Winning Her Love (The Rocky Mountain Christmas Train)

1. Chapter One

Chapter One

R elief fluttered through his stomach as Seth Mathison eased through the crowded terminal and onto his designated platform. Thank heaven he hadn’t missed the train. A snowstorm had delayed his flight from Calgary. Then they’d circled the Denver airport seven times before getting the clearance to land. He’d be beyond annoyed and sorely disappointed if he missed this chance. He struggled to be patient in the motionless crowd. What in the world was the holdup?

His heart jumped, and he sighed with relief when he spotted the gaily lit train over the heads of the crowd. Bright holiday lights were strung along the length of each car of the long train. He’d done his research. The train had fifty cars, some were new and some were refurbished. These included luxurious sleeper cars, three different dining cars, three parlor cars, a library, two kitchens, three observation cars including one double-decker, a lounge car, and staff accommodations.

He fingered his tweed overcoat’s pocket to ensure his pre-paid ticket was still there. He’d lucked out when his entry was chosen. What a great opportunity to let the world know about the dangers of home fires. If, no, when he won, he’d donate the twenty-five-thousand-dollar prize to the burn unit at The Alberta Children’s Hospital. Presenting that much money would give him media attention too, and that would help inform people of the danger of home fires. This was about saving lives.

Being away from work for a full month didn’t bother him. His deputy chief was more than capable of handling the station in his absence. Learning that his travel expenses were covered by the contest was a bonus, though he’d have come anyway, just for the publicity. This was an opportunity too big to pass up. Nothing mattered more than fire safety.

As We Wish You a Merry Christmas played over the train depot’s speakers, the crowd sang along. How many of these people were going on the train? Surely not all of them. There had to be five hundred people here jostling each other about. They certainly weren’t fitting that many people on this train. Of course, Denver was a major stopping point.

How many other trains use this depot? Were most of these people saying goodbye to loved ones? Waiting for another train? He glanced at his watch again. It was just after eight a.m. and departure time was listed as eight-fifteen. What were they waiting for? Shouldn’t they be boarding by now? He searched the crowd for someone, anyone, who looked like they might be in charge.

The speaker crackled, and the music ended with a screech that impaled his eardrums. Too many decibels for safety. He shook his head to clear the ringing in his ears.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Rocky Mountain Christmas Train’s first annual Christmas Charity Dream Trip. Are you ready to board?”

The crowd’s roar was deafening. He should have worn earplugs. Find the positive, he reminded himself. His niece, Gwyn, would have told him to look for the bright spot. Since she wasn’t here, he tried to adopt her positive mindset despite his exhaustion.

The positive here was that he’d won the opportunity to be on the train and compete for the grand prize. All prizes were awarded to a pre-approved charity. He’d labored for hours over his entry form. Now, here he was, boarding the train and ready to compete. Luck had definitely been in his favor, as rumor had it that tens of thousands of people had entered the Canada-U.S. wide contest.

“If you flip to the second page of your ticket package,” a female voice announced, “you’ll find your car and room numbers. Please make your way to your car and board in an orderly fashion after placing your baggage on the carts provided. Our staff is happy to load your baggage for you.”

He looked at his snowy white ticket’s bright red and green print. No doubt custom-designed for the inaugural journey. A souvenir for sure. He was in car number eighteen. Assuming they were in numerical order, and why wouldn’t they be, he headed left, toward the front of the train.

In keeping with the season, the crowd moved gently. There was almost no pushing and shoving. Everyone was cheerful and polite. Until he reached car nineteen when someone shouted, “Get out of my way. Can’t you move any faster than that?”

A woman’s high-pitched voice shouted back. “Just be patient. She’s going as fast as she can. What kind of grinch are you that you can’t give a physically disabled child thirty seconds to board a holiday train? You should be ashamed of yourself.”

He could almost see her shaking her finger in the man’s face. Good for her. Children were precious and needed protection from the ugly realities of life. The crowd parted, and he had a clear view of the altercation.

A burly man in his mid-forties glared down at a petite woman and her child. The blonde had her arm wrapped protectively around the shoulders of a girl with arm crutches. “Look, lady,” the man snapped. “I paid big money to ride this train and no little snip of a woman, and her damaged goods child are going to keep me from my berth.”

Seth hadn’t realized that the train would have paying customers as well as contestants. That was neither here nor there. The man should be more patient.

“She is not damaged goods,” the woman declared. “She has cerebral palsy. The only person who is damaged here is you, you deranged galloot.”

“Lady, you’re testing my patience.”

What kind of man acted like that? He was a big bully. Seth stepped forward to stand up for the woman, though he admired her spunk.

“Sir, if it wasn’t Christmas, I’d tell you exactly what I think of you,” the woman proclaimed. “But Christmas is the time of love and caring, I’ll just ask you to step aside so we can board. We were here before you.”

The man’s face turned florid. Seth stepped between the combatants. “Stand down, sir. Give the family a moment to board.” The man was tall but not as tall as Seth. He blustered a bit and stepped back with a sarcastic bow. Seth said, “We appreciate your patience. Go ahead, Ma’am. Take your time.”

“Thanks,” she said. “We appreciate you stepping in, but I had it handled. I might be a single mother, but I am capable of taking care of my child.” She smiled, spun round, and taking her daughter by the arm, assisted her up the tall steps onto the train. The young girl flashed Seth a smile.