Unexpected Gifts: (The Steamy Version) (A Castle Mountain Lodge Romance Series Book 1) (4 page)

“Hi,” she said into the phone. “It’s me. I just wanted to tell you I got here alright and my reservation got messed up. But you’ll never guess how it worked out.” Andi smiled, knowing her message would drive her friend crazy with wonder. “Anyway, let me know how everything’s going. We’ll talk soon.”

After she hung up the phone, she didn’t know what to do with herself. She hadn’t thought much beyond getting out of the city for the holidays. She’d wanted to hide, and the mountains seemed to be a good place to do it. But she hadn’t considered what she might do once she arrived. A glance at the clock on the nightstand told her it was still a bit early for dinner, which was fine with her, she didn’t want to be inside anyway.

The snow was still falling, but it didn’t seem to be coming down quite so hard. She looked through the window at the darkening village and Andi watched the lights in the nearby buildings come on, giving the covered earth a sparkle. The scene outside, while frosty, also looked inviting. The Lodge staff were out, busy with shovels and mini snowplows, doing their best to clear the paths. They’d be clear enough to walk on. Andi grabbed her gloves, hat, and coat and headed out for a walk.

Right before she let the door of the villa close behind her, she wondered if she should leave Colin a note telling him where she’d gone. But he hadn’t left her one. And why should he? He had told her to make herself at home, and he would have his own things to do.

Shoving thoughts of Colin out of her head, Andi tucked her hands into her pockets and strode out onto the cleared walkway. She’d noticed the path system when they made their way from the main lodge earlier and the bellboy had told them the trails were all well-lit and maintained. When she asked, he told her they traveled through the village, and made up a total of fifteen kilometers. The system was designed so there was no need to drive anywhere. Everything was in walking distance. With the chill in the air, Andi was pretty sure she would turn into an ice cube before she walked all fifteen kilometers, but she was definitely looking forward to stretching her legs for a little bit.

Letting the trails lead her away from the buildings, Andi walked where the trees started getting thicker. She wasn’t the only one with the idea of an evening stroll and there were other guests out as well; couples holding hands, a few families, and every once in a while she saw another lone walker like herself.

Her thoughts drifted to Colin. What was his story? Why was such a handsome man alone for Christmas? There could be a million explanations and he had made it pretty clear that he didn’t want anything to do with a relationship, but there had to be more to it than that. Blaine had only mentioned him the once, right before their trip to St. Lucia, and she got the distinct impression that although they’d hung out as kids, they weren’t all that close. Their dinner had been more about proving to Colin how great Blaine had turned out than a chance to catch up with a friend. There had to be a story behind that. Maybe something happened between them in high school? Instead of creating stories in her head, Andi resolved to ask him about it when she saw him again. If she saw him again. She didn’t know anything about the man or why he was alone during Christmas. Maybe he was at the Lodge for business, although she couldn’t imagine what business he would have in the mountains the week of Christmas.

Distracted by her thoughts, she didn’t notice the little boy until he crashed into her legs.

“Oh,” she said, bending down to help him up. “Are you okay?”

The moment she spoke, the little boy burst into tears.

Andi glanced around, looking for a parent. She didn’t know how to handle kids, especially ones who were crying. For the last eight months, she’d done her best to avoid children, even her half-brothers, when she could manage it.

She looked around desperately, but there was no one around except her and the little boy, whose cries had only become more intense. She crouched and took his hand. “It’s okay,” she said, trying her best to sound calm. She could feel her body shaking and hoped he wouldn’t notice. “Where’s your mom?”

The boy looked to be about four. “I’m lost,” he managed to choke out between sobs.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “We’ll go find your mommy, okay?”

The little boy nodded and wiped his nose with the back of his mittened hand. She took his hand in hers and stood. They only got a few steps when she heard a woman’s voice calling through the trees. A moment later, the woman turned the corner on the path and spotted them.

“Noah,” she called and jogged—as best she could with a baby strapped to her chest—towards them.

The little boy dropped Andi’s hand and ran towards his mom. Andi watched the reunion and squeezed her now empty hands together. It had felt nice to hold him, even for a minute.

