and businesses were decorated with multi-colored garlands and twinkling lights. The snow drifting from the sky added to the effect, bringing to mind one of those Currier and Ives cards people loved to send him this time of year.
Holiday shopping wouldn’t be exactly like it was in other places, with crazed customers and twenty-four-hour sales, but for the handful of retail stores it would make or break their winter.
A cherry picker stopped at the far end of the short business district, and a guy wearing a hard hat climbed into the bucket with an armful of lighted garlands. They’d be looped in several spots across the width of Main Street, the way they’d been every year since Nick could remember.
That was the biggest problem with this town. Nothing ever changed.
Almost nothing, he amended as Julia unlocked the door and he followed her inside. He’d seen a lot since leaving for college at NYU, and not much surprised him anymore. Finding Julia Stanton here definitely fell into that category. Mostly because he couldn’t begin to comprehend why she’d chosen to settle down here of all places. Wealthy and connected beyond belief, she could have her pick of any glamorous city on the planet.
Why Holiday Harbor?
The reporter in him loved contradiction because they always led him in unexpected directions. These days, he spent more time editing articles, courting advertisers and designing copy layouts than writing, but the newshound in him smelled a story.
Standing in the entryway, he paused to take in the two giant Christmas trees framed in the display windows on either side of the glass-front door. A vintage train circled beneath one, snaking through festively wrapped gifts that reflected the bright lights and decorations. Under the other tree was a miniature version of Holiday Harbor, complete with ersatz snow, a skating pond and a white chapel lit from inside. Light glowed in the opaque windows, giving them the appearance of candlelight.
His father’s church, he noted grimly. As if seeing the real thing hadn’t been jarring enough. When he leaned closer, he saw that the gold lettering on the tiny sign read, “Safe Harbor Church. All are welcome.”
All but him. In an instant, his mind flashed back to childhood days spent in that church. Sitting in the front pew where Dad could keep a stern eye on him, make sure he didn’t daydream through endless sermons about saints and sinners, and how God knew what was in your heart. Week after week, year after year, he’d endured it because he hadn’t had a choice. His father never struck him, never raised his voice in anger, but he beat Nick down with God’s word, an inch at a time.
His own son, Nick recalled with a flare of anger, but not his favorite son. Not even close.
Feeling ambushed by the replica, he cooled his spiking temper with a deep breath. It was a lifetime ago, he reminded himself. He was twenty-eight now, and those oppressive memories were in the past. He’d worked hard to put them behind him, and they couldn’t hurt him anymore unless he allowed them to.
“Nick?” Hearing Julia’s voice, he dragged his eyes from the seemingly idyllic scene. “Are you okay?”
“Sure. Just admiring your handiwork. Very pretty.”
She gave him the kind of long, mistrustful look he’d gotten from more women than he cared to recall. Normally, he shrugged them off and moved on, but for some reason, coming from her it bothered him. He couldn’t imagine why he cared what she thought of him, but he did, just the same.
“Really?” she asked. “I thought you hated all this.”
“I kind of said that, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did, right after you called yourself a Scrooge.”
He didn’t often regret anything, but as she frowned at him now, he wished he could take back the offhand remark. “Well, it’s not usually my thing, but the way you do it isn’t so bad.”
She gave him a quick once-over that made him want to squirm. “You’re trying to butter me up, aren’t you?”
Busted, he thought, hoping to turn things around with a smile. “Maybe a little.”
Shaking her head, she returned the smile, and he congratulated himself on smoothing over a potentially awkward situation. She’d been nice to him, and he found himself wanting to follow her example. Far from his usual keep-your-distance policy, it felt strange, but he could put up with it for the short time he’d be here.
As he glanced around, he noticed that the vaulted ceilings in the turn-of-the-century building allowed enough height to have a narrow walkway above. Dozens of tiny colored lights were draped along the railing, and between the posts she’d posed a stuffed version of every animal he’d ever seen. And even some he hadn’t.
“What’s that?” he asked, pointing at a scruffy-looking critter dangling from the top rail.
“A tree sloth. The one underneath is a ground sloth, crawling over to say hello to his friends the gorilla and the toucan. They’re discussing what to get Tarzan for Christmas.”
Without her ivory wool coat and hat, she was a dead ringer for Grace Kelly, his all-time favorite actress. More than beautiful, she always played classy characters with a surprising backbone underneath all that polish. Nick seldom considered it necessary to look beyond a woman’s appearance, but he couldn’t help wondering if Julia shared Grace’s steely quality.
With her blond hair pulled back in a gold barrette, she was dressed in gray trousers and a simple ivory sweater that made her eyes look even bluer than they had earlier. Nick didn’t know if it was the lady herself or all the lights, but in here, those eyes twinkled with a childlike enthusiasm.
It contradicted every impression he’d formed of her from press releases over the years. She was more than the cool, privileged ambassador’s daughter the media portrayed her as, which only made her more fascinating to him. “You really thought this over, didn’t you?”
“Kids have such great imaginations,” she replied, gliding past him to adjust the flame in the cheery gas fireplace. “I want them to have fun here, so I make up stories about the toys. They seem to like it.”
He didn’t normally give children much thought, but he heard himself ask, “Who wouldn’t? It’s like a winter wonderland in here.”
“That’s the idea.”
She rewarded him with a warm, approving look that made him want another one. Searching his mind, he came up with a surefire strategy. “Seeing as I’m a Scrooge who’s never even set foot in a toy store, what would you recommend for me to put under the gifting tree?”
“The children fill out a tag for something that would make their Christmas morning special.” She pointed to yet another tree set up near the fireplace. Decorated in a more casual style, it sported at least a dozen sparkly snowflakes with writing on them. “The only rule is, nothing practical. No socks or school supplies. It has to be something they really, truly want just because it would make them happy. With the economy the way it is, lots of parents have a tough time buying anything beyond the necessities.”
“So you’re filling in the gap.”
“I’m trying to.”
What a nice thing to do. Most of the women he met were either obsessed with their own careers or determined to snag a man who could support them with his. Finding one who seemed to fall in neither of those columns intrigued him, to say the least. Nick strolled over to the tree, figuring it shouldn’t be too hard to hold up his end of the bargain. He’d pick one, buy the gift and then get to work. But as he surveyed the tags, his plans quickly got derailed.
“A stuffed puppy,” one read, “because Mommy says we can’t buy food for a real one.”
“A collar with a name tag for my kitten,” another said, “because she’s my best friend, and I don’t want her to get lost.”
One in particular caught his eye because he recognized his niece Hannah’s writing from the artwork plastering the front of his sister’s fridge. Taking it from the branch, he read the misspelled request. “Ples brng uncl nik hom to liv. Momy and grama mis him.”
Not Grampa, though. Even four-year-old Hannah had picked up on the rift in the family, Nick thought as he showed the tag to Julia. “Did you see this one?”
