Tidings of Joy: Based on a Hallmark Channel original movie Read online

  Katie half-listened to her mom as she looked at the cute shops and a tiny white church. Potted spruce trees decorated with shiny red bows flanked the tall double-doors. It couldn’t hold more than fifty people from the looks of it. The sharp pitch of the roofline over the entrance rose to a point that seemed twice as tall as the church was wide. A bell tower showed off a trio of shiny bells that hung in random positions as if they’d stopped ringing mid-swing.

  Who knew places like this—so much like the ones in the miniature Christmas villages that were so popular—actually existed? She made a mental note to visit the church while in town.

  “I won’t say it’s been my best day,” her mom went on. “Now, I need to find a writer to help fill the cover story for our next issue.”

  The cover story? “Oh, dear. Wait.” She made herself concentrate on the phone call. “I thought you brought on that sports reporter who was going to do the story about inventing a new extreme sport—”

  “I did. He broke both of his hands in the process.”

  “Yikes. That is extreme. So you’re—”

  “I’m wondering if you want to throw your hat in the ring.” Mom’s words had come across more as a challenge than an opportunity. Mom had made it no secret that she’d much prefer Katie come work at the magazine rather than chase the dream of being a novelist, even though her debut novel had received wonderful reviews. She knew Mom meant well, but it still stung.

  “You want me to write a cover story?”

  “Well?”

  Katie couldn’t lie. The cover held appeal, but she needed to focus on what she really wanted, and that was to write her second novel. If she didn’t get down to work soon, she might lose the readers she’d already won over with the first book. It was hard to build a good following in such a flooded market. If she was going to succeed in making a living as a novelist, she needed to write.

  In the heavy sigh that came across the line, Katie could picture the stress lines pulling across Mom’s forehead. It was so hard for Katie to not pitch in to help her, but she’d been putting her own dream aside for so long now.

  “I’m really in a jam here.”

  “But I just started a vacation.” With her phone still to her ear, she turned around. There were so many cute shops nestled together on this road. She was itching to explore and enjoy this place.

  “I know, but this story possibly could lead to something bigger for you. We’re going to be hiring additional full-time staff in the new year, and this would help move you to the front of the line.”

  Katie pressed her lips together. She didn’t want to be short with her mother, but this wasn’t how she wanted to spend her vacation. She hadn’t even had a chance to unpack her suitcase yet. And working at the magazine was not her end goal. “Mom. We’ve been over this. Freelancing is one thing, but working at the magazine is not on my radar. I’m excited to write my second novel. I’m here to get in writer mode again.”

  “I know, but you’re really good at this too, and it’s still writing. And it’d be nice to get you something, you know, stable.”

  Katie bit her tongue. There it was. “I know. Mom…” She sighed. Just say no! “I don’t think I can right now.” Almost a no.

  “Take a few hours and see if an idea occurs to you, and—”

  Katie waited, but there was nothing but silence from the other end of the phone. “Mom? Hello, Mom? Are you there?” She jabbed at the buttons on her phone. Her battery was completely exhausted. She grimaced as she rummaged through her bag for her charger, but couldn’t put her hands on it.

  She’d last had her charger in her hand when she’d been talking to that guy; she must’ve dropped it. She looked back toward the train depot.

  At that moment, the long blast from a horn sounded. She could hear the train chugging along the track, working to pick up speed to get visitors back to the city.

  She lifted her tote back onto her shoulder and rolled her suitcase down the sidewalk in search of a store to buy a new phone charger.

  On Main Street, a man and woman hurried past her, carrying a life-size Santa figurine under their arms like a canoe. This part of town was teeming with people. Every storefront and window was in the process of being decorated—absolutely humming with holiday activity. There was almost a sizzle in the air; she felt a rush of the contagious joy while neighbors helped neighbors turn Main Street into a real-life Santa Claus lane.

  Maybe she’d read one too many articles about this place. But even that thought couldn’t keep her from humming a chorus or two of “Here Comes Santa Claus” as she continued her search for a convenience store.

