The Lodge on Holly Road Read online

  Olivia beamed. “I’m so happy.”

  “You’ve given me quite a gift, Olivia.”

  “And that’s what Christmas is about, giving true gifts, the kind that touch our hearts.”

  “What would touch your heart?” he asked, taking a step closer.

  She dropped her gaze to the mug in her hand. “I know it sounds silly, but I miss kissing under the mistletoe.”

  Here was something Santa could provide. Happily. James had noticed the beribboned sprig of mistletoe hanging in the archway between her dining room and the living room. When he’d set down his mug and hers on the coffee table, he took her hand and led her to the mistletoe.

  She pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, James, my heart is fluttering like mad.”

  His was, too, but he smiled down at her, held her face between his hands and whispered, “Merry Christmas, Olivia.” And then he kissed her.

  She sighed dreamily and leaned in to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and he drew her closer and deepened the kiss.

  He was only vaguely aware of the sound of a key in a lock and a door opening. Then a voice intruded. “Ho, ho, ho. I’m home.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

  That killed the moment. Olivia sprang away from James, her face as red as a Christmas stocking. James’s own face burned as if he’d been toasting it in front of a roaring fire, and he suspected his cheeks were as red as Olivia’s.

  Even though the newcomer was a stranger, it didn’t take much effort to figure out that he was Olivia’s second son, Brandon. They’d talked about their families and she’d mentioned getting a call from her younger son, who’d said he’d be arriving late that night. The kid was early, and although James knew how much a parent looked forward to seeing a child he couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that this particular child had made such good time getting to Icicle Falls.

  The son didn’t appear too thrilled to see him, either. He frowned, saying, “I didn’t know you had company, Mom.” He dumped his backpack and came over to kiss her cheek. And give James the kind of who-the-hell-are-you look he’d often bestowed on some of the cretins who’d chased his daughter back in high school.

  Olivia’s face got even redder. “Brandon, this is James Claussen. He and his family are staying here at the lodge.”

  His mother had raised the boy right. He shook hands with James, saying, “Nice to meet you,” although James suspected he felt the opposite.

  “Nice to meet you, too,” James said. “I hear from your mom that you’re an impressive skier.”

  Brandon nodded.

  “My son likes to ski, too,” James said. “Did ski patrol for years.”

  Brandon nodded but didn’t say anything. Obviously not in the mood to talk, at least not with the man he’d just caught kissing his mother.

  “Well, I’m sure you’d like some time to spend with your son,” James said to Olivia. “Thanks for the hot chocolate.”

  “And thanks for...making the evening so memorable,” she said, and her cheeks turned red again.

  “My pleasure,” James said, and his face flamed afresh. Good Lord, he felt like some randy teenager getting the boot from an overprotective dad. “I’ll see you in the morning. Good meeting you, Brandon,” he said once more.

  Brandon managed a polite smile.

  James got out of there, hoping the next time he encountered Olivia’s second son, he wouldn’t be at such a disadvantage. He shook his head as he went up the stairs to his room. Kids, they sure complicated a man’s life—even as grown-ups.

  * * *

  “It’s so good to have you home,” Olivia said, giving her baby a hug. “My goodness, you certainly got here fast. I didn’t expect you before midnight.”

  “I can see that,” Brandon said with a frown.

  “Would you like some hot chocolate? And I’ve saved you a piece of yule log cake.”

  “Yeah, that’d be great.” She hurried into the kitchen to heat up the chocolate. “I thought maybe you’d have your new girlfriend with you,” she said in an attempt to keep them as far as possible from the topic of James.

  Brandon followed her into the kitchen, opening the fridge and hauling out the cake. “I don’t know if that’s going to work. Anyway, I thought it’d be good to have just family.”

  Oh, dear. Here it comes. Brace for it.

  “So who’s that man you were kissing?”

  Olivia’s face felt so hot she was sure she could cook on it. “He’s a new friend.”

  “Yeah, you were looking pretty friendly,” Brandon said, and he didn’t sound all that happy about it. “When did you meet this guy, Mom?”

  “Recently.”

  “How recently?”

  “In the past couple of days.”

  “Shit, Mom. You just met him and you’re already...” Brandon didn’t finish the sentence. Now his face was almost as red as hers probably was. He got busy cutting himself a piece of cake. “I mean, not to tell you what to do, but you barely know that man.”

  “I understand,” she said stiffly. “But what I know, I like.”

  “So what do you know about this guy?” Brandon persisted.

  Since when did her younger son have the right to give her the third degree? She frowned at his back. “Really, Brandon, this is not appropriate.”

  He turned around. “Hey, Mom, I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “I won’t,” she assured him. “James is a very nice man.”

  Brandon took a bite of cake and then pointed his fork at her. “How do you know he doesn’t have a wife somewhere?”

  “Because he’s a widower. He came up here with his children.”

  “A widower, huh?”

  “Yes, and as I said, he’s a very nice man.” She poured the heated cocoa into a mug, then added a splash of schnapps. “He played Santa at our Christmas Eve dinner.” Brandon was frowning again. It was time to change the subject. “Now, how long can you stay?”

