“About fifty miles to go,” Matthew announced as they passed a sign indicating they were now in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
The last hour and a half passed quickly, with chat about work and the challenge of raising children. It was easy and comfortable, but Savannah noticed Matthew didn’t say much about his own family life. He could go on forever about Athena but kept pretty closemouthed about his family of origin. Savannah had to admit to herself that she did find this a bit disconcerting as that’s where they were heading, but something told her to hold back on asking. She trusted him, and there must be a reason for his evasiveness.
“When was the last time you were home,” she asked. She turned toward him and watched his face soften and a smile form.
“Too long,” he said, turning to look at her, smiling that crinkly-eyed smile. Savannah swore she felt her heart skip a beat as the butterflies quickly fluttered in her stomach. She knew she could no longer deny her feelings for Matthew.
The heart fluttering, the butterflies, the trembling of promise when she would see Matthew come through the door. He seemed so unaware of when Savannah was stealing looks of admiration whether he was on duty as Sheriff Sugar Plum or just adjusting the bright red bulb of Rudolph’s nose. She also noticed her sadness when he wasn’t at the store when she was, or when he didn’t text her just to say hello. That combination of feelings meant one thing: she was falling for Matthew Buck, something she thought she would never experience again. Matthew was most certainly a charming man, but more importantly was the simple fact that he was kind, and he was gentle, and greatly loved his daughter, and she wanted to know more.
“I drove up when I first got back to the East Coast, and that’s been it. The job was brand new, so I lived and breathed it from the moment I started it, and with a couple of quick flights to London to see Athena, well, I haven’t had the chance to visit much. My mom and I FaceTime a lot. She still works and she’s busier than ever, especially around this time of the year, and my brother’s busy with his work, too. But come hell or high water, there was no way I wasn’t getting back here for this Christmas.”
“What does your mother do for work?”
Matthew stared straight ahead at the road.
Did he hear me? she asked herself.
“She’s a baker,” he finally responded. ”So, you can imagine, she’s quite busy.”
“I see,” said Savannah. There was something about his tone that told her he didn’t want to elaborate further, so she decided not to pepper him with more questions. She would find out soon enough.
He turned and smiled at her, those crinkles even deeper and more attractive than they were yesterday. ”I don’t want to say too much and spoil the surprise for you.”
Savannah laughed, understanding the reason for the brevity of his answer.
“So you have something up your sleeve, do you?” she teased.
“It wouldn’t be a Christmas surprise without a little mystery, now would it.”
“Oh!” Savannah exclaimed as a huge sign came into view.
The Blue Spruce Inn. The sign was in the shape of a huge blue spruce tree, the top of the tree indicating to continue straight.
“Fern overheard you on the phone, and told me what you did for Sylvene and Jolene,” Matthew said. ”That was unbelievably thoughtful of you, Savannah.”
The gentleness of his voice touched Savannah so that she felt the sting of tears stab at the back of her eyes. ”Tis better to give than to receive, right?” She felt the prickling of the tears subside, and silently gave a prayer of thanks. The last thing she wanted was to start the waterworks again, as she was still embarrassed about the night at the Christmas party.
She saw Matthew shrug his shoulders behind the wheel.
“It is, I believe that, but I also believe it’s okay to be kind and generous to yourself, too, Savannah. Look, I know it’s been rough for you, and I certainly understand what it’s like not to have your child with you at the holidays. It’s the worst.”
“I know you understand, Matthew,” Savannah whispered. ”I was feeling so lost in my life. And little did I know that the day you almost knocked me down would put my life on a different course. Being Mrs. Claus made me feel like a mom again. I miss so much having a child and watching that child discover and rediscover the magic of Christmas. Whenever I put on that dress, I was transformed. I think I was starting to get a bit reclusive, but being Mrs. Claus brought me back to the world, where I needed to be. And I thank you for that.” Savannah heaved a sigh of relief.
As if on cue from the heavens above, tiny flakes of snow blanketed the windshield.
“Snow!” exclaimed Savannah. She pushed the button on the car door rolling the window down and instantly her lap was covered in perfect tiny snowflakes.
“Hey, roll that up!” laughed Matthew. ”It’s dropped about twenty degrees.”
“I thought you were a winter kind of guy,” she laughed, as the window locked back into place, excited as a child about newly fallen snow.
“That I am, but I like my winter outside, not in my car.”
