Music Box Christmas (The Ornamental Match Maker Book 3) Read online

  MUSIC BOX CHRISTMAS

  An Ornamental Match Maker Book

  by George H. McVey

  Copyright © 2018 by George H. McVey All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Erin Dameron Hill/ EDH Graphics

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental or used fictitiously.

  Introduction

  M rs. Claus is all about spreading Christmas cheer — especially to the many lonely hearts seeking friendship, love, healing, second chances, and that special someone to call their own.

  To help each lovely heroine and dashing hero find their perfect match, Mrs. Claus mails them a magical holiday ornament. In Music Box Christmas…

  Beau Hart is busy managing his investment portfolio and running his family’s ranch, much too busy for dating or to even consider falling in love. That is until a Christmas gift from Mrs. Claus is delivered to him. A Carousel Music Box that is an exact replica of the Christmas Carousel in North Pole Montana’s own Christmas themed amusement park. With the music box is a card that says, “All legends are based in truth.” The only legend that he knows is the one about the Carousel; any couple sitting in the sleigh on Christmas Eve are destined to be married by New Year’s Day. But he isn’t even dating anyone so that’s not going to happen.

  Mari Christmas has just taken over Santa’s Village theme park from her retired uncle and aunt. She has no clue how to run an amusement park but family comes first. When she happens to trip and fall into the lap of a handsome cowboy sitting in the sleigh on her carousel on Christmas Eve everyone in the area calls for them to kiss. Now according to legend they’ll be married by New Years. But with a legal fight to save the park and dreams of her own there is no way Mari will succumb to legend even if the cowboy can kiss like a dream.

  Will Mrs. Claus help this couple to find true love? Or is the legend just that- a legend? Find out in A Music Box Christmas.

  Dedication

  T his book is dedicated to a man I never met but who influenced not just my life but many others, Stan Lee. This true believer will always be grateful to you for the magic you brought into my life. Excelsior!

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Books by George

  Prologue

  M rs. Claus looked at her list crossing off two names. “Let’s see who’s next?”

  She laughed thinking of the fact that while Mr. Claus had his list to check twice every year so did she. He focused on the children but she, well she remembered the talk her predecessor had with her when she and her husband assumed the roles.

  “My dear, while Santa focuses on the children, part of our job is to make sure there are more children born. We do that by focusing on the Magical Christmas Romance. Why I’ve had as many successful matches as all the cupids put together.”

  She smiled remembering the pleasant older lady. She needed to remember to send her an ornament this year too. A special one just to say thank you to the old dear. But now she needed to get to work. Romances to seed and ornaments to send.

  Let’s see… “Ah yes, this one is special. Beau Hart. That young man has been so responsible taking care of his sister since his parents’ demise. Let’s see, who is his soul mate...?” She tapped on her list and let the Christmas magic do its work. “Oh wonderful!”

  She laughed and headed into her gift pantry to find the perfect ornament to send Beau. When her eyes fell on the carousel music box she knew she’d found the right one. She quickly put it in a special wooden Christmas box and wrapped it with festive paper putting a huge bow on top along with her Christmas card. Then she placed it in the delivery box and stuck it in the outgoing mail. One of her husband’s helpers would see that it got to the post office and on its way.

  She sighed before turning and heading into the kitchen. She knew the toymakers would be hungry soon. She had just enough time to make sure there was hot chocolate and sugar cookies ready for their afternoon break. She couldn’t wait to see this couple find love in the midst of the holiday. She had to remember to make sure everything was ready for that fateful Christmas Eve encounter.

  Chapter One

  B eau Hart walked into the kitchen and froze at the sight of his little sister sitting at the center island talking to Mrs. Betty his housekeeper and cook. “Hey, Lil Bit, what are you doing home? They kick you out of university for being a smart aleck already?”

  His sister Vivian laughed “No you big Moron, it’s winter break. I’m home for the holidays.”

  “The holidays? Is it that time already?”

  Vivian just shook her head. “Let me guess, you’ve been working and working and working. No enjoying life, just sleep work eat repeat.”

  Beau laughed to himself to try and downplay how true Vivian’s words were. “Well somebody has to pay that outrageous tuition at your big fancy university.”

  “Fancy? I go to University of Montana, not Harvard, you uneducated hick.”

  “Well it sure cost like one of them ivy league schools. And I ain’t a hick. Rancher yes, but kiddo I got an Alienware computer and 80-inch curved TV. At the most I’m a high-tech redneck.” He winked.

  “Well you got the redneck part right.” Vivian pointed at the red area on his neck where the heat had flushed his skin. He smiled. It was great having Vi home again. He thought back to eight years ago when he’d been informed that his parents had died. Everyone tried to get him to let social services take Vivian and put her with a family, but he wouldn’t. He’d stepped up to run the ranch and care for his ten-year-old sister. Now here she was following her dreams in college and he couldn’t be prouder. “All kidding aside. It’s good to have you home, Vi. I mean, Mrs. Betty is getting older and the house could use a spruce up.”

