The Christmas Miracle
Chapter 6
It's a quick 2-day business trip to wrap up an acquisition for his eccentric boss. He's never bought a mountain, but then he encounters Kate Beckett. Entry for Castle Ficathon Winter 2022.
**Note**. This story was inspired by the movie Christmas at Holly Lodge (2017).
Knowing her guests had enjoyed Jenny's lunch and checking to ensure her staff had no immediate needs, Kate went to her office and pulled out the most recent financial papers she had received from the bank. She checked past notices, compared bank payments, and confirmed she was six months behind in her mortgage payments. One perplexing point surfaced during her review of her papers. Over the past two weeks, overdue notices had become more directed and threatening.
Kate leaned back, thinking the two-week timeframe was very interesting; Rick unexpectedly showed up yesterday. He or someone else has been digging into her finances long before his surprise appearance.
Kate is even more concerned about what this stranger knows about her and the Lodge's operations. And, more significant than that, she feels even more embarrassed and guilty that the charms of the handsome visitor so quickly pulled her into his devious plan.
Jenny slips into the office and immediately notices that Kate has become even more stressed.
Kate briefly explains her new findings, and Jenny tries to convince Kate it's not her fault. They were all taken by the cunning actions of the slick jerk from New York City. Jenny repeats her opinion that they need to throw him out.
Kate reiterates that they must keep him close, watch his actions, and try to prevent him from buying out her banknote.
Kate had assumed her banker had kept her financial status private, but after looking closer at her notices and their wording, she is beginning to doubt the relevance of that assumption.
Jenny agrees that Kate has some valid points and excuses herself to go back and continue her preparations for afternoon snacks and the evening meal for their guests.
Kate remains in her office but finds her mind running off the rails as she begins to feel she may be fighting a losing battle. She takes a deep breath, knowing she has to pull herself together for the sake of her guests and staff, so she shoves the papers back in her bottom drawer, shuts off her computer, and decides to go outside and join the kids in their Snowman Building Contest.
At the reception desk, Kate observed Rick entering the Lodge without uttering as much as a simple hello. She then looked over at the guests visiting the Great Room, allowing her emotions to overcome her as she put together what would later be called a childish plan.
Kate had set her alarm for 3:30 am. She turned it off immediately, got dressed, quietly snuck down to the reception area where their guest wake-up call system was, and set Rick's room phone for a 4:15 am call. Following the first call, Kate set the system to call his extension at 5:00 and again at 5:30 am. After exacting what she hoped was a small portion of sweet revenge, Kate returned to her room before any staff showed up for their shifts.
Later that morning, Kate completed her usual morning tasks and then moved into the kitchen to assist Jenny. She had taken a detour through the dining area to see if they had any early morning breakfast guests and was thrilled to see Rick sitting at a table alone, pushing scrambled eggs around his plate as he leaned his head on his hand. She could sense from a distance that he was rather tired.
Kate and Jenny did a high-five when Kate entered the kitchen, laughing together that Kate's initial idea of disrupting her now unwelcomed guest's night's sleep had worked. Maybe throwing him off his game will give Kate more time to develop a plan to save her home.
Kate picks up one of the coffee pots, sweetly commenting," I'll go and take care of refreshing our guests' early morning coffee."
When Kate returned to the dining area, two more couples had arrived for the early breakfast buffet, so she stopped and filled their coffee cups as she made her way to Rick's table. The closer she got to Rick, she began to feel a pang of guilt as he looked even worse than he did earlier.
Kate paused and smiled as she walked up to his table, saying, "Can I refresh your coffee, Rick?"
Rick looked up, irritated when he saw it was Kate, and replied, "Yes, you can, and after that, you might want to check your wake-up call system. It called my room phone three times during the middle of the night."
Kate filled his cup and sweetly replied, "Oh, I am so sorry. I will check it right away. We had a few glitches with the system earlier, but I thought we had those repaired."
"Well, they weren't! I think I only got about four hours of sleep last night." replied an irritated Rick, who turned back to his meal, refusing to look at Kate.
Kate walks back into the kitchen, knowing she should feel worse about her prank, but as soon as she recalls the papers she had reviewed last night, all sense of guilt quickly evaporates.