Once their reunion was complete, the woman and her son walked towards Andi. “Thank you,” she said. “He just ran ahead on the path and the next thing I knew…”

“It was no problem,” Andi said. “I’m glad I was here when he needed me.”

“At least this one isn’t walking yet,” the woman said.

Andi felt her chest tighten with the familiar pain as she looked at the baby. She knew it was socially acceptable to ask how old the baby was, or even what her name was. Instead, Andi managed a smile and said, “You’re very lucky.”

“I’m Sarah.” The woman extended her hand.

“Andi.” She took the woman’s hand but couldn’t tear her gaze away from the sleeping infant. She must have been about six months old. She would know if she asked. But she couldn’t. She didn’t want to know. Not really.

“Sarah? Noah?”

Both women turned towards the voice as a man came running down the path towards them.

“Dad!”

Noah tore away from his mom and ran full force to his dad, who swept him up in a big hug.

“I’m glad I could help,” Andi said again, and excused herself from the happy scene.

“It was nice to meet you,” Sarah called after her and smiled one more time before turning and joining in a family hug.

Andi walked as fast as she could, leaving their voices far behind her. Paige would have been a few months older than that baby. They would have been celebrating her first Christmas as a family.

She couldn’t stop the thoughts from forming. But as soon as they did, she wished them away. The fact was, she would never know what Paige would have looked like if she’d lived, and there would never be a happy family scene for them. She was alone, and the sooner she accepted it, the easier it would be. She sniffed hard and wiped her gloved hand across her face.

I refuse to think about it this week, she thought to herself, as if willing her brain to cooperate with her heart would make a difference this time.

He should have waited for her, Colin thought for the hundredth time. Or at least left a note. He’d struggled with the proper way to handle leaving the villa earlier. He hadn’t wanted to disturb her while she was in her room. He’d been more than pleasantly surprised that she’d agreed to stay, but he didn’t want to make it weird for her.

After Andi had disappeared to his room, Colin, feeling awkward and unsure of what to do next, decided to go over to the main building to explore a bit. He’d only been gone an hour when he went back to see if she’d like to have dinner with him. But finding her gone, he went back to the Lodge, hoping to find her. It was probably a bit on the desperate side, and completely out of character for him to chase after a woman, but there was something about her.

Trying not to look like he was waiting for someone, Colin chose a large wingback chair close to the fire that had a perfect view of the main doors. He flicked through a magazine, but didn’t bother glancing at it. The Lodge was busy with people coming and going in different directions, no doubt to one of the many events or activities offered. Colin had picked up a schedule and chatted with Carmen earlier, who, as it turned out, was also the social director. Rose had been right; from a quick look at everything they had planned for the week, Castle Mountain Lodge was the perfect place to enjoy Christmas. There was everything from gingerbread house building to sleigh rides. Colin looked closely at the itinerary for that one. He could imagine that snuggling up to Andi, under a warm blanket, while riding through the pines, would be the perfect way to spend an evening.

He sighed, tossed the magazine aside and stood. He had to stop thinking of her that way. But the truth was, ever since seeing her in the lobby, he couldn’t stop thinking of her like that. Wrong or not. Stretching his arms over his head, he turned and looked out the window. Before he could berate himself yet again for his poor decision to leave Andi alone, he caught a glimpse through the window of a woman who looked a lot like her. She was bundled up against the weather, but he knew. It was her.

Colin moved across the main room quickly and reached the side door at the exact moment Andi opened it. A blast of winter air preceded her.

“Andi,” he said. “I was wondering where you went.”

Did he really just say that? Colin inwardly cringed at his eagerness.

“Oh, hi.” She looked up at him. Her face was flushed from the cold, crystals of ice formed on her eyelashes, and the very tip of her nose was red. He surprised himself by wanting to bend and kiss it, to feel the coolness on his lips.

But something was wrong. She looked distracted or upset. He couldn’t tell which. Female emotions had never been his strong suit. “Are you okay?” By instinct, he took her arm and led her towards a group of chairs. She went willingly, but shook her head in protest.