  Townspeople wrapped wide ribbons around the black street lamps, garlands swagged the front of every store, and she’d never seen so many different decorations. Nutcrackers, candy canes, bells, and bows were going up all over town.

  A man fastened a big red mailbox for letters to Santa to a platform smack dab in the middle of Town Square. How fun! Katie was dazzled by the buzz of activity and beautiful decorations.

  Lots of traditional red, green, and gold, but there were jewel tones and pastels too. A kaleidoscope of colors all balanced by the white snow and evergreens covering so much of the area.

  She burst into a grin when she recognized the diner mentioned in the magazine article, the Chris Kringle Kitchen. Ben, the guy from the train, had said it wasn’t named after Santa, but there was Santa right there on the sign. She raised her chin. All of this had to be a clever marketing advantage.

  A man and woman stood in front of the Kringle Kitchen, decorating a live Christmas tree. They took turns hanging colorful ornaments on the limbs. A younger woman joined them with a bright red box in tow, and all three of them huddled around it. Katie wondered what was inside. Maybe it was an early Christmas present.

  Katie passed the Letters to Santa mailbox. A father stood nearby as his children dropped brightly colored envelopes into the slot on top. Katie giggled as she read the hand-painted board below the post box. “Drop your letters, or thank-you cards, to Santa here.” Wish I’d thought of that. Santa deserves a few thank-yous. I might write him one myself.

  She glanced back across the way toward the Chris Kringle Kitchen again, and her breath caught. The younger woman stood there, shaking a snow globe. That snow globe had to be the one she’d read about in the magazine earlier. Was this all just one big, scripted event?

  Tempted to run across the street to check out the snow globe, she kept herself in check. First order of business: find a phone charger. She forged ahead, walking past a fake snowman that had to be ten feet tall. She raised her hand in the air to give him a friendly high-five. She used to love building snowmen when she was a little girl. Like her Christmas trees, she loved her snowmen as tall as she could possibly make them. With Dad’s help, she’d made some real jumbos in the past. So tall that Dad would have to lift her high in the air so she could reach high enough to put the hat and scarf in place.

  Each of the shops down Main Street had its own unique look. Some tall and squared off, others more Victorian in style with pretty gingerbread or scrolling trim. The varied styles and colors added to the charm. She must’ve lifted her phone a dozen times to capture some of this scenery to use as part of her research before remembering the battery was dead. She was dying to take pictures.

  Her long white scarf swished nearly to her knees. She lifted one end and wrapped it around her neck to chase the nip in the air.

  In the middle of the square, a huge banner was being hoisted across the road. A curly-haired woman stood on the sidewalk in heels and a pretty wool coat, directing two men in an effort to get a giant banner hung straight.

  Unfortunately, it hung precariously at an angle.

  The woman stood with her head cocked, motioning up and then back down without much luck.

  Katie walked over to see if maybe they could help her find a charger. A
s she stood there, she too found herself leaning—first to the left, then the right—as the men hoisted and lowered the banner.

  “Up,” the woman said. “Wait. Right there.”

  The banner hung almost straight for a brief moment before it slipped again.

  “No. Back down a smidge.”

  Finally, Katie and the woman looked at each other and shrugged. “Easier said than done?”

  “Apparently.”

  Chapter Three

  Michelle took a giant step back, eyeing the 50th ANNUAL EVERGREEN CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL banner across Main Street.

  “Why is it so hard to get this banner straight?” She watched Ezra cling to the lines while perched on the top of the ladder.

  Ezra hunched his shoulders as he hung tight to keep the banner from dropping all the way back down to the street. “I don’t know.”

  Joe Shaw, owner of the Chris Kringle Kitchen across the street, steadied the ladder for Ezra.

  There had to be a better way. Maybe one of those little bubble levels in the middle of it to help them see where they needed to adjust? It sloped so drastically at the moment that a bird couldn’t even perch on it without ending up across the street. That image gave her a brief stress relief.

