A Christmas to Remember
A sweet Christmas story
Chapter One
The winter storm started as a steady drizzle as Katie
McGowan left Fargo on I-94 East, heading back to Minneapolis. She’d spent the
last four days in Fargo, North Dakota, at the new branch office of Prairie Star
Newspapers, reviewing the benefits package with each employee and completing
the paperwork. On Friday morning, she’d left early to get ahead of the storm,
but it quickly caught up with her.
“Why do we have to get bad weather on the same day I’m
driving back to Minneapolis?” Katie complained aloud, her heart pounding like a
jackhammer as she peered through the flapping windshield wipers. “This had
better not mess up my holiday!”
She’d planned to spend the weekend with her parents
and get into the Christmas mood by watching classic holiday movies and helping
her mom bake fancy cookies. Mom and Dad were expecting her for dinner tonight
at six o’clock, but the way things looked now, she might not make it back to
Minneapolis until very late.
Oh, well,
she thought, I’ll catch up on sleep after Christmas.
As blustery Canadian winds pushed into Minnesota, the
drizzle turned to sleet then became a rippling curtain of solid white, limiting
her visibility to the taillights on the vehicle ahead of her. Slippery
conditions and blowing snow forced her to reduce her speed to forty miles per
hour. At thirty-three, Katie had seen her share of bad weather and considered
herself a pretty good driver, but she’d never experienced anything like this.
The Malibu began to slide toward the shoulder, as
though being pushed by an invisible force. Snow scraped the underside of her
car, causing her to grip the wheel with white-knuckled hands. Slowly, she
straightened the front wheels and steered back into the grooves carved by the
huge tires of the monstrous pickup truck ahead of her.
Buried deep in her purse, her phone began to ring, but
she let it go to voicemail and concentrated on her driving. She couldn’t even
glance away from the road much less reach across the seat and dig into her bag.
Through the blowing snow, Katie spied a large green
sign that read “Alexandria, Exit 100” and let out a small cheer. Luckily, the
truck ahead of her drove up the exit first and plowed a path for her. At the
top of the ramp, she stared through the swirling white cloud, wondering which
way to go. Though she knew the city of Alexandria well, the whiteout conditions
disoriented her, causing her to lose all sense of direction. She desperately
needed to find a gas station where she could pull in temporarily and call home.
At the top of the exit, the truck turned right. She
glanced around, surveying her limited options. To her left, the road looked
impassable, covered with at least a foot of snow. She decided to play it safe
and follow the truck.
Straight ahead, Katie saw a snowplowing contractor
clearing the parking lot of a large gas station. Breathing a sigh of relief,
she veered her car onto the frontage road and drove to the station.
Her phone began ringing again. She parked under the
shelter of the station’s canopy and tore through her purse. The caller ID
displayed Prairie Star Newspapers. “Hello?”
“Katie, where are you? I’ve been trying to reach you
for over an hour! Are you okay?”
“I’ve got a major case of the shakes, but otherwise,
I’m fine,” she said to Marcey, the Executive Assistant to the Director of Human
Resources at the newspaper office. “I’m in Minnesota now at a gas station in
Alexandria. The snow is coming down so fast I can hardly see to drive, much
less answer calls. How’s the weather in Minneapolis?”
“I’m so glad you’re all right! It’s starting to sleet
here and the snow isn’t far behind,” Marcey said. “According to the weatherman,
MNDOT is closing down I-94 at Alexandria because the wind is creating
impossible driving conditions. You escaped just in time. The barricades are
going up right now and the Highway Patrol is directing people off the freeway.
It looks like you’re going to be spending the night there, but don’t worry, I’m
searching the Internet right now for a hotel room for you.”
Katie gripped the phone. Spend the night here? No way!
“Marcey, I can’t stay in Alexandria tonight. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Mom and
Dad are expecting me for dinner and I have to stop at my apartment first to
pick up gifts.”
“Hold on,” Marcey said, ignoring her plea. Marcey went
silent except for the clickety-click of her typing. “Katie, I have a list of
accommodations for the area and I’m working my way through it. I’d better get
back to calling before everything fills up. Sit tight. I’ll call you back as
soon as I can.”
