Christmas at Holiday House Read online

  In the town of Silver Bells, there’s always a feeling of Christmas in the air... Let love—and RaeAnne Thayne—melt your heart this holiday season!

  This New Year will bring widowed nurse Abigail Powell a fresh start in a different city. Excited about the chance to create an unforgettable Christmas for her young son in picturesque Silver Bells, Colorado, Abby has been hired to take care of her dear friend’s recuperating grandmother. But sprightly senior Winnie insists she doesn’t need looking after. What she does need is help decorating her historic mansion, Holiday House, for a seasonal town fundraiser. Abby warms to the festive task, but she’ll have to contend with her own personal Grinch: Winnie’s prickly grandson, Ethan Lancaster.

  Ethan Lancaster is good at a lot of things. Relationships surely aren’t one of them. His ex-fiancée convinced Ethan he was incapable of love, and he believes her...up until the moment he impulsively kisses Abby. What is it about this vibrant woman and her swe et son that knocks his world off-kilter? He knows they’re leaving town after Christmas. He just didn’t expect they’d be taking a little of his heart with them. But as he and Abby work together on the magical Holiday House through the record cold weather, visions of a different future dance in his head...one filled with warmth, love and a new beginning for them both.

  finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains, where the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author lives with her husband and three children. Her books have won numerous honors, including RITA® Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews. RaeAnne loves to hear from readers and can be contacted through her website, www.raeannethayne.com.

  Praise for New York Times bestselling author

  RaeAnne Thayne

  “[Thayne] is a rising star in the romance world. Her books are wonderfully romantic, feel-good reads that end with me sighing over the last pages.”

  —#1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber

  “Entertaining, heart-wrenching, and totally involving, this multithreaded story overflows with characters readers will adore.”

  —Library Journal on Evergreen Springs (starred review)

  “RaeAnne Thayne is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.... Once you start reading, you aren’t going to be able to stop.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “Thayne’s realistic characterization grounds the hope of falling in love with the trials and tribulations that so often come with it.”

  —BookPage on Serenity Harbor

  “RaeAnne has a knack for capturing those emotions that come from the heart.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Tiny Haven Point springs to vivid life in Thayne’s capable hands as she spins another sweet, heartfelt story.”

  —Library Journal on Redemption Bay

  Also available from RaeAnne Thayne

  and HQN

  The Cliff House

  The Sea Glass Cottage

  Haven Point

  Summer at Lake Haven

  Coming Home for Christmas

  Season of Wonder

  The Cottages on Silver Beach

  Sugar Pine Trail

  Serenity Harbor

  Snowfall on Haven Point

  Snow Angel Cove

  Riverbend Road

  Evergreen Springs

  Redemption Bay

  Hope’s Crossing

  Blackberry Summer

  Woodrose Mountain

  Sweet Laurel Falls

  Currant Creek Valley

  Willowleaf Lane

  Christmas in Snowflake Canyon

  Wild Iris Ridge

  For a complete list of books by RaeAnne Thayne,

  please visit www.raeannethayne.com.

  Christmas at Holiday House

  RaeAnne Thayne

  For my daughter Kjersten and all other teachers everywhere

  who work so hard to impact young lives

  under sometimes impossible, difficult conditions.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Excerpt from Coming Home for Christmas by RaeAnne Thayne

  One

  Abby Powell drove through the downtown area of Silver Bells, Colorado, fighting the odd sensation that she had somehow slipped onto the set of a Hallmark movie.

  This couldn’t be real, could it? No town could possibly look so festive and charming and...perfect.

  On this day before Thanksgiving, Christmas seemed to have already taken over the ski resort town. Snow was lightly falling, dusting everything with a soft, pearly powder. The holiday season was in full view, from the brick storefronts adorned with colorful Christmas lights twinkling merrily in the dusk to the wreaths on every door in sight to the crowds of shoppers in parkas and coordinating beanies who made their way out of the stores, arms heavy with bags.

  If she rolled down her windows, would she hear Christmas music chiming through the early evening? She was tempted to check it out but glanced in the rearview mirror and decided her five-year-old son probably wouldn’t appreciate a sudden ice-cold breeze.

  This snow-globe perfection seemed like a different planet from Phoenix, where her apartment complex manager at least had made a bit of an effort to get into the spirit of things. Before they left, she had noticed a new string of lights on one of the saguaro cacti in the common area near the barbecue.

  “Are we almost there, Mommy?”

  She shot another glance at Christopher. “Nearly, honey. This is the right town. Now I only have to find the address.”

  “Good. I’m tired of the car.”

  She smiled at his overly dramatic tone. No one could sound more long-suffering than a five-year-old. “I know it’s been a long drive, but you have been such a good boy.”

  “Course I have. Santa’s watching.”

