Tidings of Joy: Based on a Hallmark Channel original movie Page 7

  “What do you see?” Hannah asked.

  “It looks like…”

  David got up and joined them at the counter. He eased in closer to Hannah.

  Elliott held the horse carriage at an angle for Hannah to see. “There’s a little key carved underneath the sleigh.”

  “But…why?” Elliott and Hannah said at the same time. They both slowly lifted their gaze from the broken fragments of the snow globe to each other.

  Close enough that Michelle thought for a moment Hannah might bump right into Elliott when she lifted her head. But they didn’t collide; they simply stood there, staring. Hoping mostly, if Michelle had to guess, that they could scrounge up a miracle and fix one of the town’s most famous residents—the snow globe.

  The intensity of Elliott and Hannah’s eye contact clearly showed a new level of awareness between them.

  Hannah licked her lips, biting down on her lower lip. Katie glanced over at Michelle with a smile. She’d noticed it too. Hannah cleared her throat and took a step back, pushing her hair from her face.

  Elliott hesitated, but only for a moment. “I’ll get to work on this right away.”

  “Great.” She nodded.

  “If you’d like to help…” He glanced back her way. “You could come by tomorrow?”

  “Yes, it’s a date,” Hannah blurted out.

  Michelle almost laughed out loud at the blunder.

  Hannah looked like she wished she could slurp the words back up, but they were already out there. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, as if that would erase the earlier comment.

  “Tomorrow.” His voice came out like a song.

  Michelle and Katie laughed quietly together, sharing a nudge, while those two tried to downplay the very obvious attraction between them. Even David noticed, which Michelle found quite charming.

  Michelle watched Elliott lower the ceramic piece he still held in his hand to the counter, while his eyes followed Hannah until she was out of sight.

  Love is in the air.

  Having found love herself just last Christmas, Michelle couldn’t be happier to see Hannah finally finding the same. If it took a broken snow globe for those two to realize there was something between them, it was worth it.

  Chapter Ten

  At Barbara’s Country Inn that evening, the Meet and Mingle was in full swing. Katie had been so inspired by her day in town that she’d taken over the desk in the den to set up her laptop and get all of her thoughts down while they were still fresh. She didn’t want to lose a single moment or emotion.

  In the other room, guests were visiting, and Ezra had stopped by. He was talking with a couple visiting from Boston, and since that was where Ezra was getting ready to move, they were in full-out sharing mode. They’d even already set up a night out in Boston next month. Ezra was putting notes into his phone on people to look up and places to see.

  Megan hadn’t been kidding when she said she’d be serving heavy hors d’oeuvres. Katie didn’t need a meal after all of the delicious appetizers. Holiday music played from the speakers above, making the conversations seem even more festive.

  So many things floated through Katie’s head. This town, and its kindhearted and talented people, had inspired her with everything from tradition, history, mystery and blooming love. For the last hour, she’d sat here at the writing desk in the den, pouring her heart onto the page, afraid that if she didn’t, she might lose something. She wasn’t sure what all of it would amount to, but just the act of typing words on the page had her creative juices flowing.

  Megan swept through the room with a small tray of homemade marshmallows, dropping them into the cocoa mugs from little silver tongs like some kind of marshmallow fairy princess.

  Katie reached for her mug, taking a sip, then licking a melty marshmallow from the edge. The ooey-gooey sweetness reminded her of so many childhood Christmases in the city.

  “Thank you,” Katie said, lifting her cup in a toast to her in appreciation.

  “You’re welcome,” Megan sang out as she worked her way across the rest of the room.

  “Hello, everyone!” Nan called out the greeting as she walked through the front door. She unwrapped her long scarf from around her neck and peeled out of her coat. “Oh, Megan,” Nan called out. “I’ve got something for you.”

  “For me?” Megan turned, placing the tray of marshmallows down on an end table.

  Katie turned, curious to see what it was too.

