Prologue
Eric
I glanced into the rearview mirror one more time to make sure no one was going to rear-end me, as I waited for the truck with a seven- or eight-foot evergreen tree hanging out of its bed to pull out of the parking lot. I could see, even from the main road, the Snowflake Falls Christmas Tree Farm was packed.
I guess that’s what happened when you went Christmas tree shopping the week before Christmas.
Unfortunately, in my safety check, I was also confronted with the two in the back again. There were some things you just could not unsee. I stifled a sound of disgust, thankful the truck was out of the way now and I could pull into the lot, and maybe leave the two in my back seat far, far behind me.
At least on the way to Mom’s they would have to be separated because there would only be enough space in the back for one person and the tree we were about to find… Well, I was about to go looking for it at the very least. Griffin and Ophelia might just stay in the car and do unspeakable things.
I was definitely going to need to get my car detailed tomorrow.
I found a parking spot and cut the engine, abruptly cutting off Elvis as he moaned on about having a blue Christmas. I hopped out of the vehicle my “friends” were using as a love den and headed toward the gate where the forest of pines, spruces, and other gorgeous evergreen trees grew beyond.
Mom had a very specific set of characteristics for Christmas trees, including they absolutely had to come from Snowflake Falls. She insisted the trees had magic and I couldn’t help but agree with her, looking back now.
The second thing Mom required of a Christmas tree was “character.” Basically, I needed a tree that looked like it would get left at the farm, discarded and unloved by common folk. Think Charlie Brown Christmas tree vibes.
I wound my way through the trees, admiring the full branches, and the heights to which the trees grew. I learned from years of tree hunting with Mom, the trees with character are deeper in the farm. They are a well-kept secret of the farmers, as they try to show their best stock in the front of the house lot. Luckily, the family that owned this farm lit the tree lines with white Christmas lights and Edison bulbs overhead, so people could navigate easily, even in the dark.
I stopped a second, closed my eyes, and breathed in the fresh unpheromoned air, the scent of pine and earth mixing together with that edge of cold that told me it might snow.
I was about to resume my search when I heard someone singing. The sound was a warm rich sound echoing through the trees. It was beautiful and I found myself drawn to the sound like a bee to nectar. And before my conscious mind knew what I was doing, my feet carried me off in the direction of the sound, almost as if I was bewitched.
* * *
Hannah
“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,” Momma Lola sang from the tablet I was holding, as I cried on the forest floor. “Come on, sweet cakes, sing it with me.”
I stood, wiping my face and then my knees. “You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you,” I sang to her.
It was the song she sang to me ever since I was little, even before my parents asked her to keep me. And it was still the song she sang to me even at twenty-two years of age.
“Big finale!” Momma Lola exclaimed.
I giggled, kicking up my enthusiasm for the end of the song.
As we finished, my voice cracked, choked with emotion again, wishing she was here with me in person. Wishing I didn’t have to do this Christmas tradition on my own.
And this wishing and lamenting had me wholly focused on Momma Lola and not other things/people that could be seen on my little square.
Momma Lola was, luckily, less distracted than I was.
“Hey, sweet cakes, it seems that we have acquired an audience member, though I doubt I’m the one truly drawing his attention,” Momma Lola told me, pointing behind me.
I whipped around, brandishing the tablet in front of me like a shield.
“Who are you? Why are you here? Are you trying to kidnap me?” I questioned in a loud voice. If any of the farm’s employees were in the trees, I wanted them to hear me.
“Hon, I don’t think that’s what’s on his mind, but turn the tablet around and I’ll take a screenshot, that way if you do go missing I have a picture of the last person I saw you with,” Momma Lola instructed, sounding… amused.
I did as she said, assessing the boy before me.
He was a boy in the same way I was a girl. We were obviously no longer teenagers, but not quite mature enough in our adult status to be called a man and woman, at least not by my estimation. He was tall and lanky, with floppy blond hair and startling blue eyes. His cheeks were rosy from the cold, and as I pelted him with questions he seemed to come out of a stupor.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to be a creep, I swear. I was just looking for a tree for my mom and then I heard singing. It was so beautiful and heartfelt that I found my feet moving toward the noise… Are you a faerie? My mom insists this place is magical and you seem otherworldly,” he rambled, then added nervously, “in a good way.”
Despite myself, I felt a smile creep in at the corners of my mouth.
Momma Lola chuckled. “I’ve got the picture, dear, I’m heading off. I’ll see you at home when you bring my tree.”
And then the screen went black. I stared at it in disbelief. She had just left me to flounder here in a situation I was very unprepared for… flirting.
