Winter Falls (Evergreen Lake: Under the Mistletoe)

Chapter 1

one

"It's gonna happen. I just know it." I didn't like to be pessimistic, but the image on my phone's radar app didn't lie. I pinched the screen with my fingertips to enlarge.

"Seriously, Holly, you are weather obsessed. You're always on about the weather. Just let it ride, what will be will be." Pauline grabbed the box in front of her and pulled out the raffle tickets. "You need to find a man and get laid," she whispered, but I heard her and gave her a stare. She focused on counting the tickets.

"That doesn't even deserve a response." She wasn't wrong though, I thought. "Other things are a priority now anyway." I pointed at my phone, doing my best to not think of the abysmal state of my love life. "Everything is riding on this weekend. You know that."

Pauline snorted. She meant well, and we'd become fast friends since my move here two years ago. She was well aware of my unintended celibacy at twenty-seven and was very much aware of importance of this weekend.

I couldn't help it. I'd become my mother and turned into a weather junkie, just like her. Now that she was gone, the teasing I'd done seemed a bit harsh, but we’d laughed about it. Mom had been loads of fun and loved being silly. I sent a silent I love you to her.

It was Tuesday, and the Christmas Festival had been running since the beginning of the month, but it would kick into high gear Friday. So far, everything was coming together nicely. And we even had a dog rescue event on Saturday. I had a feeling I might end up with a puppers, but I wouldn't think about it now. Fingers crossed we could actually do the first ever running of the Santa Train. Damn, that snow had better stay away!

Evergreen Lake was ready for the influx of tourists. B now we had to carry it over into the winter season so we didn't have to roll up the sidewalks and hibernate for months.

I had big plans. Some might say too big. And I'd been working damn hard at it since I was hired as Manager of the Chamber of Commerce.

"Oww." Lost in my thoughts, I jumped when Pauline elbowed me.

"You worry too much." Pauline was born and raised here. She had no intention of going anywhere, being a down home small town girl to the core. "It will be fine. My grandad said it was going to be a mild and no-snow winter anyhow."

"And he knows this how?" I gave her a side eye but couldn't help smiling. Honestly, the wives' tales that ran rampant around here.

"Caterpillars." Pauline nodded.

My eyebrows shot up but Pauline continued to sort out the 50/50 tickets as if she hadn't just said caterpillars were on par with meteorologists.

"What's that then? And, just how do caterpillars forecast the weather? Some kind of radar built into their antennae?"

We both looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"That's good, I can just see all the furry little things twitching their antennae to receive the radar info." She shook her head. "It's got something to do with their color. If there's more black than orange it'll be a tough winter, but they're more orange this year." She looked at me, dead serious and nodded. "So says Granddad. We'll turn you into a country girl yet."

"Mmhm, I see. Caterpillars. I'd be curious to know what else your grandfather predicts." I peered at my phone, "Country girl or not, I'm going to watch the radar. A blizzard is not what we want for the Festival. Tourists will stay away and the town needs this."

A thought crossed my mind and it made my belly tighten. "Oh lord, imagine if the train tracks are covered and we can't get the Christmas Train to run? It was such an undertaking and took soooo much preparation."

On the heels of that concern was the possibility of having to communicate with Amos Winter...again. It had almost taken a miracle to get him to agree for a stop at his Christmas tree farm, let alone agree to the sleigh rides. I let out a sigh and dropped my head back to stare at the ceiling. It was beautiful antique tin that had been reclaimed and polished, distracting me for a moment from thinking about grumpy Amos.

"It'll all be fine. You worry too much. Amos can be crusty, but deep down he's a sweetie with a tough history." Pauline patted me on the shoulder and then stopped with a sharp intake of breath. "Oh, Amos, he's a catch you know. That big mansion all to himself, all that land. Forever single, tall, dark, and deadly gorgeous. Maybe you and h--

I held up my hand. "Not gonna happen. So end it right there. I'd rather talk about the caterpillar weather predictions than him."

