Jingle-Bell Jam (River's End Ranch Book 32) Read online

  Jingle-Bell Jam

  Pamela M. Kelley

  Piping Plover Press

  Copyright © 2017 by Pamela M. Kelley

  All rights reserved.

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  If you like to cook, be sure to check out the two recipes at the end for Chocolate Raspberry Overnight Oats and Raspberry Snickerdoodle Thumbprint Cookies.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  Author Note

  Also by Pamela M. Kelley

  Recipes

  Chapter 1

  “Thank you for coming to see an old woman on such short notice.” Jaclyn smiled sweetly as she set a platter of cookies on the kitchen table. They were raspberry shortbread, dusted with powdered sugar, and looked so good that they made Bryan Baker’s mouth water.

  “It was no trouble at all. To be honest, I’ve missed working on smaller projects like this. I really enjoy making furniture.” Bryan was a builder and architect, and his business had grown so much that he was doing more supervising and managing of big projects than actual carpentry work lately. So, he was happy to take on Jaclyn’s kitchen job and build her a custom bookcase and shelving for her many cookbooks, pans and knickknacks.

  “Good, that’s settled then. Have a seat, dear, and help yourself to a few cookies. The fairies told me you have a weakness for raspberry jam. Do you take milk or sugar in your tea?”

  “No, thank you.” Bryan smiled. “I don’t know who your fairies are, but I do like raspberry jam. These are delicious.”

  Jaclyn nodded. “The fairies are never wrong about these things. They tell me your turn is coming soon. Are you ready?”

  Bryan really liked Jaclyn, but sometimes it was hard to keep up with her. He’d heard the rumors that she claimed to talk to fairies and gnomes, and had so many pet rabbits that no one was sure of the exact number. There did seem to be a lot of them, that’s for sure. He’d been greeted at the front door by a half-dozen mostly white rabbits running around the front steps and there were two happily snoozing in the corner of the kitchen, curled up by the heating vent—the warmest spot. It was cold out, so maybe they were smarter than he gave them credit for.

  “My turn for what?” he asked as he reached for a third cookie. They were very good.

  Jaclyn took a sip of her tea, frowned and then added a bit more sugar.

  “Why, for love of course! Unless you already have a girlfriend? The fairies didn’t seem to think that you did.”

  What an odd conversation. And how did these ‘fairies’ know his business anyway?

  “No, no girlfriend.” He sighed. “I’ve kind of given up on that. Or put it on the back-burner for a while. I’ve been focusing on work instead.”

  Jaclyn leaned forward and peered over her glasses as if she could see him better that way. “Now, why would you give up? That’s just silly. It’s good to be a hard worker, but don’t let life and love pass you by.”

  Bryan was quiet for a moment, not sure what to say. Finally, he tried to explain. “I really don’t think it’s in the cards for me. I did once, but—well, that didn’t work out.”

  Jaclyn tapped her fingers on the table and looked deep in thought. “You used to date Amy Carmichael, I think?”

  Bryan still felt a wave of sadness at the mention of Amy’s name. Their ending had been abrupt.

  “Yes, we dated last year and I thought about asking her to marry me. But I never got the chance. She dumped me instead, and got engaged a month later to her high school sweetheart. He was a star quarterback who went pro for a while. He moved back home and they reconnected.” Bryan felt depressed just thinking about it and reached for another cookie. Unlike him, Amy’s fiancé, Troy, was in great shape.

  “Troy doesn’t have an ounce of fat on him. It’s hard to compete with that,” he said as he patted his stomach.

  “You know,” Jaclyn began thoughtfully. “I bet it had more to do with the connection they had and that shared history. She just wasn’t the one for you.”

  Bryan nodded. “I know that now. But it stung at the time.” Especially when Bryan looked in the mirror and compared himself to Troy. Bryan was a bit thick around the middle and admittedly had a hard time staying away from sweets.

  It had never been an issue until the past year or two, as he wasn’t as active as he used to be. He knew that he wasn’t a bad-looking guy, but his confidence had taken a hit when Amy dumped him. It was easier to lose himself in work than to put himself out there again and risk more rejection.

  “Breakups are always hard. But the right person is out there for you and the fairies say it won’t be long now. As long as you are open to it. Will you open your heart, Bryan and let love in?” Jaclyn looked at him intently and Bryan found himself nodding.

  “Of course I’ll be open to it.” He grinned. “I can’t wait to see who the fairies have lined up for me.”

  The next morning, Bryan spread a thick layer of raspberry jam on French toast that was already dripping with butter and dusted with powdered sugar. A generous drizzle of real maple syrup was the final touch before he took his first bite. When he looked up, he saw two sets of eyes glaring at him. He took another bite and the staring continued, accompanied by two furiously twitching tails. Holly and Rudy, his Maine coon cats, were mad that he wasn’t sharing.