* * *
Eric
Did I seriously just tell her I thought she was a faerie? What kind of moron does that? I watched her green eyes twinkle and the corners of her mouth turn up a little. It didn’t appear she was offended, just amused. That was good.
“I’m not a faerie,” she told me, looking at her tablet like it betrayed her. “But thanks, I think.”
I nodded. “It was definitely a compliment.”
She cracked a full smile this time and it was… dazzling. It lit her face up the same way Christmas lights set a room aglow, warming the hearts of those around.
I smiled back.
“All right, I’ll not call the cops on you, but in case you are planning on murdering me and hiding my body, I have a chain saw and I will fight you. I’ve got an important task of getting this tree to the woman who was on my tablet, and I will not let her down.”
I saluted. “Okay, so all murdering will need to be done after the tree is delivered.”
The words were out of my mouth before I had really thought them through and once they were out, I couldn’t believe I’d said them. These were things I usually kept inside my head, not stuff I let outside of my brain. What was happening to me?
She laughed. “Exactly. Now if you’re going to stand there and be, in your words, ‘a creep,’ then I’m going to put you to good use.”
She swung the backpack off of her back, her big pink puffer jacket squeaking with the contact of the other fabric. She opened the zipper and pulled out a two foot, mini chain saw, in the same baby-girl pink as her jacket.
I felt my eyes grow to the size of saucers. “You weren’t joking about the chain saw, huh?”
She smiled wickedly, and my stomach did a double backflip with some flourish.
“Nope, in my opinion, a girl should never exaggerate the power tools she has on hand, especially since people think we’re lying about it anyway. I mean, how else did you expect me to get this tree down?”
She pointed to a tree that seemed to have grown with an almost completely bare side. It looked like the kind of tree Mom would love.
I raised an eyebrow. “I figured you’d ask one of the farm staff to help.”
She shrugged. “Usually, I would ask my friend, Hatcher—he’s the owner’s son—but recent-ish developments have made that option unavailable, so I’m going to chop this tree down myself, and now you’re going to help me.”
“Ex-boyfriend?” I asked, almost hoping the answer was yes.
She snorted. “Not mine, no. Hatcher is practically a brother.”
“Oh, okay,” I replied, trying not to be disappointed that I still didn’t know if she was single or not.
Who was I kidding though? How was this girl not in a relationship?
Deciding against asking, I agreed to help her down the tree and in turn she offered to help me with Mom’s tree.
“By the way, my name is Hannah McIntosh,” she told me, holding out her hand without the chain saw in it.
I grinned. “I’m Eric Lancaster. Nice to meet you. I’m going to keep all apple related puns to myself, because I’m pretty sure you’ve heard almost all of them, huh?”
She nodded. “Including ones referring to the computer company.”
Then we got to work. She cut the trees down with her formidable compact battery-powered chain saw, and I was tasked with dragging them out to our vehicles. It was a lot of work but I didn’t notice because I was so enraptured by her.
As we finished tying the second tree onto the top of my car, I steeled my nerves, needing to know the answer to my earlier question. She was the most amazing girl I’d ever met.
I cleared my throat. “Hannah, would you like to get a hot cocoa with me? They claim it’s the best in the state.”
She grinned, her cheeks flushing a deeper pink than the cold had already made them. “It is the best hot cocoa you’ll ever have. And yes, I will absolutely get a hot cocoa with you.
A big dopey smile spread across my face, and it suddenly felt like there was a marching band in my chest as we turned toward the little visitors’ building they had for customers.
We got our hot chocolate and continued talking, the stars twinkling overhead. Never in my life had I had such an easy rapport with someone. We talked about college, growing up in small towns, Star Trek, Doctor Who, and The NeverEnding Story. We also covered ethics in the social sciences and our favorite music genres. The conversations just ebbed and flowed into one another and I found I didn’t want to leave. Ever.
How had she captured me so entirely in the span of a couple of hours?
She looked up as she was speaking about the classes she was taking this semester and hesitated for a second.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, looking up too.
Then I saw the greenery with the little red berries and my face flushed hot. “We don’t—”
But before I could tell her it wasn’t something we had to do, especially since these were holly berries instead of actual mistletoe, her lips were on mine, and my brain melted into a pool of mush.
She tasted like citrus, cinnamon, and chocolates. It was the best thing I’d ever tasted.
I went to deepen the kiss, but our teeth clacked together, and I pulled away, feeling my cheeks heat in a deep burn. I deepened the kiss and she let me, only breaking apart when we needed to come up for air.
