Welcome To Winterville: A Small Town Holiday Romance Read online

  Welcome To Winterville

  Carrie Elks

  Contents

  Join Me!

  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

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  Dear Reader

  Also by Carrie Elks

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  WELCOME TO WINTERVILLE by Carrie Elks

  Copyright © 2021 by Carrie Elks

  170921

  All rights reserved.

  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 book is a work of fiction. The characters, events, and places portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

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  Thanks for reading! Carrie xx

  1

  Welcome to Winterville

  Where Every Day is Like Christmas

  Holly Winter pressed the brake pedal of her rental car and took a deep breath, staring at the writing in front of her. The sign was faded, as though somebody had forgotten to paint it this year, and there was a thick wedge of snow laying across the top like a sleeping cat. In the distance, she could see the twinkling lights of the town as it nestled around the mountain.

  Opening the window, the cold air rushed around her face. The air in the Allegheny Mountains was so different to the atmosphere she’d become used to in Chicago. It wasn’t just that it was thinner – thanks to the elevation of the town, but because it smelled sweeter.

  Like home.

  Or as near to home as she’d ever been.

  There wasn’t another car on the road. She hadn’t passed one for the last hour since she’d begun her slow ascent from the interstate. No SUVs full of families, excited to spend the weekend at America’s Favorite Holiday Town. No buses full of day-trippers, traveling to soak up the festivities at the Jingle Bell Theater. Instead, there was silence and the rumble of her engine, deadened by the layer of thick snow.

  She pressed her foot down on the gas and the Jeep’s tires gripped the roads – thankfully clear of snow despite the lack of travelers. That would be thanks to Charlie Shaw, who ran the Cold Start Garage in the center of town. For the past forty years he’d taken his snow plow out whenever Winterville had a hint of snowfall.

  It was the first time Holly’d been back to town since her grandma’s passing earlier that year. It wasn’t just that she’d been busy at work – though Lord knew that was true – but she’d found herself finding stupid excuses not to come.

  Winterville without her grandma was hard to imagine. Her grandma had been the heart of the town. She’d been the one who built it, after all.

  Her phone started ringing through the car’s speakers, and she hit the accept button, braking sharply as a white snowshoe hare bounded across the road. “Dammit!” she called out, and a low chuckle echoed back at her.

  “Holly?”

  “North.” As her eldest cousin, North was the leader of their generation of Winters. “I nearly hit a damn hare.”

  “You’ve made it into the mountains then.” His voice was warm and low.

  “I just passed the town sign.”

  “You’re close.” He sounded pleased. “Are you heading straight to the Inn?” The Winterville Inn was the heart and soul of the small town. It had been built and owned by their grandma for more than fifty years. Growing up, it had been like a magnet for the Winter cousins. Holly had spent many holidays there with North and his brothers – Kris and Gabe – and her girl cousins – Everley and Alaska. A smile pulled at her lips as she remembered their epic snow fights.

  “Yeah, I’m beat. I’m going to check in and veg out for a while. Are you at the farm?”

  North owned the Christmas Tree Farm at the other end of town. Along with his co-owner, Amber, he lived in a sprawling set of lodges alongside the farm. Some of the buildings belonged to his brothers – though right now they were living elsewhere.

  “Yeah. It’s been crazy this week. But you, Everley, and Alaska should come over for lunch on Sunday. Gabe has promised to cook, which I’m hoping won’t put you off.” He chuckled, and it made her smile. Gabe was known for burning water. She kept her fingers crossed that he’d keep it simple.

  “Lunch on Sunday sounds good.” She nodded. She passed the Jingle Bell Theater, where her grandma had starred every year, pulling in fans from far and wide for her Holiday Shows.

  Now it looked empty and alone. Holly pulled her eyes away and concentrated on the road ahead.

  “We can work on our plans then.”

  Their plans to stop the town from being sold.

  Not that Winterville was strictly a town. It was an unincorporated settlement, according to the legal description. The land had been bought by their grandma, the famous singer and actress Candy Winter, after she’d taken the world by surprise when she’d retired at the peak of her fame, and brought her family back to the wild mountains where she’d grown up.

  “Our plans?” Holly echoed, knowing exactly what he meant. And she hoped to God he did have a plan, because she’d come up with nothing. Their parents – her mom and two uncles – had inherited the town and wanted nothing to do with it. They were set on selling it to the highest bidder.

  It was the reason she was here, after all. Driving a rental car from the nearest airport – three hours drive away, thank you very much – to a West Virginian town tucked into the side of the mountains.

