Winning Her Love (The Rocky Mountain Christmas Train)

10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

S eth braced himself for the storm that was coming. He’d seen the fury on Joy’s face and had to admire her for not rushing to Chantal’s side as she usually did. She’d kept her seat and let her daughter take a chance.

He waited with Chantal in the far corner of the enormous room, which featured four full kitchens.

“Mama’s gonna be mad,” she said, her tone totally matter of fact, and not particularly worried.

“Yup.”

“What should I do?” A hint of nervousness crept into her tone.

Good question. “What do you think you should do?” he asked, trying to buy some time to figure out his explanation.

“I don’t wanna apologize,” she said. “I wanted to do it, and I did. I was good.”

Seth laughed. “Yes, you were.”

Jenny strode over to them. “Well done, Chantal. You were wonderful. You should be very proud of yourself. Seth, that was a brave and possibly stupid thing you did with Chantal. I hope Joy gets over it. I saw the anger on her face.”

The man in the wheelchair rolled up, his nurse right behind him. “Well done,” the old man wheezed. “I’m Chris Watson. This here’s Maddie.” He jabbed a thumb at the nurse.

Seth said, “Pleased to meet you both.” He shook hands with Maddie, then with the old man who had a ridiculously firm grip for a guy his age. Likely from pushing his chair.

Chris turned his attention to Chantal, praising her performance. Seth talked with Maddie, discussing the show and the train trip.

“I’m really enjoying myself,” she said. “I’m glad Chris hired me to be his caregiver.” She leaned close. “He’s quite the pip, this one.” She laughed.

Seth glanced at the old man again. His clothing was neat, though not new, and his shoes were well worn. He must have owned them before he lost the use of his legs.

“How did you hurt yourself?” Chantal asked. The question almost echoed Seth’s thoughts.

The old man laughed. “Old age, sweetheart. And a war injury. I was a soldier.”

“Oh.” The child clearly didn’t know what to say.

“What regiment?” Seth asked. He had friends who had served.

Chris waved off the question and said, “Oh, look. Isn’t that your mom? She doesn’t look happy.”

Joy stormed across the room, dodging people without taking her eyes off Seth. No chance of escaping. It was time to pay the piper.

She reached his side, grabbed his arm, and led him away from the small group. “If you ever usurp my authority again, you won’t live to regret it.”

“Okay. But take it out on me, not on Chantal. This was one hundred percent my idea.”

She glared. He knew he should be cowed by her ire, but dang, she was adorable in her defense of her daughter. Another chip of ice fell off his heart. Not as big as the one that had clattered to the ground as he watched Chantal on stage. Both mother and daughter were magnificent.

“Fine. This is all you.” She shook her finger in his face. She opened her mouth, snapped it shut, and finally said, “Ugh,” and stomped off.

Seth breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn’t think for a single moment that he’d heard the last of this. He rejoined the group in time to hear Joy praising Chantal’s performance.

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen, Mama. I just wanted this so much. Don’t be mad at Mr. Mathison. It was my idea.” She clasped her hands together and looked apologetic. “It was all my idea, not Mr. Mathison’s.”

Joy smiled at Chantal and glared at him. It didn’t matter. He was happy to take the blame because it had been his idea. He’d have to talk to Chantal about little white lies.

“We should celebrate your success,” Jenny said. “Why don’t we all go to the park and check out the food trucks and the Lyons Christmas Fair?” She turned to Chris and Maddie. “You should come too. It’s warm tonight, and I know a lot of the other passengers are coming. We’re making a public announcement of the groups who completed their challenges.”

“Can we Mama? Please.” Chantal gave her mother puppy dog eyes.

“I already said no.” She sighed.

Seth felt bad for Chantal. She’d been amazing through shopping and the rehearsals. Unless he missed his guess, they didn’t get to have much fun time. To his surprise, Chantal didn’t complain. She just stood silently, her eyes moist.

Joy looked around the group. Seth followed her gaze. Nobody met her eyes, and he could tell they didn’t like her answer. She must have realized it, too.

“Do you promise not to wander off and to listen to me? No mistakes. No pleading. No disobeying or making little deals with Mr. Mathison?”

Chantal frowned. Then nodded. “Yes, Mama. I’ll be good.”

They returned to the train for proper outerwear, and before he knew it, they were at the park.

The Christmas fair was set up in a large open area not far from the Santa Train on the outskirts of Lyons. Thousands of feet had packed down the snow. Brightly lit trees surrounded the entire clearing. Between the trees, food trucks were parked, and open for business.