  The older housekeeper reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a wooden spoon. “Boy, you may pay me to keep this pigsty clean but I’ll still tan your hide with this spoon. What are you doing here anyway, don’t you have cattle to chase or feed or something?”

  He grinned. “I actually came to check the mail. I’m waiting for a part for the tractor that I was hoping came today.”

  “Mail came about an hour ago and is on your desk. There was a package but I’m pretty sure it isn’t from the John Deere dealer. Not unless they moved way up north.” The older lady smiled.

  Beau frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “You’ll see. I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”

  Beau walked to his office noticing that his little family followed him. There sitting on top of his desk was a box. He had to agree before ever looking at it that the box was too small to hold his tractor part. He picked it up and frowned. No return address but the postmark said the most impossible thing, “North Pole, Arctic Circle.” Granted they lived in North Pole, Montana and they had great Christmas like postmarks with the infamous and legendary North Po
le that Santa’s workshop was supposed to reside at. This was a step above that. He didn’t even know there was a post office in the Arctic Circle, let alone one at the North Pole. He opened the postal box and pulled out a beautifully wrapped Christmas present. The gift tag on top simply stated “To: Beau Hart, From: Mrs. Claus.” He opened the small gift card and inside in beautifully written calligraphy was a simple statement “All legends hold an element of truth.” And it was signed “Mrs. C.”

  Beau began to remove the wrapping paper slowly and with great care. He could hear Vi behind him huffing with impatience and he smiled; he knew what was coming next. It was what happened every Christmas and his birthday. His imperious little sister wanted him to just rip the paper off but he liked things neat and orderly. “Will you just tear it open already?”

  He stopped and turned to look at her. “Is this your present or mine? Because I’m positive both the box and gift tag had my name on them.”

  She cocked her hands on her hips. “Just open it already. I want to see what you got. Who’s it from anyway?”

  He handed her the gift tag and went back to removing the wrapping paper. Inside lay an intricately carved wooden box and when he lifted the lid he couldn’t help but suck in a tiny breath. Laying inside on a cushion of soft red velvet was the most intricate wooden carousel he’d ever seen. He lifted it, thinking something about it looked familiar, and heard his sister gasp. “Oh my goodness! That looks exactly like a replica of the carousel at Santa’s Village downtown.”

  That’s why the ornament had looked so familiar. It looked like the actual antique carousel that Mr. and Mrs. Christmas owned down at Santa’s Village park. The carousel his sister had worked at during her high school years and that had been their Christmas Eve tradition since the year their parents had died in a car crash leaving Vivian in his care.

  He went to spin it and it clicked backwards and a single musical note came out of it. He twisted it counter clockwise and it wound up like a music box. When he stopped twisting it, it started to play and soon he realized it played a music box version of the classic Christmas carol “White Christmas” just like its real life counterpart in the park.

  “Which one of you sent me this?”

  Both Mrs. Betty and Vivian looked at him with confusion on their faces. “I know it had to be one of you. It’s an amazing ornament. The fact that you could find one that looks so much like the one in town is extraordinary, but it had to cost a fortune.”

  Vivian laughed “Then you know it wasn’t me. I’m a starving college student living on ramen noodles and microwave pizza.”

  Mrs. Betty shook her head. “I have gifts for both of you but you won’t be getting them until Christmas like every other year. Jasper and I will be over to cook and celebrate like always.”

  “Well I don’t know who sent it then but I know it wasn’t Mrs. Claus.”

  Mrs. Betty looked at him. “What makes you say that?”

  Beau sputtered, “Because legendary figures are just that: legends.”

  “Yet the card you got said that every legend has a bit of fact behind it. I know for a fact that’s true.”

  Beau stopped and looked at her, his brow drawing down toward his face. “What would make you say that?”

  “Because, Beauregard Hart, I know several people who sat in that carousel swan sleigh on Christmas Eve and every one of them were married by New Years. Including your own parents.”

  Both He and Vi looked at each other and then turned to look at their housekeeper who was more like their Grandmother than an employee. “What? How have we never heard this story before?”

  “Because you, Beau, were a boy and not interested in love stories and your sister was too little to ask how her parents met and fell in love before they died. Then neither of you wanted to talk about them much because of how much it hurt to miss them.”

  Vivian took Betty by the hand and pulled her back into the kitchen. “I want to hear it now. Mom and Dad met at the carousel?”

  Betty smiled as Beau sank onto the seat beside his sister. “No dear, they had known each other for years but they were just friends. It happened, I guess, thirty-five years ago now. Your dad had just taken over the ranch and your mom had just finished high school the summer before and she was working at the park for the Mr. and Mrs. Christmas as the ticket taker at the carousel that year.”

