Christmas in Bayberry

But at the end of all that, he would have a very pleasant reward awaiting him. And it definitely was not the sled riding, erm, tobogganing he had in mind.

Chapter Twenty

It was race time.

And Wes didn’t have a clue about the difference between a sled and a toboggan.

Just then snow flurries started to fall. They were fat, fluffy flakes that slowly drifted down in the still air. As he stood on the hill staring down at Bayberry, he couldn’t help but think that with the snow blanketing the ground and dusting the rooftops, the town looked like one great big Christmas card.

“Another new experience,” he said.

“You mean you’ve never been on a toboggan?” Kate looked at him with astonishment.

He shook his head, feeling as though he were the only one in Bayberry to have never ridden a toboggan. “My father preferred the southern states, so as a kid I didn’t have much exposure to snow. And though it does snow in New York, I’m always working.”

“Well, you aren’t working right now.” Kate flashed him a smile. “We’d better hurry and take a test run or two.”

“Is that necessary?” He couldn’t believe it would be very challenging.

Kate nodded. “We want to win.”

“We do?”

“We do,” she said firmly.

Wearing borrowed snow pants and boots that climbed halfway up his calves, as well as his new coat, he followed her toward a prime spot on Barkley’s Hill. From that vantage point, he was able to stare across the dip to his old house. That house was never far from his thoughts these days.

He couldn’t help but wonder about the people who would move in next. Would they be as happy as his family had been there? He didn’t recall exactly why they’d had to move, but it was probably for a higher-paying job. He couldn’t help but wonder if it had been worth it, as his dad had barely stayed at the new company for a year.

They trudged farther up the hill, dragging the toboggan behind them. He held one side of the rope pull while she gripped the other. Working together, getting it up the hill was so much easier. Teamwork: it was something that his position at Watson & Summers didn’t allow him. The more he climbed the corporate ladder, the more alone he felt.

In fact, the closer he got to the assistant vice president position, the more he felt as though he and the other candidates were pitted against each other.

It wasn’t until he was away from the office that he’d noticed the way Mr. Summers pushed people, and casually mentioned other employees’ achievements to get more productivity from him.

Wes frowned as they reached the top of the hill. Why had he put himself through all that stress and worry over accounts and quarterly results, when every quarter had to be bigger and better than the last? And then he remembered wanting to move his mother close to him. But now, knowing that wasn’t what she wanted, he had to decide what he was willing to put himself through for the promotion.

But that thought would have to wait, because right now there was snow and a sled—a toboggan, that is— and it was time to have some fun—

Whack! Whack!

Two snowballs smacked him, one on the shoulder and one in his chest. What in the world? He glanced around. Immediately he spotted Kate off in the distance.

She grinned at him. Her eyes sparkled with merriment. And then, not waiting for his response, she

bent to gather more snow. Her arms moved quickly and then she straightened with a devilish smile. She wasn’t going to—

Kate winged a snowball in his direction. The lady had a good arm. He ducked. The snowball hit the ground behind him.

When he straightened, she was gathering more snow—more ammunition. Oh no. He wasn’t going to stand around and be a target. Two could play this game.

He grinned as he gathered snow, squeezing it into a firm ball. But as he stood back up, a snowball drilled into his shoulder, exploding. Snow showered over his face and left him sputtering.

“The war is on!” He launched a snowball, hitting her in the back.

She gasped. He laughed. Once she shook off the snow, she turned with an extra-large snowball and let it fly.

He ducked. And the battle continued until they were both laughing so hard, neither could catch their breath. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this much fun. Usually his time was rationed out, making the most of each minute, whether it was time spent at the gym in his office building or working over a late dinner in front of the television. But this was a totally unproductive use of time, and he couldn’t think of anything he’d rather be doing, or anyone he’d rather be doing it with.