“Marcey, wait—” The line went dead.
Katie tossed her phone on the seat and stared out the
window. This couldn’t be happening. She had to get home tonight!
Her stomach rumbled, prompting her to dig through her
bag for something to snack on. She’d missed lunch an hour ago, so a Snickers
bar and a half-empty bag of strawberry Twizzlers would have to do. She bit into
a Twizzlers stick and called her mother. No one answered. She tried her
father’s cell phone. That rang repeatedly, too.
“Where are they?” she said aloud in frustration,
chewing on a mouthful of candy. Her parents had a bad habit of forgetting their
cell phones at home or simply not hearing the phones ring if they were watching
the news. Over the years, her father had gradually lost his hearing in one ear,
but rather than wear a hearing aid, he preferred to crank up the volume
instead. They were probably sitting in front of the TV right now, getting the
latest updates on the weather, and wondering why she hadn’t called.
The call went to voicemail. “Hi, Dad,” she said, “this
is the first chance I’ve had to check my missed calls this morning. Don’t
worry. I’m okay. I made it as far as Alexandria, but it looks like I’m stuck
here overnight because the Highway Patrol is closing down the freeway. My boss’
assistant is booking a room for me right now. Tell Mom I’m sorry I can’t make
it for dinner. I’ll call her when I reach the hotel. Bye.”
Katie disconnected the call and sat staring at the
snow dancing across her windshield in swirling gusts. She didn’t want to stay
here overnight. She didn’t want to be stuck in this town! Reaching into her
bag, she pulled out the Snickers bar. When upset, eat chocolate!
I need to get back on that freeway and be on my way.
A couple of minutes later, Marcey rang her back.
“I’ve got good news and bad news,” Marcey said. “Which
one do you want first?”
“I could use some good news about now.”
“Right! The good news is, I found you a first-rate
hotel and the only rooms left were the king suites, so you’re going to spend
the night getting the royal treatment.”
“What’s so bad about that?” Katie stuffed the last
bite of the Snickers bar in her mouth.
She heard Marcey draw in a deep breath. “...it’s at
Lakewood Resort.”
The candy bar stuck in her throat like a glob of
sugary cement. She swallowed hard. “I can’t stay there. You know that.
Please find me something else.”
“Believe me, I would if I could,” Marcey said, her
voice threaded with regret. “I’m so sorry, Katie, but that’s the only hotel
left with anything available in the entire city. All of the less expensive
accommodations went first and the others filled up after that. There were only
two suites left at the resort when I called and the other one is most likely
gone by now, too.”
Katie’s heart began to slam in her chest. “I-I can’t
do this. You know that’s where...where Josh...”
The scene came back with startling clarity; the
grinding howl of snowmobile engines, the explosive crash of metal on metal, the
screams...Josh airborne then his lifeless body crumpled in the snow...
“I know it’s hard to go back to the place where Josh
was...had his accident, Katie, but you have no other choice.”
“I have an emergency kit in my trunk. I could pull
into another hotel parking lot and keep the car running to stay warm.”
“Katie, that’s unthinkable! What will you do to keep
warm once the gas runs out? And that’s not your only problem.”
Distracted by the crash scene blaring in her head,
Katie barely heard Marcey’s words. “What do you mean?”
“What will you do when you have to use the bathroom?”
The words “use the bathroom” forced her to focus. It
would be tough to sit in a cold car with no food, watching the snow pile up as
her only entertainment, but the thought of not having any “facilities,” as her
dad would say, gave her pause. A hot shower and something good to eat sounded
wonderful right now, just not at Lakewood Resort!
“You can do this, Katie. It’s been two years
since you’ve last seen the place.” Marcey paused as if to give her a chance to
think it over. “Maybe going back there is just what you need.”
Though Marcey would never be tactless enough to say
the words, the implication of what she really meant came across loud and clear.
Going back to Lakewood Resort will force you to face Josh’s death, finally,
and move on with your life.
No way,
Katie thought stubbornly. She’d vowed never to come back to Lakewood Resort
because it had caused her too much pain. I don’t want to deal with that now—or
ever.
