Chapter 9

On the third day before Christmas, Jack and Wanda showed up to clear the parking area and the driveway again, and Marley was baking desserts for Christmas dinner.

As soon as she had her workspace cleared, she pulled out her largest mixer and began measuring out flour and sugar to get sugar cookie dough made and in the refrigerator to chill, then make some pie fillings before starting on crusts.

She was breaking eggs into creamed sugar and butter when she heard the snowmobile. A few moments later, the back door banged, and Jack and Wanda appeared.

“Morning, Bug, am I too late for breakfast?” Jack asked.

“Yep. I’m already starting cookie dough. Sorry.”

“Jack, for heaven’s sake. You not only ate breakfast at home, but you had a cinnamon roll on the way over. If you were a dog, I’d have you at the vet getting checked for tapeworms,” Wanda mumbled.

Marley laughed and kept measuring ingredients.

Jack grumbled something at Wanda beneath his breath, then looked up at Marley.

“This is the day to clean the ashes out of the fireplace. Did you let the fire go out last night?” he asked.

“Yes, sir, I did, so clean away, and thank you,” she said.

Jack winked at Marley, swatted Wanda on the butt, and sauntered out of the room.

“That man,” Wanda said. “I’ll go on up and start on Trey’s room and then come down and help.”

“He isn’t sleeping in his bed. He’s sleeping in mine,” Marley said. “He’s moved his stuff to my place days ago, so go ahead and get the room ready for guests again.”

Wanda stood, her hands on her hips, waiting.

Marley looked up, saw the look, and frowned. “What? Did you forget I’ll be twenty-eight years old next month? We’re serious about this relationship, and as they say, if the good Lord’s willing and the creek don’t rise, we’ll be married before summer. There is nothing to discuss.”

“Did the angels approve?” Wanda muttered.

Marley waved a spatula in the air to make her point. “They’re the ones who told me he would matter before I ever pulled him out of that car. At the time, I just didn’t know they meant forever. That message came later, right before I contacted him about the lost shoe, and you will keep that to yourself.”

“All right, then. Going up to ready the room, then I’ll be back down to help. Are we making pies today?” she asked.

“Yes, we are,” Marley said.

“We’ll need at least three pecan pies. They always go first,” Wanda said. “Do we have a firm number of who’s coming?”

Marley nodded. “Fifteen counting Trey,” she said, then turned on the mixer to finish the dough, put it in the refrigerator to chill, and began making dough for pie crusts.

She could hear Jack banging about at the fireplace and Wanda’s footsteps as she walked around upstairs. It was business as usual at Corbett Lodge, except for the big, sexy man who’d entered her life.

Thank the lord for Trey Austin and tender mercies. His presence was about to color her world in ways she could only have imagined.

***

Jack had finally finished cleaning the fireplace. He’d laid a new fire and just lit the kindling when he heard a vehicle drive up. He watched the fire catch, then removed his gloves and was starting toward the lobby when he saw the news van parked out front, and a quartet of people coming up the front steps, one of whom was a cameraman.

“Marley. You have company!” he yelled.

Trey was just coming out of the family quarters when he heard Jack shout, and hastened his steps. He arrived just as Marley came out of the kitchen.

Marley was still keeping the lodge locked up, which left the news crew on the porch, reduced to ringing the doorbell. She was headed toward the front door when Trey appeared at her elbow.

“This is the cost of that pizza at Poor Richard’s,” he said, and reached for her hand.

“It would have happened sooner but for the snow,” Marley said, but she was clutching him tightly as they neared the door.

“The sooner we say our little piece, the quicker they’ll be gone,” Trey said.

Moments later, she unlocked the door and opened it. “I’m sorry, but the lodge is closed until New Year’s Day.”

The only woman in the quartet barely acknowledged Marley’s presence as she flashed a big smile at Trey and showed them her identification.

“I’m Farrah Welty from the NBC affiliate in Colorado Springs. You’re Trey Austin, right? The man who was searching for Cinderella?”

“Yes, that’s me,” Trey said.

Farrah beamed, then finally turned to Marley. “Marley Corbett, owner of Corbett Lodge, am I correct?”

“Amazing bit of research considering my family has been here for four generations,” Marley said. “I’m up to my elbows in pie crusts and fillings. You have arrived without prior notice at an inconvenient time, so let’s cut the chat and get down to business. I don’t have all day. What do you want?”

Trey blinked. Something told him he wouldn’t be having problems with overzealous fans once the news broke about his identity. This was Marley’s lodge, and she handled business.