Rick returned to his room, lying down, hoping to catch a couple more hours of sleep.
Rick had just dozed off when his cell phone rang with a British anthem which alerted him that Sir Covington was calling again.
Sighing, Rick debated ignoring the irritating ringtone but knew that would only exacerbate future calls he would have with his boss.
Rick threw his legs over the edge of the bed, setting up straighter as he reached for his cell phone. He took a deep breath and swiped the acceptance slide to the right as he answered, "Good morning, Sir."
"Mr. Rodgers, there is nothing good about this morning. What's behind the rather vague message you sent to me last night? Are you inferring that there is some document in Ms. Beckett's file that will prevent me from purchasing that Mountain? By now, I trust that you know there is no challenge that I won't fight. And I will fight this, I will win, and I will buy that Mountain!"
Sir Covington's salutation of Mr. Rodgers puts Rick on high alert.
Rick realizes his boss is reaching the end of his rope, so Rick pauses, trying to determine how to approach this pending issue, which could prove to be the single point that would prevent Covington from pursuing his current dream, purchasing Kate's Mountain.
"Sir Covington, the purpose of my message last evening was to alert you to the possibility of a pending issue and to let you know that I am pursuing this new development. I didn't want to withhold that detail and have you blinded-sided later if it proves true. Also, as I explained, I will meet with the Beckett family attorney, who was instrumental in developing many of the early documents relevant to the Lodge's loan and all other supporting financial documents."
Hearing no response from his boss, Rick becomes further concerned and continues, "Sir Covington. I am attempting to maintain my due diligence to protect you and your interests from pursuing a purchase plan that may entail some unknown factors that could reflect poorly on Covington Resorts."
Knowing the size of Sir Covington's ego, Rick was hoping that continuing a purchase that would reflect poorly on him or his company would get the man's attention.
Covington finally responds to Rick's statements, saying, "Okay, Rick. I suppose I should be grateful for your foresight and concern for our reputation, but I need to know if you can wrap up this sale before Christmas?"
Rick decides to lay the groundwork for a possible change in Covington's plan by implying a bit of doubt regarding the deal, in case Rick finds a solution that will enable Kate to keep her Lodge and Mountain.
The two men disconnect the call, with Sir Covington still extremely upset and determined that Rick needs to push through with this deal. Rick falls back on the bed and immediately experiences feelings of betrayal of his boss and his company. Rick again closes his eyes, seeing images of Kate and asking himself if his feelings for her are clouding his judgment and the methods he typically uses when pursuing such assignments.
Rick closes his eyes, allowing his mind to wander.
When did this job take on such a personal slant? He's never allowed his feelings to play any part in his work for Covington Resorts. Why, now?
Rick picks up his phone and clicks on the Photos app, and a picture he took of Kate as they stood on top of the Mountain just before their first ski run pops up on his screen.
That's why this assignment has become so personal, Kate Beckett!
Rick rubs his forehead as he pulls the Mountain's Trust certificate out of his file. He smiles as he recalls the pride and emotion he witnessed on Kate's face whenever she spoke about her Mountain and the Lodge. This job has become highly personal, especially for this beautiful and intelligent woman.
Kate checks in with Jenny in the kitchen and can tell her friend wants to talk, but Kate is tired and doesn't want to talk about her financial situation. So, she tells her friend that she needs to speak with Lanie about young Hallie.
Kate finds Lanie sitting at one of the tables in the open Lobby, typing something into her cell phone. Kate tries to tell Lanie about Hallie's concerns. But Lanie keeps typing on her phone and says, "I know. I'm working on something."
Kate takes that as her cue not to disturb her friend.
As she walks into the Great Room, Kate turns and watches as Hallie joins Lanie at her table.
The two seem to be talking about something related to Lanie's phone.
"Hi, Lanie, what's ya doing?" asks Hallie.
"Oh, nothing, Sweetie. This crazy phone has started talking to me again, " Lanie said as she glanced at Hallie.
Hallie frowned but then smiled as she said, "Lanie, I can show you how to turn SIRI off. I have done it on my Mom's phone."
"No, that's okay. I'll just put it away so we can discuss the kid's ornament decorating contest. Have you decided what you want to create?"
