She dropped down to sit on the floor, sensing she might fall over when she opened it. Very slowly, she lifted the lid.
There, nested in a bed of green flannel, was a cashier’s check made out to Snowberry Lodge for…
“Oh, my?—”
MJ couldn’t even touch it. Her whole body trembled as she stared at the number that did not compute in her mind. How many zeroes was that?
A million dollars?
“Hey, Mom, where are you?” Gracie’s voice barely reached MJ through the noisy, slamming pulse in her head.
“MJ?” Cindy’s voice rose and grew closer. “Are you— Oh.” She stood in the bathroom doorway. “Are you all right?”
She turned and held up the check, a simple, life-changing piece of paper.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“What is…” Cindy dropped to her knees. “MJ? What is that?”
“Proof that anything is possible,” she breathed the words.
“Mom!” Gracie appeared in the doorway next, holding the letter. “He won the lottery?”
She heard Cindy squeal, falling to the floor. Gracie joined her, picking up a pack of legal-looking documents with words like “trust” and “gift tax exemptions.”
“Is this even real?” Cindy asked, tears falling down her cheeks.
MJ wiped some of her own, looking at the documents, the check, and the letter. “I think all that is real.” She closed her eyes and exhaled. “But the man? I guess I’ll find out in a year…when orifhe comes back.”
“He’ll be back,” Cindy said. “He obviously loves you.”
“I don’t know about that,” MJ whispered. “But I can’t wait to find out.”
MJ may haveto wait a year for her happily ever after—but you don’t! Come back to Park City for another holiday filled with secrets, sisters, and second-chance romance.
After a year of renovations and redesign, Snowberry Lodge is finally ready to open its doors for the most magical Christmasseason yet—and Cindy and Jack’s holiday nuptials will showcase the Starling Room, a sparkling new wedding venue. The lights are twinkling, the sleigh is polished, and love is in the crisp mountain air…but not everything in Park City is picture-perfect.
Gracie’s bakery is struggling, thanks to a flashy new rival across the street, and every run-in with the infuriatingly handsome Marshall Hampton stirs up more than her temper. When Benny and Olivia do some scheming, Gracie and Marshall are forced to team up—while trying to ignore the sparks flying between them.
Cindy has handed over the lodge management reins to Jack, and is launching Snowberry Weddings, a brand-new business to match her brand-new marriage. When an opportunity arises that could catapult that new venture, she learns that success might come at too high a price.
Through it all, MJ counts the days until the return of the man who made her heart soar with promises. But each snowstorm and silent night makes her wonder if it was all just a dream.
