Sleigh Bells in the Snow Read online

  “Yes.” As he relayed the conversation, her heart ached for Walter.

  “He didn’t want you to be burdened.” She thought about the love that must have been behind such an unselfish action. “He’s a special man.”

  “It’s generous of you to say that after the way he spoke to you on the first night.”

  “He thought you were wasting precious money and didn’t see how PR could help. I didn’t do a good job of showing him. He was protecting this place. Protecting you. Everything Walter does is driven by his love for Snow Crystal. And love for his family. You’re lucky.” She felt his arms come around her and leaned against him. “So you’ve cleared the air. That’s a good Christmas present.”

  “Yes. What about you, Kayla Green?” His arms tightened around her. “What do you want for Christmas?”

  It wasn’t something she ever asked herself and certainly no one ever asked her. “A million bookings for Snow Crystal.”

  “That’s work.” He turned her to face him. “What about the personal?” Dark lashes shielded sinful blue eyes and she felt her knees weaken. He had to be the hottest guy on the planet.

  “I might buy myself something when Christmas is over.”

  “Do you always buy your own gifts?”

  “Why not? I don’t need people to buy me things, Jackson. I can buy them for myself.”

  “People don’t buy and give gifts just because the other person can’t buy it for themselves. A gift is a symbol. It’s a way of showing someone that you care and want to make them happy.”

  “Yes. I bought my earrings because I cared about me and wanted to make myself happy.”

  He laughed. “When was the last time you received a gift you hadn’t chosen yourself?”

  “Brett was pretty generous with the Christmas bonus this year.”

  “I’m not talking about money.”

  “Money suits me fine. I know what I want.”

  “Maybe you don’t.” He lowered his forehead to hers, and she felt her heart kick against her ribs. He was right there in her personal space, and she was shocked to discover that was exactly where she wanted him.

  “So if you were choosing me a gift, what would you give me?”

  “I’d give you something you would never buy for yourself,” he said softly. “Something you possibly don’t even know you want.”

  Standing this close to him, she could feel the warmth and power of his body. The chemistry was intoxicating, and this time she didn’t even bother fighting it. Instead she slid her arms around his neck.

  “I know exactly what I want, Jackson.”

  Fortunately, so did he.

  * * *

  CHRISTMAS EVE DINNER was a special occasion. “In France, Christmas Eve is a big celebration.” Élise put food on the table with a flourish, roast duck cooked in a delicious sauce, the ingredients of which she refused to discuss. “It is a secret. I am trying something new.”

  “So if we’re dead on Christmas morning, you know not to feed it to the guests,” Tyler grumbled. “I’m not sure how I feel about being one of your experiments.”

  Kayla was finding it almost impossible not to look at Jackson and wondered how Élise could be so relaxed around Sean. Despite her confession that morning at breakfast, the French girl hadn’t glanced once in his direction, nor he in hers.

  There was no banter. No exchange of small talk. No comfortable laughter.

  They’d been intimate, and yet not once did they look at each other.

  And Kayla realized suddenly that they weren’t relaxed at all.

  She could have sliced through the tension with one of Élise’s kitchen knives.

  She glanced around the table.

  Brenna was arguing with Tyler, and Jess was telling Alice about a run they’d done that morning.

  Maybe she was the only one who had noticed. Maybe she was imagining it. She was no expert on relationships, was she?

  And there was no time to dwell on it because all too soon the meal was over and she was the focus of attention.

  Had it really only been a week since she’d stood here and tried to give the presentation? It felt like a lifetime ago.

  Looking at the photographs on the wall she saw Jackson, aged about four, building a snowman with Sean. She could clearly see they were twins and wondered how she’d missed that the first time.

  “Kayla?” Jackson was watching her, and the concern in his eyes touched her.

  Walter scowled. “Well? Where’s your laptop? We’re all waiting to hear your miracle ideas.”

  “I left my laptop in the cabin.”