Lanie watches as Hallie deflates a little before she says, "Lanie, I am too old to be making ornaments with all of the little kids."
Lanie stays quiet, taking on a rather contemplative mood, and appears to be thinking about Hallie's comment.
"Well, girl. If you're too old to make ornaments, then so am I. You must also be too old for some other Christmas activities Kate has planned for these kids. So, I guess I'll go outside and see if there is something an old lady like me can find to do," Lanie says as she stands, puts on her jacket, and heads toward the front door.
Hallie sits for a few moments, then runs back to her room, grabs her coat, and goes outside to see what Lanie is doing.
Kate has been observing the two and remembers her similar experiences with Lanie. She is confident that her dear friend will be able to draw Hallie out so she can begin enjoying her Christmas retreat at the Lodge.
Hallie leaves the Lodge and looks around the grounds trying to find Lanie. She soon spots her walking, swinging her arms and kicking at the snow. Hallie yells,
"Lanie, what are you doing?" Yells the young girl as she runs to catch up with her friend.
"Oh, nothing much. Just trying to find something that an old lady can do."
Just as Hallie nears Lanie, she bends over, quickly packs a snowball, and throws it at Hallie's chest.
Hallie is surprised and squeals, yelling, "What are you doing, Lanie?"
Lanie smiles, bends down again, packs more snow, and throws another snowball at the young girl.
Hallie turns and makes a snowball, fires it at Lanie, and soon the two friends are laughing and throwing snowball after snowball at each other.
Their noise carries over into the Lodge, and Kyle stops working on his ornament and yells, "Snowball fight."
Soon, all the kids and parents in the Great Room were running to get their coats and jackets and making a beeline outside, with young Kyle taking Kate's hand and dragging her out to join in the huge snowball fight.
Rick has been working on Kate's papers when he hears all the noise outside his window. He walks over, looks outside, and sees the mass of bodies laughing and pelting each other with snowballs. He looks back at the pile of papers on his bed that had been frustrating him for the last hour, shrugs his shoulders, and grabs his coat, intending to join in the fun.
Rick exits through a side door that allows him to peer around the corner of the Lodge and watch the activity taking place in front of the Lodge. His eyes immediately lock on Kate, and his heart jumps as he sees her smile as she tosses snowballs at the Lodge's guests.
Rick walks around the corner and joins in the fun.
Kate immediately sees Rick as he joins the snowball fight and yells, "Hey, everyone, let's get the new guy."
Immediately, all the kids and some adults turn on Rick and pelt him from head to toe with snowballs. Rick is laughing and giving it back to as many unruly players as he can. He finally lowers his head, charges through the group, and tackles Kate to the ground.
Kate is stunned by Rick's actions and lays entirely still under the weight of his body. She looks into his eyes, seeing something she hasn't seen before, and it takes her breath away.
The longer the two lay together in the snow, Kate's body begins to betray her.
Rick realizes the position he is in, lying wholly on top of Kate, so he immediately turns, stands, and holds out a hand to help Kate and says,
"Hum, I'm sorry about that. I didn't intend to run into you like that. Are you okay?"
Kate struggles to break eye contact with Rick and pulls her hand out of his grip, replying, "Yea, I'm fine," and walks away.
Rick watches as Kate moves to check on the kids and ensure they are okay after the massive snowball fight. Finding many are soaked, she suggests they head inside to get warmed up by the fire.
Rick watches Kate's caring interactions with her guests, again seeing how she treats them as much more than just guests. They are family to this unique woman.
Rick then also experiences a bone-chilling shiver as he looks and sees that he's snow-covered too. He waits a few seconds, watching as the adults and kids go back into the Lodge, then he heads toward the side entrance to go back to his room and take a warm shower and try to take the chill off of his body as he tries to control his growing feelings for Kate.
Kate is in the Great Room, helping the kids get out of their wet coats and boots as she notices Rick slip in through the side door of the Lodge and head up to his room.
After helping her guests, Kate pauses as she wrestles with the mixed feelings that seem to be growing for this insufferable man who has dropped into her world. In her mind, she feels she can't trust him, but her heart continues to betray her, and she has no idea if anything could ever come from those emotions, especially if he is deeply involved with those who want to ruin her life.
