Soldier’s Second Chance (Trinity Falls: Home for Christmas #7)

Chapter 1

HAILEY

Hailey Sinclair walked down Park Avenue toward the lights of the little real estate office, feeling like she had stepped into a dream.

Light snow flurries drifted softly through the cold night air, and she peeked out from under her fuzzy hat at all the familiar sights from her childhood laid out before her.

There was Gabriel’s Drugstore, decorated for the holidays. As she passed through the pool of light that spilled out onto the sidewalk, she spotted some familiar faces inside, chatting and shopping.

Farther down the block were Scandinavian Sundries and Locally Made, two of her mom’s favorites for home decor and gifts. Hailey had spent countless hours with her browsing the handmade mugs and beautiful woolen throws over the years.

And across the street, the Jolly Beans Café window featured garlands strung with old-fashioned, brightly colored Christmas tree bulbs.

The owner, Pete, had probably made his famous holiday cranberry bread by now, and she imagined walking in and the whole place smelling like freshly brewed coffee and heaven.

Nothing has changed, Hailey thought to herself, her heart aching as she approached her destination—the storefront with the Victorian dollhouse decorated for the holidays in the window.

Well, one thing has changed…

But she wasn’t going to think about Ransom Wright.

Sloane Greenfield waved to her from the office window, and Hailey pushed the door open and stepped inside, stomping the soles of her suede boots clean on the mat in the entrance.

It was a small office, but cozy and bright. The walls were adorned with framed black and white photos of Trinity Falls from back when there were no suburbs and the little town and the community college were surrounded by unspoiled farmland.

“Welcome home,” Sloane said with a smile as she hopped up to give Hailey a hug.

“Thank you,” Hailey told her, pulling down her fluffy red scarf so her friend could see her smile. “And thank you for helping me out with the property.”

“It was my pleasure,” Sloane said. “I’m really glad you’re coming home.”

“Me too,” Hailey said, mostly telling the truth.

“Nothing much has changed,” Sloane said, gesturing to the little town out the window. “As you can see. When you get settled, give me a call and I’ll stop by with a little something for you.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Hailey said. “But you’re welcome to stop by anytime for a cup of coffee. I’d love to catch up.”

That earned her a real smile back, and she felt something loosen in her chest.

It was odd being in the entertainment business, even in the limited way Hailey had been.

People got weird once you were semi-famous, even though you were no different than you were before.

Sometimes it took a lot to shake them up and remind them that you were still you.

But Sloane was warming up faster than most—Hailey had to give her credit for that.

“I will,” Sloane told her, handing her a keychain with a red ribbon on it. “And here’s your amazing Christmas gift to yourself. I stopped over there earlier today to check on the place. Text me if you need anything at all.”

“Thank you,” Hailey said, feeling a little breathless as she took it.

The jingle of the keys was almost festive and the weight was satisfying in her hand.

Finally, I have something to show for all those years away from home.

The numbers in her bank account had been impressive as they grew right along with her bit of fame, but a house was different. It was real.

“Feels good to have a home of your own, doesn’t it?” Sloane asked, echoing her thoughts and smiling at the keys in Hailey’s hand.

“Really good,” Hailey agreed, smiling back.

She loved the city, but it had never really felt like home to her.

She’d been back in Trinity Falls all of five minutes now and she was already noticing layers of stress falling away.

It was a shame her parents had sold their own house and moved out to Arizona not long after she’d gone off to New York.

But the dry air was good for Dad’s allergies, and it was better to buy a place of her own—their tiny house in the village would never have worked for what she wanted to do.

“I really don’t feel right not giving you a heads-up about Ransom,” Sloane said softly as Hailey prepared to head back out into the snowy late afternoon.

Throughout the process of buying the house, Sloane had tried to tell Hailey about him more than once, but Hailey already knew all she needed to know—her ex-boyfriend had married someone else and had two kids now.

She didn’t want to hear any more about it, because she didn’t need Sloane finding out that the mere mention of her high school sweetheart still made her feel like a rejected teenager.

Besides, she’d done minimal online research here and there over the years—not stalking, just…

checking in. She knew that Ransom and his family also lived in Trinity Falls.