  “How are you going to impress us if you don’t have all those fancy graphs?”

  Jackson sighed, and Kayla quickly smoothed down the spike of tension.

  “I’m going to impress you in other ways—for example, by reminding you of my log-chopping abilities.”

  “What abilities are those?” But Walter’s eyes gleamed with humor as she flexed her biceps.

  For this presentation she’d chosen to wear a cardigan in a pretty shade of green with her black trousers tucked into boots. She felt so much more relaxed and comfortable than she had that first night in her stilettos and pencil skirt.

  “I got through the whole pile of logs this morning.”

  “You call that a pile? We’ll heat the cabins for half an hour on what you chopped, and we almost had your foot along with it. Hardly surprising. All you’ve ever lifted is a pen. Now what are we going to do about this place?”

  We.

  She never heard we. She’d never been part of a we before, and the word threw her more than hostility would have done. Kayla tightened her fingers on the edge of the table.

  “When I first arrived here you asked me what makes Snow Crystal special and I couldn’t answer you. Now I can.”

  “Get on with it then.” Walter caught his wife’s eye. “What? I just want her to hurry up, that’s all. I’ve seen what’s for dessert. It’s enough to make a grown man beg.”

  Alice peered at him over her glasses. “The girl is trying to speak. It would serve you right if she walks out.”

  “She’s not going to walk out. She’s got grit.” He pushed his plate away. “Doesn’t change the fact the seasons will have moved on by the time she’s finished. We’ll be in summer and what’s the point of having taught the girl to ski if we’re in summer?”

  “Maybe it’s bad news.” Elizabeth sat down, her face pale. “We’re going to need a miracle, aren’t we?”

  “You heard Jackson. She is the miracle,” Walter said gruffly. “Now will you stop panicking or she will walk out and I’ll get the blame. And then I won’t get my just desserts.” He winked at Alice, and Tyler groaned and covered Jess’s eyes with his hand.

  “You’re too young to see this. Start talking, Kayla.”

  “It’s not bad news,” Kayla said to Elizabeth. “First, the cabins...” She spoke fluently, not once glancing at the notes she’d made as she painted a visual picture of how she saw the cabins being used.

  When she finally stopped talking, the only noise in the kitchen was the bubble of food on the stove and the gentle click clack of Alice’s knitting needles.

  Walter put his beer down on the table. “I think—”

  “Gramps—” Jackson gave him a warning stare and his grandfather glared back.

  “What? If I can speak without being interrupted, I was just going to say I think it all sounds great.”

  Jackson stared at him in disbelief. “I’ve been telling you some of this for months. You told me I was an idiot.”

  “If you’d explained it the way Kayla did, maybe I wouldn’t have thought you were an idiot. She needs to give you a few lessons in communication.”

  Kayla tried not to smile. “Moving on, I want to—”

  “Wait a minute—” Jackson held up his hand, his eyes on his grandfather. “So are you finally going to quit telling me to knock the cabins down?”

  Walter O’Neil looked innocent. “Y
ou heard the woman—they’re part of the magic of Snow Crystal. What would be the point of knocking them down? They’re up now. They might as well stay up.”

  Kayla cleared her throat. “I’d like to—”

  “So you admit they were a good idea?” Jackson’s gaze was locked on Walter, and Elizabeth sighed.

  “Why does there always have to be a winner? Just ignore them, Kayla, and carry on talking. If you wait for silence in this house you’ll be waiting forever.”

  “I’ve finished. Here’s my Christmas gift.” She handed out the proposals, neatly bound by Stacy and tied with a red bow to add a festive touch. “Read them, and then I’ll answer any questions.”

  Jackson immediately turned to the back page and scanned the cost breakdown.

  “I like the ribbon.” Alice twisted it around her fingers. “People think there is only one shade of red, but they’re wrong.”

  Kayla handed the last proposal to Tyler. “You should knit a jumper that color, Alice.”