  He sighed, then got two paper plates and put a few tiny bites of French toast on each, making sure there was plenty of jam. They both liked the jam. He set the plates on the floor by their water bowls and they hopped down from the kitchen counter and began sniffing and licking their treats.

  “Don’t get too used to it,” he muttered as he sat back down to finish his breakfast. Holly and Rudy ignored him now that they had what they wanted. He’d checked with Jess and Jake when he brought them to the vet clinic for their yearly shots a few weeks ago. They agreed that as long as he didn’t make it a regular thing, a bit of jam and bread wouldn’t hurt them. They seemed as fond of the sweet treat as he was. He was on his last bite when his cell phone rang and he recognized Wade Weston’s phone number. Wade was the general manager of the River’s End Ranch and also a good friend.

  “Morning, Wade. What’s up?”

  “Sorry to bother you, Bryan, but I have a favor to ask if you’re not too busy. I’m calling everyone I know that has a truck.”

  “Sure, what do you need?”

  “The big truck that usually delivers the Christmas turkeys to the food pantry just died and is being towed to the shop as we speak. Maddie has one hundred turkeys at the market ready to be loaded into the truck. Could you pick up a few cases and bring them to the pantry? I’m on my way to get some and a few other guys are, too, but we could use a few more trucks.”

  “I can head over there now, no problem.”

  Wade, and two of his brothers were already at the market when B
ryan pulled into the lot. Several big, young store workers from the meat department helped to load cases of frozen turkeys into all the vehicles. Everyone then unloaded them them at the food pantry, which was just a few miles down the road. They carried them into the walk-in refrigerator, filling it almost completely. Wade’s wife, Maddie, was one of several volunteers that helped to run the pantry and she was there to oversee the delivery.

  When Bryan set his last heavy case of turkeys down he turned a little too quickly as he stood up and felt a sharp ping in his back. He slowly turned to stretch his muscles, but it was too late. He knew as soon as he’d felt the familiar shift that he was in trouble. It was the strangest feeling, almost like a too-tight rubber band that when it released, sent a wave of stiff pain across his lower back.

  He called his brother Clark when he got in the car and asked if he might be able to squeeze him in. Clark was a doctor with a focus in orthopedics and he’d treated Bryan the last time his back went out a few years ago. Clark told him to come right in. Fortunately, being a Friday, Bryan’s morning wasn’t as busy as usual so he could head into the office after he saw Clark.

  Clark took some X-rays and reviewed his notes from the last time he’d injured his back.

  “You have a slightly herniated disc. Could have been worse. You’re lucky, actually.” Bryan wasn’t feeling especially lucky. Clark gave him a referral to a physical therapist and then read him the riot act.

  “The PT will help, but you need to make some major changes.” Clark loved to joke around but he was very serious as he looked Bryan in the eye. “This is going to only get worse unless you lose some weight and start exercising to build up your core muscles. You should join a gym and get back into working out. Do some strength-training.”

  Bryan sighed. He knew Clark was right.

  “I haven’t been to a gym in years. I’m not sure where to start, or how much weight I really need to lose,” he admitted.

  Clark looked him up and down. “You’re not really that overweight, just enough that it’s going to start causing you some issues if you don’t get into shape. I’d like to see you lose fifteen to twenty pounds. Even ten pounds would be a step in the right direction.”

  Bryan nodded. “Okay, I’ll try to do that.”

  Clark opened a desk drawer and rummaged through a stack of business cards before finding the one he was looking for. He handed it to Bryan. “Call Melanie. She’s running the new health club at the ranch. She can hook you up. She’s a personal trainer.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Bryan said. When he thought of people who worked with personal trainers, he pictured very fit athletic types, not someone like him. Besides, he remembered Melanie. She was Melissa’s sister. Melissa recently married Jack, a local cop, and Melanie came with them to trivia when she visited a few months ago. Melanie was cute as could be. The thought of having someone that fit and pretty as his personal trainer was a little intimidating. Clark wasn’t happy with his hesitation.

  “Seriously, call her and make an appointment to go in a week from now. Your back should be feeling better by then and you can slowly start to fix those weak muscles. She’ll walk you through everything and design a program for you. My buddy Charlie went to see her last week and said she is amazing.”

  Bryan tucked Melanie’s business card in his wallet. “All right, I’ll give her a call.”

  “What do you think of this? For the month of December, with every spa gift certificate we sell, we include a month’s free membership to the gym?” Melanie’s boss, Wade Weston, said as he paced around her office. It was their weekly Monday meeting and as usual, Melanie was impressed by Wade’s energy and creative ideas. It was what had sold her on the opportunity to move cross country and run the expanded fitness center. Like many resorts did, Wade wanted to open the fitness center to the public as a way to generate additional income for the ranch.

  “That’s a great idea. January is always a busy time for people joining gyms after the holidays and this will make it even easier. Will we do a general promotion, too, to reach people who aren’t receiving gift cards?”

