Holiday Gifts Read online

  Holiday Gifts

  Elena Aitken

  Ink Blot Communications

  Contents

  Copyright

  Summary

  Also by Elena Aitken

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Also by Elena Aitken

  About the Author

  Coming Winter 2016

  Copyright © 2015 by Elena Aitken

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN 978-1-927968-39-0

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  * * *

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

  ISBN: 978-1-927968-39-0

  Summary

  Fall in love with Christmas at Castle Mountain Lodge!

  Ever since Ryan Morrison has taken over as Customer Service Manager at the famous Castle Mountain Lodge he’s witnessed the ‘magic of the Lodge’ and couples of all kinds falling in love around him. Is it the backdrop of the majestic mountains? Or maybe just the luxuriously rustic setting? Either way, Ryan’s convinced it won’t ever happen to him.

  For Julie Pitts her number one focus has always been raising sixteen-year-old Shay. Julie would do anything for her daughter, including organizing a special Christmas crafting retreat at Castle Mountain Lodge as a way for them to spend the holidays in the mountains the way her daughter has always wanted.

  Shay has also always wanted her mother to fall in love and when she sees a potential love match between the handsome manager and her mom who is long overdue for some romance in her life, she sets out to give the ‘magic of the Lodge’ a little festive help. After all…what’s more romantic than Christmas at Castle Mountain Lodge?

  * * *

  For exclusive stories and offers make sure to stay in touch with Elena!

  Also by Elena Aitken

  Castle Mountain Lodge

  Unexpected Gifts

  Hidden Gifts

  Unexpected Endings - Short Story

  Secret Gifts

  Mistaken Gifts

  Goodbye Gifts

  Tempting Gifts

  Holiday Gifts

  A Castle Lodge Collection (Books 1-5)

  * * *

  The Springs Series

  Summer of Change

  Falling Into Forever

  Winter’s Burn

  Midnight Springs

  Second Glances

  She’s Making A List

  The Seasons: Volume 1

  The Seasons: Volume 2

  * * *

  The Springs—Stone Summit

  Summit of Desire

  Summit of Seduction

  Summit of Passion

  Stone Summit Trilogy

  1

  The moment they walked through the sliding doors into the main reception area of Castle Mountain Lodge, Julie Pitts’s nose was assaulted by a combination of apple cinnamon spice like mulled cider and the pungent aroma of pine needles. Fresh pine boughs hung from every available shelf and banister, a fire burned welcomingly in the stone hearth where felt stockings hung, and in the center of the huge vaulted room stood the largest Christmas tree Julie had ever seen.

  It was as if everything clichéd and country Christmas was put in a bottle, shaken and dumped all over the room.

  It was perfect.

  “This is fantastic.”

  Julie turned to see her daughter, Shay, arms outstretched, taking in the room with a smile that she knew matched her own. “Right?”

  “I’m so glad we came, Mom.” Her daughter threw her arms around her in an impulsive hug. One Julie was only too happy to accept. At sixteen, public displays were fewer and further between than she would have liked. “It’s going to be the best Christmas ever. How could it not, right?”

  Julie smiled, but shook her head at Shay’s childish enthusiasm. She was such a mixture of woman and child, it was hard to keep up some days, but she did have a point. “It’s going to be fantastic,” she agreed. “But first, we have work to do.” She slipped out of her daughter’s embrace and turned until she found the check-in desk. “Let’s get settled. We have a big night ahead of us.”

  The whole purpose of the trip to the Lodge, and the only reason Julie could justify the expense of renting a private chalet suite for them, was because she was incorporating the holiday with business. Crafty Creations was only in its third year, but her idea of home crafting parties and women’s retreats was becoming increasingly popular. A last-minute Christmas-themed retreat had been her daughter’s idea and although it was a good one, Julie was fairly sure Shay had ulterior motives. No, she silently amended. She was positive.

  Shay had been obsessed with spending Christmas at the Lodge ever since she heard about the elaborate Holly Berry Ball they held every year on Christmas Eve. Heck, Shay was obsessed with everything Christmas. Or at least she had been for the last few years. Ever since her father had remarried and started to spend the holidays exclusively with his new family. She tried to pretend as if it didn’t matter, but Julie could see the hurt caused by her increasingly distant relationship with her father.

  She took the key cards the front desk clerk handed her and looked over at her daughter, who was ladling herself a cup of apple cider from a drink station by the fireplace. Her daughter wanted the perfect Christmas, and that’s exactly what Julie was going to give her. After everything they’d been through, she deserved it. Shay was a good kid. She really did deserve a good holiday season and it was long overdue that Julie gave it to her. She’d been so busy working for the last few years, trying to get her business up and running, and before then, working toward her degree in business while working full-time to support them. It was definitely time. Even if that meant mixing a little bit of work with their holiday.

