How to Kiss on Christmas Morning

Chapter 1

One

I am a woman who loves an adventure. But I have to admit, right now, even I’m feeling a little nervous.

It’s not like I’ve never experienced snow. I grew up in New York. It snowed all the time. But the mountain roads in Western North Carolina are narrow. And very curvy. And I don’t exactly have a lot of confidence in the rental car I’m driving.

Plus, I have no idea where I am. I have never been so grateful for a cell phone connection and the assurance of my GPS, which promises I’ll reach my destination within the next seven minutes.

Assuming I don’t slide into a ditch before I get there. Or worse, off the side of the mountain altogether.

When I left my brother’s house in Harvest Hollow, I thought I’d have plenty of time to make it to Stonebrook Farm before the snow really got going. But that was, based on the inches covering the road in front of me, a gross miscalculation.

I sigh and slow my speed to less than ten miles an hour. I’m the only car on the road—it’s after nine p.m., if the weather isn’t reason enough—then turn on my hazard lights and hug the center lane lines, staying as far away as possible from the steep decline to my right.

“You’ve got this, Megan,” I say to myself. “You are brave. You are tough. You are—”

My words cut off when my car veers sharply to the left, crossing through the other lane and onto the grassy shoulder.

I do my best to correct my direction, but with zero traction, my steering isn’t doing any good.

When my left tires tip into the ditch on the side of the road, I finally come to a complete stop, the car tilted enough that I’m leaning uncomfortably against the driver side door.

I grip the steering wheel for several seconds, breathing deeply to bring my heart rate down to a normal pace.

“You’re okay,” I say out loud. “You’re safe.” And I am safe. A tiny part of me wants to panic, or at least pitch a gigantic tantrum, but a larger part knows that freaking out will only make everything worse.

I close my eyes and do my best to think through my situation logically.

My car is still on, and I have a mostly full tank of gas, which means, at least for the time being, I should be able to stay warm. That’s important.

I am also on the side of the road flanked by an incline, the mountain climbing sharply to my left.

That’s also good. The mountain continues downward on the other side of the road, so had I slid that direction, I would be in much more serious trouble.

I am also completely off the road, so if someone else drives by, I’m not in danger of being hit.

Not that I expect anyone to be out in this kind of weather.

But then…if no one else is out in this kind of weather, does that mean…I’m staying here all night?

I look out into the surrounding darkness, and my stomach tightens.

Okay, maybe I should start to panic.

At least a little.

I reach for my cell phone, hands trembling as I wake up the screen. I’m not expecting to have a signal—service has been spotty for the last fifteen minutes—but to my utter delight, I have two full bars.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I say, still talking to myself. In the eerie stillness of the snowstorm, the sound of my own voice brings a strange sort of comfort.

“Okay, who do I call?”

911? I’m sure they would respond, but in this weather, is it fair to ask first responders to come rescue me? Would they even be able to reach me if the roads aren’t safe?

I’m less than two miles away from Stonebrook Farm, but I’m not sure there’s anyone there who could help. I pull up the last email I received about my expected arrival. It includes instructions about where I’ll be staying and gives me a code to use to unlock the front door, but that’s it.

There are extensive instructions about the work I’ll be doing once I’m at the farm and a phone number I can call should I run into trouble, but technically, I haven’t started working yet.

I’m not sure getting stranded in the snow before I’ve even arrived is the kind of trouble the email is talking about.

I tap my phone against my palm, thinking through my options. I could probably walk. My phone is fully charged, so I’d have at least an hour or two of flashlight before it died. I could walk two miles in an hour.

In the snow.

Carrying my luggage.

Probably.

I glance down at my shoes. My Uggs aren’t the best option, but they’re better than nothing.

Or maybe I leave my bags for now and come back for them tomorrow when it’s daylight and not so snowy?

Still undecided, I pull up my brother’s number and call him. He’s too far away to help me himself, but he’ll at least be able to talk me through my options.

