Epilogue
The gondola rocked gently in the wind as it carried us to the top of the mountain. Evie was wearing modern day ski gear and was able to sit on the seats without sliding onto the floor. “Have you heard from GJ?” I asked.
Evie smiled. “Last I heard, they were in Idaho. Clarence had to put the spare on the RV, so they’re stopping to get the tire repaired, but they should be here in time for Christmas.”
For the past year we had been getting weekly updates as GJ and Clarence traveled across the country together.
Clarence was a lot more tech savvy than GJ, and ran their Instagram account SecondChanceRapidians, and he sent us weekly photos of their adventures.
They were mostly hiking trips, but they liked to throw in a few wild cards like zip-lining and white-water rafting.
“That’s great. I can’t wait to see them,” I said. “Did you hear they are doing another exhibition game before the Christmas Classic?”
Evie lowered her goggles from the top of her helmet. “Oh no.” Evie sighed. “They’re replacing the kiddos? Everyone loves them.”
I zipped up my coat and prepared for the gondola to arrive at the station. “They would never replace the little guys, but they’re bringing in some Bobcats Alumni, Clarence is going to play a shift, so is Logan.”
“No way.” Evie smiled. “That’s going to be interesting. I sure hope there’s no contact in the rules. From what I hear, Clarence was quite a bruiser back in the day. Logan might be in trouble.”
I laughed. Clarence was in excellent shape, but only committed to a couple of minutes on the ice. “It’s more of a photo opp than anything.”
We got out of the cabin and the sun beat down on our faces. “It’s so beautiful above the clouds. Thanks for making me come up here.” Evie tilted her face to the sun. She had hired a full complement of staff to work at the inn but was still putting in a lot of hours there and at the ranch.
“You deserve a break.”
“What about you, Mr. Tinsel.” She leaned playfully into me. “You’ve been training hard for the Classic, coaching the minors, renovating rooms at the inn, and catching those damn alpacas.”
Simon and Dave had been breaking out of the yard. Luckily, chasing after the two of them had helped me with my riding and roping skills. Nutmeg and I usually went on a mission once a month to find the escape artists.
Evie and I clicked into our skis. “Are you ready?” I asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She blew out a breath and clapped her hands together.
“You go first, I’ll follow.” I let Evie lead the way to Wolverine Way.
We’d gone skiing once a week since I’d signed the lease for the Lumber’s cabin.
Evie stayed at the inn but spent at least half the time out at the A-frame with me and Rocky.
No one ever came forward to claim him. I was glad for that because after a couple of weeks, I would’ve fought anyone to keep him. I loved that damn dog almost as much as I loved Evie. She dug her poles into the snow and then stopped. “I don’t know, Nick. It’s pretty steep.”
I skidded to a stop beside her. “You can do it. You turned Kick-O into Sir Gallops, you can get down this ski run.”
She smiled. “Is the name growing on you?”
“It’s better than Little Buddy. He’s anything but little.” We rode together as often as we could, me on Nutmeg and Evie towering beside us on Sir Gallops.
Evie looked at the run and gulped. “Do you think it’s too late to turn back?”
A group of skiers whizzed past us, among them, a skier with a familiar orange jacket and long white braids. Clementine had completely recovered from her fracture and had been the one to finally convince GJ to go on the trip with Clarence.
“Evie, if I’ve learned anything this past year, it’s best to jump in with both feet.
” I never told Evie that the rope had gotten caught around my wrist at the skijoring event.
It didn’t matter, I would’ve held onto that rope even if she’d towed me through the kitchen of Snowy Peaks Inn.
Our inexperience helped us win the contest that day.
“We also have an appointment in an hour. You have to get down this mountain. The best way to learn is to do it. Take your time, I’ll be right behind you. ”
She narrowed her lips, stared down the steep slope, and nodded. Her first turns were wide and forced, but with each carve of the skis, she became more confident. By the time we reached the bottom of the mountain, I was having a hard time keeping up.
We clicked out of our skis and she flew into my arms. “That was incredible.”
“You’re incredible.” Our eyes met. She grinned and kissed me. “It wasn’t that scary. What we’re about to do, now, that’s scary.”
She was right. We packed up our skis and got into Eddie’s fancy SUV.
