A Very Married Christmas: A Silver Bell Falls Holiday Novella Read online

  A Very

  Married

  Christmas

  By

  Samantha

  Chase

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 by Samantha Chase. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means.

  To My Favorite Romance Chasers

  What an amazing year this has been! You ladies are such a blessing and an encouragement to me and I am so thankful each and every day for you!!

  Thank you for sharing posts, writing reviews and being there when I have crazy questions or need feedback on covers or plots. These books are for you.

  Now let’s head back to Silver Bell Falls…

  Chapter One

  “Okay, that’s the last of it.”

  Looking around the room, Melanie Harper sighed with relief before turning and smiling at her fiancé. “I didn’t think it would ever get done!”

  With a smile of his own, Josiah Stone walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist. “These things take some time, Mel,” he said, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose. Hugging her close, he rested his head on top of hers. “Although I have to admit, this did take a bit longer than I thought too.”

  “I still can’t believe the house is done and everything’s here and unpacked and…”

  “I know,” he said softly. “We’re home.”

  It had taken almost two years, but here they were. When Melanie first came to Silver Bell Falls—completely under protest—she never thought this would be where she was going to live for the rest of her life. And yet…here she was. Who knew that by her grandmother leaving her a cabin and the enormous property it sat on that Melanie would find not only a home, but the love of her life.

  And Josiah was certainly that.

  Stepping out of his arms, she went and sat on their new sofa and patted the spot next to her for him to join her. “Do you remember the day we met?”

  With a husky laugh, Josiah sat beside her. “It’s burned into my brain. You, naked in the tub of the cabin…” He let out an appreciative sigh.

  She swatted his arm playfully. “Not that part,” she softly chided. “I mean…did you think this was where we’d end up?”

  “At the time, all I was thinking was how I was going to have to haul you down to the station and arrest you for trespassing.” He grinned. “In a towel.”

  They’d talked about their infamous meeting so many times and no matter how serious she tried to be about it, Josiah always had a way of turning it around and sounding like an adorable perv.

  “Let’s try this again,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I can’t believe I came here and was so convinced it was going to be the worst thing to ever happen to me and it turned out to be the exact opposite. I mean, look how far we’ve come!”

  One look at his face and Melanie knew he was still thinking of the bathtub scene so she quickly continued talking.

  “We’ve built a house, Josiah. Our dream house! We renovated the old cabin and even made good use of your tiny house!”

  “Your dad adjusted to tiny living better than I thought he would.”

  That was true. John Harper had followed his daughter to Silver Bell Falls—a place he had frequented growing up—and jumped at the opportunity to take over Josiah’s tiny house. It meant he was close by and it gave him a place of his own until he decided where he wanted to live permanently. It was only a few months ago that he decided to build a house.

  “I kind of miss seeing it out there,” she said. “There was something comforting about coming home and it being right outside our door.”

  “I don’t think it was the house as much as it was having your dad right there. But he’s not so far away now, Mel. He’s just on the far side of the property.”

  She shrugged. “It feels a lot farther. And there’s a lot of woods between our house and his.”

  Josiah moved closer and wrapped an arm around her, hugging her. “He’s a lot closer here than if he was still back in North Carolina so…”

  “I know, I know. There’s just been a lot of changes here lately and…I guess I’m trying to figure out what’s next.”

  Building a house they’d designed had taken longer than originally planned and they had to do work on the cabin simultaneously to make it a little more habitable for them. It meant they were surrounded by construction for a good part of the time. On top of that, Josiah had been re-elected as the sheriff of Silver Bell Falls and Melanie had written and published two books. Life had been moving at a pretty hectic pace. They’d been working so hard to be exactly where they were right now that Melanie wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do with herself.

  “Funny you should mention that,” Josiah said smoothly, pulling back just a bit so he could see her face. “I’ve been giving it a lot of thought.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “Really.” Then, taking her hand in his, he touched the vintage style engagement ring Melanie wore. When his eyes met hers, they were so full of tenderness that Melanie’s heart seriously skipped a beat. “The election, your deadlines, and this house have consumed us for almost two years now.”

  Swallowing hard, she said, “I know.”

  “And we both agreed that when I put this ring on your finger, we weren’t going to rush into making wedding plans because it would make us both crazy.”

  She nodded. “I remember.” And she had to keep from complimenting herself on how calm she sounded because now that she realized where this conversation was heading, she felt incredibly nervous.

  There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that she wanted to marry Josiah Stone. He had been her only beacon of hope at a time when she felt so completely lost and alone. The thought of spending the rest of her life with him excited her.

  Except…now that they were most likely going to start planning the rest of their lives, that excitement was making her feel a little sick.

  In a good way!