Farrah Welty wasn’t used to being denied, and most people wanted to be on TV. Apparently, Marley Corbett wasn’t most people.

“I do apologize. We should have called to make an appointment, but we didn’t want to be scooped. Trey, is Marley your Cinderella?”

“Yes, she is.”

“We’d like to get some footage of the two of you together, and hear about what happened.”

Marley sighed. “You get fifteen minutes, and I need to go tell Wanda what’s happening. I’ll be right back,” she said, and walked away.

“Come in,” Trey said. “We’ll sit here in front of the bookshelves, but know that neither of us is interested in fame from this. I owe my life to this woman, and she’s amazing in her own right, so cut her some slack. She didn’t ask for all this, and my public inquiry has caused it. Please make nice comments about her lodge in your piece, while you’re at it.”

“Of course,” Farrah said as she followed him to the furniture grouping, then instructed the crew on what she wanted from them.

Moments later, Marley returned, without the baker’s apron and without the mistletoe hair clip.

Trey stood to make room for her, then sat down beside her.

Farrah noticed the look between them and leaned forward. “This is off the record, but have you two developed a relationship? We heard rumors that—”

Marley’s eyebrows rose, and Trey jumped in before she could let loose.

“I’m sorry, but rumors hardly seem like something a respectable media source would choose to spread. We’ll stick to the incident and nothing more, or it ends here,” he said.

This was not going how Farrah Welty expected it to go, but she wanted the scoop of getting the first interview bad enough to play along, and Marley Corbett had already looked at her watch, so she laughed it off.

“Of course, but I had to ask, right?” Then she cleared her throat and began with questions directed at Trey about how the wreck occurred.

Marley sat without comment, listening to him charm Farrah Welty up one side and down the other, and thought about how good he was going to be with notoriety, and wondered why he’d chosen anonymity to begin with, then glanced at her watch again.

Farrah noticed Marley looking at her watch again and smiled at Trey.

“You have quite the story to tell your grandchildren one day,” she said, “and our own little Marley Corbett has become the Cinderella in your story who saved Prince Charming. Marley, we’d love to hear your part in this heart-stopping drama. How did you come to be on that road in Arkansas?”

Marley frowned. “The little Marley Corbett comment is a bit misplaced. I left childhood behind years ago. As for why I was in Arkansas, we’d shut the lodge down for renovations and updates in the guest suites. I took some time for myself and was on a quest to visit a few elders I’d come to know online who live in the Ozarks. We’d been corresponding off and on for almost a year about food and recipes, and at their invitation, I went to make the rounds and visit. I was hoping to get some unique recipes for the lunch menu here at the lodge. I’d been there a couple of weeks and was finally heading home when I drove into heavy rain, which quickly turned into a storm. I happened to take the same road Trey had been on and drove up on the wreck in the middle of nowhere. As he explained, the car was missing a driver’s side door and a windshield, and upside down in a ditch, and the seat belt was all that was keeping the driver from falling headfirst into the flooding ditch and drowning.”

“How frightening,” Farrah said. “But you are a very petite woman. How on earth did you manage?”

Marley shrugged. “I didn’t think about what I couldn’t do. I just focused on what had to be done to keep him from drowning and made the rest of it work.” Then she explained in detail what it took to get him out, from the Swiss Army knife to using body weight and momentum to get him out of the car and up onto the road. She told how long she knelt beside him with the umbrella, waiting for the ambulance, and how she’d been so cold that she didn’t even realize she’d walked out of her shoe until miles later when she stopped to refuel. She said she’d still been in some sort of shock through it all, and that she finally fell apart after she’d stopped for the night.

“I didn’t know his name, and after help arrived for Trey, no one asked me my name. I stood for a moment watching them working on getting Trey stabilized, but I was so cold I couldn’t think and just headed for shelter, which happened to be my car. I was no longer needed, and so I drove away. I finally broke down and cried for hours after I reached the motel. I think it was shock. And even after I came home, I didn’t know anything about him searching for me. It was only by accident that I saw it at all.”

“I don’t know how you missed it. It was in all the papers, on social media, and on television for weeks,” Farrah said.

Farrah’s smile looked more like a smirk, and Marley resented the comment even more.

Marley smiled sweetly. “I guess that shows you how little time I give to the news. Also, you have to remember that we’d been closed for renovations, so when I returned, we were busy unpacking everything we’d stored and putting the bedroom suites back together, and getting ready for Christmas. My family has always hosted Christmas dinner at the lodge for our friends here on the mountain who don’t have family to share it with. And then there’s the big New Year’s Eve party we host annually. It’s been happening for generations. It’s reservation only, so lots of preparation goes into that as well. Basically, I didn’t know what was going on outside these walls because we were busy. We officially reopen on New Year’s Day, and after that, it will be business as usual here.”

