He barked again. But it wasn’t a threatening, scary kind of bark. It was more of a welcoming bark, especially because he was also wagging his tail.
“Well, hello to you, too,” Riley said with a smile. “Aren’t you the great guard dog?”
He gave her a curious look, then turned around and trotted off, plopping himself down next to a spectacular stone fireplace where a roaring fire crackled away.
Riley laughed, watching him. “Or not.”
As she walked farther into the room, she turned around, slowly taking it all in. It was enchanting.
The lobby looked like a giant cozy living room. Every inch, from top to bottom, was beautifully furnished with charming Christmas decorations. The stone fireplace reached up to the soaring beamed ceiling. Draped across its mantel was a gorgeous garland that was lit up with white lights and covered with pine cones, red berries, and red-and-green plaid bows outlined in a gold trim that glittered in the light.
On a bookcase next to the fireplace, there was a collection of colorful nutcrackers of all shapes and sizes, ranging from just five inches tall to more than two feet tall. They all wore military outfits, and most of them also had crowns and carried swords. They looked fierce, ready for battle. But it was the nutcracker on the far right that captured Riley’s attention. It was a little different from the rest. It was about twelve inches high and wore a tall black hat instead of a crown. The hat looked like it was made of fur, and there was also fur around its jacket. It looked older than then the rest of them, and something about it was familiar . . .
The next thing that caught Riley’s attention was the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, showcasing a postcard-perfect view of the mountains and Christmas Lake. Even with the snow falling, she could catch a glimpse of the one lone tree lit up on the lake.
Inside the lodge, right in front of the window, there was another festive Christmas tree planted in a big, red ceramic pot that was rimmed with pine cones. The tree was decorated with red velvet bows and dozens of hand-carved wooden ornaments.
Riley walked over to the tree to get a closer look. She smiled as she carefully touched a little ornament. It was a cute pair of wooden skies. When she accidently knocked it off the branch, she caught it just before it hit the floor.
“Nice save,” a husky male voice said from behind her.
Startled, Riley whirled around and then did a double take when she recognized the guy who had rescued her from falling outside the TV station the day before.
“You?!” they both said at the same time.
Riley recovered first. “You’re the guy who helped me outside the TV station in New York. What are you doing here?”
The guy looked equally confused. “What are you doing here?”
Riley stood up straighter. “I’m hosting the Christmas Boot Camp. Are you one of the guests? What are the odds?”
The guy didn’t look amused.
“No, I’m not a guest, and it’s a Christmas Camp, not a boot camp.”
“That’s right, sorry,” Riley said with a guilty smile. “I keep getting that mixed up.”
The dog came over and sat down next to the guy, keeping an eye on Riley.
“I’m Luke. Luke Larchmont. My family owns this lodge,” the man said with authority.
Riley’s eyes grew huge. She shook her head, trying to make sense of what she was hearing. “Your family owns the lodge?”
“That’s right,” Luke said.
Riley, still processing, forced a smile and quickly held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Riley—”
“Yes, I know who you are,” Luke shot back. “You’re the author who ran out on a live interview on national TV, an interview I had finish, something I was completely unprepared to do.”
Riley could see how upset he was. She bit down hard on her lower lip. “About that, I am so sorry that happened. None of that, of course, was planned and—”
“What are you doing here?” Luke asked, cutting her off again. He folded his arms in front of his chest. Nothing about his tone was welcoming.
The dog was looking back and forth between Riley and Luke as if he were following the conversation.
Riley took a deep breath and continued, choosing her words carefully. “I’m here to apologize and explain. I really appreciate you giving me this second chance to come here and talk to you and . . .”
But Riley was cut off yet again when Luke held up his hand.
“What do you mean a second chance?” he asked. “I certainly never invited you here. I told Mike I was done with his crazy plan. I’m canceling the Christmas Camp.”
Riley shook her head, more confused. “But Mike said I needed to come here to talk to you so we could work this out.”
“And he said I invited you here?” Luke asked.
Riley felt her stomach twist into a knot. “You didn’t?” She didn’t know what was going on, but one thing she did know was that she was going to kill Mike.
Riley realized by the look on Luke’s face that he obviously had no clue she was coming, and she knew this had to be another one of Mike’s schemes.
Beyond embarrassed, Riley started for the door. “I am so sorry,” she said. “I think there has been a huge miscommunication. I’ll go right now.”
But right when she got to the door, it opened and Harry entered.
“No one is going anywhere in this weather,” Harry said, brushing the snow off him.
“What?” Riley asked as she hurried over to Harry. She needed to get out of there as fast as possible. “I thought you said everything was fine, that you drive in this snow all the time.”
“Snow, yes,” Harry said.