  Wade thought about that and continued pacing. “Yes, of course. We’ll have to. Any ideas on how to structure it?”

  “We could waive the enrollment fee if they join in January and offer a ten percent discount if they pay for the year up front. People like to save money.”

  “I like it! Let’s do it.”

  Melanie made a note in her book to get an email out as soon as possible announcing the holiday specials.

  Wade stopped pacing and smiled. “Melanie, you’re doing a great job. I’m so glad you decided to join us.” It wasn’t the first time he’d said that and it was nice to be appreciated.

  “Thank you. I’m thrilled to be here, too.” Melanie had been intrigued when Wade first mentioned the possibility of joining him at the ranch. But, she wasn’t sure how serious he was until he’d reached out after she returned to Boston, and made her an official offer. She’d said yes immediately, put in her two-week notice and moved to Riston the following week.

  It was hard to believe she’d been at the ranch now for almost three months. She’d been non-stop busy since she arrived, getting the new center ready for more members and getting to know everyone at the ranch. Both she and Wade turned at the sound of a knock on the door and said “come in” at the same time. The door opened and Wade’s wife, Maddie, stepped inside.

  “Is everything okay?” Wade said quickly and with a level of concern that surprised Melanie. Maddie was a masseuse and ran the spa that was in the same building as the fitness center. She and Maddie had bonded immediately and Melanie hoped to make it out to trivia with Maddie, Wade, her sister Melissa and the others who regularly played on Thursday nights at the ranch restaurant.

  “I’m not feeling well. I’m going to head home. Jackie said she’d cover my last two sessions today.” A look passed between the two of them and then Maddie glanced her way, “Must have been something I ate,” she added.

  “I hope you feel better,” Melanie said. Maddie really did look as though she felt awful.

  “I’ll pick up Vivian and get some takeout for dinner,” Wade said. Maddie cringed at the mention of food.

  “I’ll get some soup for you,” he added. “I’ll see you later at home.” His eyes were full of concern as Maddie left and shut the door behind her.

  “Maybe there’s a bug going around,” Melanie said as Wade started to pace again.

  “Could be,” he agreed. “So, did you learn anything about how those MyTown reviews work?”

  Melanie hesitated for a moment. Wade had asked her to look into something and he wasn’t going to be happy with what she’d found out. “I did. Unfortunately, anyone can open an account on the MyTown site and leave a review on any local business. They can say anything they want.” In the past week, two one-star reviews had popped up saying the Fitness Center at the ranch was overpriced and dirty. There were no other reviews posted yet so it really didn’t look good.

  “Is there anything we can do about it?” Wade asked.

  Melanie sighed. “Social media can be a blessing or a curse. I do have an idea, though. When I email our members telling them about the holiday specials we can include a link to the MyTown site and ask nicely that they leave a review to help us reach new potential members. Oh, and we could offer a referral bonus. Maybe they could win a free month of membership if someone they refer joins?”

  “Both great ideas. Let’s get it done.” His cell phone dinged that he had a text message and he glanced at his phone and frowned. “I have to run. This was good, though. I’ll let you run with things.”

  A text message flashed across Melanie’s phone as well as Wade left her office. It was from her sister, Melissa.

  Can you take a quick coffee break? I have some big news to share.

  Melanie glanced at her schedule. She didn’t have anyone else coming in for the rest of the day. She should be able to run out for a few minutes. />
  I’ll be at the store in five… she texted back.

  Chapter 2

  "So, what's your big news?" Melanie could tell that her twin sister was dying to share something with her.

  "Shhhh, I'll tell you in a minute," Melissa said softly. They were in the book store that Melissa owned and operated, in the ranch’s Old West town, which was a collection of shops and services that were popular with guests and local residents.

  “Anna, we'll be right back. We're going to go grab coffee at Sadie's Saloon. Do you want anything?"

  "No, thanks. I just opened a Diet Coke. Have fun." Melissa’s employee, Anna, turned her attention back to the register and a customer waiting to buy some books.

  As soon as they got outside and started walking, Melanie took a deep breath of the crisp cool air and sighed. She hadn't lived in Riston long but oddly enough it had felt like home right away. She'd expected to be terribly homesick for Boston and was surprised that while she thought of her former city fondly, especially Modern Pastry in the North End and their perfect cannoli, she didn't miss living there the way she'd expected to.

  Boston was a lovely, historic city, but Riston had mountains and soaring green trees, sprawling ranches and horses. The scenery at times took her breath away. And she could feel snow coming soon. It was in the air, a telling, cool wetness. She recognized it from living in Boston. She could tell when a storm was coming.

  "Are you listening to me?" Melissa asked. Melanie realized she'd been lost in her thoughts and hadn't heard a word that her sister said.

  "I'm sorry. I was spacing out for a minute, thinking about how beautiful it is here."