It turned out that Eddie hadn’t worked at car dealerships, he’d owned them.
The old guy had boatloads of money. He’d been working at the inn to keep GJ company.
Once she stepped aside, he felt free to leave.
He was living in Florida and had a golf cart that was almost as fancy as the car he’d left as a shuttle for the inn.
GJ had refused to let him pay for any renovations, but he’d become a silent partner with Evie, and we were renovating the Snowy Peaks Inn one room at a time, bringing her back to her former glory.
Mariah Carey’s voice rang through the speakers, and I did the unthinkable—I turned it up. I’d gone from a complete grinch to a guy who made his own garlands for the fireplace and had my own Spotify playlist of all my favorite Christmas songs. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Evie rolled her eyes.
“‘All I Want for Christmas Is You.’” I held her hand as we drove down the mountain, through the festive streets of Chance Rapids, and toward the Ranch. But, instead of pulling into the long laneway of the Lumber Ranch, I pulled into the driveway next to it.
A sleek Mercedes idled next to the old barn. I pulled up beside it and shut off the engine.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” We’d talked about it for months, but now that the moment was right in front of us, I almost felt like I was going to puke. Was Evie this nervous too?
“What did you just tell me on the mountain, Nick. Jump in with both feet, right?”
“Right.” I squeezed her hand and reached across the car to pull her toward me for a kiss. “Both feet. Let’s do it.”
Evie’s hand trembled in mine as we approached the Mercedes. Charlotte got out and set a black briefcase on the hood. “How are you two doing?”
“We’re great.” Evie squeezed my hand. “We’re ready.”
“Perfect.” Charlotte handed her the pen. “Once both of you sign this document, this will all be yours.” She spread her arms wide.
Evie scribbled her signature on the release of the conditions of the Agreement of Purchase and Sale then handed the pen to me. We used the prize winnings from the contest for some of the down payment and had saved aggressively all year to make up the shortfall. I signed my name.
Charlotte looked at the signatures and smiled. “You didn’t have to include your jersey number.”
“Habit.” I shrugged.
She laughed and put the folder back in the briefcase. “I’ll send copies to you and the lawyer. We can go through the barn today to make sure everything is in order, but the deal won’t close until January second, so you’ll have to save your ceremonial romp in the hay for the new year.”
Evie’s cheeks went as pink as the polish on Charlotte’s nails. We did a quick tour through the barn and Evie picked out a stall for Sir Gallops. He still hated Jack, so he was going to come and live at our barn. Josh was going to break ground on our small farmhouse in the spring.
We thanked Charlotte and each shook her hand. She got into her car and rolled down the window. “What are you going to name your ranch?”
The two of us looked at each other. We had been so swamped with details, financing, house planning, inn renovations, and hockey. The name was a detail we hadn’t discussed. “We’ll have to think of one,” I said.
Charlotte nodded. “It’s bad luck not to have one before closing. You’d better figure it out soon.” She rolled up the window and drove away, leaving me and Evie standing in what was going to be our very own driveway.
Evie turned to me. “I have an idea for a name.”
“Shoot.”
“Last year, when I thought that you were leaving, I made a promise to Rocky. I told him that I was going to win the contest so we could get our own place together.”
I sighed. I hated thinking about my behavior from that time.
I’d come to Chance Rapids in one of the darkest times in my life, but Evie and the town had filled that darkness with green and red Christmas lights.
She’d never told me about this promise to Rocky.
“I’m glad that it didn’t come to that, but he makes a great roommate.
” I tucked her hair behind her ear. Her nose was pink from the cold and steam puffed between us as we spoke.
She stamped her feet on the ground then stood on her toes to kiss me.
She held onto my arms and looked deep into my eyes.
“Can we call it Rocky’s Ranch?” Tears shimmered in her eyes. I pulled off my glove and swiped a tear away with my thumb.
“It’s the best name I’ve ever heard.” I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her tightly to me. “Come on, let’s go tell Rocky that he needs to get a sign made for his new ranch.”
My heart was full. I had a home, a beautiful girlfriend, and our wiry-haired dog owned the nicest barn in town.
If you liked Nick and Evie’s story, you will LOVE the next book in the holiday series, The Christmas Comeback!