Back in his room, Rick takes a quick shower to warm up after the impromptu snowball fight. After drying off and getting into clean clothes, he looks down at all of Kate's papers spread across his bed, especially taking a closer look at the older documents relating to the Lodge's mortgage.
He picks up a folded 11x17 parchment document, and a half-page certificate slips out of a small slot on the back of the brightly colored page.
Rick drops to his bed and reads the official addendum that Jim and Johanna Beckett had added to their Lodge mortgage file.
Rick's face lights up, and he says boo-yah and grabs his phone, calling Kate's lawyer. After Rick explains the reason for his call, the receptionist sends Rick's call directly to Ernest Barker. After again explaining, in great detail, what he discovered, Mr. Barker sets up an appointment with Rick to review the other documents Rick has found the next afternoon at 2:00 pm.
Rick is frustrated that he has to wait until the afternoon to speak to the attorney, but his discovery will be worth the wait.
Slipping all of Kate's papers back into their binder, he secures them in his suitcase and decides to go down and enjoy the evening with the Lodge's Christmas family.
Following the snowball fight and Kate's interaction with Rick, she is more determined to find out precisely what information Rick has regarding her financial records. Kate enters the kitchen to locate Kevin and see if he will help her with another plan.
Kate locates Kevin in the kitchen, talking with Jenny, and convinces him to help her with her new idea. After the evening meal, guests and staff will attend Ganasby Butte's Christmas Tree lighting celebration. After it's over, Kate talks Kevin into taking Rick out for a beer so she can return to the Lodge and go through his papers, hoping to find a way to stop him from buying her home.
Kevin isn't excited about the idea, but he also wants to do all he can to help Kate, so he agrees.
Kate's plan is in motion, and after the Tree Lighting ceremony, Kevin approaches Rick, "Hey, man, how about I buy you a beer."
Rick is surprised by Kevin's invitation as he hasn't interacted that much with him, but he accepts. Before leaving the main street area, Rick turns to Kate,
"Kate, you need a break, come and join Kevin and me for a beer."
Kate stumbles over her words, but thanks Rick for the invitation and again says she needs to get back to the Lodge to get some work done.
The trio separates, with Kate heading to the Lodge and Kevin and Rick to a nearby bar.
Once they have their beers, the two men make small talk, and then Rick asks Kevin about Kate and the Lodge.
"Kevin, I have noticed you keep a close eye on Kate and help her around the Lodge. Is there anything going on between you two?"
Kevin takes a few swigs of his beer before answering, knowing Rick's question is pretty bold unless he is trying to test the waters. Kevin is no dummy; he has seen how Rick watches Kate.
"Yes, I do. Jim and Johanna Beckett were good to me. They gave Jenny and me great jobs, and we worked alongside Kate until she left for college. They treated us as if we were their other kids. So after they died, I promised myself I would watch out for Kate and do all I could to protect her."
Kevin hopes the force of his last statement impacts this stranger and lets him know that Kate is one of them and they will do whatever it takes to ensure that she is cared for and protected.
Midway through their current discussion, Kevin sees Mr. Landry enter the bar through the front door, but as soon as he spots Kevin with Rick, the banker turns and quickly exits the bar.
Kevin frowns, again sensing something dire is brewing between Rick and Kate's banker. He goes into protective mode, wants to confront Rick, and demand to know the motives for what he is trying to do. But Kevin knows Kate will kill him if he interferes.
So Kevin exhales a frustrated sigh and tries to re-engage in his conversation with Rick.
Rick sensed a change in Kevin's demeanor when he looked toward the door, but when Rick glanced in that same direction, he didn't see anyone, so he looked back at Kevin, changing the subject to Jenny, which seemed to be a very popular topic with the young man.
Back at the Lodge, Kate walks in distracted and speaks quietly with Jenny, who is entertaining their guests.
"I hope Kevin can keep Rick busy, but if he shows up, text me so I can get out of his room without getting caught."
Jenny also wasn't excited about Kate's plan. But like Kevin, she will do anything she can to help Kate.
As wrong and improper as it was, Kate used her master key and slipped into Rick's room, telling herself that she had to find something to stop Rick and his company from buying her banknote.