I couldn't deny he was hot, and we'd locked horns more than a few times so I wasn't all that excited about chatting any time soon. His past was not really a mystery to me. I knew his parents were killed in a tragic snow plow accident twenty years ago when he was nineteen which left him to raise Asher, his fourteen-year-old brother, and Alana, his seven-year-old sister. They were called the Triple A's and I remembered they hated it. In fact, when I'd visited Nana over the summers, Alana and I had kinda paired up. We'd gotten into some sticky situations when we were younger and had to face Amos's wrath. Another reason I tended to avoid him now that I was back.

Pauline grunted, "Hmph, well, never say never. Anyway, caterpillars don't lie."

Unlike me n, I thought.

"And, like I said, you need some man love to unwind you. You are waaaay too uptight. The last time you had sex was before coming to Evergreen. And that is pathetic."

"Gee thanks, keep reminding me." I gave Paulie a swat on the arm. "Now how about those tickets?"

She smiled and closed up the box of carefully organized 50/50 tickets. "Right. And it's me that takes the brunt of your moodiness, my girl, thanks to your sexual frustrations." She lifted a hand in surrender as I opened my mouth about to say something. "But hey, fine, because that's what friends are for."

Paulie had been one of my besties during those wonderful summers. We'd kept in touch between then and when I came back so it made perfect sense for her to be my right-hand gal.

The last thing I wanted to admit was how much my lack of male companionship was frustrating the heck out of me. But, there was time for that later. I was diving deep into my duties and my own needs were not important. I had a responsibility to the board, mayor, town council, and the Evergreen Lake folks, to accomplish what I'd been hired to do. And I had a helluva target to hit.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be bitchy, but right now all I can think about is the festival and this damn snowstorm isn't going to help." I drew in my lower lip and wondered for the millionth time why I'd taken on this huge task. I knew the answer, didn't have to dig deep to find it.

I'd grown to love it here.

"Ya know, things have been going along great since the festival started December first. Everyone jumped on board, and are doing their best to make it a success. I don't think I've ever seen the town come together like it has this year."

"You're right, everyone has really helped." I shook my head. "But this storm, I'm worried about it."

"I get it. But, just think, snow will make it even more magical." Paulie grabbed a pile of brochures and walked around the counter to the display rack. She looked over her shoulder at me, "Don't worry about what hasn't happened yet. How many times do I have to remind you?"

I tipped my head sideways and gave her a look. "You know me, doesn't matter how hard I try, I'll worry. Someone has to." Pauline shook her head and went back to her job of sorting brochures. "I gotta make some calls."

I grabbed my phone, notebook, and plopped into the chair behind my desk, turning it around with me feet so I could gaze out the window. The summer view was shaded by the wonderful old trees lining street. Now, in winter, the skeletal branches were strung with a multitude of white and rainbow fairy lights. I simply loved it and admitted to myself that a little bit of snow would in fact, create a magical winter wonderland, especially at night. Exactly the ambiance I was hoping to achieve.

A gust of wind swept down the street, snow skittered and swirled into drifts against anything in its path. The Christmas trees lashed to the street lamps shivered against their stays, snowflakes and the twinkle lights sparkled in the branches. Yes, trees that came from Amos Winter's tree farm.

"Hmph, why did he have to be so damn difficult?" I muttered. He'd shut me down too often and not too politely I might add, when it came for business support. I was baffled how a man with deep roots in the town, and a town that had rallied around him when his parents died, could be so unaffected by the transition the town was facing. Or how important this festival was.

I'd had pretty much had to promise him the moon in order get any sort of cooperation from him, especially for the Christmas Train to stop at his farm.

I watched people trudge along the sidewalks, leaning into the wind and bursts of snow. I was glad to see smiles on their faces despite the weather. See! The Christmas Spirit was alive and well in Evergreen. Even if I did have a bad feeling, regardless of what the caterpillars said.

I sent a silent prayer to Old Man Winter. Please don't blizzard, please don't blizzard, please don't blizzard.