  Christopher had been obsessed with Santa since before Halloween. She wasn’t exactly sure what had flipped the switch this year. If someone could figure out the inner workings of a five-year-old boy’s brain, she wanted to meet that person.

  Maybe her son was finally old enough that the concept of a benevolent gift-giver made more sense. Or maybe his friends at preschool had discussed it at length.

  “If he is watching,” she said now to her son, “I know he has seen a boy who’s been a big help to his mom on this drive.”

  This trip, nearly eight hours, was their longest road trip together. Christopher really had been wonderful. She hadn’t been sure how he would be able to entertain himself for the journey. This would be a good test for the longer trip from Phoenix to Austin in a month’s time, when she would be hauling a trailer full of some of their belongings.

  The only other long road trip they’d ever taken together had been in February when they had driven the six hours from Phoenix to Southern California. They had spent a long weekend there playing on the beach and spending an unforgettable day at Disneyland, just the two of them.

  Eve
rything was just the two of them these days.

  Abby ignored the pang that thought always stirred in her. She did her best. She and Christopher took many trips to the zoo, the aquarium, local museums and festivals. She made certain her son had a rich life, filled with swimming lessons, playdates and educational opportunities.

  She never felt like it was enough. Did every single mother worry she wasn’t hitting some mythical benchmark that defined good parenting?

  Probably. Single or not, likely every parent, regardless of relationship status, stressed about the same thing. Why hadn’t anybody warned her worry was part of the job description?

  Her navigation system instructed her to make a right at the next street. At the stop sign, she signaled, then obeyed and was struck by how the business of the downtown area seemed to melt away, replaced by a serene, tree-lined road bordered with older homes behind iron fences, each more lovely than the one before.

  Where was Holiday House, her destination?

  She peered down the street through the soft, swirling flakes that had begun to fall harder, obscuring her view.

  Navigation system or not, she expected she would know the place when she saw it. During the two years they had been college roommates, Lucy Lancaster had shown her plenty of pictures of the huge, graceful mansion where her friend had spent the happiest moments of her childhood.

  Abby could picture it in her mind: three stories, with a wide porch across the entire front, a smaller porch on the second level and three thick Doric columns supporting them.

  She drove slowly, peering at each house.

  “Will the lady like us?” Christopher asked, his voice worried, as they continued on their way.

  Christopher had been a precocious, adventurous toddler but since Kevin’s death, he had become more nervous around other people.

  That was another reason she was moving to Austin—for herself and for her son. Both of them needed to reach outside themselves and embrace the beautiful world around them. Kevin, who had spent his entire career trying to help others, wouldn’t have wanted them to be insular and withdrawn.

  Abby smiled in the mirror. “How could she not like us? We’re adorable.”

  Chris giggled, his dimple flashing. The sound chimed through the interior of her small SUV, warming her heart. He was a complete joy. How dark and dreary her world would have been without him these past two years. In the early days of grief and shock, he had been the only thing dragging her out of bed in the mornings.

  “Don’t worry,” she said now. “Winifred Lancaster is wonderful. She’s our friend Lucy’s grandmother, so you know she must be awesome.”

  That connection seemed to reassure Christopher. “Lucy’s funny. She’s my friend.”

  “I know. Aren’t we lucky to have her in our life?”

  “I like it when she sends me stuff from other countries.”

  That wasn’t an infrequent occurrence. Lucy had lived in a dozen countries since they lived together at school, always trying to make a difference in the world. It helped that Lucy had a freakish facility for languages and probably spoke eight or nine by now.

  First she was in the peace corps in central Europe, then she worked for a nongovernmental organization in North Africa, focused on improving educational opportunities for girls. For the past two years she had taught English in Thailand. Wherever she traveled, she stayed in touch with Abby, often sending local treats or games or toys made by her students to Christopher.

  Her life seemed exciting and fulfilling, though Abby wasn’t entirely sure her friend was as happy as she said she was.

  “In one hundred feet, your destination is on the left.”

  The disembodied voice of her navigation spoke through the car, making them both jump.

  “Is that it? That big house?” Christopher asked, a new note of excitement in his voice.

  Abby swallowed. Holiday House was vast, easily the biggest house on the block—the biggest one in town, from what she had seen driving here. The house and large garden took up almost half a block at the end of the road.

  “Oh, my.”

  It was gorgeous, everything Lucy had said and more, illuminated with tasteful landscape lights as dusk gave way to night. How was it possible that she and Christopher were lucky enough to be able to spend a few weeks here? Abby wanted to pinch herself.

  “I really hope she likes us,” Christopher said.

  Abby’s cell phone rang with a FaceTime call before she could even turn into the driveway. When she saw it was Lucy, she pulled over to the side of the road and shifted her car into Park so she could safely take the call.