“Yes. Lainie and Todd brought the kids in Wednesday morning to wish me a Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Hannah just met me,” he protested. “Why would she wish for me to come home?”
Julia tilted her head at him with a sympathetic expression. “She’s a sweet little girl, and she wants to make her family happy.”
“Well, I’m not staying.” Crushing the cut-out snowflake in his fist, he jammed it into the pocket of his coat. Although he couldn’t fulfill his niece’s request, he didn’t want her to be disappointed on Christmas Day. “You should have her make another tag so she gets something else.”
“You could compromise by staying a few more days,” Julia suggested while she wired holly berries into one of the display wreaths. “Let her get to know you and vice versa. You might even enjoy yourself.”
She didn’t seem to be listening to him, so Nick was fairly certain he’d never be able to make this kind woman see his point of view. Out of long-standing habit, he went with bravado. “That’s not gonna happen. I have a business to get back to.”
She pressed her perfectly curved lips into a disapproving line but didn’t say anything more on the subject. Ending the argument had been Nick’s intent, but he had to admit her quick surrender was a letdown. Not that it mattered, of course. He’d just been hoping she’d give him more of a challenge.
“You can set yourself up in my office.” She pointed to a burgundy velvet curtain held aside by gold tassels. “It’s back through there.”
“Thanks, but I need to buy a toy first.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Flicking her hand, she set a gold charm bracelet jingling like a set of sleigh bells. “I know you’re anxious to get out of town, so I won’t hold you up.”
He wasn’t crazy about choosing a gift for some rug rat he didn’t even know, so Nick was thrilled to be let off the hook so easily. He hurried toward the back of the store before she could change her mind. As he pulled his laptop from its case, Nick was disturbed to find he was still rattled by Hannah’s Christmas wish. She was so young, he was sure his sister hadn’t filled her in on the darker side of the McHenry family history. It was hard for grown-ups to handle, and he wouldn’t wish it on a child.
He was objective and logical by nature. Ideal for a reporter, those qualities also served him well in his personal relationships. He kept people—including his family—at arm’s length because he’d learned that was the best way to get through life unscathed. Since they’d just met, Julia didn’t know that, and even if he managed to find a way to explain, she wouldn’t understand. Open and gracious, she was his polar opposite, like sunshine bringing light to a cloudy day.
Completely out of character for him, the poetic image didn’t do much for his mood, and he grumbled as he settled in at Julia’s desk and powered up his computer. Hopefully, focusing on work would get his mind off the clash of emotions Hannah’s innocent request had unleashed inside him.
His quick trip to the toy store had turned into more than he’d planned on, and he didn’t like it. Not one bit.
Chapter Two
Julia was hanging stockings on the mantel when she felt a tug on the hem of her sweater. She didn’t recognize the little boy, but he had a shy look about him, so she hunkered down to his level. “May I help you, sir?”
“My friend told me you’re doing ging-a-bread houses,” he answered so quietly she had to strain to hear him.
“Yes, we are.” Noticing his mother hovering nearby, she smiled at the young woman, then at her son. “Every Saturday from two to five, starting next week. Did you want to make one? I can add you to our list.”
His hazel eyes big as saucers, he nodded solemnly. “My name is Colby.”
As he stared at her, Julia got the feeling he wanted to say something else, but she didn’t want to rush him. A timid soul herself, she resented it when people hurried her through a conversation or—worse yet—presumed they knew what she was thinking. So she took her time writing his name on the schedule.
A few seconds later, he rewarded her patience. “Do you have any more of those trucks?”
He pointed to an antique model from Berlin. Part of Julia’s private collection, it was one-of-a-kind and not for sale. Judging by his mother’s panicky look, she’d already guessed that.
Julia eased her mind with a wink, then spoke to her son. “Actually, that’s the last one. I found it at a store in Germany, and I’ve been saving it for someone special. Do you think maybe that’s you?”
“Yes,” he replied, quickly this time. “It’s just like the one my granddad used to drive when he helped build the road out to Schooner Point. He showed me pictures...”
Delighted that he’d opened up to her, Julia listened while Colby relayed some of what his grandfather had told him about working on the road crew. When he was finished, she took a blank snowflake from the basket on the counter. “To get the truck, you need to fill this out for me and hang it on the Gifting Tree. In return, bring in a small gift for someone else to make their Christmas better. Okay?”
He checked with his mom, who looked a little shocked but nodded. While he was occupied filling out his tag, she moved closer to Julia. “How did you do that?” she asked in a hushed tone. “He never talks to anyone outside the family.”
Laughing, Julia patted her arm. “Boys and trucks. Or lizards or snakes, or something like that.”
“How many children do you have?”
The innocent question plucked a painful nerve, but Julia covered it with a smile. “None. I just like kids.”
Glancing around, the young mother leaned in closer. “I have to say, I’ve heard some not very nice things about you since you moved here in the spring. But that truck must’ve been expensive, and you’re very generous to give it to a little boy you don’t even know. I’m glad to find out those folks were wrong.”
Time and again Julia had endured the snap judgments people made about her simply because they assumed she must be snobby and spoiled because she was rich and famous. She’d come to this picturesque village, far removed from the public eye, intending to erase all that and start again. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done.
“Hopefully, once they get to know me, they’ll feel the same way,” she commented as Colby rejoined his mother.
“I know they will. Thanks again.”
As the two of them made their way out, she heard him say, “Mommy, I like that pretty toy lady.”
The sweet comment made her smile, and Julia went to help another customer trying to choose between lawyer Barbie and ballerina Barbie. They were debating which would appeal most to her seven-year-old granddaughter when a frustrated bellow shook the Austrian crystal ornaments dangling from one of the trees.
“What do you mean, cancelled?”
The elderly woman gave Julia a hawkish look. “You have a man back there?”
“No.” Realizing that sounded dishonest, she immediately corrected herself. “Well, yes, but he’s just using my office to get some work done. Excuse me a minute.”
“No rush.” Holding a box in each hand, she looked from one to the other. “I need to think about this.”
“Take your time.” Hurrying to the back, Julia wished she’d installed a door to contain the noise. Since she and a couple of part-time clerks were the only ones who worked in the store, it hadn’t seemed necessary. Until now.
Hoping to avoid a further scene, she kept her voice low as she entered. “Is there a problem back here?”
Clearly aggravated, a scowling Nick waved her off. Pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers, he growled, “I know there’s a storm coming up the coast. That’s why I’m trying to get back to Richmond. Today.” He listened for a few moments, then heaved a long-suffering sigh. “Fine, tomorrow at noon. I don’t care how much more it is—just get me on that flight.”
Clicking his phone off, he tossed it on Julia’s small writing desk in a gesture she presumed was commonplace for him. Irked by his rudeness, she rested a protective hand on one of her prized possessions. “This was handmade for me by an artisan in Tuscany. I’d appreciate you not beating on it because you’re mad.”
