Holiday of Hope

I know…it says book 11, but it’s really book 9.

Chapter 1

HEATHER

Four weeks. Four long weeks. Four dreadfully long weeks. Right before Christmas, Trevor had ghosted her after he returned to New York, not that she envisioned leaving her beloved Miracle, but if he’d wanted a relationship, he could have texted her, called her, or answered when she’d tried a dozen times.

Get a clue, Heather. You were only his flirt for the season.

And Andy, her rodeo fling? While he lived a lot closer, he turned out to be a loser. She wished she’d seen what a jerk he was sooner.

What could be worse than not having a boyfriend this year for Christmas? She could think of a lot of things, but last year, her sister, Serena, had wished for a boyfriend, and her wish came true.

Why couldn’t Heather dream about a future with a husband and children? It wasn’t like she was a spinster…yet. Twenty-four hardly qualified her for that status. Maybe in ten or fifteen years she could start stressing over it.

She pulled into the crowded gas station and waited behind a man trying to get his credit card into the reader while a toddler on his hip struggled against him. Where was the mother? Was she one of those women who expected the man to do everything? Heather tried to get a glimpse to see if anyone was sitting in the front passenger seat. Maybe she’d gone in to use the restroom. But why leave him with a child who obviously wanted something other than helping the dad pump gas?

The man snatched his card out of the reader and threw it on the ground. He shifted the child to his other hip and opened his car door and placed the little girl on the front seat…at least that’s what Heather assumed since the child wore a pink coat, but that didn’t always define the gender. Could be a little boy in a hand-me-down.

When the man turned, Heather got a good look at his face. He was the kind of man who looked like he’d stepped off the cover a man’s fashion magazine. Professionally handsome, lean but muscular, brown hair perfectly trimmed. From the tip of his polished shoes to his firm jaw, he gave off an air of authority, despite how frazzled he must be wrangling the little one. This guy made handsome an art form. His stunning hazel-green eyes met hers for a brief moment before he reached into his back pocket.

Heather couldn’t help staring at this fine specimen.

He retrieved his wallet before fumbling through it. It slipped from his fingers and landed on the cement. When he bent to pick it up, she couldn’t help admiring the view of his backside.

At this rate, Heather would be late, and she couldn’t afford to be tardy on her first day. Not that it mattered, since she was simply doing Lacy a favor, at the request of her stepmother.

Ogling this stunning hunk, Heather didn’t care how long he took. She was tempted to get out of her car and assist the poor guy just so she could get a better look at him. She bet he smelled as heavenly as he appeared.

Before she could finish the thought, he approached her car and tapped on the window.

Heather rolled it down, pinching her lips together. “Having trouble?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry to ask you, but…” The man hesitated. “My card isn’t working in this machine. I’ve had trouble with it this entire trip. I guess I should have checked it before I left.”

Here it came…the scam. He’d ask to borrow some money to get him to where he needed to go. Well, she’d just beat him to the punch. “I’m afraid I don’t have any cash.”

“Actually, could you do me a huge favor and put a few gallons in my tank?” Man, with eyes like that, Heather bet he had all the women at his mercy. “I’m almost to my destination, but I’m practically on empty. I don’t think I can go another block without gas.”

Heather raised her eyebrows. “Wow, this is the first time I’ve been hit with that one.”

“I’ll pay you back. I promise. There’s a bank up the road that opens in a few minutes. You can follow me there, and I swear I’ll get your money for you.”

There was something so sincere about his plea that softened her heart. Or was it the Christmas spirit that was finally kicking in after her miserable year? What was the most she had to lose with this guy? “Alright, I can put in a few dollars…enough to get you to the bank and back.”

Relief washed over his face. “Oh, my gosh. Thank you so much. I can’t even tell you what this means.” He held out his hand. “Ryland Christiansen.” His hands were just like the rest of him…perfectly manicured, smooth, and clearly untouched by hard labor. Polished like every other part of him.

“Heather Hartman.”

Ryland opened the door and retrieved the fussy child. “And this little one is Avery. She just turned eighteen months.”

“She’s a cutie.” Heather could see little resemblance to her father. Maybe his wife had the strong genes in the family.

Heather retrieved her debit card from her pocket. ‘Tis the season for giving, and since she didn’t have a boyfriend to splurge on, it just as well be an act of service. She lifted the nozzle and began pumping.

Ryland had strapped the little one into her car seat. Avery hollered like he’d just put her into a torture rack. Two other children, who looked like they could all be sisters, sat on the other side of Avery with their hands gripped on a tablet. The older of the two jerked it from the younger one, which sent the younger one wailing. “I had it first.”

“It’s my turn. You’ve had it the whole way,” the older one exclaimed.

Ryland leaned over the seat with his hand outstretched. “Chloe, please give it back to Molly.”

“But she’s had it the longest.”

Ryland raised his voice until his decibels matched the children’s. “If you can’t cooperate, then neither of you can have it. Give it to me right now!”

“Fine.” Chloe slapped the tablet onto his outstretched hand.

Molly’s lower lip protruded. “But—”

“Be quiet! All three of you.” He cut off Molly before she could finish.

Wow, some people needed to learn better parenting skills. Boy was she glad her dad never yelled at them like this.