  “Do you have spies watching for me or something?” she asked, only half joking when her friend’s face flashed on the screen.

  “No. I was just checking in, wondering how close you are.”

  “We couldn’t be any closer.” She turned her phone camera around so Lucy could see what Abby was looking at out the window—the beautiful pale house that gleamed in the snow.

  “Are you just getting there?” Lucy’s relief was obvious in her expression. “Oh, I’m so glad. How was your drive?”

  “Mostly uneventful. We learned that Mr. Jingles isn’t a great traveler, but we made do.”

  Their cat had thrown up in the first hour then yowled about every hundred miles, requiring a stop. She hadn’t minded too terribly, since Christopher always seemed to need a stretch and bathroom break around that same time.

  “Hi, Lucy,” Christopher called from the back seat.

  Abby turned the phone in that direction, where her son waved enthusiastically.

  “There’s my favorite dude.”

  “We went on a long car ride, only now I want to be out of my car seat.”

  “You’re there, kiddo. I can’t wait for you to meet my grandmother. I think you two are going to love each other.”

  “Okay.” That seemed to put the last of Christopher’s worries to rest and he put his headphones on to watch the rest of his show.

  “Thank you so much for doing this,” Lucy said to her. “I honestly don’t have words.”

  “Really?” Abby teased. “With all the languages you speak?”

  Lucy rattled off a bunch of words that Abby assumed all meant thank you. She picked up gracias and merci, but that was it.

  “Seriously, I can’t thank you enough. I still can’t believe you agreed to drop everything to help out Winnie. You’re going to love her, too, I promise.”

  Abby shrugged. “The timing was right. My last day at the hospital was Saturday and we were only going to spend the month kicking around Phoenix before the move to Austin.”

  The past twenty-four hours were a blur, really, from the moment Lucy had called her, frantic, to tell her that her beloved grandmother had sustained a serious fall. She was in the hospital with a broken wrist, sprained ankle and bruised ribs. She needed home care in order to stay in her house, and did Abby have any friends from nursing school in Colorado who might be looking for work?

  She wasn’t sure if Lucy had asked her to come out or if Abby had offered. It didn’t matter, she supposed. By the end of the phone call, she had agreed to travel to Colorado for a few weeks to help Winifred, until Lucy could finish her school term and make it home to Silver Bells herself.

  It would be a lovely adventure for her and Christopher, she told herself again, as she had repeated about as often as Jingles and Christopher had needed bathroom breaks.

  She wanted to give her son the best Christmas ever and couldn’t imagine a better place to do that than Silver Bells, a beautiful historic winter resort town tucked into the Rocky Mountains. They weren’t staying the entire month and expected to be back in Phoenix for Christmas itself. Two weeks should be enough to enjoy the holiday spirit in this beautiful town.

  “You know I love your grandmother,” she said to Lucy. “We’ll al
l be fine.”

  Lucy hesitated. “There is one tiny complication I should probably mention.”

  Her friend was going to offer a complication now, when Abby was a hundred feet from her grandmother’s door? “Please don’t tell me I just spent eight hours in the car with a five-year-old and a dyspeptic cat for nothing.”

  “No. Not for nothing. But...” Lucy paused again. “I may have misled you about how desperate the situation was. Not on purpose, I promise. I was only going on the information I had.”

  “Misled me how?”

  “When Winnie called to tell me about her accident and asked me to find a home nurse, she led me to think she was in dire straits. She told me Ethan, my brother, was insisting she go into a rehab facility.”

  “That’s often the best place for older patients after a fall, so they can receive supported care.”

  “She absolutely refuses. Winnie wants to be home and I’ll admit, I don’t blame her. She loves Holiday House, especially this time of year.”

  It was not hard to see why, Abby thought, looking at the grand house on display in front of her.

  “Where is the part where you misled me?”

  “She led me to believe that if I didn’t find a nurse, Ethan would have her carted straight from the hospital to a rehab center.”

  “Have things changed?”

  “Not really. But kind of.” Lucy looked apologetic. “I thought Ethan was going to be out of town until next week, and by the time he got back you would be there and it would be a done deal. I had arranged with Winnie’s friends to get her home from the hospital and for someone to stay with her until you could get there. Unbeknownst to me, my brother rearranged his schedule and ended up flying back to town this morning instead of next week. I had no idea he would be there, I swear.”

  Okay. So she would have Lucy’s brother to deal with, too. No big deal. She had been a nurse for years, with plenty of experience dealing with arrogant doctors and demanding family members. How hard could Ethan Lancaster be?

  Unless he had already arranged for Winnie to go to assisted living, in which case she had just traveled eight hours in a car with a five-year-old boy and said dyspeptic cat for nothing. “So do you need my help or don’t you?”