  “Look at this.” Nan held something in her hands, her back still to Katie, but she could see the way Megan’s face lit up.

  Nan turned to Katie, flashing a copy of Katie’s debut novel, Wooden Fishes—the hardcover edition. Megan grinned ear to ear as Nan turned the book to the back of the book jacket with Katie’s picture on it. “We don’t often have published authors in town.”

  Katie’s heart nearly skipped a beat at their excitement. “You have my book?” She could barely swallow. It’d been a long time since someone had shown up with a copy of her book in their hands, and even then, it’d been a planned book signing event.

  Megan danced. “When I heard you were a writer, I looked it up and asked Nan for it.”

  “I run a library, so I have a lot of books.” Nan made light of it. “And Megan’s wasn’t the only request I’ve gotten for it since you’ve arrived. I special ordered this one for her.”

  “Oh my goodness. Thank you both.” Katie felt like this happening at the moment she was pouring thoughts onto her laptop was a sign that she did have a second novel inside her. Maybe that snow globe did have some magic. She quickly dismissed the silly idea. There was no magic in writing a book. It was hard work. Every single word of it.

  Nan handed the book to Megan. “Here you go, sweetie.”

  “Thank you.” Megan immediately turned to Katie. “I hope this isn’t overstepping with you being a guest and all, but would you? Sign it?”

  “Of course!”

  “Oh my gosh. This is so exciting. I’m going to keep it right out here where guests can enjoy it. They’ll love that you’ve been a guest here. You wait right here. Let me get a pen.”

  Katie giggled. What a surprise. Megan was back with the book and the pen in a jiffy.

  “May I personalize it to you?” Katie asked.

  “I’d love that.” Megan clapped her hands, and she and Nan held hands as Katie bowed her head to autograph the book.

  “Here you go.” Katie handed her the book. “This is more exciting for me than it is for you.”

  “Somehow we doubt that,” Nan said.

  Megan placed the book, face out, on her bookshelf. “The perfect spot.”

  “I like it, and it does go with the decor,” Katie assessed.

  “Even more so when it’s not all red and green for the holidays. I love my book. Thank you both. I’ve got to tend to the other guests. Enjoy.” Megan took off to the kitchen, reappearing in an instant with a tray of cheese puffs.

  Katie had almost forgotten the thrill of seeing her book in a reader’s hand. Her heart pounded wildly.

  Nan glanced down at Katie’s laptop. “How is the article going?”

  “Tricky, actually. You know, my mom works for a business magazine, but honestly I’d rather write about the Christmas time capsule.”

  Nan sat down in the chair next to the desk. “Don’t give up hope on being able to write that. The time capsule was intended to be a surprise,” she explained. “And this town loves a mystery as much as they love—”

  “Wait a minute,” Katie said. “I thought nobody remembered anything about the time capsule.”

  Nan froze, her cheeks filling with air as she sucked in a breath and averted her eyes. There was something going on in that look on her face. “Well, yes…” Nan tripped over her words. “I guess—”

  A rambunctious ho-ho-ho came from the
doorway as Hannah, David and Michelle all entered in high spirits, shedding their coats and piling them on the bannister.

  Katie’s thoughts were still on Nan’s reaction to her comment about the time capsule. Her writer instincts twitched. She knows something.

  “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.” Megan had just walked back into the living room with more coffee for the guests.

  “We wouldn’t miss this,” Michelle said.

  “This is one of my favorite traditions.” Hannah draped her coat on top of the others on the bannister, making herself at home.

  “With more guests coming next weekend, it’s time to make more cookies.” She turned to the guests standing by the fire. “Everyone is welcome to help.”

  They gave Megan a nod. Katie turned back to her laptop, pecking at the keyboard on her notes, trying still to come up with the right angle for that article for the magazine.

  Megan leaned close. “I know you’re writing, but if you’d like to help, we always need more hands.”

