Page 2 of The Christmas Lodge
And Lacy had done her best to fulfill her mother’s wishes. Soon after Harv had abandoned them, Lacy’s mother had reverted back to her maiden name, Preston, and changed Lacy’s last name as well.
At first, Lacy had carried the shame of her father’s dishonesty and failures like a physical scar, but by high school, she had formed a new resolve. She would do what her father had failed to do—run a successful investment business, one that was clean and honest and thriving. From the moment she had made that decision as a teenager, Lacy had thrown herself into her schoolwork, striving for excellence.
Her work had paid off, leading to a full-ride scholarship for her undergraduate, a stint studying abroad in France, and finally obtaining an MBA from a prestigious university. Her mother had passed away before she had completed her MBA, and later she learned that her father had passed as well.
Being suddenly alone in the world could have broken her, but she wouldn’t allow it. Instead, she had continued to push forward. Inside, she knew that she had made both herself and her mother proud. She had worked enormously hard for years to build her successful career, far away from her father’s shameful scandals.
Her cell phone rang, pulling her from the rabbit hole of her thoughts and shattering the peaceful quiet of her apartment. Setting her wine glass aside, she strained to reach her phone, which she’d tossed at the other end of the couch and peered at the number on the screen. She didn’t recognize it, but that wasn’t too uncommon in her line of work. Often a pleased client would pass along her business cards to other business startups and advise them to get in touch with her.
Running her fingers through her honey-brown hair to get it out of her face, Lacy sat up straight and answered in her usual professional manner.
“Lacy Preston speaking. May I ask who is calling?”
“Ms. Preston, my name is Ronald Carp. I’m the attorney for Nicholas Spielman’s estate. I believe he was your grandfather?”
Lacy felt her mouth drop open, completely blindsided by the attorney’s words. She sat frozen but her mind raced with the news that had been dropped like a live bomb into her well-ordered life.
“Ms. Preston?”
Lacy cleared her throat, tucking her knees up to her chest like a child and wrapping her arms around them as though holding herself together, but when she spoke she managed to keep her voice calm and steady.
“Yes, I’m here.”
“I’m calling regarding your late grandfather’s estate.”
“Estate…?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Were you unaware of Mr. Spielman’s wishes?”
“My grandfather and I didn’t have contact. I haven’t spoken to him in over twenty years.”
There was another pause. “I see,” Mr. Carp said finally. “Well, then. Your grandfather owned property in Snowy Pine Ridge in New Hampshire. A rather extensive property, actually. I believe most would consider it a mansion, and it sits on several acres of land. He left it to you, Ms. Preston.”
Lacy sat, stunned and aghast at the news, then her mouth thinned into a hard line. “I don’t want it.”
Mr. Carp cleared his throat. “Be that as it may, Ms. Preston, the property is legally yours.”
Lacy dropped her head to rest against her knees and squeezed her eyes shut. She had spent most of her life running from the legacy of her father and grandfather. And now, a portion of that legacy was literally being forced upon her, whether she wanted it or not. And she most certainly, emphatically, deeply, didnotwant any part of it.
CHAPTERTWO
Derek Morse had been out on the snowy trails almost before the sun had risen, even though it was a Saturday morning. He didn’t mind waking up early; in fact, there was something about being awake when everyone else around still slumbered on that brought him a sense of peace and clarity. The world could get so loud, even in his tiny hometown, and he took every chance he could get to immerse himself in the jaw-dropping scenery that made the small New Hampshire town of Snowy Pine Ridge a hidden gem.
Derek gave a low whistle, the signal his team of dogs all understood to mean that it was time to spring forward with extra energy. They threw themselves forward against their harnesses, pulling him on the dogsled with everything they had. He stood, legs wide on the runners, exulting in the brisk winter wind against his face as his team charged up the steep hill. The sled and the dogs’ paws threw a steady spray of powdery snow behind them, and he found himself laughing aloud with the sheer joy of the moment.
Moments later, they crested the top of the hill, and Derek called for his team to stop. They slowed to a halt, their tongues lolling out of their open mouths and their panting breaths forming little puffy clouds in front of their faces. He reached forward, scratching the ears of the dog closest to him, Apollo. Apollo leaned into his hand, his tail wagging a mile a minute. Although that stretch of the trail with its long incline was difficult, he had trained his team well, and they tackled it with relative ease, something that always filled him with enormous pride.
“Good job, boy,” he murmured, giving Apollo one last pat on the head before turning to look out at the vista spread below him.
Snowy Pine Ridge, with all its simple charms, lay below his gaze, and he soaked in the sight. This town was his whole world, the only place he had ever called home, and he didn’t foresee that changing. In the distance, the spires of the church on the corner of Center Street and Main Street reached toward the sky, which had formed a cloudless blue in the early morning, belying the bitter cold temperatures.
The downtown area of town was filled with orderly streets, lined with adorable small shops and local businesses. The old iron clock in the town square, once black, had now weathered to a soft green, lending the square a stately charm. In the summertime, most of the shops had window boxes filled with flowers and leafy trees shading the cobblestone streets. Derek loved that time of year, but he loved winter even more, and not just because of his dogsledding business.
No, wintertime was when Snowy Pine Ridge showed herself to full advantage, at least in his opinion. Pine wreaths hung on shop doors and in shop windows, twinkly Christmas lights were strung on the trees in town and soft white snow rested on rooftops and formed gentle mounds along the sides of the streets. Often, during the evenings in December, old Christmas tunes would play over the speakers in the town square, or carolers would give small concerts in the open air.
You just can’t find traditions and community like that in a big city, Derek mused, taking in a lungful of crisp mountain air.And you can’t find views like this either.
There had been a short time in his youth when he had wondered if he was a failure for not leaving his hometown, for not going to college like many of his friends, but he had long since let that go. Ever since he was a child, he had loved learning, but his favorite learning had always occurred outside of the classroom and out in nature. When he was only a little boy, his parents had signed him up for dogsled racing lessons, and he had taken to it like a fish to water. A retired dogsled racing champion, Cliff Morris, had settled in their town for its access to the best trails, and Derek’s life had been sculpted by Cliff’s decision.