“Sorry.” Another deep sigh, and he glowered up at the ceiling, as if that would get his plane back on schedule. He blinked, then did a slow circuit of the high shelves that made it clear he’d just noticed them. “Whoa. That’s a lot of— What are they?”
“Dollhouse miniatures,” she replied, handing his phone back to him. “I’ve been collecting them since I was a little girl.”
There was at least one complete set of every room in a doll’s mansion, down to the real silverware, china and delicate crystal set for twelve on a Chippendale dining table. Four-poster beds, sofas and chairs, electric lamps of all sizes, even three vintage bathrooms—all arranged in vignettes she lovingly dusted once a week.
Glancing around, he came back to her with a puzzled expression. “Where’s the dollhouse?”
“We traveled so much when I was growing up, it didn’t make sense to constantly pack and unpack something that big. I collected small things, so I could always take them with me. Now that I’m settled, I’d love to get a dollhouse but haven’t had the chance yet.”
“No pets with all that moving around, huh?”
“Oh, no, we had lots of pets. My mother loves birds, and we always had a cat or two.” Thinking back through her father’s many assignments, she laughed. “In Australia, we took care of an orphaned koala until it was old enough to go into the reserve.”
“Very cool,” he breathed, and a quick glance told her he meant it. Unfortunately, his next comment ruined the moment. “Y’know, you’d make a great article. Glamorous world traveler bringing Christmas to kids in a small town, something like that. With your connections to famous entertainers, politicians and royalty, your story would be picked up by every media service in the world.”
“My life was on display for years, but I’m done with that,” she informed him crisply as she turned to go. “While you’re in my office, please keep your voice down.”
Unfazed by her scolding, he pointed at her with a shameless wink. “Gotcha.”
Lucy was right, Julia fumed as she pulled herself back together and returned to her confused customer. Nick McHenry was nothing but trouble.
* * *
“G’bye, Uncle Nick.” Sunday morning, Hannah wrapped her arms around his legs, which was as high as she could reach. “See you at Christmas.”
Bag in one hand, he patted her head with the other. “I might not be able to do that, munchkin. I appreciate the invitation, though.”
As Hannah went back into the living room to watch some kids’ TV show, he glanced over at his little sister, including her in the apology. Lainie looked unhappy but nodded because that was the answer she’d expected. She didn’t like it, but she understood.
“Thanks for coming,” she said, giving him his third hug of the day. “It meant a lot to Mom and me.”
But not to Dad, Nick added silently. While he’d anticipated the pastor’s cool reception and barely there conversation, it had stung more than he wanted to admit. So many years had passed since they’d been together as a family, he’d let himself believe that maybe this visit would be different.
Wrong again.
His phone started buzzing in his coat pocket. Grateful for the distraction, he took it out and checked the caller ID. When he saw it was the Rockland Airport, he groaned before hitting Answer. “Please don’t tell me that Richmond flight’s delayed again.”
Feeling like the universe itself was somehow lined up against him, he leaned his forehead against a cool pane of glass in the kitchen door. Yesterday’s flurries had built into something more substantial, and he heard the scraping-ice sound of a highway plow passing by the house. “I know the weather’s still bad. When’s the first plane back?”
Grinding his teeth, he waited while the airline clerk tapped keys on her computer. Her eventual answer didn’t thrill him. Apparently they were grounding all flights south, and the first flight out was— “Noon tomorrow? Are you serious?”
After being assured that yes, the clerk was serious, he sighed his agreement and scribbled his new confirmation code on the back of the tag he’d crammed into his pocket at the toy store and promptly forgotten. Punching the off button on his phone, he put it back in his pocket and waved the snowflake at Lainie. “Did you know about this?”
In the middle of washing the breakfast dishes, she let her hands drip into the sink and looked over at him. “Sure. Julia told Hannah she could ask for anything she wanted, and she asked for you.”
“That’s crazy,” he grumbled, dropping into one of six mismatched chairs. “She doesn’t even know me.”
Taking a towel from its ring near the sink, Lainie dried her hands before joining him at the table. Resting a hand on his arm, she gave him an adoring smile. “She knows about you. I’ve got plenty of pictures, and I’ve told her lots of stories about her supersmart and talented uncle. I mean, how many people have what it takes to run their very own online magazine?”
Her glowing description of him made him antsy, and he leaned back in his chair to put a little space between them. “Thanks, but I kinda like my black-sheep status. Makes things easier.”
“Things like ducking every family gathering for the past seven years? After you came back for my wedding, it was like you dropped off the face of the earth.” Frowning, she shook her head. “That’s no way to live, Nick. Mom and I miss you like crazy.”
“Not Dad, though,” he argued. “He likes this arrangement just as much as I do.”
“It’s not an arrangement. It’s avoidance, and I don’t understand why the rest of us have to suffer because you and Dad are too stubborn to make amends.”
“Amends?” Instantly on the defensive, Nick jumped up to start pacing. “What makes you think that’s even possible after all this time?”
“Ian’s death was an accident. Everyone knows that except you.”
Normally, he avoided this subject entirely, but for some reason today was different. “It wasn’t an accident, and Dad and I both know it. I’m responsible for what happened. If I hadn’t been messing around in that boat, our big brother would’ve had a great life instead of drowning when he was fifteen.”
Anguish filled her hazel eyes, then tears began streaming down her cheeks. Nick felt awful for having unleashed all that, and he crouched down to put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Lainie. I didn’t mean to open all that up again.”
“It’s not your fault.” She sniffled, gazing at him with the loving little-sister look he’d missed all these years. “It was never your fault. Every night, I pray that someday you’ll believe that.”
She meant well, and the thought of her praying for him should have made him feel better. Instead, it shoved his temper into high gear, and he fought to keep his voice calm. “Save your prayers for someone who really needs them. I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not,” she insisted with the same trademark McHenry stubbornness she’d accused him of. “I don’t care how indestructible you think you are. No one’s strong enough to handle everything on their own.”
“It’s a nice thought.” Standing, he kissed her forehead before stepping back. “But you’re wasting your time praying for me.”
Gasping, she stared at him as if he’d slapped her. “How could you possibly think that?”
“God only answers if He cares. He stopped caring about me a long time ago.”
Because he’d had more than enough theology for one day, Nick pulled up his coat collar and headed outside. It would be cold out there, but at least it would be quiet.
* * *
After an enjoyable but exhausting Saturday at Toyland, Julia welcomed the quiet of Sunday morning. Walking to the small church across the square, she met up with several others doing the same thing. They all greeted her with a smile, and they chatted along the way. A weekly tradition for her, it was a very pleasant start to the day.
Inside the old-fashioned chapel, Julia slid into her usual spot beside the Martins. After greeting everyone, she glimpsed the pastor’s wife, Ann McHenry, sitting with the choir and sent her a subtle wave. The woman beamed and nodded back, and Julia realized she was looking into the same eyes Nick had. The difference was that Ann’s had a permanent sparkle in them, as if she looked into the world and saw something amusing every day.