Ryland sat in the front seat with a defeated expression on his face.

The pump clicked off, signaling she’d completely filled his tank. That hadn’t been her intention. Ten dollars wouldn’t have broken her bank, but the amount she’d put into his car would definitely put a chink in her account. It was a good thing Lacy agreed to pay her the same amount as her other housekeeper.

She snapped the receipt out of the machine and handed it to Ryland.

“Do you want to follow me over to the bank?”

Heather shook her head. “No, I’m already late for work, and I still need to fill my car.”

“I’ll be back in a jiffy.” He got in his car and drove toward the bank. That was probably the last she’d ever see of him.

Apparently, he didn’t have a wife, or he wouldn’t have driven off without her. Was he divorced and he had custody of the children this Christmas? Was he a widower and trying to cope with raising the kids by himself? Or was he nothing more than a con artist who had borrowed someone else’s kids to look pathetic?

After filling her tank, she made a quick trip into the convenience store and filled a cup with some steamy hot chocolate. Ever since her brother-in-law’s arrival, he’d gotten the whole family addicted. And on a chilly morning like today, she needed extra warmth, as if her kind deed hadn’t been enough to warm her. She still couldn’t shake the feeling Ryland had scammed her.

“Good morning, Heather.” Ed, the owner of the market, smiled at her when she put her steamy cup on the counter. “That bad, huh?”

“Yeah, either that guy is one solid jerk, a lousy dad, or a pathetic con artist.” She held up her hand when Ed looked like he was going to get her to explain. “Don’t ask.” She paid for her cocoa along with a candy bar.

As she turned to leave, Ryland stood behind her with his mouth gaping open and a fist full of bills extended toward her.

Heather snatched the money from Ryland’s hand, uttered a quick apology and raced out the door, jumped in her car and headed toward Miracle Inn. “When are you going to learn to keep your opinions to yourself?” she muttered under her breath as she drove along Main Street.

Once she reached Miracle Inn, she pulled around to the side parking lot and into the staff spot reserved for Heidi. She snatched her purse off the seat, slung it over her shoulder and retrieved her drink.

The lobby teemed with customers waiting to check out, while a look of relief crossed Lacy’s face. “Thank goodness you’re finally here.” Though it didn’t sound accusatory, Heather could tell she was glad for the extra pair of hands. “I need your help. Room 208 needs a second set of sheets for the cot Tanner just took up.” She pointed to the laundry room down the hall. “We keep all the extras on the shelves. They’re labeled, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding a twin sized one.”

“I’ll get right on it.” Heather left her hot cocoa on the counter and rushed down the hall, where she located the linens, and hurried toward the elevator.

“Before you go up…” Lacy called after her. “I could use your help to check in this family.”

As she spun around, she spotted the familiar form of Ryland and his three nieces, behaving much better than they had at the gas station.

The elevator dinged, signaling its arrival to the first floor. Could she hop in and pretend she hadn’t heard Lacy? That might have worked, except she caught Ryland’s gaze. Warmth flooded her chilled face.

Now she wished he really had been a con artist and left Miracle with a full tank of gas. That way, she might have preserved her dignity. She shifted her gaze away from those gorgeous eyes. Why did Miracle Inn have to be the only hotel in town?

Ryland smirked. He was probably just as embarrassed to see her as well. “We meet again, Heather Hartman.”

If she pretended her awful words from earlier never happened, she could move on with her day…except, she’d never forget her stinging words.

Lacy gave her a nudge with her elbow when Heather stood beside her at the computer. “Looks like you two already met.”

Chloe spoke in a voice loud enough that the entire lobby heard. “Uncle Ryland gave her lots of money.”

Lacy’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh?”

Ryland waved his hands. “My credit card wasn’t working, so she filled up my car.”

“And he repaid me.” Heather jumped in before Lacy could throw her any more suspicious glances.

Ryland removed his credit card from his wallet and handed it to Heather. “The nice lady at the bank got it working, so I should be able to check in.”

Heather pulled up his information and examined the numbers on the card to make sure they matched. “So you’re their uncle?” She swiped the card on the reader. This time it went through.

“Yeah, my brother and his wife passed away.”

Oh, so Ryland wasn’t married. “Do you have custody of the children, then?”

“Not yet. But my brother asked me to take them if anything ever happened.”

Heather’s heart twisted in her chest. Now she understood why he wasn’t very good at parenting. “Isn’t there anyone else who could raise them?” As soon as the words flew out of her mouth, she wished she could take them back.

“Because apparently, I lack parenting skills?”

“That’s not what I meant.” Her words were going to come back and bite her the whole time he was staying here. “I mean, it must be so difficult for a single man to suddenly take on the responsibility of three young children.”

“Yes, well, I think we’ll figure it out.” He picked Avery up and set her on the counter, keeping his arm around her. Avery grabbed a fistful of pens.

“I hope things…” she almost said, “go better than they did at the gas station.” Instead, she finished with “…go well.”

“I guess we’ll learn as we go.” Ryland took the pens away from Avery.Heather checked his reservation. Four weeks? He’d be here the entire time she would. Could she avoid him for that long? Heather checked his room number. 208. That’s where she was taking the sheets. So much for not running into him.