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

  He must have thought this was just a made-up excuse, because he wasn’t the least bit flustered by her announcement. “We’ll talk about that later. Right now, Lisa’s waiting for us.”

  “But…”

  Raising her hand to his lips, he kissed it. “Come on. Let’s go see how the barn looks.”

  It was pointless to argue and really, the curiosity was starting to kill her.

  Together they walked toward the barn and greeted Lisa.

  “Hey, you two! I’m so glad you could make it,” Lisa said. She was a native to Silver Bell Falls and she and her husband Hank were known for their handmade wood ornaments. They sold them every year at the big craft sale that was held right after the Christmas parade. The very first ornament Melanie had ever purchased was from Hank and Lisa.

  “Thanks for doing this on such notice,” Josiah said with a smile. “I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

  Lisa waved him off with a smile of her own. “It wasn’t a big deal at all. I love seeing this place decorated for the holidays and I was probably going to do it in another week or two so really, you just helped me get an early start.” Then she looked at Melanie and her smile grew. “You are going to love what we’ve done in here.”

  “Oh?”

  Stepping closer to the doors, Lisa explained. “We’ve had holiday parties here in the past and have kept to the basics of decor—lights, wreaths, and trees—but what I went for this time around, was a little more of a…” she looked over her shoulder at the two of them with a hint of giddiness. “Winter Wonderland.”

  She swung the double-doors open and motioned for them to step inside. There was some snow on the ground outside and as Melanie and Josiah stepped into the barn, it almost felt the same inside.

  Releasing Josiah’s hand, Melanie stepped into the large open space in awe. There were white twinkly lights and tiny silver stars hanging from the ceiling which gave the impression of a night sky. There were also two massive white chandeliers there that she’d never seen before. They had garland and red bows woven through them. Around the room were several tall and beautifully decorated Christmas trees and in between them were birch trees lit up with white lights. And the tables…the settings were everything Melanie could ever imagine and more.

  “Lisa,” she said with wonder. “You have really outdone yourself. I…I can’t believe you accomplished all of this in a week!”

  Appreciative of the praise, Lisa blushed. “As much as I love that you think I was able to pull this together so quickly, the truth is I’ve been working on this stuff for about six months.”

  “Um…excuse me?” Melanie asked as she glanced at Josiah, silently accusing him of somehow orchestrating this for so long.

  “Last Christmas we had several parties here and everything looked fine,” Lisa explained, “but I knew we could do more. So I’ve been scouring Pinterest for some new ideas.” She walked over to one of the tables. “Let me explain what we have here—and know that I do have a few other options if you don’t like what you see.”

  It was on the tip of Melanie’s tongue to tell her how she didn’t have to explain anything. Without a wedding gown, there was no way they could get married this Christmas. Next Christmas? Maybe. The more she looked around the room, the more she could easily picture herself getting married in this setting. But right now…

  “You’ll notice that each place setting has one of these silver pinecones,” she said as she held one up. “These frosty-looking pinecones are the classic winter adornment. Scatter them about your wedding for an instant - and cost-effective -seasonal touch. We put place cards in the top of them so your guests have a festive way of seeing where they sit.”

  “Those are precious,” Melanie murmured and beside her, Josiah agreed.

  “Josiah told me you wanted a rustic theme, so I did my best to combine that with a holiday feel. We can add more reds if you’d like, but I went with the white, silver and gold tablescape. I wanted to create a festive feel with clever and creative tablescaping; cinnamon sticks, pinecones, log slices and fir foliage all create a woodland ambiance.” She looked at both of them and smiled. “I believe this—along with the barn atmosphere—really work well together.”

  Neither of them could argue with her logic.

  “And look at the cloth napkins!” Lisa added. “I combined cinnamon sticks and winter berries, for a chic and organic napkin ring alternative. Aren’t they perfect?”

  If Melanie didn’t put a stop to this now, she’d get so wrapped up in Lisa’s excitement that she’d be willing to get married in yoga pants and a sweatshirt!

  “Now I have to admit, Hank is responsible for the chairs,” Lisa said as she pulled one of the chairs from the table. “Fussy chair covers wouldn’t really work in this environment. But I didn’t want to just leave them bare. While Hank was trimming the trees, he hung some of the discarded branches over the chair and I saw them and thought…perfect! So, a little greenery and some red velvet ribbon and—voila! —we have something more rustic and simple.”

  “I never would have thought of that,” Josiah said and Melanie wanted to remind him how decorating on any level wasn’t his thing. When they had shopped for furniture for their new house, she had to stop him from picking everything that was brown and leather and functional. Functional was fine, but he had no creativity—or any idea how women preferred color and style in their homes.

  Lisa moved toward the center of the room and pointed up at the ceiling. “These chandeliers are big and beautiful but they don’t throw off an excessive amount of light. Combined with the twinkly lights, I think we cancreate a really cozy atmosphere at your wedding reception. It will really feel like an outdoor event combined with the low lighting, lots of candles and a touch of sparkle.”

  “It really does feel…magical in here, doesn’t it, Mel?” Josiah asked.

  She was about to answer when she noticed something unusual in the corner of the room. “Um…what’s that?”

