Home with My Sisters (10 page)

“Mr. Jingles?” Austin said.

“It just came to me.” If Yvette didn't like Christmas, she was going to have to say so herself.

Austin patted the top of the dog's gigantic head. “Mr. Jingles,” he repeated. “Suits him.”

“Do you like Christmas?” Hope asked Austin as the truck pulled out, cruised down Front Street, then took a left at the end and began heading uphill.

He glanced at her for a second and then kept his eyes on the road. “No,” he said softly.

“Why not?”

“I think it puts an extraordinary amount of stress on people.”

“Oh.” He sounded pained. “I take it you're not close to your family?”

“Not anymore.”

There was definitely a story there, but Hope wasn't going to push for it. This was the opposite of the happy Facebook front. This was real life. Imperfect, frustrating, beautiful, real life. “I'm sorry.”

“You're pretty much in the same boat, aren't you?” Now there was a defensive edge to his voice. Austin Rhodes did not like talking about himself.

“I agree that for a lot of people Christmas can be lonely, or way too stressful. But it doesn't have to be that way,” Hope said.

“Society makes it that way by putting so much pressure on the holiday,” Austin said. “Capitalism at its finest.”

“It's not supposed to be like that.”

“But it is. You can't deny it.”

Hope didn't want to argue about politics, or religion, or economic greed. She just wanted to enjoy the season. “Look at this place. It's a winter wonderland. Can't people just truly enjoy connecting with nature, and loved ones? Did you ever consider it's just as simple as that?”

“Says the woman who just dropped a ton of money on a pair of overpriced nutcrackers for a woman who doesn't even want them.”

“They were on clearance. This one has a bite taken out of his jolly nose, and the other one is missing a finger. One guess which finger it is.”

Austin threw his head back and laughed. The sound of it warmed Hope. Soon the truck was nearing the end of the road. Ahead of them was a private drive. The road turned from pavement to dirt. Trees hugged the entrance.

“Life is what happens when you're busy expecting something else,” Hope said softly, taking in the enormous estate barely visible behind an iron gate.

“Good one,” Austin said. “Who said that?”

“Santa's elves,” Hope said.

Austin smiled. “Who knew?”

“I'm sure they had to learn that the hard way.”

“Not easy pleasing kids all over the world,” Austin added.

“It's a thankless job.”

Austin stopped the truck before the gate and turned to study her. “You're certainly not what I expected.”

Hope didn't ask him to clarify. She was too busy gaping at the estate. “Are you taking me to a ski lodge for lunch before you take me to my grandmother's?”

“No,” Austin said.

“This is her place?”

“Yes, ma'am.”

It was enormous. And postcard-perfect. And dripping with wealth. “Oh, holy night,” Hope said. Her sisters were going to freak. And then Joy was going to smell money. And then they were going to freak out. For a split second Hope wanted to whisk her grandmother out of the enormous log house she could glimpse just beyond the gate and take her somewhere less enticing. Let Joy and Faith get to know her without distractions.

“Are you ready?” Austin said.

“Not at all,” Hope answered. “Not at all.”

CHAPTER 11

The truck idled in front of a massive iron security gate. Austin leaned out and pushed the code into a numeric keyboard hidden on a pole.

“A fortress? Out here?”

“Neighbor kids would come in and try to skate on the pond.”

“Is that so bad?”

“It is if they fall through and no one is around.”

“Ah.” And that was the downside of life. Everything that could bring a bit of happiness was also a risk. She couldn't believe her grandmother lived here. Why wouldn't her father be here too?
He's not alive
. Otherwise wouldn't he be here? Or had they had a falling out? Maybe money wasn't important to him. What was important to him? If he was alive, then certainly not his own daughters. Was their grandmother as furious as they were? How could a woman who lived in a winter wonderland not want to celebrate Christmas?

“I can't wait to meet her,” Hope said as the gate swung open and Austin pulled in. He gave her a look that was easy to interpret:
Be careful what you wish for.
Just ahead of them was a massive log house, almost a mini ski lodge with green shutters and a wraparound porch. The land surrounding it seemed to go on forever in all directions.

“It's huge,” Hope said.

“Twenty acres,” Austin said.

“My God.” The mountains rose and fell in the distance, snow covering their peaks. Hope could imagine what an astonishing sight it was to see the entire place covered in a blanket of snow. “Do you think it will snow for Christmas?”

“Sooner than that. It's supposed to be one of the snowiest winters on record. We've already had several big snowfalls.”

“It must be breathtaking covered in snow.”

“It's always breathtaking.”

“Where's the pond?”

“Out back a ways.”

“And you can skate on it?”

His eyes flashed on her, and she watched him register the fact that she liked to ice skate. It had been so long since a man had paid such close attention to her. “Skate in the winter, swim in the summer. As ponds go, it's gigantic.”

Hope scanned the windows for her grandmother but couldn't make anyone out. “I imagined her standing on the porch, eager to greet me.”

“She's taking a rest. In fact, I'm going to show you around the grounds first.”