“So, Trey is spending Christmas with you?” Farrah said.

“Yes, of course. He arrived in the middle of that blizzard, and after he got snowed in, I invited him to stay as my guest. When I found out he had no plans for Christmas, I immediately invited him to stay over for that. And then it snowed again. No one should spend Christmas alone. We had plenty of empty rooms, and we’ve had plenty of time to visit, and I’ve learned what a really great man Trey is. He’s smart and funny, and my weird sense of humor does not offend him. He also likes my cooking, which I should be doing right now. Today is baking day for Christmas desserts.”

Farrah knew this was her signal to end the interview.

“This is such an inspiring story, and we at the station want to thank you for allowing us to interrupt your day and your work for this interview. It will air on the evening news.”

“It will be interesting to see it. I hope this satisfies everyone’s curiosity,” Trey said.

“And, cut,” Farrah said.

They all began gathering their things and putting on their coats.

“I’ll see you out,” Trey said.

“I’m heading back to my pies,” Marley said, and left the great room.

“She’s an interesting little thing, isn’t she?” Farrah said.

Trey frowned. “Interesting little thing? Don’t mistake her size for her value. She’s worth ten of most people I know.”

Farrah blinked. She’d stepped on more toes, this time his, and changed the subject as they were walking through the lobby.

“I did my research on you. You’re Anders Austin’s son, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” he said, and kept walking.

“But you don’t work for your father.”

“No,” he said, and opened the front door and stepped aside. “Drive safe.”

“What exactly do you do?” Farrah asked.

He sighed. “Lady, this interview is over. I’m pretty sure there’s a bowl to lick or a cookie to taste back there, and I don’t want to miss out on any of it.”

He shut the door behind them, and before they were even off the porch, he turned the lock. There’d be no more uninvited people wandering in until Marley was ready for business.

***

Marley looked up from rolling pie crusts as Trey walked in. “Are they gone?” she asked.

He kissed her cheek. “Yes, ma’am. I locked the front entrance again, and I want to commend you for not nailing her to the floor on camera.”

She smiled sweetly. “It was the least I could do for you.”

Wanda looked up. “Did Bug get snippy?”

Trey shrugged. “Let’s just say she wasted no time telling Farrah Welty what she thought about being sideswiped by the media. But she was very polite. And very succinct, and that was all before the cameras were on.”

“That’s my girl,” Wanda said.

“Now that’s settled, is there anything I can do to help?” Trey asked. “Any taste testing needed? I am virtually worthless when it comes to helping Jack unless he needs a strong back. That, I have.”

“We’re going to have to make room in the dining area for the long tables we set up for the Christmas dinner. Jack would definitely appreciate help moving those,” Marley said.

“I’m on it. Save me a cookie,” he said, and left.

Wanda glanced at Marley. The expression on her face was unreadable.

“So, tell me what you really think,” she said.

Marley rolled her eyes. “If that Welty woman doesn’t refer to my size in a passive-aggressive tone on the piece that airs, I’ll be surprised.”

Wanda hid a smile. “Was she fawning all over Trey?”

Marley nodded.

“Did it make you jealous?” Wanda asked.

“More like territorial,” Marley muttered, “but he handled her like a pro. I was proud of him…and for the time being, it’s over.”

Wanda frowned. “What do you mean, for the time being?”

Marley shrugged. “It’s not my news to share, but it’s all good. No worries, Wanda. He’s got my back, and I have his.” Then she looked up. “How many bowls of pecan pie filling did you make?”

“I have three done, waiting to go in the crusts you have chilling.”

“The crusts should be chilled enough. Pour them up and let’s get them in the oven. I’m going to roll out more crusts to chill, then get some apples peeled for apple crumb pies. I’ll bake the cherry cobbler in one of the big steam trays, and an old-fashioned raisin pie for Mr. Doolittle. He loves them.”

“What about pumpkin rolls?” Wanda asked.

“That’s your specialty. Go for it,” Marley said. “And we’ll have the big tray of sugar cookies. Tradition, right?”

Wanda knew what Marley was thinking. The sugar cookies had always been what Marley’s mother contributed to the desserts, and she was missing her parents. Wanda put down the carton of eggs she was holding and gave Marley a hug.

“Jack and I love you so much. We can’t replace your mom and dad, but we’re here for you.”