  “So how did they end up together in the sleigh and married?”

  “Their friends set them up.”

  “You’re kidding!”

  Betty laughed. “I’m not; your Dad’s buddies got him to go to the park and then pushed him into the swan sleigh. Then when it started, they all watched. They’d rigged a slight trip line from the sleigh to the edge of the carousel and when your mom went by to get inside the center to make sure everything was running right she tripped and ended up on your dad’s lap.

  “Everyone started calling for them to kiss because of the legend and your dad wasn’t one to let a challenge pass him by so he kissed her. Next thing anyone knew they spent the rest of the night sitting in that sleigh kissing and talking. Then three days after Christmas no one could find either of them. They came back New Year’s Day with a marriage certificate from a Las Vegas wedding chapel.”

  Beau almost fell off his stool. “They got married in Vegas?”

  “They did and I can tell you that your mom’s parents were not happy about it. But your mom moved into the ranch house and they loved each other every moment until their accident.”

  “Wait, I didn’t know Mom had parents. I mean, we never met any grandparents. I thought she was an orphan.”

  “Oh Beau, you met your grandparents, they just don’t claim to be your grandparents. They disowned your mother when she married your dad.”

  “What do you mean I’ve met them? Who are they?”

  “The Hollingsworths are your grandparents.”

  Beau came to his feet. “You mean those rich people who wanted to take Vivian away from me. Those are Mom’s parents?”

  “Yes, Carl and Sylvia had plans for your mother to marry into the upper society in Billings. They’d been pushing her to date some rich businessman’s son. But she fell in love with your dad and they ran off and married. When her parents found out they tried to force her to get an annulment but she told them she wouldn’t because she found her true love. They insisted that if she didn’t leave your father and marry their choice of husbands they’d disinherit her and as far as they were concerned they’d have no daughter. She left and they never spoke again.”

  “That’s why they wanted Vivian. Because she was their granddaughter; to replace mom.”

  “Yes, but they wouldn’t acknowledge either of you as their grandchildren. You wanted to be like your dad, a rancher. They, I believe, hoped that they could raise Vi to be a debutante like they’d raised your mom. But your parents had updated their will when you turned eighteen. Since you owned the ranch and had the means to care for Vivian they couldn’t win a court case. Don’t think they didn’t look into it, because they did. Then they tried to bribe me and Jasper to leave so they could prove you weren’t capable of running the ranch and taking care of your sister.”

  Beau nodded. “I remember. I remember them telling me it was too much and they’d give her a good home. With more than I could ever provide. They had no clue how much money Dad made in his investments or they wouldn’t have tried that.”

  “You’re right they always saw your dad as a poor country boy. Had no clue that he had a degree in finance and a good portfolio when he married your mom. They just saw a twenty-one-year-old cowboy who ran off to Vegas with their daughter after one night of kissing on that carousel. That’s why they hate the park too.”

  Vivian hugged her brother. “I’m glad you got to keep me. I would have hated losing you on top of Mom and Dad. Thank you for taking such good care of me, Beau.”

  He blinked to keep the tears from falling. “Vivian, it was honestly easy to take care of you. You’re my
baby sister and I love you. I wouldn’t have changed anything except kept Mom and Dad alive.”

  They hugged and then he cleared his throat. “Alright, well let’s put this music box on the mantle and then I need to get back out and work on my evening chores before Jasper comes looking to knock me up side my head.”

  Chapter Two

  M ari Christmas sighed, she’d agreed to take over Santa’s Village. The Christmas theme park that had been in her family for years since the early 1920’s in North Pole, Montana but the truth was she had no clue what she was doing. Yes, her degree was in business and she had some management experience, but it had been in a retail setting not in running an amusement park for families. This wasn’t what she wanted to do with her life but she knew that Uncle Nick and Aunt Dora were tired and the cold of Montana winters caused them pain. The fact that they’d taken some of their retirement money and purchased a carousel in the town of Christmas Florida only made her smile. Even in their retirement they planned to keep doing what they had always done and spread some Christmas cheer all year long. How could she say no to picking up the family legacy? She just needed to find someone who knew the park and loved it as much as her Aunt and Uncle did to help her learn the ropes. Until she could find such a person she’d have to make do with the workers her park already had.

  She had just sunk into the seat behind what had been her Uncle’s desk, now hers, when there came a knock on the open door frame. She turned to see an older man in a long-sleeved button up shirt with a wide red and blue striped tie. “Oh excuse me, I was looking for Nick or Dora.”

  “They aren’t here, can I help you?”

  “Umm, no I really need to talk to one of them; it’s a legal matter concerning the park.”

  That didn’t sound good. A legal issue was not what she needed the week before the busy season started. “Well Nick and Dora have retired. I’m Mari and I’m the new CEO of Santa’s Village Amusements; can I help you?”