  North had this crazy idea that they could work together to stop their parents from cashing in on their inheritance. Even though the six cousins didn’t have anywhere near enough money to counter the offer they’d been made.

  Their grandma had been a force of nature. A woman in charge of her own destiny at a time when it was unheard of. And she’d had a vision for this land she’d bought – a vision that included building a town, brick by brick. Giving homes to the people she’d grown up with, along with jobs to replace the ones they’d lost years ago when the last local mine had closed down.

  And she’d named it Winterville.

  As she followed the bend, the Winterville Inn loomed ahead of her. It felt bittersweet, seeing the tall sprawling building and knowing that Candy wouldn’t be waiting for her inside, her blonde hair swept up into her signature beehive, her eyes dancing because she adored her grandchildren.

  Running the town had always been a family affair. Along with North and his brothers, and Everley and Alaska, Holly had worked he
re at Winterville every vacation as a teenager.

  They would serve breakfasts at the restaurants and clean cabins, before they moved to manning the reception and, in the case of Holly’s more talented cousins, starred in the annual Christmas shows that Candy would hold at the Jingle Bell Theater.

  Pulling into the graveled driveway, she looked up at the Inn ahead of her. It had started snowing again. Thick, heavy flakes danced down from the dark gray sky and landed on the windshield.

  Parking in the lot at the side of the Inn – almost empty, despite the season – Holly climbed down from her SUV and grabbed her purse, her feet crunching in the snow as she followed the path to the front door. Before she got into the lobby she could smell the sweet smokey aroma of the inglenook fireplace, and hear low piped Christmas music echoing through the speakers.

  Despite the lack of guests, the lobby was still beautifully decorated. Garlands of holly and ivy were strung on every surface, fairy lights wrapped around them, twinkling in time to the music. Giant gold and red ornaments hung from the ceiling, and life sized wooden nutcracker soldiers stood sentinel at each doorway, holding drums or spears, their moustaches quirked up into permanent smiles.

  But the focal point was the huge tree standing proud at the center of the lobby. The green boughs were weighed down with gold decorations and glittering tinsel.

  “You made it!” A human tornado launched itself at her. Holly laughed as Everley almost tackled her to the ground. “You should have told me you were getting close. I’ve been annoying Alaska all day wondering when you’d get here.”

  “Sorry.” Holly hugged her tight. “I’m here now though.”

  “Yes you are. And you’re a sight for sore eyes.” Everley dragged her over to the reception desk, where Alaska was typing into the computer. Their youngest cousin’s eyes lit up when she saw them approaching.

  “Holly!” She grinned, reaching over the counter to hug her. “How was your trip?”

  “Not too bad. There was a bit of turbulence when we got closer, but nothing I couldn’t handle.”

  “Ugh. I hate flying.” Alaska wrinkled her nose.

  “We know.” Everley shot her an amused look. “That’s why you never leave Winterville.” As the elder of the sisters, Everley was always teasing Alaska. She took it good humoredly.

  “I can’t help it. I love it here.” Alaska shrugged, still smiling at them both. “And now that you’re both here with me, it’s even better.” She looked down at her computer, then back at Holly. “I’ve put you on the fourth floor. Are you sure you don’t want to stay with me?”

  “The Inn is fine.” Holly was looking forward to staying here. “Anyway, at least I’m not in the cabins.” When they were teenagers, they’d always stayed in the staff cabins at the bottom of the hill. They’d been simple affairs – one room with two beds, plus a primitive bathroom. Though there was a basic heater, the best heat came from a fire they had to build themselves each night.

  And yet they were so happy there. Back then, they’d been teenagers playing at being adults. She’d felt so grown up having a cabin to herself, while Everley and Alaska shared one a few cabins down. North, Kris, and Gabe had lived a few cabins away from that.

  She’d had her first drink in those cabins – Gabe had let her sneak some whiskey from his hip flask.

  “No cabins for you,” Alaska said, smiling. “Not even if they were inhabitable, which they aren’t. Those things were condemned years ago. You’ve got a pretty room that overlooks the town, with hot and cold water and a mattress to die for.” She looked pleased with herself. “A Great Night Mattress. All our rooms have them now. I negotiated the discount myself.”

  “It sounds perfect. I’m going to dump my bags in there and take a shower if that’s okay. Are you guys going to North’s on Sunday?”

  “Of course,” Everley said, looking amused. “He just called and invited us. And you know that when North calls…”

  “We come running,” Alaska finished her sentence for her.

  Holly grinned. “Yep. Some things never change.”

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Everley said, hugging her again. “For the first time, I feel like we might be able to save this place.”