Her son’s held barely restrained contempt, with the occasional glint of interest when something snared his attention. During her life in the diplomatic arena, Julia had met hundreds of people, and she’d developed a knack for reading them. None of that helped her with Nick, she thought with a frown as she opened her hymnal. From what she’d seen, the man was a mystery wrapped in an enigma.
“Did Nick get to the airport all right?” she asked Lainie.
“His flight got delayed ’til tomorrow. He stayed up late working last night, so he was still asleep when we left to come here. He probably wouldn’t have come anyway,” she added with a grimace. “Stubborn’s not the word for him sometimes.”
Julia had no trouble believing that, but she suspected his challenging demeanor was his way of keeping people at a distance. Sadly, it was a strategy she understood all too well. Trusting by nature, she’d learned the hard way that when you let someone too close, they discovered all kinds of things about you. That kind of intimate knowledge gave them a chance to hurt you so deeply, it took all your strength just to put one foot in front of the other.
The organ’s mellow chords pulled her from her dismal thoughts, and she gladly let them go. After their first hymn, Pastor Daniel McHenry moved out from behind his lectern and held his arms open wide. “Welcome, one and all, to the Safe Harbor Church. If you’re joining us for the first time this morning, feel free to introduce yourself.”
It was a no-pressure way to bring them into the fold, and the few brave enough to stand were greeted warmly by the pastor. She’d never known Pastor McHenry to have a harsh word for anyone. His wife and daughter were the same way. So what had happened with Nick? It must have been something horrible to drive a wedge so firmly between him and his father.
“Today’s sermon comes from Luke and is inspired by my very generous wife.” Pausing, he smiled back at Ann before facing the gathering again. “Give, and it will be given to you.”
The line reminded Julia of her mother’s gentle advice, and she listened closely as he continued with a lesson about giving of yourself to make God’s world a better place. “Generosity isn’t only for the wealthy with money to spare,” he reminded them. “Share what you have—your time, your skills, your patience—to make someone else’s life better. That,” he assured them, “is Jesus’s enduring message, and the true spirit of Christmas.”
Julia normally had no trouble following the pastor’s heartfelt sermons, but her mind kept drifting to the new impressions she’d gotten of his family since meeting Nick. Every family had their troubles, but the McHenrys’ seemed to run much deeper than most. From the sketchy details Lainie had shared about her brother, Julia gathered that she and her mom had given up on fixing the problem between the father and son and were settling for civility on the few occasions they were forced to be together.
Throughout his distinguished career, Julia’s father had brought countless adversaries together to devise an acceptable truce between them. Some situations required more effort than others, but his remarkable success with sworn enemies spoke for itself. Over the years, she’d picked up some of those skills from observing him and often used them with people who seemed intent on making her life difficult. Could she use those skills here?
Lainie nudged her, and Julia stood for the next hymn. When her friend gave her a puzzled look, Julia simply smiled back. Unlike so many others, the Martins and McHenrys hadn’t labeled her a spoiled rich girl based on her nice clothes and exotic jewelry. Instead, they’d taken the time to get to know her and had made her feel like part of their family. Grateful beyond words, she wanted to do something that would make this Christmas extra special for them.
In that moment, it came to her. Of all the gifts she could give them, Julia knew which one would mean the most.
She’d broker peace between Nick and his father.
Nick himself had set the wheels in motion by coming home for Thanksgiving. To Julia, that proved the situation wasn’t entirely hopeless, but she recognized she couldn’t manage such a monumental task on her own.
Looking up, she closed her eyes and silently prayed for help in mending the McHenrys’ broken family. After a few moments, a sense of calm settled over her, assuring her she’d been heard and an answer was on the way.
Chapter Three
When Nick stepped outside to check on the snowfall, he heard the chorus of “Rudolph” coming from across the yard and found his brother-in-law singing along with the radio while he shoveled the driveway. Todd Martin was new in town, which in Holiday Harbor meant he’d been around less than ten years, arriving after Nick had left for New York. While Todd must have had heard plenty of negative things about him, apparently he didn’t hold any of them against Nick.
“You know that’s a losing cause around here, right?” Nick teased.
Todd laughed. “Yeah, but someone’s gotta do it. Lainie’s with the kids, so I’m elected.”
“In that case, do you have another shovel?”
Glancing at Nick’s stylish leather boots, he grinned. “You’re not exactly dressed for manual labor.”
“I’ll be fine.” Noticing a smaller shovel leaning against the shed, he retrieved it and started in on the other side of the driveway.
“Thanks for the help.” As they got to work, Todd continued. “I heard you’re stuck here ’til tomorrow.”
“Yeah. If I’d known how long I’d be here, I’d have stayed at a hotel so I wouldn’t be in your way.”
“What makes you think you’re in the way?”
When Nick didn’t answer, Todd abruptly stopped working and waited for Nick to look at him. “Lainie told me what happened to Ian and how things went for your family afterward. That has nothing to do with me, and I’m not one to judge anyway.”
It was one of the nicest things anyone had said to him all week, and Nick smiled. “I appreciate that.”
“From what I see, you’re a decent guy, and having you around makes my wife happy. We’ve got a perfectly good guest room here, and you’re welcome to it as long as you want to stay.”
“Thanks, Todd.”
“Don’t mention it.” Grinning, he picked up his shovel again. “I have to admit, it’s nice having another pair of hands out here. Hannah tries, but after a few minutes, she starts making snow angels and throwing snowballs. Then we end up in a snowball fight, and I’m out here ’til dark.”
So he dropped what he was doing when his daughter wanted to play, then worked longer to get the job done. That was how a father should be, and Nick admired Todd’s devotion to his family. Imagining them playing in the snow brought to mind the Christmas cards that always stacked up on his hall table until he finally tossed them out on New Year’s Day.
Even though the Martins’ humble lifestyle was starkly different from his own, Nick felt himself smiling back. “Sounds like fun.”
“Yeah, it is. I can’t wait until Noah’s older, and all four of us can play.”
“Girls against the guys?”
“Got that right.”
“Just watch out for Lainie,” Nick warned as a silver Mercedes pulled into the cleared half of the driveway. “She plays dirty.”
The car glided to a stop, and when the driver’s door opened, Nick was stunned to see Holiday Harbor’s favorite toy store owner stepping out. Assessing their progress, she smiled over at them. “Good work.”
“Thanks,” Todd said, strolling over to greet her. “I figure we’ll be done right about the time the next storm comes through.”
She laughed, and the bright sound struck Nick as a perfect accompaniment to the Christmas music on the radio. “Isn’t that always the way?”
“Seems to be.” Seeming to remember he had company, Todd added, “Where are my manners? Julia Stanton, this is Lainie’s brother, Nick McHenry.”
“We met in town yesterday,” she said politely.