“Wow,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
She laughed, the sound of bells echoing around us. “It’s okay. I thought that was pretty good, you know, until the tooth pain.”
I grinned. “Yeah, sorry again. I’ve not done that before.”
She smiled back at me. “Me either.”
My cheeks hurt from how hard I was smiling, but something in how she said that gave me the burst of confidence to ask, “Well, since it sounds like we need some practice, could I get your phone number? I’d like to try again sometime soon.”
Her grin crinkled her eyes now. “You promise you’re going to call?”
I nodded. “For sure.”
“Okay, let me have your phone.”
“As you wish,” I responded, giving her the phone.
She smiled, looking at me sideways. “The Princess Bride is my favorite movie.”
I grinned. “Mine too.”
Chapter One
Hannah
I hit the brakes at the stop sign, sending Lucy, my one-year old Lab-husky, clunking into the driver’s seat behind me.
“Sorry, baby,” I told her before turning back to the unfortunate conversation I was having with the mayor. “Sorry, Mr. Cummings, you’re going to have to say that again, I missed what you said.”
“I said, Tracy McAdams has volunteered to co-chair the talent show with you,” he told me, his voice slightly strained, like he knew this wasn’t going to be received well.
“Why?” I asked, keeping my voice even and pulling away from the stop sign slowly. I turned left and pulled into the parking lot of Snowflake Falls Nursing Home.
“Well, some of the council members want to ensure you have the support you need since this will be your first time without Lola to chair with you, combined with the fact this is the first Christmas since… you know.” He trailed off.
Boy, did I.
I bit my lip, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I thought my co-chairing with Momma Lola was supposed to be my training ground so when she was no longer able to do it, I knew what to do.”
“Like I said, the council just wants you to feel supported during this time. We understand it might be a difficult Christmas.”
I sighed. “You’re not wrong, but why Tracy McAdams?”
There was silence on the other end.
“Robby,” I complained.
“Oh sure, now you use my first name. I’ve been trying to get you to stop calling me Mr. Cummings for years.”
“Well, now you’re acting like the horny teenager I went to school with instead of the mayor of the town. She’s not homecoming queen anymore,” I told him. “And do you not remember the tater tot incident?”
I could practically see him cringing in the silence. “Right. Please, Hannah? I’ll owe you one.”
I turned the car off, sighing again. “Fine, but just know I will collect. And any shenanigans she pulls, I blame you.”
“Thank you, you’re the best.”
“You better remember that, now I’ve gotta go. I’m late for work and the hooligans are with me today.”
“Good luck and have a good day,”
“Thank you and same to you,” I replied. I ended the call and climbed out of my very beat-up, third-hand SUV I’d been driving for the last three years.
I opened the back door where the aforementioned hooligans were waiting, their ears perked in anticipation for my pep talk before we went to work.
I stood in front of the opening and began my daily speech. “Right, so we are here to encourage everyone that cuddles make life better, right?” I asked them.
Lucy, the youngest, woofed.
I nodded. “Thank you for your acknowledgement.” I turned to Nigel. “And what about you, sir? You going to be a good boy?”
He bowed his head to agree.
I smiled. “Excellent, let’s go do our jobs. Also, we have a new patient today, so I need you guys to make them feel welcome, okay?”
They made chuffing noises. I snapped my fingers and the two of them hopped down out of the car and headed toward the double doors of the nursing home. The automatic doors slid open and they dashed in, leaving me and my considerable baggage behind.
“Don’t jump on anyone!” I called after them, knowing full well they each were headed for their favorite people.
I shuffled through the fresh fallen snow, the first snow of the season, to the passenger side door and pulled it open to retrieve the aforementioned baggage. I had a diaper bag with Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet on the front of it for the pups, which included all things they might need. It included a pair of clippers for their nails because one time Lucy caught a nail on one of the blankets and ran around the nursing home in sheer panic as the blanket chased her. Her nail was split and I couldn’t get the fibers out from between her nails without a human nail cutter. It was a mess.
The other BAB—big-ass bag—was mine with extra sets of scrubs, showering necessities, and tools required to do my job. There were also about three pocket knives on my person at the moment as well. A girl’s got to protect herself, right? Also, they were wicked useful for all kinds of things.
I made my way through the snow and found Wanda, my senior nurse, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
“You’ve squeaked in just in time,” she said, watching me with the bags.
I smiled. “Well, Lucy and Nigel got in first, and they are an extension of me so—” I started.
“Nope, they don’t have opposable thumbs and can’t punch your time card.” She told me, uncrossing her arms and revealing my punched card. “I saw you coming in though, and I do have opposable thumbs. You’re welcome.”