  “Let’s try it again,” Michelle said. “Up, like, two inches, Ezra.”

  “Excuse me. Hi.”

  Michelle spun around. A blonde wearing a deep green coat with a suitcase in tow stood right next to her.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” she said. “My name is Katie. I just got to town, and I need to find a place I could find a phone charger, and—” She pointed to the sign. “Wow. Fifty years, huh?”

  Michelle glanced back up at the banner, wishing it was straight. “Yeah. It’s the highlight of the holiday.”

  “Looks like a lot of work,” she remarked.

  “That the town has been able to pull it off for that long without missing a single year feels like a miracle sometimes.” Michelle hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “But no matter what happens, from pipes flooding our venue to snow drifts so high we couldn’t get across town, we always manage to make it wonderful.”

  From up on the ladder, Ezra called down, still pulling on the rope with two hands in a failing attempt to keep the banner taut. “Crooked?”

  Michelle gave him the stink-eye. “You say that every year, Ezra.”

  “And every year, I’m right.”

  “Which is the most frustrating part.” Katie and Michelle both looked at the sign, then tilted their heads. “Yes, the sign is crooked.”

  Ezra shifted his footing. “Well, if Thomas was here, he’d have it up and straight in no time.”

  Probably true. Thomas was a foot taller and probably outweighed Ezra by more than fifty pounds easy. He’d have no trouble managing that sign. Michelle felt a little pang of loneliness. “I know. Don’t remind me. They’re racing to close that logging camp before that storm rolls in. I pray he doesn’t get stuck there for Christmas.”

  Ezra studied the sky. A dense bank of clouds hung dark and heavy above.

  “So.” She took a breath. There was no sense worrying about what she had no control over…although she did it all the time. “For now, we’ll just keep with tradition and let the banner hang on a weird angle.” She lifted her hands to the side, seesawing them and giving in to a laugh.

  Ezra lifted his chin, training his gaze on Michelle. “Ever since you’ve become mayor, you’ve somehow relaxed. How is that possible?”

  Michelle knew it wasn’t becoming mayor that had changed her life. It was Thomas. Him and his son, David. The past year of dating Thomas and the two of them in her life had been a life-changer. She’d gained a new perspective on things, and life sure felt good in this mode. “I guess happiness will do that.”

  Joe and Ezra smiled at each other, then Ezra turned and came down the ladder.

  “You know, Ezra,” Joe said as he spotted him down to the ground, “it’s not going to be the same around here without you.”

  Ezra turned to Joe and Katie. “Well, it helps that the new mayor won by a landslide.”

  Michelle paced her response. “Stop. Saying. Landslide.” He’d said it so many times that it was already getting old.

  Katie leaned in. “Wow!”

  Ezra propped his arm on the ladder casually with a told-you-so look on his face.

  Michelle rolled her eyes. “I was the only one running.”

  “Well, that’s just because nobody wants to run against the woman who had the best plans on how to run a town,” Joe spoke matter-of-factly.

  Michelle’s face flushed. She’d put in a lot of work to pull that town project together. She wanted to earn the trust of the town, and even running unopposed, it had been important to her. She was honored to have been voted as the first woman mayor of Evergreen. Michelle turned to Katie. “She also had the previous mayor’s strong endorsement,” she said about herself. “That helped. Thank you, Ezra.”

  “You earned it,” he said. “I’m leaving Evergreen in ever-capable hands.”

  “Thanks.” Michelle cocked her head with a playful smile, then pointed her finger toward the banner again. “Okay, you two. Can we take this side up a little bit?”

  Ezra started back up the ladder.

  Michelle turned to Katie. “I’m sorry. You needed something.”

  “Oh, I just need a phone charger. But congratulations, Madame Mayor.”

  “You can call me Michelle. It’s fine.” She glanced up at the banner, and then back to Katie. “You said your name was—”

  “I’m Katie. Nice to meet you.”

  “Hi, Katie. Phone charger. Right. You’ll want to visit Daisy’s Country Store. It’s located just across the square. They sell everything: phone chargers, wool socks, souvenirs, you name it.”