Usually adept at reading between the lines, Nick couldn’t get a handle on how she felt about their unusual encounter. While she gave the appearance of being open and friendly, she actually kept her emotions well masked. Must be all that diplomatic training, he decided. She could probably turn that stunning movie-star charisma of hers on and off at will. “Nice to see you again.”
“And you, as well.” Opening the passenger door of her car, she pulled out a bag imprinted with Toyland in the same gold script lettering he’d noticed at the shop. “The girls have things under control at the shop, so I’m on a delivery run.”
Nick let out a low whistle. “That’s what I call service.”
“When you have young children, it’s hard to keep their gifts a surprise,” she explained in an ultrapatient tone she probably used with troublesome customers in her store. Not rude, exactly, but it lacked the warmth she’d shown his brother-in-law.
“That’s the truth.” Taking the bag, Todd added, “I’ll hide them in my workshop. Hannah’s not allowed in there, so they’ll be safe.”
Nick didn’t understand why they were going to so much trouble to keep the presents a secret. Maybe it was something you didn’t understand until you joined the parent club. Then again, Julia didn’t have children, but she seemed to buy into it completely. So maybe, he admitted with a mental sigh, it was just him.
“I’m ready for a break,” Todd continued. “I’ll stash these and meet you inside.”
Julia checked her slender gold wristwatch. “I really should get back.”
“We’ve got hot cocoa,” he pressed, adding a pleading look. “If Lainie and Hannah find out I let you leave without saying hello, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“All right, then,” she relented with a smile. “I’d hate to get you in trouble.”
He grinned before heading toward his work shed in the backyard. That left Nick on his own with Julia, which was awkward. He hadn’t planned on seeing her again, so he hadn’t bothered to apologize for his poor behavior yesterday. Another strike against him. Considering his dismal track record with women, he really should be used to it by now.
Hoping to smooth things over, he motioned her ahead of him the way he had the first time they met. “Ladies first.”
Instead of sailing past him as he’d expected, she studied him for a long, uncomfortable moment. “You’re a perplexing man.”
Sensing he’d made some progress with her, he grinned back. “I’ve been called worse.”
To his immense relief, she laughed. Shaking her head, she added, “I can only imagine.”
When she turned up the snow-covered walkway, her foot slipped, and she nearly went down on the gravel. Nick reached out to catch her, and by some bizarre happening she ended up in his arms.
Holding her lightly, he gazed down into those sparkling blue eyes. Wearing her ivory coat and framed by the white snow, she reminded him of the Victorian angel ornament that had reigned over the top of his mother’s Christmas tree since he was a little boy. Elegant and beautiful, with the wispy look of something that might vanish into thin air if he closed his eyes.
Part of him longed to maintain that hold, to keep her close and enjoy the scent of magnolias that followed her everywhere. Instead, he did the gentlemanly thing and released her.
“It’s a little slippery,” he managed to say as he took her arm and guided her to a clear section of the path. “Watch your step.”
She rewarded him with a queenly smile. “I will. Thank you.”
While he stood there watching her go up the path, he noticed the very distinctive way she moved. With the grace of a ballerina, she seemed to float over the snow, barely touching the ground before going up the steps. Nick had dated plenty of models and dancers, but he’d never met a woman who walked the way Julia did.
People didn’t usually snare his attention this quickly, but she’d managed it somehow. It was a good thing he was headed back to Richmond tomorrow, or he might have given in to his curiosity and done something stupid like ask her to dinner.
Right, he thought with a grimace, as if there was any chance of her saying yes, whether he stayed in town or not. Men had probably taken her to Paris for dinner and a ride on the Seine. There was no way a guy like him could compete with that, even if he wanted to. Which he didn’t.
Unfortunately, a tiny, annoying part of him disagreed, and he was wrestling it back into submission when Todd jogged up and stopped beside him. “Coming?”
“In a minute.”
Todd gave him a curious look but shrugged and followed Julia into the house. Standing there with snow falling all around him, Nick took a deep, chilly breath of air. He’d never met a woman who rattled him as thoroughly as Julia Stanton did. Whether that was good or bad, he couldn’t say.
But it was definitely interesting.
* * *
When Nick came through the door into the cozy kitchen, Julia watched as his niece attacked him like a frenzied cub.
“We’re doing the tree today!” she shouted with obvious joy. “That means you can help us.”
“I don’t know about all that,” he hedged, hanging his coat on the rack near the door. “I’m not much use in the decorating department.”
“Oh, it’s easy,” Todd assured him between sips of cocoa. “Just do what the girls tell you, and you’ll be fine.”
Taking a steaming reindeer mug from Lainie, Nick chuckled. “This might come as a shock, but I’m not in the habit of taking orders from anyone.”
He sat down, and instantly Hannah was in his lap. Having seen him at his prickly worst, Julia thought it was adorable how his niece had taken to her brusque uncle.
“What do you do at your house for Christmas, Uncle Nick?” Hannah asked.
“I pretty much hang a wreath on the door and call it done. I don’t have kids, so it’s not a big deal.”
“Julia doesn’t have kids, either,” Lainie pointed out. “And she does a fabulous job with her decorations.”
“She sure does.” He flashed her an approving grin that actually made her blush. To hide her reaction, she lifted her Frosty the Snowman mug for a sip of cocoa.
“You need somewhere to put your angel,” Hannah informed him in a very grown-up voice. “Ours came from Eye-land.”
“Ireland,” her mother corrected her. “Gramma brought it back from one of her trips to Waterford.”
Hannah looked up at Nick with wide eyes. “Did she bring you one, too?”
Nick traded an uncomfortable look with Lainie but finally nodded. “It’s different from yours, but it’s really pretty. I keep it on a shelf in my living room, and whenever I look at it, it reminds me of Gramma.”
The kitchen went silent, and Julia could hear the quiet ticking of the mantel clock in the next room. A quick glance at Lainie told Julia her friend wasn’t accustomed to her tightly controlled brother opening up that way. Then again, you’d need a heart of stone to resist Hannah Martin’s innocent charm.
“That’s nice,” she rattled on, “but we put ours on the tree. Daddy usually lifts me up to set her on, but since you’re here you could do it.”
Clearly worn down, Nick gave in with a chuckle. “Sure, munchkin. I’ll give you a hand.”
“Yay!” Now she turned pleading eyes on Julia. “Can you help us? You’re so good with ribbons and stuff.”
This time, she didn’t check her watch. It simply wasn’t in her to disappoint any child, but especially not this one. A few months ago, she’d hesitantly entered the Safe Harbor Church for the first time and searched for a place to sit in the crowded chapel. Lainie Martin had spotted her and slid down to make room for the new girl in town.
That simple, friendly gesture marked the beginning of a solid friendship Julia had come to treasure, and she was touched that they’d include her in one of their family traditions. “I’d love to, Hannah. Thank you for asking.”
After hugging Nick and then Julia, she scampered away with her parents to start gathering up the ornaments.