“Forgive me.” She turned and saw him smile that crinkly eye smile at her, and she felt her heart skip a beat, but she could also hear the laughter in his voice that she had become so fond of.
Another sign for The Blue Spruce Inn came into view. ”Oh, Matthew, would you mind if we stopped by the Inn? Jolene texted me when they checked in and said it was absolutely beautiful. Sylvene spent the afternoon playing with the dogs, and I’d love to surprise them to wish them a Merry Christmas in person. But only if it’s not too much trouble.”
“No trouble at all, Mrs. Claus,” he laughed, slowing the car as the road suddenly turned rocky and unpaved. Although the snow had stopped, the dusting was just enough to make the driving a bit slippery and Matthew took his time on the rocky road.
“Oh my goodness.” Savannah’s voice was barely a whisper as the tallest tree she had ever seen suddenly came into view. The blue spruce of The Blue Spruce Inn was taller than the large farmhouse it stood in front of, as it sparkled with hundreds of multicolored lights, the effect made even more splendid by the fresh snowfall.
“It was beautiful on the website, but this is just breathtaking!”
“It sure is something,” she heard Matthew say as he put the car in park and unlocked the doors.
Savannah gravitated toward the tree. The silvery-blue toned tree shimmered with the snowflakes and lights. It stood at least twenty feet tall, lights glimmering on every branch. It was like a dream from a North Pole fairy tale.
Savannah was mesmerized by the Christmas-red cardinals, downy gray titmice, and black-capped chickadees as they flickered in and out of the tree’s branches. The birds were Mother Nature’s perfect ornaments dancing through the branches of the tree. She then noticed some of the decorations were made of birdseed on which the birds sat and eagerly pecked at their meal.
A large white farmhouse next drew Savannah’s attention. It was surrounded by a post and beam fence bedecked with boughs of greenery, adorned with bright red bows securing the boughs on the post. Tiny frosty white lights expertly studded throughout the boughs twinkled like starlight on this gray afternoon. The large wrap-around front porch was decorated similarly, with cheerful evergreen wreaths hung on every window. The warm glow of candles flickered in the large windows, and at each end of the porch smaller potted pine trees stood as holiday sentinels decorated with tiny sparkling lights. There was no doubt in Savannah’s mind that The Blue Spruce Inn was the quintessential Christmas inn, and she couldn’t be happier that Jolene and Sylvene were spending Christmas in this charming picture-perfect place.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” asked Matthew as he joined Savannah in front of the tree. Savannah inhaled the cold clean air tinged with the scent of pine, still mesmerized by the winter wonderland that stood before her.
A jangle of bells cut through the snowy silence as Savannah turned to see a horse and carriage ambling from a path from the woods behind the house. The driver enthusiastically waved at Savannah and Matthew.
“Do you know him?” she asked, returning the wave.
“I’ve known him all my life,” Matthew said, looking like the cat who ate the cream.”He’s my brother.”
“Brother?” Savannah turned to Matthew. What was going on?
“I’ll introduce you,” Matthew said, extending his hand to Savannah who accepted it, walking toward the horse and carriage. A huge bright red barn sat directly behind the farmhouse, and Matthew’s brother steered the horse and carriage to the barn’s open door. The man jumped down from the carriage and embraced Matthew in a huge bear hug.
“It’s about time you got here. Mom’s been jumping out of her skin every time she thinks she hears a car. I’m surprised she’s not out here now.”
“Well, I am now! I’ve been up to my elbows in pie crusts!”
Savannah turned at hearing the woman’s familiar voice. ”I’m so glad you’re here!” she said, reaching up to embrace her son. She was Savannah’s height and dressed in flour-spotted jeans and a pink sweater with blue reindeer embroidered on the collar. Her hair was the same salt and pepper as Matthew’s and was cut into a very flattering layered bob that bounced with her every step. Three golden retrievers appeared, encircling Matthew as their thick yellow tails wildly wagged, and Matthew bent to greet each of them with hugs and kisses.
This is his mother? Savannah thought, watching the woman move with the grace of someone half her age. She did not have one line on her face, save for the same crinkles around her eyes like Matthew’s. ”Oh, forgive me! You must be Savannah!” the woman said, wrapping her arms around Savannah in a friendly greeting. Savannah wasn’t sure what was happening, but the woman’s friendliness made her feel perfectly at ease.