  “Oh, I—” She waved her hand, almost ready to tell Megan she was going to pass, when Ben came through the front door, looking handsome in a blue half-zip sweater that really set off his blue eyes. On second thought, spending time doing some holiday baking sounded like fun…especially if Ben was going to be involved.

  “Hey, everybody.” He closed the door behind him.

  “Yeah. Sure.” Katie changed her response to Megan, then bounced right out of her seat. “I’d love to help.” Her pulse accelerated. Rushing to get to the kitchen before Ben realized he’d influenced her decision to join, she tried to look calm while waiting for more directions from Megan.

  Ben tossed his scarf over the handrail, rubbing his hands together as he headed into the kitchen. “Yeah! Cookie time.”

  His enthusiasm tickled Katie. From the doorway of the kitchen, she overheard Nan talking to David. “I found a few more news clippings in the archives, and I know you’re on another search. I didn’t find anything explicitly about the key you mentioned, but maybe this will be helpful.” She handed him the blue folder, and Katie couldn’t help but wish Nan had given that folder to her.

  “Wow.” David flipped through the pages. “Thank you, Mrs. Baxter.”

  “You’re very welcome, David. I just know if anyone can figure this out, it’s going to be you.”

  Katie ducked back into the kitchen, convinced Nan was up to something.

  Everyone was claiming workspace around the vast kitchen island, and Megan was moving another batch of cookies into the oven. There were cookies everywhere. She must’ve been at it for hours. No wonder the inn smelled so good. It was like a factory in here.

  Gooey frosting and perfectly browned fresh-baked cookies were already cooling on racks on the table and the long counter, ready to be decorated once they got these next batches all rolled out and onto trays ready for baking.

  David was stamping out snowmen like an old pro.

  “You’ve done that before,” Katie remarked.

  “Yes, I have. I love helping Megan with the baking any time of year.”

  “Good for you.” She watched as he spaced the snowman shapes on the baking sheet then carried it over to Megan, who’d just closed the oven door. “There’s no more room?”

  “No problem.” Megan took the tray from him and slid into the convection oven on the counter.

  “All right.” He smacked a high-five with her. “Can I get started decorating while those bake?”

  “It looks like we have plenty of people making the cookies. You can start decorating.”

  Delighted, David hopped up on a stool in front of a stack of truck-shaped cookies and began spreading colored icing across them.

  “Hey, is there room for me?” Henry, from the tree farm, tied a green apron around his waist as he walked into the kitchen.

  “Always,” Megan said. “Guests, this is Henry Miller from Miller’s Christmas Tree Farm. He has the very best trees in town. That’s where the wreath-making class is held too.”

  “Hey everyone.” Henry walked over to Ben. “Hey Nan, I picked out the perfect tree for out in front of the library.”

  “Wonderful.”

  Ben tugged the dish towel from his shoulder. “I’m late getting started on that.”

  “You want to come by tomorrow to pick it up?” Henry asked.

  “Yeah. Sure. That would be great. I’ll ask Hannah for the truck, and I’ll pop by sometime tomorrow.”

  “That would be good. We’re getting real busy out there.” Henry sprinkled flour across the space in front of him and rolled out cookie dough. “I put aside a nice, tall one for you. Just like you like them.”

  Ben, apparently happy over the news of the tree, did a celebratory fist-pump. “Awesome.”

  Katie held back a laugh at the youthful antic. Yes, it was easy to imagine Ben as a kid growing up in Evergreen.

  He made his way around the island and rolled chilled dough with a fancy ceramic rolling pin that looked almost too pretty for real work.

  She leaned in close enough to get a whiff of his aftershave, which was nice. Using her best newscaster voice-over cadence, she said, “People come from miles around to witness the sweet folksy charm of Henry Miller’s Christmas Tree Farm.”

  He stopped and gave her an approving glance. “You’re just writing that article right in front of me, aren’t you?”