A sudden gust of wind rocked the Malibu. She checked
the gas gauge. The needle pointed to the halfway mark. One-half of a tank would
not last long in this weather. She could brave the storm and fill up here, but
even a full tank wouldn’t get her through the night. She stared across the
parking lot, knowing she had to get going and the longer she procrastinated,
the worse it would be once she got back on the road. The area the snowplow had
cleared already had an accumulation of new snow.
Katie let out a deep breath. “Marcey, are you still
there?”
“Of course I am. I’m not hanging up until you promise
me that you’re going to take that room at the Lakewood Resort and be safe.”
She went silent for a few moments, mulling it over.
“This is not fair,” she said in a grumbling voice. “I’ll drive over
there and give it a try, but I’m not guaranteeing I’ll stay.”
“Wonderful! Do you need directions?”
“No. I’ll use my cell phone GPS.”
“Great! Look, I have the weather report on my monitor
and you need to leave now. This storm is turning into a slow-moving
blizzard and the longer you wait, the more dangerous it’s becoming. Get going
before the police have to form a search party to find you.”
“Okay,” Katie said, becoming alarmed at the prospect
of getting lost or worse, ending up in the ditch. “The Lakewood Resort can’t be
far from here, but I have no idea what condition the roads are in over there by
Lake Darling.”
“Drive carefully and call me as soon as you arrive. If
I don’t hear from you in twenty minutes, I’m going to call 9-1-1!”
Katie hung up and got busy pulling up the directions
on her phone. As soon as she drove out of the lot and turned onto the main
road, her car began to slide, but she reduced her speed and kept moving. She
drove toward the freeway and risked a glance as she passed the northbound
on-ramp, hoping the Highway Patrol hadn’t closed the barrier yet.
She gasped when she saw red and blue flashing lights
from a half-dozen squad cars on the freeway below. It looked like a semi-truck
and trailer had jackknifed across the southbound lanes. Vehicles filled both
sides of the ditch like piles of snow-covered dominoes. Headlights beamed like
beacons through the blowing snow from cars lined up waiting to be detoured onto
the exit ramp once the tow trucks had cleared through the drifts to open a
temporary lane. Frightened, she focused straight ahead and kept on going,
passing a roadblock of police cars closing off the southbound entrance to the
freeway.
The GPS led her across town, directing her turn by
turn until she reached Lakewood Lane, but she couldn’t let her guard down until
she drove through the guest parking lot into the circular entrance at the
Lakewood Resort and Conference Center.
Her stomach fluttered with dread. The last time she
had stayed here, she’d departed in an ambulance with Josh and never returned.
She’d buried him a few days later, exactly two weeks before Christmas.
Thankfully, she’d had the love and support of her parents to help her get
through the holiday that year and every year since. She couldn’t imagine
spending Christmas without them.
She slid to a stop under the Porte cochére and stared
at the massive brick and stucco building. Pine boughs, red velvet ribbon, and
multi-colored lights dressed the large windows spanning the front. A pair of
snow-covered wreaths hung on the double doors of the entrance. The bell captain
came out to greet her, dressed in a black jacket and fur cap. A gust of icy
wind and snow swirled around her as she lowered the window, causing her to
shiver.
“We’re fully booked, Ma’am, but due to the blizzard,
we’re allowing people to take shelter in the lobby. Do you have a reservation?”
The nametag on his jacket read “Ron.”
“Yes, I do,” Katie shouted, squinting to avoid getting
snow in her eyes.
“May I assist with your luggage?”
She pressed the trunk release. “I have one bag.”
“Just give the bell desk a call when you get into your
room and we’ll deliver it.” Ron handed her a ticket for the suitcase and
pointed toward the guest parking lot. “You’ll have to find a spot in the open
area, I’m afraid. Valet parking is full.”
She raised the window and waited for him to remove her
bag then stepped on the gas. But the car didn’t move forward. Instead, the
front wheels spun on a patch of ice, making a loud whining noise. Then the car
simply slid sideways.