  “Exactly.” Alaska nodded. “You and North will know what to do. You guys always did have the best ideas.”

  Holly’s stomach twinged, because they were both staring at her with hope in their eyes. “Of course we’re going to save it,” she said, almost believing her own words. “We have to. For Candy’s sake.”

  2

  “I need you to sign these purchase orders,”

  Josh Gerber turned his head to see his assistant, Willa, holding out a pile of papers and a pen. Josh took the papers, and looked at them, frowning at the words typed across the white expanse.

  “Christmas invoices?” he asked. “Already?”

  “It’s December,” Willa pointed out, biting down a smile as he sighed and scrawled his name across the line on each page. “We need to pay the deposits for the company party. Plus the gifts for all your employees. Holiday baskets, as usual. I sent out an email suggesting a change and you should have seen the replies I got back.”

  “People don’t like change,” Josh murmured, handing her back the signed documents. She picked a piece of lint from the lapel of his jacket, wrinkled her nose, and threw it in the trash can beside her.

  “Will you actually come to the party this year?” Willa asked, slipping the signed orders into her to-do tray. “You could surprise us all. Who knows, you might even have a good time.”

  “Nobody wants the boss at the Christmas party.” Josh grinned at her. Willa was one of his favorite employees. At almost sixty, she gave as good as she got. He needed that in his life. “They want to kick back and have fun without worrying about what they said to me the next morning. It’s my Christmas gift to you all. An evening free of Josh Gerber.”

  “You could dress up as The Grinch,” Willa said, ignoring his reply. “That would make everybody smile.”

  Willa was the only employee of Gerber Enterprises who could get away with talking to him like this. Some of that came from the fact she’d known him since he was born. She’d been his grandfather’s secretary then, a fresh faced college graduate at the time. Josh had asked her to stay on when his grandfather had retired – or partially retired – and he’d taken over as head of the company.

  She’d said yes, eventually. Thanks to a hefty pay raise and a promise that he’d let her tease him the same way she always had.

  “I don’t hate Christmas. I just don’t understand it.” Josh shrugged. “It’s just another day, isn’t it?” He glanced at his watch. He was already late for his next meeting. “Anything else I need to sign?”

  Willa shook her head and glanced over at the board room. “No. And they’re all in there waiting for you. I sent in some coffee and pastries, so they should be happy.”

  Josh winked at her and straightened his tie, pushing a lock of hair back into place. “I knew I could rely on you.”

  “Ah, one handsome smile from you and you’d be forgiven by them anyway.” Willa shook her head. “You have the same charm your granddad has. One look and you always get what you want.”

  “I wish that was true. My winning charm has been sorely lacking lately.”

  “Well it will work this time,” Willa told him, sounding certain. “Now go get ’em, tiger.”

  Josh rolled his eyes because even though she was cheesy, she also made him smile.

  “Thanks,” he said, walking over to the boardroom. Before he pushed the door open, he straightened his shoulders, lifting himself up to his full six foot three height.

  “Okay,” he said, walking into the already-full room and taking his seat at the head of the table. “I don’t have a lot of time, so let’s make this snappy. Who wants to start?”

  “What do you mean there’s a problem?” The meeting had been going on for two hours, despite Josh’s best attempts to move it along.
His back was aching and his stomach was rumbling, reminding him how long it had been since breakfast.

  “We thought we were buying the land,” Kevin Davies, the head of his real estate division told him. “But it turns out we’ve bought the town, residents, businesses, and all.”

  “How the hell did that happen? Didn’t you read the deeds?” Josh frowned. Kevin was a veteran at Gerber Enterprises. He’d been working in Gerber Enterprises’ real estate division for twenty years, and Josh had made him the department head a year after he’d taken over the reins.

  “It was my fault,” a woman’s voice said. Josh looked over Kevin’s shoulder to see one of the interns standing up. She looked scared to death as every member of the board turned around to look at her. Josh tried to remember her name. Ellie or Eliza or something? She was one of ten interns the company took on every year under their community outreach program.

  “What’s your name?” Josh asked, looking at her directly.

  “Elizabeth Norton.”

  Ah yeah, now he remembered.

  “Did you read the deeds, Elizabeth? Visit the land to do your research?”

  She took a deep breath in, and Kevin shook his head at her. “It’s my fault. I should have double checked. She’s still learning.”

  Josh could remember Kevin talking to him about the new intern. That she had great promise. He exhaled heavily and looked around at the other twenty people in the room. “Okay, I think we can finish here. Kevin and Elizabeth? Please stay so we can discuss this.”