  “Ooo…that is going to be the highlight of every party this winter!” Lisa exclaimed as she walked across the room. “This is a hot chocolate bar!”

  “A hot chocolate bar?” both Melanie and Josiah repeated.

  “Uh-huh! Isn’t it fabulous?”

  “It’s…it’s…”

  “Actually, we’re calling it a cocoa bar, but we’re going to serve mulled wine and hot brandy cocktails too! It’s a wonderful alternative to your standard bar and with the cold weather, guests will appreciate coming inside and having something hot to drink. Of course, you can serve whatever you want, but this is an option for you if you’re interested.”

  “You keep speaking as if you’re handling the food, beverages and…pretty much everything,” Josiah commented. “I thought you just rented out the space and then someone else catered and decorated and handled the rest.”

  “That was how we used to do things,” she explained. “And anyone who rents the space is more than welcome to bring in their own people. But…you know what a close-knit town we are and there aren’t a lot of spaces available for big parties other than the churches, so the more events we had here, the more I got to work with party planners and caterers—all of whom are local—and it just seemed like a smart thing to start working together. You know, professionally.”

  “So…now you’re in the party planning business?” Melanie asked, a bit wide-eyed and surprised at the announcement. “But what about the ornaments and Hank’s wood carving business?”

  She waved them off. “Hank’s relieved to have me doing this so I’m out of his hair a bit more,” she said with a laugh. “I love working with him, but I found I loved working solo and being able to express my own creativity a lot more!”

  “That’s amazing!” Josiah said. “And your love of what you do really shows. This place truly is a winter wonderland! We love it, don’t we, Mel?”

  There was no way she could lie. “It really is amazing in here, Lisa. And if I had a gown, I know I’d be tempted to book you
right now, but…”

  “You need a gown?” Lisa asked, sounding more excited than worried.

  “Yes, she does!” Josiah answered before Melanie could.

  Rubbing her hands together, Lisa’s eyes lit up. “Well, it just so happens that my niece Jessica got engaged last month and they are planning a wedding for Thanksgiving weekend—a short timeline like yours!”

  “Oh, um…we’re still not…” Melanie tried to explain but Lisa was talking again.

  “I got to go dress shopping with her and Marie—my sister—in New York City two weeks ago and she found a fabulous dress right off the rack at one of those sample boutiques!”

  “Sample boutique? What’s that?” Melanie asked, mildly intrigued.

  “Apparently, several top bridal salons, showrooms and manufacturers have been opening discrete sample stores where they can divest themselves of extra inventory and where a bride-to-be can walk out with a deeply-discounted gown, ready for final alterations by her own tailor! Amazing, right? I remember when you had to order your gown six months before the wedding!”

  “Is that so?” Josiah asked as he grinned at Melanie. “And right there in New York City? Sounds like a great excuse for a weekend trip!”

  “Oh, it was,” Lisa said. “It was. We had a fabulous time and none of them take appointments—you just walk in and shop. I’m telling you, Melanie, they had every style of gown imaginable!”

  Great. There went her gown excuse.

  “I can get the list of all the shops we went to and email it to you,” she continued. “Marie’s a list-maker by nature and I know she’ll have those names handy for anyone who needs them.”

  “Thanks, Lisa,” she said, smiling stiffly.

  “So what else can I do for the two of you?”

  ****

  It wasn’t as if he was going to do a victory dance just yet, but there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that after seeing the barn and hearing of all the options for getting a wedding gown, Melanie would agree to getting married for Christmas.

  The drive back to the house had been almost as quiet as the one to the barn. He knew when to hold his tongue and let Melanie think things through.

  This was one of those times.

  But the suspense was killing him. There were several times while they were walking around the barn when he saw the excitement in her eyes and how much she loved what she was seeing. He also knew she could be stubborn and would need time to reason it all out in her head before agreeing to anything.

  “How about Italian for dinner tonight?” he asked as they walked into the house. “I think I can whip up a quick Bolognese sauce if you’re interested.”

  Melanie shrugged.

  He made his way to the kitchen, pulled open the refrigerator and scanned the contents. “We can have a salad and garlic bread with it too.”

  “Uh-huh…”

  Okay, he’d hit his limit. For the last week he had done his best not to push his agenda on her, but he was getting tired of their stilted conversations. From the moment Melanie Harper had walked into his life, they’d had great chemistry, great banter and could talk for hours on end about everything and nothing at all. He missed that. And especially now when they were in their new home and should be happy and celebrating, he hated how things were strained between them.

  And whose fault is that?

  Yeah, okay, that one was totally on him. Josiah knew he wasn’t being reasonable about the wedding. After all, it wasn’t like they had to get married this Christmas. He just wanted to. If it had been up to him, he would have married Melanie that very first Christmas they were together—and they had only known each other for less than eight weeks! She was it for him.

  Those light blue eyes, her long dark hair, her smile, her laugh…even her stubbornness all made her who she was and he loved her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and wanted that life to start as soon as possible.

  Closing the refrigerator door, Josiah walked across the room to where Melanie was sitting at their kitchen table looking at something on her phone. Without a word, he reached down and carefully pulled her to her feet.

