His Little Christmas Miracle

‘Sparrow’s fart,’ he said with a grin before he elaborated. ‘It means you were up really early.’

His blue eyes sparkled as he smiled at her but this time it was the twin dimples in his cheeks that set Jess’s heart racing. His smile was infectious and she couldn’t help but return it as she said, ‘You remember us?’ She was surprised and flattered. The boys would have seen hundreds of people already today.

‘Of course. Don’t tell me you don’t remember me?’ He put both hands over his heart and looked so dramatically wounded that Jess laughed. She’d have to watch out—he was cute and charming with more than a hint of mischief about him.

And, of course, she remembered him. She doubted she’d ever forget him, but she knew his type and she wasn’t about to stroke his ego by telling him that his eyes were the perfect colour—unforgettable, just like him. She knew all the towies were cut from the same cloth, young men who would spend the winter working in the resort and then spend their time off skiing and drinking and chasing girls. They would flirt with dozens of girls in one day, trying their luck, until eventually their persistence would pay off and they’d have a date for the night and, no matter how cute he was, she didn’t want to be just another girl in the long line that would fall at his feet.

‘Well, just so you don’t forget us again, I’m Lucas and that’s Sam,’ he said, nodding towards his mate, who was sitting on the other side of Kristie.

‘I didn’t say I’d forgotten you,’ Jess admitted. ‘I remember your accent.’ But she wasn’t prepared to admit she remembered his dancing or had been unable to forget his cornflower-blue eyes. ‘You’re Australian?’

‘Yes, and, before you ask, I don’t have a pet kangaroo.’

‘I wasn’t going to ask that.’

‘Really?’

‘I might not have been to Australia but I know a bit about it. I’m not completely ignorant.’

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that,’ Lucas backtracked.

‘It’s okay.’ She’d stopped getting offended every time people treated her like a cheerleader but while she was one she was also a science major. ‘I know most of you don’t have pet kangaroos and I know you eat that horrible black spread on your toast and live alongside loads of poisonous snakes, spiders and man-eating sharks. Actually …’ she smiled ‘… I’m not surprised you left.’

Lucas laughed. ‘I’m not here permanently. I’m only here for the winter. It’s summer back home. I’ll stay until the end of February when uni starts again.’

‘So where is the best place to party in the village?’ Kristie interrupted. ‘What’s popular this season?’

Kristie knew the village as well as anyone—she didn’t need advice—but Jess knew it was just her cousin’s way of flirting. To Kristie that came as naturally as breathing.

‘How old are you?’ Sam replied.

‘Nineteen,’ she fibbed. She was only three months older than Jess and had only recently turned eighteen but nineteen was the legal drinking age.

‘The T-Bar is always good,’ Sam told them, mentioning one of the après-ski bars that had been around for ever but was always popular.

‘But tonight we’re having a few mates around,’ Lucas added. ‘We’re sharing digs with a couple of Kiwis and Friday nights are party nights. You’re welcome to join us.’

‘Thanks, that sounds like fun,’ Kristie replied, making it sound as though they’d be there when Jess knew they wouldn’t. Which was a pity. It did sound like it might be fun but there was no way they’d be allowed out with strangers, with boys who hadn’t been vetted and approved. Although Kristie’s parents weren’t as strict as hers, Jess’s aunt and uncle knew the rules Jess had to live by and she didn’t think they’d bend them that far.

‘We’re in the Moose River staff apartments. You know the ones? On Slalom Street. Apartment fifteen.’

‘We know where they are.’

They were almost at the top of the ski run now and Jess felt a surge of disappointment that the ride was coming to an end. The boys were going snowboarding and Jess assumed they’d be heading to the half-pipe or the more rugged terrain on the other side of the resort. They wouldn’t be skiing the same part of the mountain as she and Kristie.

She pretended to look out at the ski runs when she was actually looking at Lucas from behind the safety of her sunglasses. She wanted to commit his face to memory. He was cute and friendly but she doubted she’d ever see him again. He wasn’t her Prince Charming.

CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_3eca9a2a-edfd-5ce6-bd26-f4c4984e95c7)

JESS ZIPPED UP her ski jacket as she stood in the twilight. She was back.

Back in the place where her life had changed for ever.

Back in Moose River.

She remembered standing not far from this exact spot while Kristie had told her that day marked the beginning of the rest of her life, but she hadn’t expected her cousin’s words to be quite so prophetic. That had been the day she’d met Lucas and her life had very definitely changed. All because of a boy.

Jess shoved her hands into her pockets and stood still as she took in her surroundings. The mountain village was still very familiar but it was like an echo of a memory from a lifetime ago. A very different lifetime from the one she was living now. She took a deep breath as she tried to quell her nerves.

