And Everything Nice (Snowed In & Snuggled Up #3) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Description

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Epilogue

  A Little Bit of Sugar ~ Excerpt

  About the Author

  Holiday Trios

  Other Books by Mary Leo

  AND EVERYTHING NICE

  Snowed In and Snuggled Up Holiday Collection

  Book Three

  Mary Leo

  www.maryleo.com

  www.facebook.com/maryleoauthor

  twitter.com/maryleoauthor

  AND EVERYTHING NICE

  By Mary Leo

  All Hamilton Winchester ever wanted was Gaby Venti, but Gaby Venti never wanted to be tied down to any man . . . especially a man from Plymouth Rock, Colorado, the hometown she left behind. But when she finds herself snowed in by a force of nature, she quickly learns that Hamilton Winchester isn’t just ‘any man,’ and Plymouth Rock means more to her than simply the ‘town she left behind.’

  And Everything Nice

  Copyright © 2015 by Mary Leo

  Published by Pryde Multimedia, LLC

  Cover designed by: www.thekilliongroupinc.com

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written consent of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.

  Thank you for respecting the author’s work

  For my beautiful family. We are truly blessed.

  Chapter One

  Hamilton Winchester had more important things to do during this Thanksgiving holiday than make his way back to Plymouth Rock, Colorado for some silly dinner. Okay, so maybe the real reason was to sign off on the sale of his grandparents’ cabin, but that could’ve been accomplished online. He knew the real reason. His sentimental mom wanted everyone together for one last meal at the cabin. Unfortunately, Hamilton’s schedule didn’t want to cooperate with her festive plans. He had real work to do with the latest company he’d just acquired if he was going to turn it around and sell it for a profit in the next eight months.

  Sure he hadn’t been to the family cabin since Grandpa Win had died almost five years prior, and sure it would be nice to spend some time with his family, but the last time they were all together for Thanksgiving he and his brothers had argued, and his mom had come unglued over whether or not to buy an organic turkey from Bentley Farms or one from Artie’s Grocery Store. Hamilton only ate organic now, but at the time, organic was the only turkey Grandpa would eat. Nothing commercial for him. Then there was the argument over how to cook the darn thing: fried, baked or barbequed.

  All-in-all, it hadn’t been a good experience. Ever since his grandfather had died, the holidays had never been the same in the Winchester family, mostly because Hamilton had been spending them alone. Grandpa Win was the glue that had held everyone together, and without him, they all seemed to drift apart.

  Hamilton felt somewhat relieved his dad was pushing to sell the cabin. He’d just as soon wash his hands of the damn thing and be done with it. All it did was remind him of spending time with his grandparents, and that part of his life was once and for all over.

  Not that his dad had any fondness for the cabin to begin with. Hamilton knew his dad was pushing this deal purely for his personal financial gain. The man was all about the deal, and nothing and no one else mattered: not his three sons or his own dad’s legacy, which at this point in Hamilton’s life was fine with him. More and more, despite his best efforts to the contrary, he was becoming his father’s son . . . a condition he sometimes disliked in himself, yet somehow couldn’t seem to shake.

  Hamilton had his own set of favorite memories from the cabin: his grandpa had taught him to play one of his old guitars that he’d kept up in the attic, his gram had taught him how to bake his first pie in that kitchen, he’d broken his right arm when he fell out of the oak tree in the back yard, he learned how to ride Old Glory, his grandma’s favorite horse the summer his dad left home, and it was on the front porch, while sitting on that old metal slider that he kissed his first girl, little Gaby Venti. She was all of maybe seven or eight years old and he, a year older.

  That year she’d been visiting her dad and his then new wife on the Fourth of July. Her dad owned a successful Italian restaurant and a house in town, located right next door to the house Hamilton had grown up in. He didn’t remember Gaby ever living with her dad for any length of time--her dad had had too many wives and lovers for that. Nope, she only visited. But whenever she did, he and Gaby were almost inseparable.

  Then everything changed during the summer between high school graduation and college. They’d had what he thought was an inconsequential argument but their friendship never fully recovered. Sure, they’d still see each other from time to time, but it was usually when Gaby needed him to soothe her after a tough exam, or when she’d nearly been expelled from school for punching her roommate in the face. Then there was the time they met back home in Plymouth Rock when her dad married his third wife or was it his fourth? Hamilton could never keep up. They’d spent the entire reception together, dancing, talking and flirting. She had promised to stay in touch, but she never returned any of his calls or emails.

  Of course, by the time she’d turned twenty-six, Gaby had matured into a beautiful, intelligent woman who he’d had a brief interlude with several months ago. They’d run into each other at a Digital Marketing Summit in Denver and for some inexplicable reason, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Whatever they’d fought about in college seemed to vanish with that first hello, and ever since then it had taken every ounce of fortitude Hamilton had within him not to contact her again.