“Hey,” Alec says when he answers the call. “Did you make it?”

“Um, almost?”

“What do you mean almost?” my older brother asks.

“So, hypothetically, if you had to decide between walking two miles in the snow or calling 911 because your car slid off the road and into a ditch…what would you choose?”

“Megan,” Alec says. “Are you serious? You’re stuck on the side of the road?”

“Yes? It’s really snowing hard over here. But the good news is I’m less than two miles away from Stonebrook. I think I could probably walk it if I have to.”

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m totally fine,” I say. “I was going so slow, I don’t even think the car is damaged. Just stuck.”

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he says. “But please don’t walk anywhere. Just give me a second to fill Evie in.”

I listen as Alec summarizes my predicament for my best friend who is also his new wife. She’s the one who got me the gig at Stonebrook Farm in the first place, so maybe she’ll have an idea about what I should do.

When Evie first pitched the job, it took me a minute to work out all the connections, but basically, Evie is friends with Summer, and Summer’s sister is married to Flint Hawthorne—yes, that Flint Hawthorne—and the Hawthorne family owns Stonebrook Farm.

But the Hawthornes are all in Italy for Christmas—a perk of having a movie star in the family—so they needed someone to hold down the fort while they’re gone. Answer the phones. Accept deliveries. Host the small family reunion scheduled on Christmas Eve.

My internet research told me that Stonebrook is a commercial apple farm and an event center that hosts weddings, retreats, reunions, that sort of thing.

There’s also an award-winning restaurant on site that’s been featured in food and travel magazines with all kinds of fancy write-ups.

It’s closed for the season, but seeing it mentioned so many times in my searching, I’m tempted to come back with Alec and Evie when it opens again so we can see what everyone’s raving about.

It’s a little overwhelming to think I’m going to be in charge of a place that’s so nice.

Especially when I have zero experience in farming or hospitality.

But Evie insisted that for this job, I wouldn’t need it.

I’m mostly getting paid to hang out and call the fire department should anything randomly burst into flame.

Since I just finished nursing school and have zero plans for the holidays, I happily accepted the job offer.

A week at a remote farm in North Carolina where I have minimal responsibilities feels like the perfect setup for me to really dig in and study for my licensing exam.

The fact that the Hawthornes are paying me so generously doesn’t hurt.

Not that it will matter if I freeze to death on the side of the road. I can’t exactly take the NCLEX come January if I’m dead.

“Okay, Evie just called Summer,” Alec says. “We’ll get this figured out.”

I sniff and try not to focus on how dark it is outside or how heavy the snowfall has become.

“You’re on speaker phone,” Alec says.

“Hi, Megan,” Evie says. “Okay, I’ve got Summer on the phone, and she’s texting with her sister. They want to know if your GPS is telling you to turn left or right into Stonebrook.”

“I can just send you a pin if that will help. But let me check,” I say, then I swipe over to my GPS and look at the overview. “Left,” I say. “I’m on highway seventeen, one point seven miles from the turn.”

“Got it,” Evie says.

She’s quiet for a beat before she adds, “Okay, they say to stay exactly where you are and don’t get out of your car. They’re sending Noah to pick you up.”

“Who’s Noah?”

“He’s a Hawthorne cousin,” Evie says. “Apparently, he’s living at the farm right now.”

“Will he even be able to get to me? The roads are barely drivable. That’s why I’m stranded in the first place.”

“She says he has a very big truck with four-wheel drive,” Evie says. “He’ll be fine.”

I breathe out a sigh. Nothing about this situation is fine. I feel silly. Like I should have been able to prevent this from happening. “Isn’t Summer’s sister in Italy right now? It’s the middle of the night in Italy.”

Evie hesitates. “Yes,” she finally says. “But you’re stranded, Megan. That’s a good enough reason to wake someone up.”

I drop my head onto the steering wheel and let out a groan. “This is the sister who’s married to Flint?”

