On Christmas Hill (2 page)

“
Remy.” I smiled up at Nate
and blushed when I realized he was staring at me
intently.

“
What do you think?” He
cocked his head to the side and I felt my eyebrows pull
together.

“
About what?”

“
Christmas Hill.” His eyes
twinkled and I found myself surprised that eyes a dark chocolate
brown could actually twinkle. “I wasn’t sure if anyone mentioned
the reindeer to you.”

“
Oh.” I blinked and looked
back at the reindeer had started to wander away. “No, the lawyer
didn’t mention them.”

“
She wasn’t very interested
in a list of details. Seemed to think you’d figure it out on your
own.” Nate turned to look at my little car. “I’ll help you carry
your stuff in.”

“
Thanks.” I started to set
Remy down, but looked at the reindeer worriedly. “Will he be okay?
Or should I put him inside?”

“
The reindeer are used to
dogs. We have several on the farm.” Nate smiled over his shoulder
as he walked to my trunk. “Comet can be a bit pissy sometimes, but
I don’t think you’ll have any trouble.”

“
Comet, huh?” I smiled and
set Remy down. “Leave those reindeer alone, you hear me?” Remy
looked at me for a minute and then turned tail to chase after the
other animals. “Remy!”

“
He’ll be fine, Molly.” I
bit my lip, but walked over to the trunk and unlocked the latch.
Nate didn’t waste any time and began pulling bags out.

“
It’s freezing out here.” I
watched as his muscles shifted under his shirt while he
worked.

“
It’s not too bad right now,
but we’re in for more snow tonight.”

My body shook at the thought. “You’re
kidding right? I think my toes are going numb and you don’t even
have a jacket on.” Realizing that he must be freezing, I placed a
hand on his shoulder and nudged him out of my way. “You should go
inside. I can get this.”

“
I’m used to it.” His smile
made me feel a little breathless. “Is this all you
brought?”

“
Yeah. I wasn’t sure how
long I’d be here.” I pulled my overnight bag out of the back seat,
and Remy’s bowls. Turning my head, I whistled and was relieved to
see my dog scampering back through the snow.

Nate carried the bags from my trunk
effortlessly, and even though his hands were full, he opened the
door with his fingers when I got up the steps. Remy shook snow off
of his fur before dodging under my feet and running inside. My toes
clipped his rear-end, throwing me off balance. I would have been
fine if there hadn’t been a giant puddle of melting snow under my
other foot. As it was, my body twisted like a snake in the air and
I slammed face first into Nate’s chest. I dropped Remy’s bowls with
a loud clatter, and placed a hand on his side to try and steady
myself. He dropped my bags and slid his hands around my waist to
help keep me upright.

“
Oof!”

“
You okay?” His amused voice
rumbled out of his chest, making my fingers vibrate. I looked up at
him, heat rushing into my cheeks.

“
Sorry. I’m not normally
this clumsy.” I pushed away from him and ducked down to pick up the
bowls. “It was a long ride. I guess Remy has some pent up
energy.”

“
I should thank him. It’s
been a while since I held a beautiful girl.” I looked up into his
eyes and bit my lip. Nate was smiling and there was something under
his tone that made my blood warm.

“
I find that hard to
believe.” The words were out of my mouth before my internal filter
could kick in.

“
Which part? That I haven’t
held a girl in a while or that you’re beautiful?” Lifting the bags
from the porch he winked at me. “Because both are true.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I smiled
like an idiot. Thankfully, his back was turned and he didn’t see my
dorky expression. Once inside, I set my bags down by the door and
looked around in awe. The place was much larger than I had
realized. With the tasteful decorations, a fire roaring in the
fireplace, and the setting sun, it was breathtaking. Turning my
head from side to side, I tried to take it all in. Real garland
wrapped the length of the stair case and flowed along the large
mantle. The furniture was all beautiful, but homey. What really
caught my eye however, was the two story wall on the opposite side
of the house with a built in bookcase from floor to ceiling. There
was even one of those rolling ladders you saw in movies with
castles. It took all of my will power to not run straight to the
books and squeal.

“
Welcome home.” Nate’s deep
voice rumbled beside me and I looked up into his face. I knew I was
staring again, but this time I didn’t care.

“
It’s perfect.” Remy was
sitting on a chair next to the fireplace, licking the remaining
snow off of his paws. “What do you think, buddy?” He snorted but
didn’t look up from his task. My feet moved of their own accord and
I quickly made tracks for the bookcase.

“
Take a look around. I’ll
set your stuff in the bedroom upstairs.” His footsteps echoed
through the large room as he climbed the staircase.

“
Thanks.” I ran my hand over
the gorgeous woodwork in front of me, taking in the ornaments that
had been tucked into various nooks and crannies.

My fingers trailed over the spines of
the old books as I read some of the titles. There were a lot of
Christmas books, with classics stuck here and there. Toward the end
of the shelves, there was a large comfortable looking leather
chair, a standing lamp, and a stack of books on a table. I picked
up the one on the top and smiled. A Christmas Carol by Dickens. The
next book was a Christmas cook book.

“
Gertie was a big reader.”
Nate padded down the stairs and took a spot next to me. Leaning
over my shoulder he picked up the cookbook. “I sure am going to
miss her cookies.”

“
I used to look forward to
her packages every year.” I smiled up at him. “I can’t believe
she’s gone.”

“
She talked about you all
the time.” Nate touched my shoulder comfortingly. “She was very
proud of you. Said you were going to be a great author one
day.”

“
Aunt Gertie was a firm
believer that anything was possible.” I shook my head. “But I guess
that’s why I gave it a shot.”