  She didn’t say anything—not out loud—but her eyes scanned his face and he read all of her questions there.

  Slowly, he pulled her into his arms and rested his forehead against hers. “Hey,” he said softly.

  A small smile pulled at her lips. “Hey yourself.”

  “I’ve missed you.”

  With a slight head tilt, she studied him. “I’m right here.”

  “I know but…I feel like we’ve both been a little distant this week and…I hate it. I envisioned our first week in the house being much different.”

  “Oh really,” she said as she pressed a little closer. “How so?”

  “For starters, I envisioned us talking a lot more,” he explained. “And laughing. And having a lot more sex.”

  That last one had her laughing quietly. “I’ll tell you what…”

  He instantly perked up.

  “How about you give me a few minutes head start and I’ll go draw a bath…”

  “Go on…”

  “And I’ll add lots of bubbles…”

  “Uh-huh…”

  “And you can join me and we’ll work on crossing all those things off your list, Sheriff. What do you say?”

  His entire body seemed to harden. “I say I’m glad we got a tub big enough for two!”

  Chapter Three

  The next morning, they were lying in bed and Melanie knew last night had been the perfect—and sexiest—distraction for them, but they needed to talk about the elephant in the room.

  Snuggled up beside him under the blankets, she kissed his chest before resting her head back on his shoulder. “We need to talk.”

  His arm tightened around her and she felt a light kiss on the top of her head. “I know.”

  Confrontation in any form was something Melanie tended to shy away from as much as possible, but this was important and as uncomfortable as she knew it could be, it still had to be dealt with.

  So many thoughts tumbled around in her head and yet she couldn’t seem to organize them enough to speak. Luckily Josiah seemed to sense that and spoke first.

  “Mel, we took a long time to plan and build this house and it’s everything we ever wanted, right?”

  She nodded.

  “We talked endlessly about the things we wanted and the details that were important to us. We looked at magazines and websites and watched home shows to get ideas and in the end, we were able to incorporate all the features that we had to have, right?”

  She nodded again but had no idea where he was going with this.

  “But once we knew what we wanted, it all came together pretty quickly, didn’t it? The hardest part was sitting down and talking through our ideas and the things we thought were important. After that, everything else fell into place.”

  “It still took almost eighteen months from start to finish,” she reminded him. “The house wasn’t built overnight.”

  “I know, I know, but a lot of the delays were weather-related. If you took that out, the timeline was much shorter, wasn’t it?”

  “I suppose.”

  “When you write your books, how long does it typically take you?”

  “It depends,” she said softly. “Some stories just come to me and they flow effortlessly. I’ve written a novel in a month, but most of the time it takes two to three.”

  “It’s a little like the house planning,” he went on. “Once everything is worked out in your mind, the rest just seems to flow.”

  “Josiah, what exactly are you trying to say? It’s too early for my brain to be following the way this conversation is going back and forth between houses and books.”

  He chuckled softly and placed another kiss on top of her head. “Mel, we already know we want to get married. We have the place and it’s decorated beautifully. We’ve been living together almost since we met. I don’t think we need to wait anothe
r year for a wedding. Personally, I don’t want to wait that long.” Then he shifted so he could look at her face and smiled softly. “I want you to be my wife. The sooner the better.”

  Her heart kicked hard in her chest and that’s when it hit her.

  She wanted to be his wife sooner rather than later too. Waiting another year just meant obsessing about things for a longer period of time.

  “I don’t want to wait another year either,” she began carefully. “I love you and I want to be your wife, but…can’t we at least talk about another date? Something that doesn’t have to do with the holidays?” And before he could comment, she quickly added, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a date that is just ours? Something we aren’t sharing with the rest of the world?”

  He sighed and she knew he was disappointed. Truth be known, she hated to be the one to make him feel that way, but she also knew she’d feel worse if she kept her feelings to herself. This was going to be their wedding and it should be on both of their terms.

  The silence was beginning to make Melanie nervous, so she looked up. “Josiah?”

  Another sigh. “I get what you’re saying and I guess I thought we had crossed that hurdle and you were over your whole hating of all-things-Christmas.” He shrugged. “In my head, I thought it would be the perfect way for you to have a whole different view of it—something positive and happy to wash away all the negative memories.”

  Rolling over, she placed her hand on his chest directly over his heart. “You have done so much to make that happen and I really have learned that not everything about Christmas is bad, but…it doesn’t mean I want to share the happiest day of my life with it. Think about it, Josiah. As magical as it all sounds in your head, think of the reality of having it as our anniversary. We’d never get to celebrate it on its own—it’s always going to be a holiday to celebrate something else. And when we have kids, our anniversary will get lost in the shuffle. Is that really what you want?”

  By the look on his face, he hadn’t thought about these things. Melanie knew how much Josiah loved Christmas and everything about it. Living his entire life in Silver Bell Falls, how could he not? It was like living in a giant Christmas card year-round! That’s why she felt it was important for him to be open to looking at other dates. While she could completely concede that Christmas and everything that went with it could be wonderful, there were also a lot of other wonderful times of the year for them to consider.