“Thank you, Wanda!” I exclaimed, “I would hug you, but I’m a bit loaded down right now. I don’t want to knock you over.”
Wanda chuckled. “I very much doubt you could knock this sturdy woman over, but I appreciate you not trying. Now, go put your supplies for World War Three in your locker… or near your locker and get to work. Your new patient is in Room 213 and she is a sweetheart with an ornery streak. I’m excited to see the dynamic she brings to our Christmas games this year. I’m going to have to warn Dot about possible foul play, especially if Ms. Annie and Mr. Hychech team up.”
I laughed. “That sounds like fun. I’d almost pay to see it, but working it is better.”
Wanda nodded. “Now go, before I have to write you up for tardiness and insubordination.”
I nodded, hiding my smile and hurrying as much as I could down the hall to the nurses’ locker room.
Once everything was shoved into my locker, I hurried to Mr. Hychech’s room to check in on him and Nigel.
* * *
Eric
The smells of butter, sugar, cinnamon, flour, and a myriad of other scents played in the room as I kneaded the dough for the second round of my famous cinnamon rolls. Granted, before today they were only famous to my mom, but it looked like the citizens of Snowflake Falls were loving them as much as she does. That was nice to know since you expect your mom to blow smoke, even though my mom has always been very honest with me.
I finished the last couple of throws on the dough and put it back in the big bakery bowl to rise over the next hour.
I hummed along to Michael Bublé’s version of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” as it played over the speakers built in to the bakery.
Brian, one of the front-of-house employees came back and was talking with Sarah, but his voice carried, and I could hear everything he was saying.
“Yeah, it’s busy out there. Everyone really seems to love our newest addition. It’s strange though, because Hannah didn’t come by today,” he was saying.
“That is odd,” Sarah replied. “Maybe she had coffee at home today.”
Brian rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, maybe.”
The name Hannah tickled something in the back of my mind. A pink puffer coat, golden curls, sparkling green eyes, and the best kiss I’d ever had.
I continued thinking about those green eyes as I moved to final touches on the cinnamon rolls ready for the oven, only to be broken out of my reverie by Brian.
“Hey, Eric, I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing. The cinnamon rolls in the front are just about gone.”
“Yeah, I’m good. I’ve got a batch in the ovens already, this one is about to go in, and I’ve got another resting. That’s the last one I’m preparing though. I don’t want us to have too many left over by closing time.”
“Good thinking, though Mr. Wallace will usually come in about ten minutes before closing to clean us out,” Brian reminded me. “He used to own and run the bakery when Bill was a teenager, and he insists that he do his part to keep the place going.”
“Oh,” I said, my eyebrow raising. “That’s very sweet of him.”
So sweet, it panged in my chest. This was part of why I’d avoided small towns the last several years. While they had their flaws and flawed people, there was usually a strong sense of community and care for one another. I missed it, but I also wouldn’t be welcomed back to town with a parade either. That’s why we’d been in Pittsburgh for the last several years, but Mom didn’t want to go to the nursing home in the city and so here we were.
“So, I was wondering if you’d help us out?” Brian asked.
Oh shoot, Brian had been talking that whole time.
I smiled and nodded. “Yeah, of course. I’m nothing if not a team player.”
What was I saying? I had no clue what I was agreeing to! It was just that Brian had been nice and welcoming, where some guys would be aggressive and territorial, and I wanted to help the guy out.
“Great,” Brian said, his face splitting into an energetic smile. “It would suck if we couldn’t even compete. We need to take down the FrostByte Arcade this year. They’ve beat us the last couple of years.”
Then he turned back to Sarah, who I thought might be his sister based on the matching dark features of their eyes and hair. Sarah wore her hair with a sidecut and braid, giving her the Viking look that seemed to be all the rage right now. It was an appealing look, I wouldn’t lie about that, it just wasn’t a look I was into. I much preferred the faerie from seven years ago.
Brian’s hair was a little long on top but cropped close at the back. The two also seemed to share the same nose when you saw their profile.
“Sarah! Eric said he’ll take your spot on the bowling team!” Brian announced across the bakery.
I cringed. I’d agreed to a bowling tournament and I didn’t know the first thing about bowling.
Thanks for reading!
If you liked what you read here, I have some exciting news for you! On August 31st, I am launching my latest Kickstarter where you can get this book plus two more in the interconnected series of standalones as Snowflake Falls works its magic to help people fall in love.
Check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/embermaeauthor/snowflake-falls-deluxe-special-editions