A flash of red caught my eye and I bolted upright in my chair. The Winter Farm pickup truck pulled into an angle parking spot across the street. It was a huge, shiny new truck. An extended cab, 4 by 4, in cherry red with a logo that was offset perfectly in a white logo on the side--Winter Tree Farm, and underneath in smaller letters was Orchard & Vineyards bookended by two spruce trees. It was a very Christmassy truck, so why was he such a Scrooge?

The driver door opened and I gasped when he got out. What was it about that man that set my blood boiling? And sometimes not in a bad way. Like now, which pissed me off. I fell into a trance watching him. He flipped the collar of his heavy coat up around his ears when a gust of wind and snow battered him.

I watched him take a wide stride over the snow bank onto the sidewalk. His long jean clad legs made short work of the pile I'd have to scramble over.

He hunched, turning his head from the assault of weather and walked to Hanson's Mercantile. I loved that name--it sounded so quaint and "oldy worldy" as mom would say. It was basically a general store and post office, but the name lent it a days-gone-by feel. But enough of the store. I ducked behind the spray snow painted on the windows--Paulie had gone a little overboard--and watched him.

He glanced up at the sky and frowned then pulled open the door to Hanson's, disappearing inside. I watched for him through the paned and Holiday decorated front windows of Hanson's. No sign of him.

Did I really just sigh? Damn it!

Amos Winter was a thorn in my side. No amount of tall, dark, and sexy could make up for his grumpiness and lack of interest in the town. Being Alana's big brother meant I knew him as well from when I was a kid. I remembered him well as a big, tough, and no-nonsense kind of guy. But there was something about him and he snuck into my dreams and daydreams as I'd gone through puberty. It had embarrassed, even scared me a little. I hadn't understood my feelings at the time, and those dreams! They'd wreaked havoc on my budding libido.

The only way I could deal with my crazy emotions was to be bold and stand up to him. He was overbearing and I felt I had to protect Alana from his anger. Usually I took the blame when Alana, Paulie, and I had gotten up to no good. Even if it was Alana's bright ideas leading us into trouble. But looking back now, I realized he was just protecting his baby sister.

"Stop." I whisper shouted and looked around to make sure nobody heard me.

Opening my planner to this week, I stared at the pages, noting the events lined up until New Year's Eve.

But Amos crept back into my brain. Damn, but he's a good looking man. Not surprised he's still single though. He'd shut me down far too often and not too politely I might add, when it came time for business support.

Not only did he have a well-run apple orchard, he'd started grapes a few years back for a vineyard and his Christmas trees were shipped across the country. I was baffled how a man with deep roots in the community, could be so unaffected by the exodus of people to larger city centers. For more opportunity, they said. Wouldn't it make sense to bring opportunity here and encourage the town to grow?

Thankfully, he'd finally agreed the Christmas Train could stop on the tracks that ran through his property

I let my gaze drift to the mercantile. I saw him through the window standing in line. Either it was the best or the worst time. I wasn't quite sure, but exactly the moment I looked at him, he lifted his head and our gazes met. My mouth went dry. My heart skipped a beat. And heat rushed through me.

We stared at each other for what seemed an eternity before I broke the connection and focused blankly at the planner on my desk. I was bloody well shaking! What the fuck... his face seemed imprinted in my brain and I saw him even when I closed my eyes.

A wave of hair fell over the side of my face and I opened my eyes a slit and glanced through the strands. Was he still there? Disappointment cut through me that he was gone. I leaned forward to get a better view out the window, my face almost pressed to the glass. I froze when his truck nosed past my window. He was watching me and touched his forehead with his forefinger. I was mortified to be caught staring at him, but my body still wouldn't do what I wanted. One side of his mouth raised in a grin, then he smiled wide. I was dumbstruck. He never smiled! Time slowed down to an agonizing crawl and to make matters worse, I returned the smile. But, it felt more like a grimace.

Oh, god.

I couldn't help myself and watched his truck until it turned the corner out of sight.