“
Want something to eat?
Coffee? Hot chocolate?” Nate stepped away from me and headed toward
a large arched doorway.

“
Hot chocolate?” I laughed.
That wasn’t exactly something you expected someone like Nate to
offer you.

“
Being out here with Gertie
has influenced my tastes.” When I got through the door, Nate was
standing beside a large stove, stirring a pot. “Of course, I tend
to add a dash of something to her recipe.” Looking over his
shoulder at me, he jerked his chin to the bottle of Baileys on the
counter.

“
Ah. Now that sounds
wonderful.” I pulled my hat off and sat it on the island, before
shucking my coat and hanging it on the back of a chair. “Can I
help?”

“
Sure. I figured you’d get
here kind of late, so started dinner.” I looked at the oven and
realized there was a chicken cooking.

“
Wow. Hot chocolate and you
cook?” I grabbed the oven mitt from the counter and motioned for
him to move over. “You’re a real catch. Why are you out here taking
care of my great aunt’s place instead of happily married with two
point five kids?”

“
I’ve been working for
Gertie since I was seventeen. I can’t imagine anything
else.”

“
Seventeen?” I tried to
guess how old he was and figured it was close to thirty, maybe a
little younger. “How’d you end up here?”

“
Use this.” He handed me a
spoon to scoop the vegetables out of the pan and onto the plates. I
tried to not smile at the site of such a manly-man working in the
kitchen. “I was in the foster system when I met Gertie. She took me
in for the last few months before I turned eighteen. She’s the only
family I had.”

“
Oh, I’m sorry.”

“
Don’t be. I’m very lucky.”
He wiped his hands on a dish rag and slung it over his shoulder.
Ladling hot cocoa into two cups, he held up the bottle of
liquor.

“
Please.” I nodded my head.
“So, tell me about this place. What did Aunt Gertie do other than
bake cookies?”

“
Well, she baked. Did
special orders for family dinners and even some weddings.” Nate sat
down across from me, the food steaming on the table. “And then
there was the family business.”

“
Family business?” I pushed
my plate forward so he could place a piece of chicken on
it.

“
Gertie was worried that you
might not know.” Nate frowned and it transformed his face into
something serious.

“
Don’t tell me she grew
pot.” I tried to joke, not sure why he was so serious. What could
have made him look worried? It was a farm and she baked. That’s not
so bad. But he had said family business. My father hadn’t talked
much about his family, just to say he missed them. I hadn’t seen
any of his blood relatives since I was eight or nine years
old.

“
No, Gertie was an
outstanding citizen.” Nate laughed and some of the twinkle came
back to his eyes. “I meant the holiday business.”

“
Okay, Nate. Spell it out
for me.” I took a bite of the chicken and sighed. It was delicious.
New place, dinner ready, and a hot guy to share it with. So far
things were looking up for this Christmas.

“
A member of your family has
always been in charge of Christmas Hill. It’s passed down from
member to member.” Nate took a deep breath. “Molly, you are the
last descendant of Santa Claus.” He ducked his head and looked at
me sheepishly.

There it was. All of the perfect came
crashing down around me. Sexy chef with the brooding eyes was
crazy. “Uh huh. Good to know.” I was literally out of ideas of what
to say.

“
I know it sounds crazy, but
it’s true.” Nate winced and ran a hand over his face. “Okay. That
sounds lame, but I swear, it’s real. I’ve seen the
proof.”

“
So, that makes you my elf,
right?” I stood up and looked down at the plate on the table. What
if this guy wasn’t even the groundskeeper? I could be having dinner
with a serial killer. My feet moved and I paced little circles
while I thought about what I should do.

“
No. I’m not an elf.” He
didn’t stand up. Just waited for me to decide what I was going to
do.

“
This is a joke, right?
Because my great-aunt was obsessed with Christmas?” I frowned. “I’m
kinda tired, so I’m just slow on the uptake.”

“
No, this isn’t a joke.”
Nate leaned back and draped his arm over the back of the chair. “I
was hoping the dinner would lessen the blow.”

“
Yeah, there really isn’t a
good way to deliver that news, huh?” I looked down at the food
sadly. I really had been enjoying myself and now it was all going
down hill. The hottie was crazy and I couldn’t be sure the food
wasn’t poisoned.

“
Gertie asked me to help you
adjust, to find your footing. She didn’t want you to have to deal
with it all by yourself.”

“
That’s really kind of Aunt
Gertie, but a phone call from her would have been a better choice.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. This was the last thing I needed
here, and as usual my defense was humor. “So, Comet? The reindeer
that live here? You’re telling me they’re Santa’s
reindeer?”

“
Give me a week, please? A
week to prove it to you.” Nate stood up and walked over to the pile
of books next to Gerties’ reading chair. He slid an envelope out
from under the stacked books and brought it back to me. “It’s not a
phone call, but she did leave you a letter.” He held the beige
paper out toward me and my eyes took in the familiar curly script
that made my name on the outside.

“
This is insane.” I stared
at the envelope like it was a snake waiting to bite me. The
realization that he truly believed this was starting to seep into
my mind.

Nate took a step closer and leaned down
so he could look me in the eye. “Please, Molly. Read the letter. I
owe Gertie my life, everything. Just give it a chance.” Something
in his tone made my heart jump. He seemed so sincere, so honest, I
didn’t want to think he was crazy. “Read the letter and I’ll answer
any questions that I can.”

Carefully I took the letter and turned
it over in my hands. The letter was real and if it contained what
Nate thought it must, that would mean my Aunt had believed the
story as well.

Chapter Three