  “Are you ready to get started, Shay?”

  “You have to try this, Mom.” She held her cup of cider in the air. “It’s unbelievable. It’s like Christmas in a cup.”

  Julie laughed. Of course it was. This entire place was living and breathing Christmas. “I’ll try some later. We have to get set up. We’re running late.” Julie felt a twinge of guilt rushing Shay, but it was true. They were running late. They had a very special destination theme Crafty Creations Corner set for later that evening. It was an overnight event where participants spent time crafting a variety of ornaments and greeting cards before enjoying all the amenities of the Lodge, followed by a festive brunch the next day. It was Shay’s idea, and if it worked out, Julie planned to do a lot more of them. The event had sold out completely in only days and as long as there weren’t any major issues, it would be a lucrative event.

  As long as there weren’t any major issues.

  That was the one thing that had Julie concerned. Major issues. Like forgetting materials. Or even worse, crafting supplies. Worst-case scenario, if she forgot a few pom poms or buttons, Julie could improvise. But what she couldn’t fake her way through was a lack of glue, or thread, or card stock. She’d double-checked and then checked her supply cart again. She had Shay count everything se
parately as well, and she planned enough extra supplies for five extra people. She didn’t plan to have any drop-ins, but there were always at least one or two people who either didn’t follow instructions or had perfectionist tendencies and wanted to start their project over. Julie had learned that lesson the hard way.

  “You’re sure you don’t want some cider?” Shay shoved a paper cup in her mother’s direction, but Julie only shook her head.

  “I will,” she said. “Later. I promise. I really want to go get set up and make sure there aren’t any surprises.”

  Shay tossed back the rest of her drink, grabbed the luggage cart they’d loaded with their plastic tubs of supplies and dutifully pushed it alongside Julie down the hall.

  “Mom, you know everything is going to be awesome, right?” Shay swerved the cart and jumped on it, riding it a little like a child down the corridor. “How could it not be? This place totally rocks. It’s like a Christmas card.”

  Julie bit her lip to keep from chastising her. There probably wasn’t any harm in riding the cart. “I know you’re right, Shay. Um, maybe you…” She couldn’t help herself. She had to say something. “No.” She shook her head. “Never mind.”

  Shay laughed and gave the cart a shove, sending it ahead of her a few feet. “You’re so up—oops.”

  The cart chose that moment to hit a bump in the tile floor. It careened into the wall, where it knocked over the precariously balanced stack of storage totes. Shay darted for it, but couldn’t get to it in time to save the bin full of carefully sorted and separated card stock from tumbling off the top and crashing to the floor in a sea of paper.

  “Oh, Shay! It was all—” Julie forced herself to take a breath. It wasn’t a big deal. She couldn’t get herself all worked up over card stock. No doubt there would be bigger challenges to face before the night was over.

  “I’m so sorry, Mom.” Her daughter pulled the paper together and tossed it back into the bin. “I promise I’ll get it all sorted out before everything starts. You won’t even know it was messed up. And even if you do, no one else will. I’ll fix it.”

  Julie forced herself to take a deep breath and released it slowly. She laughed and shook her head. She really did need to learn a thing or two from her daughter. “It’s fine. Besides, this is our room right here.” She glanced down at the paper again and then the plaque over the door that marked it as Mt. Rundle. “We have two hours. Let’s get everything set up.”

  * * *

  As the events manager for Castle Mountain Lodge, Christmas was hands down the busiest time of the year for Ryan Morrison. Ever since he’d taken over the role at the mountain resort, he’d been busting his butt trying to fill the hole that Carmen Kincaid, the previous events manager, had left behind. According to most of the staff, and even some guests, at the hotel, she’d been amazing and when she’d moved on to the new resort, the Springs, with her new boyfriend, it had become Ryan’s job to take over. He’d been doing his best, and finally after a few Christmas seasons under his belt, he’d found his groove. This year, he was more than ready for the events and special festivities that would take place.

  Ryan scanned the lobby area and the decorations that had been carefully displayed. A talented pianist played soft holiday favorites at the grand piano in the corner of the room; the sounds floated over everything. The scent of cider hung in the air. It had been an added touch this year and one that was so well received, he’d planned to do it again. He’d also been thinking about working with the kitchen group to put together an eggnog station for Christmas Day as a little extra treat for the guests staying over the holiday.

  Just like he was.

  Alone.

  Again.

  The fact that Ryan was alone for the holidays yet again was the only thing that put a damper on his festive spirit. At thirty, he was ready to find someone to spend his life with. In all honesty, he’d been ready for years. Not that he admitted it for a long time. He was too busy trying to play it cool and be the swinging single guy like all his friends. He’d been playing a role. A role he didn’t fit into at all. He’d never been the player type the way his childhood friends were. For the life of him, he couldn’t see the appeal to dating multiple women and not settling down with one special woman. But he’d gone along with the crowd and tried to play their game. Unfortunately that meant falling into a rut that only perpetuated everything he didn’t want. It was a vicious cycle and it took him way too long to realize he’d never get what he wanted by sticking around that crowd. It had been time to move on.