Marley was blinking back tears. “I know, and I am so grateful. You know I love you, and I’m not usually this weepy, but it’s been an emotional day. I just want to get pies in the ovens so we can do cookies later.”

“Then that’s what we’re going to do,” Wanda said, and began pulling crusts out of the refrigerator.

All the time they were working, they could hear the rumble of Jack and Trey’s voices in the dining area, along with occasional bouts of laughter. It made Marley happy. Jack was a hard man to please, and he’d already taken to Trey, which was good, because Trey was about to become a permanent resident.

***

Unaware of Trey’s ongoing drama, Meredith Bernstein was back in New York City working her magic, arguing the fine points of the option contract with Morris LeHigh, the head of the production company.

“Yes, Chapel Hill is agreeable to an identity reveal, but only after the contract has been signed and the money is in the bank. After that, Chapel Hill will be available to you as the need arises.”

“Is it a man or a woman?” Morris asked.

Meredith chuckled. “This is not a scavenger hunt, Mr. LeHigh. We’re not obligated to give you clues.”

His laugh rumbled in Meredith’s ear. “It never hurts to ask,” he said. “So, we’re a go with all twelve titles?”

“Yes, all the titles to date with a ten-year film option for five million. This does not cover any ensuing releases. And the other points are agreeable in that if a book goes into production, there will be an actual contract and more language to add, right?” Meredith asked.

“Not if, but when. I already have interested investors, and yes, all the language will be in the option,” Cohen said.

“Can we expect the contract before the first of the year? That way we can start the new year off with a very nice check on signing. Not three months afterward. Understood?”

LeHigh sighed. “Understood. You drive a hard bargain, lady.”

“What can I say? I take care of my clients,” Meredith said. “I’ll notify my client of this conversation, and we’ll be ready to e-sign when the contract is submitted.”

“Excellent! This will be the scoop of the publishing world, and I don’t mind being known as the one who did the unveiling,” he said. “You’ll be hearing from me soon.”

“Excellent,” Meredith said, and disconnected.

Trey already knew this was in the works, so there was nothing further Meredith needed to call him about until the actual option contract arrived for him to sign.

Satisfied that she’d covered all the bases, she poured herself a cup of tea and then carried it to the window overlooking the city she called home and silently celebrated for them both.

***

Gloria Austin was getting dressed for a gala event at their ski lodge. The event began at 8:00 p.m., and she had less than fifteen minutes to get the rest of her makeup on. She’d spent most of the day in a spa and then finished up at a salon getting her hair and nails done. The silver fabric of her gown sparkled under the lights as if it were made of diamond dust. The neckline accentuated her most recent breast lift, and the last round of Botox she’d had left her fiftysomething face looking as close to twentysomething smooth as possible.

She was looking forward to the dinner and the dancing afterward, but not with Anders. She was never going to forgive him for insinuating that she’d married him for his money and did not grieve the parting shot she’d given him about not having a prenup. Her very words had ended the tirade and turned her husband a whiter shade of pale.

She’d always known he could be an ass, but his sudden concern for Trey’s private life had nothing to do with their son’s welfare and everything to do with his concern for his own money. A royal ass.

Gloria had already gotten over the shock of Trey’s comments about their parenting. There was no ignoring the truth. It bothered her conscience a little, but she’d never been good at motherly love. She just regretted that he’d suffered because of it.

***

Anders was still eating crow because of the careless comment about why Gloria had married him. He couldn’t deny he’d said it, even though he hadn’t really meant it, and now he didn’t know how to take her. She’d been livid about his fighting with Trey and shocked that he’d never taken it upon himself to call his son on his own. But Anders had convinced himself years ago that his son would automatically follow in his footsteps—and held it against him when he would not.

Then Trey sent back every penny Anders had been sending him, and now he didn’t know what to make of his son, either. What was he doing to support himself? What if it was something illegal? If it was, it would look bad for Anders.

The fact that he even believed that could happen was the painful proof of how little he knew of his son, and he didn’t like being in the dark about anything.

As soon as Christmas was over, they were flying home, and then he was going to Colorado, with or without Gloria. He wanted to see that Corbett woman face-to-face, whether Trey was still there or not.

Moments later, Gloria entered the living room.

Anders stood. “You look beautiful, my dear.”

“I know,” Gloria said, and waited for him at the door.

He sighed. She was still angry. What a miserable trip this had turned out to be.

***

Jack and Trey had finished setting up the tables and seating. The holiday tablecloths were in place and the candlesticks had been pulled out of storage, dusted and polished, and were sitting at one end of the table.

