Chapter 17 MJ #2
“I already called,” Jack said, holding up his phone.
In the distance, she heard sirens mixed with fireworks that flashed in the sky.
No one sang “Auld Lang Syne.” No one kissed. No one cheered. No one ate a single sparkler-topped cupcake.
As the clock struck twelve, MJ had a sickening sensation that her home, her world, and her life had just completely collapsed.
Hours later, the firefighters let MJ and Cindy take a look at the aftermath once they’d determined that the lodge was secure and the roof damage, while severe, was limited to a small section of the kitchen.
Unfortunately, that “small section” included the mudroom, MJ’s living quarters, and her pantry, storage cabinets, and baker’s rack.
Cindy and MJ went together, with Jack. Stepping into the kitchen literally turned her stomach.
Where just hours ago there had been warmth and light and the comforting scent of baked goods, there was now chaos. A gaping hole yawned overhead with snow pouring in like a white waterfall.
“Oh, dear,” MJ whispered, her knees nearly buckling.
“We have insurance,” Cindy whispered. “The rest of the lodge is totally fine. People can sleep here tonight—well, not you—but we will fix this. This could have been worse. You’ll get a new kitchen. And a roof.”
She turned to her sister, hearing the encouraging words she should have been saying herself. Wasn’t she the optimist? Wasn’t her glass half full?
But nothing felt full or optimistic right then.
“Or we could sell as-is and save ourselves a lot of headache, trouble, and money.” The words slipped out of MJ’s lips, so foreign it felt like someone else was saying them.
“Not tonight,” Cindy replied. “Let’s get the photo albums in the cabinet and some clothes for you. You can sleep in Cabin Five since it’s empty. I’ll stay with you.”
“I will, too, Mom,” Gracie said. “Red took Benny up to our house, and Nicole is with Cameron and Elise, all of them staying in the ski shed tonight.”
MJ looked around, noticing most of the guests had gone to rooms or cabins after they’d been cleared. She had no fight left in her. No hope. No…nothing.
Moving through the motions like a zombie, she and Cindy, with the help of Jack and Gracie, got what they could, donned jackets, and headed to Cabin Five.
“Oh,” MJ groaned as she unlocked the door. “I haven’t even stripped the bed and put on clean sheets.”
“I’ll do the sheets, Mom,” Gracie said.
“Yeah, we got this, MJ.” Cindy hugged her as they trudged to the cabin.
“Don’t you want to be with Jack tonight?” MJ asked. “You just got engaged.”
“You need me more,” she said. “Sisters before misters.”
That made MJ smile for the first time since the proposal.
“Relax, Mom,” Gracie added, guiding her into the cozy one-bedroom. “We’ll get everything ready and no one is going to leave you alone tonight. Are the sheets in the bathroom closet? I’ll go change the bed.”
“And I’ll make a fire,” Jack offered.
Sighing, MJ turned to Cindy. “Why do I seem more upset than you are? You’re the numbers person.”
“Because Nicole told me three simple words just one minute before Jack proposed—anything is possible. Right now, I believe it. Yes, I’m wildly in love and back with my favorite guy”—she smiled at Jack and lifted her newly decorated left hand—“but I know we’re a family and this lodge is in our blood. ”
MJ didn’t argue, but let them bustle about, getting the fire going while Gracie worked in the bedroom and Cindy made some tea. Jack slipped out to talk to Cameron, who was still with the firefighters, and MJ dropped into the cozy chair by the hearth.
Cindy handed her a steaming cup as Gracie stepped out of the bedroom, holding something.
“Mom.”
Sipping, MJ looked up, not able to read the look on Gracie’s face. “What is it?”
She held out a thin white envelope. “I found this under the pillow. It has your name on it. I think Matt left it for you.”
Her heart leaped. He’d left her a letter? She sat up a little straighter and set her teacup on the table next to her, taking the envelope.
It wasn’t thick, so his final words weren’t too long. “I’ll read it tomorrow.”
“You will not!” Gracie and Cindy said in perfect unison.
“We’ll leave for five minutes to give you privacy,” Gracie said.
“Then we’ll read every word after you do,” Cindy added.
They scooted out, grabbing jackets, leaving MJ alone with what she assumed was a classic “Dear Jane” letter.
“Well, maybe I’ll finally get the truth.” She slid her finger over the sealed back and pulled out a single piece of paper.
Sighing, she unfolded it, angling it toward the fire for the best light on her old eyes.
Dearest Mary Jane,
She swallowed at the salutation and closed her eyes, steadying herself before she read more.
Six months ago, I walked into a gas station in Ocala, Florida, on my way home from a plumbing trade show. On a whim, I bought a lottery ticket. A few days later, I found out I was a millionaire many, many times over.
From that moment on, my life changed—and not in ways I ever wanted.
People I barely remembered started showing up, each with a hand out and a story about why they needed just a little help.
My ex-wife and her daughters came knocking, too, demanding more and more and more.
Overnight, the work I’d done my whole life—fixing leaks, unclogging drains, showing up for folks who counted on me—suddenly seemed…
small. I didn’t know where I fit anymore.
I tried to live like a rich man. Bought a Rolex. Filled my closet with fancy clothes. Splurged on sports cars, vacations, and a house that felt like a big, cavernous prison. I didn’t know who to trust, where to turn, or what to do. All that money brought me nothing but emptiness.