  Slowly, she let out a breath and waited for Josiah to continue.

  “So I’d like to think that we can start talking about this without making ourselves crazy.” The slow and sexy grin he gave her helped calm her nerves a little. She wanted to marry Josiah more than anything in the world and he was right—they were finally at a place where their lives had calmed down. It truly was the best time to start talking about wedding plans.

  “I agree,” she said softly, squeezing his hand. “Where do we even begin?”

  “Actually, I may have undersold myself when I said I’ve been giving this a lot of thought.”

  She looked at him in confusion. “What does that even mean?”

  Twisting in his spot, he faced her head on. “Mel, I am a planner. It’s just in my nature and I can’t help it.”

  The nervous laugh that came out couldn’t be stopped. “I know that and it’s one of the things I love about you!”

  “I know I can be overwhelming at times because you’re much more laid back in how you do things,” he explained, and Melanie felt like this was simply a stalling tactic.

  “Okay, so you’ve got some concrete ideas about our wedding,” she stated evenly. “That’s great! So…come on. Talk to me. What have you thought about? What kind of wedding do you see us having?”

  It was the long breath he let out that gave Melanie her first clue that she wasn’t going to like what he had planned.

/>   And the statement he blurted out confirmed it.

  “I want us to have a Christmas wedding.”

  ****

  “What?” she cried.

  Josiah knew he was taking a big risk in presenting this to her—after all, Melanie had grown up hating Christmas. Hell, he’d only gotten her to have some good feelings toward the holiday in the last two years! But he knew if she’d just give him a chance, he’d be able to prove to her how a Christmas wedding would be amazing.

  Jumping to his feet, he looked down at her shocked expression and did his best to keep his tone light and encouraging.

  “Just…hear me out, okay?”

  The look on her face said she would, but she certainly wasn’t happy about it.

  “What could be better than getting married during such a festive time of the year?” he began but didn’t give her a chance to reply. “Think about it—everything, everywhere is already beautifully decorated. Any place we go won’t require much from us because it will already be decorated! The Poinsettias, Christmas trees, the lights…all that work will be done for us.”

  “Josiah…”

  “And everyone will be in town already so there won’t be a need for them to make a separate trip.”

  “Who’s everyone? My dad is already here; he’s the only family I have and your family doesn’t live that far away. It’s hardly like they’d be making a huge sacrifice to come to town,” she countered.

  “But all of our friends will be here too. You know how most people we know tend to travel either before Christmas or after the new year because they love all the festivities here in town Christmas week.”

  Melanie let out a small sigh. “Look, I get what you’re saying. I really do. But…you know my feelings on Christmas.”

  He immediately sat back down at her side. “And we’ve come such a long way, Mel! When we first met, you hated the holidays and everything about them. But after that first Christmas here, you changed. You saw how it all wasn’t so bad and—admit it—you even enjoyed it.”

  She gave him a sour look. “I know that first Christmas was amazing but only because you made it that way for me. You went out of your way to make up for every single crappy Christmas I’d had since I was five!”

  “And what about last year?” he prodded.

  Another sigh. “You proposed last Christmas so of course that’s going to make for a great memory.”

  “So you see…”

  “But,” she quickly interrupted, “that doesn’t mean I want to get married during the month of December or anywhere near Christmas!”

  He silently admitted to himself that he knew there were going to be some challenges in getting Melanie to see his way of thinking, but he was kind of hopeful that she wouldn’t be quite this hostile toward the idea. How was he supposed to convince her that this could be good for them? Great, even? What could he possibly do to show her how wonderful a Christmas wedding could be?

  So he decided to opt for another tactic.

  “Okay then… tell me when you think we should get married.”

  Melanie’s eyes went wide. “Me?”

  He nodded. “I told you what I was thinking and now it’s your turn to tell me your thoughts.”

  “But…I haven’t thought about it!”

  “Mel, you can’t tell me you haven’t—not once—thought about our wedding. It’s not possible.”

  “Fine,” she murmured. “I guess when I thought about our wedding, I envisioned it as being warmer weather. Outdoors. And a bit…rustic.”

  Now they were getting somewhere.

  “Rustic, huh? I like that idea,” he said.

  “Really?” she asked, excitedly.

  “Absolutely! I think we could look into renting out the barn Hank and Lisa built off of Old Main Street. They’ve used it for a lot of events in the past. What do you think?”

  Then her eyes lit up because they were clearly on the same page. “That’s what I thought too! I mean…the few times when I thought about it,” she added. “When we went to the Valentine’s Day dance there last year, I remember thinking how wonderful it was and how I really liked the rustic look.”

  Nodding, he took her hand in his. “And I think we can make it look incredible for a wedding.”

