Chapter 2
Lee
“Sorry man, they’ve added more dates to the tour so I won’t be able to make it until Christmas Eve.”
I sighed but otherwise bit back my disappointment. “Don’t be sorry Mac, this is great news. That means the tour is doing even better than expected, right?”
“Yeah,” he sighed but I heard the smile in my younger brother’s voice. “We’re sold out until Spring if you can believe it.”
“Why wouldn’t I believe it? This is your second or third world tour and each one gets bigger than the last one. The pitfalls of being a world famous rock star.”
“Ass,” he grumbled. “Are you staying in Holiday Grove alone?”
“That’s the plan. I’m driving back to town now.” The airport was a crowded mess and I’d never been more grateful for long-term parking in my life.
“How did the opening go in Colorado?”
“Great. The place is gorgeous, fully staffed and the whole town’s grateful to Lancaster Development for the tourist dollars sure to come.
” I wasn’t an altruist and though I did donate to charity, no one who knew me would call me a philanthropist, but developing projects that included high-rise luxury residences and resorts meant that I was always looked at through a hero lens.
For every business displaced because of my projects, hundreds of jobs were created and millions of dollars flowed to the city.
“It’s fully booked through the New Year with more reservations pouring in. ”
Mac laughed. “Who knew you’d end up being so good at making money?”
I laughed. “Uncle Ty since he invested in my first property. And my second.” Our aunt and uncle took us in when our parents died.
Mac and I were eight and ten when we went to live with them in a modest suburban Chicago home.
They were nothing but supportive, encouraging Mac’s love of music and my gift for numbers.
“In fact, he and Aunt Nadia are enjoying two week at my resort in Australia.”
Mac laughed. “How much shit did Aunt Nadia give you about such an extravagant gift?”
“All the shit,” I confirmed. “At least until she saw all the excursions I booked. Swimming with the dolphins quieted her objections instantly.” My aunt was an animal lover and I wasn’t above using that to get her to accept all manner of gifts.
“Sound check time, man. I’ll call you again in a day or two.”
“Sounds good. Break a leg, kid.” I ended the call, tossing the phone on the passenger seat because the snow was coming down heavier than when I started the two and a half hour drive from the airport.
“Damn weather report said late evening.” By the time I reached the Welcome to Holiday Grove sign, the snow was coming down so heavy I could barely make out the sign, now decorated in tinsel and a wreath.
The long road would eventually give way to a few farms that grew everything from Christmas trees, pumpkins, an apple orchard and a small goat farm that supplied cheese to local restaurants and soap to a few boutiques and B&Bs in town.
It was a cute little town and the plot of land overlooking the mountains was the perfect place for my next resort.
The road that bisected the farms hadn’t seen any traffic for at least half an hour as evidenced by the packed snow challenged the traction on my brand new tires.
The SUV handled well but it was no match for the fluffy snow that turned to ice under my tires and not even my white knuckle grip could keep the damn thing straight on the road.
The back of the car skidded one way and the front went the other, which of course made me overcorrect and the car spun several times before it came to a stop at an angle.
I turned on the windshield wipers and groaned at the what I saw, namely not the road I was on.
“No.” Instead of the road the front end of the car faced the snow covered ground. “Stuck in a ditch. How cliché.”
I gave myself thirty minutes inside the warmth of the car to see if the snow would let up, figuring that since the weather reports were wrong about when the storm began maybe they were also wrong about when it was supposed to end.
It only snowed harder and I knew if I didn’t get out of the car now, I’d end up stuck there.
There wasn’t a lot of traffic on this road for another three miles until Holiday Grove’s version of Main Street, Independence Street, began.
I pushed the door open, thankful it gave easily, even as a blast of cold wind smacked me backwards.
I wrapped my scarf around my neck, buttoned up my coat and made my way to the road.
My shoes were inappropriate for this weather, but I hadn’t been expecting to hike a snowy road when I dressed this morning.
I made it about five steps before I nearly went down and had to slow my pace, which made everything take even longer.
I looked up and down the road, hoping to spot headlights in the distance but just as I suspected, I was on my own and I hadn’t lived in town long enough to have anyone to call.
Most of the farm homes were too far off to be seen from the road but about a mile up the road I spotted the golden glow of a porch light, just like Aunt Nadia used to leave on for Mac and me.
Between the cold and the slick road, it took close to an hour to make it to the royal blue farmhouse that didn’t looked to actually have a farm attached to it.
My feet were numb and my legs were frozen, and I sent up a prayer that I wouldn’t be greeted by an axe murdered when I knocked, or if so he’d let me warm up first. I inhaled a deep breath and knocked on the exhale.
And waited.
The locks disengaged and a stunning redhead appeared. Her eyes looked just as golden as the light above us as she took in the sight of me, wet and frozen and scraggly would be my guess. “Um, hello?”
Speak, Lee. “Hi. My car slid into a ditch a few miles back and yours was the first house I spotted.”
She stared up at me for a long time as if debating whether or not to let me in. “What kind of car?”
I frowned. “Excuse me?”
“What is the make and model of the car? And the license plate if you know it. Please.” She folded her arms across her chest, which drew my attention to the curves that were on full display in her fitted red and green pajamas with a DJ’ing Santa all over them.
I gave her the information she requested even though my fingers ached from the cold. “I’m Lee, by the way.”
She smiled, snapped a photo of the info I gave her and sent off what I guessed was a text message. “I’m Nix,” she offered with a smile before she snapped a photo of my face and sent another text. “Come inside.”
“Thank you.” I lucked out that anyone answered the door for a stranger, never mind let me inside. “I really appreciate this.”
“Just don’t make me regret it.” She closed the door and locked it behind her, gaze fixed on my face.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Good. Let’s get you out of those clothes.”
I wasn’t a stranger to forward women, when you were a reasonably attractive billionaire, they were everywhere. But this was a little too forward.
“Come on now, we just met.”