“No,” she said. “I mean, yes. I’m fine. Nothing happened. I went for a walk to get some fresh air, and I probably just stayed outside a little too long.” She pulled the knit cap off her head and fluffed out her hair. “It’s beautiful out there,” she said and when she looked up again, any trace of sadness there might have been was gone.

“I don’t know about beautiful,” he said. “But definitely cold. Can I buy you a hot drink to warm up?”

She smiled and unzipped her thick coat. “I think I’d like that, thank you.”

Together they walked down the long, open hallway that led away from the main room. There was a variety of gift shops lining one side of the corridor. Each shop held the usual t-shirts and coffee mugs emblazoned with pictures of the Canadian Rockies or wild animals. Things Colin used to find cheesy and tacky, but after being gone for so long, he could appreciate why visitors wanted to take a bit of Canada home with them.

They walked until they reached a small cafe-type of restaurant. “I know there are a few more choices in the village, but this looks nice,” Colin said.

“I don’t want to go outside again, if it’s all the same to you.”

“Here it is, then.” Colin led them into the dim room and to a table near the fireplace.

After the waitress took their orders—a hot chocolate with Baileys for her, a beer for him—they settled into their chairs and looked at each other.

“Why does this feel like a first date?” Andi asked after a moment. She laughed, but Colin couldn’t help wishing it was a first date. Or any date at all.

“You think so?”

“Well,” she said with a smile. “I guess we’ve moved past the whole first date stage. Since we’re staying together and all.”

She tried to look confident, but Colin noticed her look away and she wouldn’t meet his gaze. Could she be nervous about their arrangement? Or their shared history?

Lord knows he was, but only because of the intense attraction he had for her from the moment he met her. He wanted to ask her about Blaine—there was a lot of history between them—and he didn’t know if it was a good idea to get involved with one of Blaine’s exes.

Instead of asking what he really wanted to, he said, “Since we kind of skipped the first date, we should probably ask each other those awkward first date type questions. Don’t you think?”

She looked up at him and Colin was rewarded with another smile. She relaxed into her chair and said, “Why not? Let me start.”

“Absolutely, ladies first.”

“I think the obvious question is, why are you here by yourself?”

So, she wasn’t going to pull any punches, Colin thought.

“I mean, it’s Christmas,” Andi continued. “Why would you come to the mountains alone? Don’t you have family?”

“Don’t you?”

She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. The smile faded. “It’s your turn,” she said. “Besides, we already talked about my family.”

“Okay,” he said. “I came to Castle Mountain because I was told it the best place around to experience everything the holidays has to offer. I wanted it all. The whole Christmas experience.”

“You haven’t had it?”

“Not since I was a kid,” Colin said truthfully. “I’ve missed it.”

“Well, I think the whole holiday thing is for kids anyway,” Andi said, her voice laced with bitterness. “I didn’t realize there would be so many families up here. Shouldn’t they all be at home wrapping gifts and decorating trees and all that?”

Before Colin could ask her what she had against Christmas, or families for that matter, the waitress arrived with their drinks. She placed a large mug of hot chocolate topped with a mountain of whipped cream and a cherry in front of Andi and a bottle of beer in front of him. When she left, the tension in the air had dissipated a little.

“You know I’m going to ask why you’re here,” he said.

“I told you earlier, my party planning company was offered a promo invitation. We’ve been wanting to check out the Lodge for a while. It’s a great spot for weddings and large company functions and—“

“You thought Christmas would be the best time to conduct your research?”

“I did.” She pulled her mug toward her and plucked the cherry from the top of her drink.

“You didn’t want to spend it with your family? Those step-brothers you mentioned earlier?” Or Blaine, he’d wanted to add.

She sucked the cherry into her mouth, licking it clean while she considered the question. Colin had to look away.

“More like they didn’t want to spend it with me,” she said. Her voice was so soft and vulnerable, Colin looked back. The air of confidence she’d worn earlier was gone, but she didn’t look sad either. “Eva, my business partner, didn’t need me at work, so here I am.”