  “I’m here for the week. Or until your holiday guests are gone.”

  She had a feeling she knew which guests he was talking about. Well, Brandon would warm up to James once he got to know him. It was impossible not to like such a kind man.

  They’d just settled at the little dining table, Brandon with another slice of cake and Olivia with more hot chocolate, when Eric came in, his face ruddy from the outdoors and a bemused smile on his lips.

  “About time you got here,” Brandon greeted him.

  “Well, look what got dumped on the doorstep.” Eric strode into the room and gave his brother a slap on the back. “If you ate all the leftover cake, I’m gonna kill you.”

  “There’s still a piece left,” Brandon told him. “So, where were you?”

  “Just out wandering around,” Eric said.

  Out wandering around? What did that mean? Was it her imagination or was her son being secretive?

  The three of them visited for another twenty minutes, catching up on everyone’s news, and then Brandon said to his brother, “So, you ready for some Ping-Pong?”

  “You think you can take me?” Eric retorted.

  “I know I can.”

  “Keep the chocolate hot, Ma,” Brandon said to her. “I’ll be back soon.”

  And with that they were off. Hardly surprising. Brandon always had energy to spare. He could only sit for so long before he was anxious to be up and doing something. She watched as her two handsome young men left for some brother time. They were good boys, both of them. She found herself wishing, yet again, that they’d fall in love, settle down and produce some grandchildren.

  The prospect of grandchildren brought to mind Missy Monroe and her two little darlings. Olivia smiled, thinking of the fun
she was going to have making cookies with Lalla. A woman didn’t have to wait for grandchildren, really, not when there were so many children in need of a grandma. And a grandpa, she mentally added, thinking of James. Of course, it was early days yet. Still, a girl could dream. And with that pleasant thought, she went to stuff the boys’ Christmas stockings with goodies.

  * * *

  “Who’s this James Claussen dude?” Brandon asked Eric as they made their way to the lower-level game room.

  “One of the guests.”

  “I walked in on him kissing Mom.”

  “No shit,” Eric said with a smile.

  “She just met this guy, didn’t she?”

  Eric shrugged. “Love at first sight.”

  “For Mom or the lodge?”

  Eric looked at his brother in surprise. Brandon had always been the more trusting of the two of them. As Mom used to say, he’d never met a stranger. Easygoing and fun-loving, Brandon was always ready to add more people to his friends list.

  “What do you know about this guy?” Brandon continued. “I mean, he’s here for a couple of days and he and Mom are already...” He scowled.

  “He’s okay,” Eric said. So was his daughter, but Eric decided this wasn’t the time to mention that.

  “So what do you know about him?” Brandon asked again.

  “He’s retired, works part-time as a shopping-mall Santa. Or something like that.”

  “Well, there’s a high-paying job.”

  “The guy’s probably got a pension plus Social Security. Probably even a house free and clear. I don’t think you have to worry about Mom.”

  “Well, somebody needs to,” Brandon muttered as they walked into the game room.

  Eric went to one end of the Ping-Pong table and picked up a paddle. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I don’t know,” his brother snapped. “It means whatever.”

  Eric hit a forehand, starting the ball in motion. “It means you think I’m not taking care of Mom?”

  Brandon shot the ball back at him. “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to. I got the message.” The ball zinged back and forth another couple of times. “In case you didn’t notice, I’ve been the one holding down the fort while you ski-bum your way around the country.”

  “Hey, you’re the one who’s got a hard-on for this place.”

  The ball came back to Eric’s backhand and he missed it. He picked it up and glared at his irresponsible younger brother. “I’m the one who cares about Mom staying in business.” He shot the ball back at Brandon.

  “What? And I don’t?”

  “You’re never here. Except during the holidays or whenever you want to impress your latest bimbo. Lucky for Mom you’re not an only child.”

  Now it wasn’t a Ping-Pong ball that came sailing at Eric. It was a paddle. He dodged it. And hurled his back in retaliation, clipping his brother in the ear.

  Brandon swore and grabbed his ear. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Me? Who started this?”

  “I wasn’t aiming for your head, you prick.” Still clutching his ear, Brandon whirled around and marched for the door.

  “I wasn’t aiming for yours, either.” He’d never had a very accurate throwing arm. “Not that there’s any brains in there.”

  Brandon turned and gave him the old one-fingered salute, then kept going.

  Fine, he thought. Let the little pissant go off and pout. The truth hurt.

  It didn’t take long for Eric to remember that the little pissant was his brother and he loved him, even when he was acting like the baby he was. Anyway, Eric hadn’t exactly been a model of maturity himself. And on Christmas Eve. Sheesh.

  He hurried after Brandon, catching him just before he slipped back inside the family living quarters. “Hey, I’m sorry,” he said.

  Brandon stopped, staring at the door marked Private. “You’re right. I’m not the one who’s around, and it’s wrong. I was actually thinking of moving back.”

  “Good. We could use the help around here.”

  Brandon shook his head. “No, you couldn’t. You’ve got it all under control. You always have.” He opened the door and went inside. The lights had been turned off except for the living room lamp, which meant Mom had gone to bed.

