On Christmas Hill (3 page)

Sweet Molly,

I wish I could be there when
you see Christmas Hill for the first time. It’s magical, isn’t it?
The first time I came here, so many years ago, I was convinced it
had come straight from the pages of a book. The snow sparkled and
the greens of the fir trees were vivid like in a painting. There is
magic here, and now, it’s yours.

You see, our family has a
long tradition with things generally considered myth. Your father
decided this life wasn’t for him, and upon his death, his
responsibility was passed to you. He felt it was a burden, but I’m
telling you that it is a gift. In all of my years here on Christmas
Hill, I can’t imagine any way I could have been happier.

There is no easy way to
explain to you what it is that needs telling. We are the family of
Santa Claus. In this world, where he does so much good, we are his
helpers. It sounds crazy. I know that. And you’re probably thinking
I was senile when I wrote this letter, but believe me, my mental
facilities are in working order. It’s this darn heart that isn’t up
for much more. The truth is, Sweet Molly, that you have magic
inside of you. I’ve seen it in the stories you create, the way you
make people feel, the way your animals love you. In this place,
your magic will flourish. As will your heart. Christmas Hill has a
way of providing everything we need. Even when we didn’t know we
needed it.

Give me a week, dear niece,
to prove to you I am indeed not crazy, but telling you the truth. I
promise you won’t regret it.

I wish I could have told you
all of this in person. And I’m doubly saddened your father was not
the one to explain it all to you. But, Nate will help you any way
he can. He’s a good man, that one. Trust him and he will show you
the ropes. He showed up at Christmas Hill on Christmas Eve almost
ten years ago. That’s the way of our family and friends—those that
are important always come: when the snow is high and the magic is
strong.

I love you dear. Always
have.

Trust in the
magic.

Auntie Gertie

Even after a good night’s rest, I found
the letter hard to believe. I looked at the paper again and ran my
fingers over her signature. It was the same script that had adorned
all of her packages over the years. Right down to the way her left
hand smeared the ink of the ‘A’ in Auntie.

“
I don’t know, Remy. This is
pretty crazy.” I leaned back in the bed and frowned at my dog. The
sunshine was seeping through the curtains to the bedroom and the
once roaring flames in the fireplace had died down to embers. It
was Christmas Eve and I was sitting in bed debating whether or not
my aunt and her groundskeeper were crazy. “Grade A
crazy.”

Remy cocked his head at me before
rolling over and snuggling down into the blanket. Last night after
Nate had left, I’d locked all of the doors I could find and even
placed a chair under the bedroom door handle. I didn’t really think
he was going to come kill me in my sleep, but I didn’t want to be
the trusting girl on the news either. Sighing, I slid my feet into
my slippers and listened at my door. I didn’t hear anyone in the
house, so I pulled the chair out and eased the heavy door
open.

Remy hopped off the bed and quickly
dashed along the hallway and down the stairs. “Remy!
Wait!”

I trotted after him, knowing he
probably had to use the bathroom. He ran straight for the kitchen
and out a dog door I hadn’t noticed the night before. “Remy!” I
growled, irritated he hadn’t waited for me. I yanked a throw
blanket off of a chair and wrapped it around my shoulders before
unlocking the door to go outside.

The cold air snatched my breath away
and I pulled the blanket tighter. “Remy! I’m going to stuff you!” I
didn’t see the dog anywhere, so walked around the porch, desperate
to not step in the snow.

A deep chuckle floated to my ears and I
peeked around the corner. Nate was rubbing Remy’s belly while
kneeling in the snow. I watched them for a minute, enjoying the
look on Nate’s face and Remy’s happiness. Grabbing a stick from the
pile next to him, Nate teased Remy before launching it away from
the house. Remy took off without a thought, and I could only see
his tail as made his way through the snow.

“
I come in peace!” Nate
looked up at me and I cursed under my breath. Caught. And in my
pajamas no less. He lifted the firewood that had been sitting next
to him on the ground. “I thought you might need some more.” He took
the steps slowly, giving me time to run, I guessed.

“
Thanks.” I brushed the hair
out of my face and clutched the blanket tighter. Not one to beat
around the bush, I blurted out the answer to what I was sure he was
wondering. “I read the letter.”

“
And?” He set the wood he
was carrying down on next to the kitchen door.

“
I still think you guys are
crazy.”

“
You’re still here.” He
pulled his gloves off.

“
Yeah. I’m still here.” I
wasn’t really sure why, though. I guess I owed it to my great
aunt.

“
Can I ask why you’re out
here wrapped in a blanket?” He reached out and tugged on the
edge.

“
Remy ran out the dog door
and I didn’t want to lose him.” I shrugged.

“
Dog door?” Nate smiled
slightly.

“
Yeah, the one in the…”
Looking back at the kitchen door I froze. It was solid. No place
for a doggie door. But I knew Remy had run straight through one and
out into the snow. “What the hell?” I stomped over to the door and
looked closely. “It was right here. Not even five minutes ago!” I
pushed with my toe, but nothing gave.

“
I’m sure this will be one
of the lesser mysteries of your stay here.” Nate shook his head,
his eyes amused. “I’ve got to feed the reindeer and check the
fencing. Would you like to come with me?”

“
Now?” I jerked the blanket
tighter. I wasn’t exactly dressed for traipsing in the
snow.

“
We can spare a little time
before we go. Maybe even enough time for a cup of coffee?” His
voice sounded hopeful and I smiled. I couldn’t help myself. When
the man smiled, it did things to me. Crazy or not.