“She’s such a doll,” Julia said as she took a seat across the table from Nick. “You must love her to pieces.”
“It’s hard not to.”
The wistfulness in his tone alerted her that something was bothering him. While she suspected what it might be, she thought it might help him to voice it out loud—with a little nudging from her along the way. “It’s nice to be with family this time of year, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” Looking down at his hands, he wove his fingers together before adding, “I’ve missed a lot the past few years.”
“You’re here now.”
When he lifted his eyes to hers, the misery in them made her want to give him a hug. She still thought it would help him to talk out what he was feeling, but she couldn’t bring herself to press on still-aching wounds. Old hurts were the worst, she knew, and some never healed. She had no idea what had estranged him from his family, but for Nick’s sake, she decided it was best to change the subject. “When did you last go sledding?”
Her question had the desired effect, and his expression brightened as he laughed. “Ten years ago, maybe more.”
“If this snow keeps up, we’ll be able to do something about that. There’s a great hill at the edge of town.”
“Spinnaker Hill, out near the old saw mill,” he filled in. “Cooper Landry and I used to ice down a track and race the other guys after school.”
“That’s right. Bree told me you and Cooper were friends growing up.” Julia had a hard time imagining this hard-driving man hanging out with Holiday Harbor’s easygoing mayor for more than five minutes, but odder things had happened.
“Best friends,” Nick confirmed. “He was why I sent Bree to do those stories over the summer. The original article was Cooper’s idea. It started as a puff piece to lure in some tourists and ended up exposing some honest-to-goodness corporate fraud.”
“A juicy story like that must be good for your magazine.”
He flashed her another version of that nearly irresistible grin. “We won a few awards for bold journalism, if that’s what you mean. Readers love that kind of stuff, ’cause it reminds them of what could happen in their own backyards.”
“And that sells subscriptions.”
His grin faded considerably. “Not as many as I’d like, and building up subscriptions is a constant headache. To be honest, I’m jealous of Bree, getting to sniff out a story and set it up for people to read. Designing layouts and keeping up with invoices aren’t nearly as much fun as writing.”
“I know what you mean,” Julia sympathized. “I love stocking and arranging the store and working with customers. When it comes to the bookwork, though, it’s like torture.”
“I’m curious about something.” She motioned for him to continue, and he asked, “Of all the things you could do, why a toy store?”
No one but her parents had ever asked her that, mostly because few people knew where she was and what she was currently doing. Now that she thought about it, maybe that was one reason the locals had been so slow to warm up to her. They simply didn’t understand why she was there in the first place.
To Nick, she said, “I earned a degree in Business and International Relations by taking classes wherever my parents were living at the time. I’ve always enjoyed collecting toys, so when I decided to move here, opening a toy store seemed like a good way to blend my hobby with my education.”
“It can’t be easy in this economy.”
“Neither is running an online magazine,” she pointed out, “but like you, I do my best to offer people something unique they can’t get anywhere else.”
She appreciated that he didn’t question why on earth someone from such a wealthy background was working at all. That was something she’d rather not discuss with anyone if she could possibly help it.
“Sounds like we’ve got something in common after all,” he commented lightly.
“What’s that?”
“We’re both masochists who’d rather work 24/7 and be in charge of our own business than put in forty hours a week for someone else.”
Julia didn’t think of it that way. Her mother had set aside her own dreams to marry the love of her life and accompany him around the world. While she seemed content with her choice, Julia treasured her hard-won independence and would never sacrifice it again.
Caught up in her thoughts, she’d missed what Nick was saying. Embarrassment warmed her cheeks, and she smiled. “I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“I was saying I can’t believe you like to sled.”
“And snowmobile and ski. I took some snowboarding lessons in Gstaad last winter, but it’s harder than it looks.”
Too late, she realized he might interpret that as bragging. Because of the exotic life she’d led, people often jumped to conclusions about her, and she’d learned to keep her adventures under wraps. Fortunately, he seemed to take it in stride. “The Swiss Alps, huh? Didn’t peg you for a snow bunny.”
“What? You thought I was the kind of girl who dresses the part and then holes up in the lodge with a warm drink, watching everyone else have all the fun?”
After a few moments, he grinned. “Guess so.”
“The media only sees what I want them to see,” she informed him coolly. “That means there’s a lot about me you don’t know.”
“Is that right?” The teasing glint left his eyes, and as he leaned forward, they simmered with an enticing combination of challenge and fascination. “You mean, like why a classy, sophisticated woman like you is hiding out in a backwoods place like this?”
“I’m not hiding.” When he tilted his head in a chiding gesture, she hedged. “Not exactly. I just wanted a fresh start, and this seemed like a good place to do it.”
He smirked. “Nice try, cupcake, but I’m not buying it.”
Somehow, they’d slid into dangerous territory, and she instinctively pulled away from the edge. Painful as the lessons were, Julia had learned a lot from the scam artist who’d gone to great trouble to win her affection, only to reveal his motives had nothing to do with love. She’d made the mistake of trusting him too fully, and it had cost her more than she was willing to risk ever again.
The man sitting across the table, with his dark good looks and complex personality, intrigued her in much the same way. It was a screaming red flag for her. In her memory, she heard her father’s common-sense advice.
You never know what a man’s thinking, Julia. His actions speak the truth, even if he’s lying through his teeth.
Recognizing the male interest in Nick’s eyes, she resisted the impulse to duck her head and murmur something demure. All her life she’d done the proper thing, and it had brought her more heartache than she cared to recall. Moving here had enabled her to start becoming her own person, far from the refined stage she’d played on for so many years.
This time, she held her head high and met his smoldering gaze with a fearless one of her own. “This may come as a surprise to you, but I don’t really care what you believe.”
Before she could say anything more, her phone pinged with a text all in capital letters. SOS—COMPUTER CRASHED.
Grateful for an excuse to leave the too-intriguing journalist behind, she made her apologies to the Martins and drove back to Toyland.
* * *
When Julia’s assistant called her away, Nick fought the urge to walk her out. This wasn’t his house, he reasoned, so it wasn’t his place to do it anyway. Instead, he nodded goodbye and pretended to be engrossed in the knotted lights Todd had just handed him.
The truth was, her blatant rejection still stung.
One minute they were bantering back and forth, and the next she morphed into the Ice Queen. Maybe being called a snow bunny annoyed her, he thought, taking the lights into the living room where Lainie and Hannah were unloading ornaments from a box.
One thing he knew for certain: it didn’t matter if she liked him or despised him. Tomorrow morning, he’d be leaving Holiday Harbor—and its puzzling new resident—and heading back to warm, sunny Richmond. He’d been so cold the past few days, it would probably take him a week to completely thaw out.
“Brrr,” Todd commented, echoing Nick’s thoughts while unloading an armload of wood. “The temperature’s really dropping out there.”