When she had seen the advertisement for the position of clinic nurse at the Moose River Medical Centre it had seemed like a sign and she’d wondered why she hadn’t thought of it sooner. It had seemed like the perfect opportunity to start living the life she wanted but that didn’t stop the butterflies in her stomach.

It’ll be fine, she told herself as she tried to get the butterflies to settle, once we adjust.

In the dark of the evening the mountain resort looked exactly like it always had. Like a fairy-tale village. The streets had been cleared of the early season snow and it lay piled in small drifts by the footpaths. Light dotted the hillside, glowing yellow as it spilled from the windows of the hotels and lodges. She could smell wood smoke and pine needles. The fragrance of winter. Of Christmas. Of Lucas.

She’d have to get over that. She couldn’t afford to remember him every few minutes now that she was back here. That wasn’t what this move was about.

In a childhood marked by tragedy and, at times, fear and loneliness, Moose River had been one of the two places where she’d been truly happy, the only place in the end, and the only place where she’d been free. She had returned now, hoping to rediscover that feeling again. And while she couldn’t deny that Moose River was also full of bittersweet memories, she hoped it could still weave its magic for her.

She could hear the bus wheezing and shuddering behind her, complaining as the warmth from its air-conditioning escaped into the cold mountain air. It was chilly but at least it wasn’t raining. She was so sick of rain. While Vancouver winters were generally milder than in other Canadian cities there was a trade-off and that was rain. While she was glad she didn’t have to shovel snow out of her driveway every morning, she was tired of the wet.

Jess could hear laughter and music. The sound floated across to the car park from the buildings around her, filling the still night air. She could hear the drone of the snow-making machines on the mountain and she could see the lights of the graders as they went about their night-time business, grooming the trails. She glanced around her, looking to see what had changed and what had stayed the same in the seven years since she had last been here. The iconic five-star Moose River Hotel still had pride of place on the hill overlooking the village but there were several new buildings as well, including a stunning new hotel that stood at the opposite end of Main Street from the bus depot.

The new hotel was perched on the eastern edge of the plaza where Main Street came to an end at the ice-skating rink. There had been a building there before, smaller and older. Jess couldn’t recall exactly what it had been but this modern replacement looked perfect. The hotel was too far away for her to be able to read the sign, although she could see the tiny figures of skaters gliding around the rink, twirling under the lights as snow began to fall.

She lifted her face to the sky. Snowflakes fell on her cheeks and eyelashes, melting as soon as they touched the warmth of her skin. She stuck out her tongue, just like she’d done as a child, and caught the flakes, feeling them immediately turn to water.

But she wasn’t a child any more. She was twenty-four years old, almost twenty-five. Old enough to have learned that life was not a fairy tale. She didn’t want a fairy-tale ending; she didn’t believe in those any more but surely it wasn’t too late to find happiness? She refused to believe that wasn’t possible.

Seven years ago she’d had the world at her feet. She’d been young and full of expectation, anticipation and excitement. Anything had seemed possible in that winter. In the winter that she’d met Lucas. In the winter that she’d fallen in love.

Sometimes it seemed like yesterday. At other times a lifetime ago. On occasions it even seemed like it was someone else’s story but she knew it was hers. She was reminded of that every day. But as hard as it had been she wasn’t sure that she would do anything differently if she had her time again.

She could still remember the first moment she had laid eyes on him. It was less than two hundred metres from where she now stood. She’d been seventeen years old, young and pretty, shy but with the self-assurance that a privileged lifestyle gave to teenagers. In her mind her future had already been mapped out—surely it would be one of happiness, wealth, prosperity and pleasure. That was what she and her friends, all of whom came from wealthy families, had been used to and they’d had no reason to think things would change. She’d been so naive.

At seventeen she’d had no clue about real life. She’d been happy with her dreams. Her biggest problem had been having parents who’d loved her and wanted to protect her from the world, and her biggest dream had been to experience the world she hadn’t been allowed to taste.

To her, Lucas had represented freedom. He’d been her chance to experience the world but the freedom she’d tasted had been short-lived. And the real world was a lot tougher than she’d anticipated. Reality had slapped her in the face big time and once she’d been out in that world she’d found there had been no turning back.

Reality was a bitch and it had certainly killed her naivety. She’d grown up awfully quickly and her clueless teenage years were a long way behind her now.

She was still standing in the car park, mentally reminiscing about that winter, when an SUV pulled up in front of her at a right angle to the bus. The driver put down his window. ‘Jess? Jess Johnson?’ he said.

Jess shook her head, clearing the cobwebs from her mind. ‘Sorry,’ the driver said, misinterpreting the shake of her head. ‘I’m looking for a Jess Johnson.’

‘That’s me.’

The driver climbed out of the car. ‘I’m Cameron Baker,’ he introduced himself as he shook Jess’s hand. Cameron and his wife, Ellen, owned the Moose River Medical Centre. He was Jess’s new boss. ‘Let’s get your gear loaded up. Is this everything?’