  Eric followed him. “What are you saying?” he said, keeping his voice down.

  “I’m saying you don’t really need me here. You never have.”

  There was a lot of truth in what his brother said. Eric had stepped in and taken over his dad’s responsibilities. And the older he’d gotten, the more he’d taken on. Brandon had never complained, so Eric had figured he wasn’t interested.

  Now the lodge ran like a well-oiled machine. But it ran that way because Eric was always there. He never took time off. And now, after a walk in the snow with a certain brown-haired woman, he was thinking he didn’t want to be quite so chained to the place. He wanted the Icicle Creek Lodge to be a family-run establishment in the truest sense of the word.

  “We need you more than you realize,” he said. He still couldn’t picture Brandon coming back and pitching in, but if he was willing to, it would be great.

  Another face sprang to mind. He could easily picture James Claussen happily puttering around the lodge, fixing broken toilets, helping string Christmas lights. That would be the only way he and Mom would ever get together because Mom would never leave this place. It was like her third child. If they got serious, would Claussen be willing to move up here? And what about his daughter?

  Brandon flopped onto the couch and rubbed his ear. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s stupid to come back. They say you can’t go home again.”

  “That’s bull and you know it.” Eric grabbed a bag of frozen peas and tossed it to his brother, and Brandon pressed it to his ear. “Mom would love it if you came back. There’s enough for both of us to do. There’s enough for three people to do.”

  “Like that guy Mom was kissing?”

  “Maybe. They’ve been eyeballing each other like horny teenagers ever since he and his family got here.”

  Brandon groaned. “I don’t like it.”

  “Like it or not, it’s Mom’s life. If she wants a boyfriend, I say let her have one.” Man, had he changed his tune. Nothing like a few years of seeing his mom looking wistfully at the happy couples who stayed at the lodge to make a guy think differently.

  “What if he becomes more than a boyfriend?”

  “Then she won’t be alone anymore. That’s not a bad thing, Bran.”

  Brandon frowned. “Nobody can take Dad’s place.”

  “You’re right. But maybe Mom’s planning to find a new place for this guy. You gonna tell her she can’t? That all she gets to do is sit around here growing old, waiting for us to get married and settle down?”

  The frown didn’t budge.

  “She’s lonely. At least, she has been,” Eric amended. “I think it’s about time she got to have some fun.”

  “I guess,” Brandon said dubiously. “But this old guy better turn out to be on the level.”

  “He is,” Eric assured him. “His kids are nice, too.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Brandon’s expression grew speculative. “Has he got a daughter?”

  “He does.” Eric pointed a warning finger at his brother. “But she’s taken.”

  Brandon’s eyes grew wide. “You and Mom both? Jeez, I move away for a little while and look what happens.”

  Nothing. For months and months. Nothing. Until Christmas. Eric couldn’t help smiling. Way back when Mom had asked if there was anything he wanted for Christmas, he’d told her no, not a thing. And it was true. He’d pretty much given up on finding that elusive woman. But lo and behold, Santa had come to the Icicle Creek Lodg
e and dumped her right in Eric’s lap. It was too early to know how their story would turn out, but he hoped the kiss they’d shared would be the first of many.

  He smiled. Those sappy holiday songs weren’t wrong, after all. Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year.

  He only hoped he wouldn’t wake up on Christmas morning to find out he’d imagined this evening. Or worse, to find Brooke drooling over his little brother.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Give Love on Christmas Day

  John awakened early in the morning with a splitting headache. He started to get up, but the bed began to spin so he decided maybe he should lie back down for a while.

  Lying down gave him plenty of time to remember the previous night’s romantic fiasco. What a dope he’d been. A man with any brains at all would’ve seen how one-sided his love affair with Holland had been. Back in the summer when they’d had their rough patch he should have realized it wasn’t going to work out between them. Instead, he’d stubbornly fought on, determined to make her his. And why? Just because she was hot? Just because she liked action flicks? There were probably hundreds of women out there who liked action flicks.

  Of course, there weren’t hundreds of women out there as good-looking as Holland. But that begged the question—what was she doing with him? He made an okay salary but he wasn’t exactly rich. And he was no Ryan Reynolds. So, why had she gone out with him? Why had she become his girlfriend?

  Insight hit him like a giant lump of coal. Making do. Holland had been going out with him only until someone better came along. He’d had an inkling of it last night, and she’d hinted at it when they had their rough patch back in August. “I think we should see other people,” she’d said. “I’m ready to branch out.” Branching out. Was that what you called it when you dumped your boyfriend?

  He’d been good enough for her when they first met. She’d been new to the city, hadn’t known many people and had been more than happy to check out the restaurant scene with him. And check it out they had, every place from Wild Ginger to Ivar’s, one of Seattle’s landmark restaurants. She’d been happy to let him take her dancing, spring for Mariners tickets and movie tickets, and they’d had fun doing it all. Then they’d settled on their favorite restaurants and favorite clubs, gotten into the habit of going dancing on Saturday nights. Fool that he was, he’d thought they were bonding, becoming a couple.