As he tossed logs onto the fire, Noah bounced in a swing that hung from the door frame, gurgling his baby opinion. With Christmas carols playing on the stereo and Hannah chirping about the history of this ornament and that one, the Martins’ modest living room hummed like a restless beehive.
As if on cue, Lainie came over to sit on the threadbare arm of Nick’s chair. “Nice, huh?”
“Sure, if you like that gooey family thing.”
Laughing, she gave him a playful smack on the shoulder. “If you hate it so much, why don’t you hide up in the guest room?”
“It’s warmer down here,” he retorted.
“Oh, come on. This has to be better than an empty condo with a wreath on the door.”
“Sure,” he grumbled, “’til you have to clean it all up.”
“That’s my big brother, always finding the clouds,” she said matter-of-factly. “You’re s-o-o serious about everything, I don’t know how you stand it.”
He couldn’t, Nick nearly blurted but managed to stop himself. After their earlier tiff about Ian, he didn’t want to bring up the past again. Lainie was three years younger than him but had grown up considerably since becoming a mom. At her prodding, Nick had endured some long, painful talks this week, and they’d begun rebuilding the once-close relationship he’d destroyed when he all but disappeared from her life. He figured the best way to keep that going was to leave the past buried and move on.
Lainie picked up a needle and started threading it through fresh popcorn. It smelled too good to resist, and Nick snuck a few pieces when she wasn’t looking. Her nonstop chattering about people around town alerted Nick that something was on her mind, and he grinned. Some things never changed. “What is it, Lain?”
Keeping her eyes on what she was doing, she said, “We’ll be going to a special service tonight. You’re welcome to come with us if you want.”
Nick hadn’t voluntarily attended church since he was eight. With the exception of Lainie and Todd’s wedding, he hadn’t seen the inside of one in more than ten years. And even if he was suffering from an attack of remorse and mistakenly entered a sanctuary, it certainly wouldn’t be his father’s.
He gave his sister a chiding look which she didn’t notice because she refused to meet his gaze. To avoid upsetting Hannah, he softly said, “You know me better than that.”
Her careless shrug did nothing to hide her disappointment. “I thought it was worth a try. People change.”
“Not me,” he assured her as gently as he could. “I made that decision a long time ago for lots of reasons. It’s the way I’ve chosen to live my life, and I’m good with it.”
Letting the popcorn strand fall into the bowl, she looked at him with pleading eyes. “I don’t understand why you insist on doing everything the hardest way possible. Todd and I get so much from our faith and that really helps when things get tough. Like when he lost his teaching job here, and Hannah was so sick. It was the worst time to have another baby, and when we found out about Noah, it felt like a disaster. God led us through all that. Todd found an even better position in Oakbridge, and we’ve never been happier.”
When she finally paused for a breath, Nick couldn’t help smiling up at her. She was so sweet, crediting God for something she and Todd had accomplished through determination and hard work. Taking her hand, he said, “I’m glad to hear that, but it doesn’t work that way for everyone. Some of us are outside the circle, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“That’s not true,” she whispered intently, squeezing his hand between both of hers. “I know it’s not. God hasn’t forgotten about you, Nick. You just have to open up and let Him back into your life.”
She couldn’t be more wrong, but he didn’t want to debate religion with her while her husband and daughter were arranging figurines of Jesus and the wise men in the manger on a nearby table.
So, out of respect for his sister and her happy family, Nick swallowed his pride and kept his mouth shut.
* * *
Early Monday morning, Nick found himself back at Toyland, drinking the best coffee he’d had in days while Julia laid out the unexpected offer she’d hinted at on the phone last night. He couldn’t believe his ears.
“An exclusive?” he echoed, getting a nod in reply. Sitting by the lobby fireplace in a burgundy velvet wing chair, he was surrounded by more Christmas trappings than he’d ever seen in his life. It was enough to make him wonder if he was losing his grip on reality. “I thought you wanted to keep your new life here a secret.”
“Oh, that couldn’t last.” Flicking her hand in a queenly gesture, she set off a string of silver jingle bells divided by what he assumed were tiny sapphires. Lots of them. “Some reporter or another will track me down eventually. This way, I control the situation.”
“And the message,” he added, to show he understood. “In case you haven’t figured it out already, I’m not used to taking orders. What makes you think I’ll play along?”
Leaning forward, she pinned him with a knowing look. “Yesterday, you told me you miss getting the scoop and writing your own stories. I’m giving you one, right here, right now. Take it or leave it.”
Ordinarily he wasn’t a fan of ultimatums, but he was tempted beyond belief. Nick didn’t doubt for a second that if he didn’t grab this opportunity, another journalist would. Julia’s story had flash and grit, two things people loved to read about. The businessman in him immediately went into promotional gear, considering the impact something like this might have. New Kaleidoscope readers could sample this rich-and-famous storyline, then purchase a limited subscription to read the ending. If things worked out, they’d like what they saw and buy a full subscription. Since he’d be doing the work, there’d be no freelance writer to pay so everything that came in would be pure profit. Unlike most business arrangements he made, there was no downside for him.
Of course, agreeing to her terms meant he’d be stuck in Holiday Harbor longer than he’d planned. But because everything was handled online, he could run the magazine from anywhere. It was something he’d never taken advantage of before, aside from using his condo’s spare room as an office. But for a story like this, it might make sense to change things up, even if it meant staying in the last place he wanted to be. In the overall scheme of things, the impact such a high-profile article would have on his business was worth a little discomfort. Beyond that, he’d be writing again. Researching Julia would be interesting enough. Getting to know the reclusive ambassador’s daughter through personal interviews would be downright fascinating. “One thing.”
“Yes?”
“You’ve had an amazing life, along with your parents. I don’t think one article will do it justice.”
For a split second, he thought he saw a smile quivering at the corner of her mouth. Then it was gone, and she asked, “What do you have in mind?”
“A serialized biography, book-length, but posted online in pieces.” Inspiration struck, and he added, “We’ll call the new section ‘Person of Interest.’ Readers will get hooked and come back every week for the latest segment on the extraordinary Julia Stanton.”
“So this will help your business?”
“Definitely. Yours, too. Once folks know you’re here, your online orders should go through the roof.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. It would be nice to do my books with black ink instead of red.”
The way she said it convinced him she was being totally honest with him—she really hadn’t considered the financial benefit that would come from the articles. Nick couldn’t imagine why else she’d propose an invasion of her self-imposed exile, but maybe by the time they were done, it would make sense to him.
For now, he scoffed, “Like that’s a problem for you.”
That got him a steely glare. “Rule number one—assume nothing. Things in my life aren’t always what they seem to be.”
Picking up on her somber tone, he nodded. “Got it. Does that mean I’m in?”
When she offered him a slender hand to seal their deal, it occurred to him this was the first time he’d allowed a woman to call the shots with him. Why Julia was so different, he couldn’t say, but it added another angle to their—friendship? No, that wasn’t right. He’d just met her, and they’d spent most of their time dancing around the ring, trying to get a read on each other.