Ron reappeared at her window. “The valet can give you
a push. Unfortunately, I only have one on duty today and he’s busy helping
someone else right now, so you’ll have to wait your turn. When he comes back,
I’ll have him assist you.”
A horn blast forced her to turn around and look
through the back window. Several cars had lined up behind her, waiting for her
to drive on so they could drop off passengers and bags under the shelter of the
canopy. The guy behind her made a rude gesture and laid on his horn again.
Katie leaned her forehead against the steering wheel
and groaned. Could this day get any worse?
Chapter Two
Ryan Scott sat at the Sportsmen’s Lounge in the
Lakewood Resort and nursed a cold beer while he stared idly at a basketball
game on a large TV mounted on the wall. A heavy-set bartender with curly red
hair and matching beard stood on the other side of the counter, attempting to
coax small talk out of him. The nametag pinned to his long-sleeved navy polo
read “Red.”
“How about this weather? Gonna be nice cruising on a
fast sled once the wind dies down.”
“Yep.” Ryan took a sip of his beer and watched
seven-foot basketball players dancing across the TV screen.
“You own one?”
Ryan pulled his attention from the game long enough to
glance at the guy. “Snowmobile? Yep.”
Red leaned against the bar with his palms spread on
the counter. “Whatcha got?”
“Polaris Rush.”
“Uh-huh.” The bartender grinned, his deep blue eyes
sparkling at the mention of a Polaris. “So, you like trails.”
“Pretty much, yeah.” Ryan didn’t mean to be rude, but
no way did he feel like making frivolous chitchat. He’d come up here from
Minneapolis to be alone for a few days and deal with the shock of his parents’
sudden, vitriolic divorce. Their decision to cancel the family Christmas
gathering and instead leave town on separate vacations had deeply hurt his
sister. It simply angered him. His parents had put up with each other for the
last forty years. Why couldn’t they have stuck it out two more weeks for their
family’s sake? He understood why they’d decided to split up, but disagreed with
their timing.
I’m never getting married. If it has to end like this,
who needs it?
Ignoring his moodiness, Red reached under the counter
and pulled out a glass bowl of snack mix, setting it in front of Ryan. “Are you
stranded by the blizzard or staying here for the holidays?”
“Both.”
Red looked puzzled. “Huh?”
Ryan drained the last of his beer and pushed the
bottle away. “If it wasn’t for the fact that you can’t see your hand in front
of your face, I’d be out on my sled right now.” Across the room, a two-story
wall of windows provided a magnificent panorama of the lake, but today the view
amounted to tornado-like clouds of white. “Until the storm lets up, I’m sitting
around, wasting a perfectly good weekend.”
“Bored, huh?”
“You could say that.”
A gray-haired guy walked into the bar, late fifties,
dressed in a purple and gold jacket with the Minnesota Vikings logo on the
chest. He stopped next to Ryan, but his attention focused on Red. “Hey, there’s
a woman outside in a blue Malibu who could use a push,” he announced loudly.
“She slid on some ice and now she’s blocking the entrance.”
Ryan slid off the barstool and grabbed his jacket,
eager to answer the call. He didn’t much care for the idea of pushing a car
through a blizzard, but it sure beat sitting here while Red pestered him with a
million pointless questions. He jammed his arms into his jacket and started for
the door. No one followed, not even the guy who asked for volunteers. Whatever.
Given his present mood, he didn’t need any help.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RZ2V9GP
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/christmas-to-remember-a
https://www.scribd.com/audiobook/485850405/A-Christmas-to-Remember-A-Sweet-Christmas-Romance
https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/a-christmas-to-remember-by-denise-devine
https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/id1542013225
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-christmas-to-remember-denise-devine/1140082309
https://www.hibooks.com/discover/audiobook/christmas-to-remember-a-2
https://bingebooks.com/book/a-christmas-to-remember-3
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/13823501
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781943124275
Want to find more good authors
who write sweet romance? Join my reader group - Happily Ever After Stories. If
you like sweet romance and want to be part of a great group that has lots of
fun and fantastic parties, visit us at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HEAstories/.
No comments:
Post a Comment