“Oh.” That was slightly disappointing. She really couldn't wait to meet her. Would she see any family resemblance? Would she feel familiar? Oh, why had she waited this long to get in touch? Until there wasn't much time left. It wasn't fair.

Hope opened the door to the truck and Mr. Jingles jumped out. Before she could even consider putting a leash on him, he leapt forward, then tore off across the lawn. “Oh no. Mr. Jingles. Mr. Jingles!”

“He'll be all right. This has to be a dog's idea of heaven.”

Hope spread her arms and breathed in the crisp mountain air. “This has to be everybody's idea of heaven.”

“You'd be surprised,” Austin said as Hope reached for her bag. He gently put his hand out to stop her. “Yvette said Roger would bring your things in.”

Hope scanned the area as if expecting a bellboy to materialize out of thin air. She wouldn't have been surprised given that the house did resemble a boutique hotel. When nobody appeared she turned back to Austin. “Who's Roger?”

“He's the caretaker, I guess you would say. Lives in a cabin out back and helps Yvette with odds and ends.”

“That's nice.” A funny look came over Austin's face. “Isn't it?”

“To be honest, I'm not quite sure what to make of him. But Yvette sure is attached to him.” Hope nodded, unsure of what he meant or what to say. “Are you up for a little tour of the property?”

“Absolutely.” He glanced at her feet. She was wearing sneakers.

“Something wrong?”

“We won't trudge the entire twenty acres, but there may be muddy spots. Did you bring boots?”

“I'm from Oregon,” Hope said with a grin. She went to her bag in the cab of the truck and dug through it until she found her hiking boots. She sat on the porch and put them on. When she looked up, Austin was staring at her. Their eyes held slightly longer than ever before and she felt a jolt of electricity move through her body.
He's attracted to me, and boy am I attracted to him.
He looked away first. Shoot. Maybe
she
should have looked away first. But he was so easy to look at.

“Where is your place from here?” She kept her voice light, friendly. He didn't look back at her.

“Thataways,” he said, gesturing to the right. Either he was shy, or he had a girlfriend, because a definite wall had just come down.
Get a grip, Hope. You just broke up with Michael. Aren't you supposed to feel sad or something?
All she felt was relief every time she looked at Austin. She had to remind herself that she was here to meet her grandmother and spend Christmas with her sisters. She was not here to pick up the boy next door, no matter how attracted they were to each other.

She gazed at her tennis shoes on the porch, already feeling at home. She stood. “Ready.”

Austin pointed to the tennis shoes. “I'll put those in the cab.”

“No thanks.” Hope glanced at the rest of the porch. There wasn't much to make it homey. A severe-looking bench. It could do with some plants, and comfortable chairs, and why on earth wouldn't you hang a gorgeous wreath above this door? She could already see it strung with Christmas lights, twinkling in the night. She couldn't wait to decorate. She might even make a wreath for the door. There were certainly tons of pinecones around. She could get Joy and Faith to make it with her. One giant wreath made by the three wise women. They could pose in front of it, smile like the world was nothing but snowflakes and angels, and post it on Facebook.
CHRISTMAS WITH MY SISTERS!! Heart emoji, smiley face, thumbs-up, wink. NOWHERE I'D RATHER SPEND THE HOLIDAYS!

Hope couldn't believe she was in the middle of a winter wonderland and instead of enjoying it she was mentally composing fake posts on Facebook. She took a deep breath and tried to shove the image of the wreath made with sisterly love out of her mind. They probably would have made her stand in the middle anyway, getting squeezed from both sides.

Austin was still staring at her shoes.

“What?” Hope said.

Austin shifted uncomfortably. “Yvette might not like that.”

“We're in the country. They're a pair of shoes on a log porch. What's not to like?”

“She has her ways.”

“Well, so do I. If she wants me to remove them, I'd like to hear it from her.”

“You got it.”

Hope knew she was being silly, but she really wanted her shoes on that porch, wanted a place that felt like home, wanted to be welcomed and loved.

“Shall we start with the pond?” Austin said.

“Love to.” Hope hopped off the porch and followed Austin. “I'll have to buy some skates in town.” She could already imagine herself skating at night with glittering stars overhead and Christmas music playing. Now that would be romantic. Did Austin skate?

Austin laughed. “No, you won't. The barn is filled with skates. Rupert rented them out.”

“To whom?”

“The whole town.”

“Really?” Hope liked the sound of that. This place should be shared. Wasn't that what Christmas was all about?

“He sounds like a character.”

“On one hand he was Mr. Christmas.”

“And the other?” Hope asked.

“Well, he was a shrewd businessman, I'll tell you that.”

Hope nodded as she gazed at the property. His estate was certainly proof that he was a shrewd businessman. Hope didn't think wealth was obnoxious if one actually worked for it and gave back at the same time. “My grandmother didn't want to carry on the tradition?”

“There's too much to running a business. And a lot of liability. She probably would have done it if she was younger.”