Kate sees his computer on the nightstand and his messenger bag lying on the bed. She first re-reads the document Jenny had stumbled upon on his laptop, fuming even more as she read the cut-and-dried approach this company was trying to implement to destroy her life.
Kate practically explodes when she finds a plan that describes tearing down the Lodge and all other structures. The document continues to outline that they would cut back the tree line to allow for more specialized resort facilities.
If Rick's boss, Sir Covington, is allowed to do this, he will destroy the Mountain! The report clearly shows they have no respect for what the Beckett's have built over three decades.
Kate then pulled some documents from the messenger bag. First was an initial overview of her account that Mr. Landry had signed.
So much for client confidentiality, stated Kate to herself.
She was halfway through an initial summary where Rick stated it shouldn't be a problematic acquisition as the Lodge's financial records seemed to be a mess. Kate was turning to the third group of papers in her hand when her cell phone buzzed, "He's back, get out!"
Rick had returned early, greeting Jenny and some of the other guests.
Jenny panicked, saying, "Hey, Rick, you're back early. Would you like to join us in some table games?"
"That sounds great. I'll go and change my clothes and be right back down. Save me a seat."
Kate quickly placed the computer on the end table and slipped the papers back into Rick's messenger bag. She was exiting his room when she heard a phone ring and saw Rick at the top of the steps. Fortunately, he was absorbed in his call and didn't see Kate duck back into his room.
Once Kate was back in the room, she frantically looked for an escape as she heard the door open. She dove under the bed, holding her breath, scared to death about how she would get out of the room unnoticed.
Kate could hear Rick's side of the conversation as he entered his room and quickly learned he was speaking to his boss. Lucky for Kate, Rick was having issues with reception, so he left his room to try and complete his call in the hallway.
Not able to hear Rick's conversation, Kate is unaware that Rick thinks he has found some information that could prevent his boss from buying her Lodge and Mountain.
Kate crawled out from under the bed, determining that her only escape was through one of the windows that overlooked the East side of the Lodge's main roof.
Once outside, she began to walk toward the edge of the roof to try and figure out how she could safely climb down and get out of her precarious situation. Unknown to Kate, walking on the steel roof echoed throughout the Lodge.
Kyle was the first to hear the noise from above and yelled. "It's Santa. He came early!"
Jenny immediately realized something was terribly wrong and headed toward the front door, followed by several adults and kids who had been playing games in the Great Room.
Once everyone was outside looking up toward the Lodge's roof, Lanie was the first to yell,
"Kate, what in the world are you doing on the roof? And you don't even have a coat on? Girl, you're going to kill yourself."
Kate was totally embarrassed that she was caught and tried to pretend she was fixing Christmas lights. She bent over and began giggling bulbs pretending she was trying to repair the lowest strand. She stood and rubbed her hands together, saying, "There, they're all fixed now."
Disappointed that the noise he had heard wasn't Santa, young Kyle yelled, "But the lights are still out."
"Shoot," Kate said as she bent down again, unaware that Jenny had slipped back inside the Lodge and flipped on the manual controls for the roof lights.
Once the lights came on, the crowd cheered, and Jenny grabbed a ladder sitting on the side of the Lodge, extending it up so Kate could climb off the roof.
Several guests congratulated Kate and went back inside. Jenny stood at the bottom, steadying the ladder as Kate carefully climbed down the ladder. Once her feet were back on the ground, Jenny whispered, "What in the world were you thinking."
At that moment, Rick appeared at Kate's side, gently wrapping a jacket around her shoulders and guiding her back into the warmth of the Lodge. They stopped inside the large double doors and soaked in the heat from the roaring fire Javi had set earlier.
"Are you okay, Kate? It's too dark and dangerous to be doing that kind of work on the roof, and you weren't even wearing a coat. You could have fallen," he said as he automatically pulled her to his side.
Not thinking, she allowed herself to melt into Rick's body, taking in the smells she was learning that were uniquely him.
Reality quickly set in, and she pulled away, thanking him as she rushed out, seeking refuge in her office.
Expecting solitude in her office, Kate was surprised to find Lanie huddled over her computer.
"Lanie, what's going on? Can I help you with something?
Lanie was absorbed in her task and said, "No, I've got this; you need to leave me alone and let me work. I think I almost have it figured out."