  And that’s what he’d done.

  Only moving on meant taking a job at Castle Mountain Lodge, which had been fantastic and an amazing opportunity, career-wise. But it was hard to meet people, let alone a woman he wanted to marry, working in the tourism industry.

  Ryan let out a long sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. There wasn’t much to be done about it. Not for the time being anyway. Eventually he’d have to move on or accept the fact that maybe marriage just wasn’t in the cards.

  “Ryan?” Desiree, one of the new desk clerks they’d hired for the winter months, called to him, breaking him out of his woe-is-me cycle. It was probably a good thing. No, it was definitely a good thing

  “Hey.” He turned in her direction and tried to look as if he’d been paying attention to things. “What’s up?”

  “I need a break.” She stuck her bottom lip out and batted her eyelashes. She was a gorgeous girl and no doubt, that technique definitely would have worked on some men. But for Ryan, it only made him shake his head. “It’s so busy, Ryan. And I really need to use the little girls’ room.”

  He glanced at his watch. “Your break isn’t for another two hours, Des. You’ll be okay.”

  “But I really have to go.” She all but stamped her foot and he would have just walked away, but then she added, “It’s a girl thing.”

  Dammit. That was practically impossible to argue. It wasn’t his job to cover her station and he had every right to say no and lodge a complaint with her boss. But what was the point? “Fine. I’ll watch the desk for five minutes. But I have things to do, so hurry back, okay?”

  Her face transformed with a smile and she jetted off in the direction of the bathroom without a second glance. All he could do was shake his head after her. It’s not that all the women who worked at the Lodge were ditzy airheads like Desiree, who used their charm—or in Des’s case, her looks—to get what they wanted. But some definitely were. The other women he’d met had rules about getting involved with people they worked with, or weren’t his type.

  No. He definitely wasn’t going to find the woman of his dreams working at the Lodge. It was a thought that saddened him every time he allowed it to enter his thoughts. But he was going to have to deal with it. A choice would have to be made.

  “In the New Year,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Pardon?” Ryan glanced up to see a young woman in front of him, a look of confusion and amusement on her pretty face. “Were you talking to me about the New Year?” she asked. “Because if you were, I’m probably not going to be here for the New Year. But maybe I’ll come back next year. If that’s what you were talking about. But if you were trying to tell me that something is going to happen in the—”

  “No,” he interrupted her, completely amused by the girl in front of him. “I was just talking to myself. Sorry.” And it was Ryan who was sorry, sorry that he hadn’t let her continue her monologue. It was the most entertainment he’d had all day.

  She smiled and tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder. “It’s fine. But if you have some sort of problem with the New Year, I’m more than happy to help you with it. In fact, I’m a pretty good problem solver. Is there something you have a problem with?”

  He laughed. “Not at all.” She was definitely entertaining. If a little young. It was too bad, really. The most interesting person he’d run across in days, weeks maybe, and she was clearly way too young for him. He shook his head. �
�In fact,” he said, “it’s my job to help you. What can I do for you?”

  “My name is Shay.” She straightened her shoulders and stood at attention. “I’m here with Crafty Creations and we’re in the Mt. Rundle room.”

  “That’s right.” He remembered that booking. It seemed as though it might be a good offering for their guests, plus the woman in charge had pre-registered participants, who’d also booked rooms. It was a win-win for the Lodge and Ryan was interested to see how it would work out. If it was successful, he definitely wanted to look into offering it in the future for other seasons as well. “I remember that,” he said. “I hope the room is working out for you.”

  “It is,” Shay said officially. “Except we can’t get the speakers to work.”

  “Speakers?” He tipped his head.

  “Yeah, you know.” The girl waved her arms in elaborate gestures. “You plug them in and they play music. It’s a really new technology.” Her voice dripped with the sarcasm that only teenagers could pull off. “Speakers.”

  “Right.” He nodded his head elaborately. “I have actually heard of them. You can adjust them so they play music at different volumes, right?”

  She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched in a smile.

  “I think I can help you, Shay.” Ryan laughed. “There are speakers in the room, but they probably forgot to put an audio cable in there. Let me find someone who can fix that for you.” He took a quick sweep of the room, but only saw Desiree making her way, rather slowly, from the bathroom. “You know what?” He made a quick decision. “I think I can help you with that myself.” He waved Desiree over, who looked less than happy for her un-scheduled break to be done so quickly, and gestured to Shay to follow him. “Come with me. We’ll get you all set up.”