So she was just going to have to put on her big-girl pants and deal with the fact that she would probably bump into them from time to time.

Ransom being here had nothing to do with her decision to move back home, and nothing to do with the reason it felt like home in the first place. And it certainly hadn’t factored into her choosing to buy his parents’ old house. It just happened to be perfect for her big project. That was all.

“It’s fine,” Hailey said firmly. “I know all about his situation. It’s not a problem.”

“Oh, good,” Sloane said, visibly relieved. “I just didn’t want you to be surprised when you saw him.”

“Nope,” Hailey said. “I’m prepared.”

They said their goodbyes and she headed out, pulling her scarf back up against the cold.

The crisp night air reminded her that she was ravenous.

Warm, inviting light spilled out of the big plate-glass window of the Co-op Grocer’s across the street.

But after the long drive from the city, she wasn’t sure she could handle any awkward reunions with people she’d known as a kid, or heaven forbid anyone wanting to talk about the TV show.

Hailey decided that the grocery shopping could wait until tomorrow.

She had skipped plenty of meals over the years when she had to answer to the wardrobe department and viewer preferences about her body type. One more hungry night wouldn’t kill her.

She headed back to her car, grateful that between her fluffy scarf and the hat she had pulled down low onto her forehead, it was unlikely anyone would recognize her.

At least now she wouldn’t be breaking her contract by talking to them if they did.

Ever since the director, Van Hogarth, had decided to kill off her character on Ridley Hospital, Hailey had been forbidden to leave Manhattan or discuss her future. She wasn’t even allowed to let her agent submit her for other projects, not until her death episode aired.

That awful man…

But resentment over the actions of the self-important director wouldn’t get her anywhere, and Hailey wasn’t going to waste time licking her wounds.

She’d spent the month of downtime in her apartment, making plans, buying a farm sight-unseen, and preparing for today.

When the episode finally aired last night, she had watched herself die on screen, along with the rest of the Ridley Hospital audience, and then turned off the set and forced herself to get some sleep without checking her phone to see the reactions.

All she had really wanted to do was get right in the car and head for Trinity Falls. But she’d had to stay one more night in the city so she could turn in her apartment keys to the management office.

“Sorry about your… you know, your loss,” the rusty-voiced lady at the front desk had said this morning, shaking her head. “I was really rooting for you and Dr. Silverman.”

“Me too,” Hailey told her. “But things happen for a reason.”

She wasn’t sure she really believed that, but it seemed to help the people she said it to feel better about her character being killed off, instead of getting the romance plot line with dreamy Dr. Silverman that the show had been setting up all season.

But whatever the reason, she was here now, and that was all that really mattered.

Arriving at her trusty station wagon, she hopped in and turned the key. The engine rumbled cheerfully to life. It was an older car, but Hailey took good care of it, and now that she was back in the countryside, she thought it would serve her well.

Right now, it was full of all her earthly possessions. But when she pictured herself heading home with a big haul from the farmer’s market, or with a Cassidy Farm Christmas tree tied to the rack, she couldn’t help but smile.

She pulled carefully out of her parking spot and headed down the street to make a right on Princeton and another on Ambler—the directions coming to her instinctively, like she had never left.

After years in the city, Trinity Falls felt so spread out and beautiful, like you could really take a breath here. Even in the village the buildings were only two or three stories tall, and trees had been planted along the sandstone sidewalks since the last time she was home.

She headed north on Ambler, the light snowflakes reflecting in the headlights as she drove, first past the community college fields and forest, and then the sprawling stone houses on the north side of town, before the little suburb melted into miles of farmland.

One of those farms belongs to me now, she thought to herself, still unable to believe it.

And it wasn’t just any farm. She hadn’t thought the day would arrive so soon, but when she made her plans for what she wanted to do after acting, she had always known she wanted to create a beautiful destination for parties and weddings.

And it was always the Wrights’ farm that she pictured in her mind for that project.

From the open fields to the historic farmhouse to the picturesque red barn, she knew it would be the perfect spot to transform into a dreamy haven for making memories. The place was just naturally romantic.