Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
The King Community Center wasn't open to the public yet, but tonight it was home to the King Corporation Christmas Gala. It was a black-tie event with an exclusive guest list, and I was on it: Clara Dalton, plus-one to the King's Head of Development, Beckett Shepherd.
Floor-to-ceiling windows framed the mountains and timber beams were wrapped in Christmas lights.
A thirty-foot Christmas tree soared to the rafters, decorated in gold ornaments and a strand of warm white twinkle lights long enough that it could probably stretch all the way to the neighboring town of Windswan.
Waiters in black vests and bowties circulated with champagne and canapés. Beck took two champagne flutes and handed one to me. Flashes from the paparazzi flickered outside the entrance as the NHL players started to arrive.
"This is insane," I said to Beck, adjusting the strap of my white silk dress.
"William King doesn't do sane."
A year ago, I might have felt weird here. A girl from the trailer park playing dress-up with billionaires. But I'd stopped giving a damn what anyone thought about where I came from.
Charlotte and Logan joined us next to the dance floor. A twenty-piece string orchestra played a variety of Christmas music mixed with instrumental covers of pop songs.
"Can you believe this is Chance Rapids?" Logan sipped his champagne. "Maybe it's time for us to move further north."
Charlotte, in a floor-length royal blue gown, elbowed him. "It's the perfect mix. You can drink cheap beer in your friends’ garages and then go for Wagyu at the Fork."
"Always selling the town." Logan kissed his wife's cheek.
The only people who stood out at the party were the cute old couple on the dance floor.
Mrs. K was wearing a 1980s style dress with puffy sleeves and a full skirt that she probably bought when it was actually in style.
Donnie was in head-to-toe brown corduroy.
Both of them were oblivious to the world around them.
"Clara!" Everleigh sidled up next to me wearing a one-piece white jumpsuit with a gold belt. Her giant diamond ring glinted on her finger as she held the stem of her champagne glass and gestured to my dress. "The silk looks great on you."
"Thank you. Beck gave it to me." I smoothed the already pristine fabric with my free hand.
Everleigh grinned. "Oh, I know. I picked it out."
"Beck." I bunched my hands into fists and planted them on my hips.
Beck's cheeks turned the same shade of red as Everleigh's lipstick. He shrugged. "Guilty. What the hell do I know about dresses?"
I hugged Everleigh. "I should be mad, but I'm not. It's gorgeous."
"You're welcome." She kissed me on the cheek.
Charlotte joined us. "Everleigh, are you settling into your new home?"
"It's perfect." Everleigh clinked Charlotte's glass with hers. "Thank you for getting me in to see it before it hit the market."
Everleigh King had been so taken by the Christmas Carnival and the small-town charm of Chance Rapids that she'd bought not one, but two mountain homes here.
William King took the stage and tapped the microphone. "I should get up there." Everleigh excused herself and headed to the stage. The room went quiet. When William King spoke, people listened.
"Thank you for being here." He paused for effect and to wait for the last of the crowd to shut up.
"One year ago, this town was a dot on a map.
A nice place to ski. A nice place to retire.
" He paused again. "Now it's home to professional hockey's newest franchise.
I've been trying to get my daughter out of retirement to manage the team, but I don't have deep enough pockets. "
Polite laughter rippled through the crowd. Then everyone clapped as Everleigh joined him onstage. Gunnar held their daughter from the side of the stage and both of them looked transfixed by their Ice Queen.
Everleigh took the microphone and stood next to an easel draped with a gold sheet.
"Thanks, Dad. And yes, you still can’t afford me.
” More polite laughter rippled through the room.
“On behalf of the King Corporation, we would like to present Chance Rapids with their new Northern Professional Hockey League team. .."
There was an actual drumroll.
Everleigh pulled the shiny gold sheet from the easel, revealing a blue and gold logo. The letter "C" with a wave in the center. "The Chance Rapids Breakers."
A cheer erupted from the crowd. "That's actually a good name," Beck whispered in my ear.
"Let me guess, you thought of it."
He sipped his champagne with a wry smile. "I don't know dresses, but I do know hockey."
William raised his glass. A group of attractive young men who I'd never seen before whooped and cheered. Beck leaned in to whisper again. "The new Breakers. This town is in for some trouble."
"A toast." Everleigh raised her glass and tapped her father's. "To the right kind of change in Chance Rapids."
"Hear, hear!" Donnie shouted.
"Now that he's got that fancy new Zamboni, he's happy." Logan grinned. "Shhh. He's heading our way."
"Clara. You look beautiful." Donnie squeezed my hand. "Hey Beck. I hate to be a pest, but I forgot to kill the lights at Sugar Bay. Do you mind running over and flipping the switch for me? My date wants to have a few more spins around the dance floor."
To my surprise, Beck agreed.
I stared at him. "It's Christmas Eve."
"The power bill, Beck," Donnie said. "You know how William is about turning off the lights."
"Yeah, but he fires up his jet just to go to Windswan," I grumbled.
Beck held out his phone. "Megan messaged. She said Dash has been scratching at the door and he won't stop whining."
"Alright." My feet had started to throb an hour earlier. "I'm ready to get out of these shoes anyway."
With Dash curled up on the bench seat between us, Beck drove my old truck out to Sugar Bay. The country carols were back on the radio, and The Twelve Days of Christmas was being butchered by a man and a banjo.
Donnie was right. The outdoor rink was totally lit up. "How could Donnie forget to turn those off?" I hopped out of the truck and tromped ahead of Beck in my winter boots.
Christmas lights lined the boards. The ice shone, reflecting the glow from the full moon that had just risen above the jagged mountain peaks. Then I noticed the rose petals in the middle of the face-off circle.
"Beck."
He took my hand and led me onto the ice. Dash clicked along beside us. Beck turned to face me, his breath clouding between us. His hands shook as he took mine in his.
"This is where I fell in love with you," he said. "Both times."
My breath caught in my throat. He dropped to one knee and opened a black velvet ring box. A simple emerald-cut diamond sparkled on a thin gold band.
"I don't need a mansion or a corner office. I need you and Dash." He swallowed hard. "Clara. You're it. You've always been it. Will you marry me?"
"Yes!" It wasn't a whisper. I shouted so loud my "yes" echoed off the granite bluffs in the distance. Dash joined in, barking and wagging his entire body.
Beck slid the ring on my finger then stood and cupped my face in his hands. They were freezing, but I didn’t care.
"I love you, Clara."
"I love you too, Beck." I kissed him.
"There's one more thing."
"Anything." I'd never spoken a truer sentence.
He swiped my hair behind my ear. “Future Mrs. Shepherd, can we make pancakes together as my Christmas present?”
The spatula I’d bought Beck for Christmas was already wrapped and under our tree. “Absolutely, Mr. Shepherd. But you’ll have to open your presents first.”
“What if I can’t wait for the morning?”
I giggled as Beck scooped me up in his arms. “Maybe you can open one of them tonight.”