Alaskan Christmas Redemption by Belle Calhoune

Author:Belle Calhoune
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-07-09T16:10:16+00:00

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Piper stood a few feet away from the fully decked out Christmas tree, admiring the way it shimmered and twinkled with red and green lights. A shiny gold star sat on top. The Snowy Owl had seen a steady stream of foot traffic in the past few hours. All the ornaments had been hung on the tree along with every garland Trudy had brought over from the inn. So many people had shown up to help trim the tree and order pies and milkshakes Piper could hardly believe it. Although Braden had been making milkshakes non-stop, he’d finally served up his last treat.

Hank, Sage and Piper’s niece, Addie, were sitting at a booth with Gabriel, the twins and Connor. Rachel was manning the counter and taking pie orders with Piper’s mother. All of the Norths had shown up. Braden’s parents, Willa and Nate, seemed to be radiating sheer happiness. It would be the first Christmas they shared with their newfound daughter. Piper knew it would be extra special for all of them. Although it still ached to not have her dad around during the holidays, Piper felt such joy for the Norths.

She watched as Braden headed over to the jukebox and turned up the music. The strains of “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” began to ring out in the diner. Braden walked over to his grandmother and held out his hand. Although Beulah tried to wave him off, Braden wasn’t taking no for an answer. He took Beulah’s hand and pulled her toward an open space near the tree where he began twirling her around to the upbeat rhythms. Moments later Braden’s grandfather tapped Piper on the shoulder and invited her to the makeshift dance floor. Although the space was very small, it soon filled up with throngs of dancers.

The vibe in the diner was heartwarming and uplifting. Before too long it was Beulah and her husband dancing cheek to cheek all alone in the middle of the diner. Piper let out a sigh. Braden stood a few feet away with his sister. The expression on his face as he watched his grandparents was touching. He looked exactly like the pint-size version of himself from their younger years—he was staring at them as if they were constellations in a star-filled sky. She felt a pang in her heart as she gazed at him. None of this would have been possible without Braden’s support and vision.

As the night wound down, everyone bundled up and headed outside for the tree lighting. Piper locked up the diner behind her. Despite the plummeting temperatures, a large crowd gathered on the town green. The velvety night sky was sprinkled with twinkling stars. Looking around her caused a feeling of warmth and light to flow through Piper. For so many reasons she’d dreaded the holiday season, but tonight had shown her that despite the huge hole her family would never be able to fill, they had so much to be thankful for. Family. Friends. Townsfolk.

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