  She nodded with playful confidence and continued pushing the copper cookie cutter into the dough. “I’m just that good.” She’d never met someone quite like him. The banter was so easy, like they’d known each other forever.

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” He grabbed a silver dragées and pushed it into the raw cookie at the top like a star. “You’re welcome.”

  She hoped the article would be as easy to write as it was fitting in to the day-to-day here in Evergreen.

  Chapter Eleven

  The kitchen at Barbara’s Country Inn was elbow-to-elbow with help. Megan, wearing a red apron decorated with snowflakes across the bib, handed out aprons to Henry and Ezra, who’d just joined in to help. Megan insisted everyone working in the kitchen wear an apron while decorating.

  The guys moaned and groaned about the frilly patterns of the full over-the-head style aprons, but Ben finally folded one down to only wrap around his waist, and the rest of the guys followed suit.

  Katie liked the pretty apron she’d been given to wear. She lifted it over her head and struck a pose.

  “Very nice.” Ben’s cheeks pinked as if he hadn’t meant to say it out loud, and hers did too.

  Ben wore his apron like a tool belt, and it wasn’t a bad look on him at all. He seemed to know his way around the kitchen too. She liked that.

  The song playing over the speakers started with a long orchestral lead-in that everyone recognized. “Twelve Days of Christmas,” Hannah shouted, throwing her hands in the air.

  “Our favorite,” David said.

  And with that, everyone sang along, someone different picking up each of the days.

  “On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,” they all sang. Then Hannah pointed to Katie to fill in the blank.

  “Ack! I’m not sure.”

  “Swans-a-swimming,” David hinted over her shoulder.

  “Seven swans-a-swimming,” she shouted out in a hurry.

  “Six geese-a-laying,” Henry sang, followed by Hannah in perfect pitch singing, “Five golden rings.”

  “Four calling birds,” Megan sang.

  “Three French hens,” Henry belted out in an accent, something close to French.

  Ben hooked his thumbs together and waved his hands as he sang, “Two turtle doves,” then everyone joined in, “…and a partridge in a pear tree.”

  Each progressive round started with nervous laughter as someone was picked t
o start. And so it went for all twelve days of the song. At the end, they all cheered and clapped. The mingling aromas of sugar, lemon, ginger, peanut butter, and chocolate floated around them.

  Megan slid out the last three trays of cookies. “That’s all the baking!”

  “Hooray!”

  “Now on to decorating.”

  “I got a head start,” David said, standing up and holding a big red truck cookie for everyone to see. A shiny glaze of red icing flooded the top of the cookie like a high-dollar custom paint job. David had outlined the details in black and even added green garland and a wreath to it. “It’s just like Allie’s truck.”

  “It sure is.”

  “I made one like Elliott’s truck too, Hannah.” He showed her the green truck, and Katie watched Hannah for a reaction.

  Hannah pulled her lips together. “I like it.” Her smile suggested more.

  Elliott joined them in the kitchen. “Did I just hear my name?”

  Hannah looked like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Her mouth opened and closed before any words started coming out. “You did. David made a cookie for you.”

  “Aw, man. That’s awesome. It’s just like my truck.” Elliott slapped his arm around David. “Great job, man.”

  “Thanks!” David raced over to his stool and went back to work.

  Nan was painstakingly decorating small ornament-shaped cookies with a fine tip, while Megan worked on 3-D tree cookies that were basically two stacked cookies, then she used a fringe tip to dab lifelike pine needles on them.

  Ben lifted a pastry bag and snipped the tip like a pro. Katie was quite impressed when he started dabbing the tip against the cookie with all the skill of those television pastry chefs. She struggled with her Christmas tree in an effort to make it a little prettier, or at least presentable. She dropped a few more sprinkles across it. “More sprinkles is always good, right?”

  “Definitely.” Nan lifted two exact duplicate ornament cookies and held them up to the sides of her face like earrings. “What do you think?”

  “Those are too pretty to eat,” Katie said.