  “Just don’t knit it for me.” Tyler winked at Jess and then everyone started talking, and Kayla fielded their questions until finally Elizabeth stood up and pulled her into a warm hug.

  “Thank you for working so hard. Between you and Jackson, I know things will be all right—”

  Kayla felt her throat close as she returned the hug.

  You and Jackson.

  “Just doing my job.”

  “You’ve done much more than that. You could have sat in your cabin, but you’ve been out there every day, joining in.”

  “I’m a terrible skier—”

  “You truly are,” Tyler said, and then caught Jackson’s eye, “but we can work on that.”

  “She is also a terrible cook,” Élise said, “and we will not be working on that because I do not have the patience. I would kill you and that would lead to bad feeling, but fortunately you have your own job and you’re good at it so you don’t need to work in my kitchen.”

  Kayla eased herself out of Elizabeth’s embrace.

  “That’s it.” She stared down at her copy of the proposal, realizing with a lurch that this part of her job was done. “If you have any questions, Jackson can always call me.”

  “Call you?” Alice sounded confused. “Why would he have to call you?”

  “Because Kayla is going back to New York the day after Christmas.” Elizabeth focused on the document in her hands.

  “She could stay. You did. She can share your English Breakfast tea and HP Sauce.”

  “Kayla has a job, and a life, somewhere else. Now let’s all clear the table and make some coffee.” Elizabeth was brisk and Kayla watched as she stood up and bustled around the kitchen.

  They’d be building the business without her. Every day they’d be working together to build Snow Crystal, and she’d be sitting in her office in New York, managing her team and growing the business for Innovation. Finding new clients, winning new accounts, achieving successes that would be good for her reputation, but which didn’t touch her personally.

  While they were grooming the trails, chopping logs and baking cinnamon stars, she’d be flying across the country to meet clients.

  Alone.

  There was a pressure behind her chest.

  Usually at the end of a presentation she felt satisfaction. This time she felt numb.

  Perhaps the lack of sleep was catching up with her.

  She was so desperate to leave the room it was a relief when her phone rang. “It’s Brett. Will you excuse me?”

  Jackson frowned. “It’s Christmas Eve.”

  “I doubt he knows what day it is.” She walked through to the living room. “Brett?” She tried to sound cheerful. “You should be trimming the tree.”

  “Delegated that job to my kids.”

  “You’re not supposed to delegate Christmas. You’re supposed to be part of it.” She thought of the O’Neil family gathered around the table next door, enjoying time together.

  “So are you finished there, Green? Because I want you back in the office day after tomorrow. The partners are flying in.”

  He wanted her back in the office.

  Which meant Christmas was almost over for another year. She waited for the rush of relief that always came.

  “Aren’t you taking time off?”

  “I’m off now. Got a Christmas gift for you, Green.”

  “Gift?” She immediately thought of Jackson.

  What do you want for Christmas, Kayla?

  “I’m moving you up. That vice president role is vacant now that Cecily has moved to L.A. You’ll need to jump through a few hoops, but that’s just a formality. There isn’t a person in this company who doesn’t know your name. Sure, you’ll be working double the number of hours you work now, which basically means you can forget about sleep for the rest of your working life, but that’s the price you pay for achieving your goal, right?”

  Vice president.

  Stunned, Kayla sank down onto the sofa and Maple sprang onto her lap. She hadn’t even heard the puppy come into the room. Resting her hand on the dog’s springy fur, she looked at the Christmas tree, remembering how hard it had been for her to decorate it. Had that really only been a few days before?

  “I don’t know what to say.” She hadn’t expected it to happen this quickly.

  “You’re overwhelmed. You can thank me later. Go and buy yourself something to celebrate. My wife is always telling me a woman can’t have too many diamond earrings.”

  She should be feeling excited.

  So why did the thought of standing in front of the window of another jewelers, picking out a pair of earrings for herself, depress her?

  She looked down at herself, thinking that diamond earrings would look ridiculous with what she was wearing now.