  Unfortunately, their brief tryst should never have happened. She had a boyfriend back home in Los Angeles with wedding bells on his mind or so she’d said. For his part, he’d told her he was seriously dating someone in town, but that was a lie just so his ego could walk away from her with some dignity. Yes, he’d been kind of dating a couple women, Jessica Beasley, and a Sharon Somebody, but neither one of them was serious. And despite what Sharon had posted on his Facebook page, he was still very much a single guy.

  In the end, both he and Gaby had agreed their romantic weekend had been a mistake, but damn if he didn’t still think of her . . . the smell of her skin, the taste of her lips, how her body seemed to melt into his.

  He pushed those
erotic thoughts away as he drove down the dark, snowy road to the cabin. Thinking about her now only complicated his already complicated life. Not that he could do anything about their situation even if he’d wanted to.

  Gaby had always been elusive. Even back when they were kids she swore she never wanted to marry. She’d always wanted kids, but she never wanted a husband or so she’d said. Her dad was already on his fourth or fifth ‘serious’ girlfriend when Gaby was only ten years old. When Hamilton had caught up with her in Denver, her dad had abandoned the marriage bargain completely and instead was actively pursuing someone he claimed was the love of his life . . . as if anyone could buy that one.

  The private road leading up to the cabin had been cleared of snow, probably the work of his middle brother Scout, who liked to take care of things. If it wasn’t for Scout, the place would have probably fallen into disrepair after Grandpa died. Scout took after their grandfather: handy with a hammer and charming with his words.

  Case in point, the town had just dedicated an entire ice-skating rink to Scout earlier that afternoon. It was now officially known as ‘Scout’ Winchester Ice Rink. Apparently, William, Scout’s birth name, would never appear on the new nameplate. Scout was a lot like Hamilton when it came to their names. Scout hated the name William, and Hamilton hated the nickname, Ham. Their oldest brother, Jefferson Tate, preferred to be known as simply JT Winchester.

  Hamilton had attended the festive ceremony at the ice rink, complete with food and games for the kids, but hadn’t wanted to actually meet up with any of his family members. He’d stayed in the shadows, mostly, but had always been deeply proud of Scout’s accomplishments in hockey, especially when, because of him, the U.S. had won another Olympic gold medal.

  He had planned to participate in the dedication, but then at the last minute couldn’t seem to bring himself to go up to Scout and congratulate him. He’d caught Scout’s attention from out in the stands, and Scout had given him a nod of acknowledgement, but, still, Hamilton had kept his distance. Scout, JT, and Hamilton hadn’t really been bonding in recent years, somewhat due to how they each felt about their dad. Hamilton had a relatively good relationship with their dad, and there were times when he even admired him. Unfortunately, Hamilton’s brothers had a much different take on their dad.

  Hamilton never completely understood their animosity.

  His headlights finally swept across the cabin, which wasn’t really a cabin anymore. The place had been expanded and renovated so many times that it barely resembled the structure that his grandfather had built when he’d first inherited the property almost seventy-five years ago. The only thing that still remained were the original logs used to build the place, the front porch and those massive windows his grandmother had insisted upon. The view was spectacular and thanks to his grandmother’s insistence, the family had always been able to enjoy it.

  As he drove the car closer to the cabin, his headlights caught something or someone standing on the front porch. At first he brushed it off thinking it was one of his grandfather’s many wooden animals he’d whittled and attached to railing, banisters and even the front door. Then on closer inspection, he realized it was a woman . . . and the lights were on inside the cabin, and smoke billowed out of the chimney.

  “What the hell?” Hamilton said aloud. This was late Sunday night. No one was supposed to be at the cabin until Tuesday, at least that was what his mom had said. He stopped the car, put it in park, turned off the ignition and got out. He had planned to use this time alone to get some work done. His mom had promised not to come over until Tuesday, which was the condition of his agreeing to fly in for the dinner. He’d stop by her house in town sometime tomorrow for a brief visit . . . maybe.

  He didn’t want to be anti-social, but . . .

  “Hi, Hamilton,” a familiar raspy voice said as he made his way up the front steps, carrying his bag. The front door to the cabin had been flung open.

  A jolt of apprehension caught him completely off guard as he stared up at a most beautiful and radiant, very pregnant Gaby Venti standing at the top of the stairs.

  Chapter Two

  Gaby didn’t know how Hamilton would take seeing her again, much less how he would react to her decision, but she knew he deserved to be told in person.