“What next?” Trey asked.

Jack shook his head. “Nothing here. The rest is up to the women. I tried helping set the table once and got in trouble for putting all of the cutlery in the wrong places.”

Trey grinned. “Picky about that, are they?”

Jack nodded, then winked at Trey. “Just a tip. What you don’t know just means you don’t have to do it.”

Trey threw back his head and laughed. He was still laughing when Marley came bouncing out of the kitchen with a handful of undecorated sugar cookies. She handed three to Trey and three to Jack.

“They’re still warm from the oven. We’re decorating the rest after they cool, and I do not want to know what outrageous thing Jack Wallis just told you that made you laugh like that,” she said.

Trey leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for the cookies, love. As for Jack, his secrets are safe with me.”

Jack grinned. “Thanks, Bug. You know the way to my heart.”

“Yes, food,” she said, and then waited to see their reactions as they took their first bites.

“Delicious,” Trey said.

Jack nodded. “Good stuff, Bug.”

“Thank you,” Marley said. “I’m going back to work.”

But before she could make good on her word, they heard another vehicle pulling up at the front of the lodge. When Marley saw it was yet another news van from the other local TV station, she frowned.

“I’ve got this,” she said. “Lunch will be ready in about an hour. Both of you should take a break.”

“I’ll take a break when you do,” Trey said. “And I’m not leaving the lobby until I know you haven’t started a fight.”

The doorbell rang.

She took a breath and strode through the lobby like she was going to war.

“She’s a pistol, isn’t she?” Jack said as he took another bite of his cookie.

“She’s amazing,” Trey said. “One of these days I’m going to be the innkeeper’s husband, and I cannot wait to see her in her element.”

Jack grinned. “You’re about to see a hint of it right about now.”

They watched her open the door and then listened as the voices carried all the way back to where they were standing.

Marley stood in the opening without giving way to the entrance they wanted.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen, but the lodge is closed until New Year’s Day.”

“Miss Corbett, we’re from—”

Marley smiled. “I can see where you’re from. It’s written all over your van.”

The reporter nodded. “Yes, of course. We want to ask you and Trey Austin some questions about—”

Marley waved her hand like a little fairy queen dismissing her subjects.

“Oh, I’m sorry, but we already gave our interview to the NBC affiliate. You can watch the interview tonight on the evening news. We’ll open again on New Year’s Day. You must stop in for lunch. It’s served from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We’ll be serving black-eyed peas for luck, and all kinds of good foods.”

The reporter looked stricken, and when Marley stepped back and started to close the door, he shoved his foot in the door.

The hair rose up on the back of her neck.

“Please move your foot,” she said.

“I just want—”

The tone of Marley’s voice went from calm to critical mass.

“Little boys write to Santa Claus for what they want. Are you seriously about to force your way in? I’m not in the habit of being harassed on my own property, so are you going to move your foot, or would you prefer to unwrap presents this year with your foot in a cast?”

He yanked his foot back so fast he staggered.

Marley shut the door in his face, locked it, then turned her back on all of them and headed back to where Trey and Jack were standing.

Trey looked at her and grinned. “Write to Santa Claus,” he said, and then picked her up in his arms and carried her back to the kitchen, laughing all the way.

Wanda heard the laughter, then when Trey came carrying Marley back into the kitchen, she frowned.

“Bug, what have you done now?” Wanda asked.

“She told a reporter to write to Santa Claus for information and shut the door in their faces.”

Wanda giggled. “That’s a good one. Where’s Jack?”

“I told him and Trey to take a break,” Marley said as Trey set her on her feet.

“Then he’s probably stretched out in front of the fire. I think I’ll take him something to drink,” Wanda said, and grabbed a pop from the refrigerator and left.

“She and Jack take care of each other. They still act like teenagers together. I always loved that about them.”

“I can’t wait to be that man for you,” Trey said, and pulled her into his arms.

“You already are,” Marley said. “Love you forever,” she whispered, and melted beneath his kiss.

***

Jack went back to the fireplace, stirred the fire, added another log, and then sat down with his feet up and closed his eyes, thinking how fine it was going to be to have another man in the house again. He was thinking about those cookies he’d just eaten when he felt a hand along the side of his cheek.

Wanda.

He opened his eyes.

“I brought you something to drink,” she said.

He pulled her down on his lap and then took the bottle of pop. “You’re my best girl,” he said. “Can you sneak me another cookie?”

“No. You already had three, and lunch is in about an hour. You’ll survive.”

He sighed. “It’s a good thing I love you, even if you’re trying to starve me to death.”