  “Everywhere is closed for Christmas.”

  “Oh, right, I forgot you were out there in the boonies. Take a few hours off to eat maple syrup with your client or whatever they do up there on Christmas Day, and then get yourself back to the real world.”

  “I— Thanks, Brett.”

  “No worries. And congratulations.”

  As Brett ended the call, Kayla stared at the lights twinkling on the tree and then looked out of the window into the darkness of the forest. Stars studded the night sky like tiny diamonds, sending light sparkling over snow and she knew what she was looking at was more beautiful than anything she’d see in a jeweler’s window.

  She cuddled Maple close.

  Tomorrow was Christmas Day. The day after, she’d be flying back to New York.

  Her stay at Snow Crystal was over.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  JACKSON WOKE IN the dark to find the bed empty.

  He went in search of her and found her curled up on the sofa watching snow fall on the trees.

  They’d chosen to spend the night in his barn for the first time. His home. The significance didn’t escape him.

  “What are you doing out here?”

  “I like looking at the trees. Helps me think. And your sofas are so comfortable.” She snuggled deeper. “I love what you’ve done to this room.”

  She hadn’t switched on lamps, but moonlight shimmered on the hardwood floors and the last flickers of the dying fire gave enough light for him to see her expression.

  He sat down next to her. “What do you need to think about?”

  “That phone call from Brett—I’m being promoted. Vice president. I still have to have an interview with the partners, but it sounds as if it’s virtually a done deal.”

  Jackson felt a rush of mixed emotions. “Congratulations.”

  “It’s my dream. I just didn’t expect it to happen yet.”

  He decided not to say that she didn’t sound very pleased for someone who had just achieved her dream.

  “Perhaps it hasn’t sunk in yet.”

  “That’s probably it.” She shifted position and leaned her head against his shoulder. Her hair was soft and silky and brushed against his jaw.


  “You need to come back to bed. If you don’t close your eyes, Santa won’t come.”

  “I don’t believe in Santa.”

  There were a lot of things she didn’t believe in, but he decided this wasn’t the time to talk about any of those, either, so he simply pulled her to her feet, scooped her into his arms and carried her back to his bed.

  They had this. They had now.

  It was enough.

  * * *

  SHE AWOKE IN his arms and felt weight in her heart. Then she realized she also felt weight on her feet.

  “What’s that?”

  “What?” He levered himself up on his elbows, his eyes sleepy under lowered lids. “Looks like you were wrong about at least one thing, Kayla Green. Santa does exist.”

  And she saw the cause of the weight. A stocking, lying across the bottom of the bed, the shape distorted by mysterious packages stuffed inside. “That’s for me?”

  “How would I know? Better take a look.”

  She sat up, thinking that there could be no better place to wake up than Jackson’s handcrafted log canopy bed with its uninterrupted view of the lake and forest. A cobweb of early-morning mist hovered over the trees, but the first rays of sunshine were already peeping through, sending shafts of light bouncing across the frozen surface.

  “This place must be stunning in the summer.” Reaching down, she dragged the stocking onto her lap, feeling lumps and bumps and interesting shapes. As a child, the lumps had excited her. She’d been intrigued by the anticipation and the endless possibilities that came with not knowing. She’d loved that part so much she’d often prolonged the moment when she’d actually opened the packages. “There’s a note— To Kayla, because you’ve been a good girl this year—” Eyebrows raised, she turned to him and slid her hand over his chest. “That’s funny, because I thought I’d been quite a bad girl the last few days.”

  “Yeah, you certainly have.” His voice was husky. “I guess Santa didn’t see that side of you. Don’t worry, I won’t tell.”

  “I can’t believe you made me a stocking.”

  “Honey, I’ve never seen that stocking before in my life.”

  She was incredibly touched. And choked. Telling herself she was just tired, Kayla put her hand in the stocking and pulled out the first package, ripped off the paper and laughed.