The enticing aroma of fried foods and chocolate immediately tantalized Joy. Tonight was going to be murder on her waistline. Jenny had given her a stack of gift certificates good for any of the food vendors. A roving band of carolers dressed in period costumes strolled the path, pausing here and there to serenade guests.

To their left was an area surrounded by a picket fence with the area inside divided into sections. In each section was an enormous pile of snow. The sign announced a snowman building competition. They watched for a few minutes and moved on.

They indulged in burgers and fries and ate them under a heat lamp. She shivered in the cold. “How can you not be cold?” she asked Seth, who had his gloves off and jacket open.

He laughed. “I’m from Canada. This is mild winter weather for me. If I were working outside, I’d ditch my jacket.”

“I’m cold too,” Chantal agreed.

“Hang tight, I have an idea.” He shoved the last bite of his burger into his mouth and took off. He was back in five minutes and dumped some packets on the table.

“Heat packets. Break them open, like this.” He demonstrated. “Slip them in your gloves, pockets, boots. Whatever’s cold.” He helped Chantal put them in her gloves and down the front of her winter boots.

“Oh.” She grinned. “That’s so warm. Can we walk around some more?” she begged.

The joy on her daughter’s face had Joy agreeing instantly. “Sure, why not? But not much longer,” she warned. She didn’t have a reason for ending the evening early, she just wanted to reinforce the fact that she was in charge. They took frequent breaks as they toured the vendors. Joy bought herself a lovely hand-knit scarf for almost nothing and let herself be talked into another toque for Chantal. What she would do with it back in California, Joy didn’t know, but this was a vacation, and she was doing her best to have fun and stay on budget.

They were passing a small stage when they noticed Jenny climbing the steps. A large group of television cameramen and people with their phones out were gathered in front. The mayor introduced Jenny, who smiled widely at the audience.

Seth leaned close to Joy and whispered, “Do you think she’s the benefactor?”

“That would make sense. It seems like she’s everywhere. But I’ve also seen that couple several times since we left the train.” She pointed to a middle-aged man and woman wearing matching jackets and hats. “They were in the mall, and at the concert. They’re here too. It could be them.”

“I hadn’t noticed them,” Seth said. “You might be right. I wonder why the benefactor wants to remain a secret. You’d think the publicity would be a good thing.” He paused. “They had camera crews here, and I saw Jenny on the news last night doing an update on the contestants. I guess Team Bevin made their goal, and I’m assuming we did. I hope.” He raised his crossed fingers to reinforce his hopes.

“Seth, Joy, Chantal, can you come up here?”

Joy glanced at Seth, who shrugged. They pushed through the crowd and paused at the base of the stairs. With snowy boots, Joy didn’t want to risk Chantal slipping on the stairs.

“Let’s have a big hand for team Triple Threat who have successfully met their challenge,” Jenny called. The crowd roared and cheered. Cameras focused on them. Joy smiled proudly; they had done this. She’d conquered her fear and gotten through their challenge. After a few other announcements, the mayor stepped on stage.

“Welcome everyone. It’s good to see so many locals out tonight. I know that there are several passengers from The Rocky Mountain Christmas Train here. Thank you for coming out.” He paused and scanned the crowd. “Usually, I hit the switch and light the tree. But in honor of their success, I’d like to invite Team Triple Threat up on stage to do it for me. Come on up.”

“The stairs might be slippery,” Joy whispered to Seth.

“Can we go, Mama? Please.”

Who was she to deny her daughter this opportunity? “Okay, be careful,” she warned.

“I’ve got this,” Seth said. “You ready?” He asked Chantal. When she nodded, he scooped her into his arms and carried her onto the stage. Joy followed behind. He did seem to be one of the good guys.

“Do you have anything to say?” the mayor asked.

Joy swallowed and stepped forward. “We’re honored to be here. Thanks to The Rocky Mountain Christmas Train for making this happen for us. Lyons is a lovely town. We’re enjoying our visit.”

Seth stepped up beside her and slung his arm around her shoulder. “We’re thrilled to have passed our challenge and while we wish the other contestants the best, we’re hoping we make it through to the end and earn the prize for our charities. I want all of you to know that we wouldn’t have gotten this far without the help of Miss Chantal. She’s been our cheerleader and has come up with several winning ideas that propelled us along. She also stepped in tonight, by going on stage for the first time in her life, taking the place of an unwell choir member and saving the play. Let’s have a big hand for Chantal.”

The crowd roared as Joy’s heart soared. Her heart blossomed with warmth and caring for Seth. He was an amazing man.

After some quick instructions from the mayor, they counted down, and Chantal hit the switch. The tree quickly lit from bottom to top as the speakers blared We Wish You a Merry Christmas.