  Ezra shouted down from atop the ladder again. “Is it straight enough now?”

  Michelle and Katie both tilted their heads up. In unison, they both leaned to one side, slightly off-kilter.

  “Well, if it was too perfect,” Michelle said with a shrug, “it wouldn’t be charming.”

  Both Joe and Ezra stared at her, puzzled.

  “Don’t give me that look,” Michelle teased. “It’s good enough. Ezra, aren’t you supposed to be packing?”

  “No, but I do have an Evergreen Historical Society meeting at the Kringle.” He climbed to the ground. “Got to run. Nice meeting you, Katie. Enjoy your visit.”

  Katie waved and gave him a thumbs up.

  “Thanks, Ezra.” Michelle turned back to Katie. “Oh, Katie. The store is right there.” She pointed to the flowered sign just up the road. “Lisa can help you with that phone charger.”

  “Thank you so much.” Katie headed for Daisy’s Country Store with her luggage still in tow.

  Michelle was glad tourists were already starting to arrive. The recent magazine article had the Evergreen Express booked to capacity every day, and she’d seen more day-guests than they usually had too.

  The first year Michelle had helped with the Christmas Festival had been back in high school. It’d been part of the Future Business Leaders Association project she’d started, and the school still continued filling that role. Every year, she’d been on the Festival committee, but the last two years she’d chaired the whole thing. Even with having to move locations, they’d been able to have a successful event. But this was her first year as mayor, and she wanted more than anything for it to be the most special Christmas Festival so far.

  Across the square, Hannah Tinker stood on the sidewalk out in front of Daisy’s Country Store, snuggling a chunky brown-and-white chihuahua mix in her arms. Lisa, the store owner, played with the soft ears of an adorable tricolor Shih Tzu-Yorkie mix.

  Allie—or Dr. Shaw, as many people called the local veterinarian—went through a long list of instructions on th
e care and feeding of the two homeless dogs Lisa had graciously agreed to take care of while Allie went zipping off for the holidays to meet up with her fiancé, Ryan, and his daughter, Zoe.

  “A Shorkie? Now, that’s just fun to say.” Hannah lifted the dog she was holding into the air. “And what are you?” The dog’s tongue lolled out of his mouth.

  “No designer breed for that guy.” Allie pushed her brown hair over her shoulder.

  “Well, he’s cute anyway. You don’t even need a cute breed name.” Hannah didn’t mind fighting for the little guy’s honor.

  “I hate to leave these guys.” Allie seemed a bit frantic about leaving the two senior dogs behind at Christmas before matching them with forever families. “I thought for sure I’d have them adopted by now, but it’s just harder finding homes for older dogs.” She reached out and patted the dog’s head. “This is a terrible time for me to leave.”

  “No,” Hannah said. “It’s not.” This wasn’t the first time Hannah had seen her childhood friend stress out about leaving Evergreen. The last time, it’d all worked quite perfectly with her meeting Ryan and falling in love, but Allie seemed to have not considered that leaving town might mean another stroke of good luck.

  “Fine. You’re right. Okay, Lisa, this is Brutus that Hannah’s holding.” Allie pulled a blue pill bottle from her ski jacket. “Now. Brutus has a touch of arthritis in his front paws, but I brought you a prescription. I’m putting it in your pocket.” Lisa lifted her arm, giving Allie access to the pocket. “The directions are on the bottle.”

  “Got it.” Lisa flashed an over-serious look, followed by a playful glance toward Hannah and Brutus.

  “Now this guy…” Allie rubbed the head of the bluish-gray dog snuggled in Lisa’s arms. “Max here has a clean bill of health, but he needs a lot of snuggles.”

  Lisa rocked her new furry friend in her arms. “Well, I have lots of cuddles to give you, Max.” She kissed the top of the old dog’s head, then shifted her attention to Brutus. “I hope both you guys are going to love being with me for the holidays. I’ve never been a foster mom.”