“Audrey,” Evie says. “Yeah. That’s her.”

“Okay, cool. I’ll just be totally chill thinking about Flint Hawthorne waking up in the middle of the night to have a conversation about my poor planning.”

“The snowstorm came out of nowhere, Meg,” Alec says. “This isn’t your fault. I was checking the weather, and I would have made you leave earlier had I thought you’d run into trouble.”

“For real, don’t worry about it,” Evie adds. “Summer says the Hawthornes are all really good people. Oh wait, hang on. She’s texting something else.” She’s quiet for a beat before she lets out a little chuckle. “Okay, she says I should warn you about something before Noah shows up.”

“Warn me?” I ask, sitting up a little taller. “About what?”

I can practically hear Evie’s grin when she says, “Summer says Noah might only be a cousin, but you should brace yourself because he is still Hawthorne-brother handsome.”

“What does that mean?” I ask. “There are brothers?”

“Four of them,” Evie says. “Flint is the youngest, and Summer says the handsome gene is strong. Hang on. She sent me a picture. It’s just of the brothers, but it’ll still give you an idea. I’m sending it to you.”

Seconds later, my phone buzzes in my hand, and a picture pops into my text thread with Evie.

“Oh, geez,” I say as I look at the picture. I immediately recognize Flint, since I’ve seen him in a dozen different movies, but Evie wasn’t wrong. His brothers are just as pretty as he is.

I swallow against the sudden knot of nerves making my throat tight. “So the cousin…Noah. He’s this handsome?”

“So Summer says,” Evie says.

“The point is,” Alec interjects, like he’s annoyed we’re wasting precious conversation time talking about a group of handsome men that doesn’t include him, “he’s coming for you. So keep your eyes open and pay attention. Do you have a charger in your car?”

“Yeah, I do. My phone is plugged in right now.”

“Good. Keep it plugged in. And keep the car on until Noah gets there.”

“What if he doesn’t show?” I ask.

“He will,” Evie says. “He already responded to Flint. You shouldn’t have to wait long.”

“Oh, great. So happy it was Flint who texted. I hope he always remembers me as the woman who drove into a ditch. Maybe he could text Taylor Swift so they can laugh about my poor planning. Or—he’s friends with Freddie Ridgefield, isn’t he?

Maybe he’d like to know that I’m the only graduate from my nursing program who still hasn’t found a job. ”

Those last words take me by surprise—or at least the note of irrationality in my tone is surprising. I’m well aware I still haven’t found a job, but I’m not sure I realized my feelings about it were so close to the surface.

“Hey,” Alec says, his tone gentle. “You’re going to find a job. You know you will.”

I breathe out a sigh. “I know.”

I do know. But it probably won’t be the kind of job I want, and that’s something I’m still struggling to accept.

“What if he can’t find me?” I ask, ready to change the subject. My brother gives great pep talks, but he’s already given me a billion of them. I don’t need another one right now. At least, not about work.

“There’s only one road that leads to Stonebrook Farm,” Alec says. “If you’re on it, he’ll find you.”

“I’m on it,” I say.

“So just stay put. I’m sure he’ll be there soon.”

“And look on the bright side,” Evie adds. “If you have to be rescued, getting rescued by a Hawthorne seems like a pretty sweet deal.”

Alec grumbles. “I don’t think they’re that handsome.”

Evie laughs, and I let myself relax enough to laugh with her. “Not as handsome as you,” she says to my brother, her tone softening enough to make my heart squeeze.

Six months ago, I might have rolled my eyes at the exchange, but lately, I’m less annoyed by how much they love each other and more enamored. Maybe even a little envious.

“If he’s not there in twenty minutes, call us back.”

“I will. Thanks, guys. Give Juno a kiss for me.”

“Will do,” Alec says. “And Megan?” A hint of mischief creeps into his tone. “When he does show up, you’d better behave.”