"What have you figured out, Lanie?" inquired a puzzled Kate.
"I'm just trying to answer someone's Christmas wish."
Knowing she shouldn't push her friend for more answers, Kate replied, "Okay, Lanie. But you let me know if there is anything I can do."
"Yes, yes," answered Lanie as she turned her full attention back to the computer screen.
Smiling, Kate grabbed her iPad and a favorite blanket as she left Lanie to do her magic.
Once Kate was back in the lobby area, she could tell that Jenny and Kevin had everything under control, so she slipped back outside, seeking some quiet where she could think and figure out her next steps.
Kate wrapped herself in her blanket and sat in one of the many Adirondack chairs that line the Lodge's patio. She opened her iPad, which came to life, showing a copy of her latest financial bank statement.
Exhaling, Kate closed her eyes, trying to make herself accept the inevitable. In all likelihood, she would lose the Lodge, her home, and her Mountain. A few rogue tears escaped as she stared at the file, seeing that as hard as she worked, she still wasn't going to be able to give the bank two back payments on Monday.
With her mind entirely focused on her iPad screen, Kate didn't hear or see someone as they sat down in the chair next to her.
"Am I interrupting? I just wanted to be sure you were okay. I was very concerned when I saw you on that roof," Rick said.
Kate looked up, surprised to see Rick sit down next to her. For a few quiet moments, she didn't allow herself to think about the real reason for his unexpected visit to her Lodge.
At this moment, she only wanted to get lost in the beautiful blue eyes that were intently watching her.
"Thanks, but I'm okay. I just came out here for the quiet and to get caught up on a little work."
"You do work all of the time, don't you." Rick's comment didn't hold any malice, only what sounded like genuine concern.
"Yes, I do. Even if this isn't one of the biggest places in the area, it takes a lot to keep it running, especially at this time of the year," Kate answered with a sense of sadness.
Rick knew he was the source of her sadness and wanted to relieve Kate of her concerns, but after talking with her lawyer, he knew he needed to wait one more day before he hopefully gave her the best possible Christmas gift.
So trying to change the subject, he asked, "Will you stay right here? I have something I want to show you."
Kate quietly said, "Okay," as Rick turned and ran back inside the Lodge.
Two minutes later, a winded Rick returned and handed Kate an intricately crafted wooden box, saying, "Open it."
Kate chuckled, saying, "Why? It's your box; you open it." She knew she was yanking his chain, and right now, it was fun.
Rick whined like one of the kids, pleading, "Kate, just open it."
Laughing, Kate laid down her iPad and gently lifted the lid from the box, and what was inside caused her to gasp.
"Rick, these are beautiful. Where did you get them?"
He looked at the treasures inside the box and quietly said, "I called my assistant and had her ship them to me."
He continued to explain,
"I bought these on my travels around the world. Each has a significant meaning for the country I was visiting, which was important to me at the time. Until now, I've never tried to explain why I bought them."
Rick went on to tell Kate about the history behind a few of the handcrafted pieces. "These two are from Peru and Kasba. In Marakas, I stood for two hours and watched the guy carve it. When he finished, he carefully handed it to me and said it would protect me and bring me good luck."
Then holding up a beautiful, brightly colored bird, Rick continued, "This one is from Venice. Kate, you would have loved watching as the guy blew different glass colors and brought this one to life right before my eyes."
Trying to control his emotions, Rick softly said, "Kate, this is the first time I have ever wanted to share these with anyone else."
Kate looked up at Rick, questioning his statement as he continued,
"Kate, I have never experienced these feelings before coming to your Lodge. Christmas never held any real importance to me. It was just another day. But since I have been here, around all of your guests, spending time with you. I can't explain it, but I feel different. As you said on our sleigh ride, I may have found everything I need right here."
"And because of these new feelings, I wanted to share these ornaments with you. I want to put them on the tree if that is okay with you. I truly want to be a part of all that is happening here at Beckett Mountain Lodge. And, after all, Lanie told me that all of your guests are supposed to bring ornaments for the tree," smiled Rick as he anxiously waited for Kate's response.
Kate sat quietly, keeping eye contact with Rick, as she answered, "Of course, that would be great. Why don't you go in and give me a few minutes to wrap up a couple of things on my iPad."