  “I think so too!” And then she was in his arms and kissing him. And not that he was complaining but…this was only one small detail and they had many, many bigger ones to deal with.

  But kissing Melanie was slightly addictive and he figured that maybe—just maybe—they could take a few minutes and simply enjoy each other before they dealt with any more wedding plans.

  Melanie, however, wasn’t so inclined.

  Lifting her head, she looked at him giddily. “So then we agree—the barn in the spring and it will be perfect and…”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Josiah said, putting some distance between them. “I’m not on board with the spring. I still want us to have a Christmas wedding.”

  “Josiah, be reasonable. Please.”

  That wasn’t quite what he was expecting her to say. “I don’t think I’m being unreasonable here. I tossed out a date, you tossed out a date, and now we…you know…negotiate.”

  Crossing her arms over her chest she eyed him warily. “And are you going to counter every date I suggest with Christmas?”

  Busted!

  “Possibly.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Then what’s the point? If you’re not going to give on this, then how is that fair?”

  “Melanie…”

  “And,” she interrupted again, “might I remind you of how you always do this to me?”

  “Do what?” he demanded. “We’ve never tried to plan our wedding before!”

  “Not the wedding, but everything else Christmas-related!”

  Now he was totally confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “Do you remember the parade?”

  It would have been foolish to play dumb. He had totally manipulated her for her own good to get her to participate in the Silver Bell Falls Annual Christmas Parade when she first came to town.

  “And how you got me to put up a Christmas tree in the cabin because you didn’t have room in the tiny house?”

  “Well, in all fairness…”

  “And then there was the tree shopping and picking out ornaments and…”

  “Okay, okay…I get what you’re saying,” he confessed. “But you have to admit that even though you thought you didn’t want to do those things, you ended up enjoying yourself!”

  “It’s still manipulation, Josiah,” she argued. “You suggest something, I say no and then you come up with some sort of crazy reasoning and in the end, you get your way! How is that fair?”

  Unfortunately, she had him there. He’d always known that he did find ways around her objections to anything Christmas-related, but he also knew it always worked out and Melanie was happy. And he knew if she would just give him a chance, he could get her to come around to his way of thinking and their wedding would be beyond her wildest dreams.

  Now it was time to time to go big or go home.

  “How about this,” he said evenly. “Let’s make an appointment to go and see the barn decorated for Christmas. I know I can call Lisa and she can set it up so you can get an idea of how it will all look.”

  “It’s not about the decorations, Josiah…”

  “And if you don’t like it,” he went on as if she hadn’t objected, “then I promise to be more open-minded about another date.”

  Melanie eyed him warily again. And with good reason, he imagined.

  “What do you say, Mel? I can make the call and next weekend we can go and look and make some decisions.”

  Her shoulders sagged slightly. “I guess it can’t hurt,” she murmured. “But I don’t see what the big rush is. Why not just wait until she gets the decorations up? Even if I agree to this crazy idea, we have a whole year to plan.”

  Now it was his turn to be confused. “A whole year? Um
…Mel? I was talking about us getting married this year. This Christmas.”

  Chapter Two

  A week later and Melanie was still fuming.

  Inwardly mostly, but fuming nonetheless.

  “There’s Lisa,” Josiah said. The drive to the barn had been spent in relative silence—as had much of their week. He looked over at her with a small smile. “Ready?”

  “Yup.” Honestly, she was more than a little curious about how the barn was going to look when it was all decorated, but she was still peeved that Josiah couldn’t understand why it was such a big deal to her to try to plan a wedding in less than two months and at Christmas! It didn’t matter how much they talked about it this week—when they were talking—Josiah was still overly optimistic that they could pull off their dream wedding on such short notice. If time were their only issue, she could have possibly been on board. The time of year was her biggest hang-up.

  She climbed from their car and met him at the hood. When he took one of her hands in his and gently squeezed it, Melanie couldn’t help but smile. They’d get through this. Surely they’d talk to Lisa and she’d tell them it was impossible to pull off a wedding on such short notice. The place was obviously here, but there were so many other things to consider—invitations, caterer, music, her dress…

  Melanie gasped loudly.

  “What?” Josiah asked nervously. “What’s the matter?”

  Why hadn’t she thought about this before? Why hadn’t either of them thought about this in all their short discussions this week?

  Tears stung her eyes and she wanted to curse them. This wasn’t a bad thing; it was a good thing! This was the exact detail she needed to get her out of this Christmas wedding and to prove how they needed more time to plan!

  “A dress!” she cried. “Josiah, I don’t have a dress!”

  He looked at her oddly. “So? We can go buy one. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You cannot just go out and buy a wedding gown. They have to be ordered and then fitted and that takes months. Months!”