“
Coffee sounds good.” I
whistled for Remy and was relieved when he bounded into view, the
stick clutched between his teeth. He shook himself off, spraying me
with cold snow. I squealed and flicked the cold drops from my
exposed skin.

I opened the door and Remy headed
straight for the throw blankets on the couch. I looked around the
large kitchen completely unsure of where the coffee pot would be
hidden.

“
Why don’t you change? I’ll
start the coffee.” Nate pulled his hat and gloves off and set them
on the counter.

“
Um, sure. Sounds like a
plan.” I high tailed it up the stairs, but not without shooting
Remy a glare.

In the room I was calling mine, I
layered my clothes to help combat the cold and looked through my
bag of shoes. I only had tennis shoes and I was certain they would
be soaked within minutes. Biting my lip I looked around the room,
trying to decide what to do, when my eyes landed on a pair of boots
standing next to the door. My body froze, and adrenaline coursed
through my veins. Those had not been there last night. They had not
been there when I woke up this morning, or when I had come back to
change. But there they were. Sitting next to the door as if waiting
on me.

I stood up slowly and walked toward the
boots. Every muscle in my body was coiled as if I thought the boots
might spring into actions. And what? Chase me? Kick me in the head
for being crazy? Taking a deep breath, I reached down and lifted
the right boot. They were exactly what I would have picked out had
I been standing in a store. They reminded me a bit of rain boots
but there were laces along the front. They were a bright green, my
favorite color.

I carried them over to the bed and sat
down on the edge. I peered inside to see what size they were and
almost gasped. In gold stitching, my initials were embroidered
inside.

“
Oh, this just gets better
and better.” I turned the boots over, not sure what I was looking
for. “This is complete crazy town.” Shaking my head, I slid my foot
into the first boot and cringed. When nothing bad happened, I
shrugged and slid my foot into the next boot. After securing the
laces I stood up and took a few steps. They were comfortable and
didn’t feel bulky. Grabbing my scarf and mittens, I headed back
down stairs.

The aroma of coffee wafted to my nose
and my stomach growled. When I got to the kitchen, I realized that
not only had Nate made coffee, but he was cooking. Bacon, from the
smell of it and the look on Remy’s face, from where he begged at
Nate’s feet.

“
So you cook all sorts of
things, huh? Not a one dish, man?” I grabbed a mug from the rack in
the center of the island and poured some coffee.

“
Cook what you love. And I
do love some bacon.” Nate smiled at me, and my heart fluttered.
This was different for me. Spending breakfast in a kitchen while a
man cooked. Not only was it nice, he looked incredibly sexy with an
oven mitt. Who knew? My last boyfriend had been the roll out of bed
two minutes before your afternoon class sort. Breakfast would have
been a foreign language to him. He’d had his good points, but I
hadn’t realized just how much he was bringing me down until we
parted ways.

“
Good plan.” He set one
plate in the center heaped with bacon and toast. I grabbed a piece
and broke it in half, handing some to Remy. “So, tell me about the
reindeer.”

“
They pretty much have run
of the Hill. We feed them daily, but they also eat wild grasses
when they can get it.” He popped a piece of bacon into his mouth
and chewed for a minute. “I need to check the fences on the south
side. Your neighbor down there isn’t quite as friendly as the rest
of them.”

“
How many reindeer are
there?”

“
Twelve.”

“
I thought Santa only had
eight.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Nine if you count
Rudolph.”

“
Well, they’re animals.”
Nate raised an eyebrow. “And they procreate.”

“
Oh.” Who knew the word
procreate could be naughty?

We ate the rest of the bacon while he
told me a little about the farm and the nearby town. “Silver Town
isn’t large, but they do get a lot of tourists. Especially in the
winter.”

“
Silver Town. I read a
little about it online.” I laughed. “Talk about cheesy. Christmas
Hill, Silver Town, reindeer. It’s like I’ve stepped into a-a book.”
I almost said romance book, but that would mean there was going to
be a happy ending and I didn’t even know if I’d stay here. I had a
life back in Florida. To be honest, when I thought about it, it
really wasn’t much of a life. Except for being close to the beach.
I loved the ocean.

“
When I first found Silver
Town and Christmas Hill, I thought I’d wondered onto a movie set.
Needless to say, I wasn’t very impressed.” Nate shook his head with
a small smile. “Now I can’t imagine being anywhere
else.”

“
I dunno. It’s all great
right now, but what about in the summer? Doesn’t it get old?” I
finished my coffee and took the mug to the sink.

“
I’ve got to run to town
later, why don’t you come with me? Get a good look around.” Nate
put the plate in the sink and looked down at me. There wasn’t much
space between us and I couldn’t help feeling nervous. He was
gorgeous. All brooding eyes and chiseled features. He belonged in a
J. Crew catalogue, not out here in the sticks. Except, that worked
too. He looked like he belonged outside and not in a cubicle
somewhere.

“
Okay. I have a few things I
need to get.” For some reason my voice came out a little huskier
than usual and I bit my lip.

“
Good.” He didn’t move,
except for his eyes. They dipped down to my mouth and it was like
he had touched them. And then he did. His hand moved up to cup my
cheek while his thumb ran over my bottom lip. “Molly,
I…”

Remy chose that moment to bark and jump
on my leg. He single-pawedly broke the moment and I stepped away
from Nate. What was I doing? Waiting for him to kiss me? I’d just
met him and the jury was still out on his sanity. He was going to
tell me something, but the moment was broken, and I was relieved. I
wasn’t sure if I wanted to know what he was going to say. Side
stepping Remy, I grabbed my gloves off of the table and slid into
my jacket.

“
Well, time to meet Santa’s
team.”

Chapter Four