So, I did the only thing that made sense—I ran.
I went somewhere far away, a place where no one knew my name or my bank account balance.
I decided to go by my middle name, left no credit card trail that anyone could find, and hid in the mountains of Utah so I could breathe again and figure out what to do with the rest of my life.
Then I met you.
It turns out the most beautiful thing at Snowberry wasn’t the lodge or the view, but a woman with auburn hair and a heart so big she made everyone around her feel at home. The more time I spent with you, the harder I fell, and the more terrified I became of you finding out the truth.
I didn’t want you to see me as a millionaire lottery winner. I wanted you to love me—just me. Graham Matthew Walker, the plumber.
That’s why I kept my secret, even as it ate me up inside.
While I was here with you, I was also quietly planning what to do with the money.
I began researching people and places with the deepest needs—the kind of problems only money can fix.
Hospitals, shelters, families on the brink.
I’ve lined up accountants to make sure every penny goes exactly where it should.
All those times I went to town I was meeting with a local attorney who helped me figure it all out.
I asked you for a year, because that’s how long it’ll take me to get it all done. A year to untangle myself from this mess, to give the money away, and to find my way back to being the man I was before that lottery ticket.
When I come back, it’ll be as a simple man who fixes pipes and wants to court a classy, gorgeous, good-hearted woman the way a proper gentleman should.
As far as the money, I’ll keep a little bit tucked away, enough to make my golden years easier, but the rest will be gone—doing good where it’s needed most.
While I do that, I want you to bring Snowberry Lodge back to its full glory and build the wedding venue of your dreams. I want you to give this historic lodge the future it—and your family—deserves.
So, please look under the sink in the bathroom, where any good plumber would leave a gift for you. The combination is 143. Maybe you can guess why I chose those numbers.
Until I come back, know this: I am and always will be…a plumber who adores you.
Matt
MJ sat stone still, holding the letter in a trembling hand. Suddenly, everything made sense…didn’t it? Was this story true? What was 143? Maybe he’d left…a hundred and forty-three dollars? No, this was Matt. More like fourteen thousand and three hundred dollars.
That would come in handy.
It didn’t matter—this letter gave her the answers she longed for and whatever gift he gave her, he adored her.
Still a little shaky, she pushed up and headed into the bathroom, pulling open the cabinet door under the sink.
Crouching down, she moved some towels and guest shampoo and her hand hit something hard.
A metal lock box.
With shaking fingers, she turned the numbers to line up to 143.
She dropped down to sit on the floor, sensing she might fall over when she opened it. Very slowly, she lifted the lid.
There, nested in a bed of green flannel, was a cashier’s check made out to Snowberry Lodge for…
“Oh, my—”
MJ couldn’t even touch it. Her whole body trembled as she stared at the number that did not compute in her mind. How many zeroes was that?
A million dollars?
“Hey, Mom, where are you?” Gracie’s voice barely reached MJ through the noisy, slamming pulse in her head.
“MJ?” Cindy’s voice rose and grew closer. “Are you— Oh.” She stood in the bathroom doorway. “Are you all right?”
She turned and held up the check, a simple, life-changing piece of paper.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“What is…” Cindy dropped to her knees. “MJ? What is that?”
“Proof that anything is possible,” she breathed the words.
“Mom!” Gracie appeared in the doorway next, holding the letter. “He won the lottery?”
She heard Cindy squeal, falling to the floor. Gracie joined her, picking up a pack of legal-looking documents with words like “trust” and “gift tax exemptions.”
“Is this even real?” Cindy asked, tears falling down her cheeks.
MJ wiped some of her own, looking at the documents, the check, and the letter. “I think all that is real.” She closed her eyes and exhaled. “But the man? I guess I’ll find out in a year…when or if he comes back.”
“He’ll be back,” Cindy said. “He obviously loves you.”
“I don’t know about that,” MJ whispered. “But I can’t wait to find out.”
MJ may have to wait a year for her happily ever after—but you don’t! Come back to Park City for another holiday filled with secrets, sisters, and second-chance romance.
After a year of renovations and redesign, Snowberry Lodge is finally ready to open its doors for the most magical Christmas season yet—and Cindy and Jack’s holiday nuptials will showcase the Starling Room, a sparkling new wedding venue.
The lights are twinkling, the sleigh is polished, and love is in the crisp mountain air…
but not everything in Park City is picture-perfect.
Gracie’s bakery is struggling, thanks to a flashy new rival across the street, and every run-in with the infuriatingly handsome Marshall Hampton stirs up more than her temper.
When Benny and Olivia do some scheming, Gracie and Marshall are forced to team up—while trying to ignore the sparks flying between them.
Cindy has handed over the lodge management reins to Jack, and is launching Snowberry Weddings, a brand-new business to match her brand-new marriage. When an opportunity arises that could catapult that new venture, she learns that success might come at too high a price.
Through it all, MJ counts the days until the return of the man who made her heart soar with promises. But each snowstorm and silent night makes her wonder if it was all just a dream.
Filled with romance, laughter, and a dash of holiday magic, don’t miss Mistletoe in Park City, the third heartwarming installment in the Christmas in the Canyons series.