  “What the hell, Gaby?” Hamilton said, looking every bit as surprised as she thought he would be. He walked onto the snowy deck, parked his bag, then took a step back to take a better look at her. She checked him out as well. He’d lost a few pounds, kept some facial hair, and cut his dark hair super short. It was a good look for him, and fit his new business persona to the max. When she gazed into his deep blue eyes, all she saw was confusion, a quality he’d always hated. Hamilton liked to be prepared at all times, liked knowing what to expect with any given situation. He had no tolerance for logic that didn’t make sense or didn’t add up. Right now, from the look on his face, Gaby’s standing on this front porch didn’t add up. What was probably even more confusing to him, had to be her prominent baby bump.

  “You’re pregnant.” He said it as if he was informing her of the news, as if he was trying to comprehend the situation without knowing the details.

  She smoothed a hand over her very swollen belly. “Yep. Sure am.”

  “What the heck are you doing here? Where’s your husband or did you walk out on him, too?”

  It was a mean thing for him to say, but she knew she probably deserved it. Apparently, her abandoning him in that hotel room in Denver stung more deeply than she had imagined.

  Her demeanor darkened in order to spar with him on an equal basis. “Maybe we should go inside, first.”

  “Is he in there with you? If he is, I don’t want to meet him. I’ll come back when I know you’re both gone.” He picked up his suitcase and turned to walk back down the stairs.

  “I came alone,” she offered, hoping he’d calm down knowing there was no one else around.

  “You drove all the way out here by yourself . . . in your condition . . . on that dangerous road from town. I heard we have avalanche warnings. Are you crazy? What kind of man would let you do that? And how did you get inside? Is my family here? I specifically asked them not to come over until Tuesday or Wednesday.”

  She hated when he asked so many questions at once. Her mind couldn’t keep up.

  “No one else is here. It’s just me. And there are avalanche warnings almost every winter. The last one was over seventy years ago, so I think we’re safe. I found the key over the doorjamb, like always. Plus, not that it matters, but I didn’t drive from town. I drove in from the airport.”

  “Still, it was risky . . . and how the heck did you know I’d be coming in tonight?”

  “Whenever the Winchester men are in town together, all the single women for miles put on a party. You and your brothers are famous, or maybe it’s more infamous. Either way, I’m sure the entire town knows the Winchester brothers are back. But in truth, your mom told me. She invited me to stop by her place, but I told her I didn’t have time. As it is, I don’t intend to stop and see my dad, either. I didn’t fly in to see either of them.”

  “And just exactly who did you want to see, Gaby?”

  His voice took on a rougher tone, as if the whole idea of her being there was disagreeable.

  “You. I came to see you.”

  He stood there for a beat, and she had the distinct feeling that he didn’t know what to do or say next, so Gaby turned and walked inside. She heard him follow right behind her.

  She had started a fire in the fireplace, the logs were already inside just waiting to be lit, and she’d opened a bottle of red wine from the well-stocked wine cellar the Winchesters had always maintained. She’d poured Hamilton a great big glass hoping the fermented fruit would ease his apprehensions. Sparkling water with a slice of lemon was her drink of choice, both of which she’d brought with her. Wine would have been so much better, but no way would she touch the stuff with her baby girl inside her.

 
Once he’d removed his coat and scarf, she handed him the glass of wine, and noticed how great he looked in a black V-neck sweater, and black boot-cut jeans. He wore black cowboy boots, his trademark. She’d always been attracted to Hamilton, but giving her heart to him was out of the question. She’d learned to never trust a man’s love . . . her father had taught her that in spades when he cheated on her mom.

  Not that she thought Hamilton was the cheating type, he’d never given any indication of that, but neither had her dad. Up until the night when her mom caught him kissing Donna Frisk in the back row of Pumpkin’s Movie Theater in town, her mom had thought she and her dad would grow old together.

  Ha!

  They weren’t even out of their twenties when he started cheating.

  Hamilton was still in his twenties, and so was she, prime time for cheating. And the one man who could tear her heart apart was Hamilton Winchester. She could take any other guy walking away from her, abandoning her for another woman, but she could never take it from Hamilton.

  “What’s this all about, Gaby? Why are you here offering me wine? The last time I saw you, you couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”

  That had been true, but things had changed considerably since then.

  Gaby knew Hamilton wasn’t the kind of guy to tiptoe around a subject. He liked to get right to the point. She was more of a dancer, a skater, a woman who liked to slip into a touchy subject from the outside edges.

  “This place looks better than I remembered it,” Gaby said as her gaze slipped over the open great room that seemed to be professionally decorated in deep gold, brown, and tan with a sprinkling of burnt orange for some fun. Even though the cabin had grown into an expanse of modern comfort, it still retained that charm Hamilton’s grandparents had always managed to exude. The extra-long rustic table Grandpa Winchester had built from an enormous pine tree he’d cut down to build the cabin still dominated the room, and Grandma Winchester’s ornate china still remained on display inside the massive hutch made from that same tree.