“I’m Ginny Buck. I spoke with you on the phone about your reservation. Your friends are wonderful. They just returned from a carriage ride with Mitchell and they’ll be so happy to see you. These are our dogs, Meringue, Moonlight, and Mermaid. That’s Mitchell, my older son, in front of the barn. Welcome to The Blue Spruce Inn! I was so happy Matthew told me he was bringing you for Christmas.”
Ginny turned toward Matthew and to Mitchell, who was coming from the barn, and then like a giant snowball, it hit Savannah: Matthew’s family ran The Blue Spruce Inn.
“Matty, you can play with the dogs later. Bring Savannah’s bags to the carriage house—that’s where you’ll be staying. I think you’ll like it. Dinner will be ready in a couple of hours so that should give you time to settle in. Matthew has told me how wonderful you’ve been as Mrs. Claus, and you’re all that little girl talks about—she’s such a darling, as is her mother. Anyway, I won’t keep you. Matty will see you in.” Ginny started toward the house, and the three dogs followed her back inside.
“Let me get that for you.” Mitchell Buck walked up to Savannah who warmly shook her hand introducing himself. ”If you wait for my little brother to do it, your bag will be sitting here until New Year’s Eve.” He resembled Matthew, and there was no mistake they were brothers, but where Matthew had blue eyes, Mitchell’s were amber. He was taller than Matthew and a bit stockier, but he still had the same handsome features as his younger brother. Where Matthew had his irresistible crinkly eyes, Mitchell had a deep dimple in the middle of his chin.
“Very funny, big brother,” Matthew laughed as he and his brother threw their arms around each other again.
“I see you have old Stanley still working. I thought you were going to retire him?”
“No one ever retires around here, Matty,” said Mitchell, giving the horse a rub on his nose. Mitchell reached into his pocket and pulled out some cut up carrots, which he fed to the horse, who hungrily nuzzled his hand, munching happily.
“I’ll take Savannah’s bags to the carriage house. You can unhitch Stanley and walk him to his stall. That is if you can remember how to lead a horse, city boy.”
Matthew gently punched Mitchell in the arm.
“I may have become a city boy,” he said, emphasizing become, ”but I was brought up in the country, and that will never change. Believe it or not, big brother, I can not only lead Stanley to his stall, but I can hitch him up to the sleigh, and I can even ride him. You’ll be amazed.”
“Oh, no doubt,” said Mitchell, as he picked up Savannah’s bags.
Savannah felt a nudge and turned to find Stanley’s pewter gray face resting on her shoulder.
“You’d better go with them, Savannah,” Mitchell said, heading toward the carriage house. ”Stanley obviously wants to show you where he lives. You better watch out, little bro. Stanley’s a handsome older gentleman and will give you some competition.” Mitchell winked at Savannah. ”Stanley always gets the girl. We have a few of his offspring we can show you later up at my farm.”
“I would love nothing more than that, Mitchell. Thank you.” said Savannah, still bewildered at her arrival at The Blue Spruce Inn.
They watched as Mitchell made his way toward the carriage house.
“So my perfect Christmas destination belongs to your family. And you never said a word.”
Matthew stepped toward Savannah and took her hands into his. She liked the way they felt clasped around her own—a bit rough, but strong and solid.
“What’s Christmas without a surprise or two?”
Matthew’s strong hands gently caressed Savannah’s face. He looked into those twinkling green eyes and he tenderly kissed her blushing lips.
“I knew there was something special about you the minute I saw you. I almost didn’t chase you down that day, but something I can’t explain pushed me to, and I’m glad I did. You are a huge part of Howardson’s success this Christmas. When Fern told me she overheard you on the phone changing your reservations and giving up your Christmas vacation so Jolene and Sylvene could have one I knew it was my turn to be Santa and grant a wish for you. You do so much for others, others that you hardly know, Savannah, and that is something beyond rare, especially these days.”
Savannah’s body trembled at Matthew’s heartfelt words. She looked into his eyes, unable to speak as she was overwhelmed by his kindness and thoughtfulness. She then felt the gentle brush of his lips upon hers again, making her blood rush with feelings she thought would never return. This was no coincidence, her meeting Matthew, being Mrs. Claus, and now at The Blue Spruce Inn with this very special man. It was time to move on in life. Savannah would never forget Bradley, and she knew in her heart he was part of the magical forces of Christmas that brought her to this moment. And for that, she would be forever grateful.
Savannah felt Matthew’s embrace tighten. ”Merry Christmas, my perfect Mrs. Claus,” he whispered, and together they made their way to their own Enchanted Land of Claus.