He couldn’t say where all that posturing might lead, but he sure was looking forward to finding out.
Chapter Four
“I won’t be opening the store for another hour,” Julia said as she stood. To her surprise, Nick got to his feet in a gentlemanly gesture she hadn’t expected. Apparently, his manners were better than he’d led her to believe. “Would you like a tour of the building?”
“Sure.”
He’d already seen her office, and he politely followed her through the storeroom, piled high with boxes of toys she had to inventory before restocking the shelves. He didn’t pose many questions or take notes, instead letting her ramble on about whatever she thought might be most interesting to him. When he asked how she decided how much of each thing to buy, she laughed.
“Most people drop dead of boredom by this point,” she said approvingly. “You’re very patient.”
“This was your idea, not mine,” he pointed out. “I don’t wanna push.”
“Is that right?” Folding her arms, she gazed at him thoughtfully. “From what I’ve seen, Kaleidoscope doesn’t pull punches with other sources. What makes me so different?”
“You tell me.”
A lazy grin moved across his features, settling in to gleam in his dark eyes. It was a challenging look, as if he’d stumbled across a mystery that fascinated him. Realizing she was that mystery made her flush and take a hesitant step back. With his brooding poet looks and dangerous vibe, Nick McHenry was just the kind of man she was drawn to.
And just the kind of man she needed to avoid.
Reminding herself that their current arrangement was really aimed at making peace between him and his father, she quickly regained her composure and smiled. “Maybe you’ll find some answers upstairs.”
Turning, she led him to a door marked PRIVATE. Just as he had the morning they met, he reached past her to open it. “Ladies first.”
On her way up, she flicked on a light switch and was greeted with a loud, “When shall we three meet again, in thunder, lightning, or in rain?”
The two phrases rhymed perfectly in a high-brow British accent, and Nick stopped dead, cocking his head with a baffled expression. “What was that?”
“Shakespeare.”
“I recognize the line from Hamlet, but who said it?”
“Shakespeare,” she repeated, continuing up the creaky wooden steps. “Come on and I’ll introduce you.”
“O-kay.”
He dragged the word out in a doubtful tone, and she allowed herself a little smile. It was nice to know she could knock him off balance the way he’d done to her. After her disastrous last relationship, being on even footing with Nick made her feel more confident than she had in months.
The large room mirrored the one downstairs with one exception: it was almost completely unfurnished. The only things she had up here were a few pieces of furniture and the built-in bookshelves full of treasures from all around the world. Ignoring Nick’s shocked look, she strolled to a wooden rod that stretched the width of the generous bay window overlooking Main Street.
Perched there was an enormous blue-and-yellow macaw who eyed her with what could only be described as fondness. Bobbing his head, he croaked, “Good morn to you, milady.”
“And to you, sir.”
“Oh, man,” Nick muttered from a safe distance. “Does that parrot have an English accent?”
“Actually, he’s a macaw with a Welsh accent.” Julia pushed up the sleeve of her sweater, and the bird stepped elegantly onto her arm. “He’s from Cardiff.”
The stately bird focused intelligent black eyes on Nick and bobbed his head again. “Greetings to you, sir.”
“Back at ya.”
Grinning, Nick joined them by the window. When he picked up a piece of dried fruit and offered it to Shakespeare, the bird replied with something between a cluck and a whistle. “Many thanks.”
While he munched his treat, Nick ran a fingertip over a brightly colored wing. “How’d you end up with this charmer?”
“My friend Liam is abroad on a six-month assignment and couldn’t take Shakespeare with him. We’ve always gotten along well, so he’s staying with me. It’s been fun, hasn’t it?” She tickled under his chin, and the bird winked at her.
“Ah, Julia, shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” he cooed, affectionately rubbing his long comb of feathers against her hand.
That got Nick’s attention, and he gave her a knowing look. “Good ol’ Liam taught him to say that, didn’t he?”
“Well, yes,” she stammered, feeling herself growing pink again.
“And he left his bard-quoting buddy with you so you wouldn’t forget about him while he’s away.”
“I suppose.”
“And eventually, you’ll have to get together so you can give him his bird back,” Nick continued in the cynical, hard-edged tone she’d heard too often from him. “Clever.”
Say something, she scolded herself. Tell him he’s got it all wrong.
Carefully setting Shakespeare back on his perch, she began, “It’s not like that at all.”
“So you don’t love him back?”
“Of course not. We’re friends, and I’m pet sitting—simple as that.”
Stepping closer, Nick fixed her with an unreadable look. “In my experience, nothing between a man and a woman is ever simple.”
Ordinarily, she wouldn’t engage a near-stranger in a debate over personal relationships. But for this man, with his cool demeanor and jaded attitude, she decided to make an exception.
Facing him squarely, she returned his glare with one of her own. “I have no doubt you’re very good at seeing the worst in people. It probably serves you well in your line of work but I have news for you. I’m not like most people you’ve met, and your cynic’s routine won’t work on me.”
“Is that right?” He didn’t come any closer, but even from a distance, it was obvious she had his full attention. “What makes you so different?”
Refusing to back away even a single inch, she held out her arms. “All this makes me different. If you really want to know more about me, take a look at what I’ve chosen to surround myself with.”
His eyes held hers, and she got the distinct impression he was trying to read her. Too bad for him, since she’d learned long ago to mask her true feelings with a cloak of impeccable manners. When he finally spoke, his voice was hardly above a murmur.
“Where is everything?”
Jolted by the bizarre question, she fought the urge to avert her gaze and back away. The tone in his voice sounded almost sympathetic, as if he’d somehow discovered the secret she’d been keeping for nearly a year. Accustomed to intrusive queries, fending them off had become second nature to her. But now she found herself at a complete loss for words.
What on earth was wrong with her?
“What do you mean?” she demanded, firming her chin with determination. “I’m not sure what you were expecting, but this is all I have.”
Shaking his head, he said, “All you still have. What happened to the rest?”
“I sold some of my collection to start my business.”
Folding his arms, he pinned her with a knowing look. “You expect me to believe you never owned full-size versions of all those pieces of doll house luxury you’ve got in miniature downstairs?”
Julia opened her mouth to object but quickly realized any protest she might offer would be a blatant lie. The trouble was, she knew the truth would be fodder for the serialized version of her life story he wanted to write. So she chose her words carefully. “I had some financial problems.”
“Which is why you dropped out of sight.” When she nodded, he prodded, “You don’t strike me as the type to gamble or waste money. What did you fall into?”
“Love.” Hoping to escape the laser focus of those dark, intelligent eyes, she busied herself filling Shakespeare’s water bottle. “In a nutshell, Bernard wasn’t the man I thought he was. By the time I figured out what was going on, he’d used what he knew about me to steal my identity. And most of my money,” she added with a grimace.
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