“Or if my father had been around.” Hope hadn't meant to say it out loud, but it was already out of her mouth. To her relief Austin didn't comment on it. He seemed good at knowing when to leave things be. As they walked around the back of the house, a large red barn came into view. Next to it was the pond. It was even bigger than Hope had imagined. Perfect for skating! And tearing around the edges was Mr. Jingles.

“Is it frozen?” Hope asked.

“Solid as a rock,” Austin answered. A fantasy of Austin's abs flashed through her mind.

Hope forced herself to stare at the pond. “Thank God. If Mr. Jingles fell through I was going to send you in after him.”

Austin laughed. “I think he's even too heavy for me.” To the right of the pond was a free-standing deck with a sunken hot tub. In the other direction thick pine trees lined the perimeter, and the mountains framed the background. It would truly be an effort to feel anything but peaceful out here.

“That's the basic layout,” Austin said. “Do you want to hike through the woods?”

The cold air whipped Hope's cheeks. She imagined herself plopped on a cozy sofa with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book. She could gaze at the winter wonderland by the warmth of a fire. “Could I go inside and rest up a bit?”

“Of course,” Austin said.

Hope breathed a sigh of relief. “It's been a long twenty-four hours.”

“No problem. It's a big house. Even if she's still napping you'll have most of the place to yourself.” They headed back to the house, with Mr. Jingles at their heels. She would have to set him up with food and water right away. That's when he would know that he was home.

“Can I have him in the house?”

“For now there's a mudroom. I'm sure that will be fine until you get a chance to ask Yvette about it.”

They headed to the truck. Her bag was gone.

“Roger,” Austin said. They glanced up. Sure enough her bags were sitting next to the front door.

“That's so sweet.” Hope gazed at the bags. “He doesn't go inside?”

Austin shook his head. “Never. Although Yvette has certainly tried.”

“He says no?”

“He doesn't talk at all. She calls to him and he just stands at a distance, staring.”

“Staring?”

“I think he might have some developmental delays.”

“Oh.” Hope glanced around again. She couldn't see anyone, but there were plenty of places to hide. She wondered if he was behind a tree somewhere, watching and listening. “I'm glad he has a place here then.”

“Please don't quote me on that. I'm just totally guessing.”

“Of course. I won't say anything to anyone.” She glanced at her running shoes. Next to them sat a giant pinecone. It hadn't been there before. It almost looked like a mini Christmas tree. Hope picked it up. “It's gorgeous.” She inhaled and caught the wonderful scent of the outdoors. She didn't know how anyone could live anywhere but the Pacific Northwest.

“Roger must like you,” Austin said, eyeing the pinecone.

“That's sweet.” Hope tucked the pinecone back into her shoe for now. Then she noticed the nutcrackers. They were positioned at either side of the door. They looked fantastic. She beamed. “Roger must like Christmas.”

“Yvette doesn't.” Austin headed for the nutcrackers.

“Leave them,” Hope said. “If she doesn't like it, I'll deal with the fallout.”

“Suit yourself.” He headed back to his truck. “Good luck.”

“You're leaving?” She didn't mean to sound so panicked, but the thought of going into the house alone felt like breaking and entering. She'd gotten so used to Austin in such a short period of time.

Austin gave her a reassuring smile. “I live right next door.” He pointed to his left. All Hope could see was a parade of trees.

She smiled. “Thank you. For everything.”

“You're welcome.”

“Are you sure you don't want to come in?”

“You'll be all right. The key is under the mat.” She glanced down. A faded mat said: W
ELCOME
. She lifted it up and sure enough there was a key. Iron security gate with a numeric PIN, yet there was still a key under the mat. She laughed at the irony. Austin had his back to her as he headed for his truck.

“I'll see you later?” Hope called after him.

Austin turned, then stared at her with a grin that was slow to develop, but he nailed the landing. “Going to miss me?”

Heat flushed through Hope and she felt like a child who had just been caught doing something she shouldn't be doing. As crazy as it sounded to her, she felt like she missed him already. She hadn't once felt like this with Michael. “No, I just assumed—”

“I'm just teasing. I will definitely see you later.” Their eyes locked and a feeling of joy spread through her. Up until now she'd had limited experience with lust at first sight. At the end of the day, there was this mysterious thing called chemistry, and she'd finally met someone who made her spark just looking at her. He broke eye contact first, gave her a nod, got in his truck, and backed out. The gate slid open as his truck neared. But before the gates closed, Austin began to back up. At first Hope had this crazy thought he was coming back for her, but soon she saw a flash of silver metal. An SUV was pulling in.

Hope was thrown for a second. Faith didn't have an SUV, did she? Didn't she say she wasn't going to be here until closer to Christmas? The SUV had Washington plates. Faith and the kids must have flown into Seattle, picked up Joy, rented the SUV, and then pedal-to-the-metal all the way here. And both of them had been so adamant about not coming. Typical. Reverse psychology was a powerful thing. Hope bounded down the steps as the SUV pulled into the gates. Not only was Faith at the wheel, but Joy was in the passenger seat, her platinum hair shining in the winter sun. Her sisters were here. For the first time in years, the Garland Girls were going to be together for Christmas.