Christmas at Thistlecombe Cottage

Chapter 1

The wheel on her trolley caught on a rock, causing her to stumble. What was she going to tell her friends when she went back to London? She dreaded the thought of meeting them, all excited to hear about her holiday and looking for the ring on her finger. She was already getting messages wishing her luck and telling her to take lots of pictures.

A car zoomed past and turned into the driveway ahead of her, interrupting her thoughts. A couple got out of the car and hugged as they marveled at the cottage they would be calling home for the holidays.

"James, this is absolutely gorgeous! What a lovely surprise!" The woman ran into his arms for a long hug. Maya could only let out a huff.

***

It took another half hour of trolley stumbles and lovey-dovey couples before Maya finally got a glimpse of her destination. Across the street from where she stood was Thistlecombe Cottage, looking like it had come straight out of a wintry fairy tale. Its thatched roof and honey-colored walls were exactly what the cottages in storybooks were made of.

Maybe the stories she'd read online about Thistlecombe Cottage being a magical place of happy endings were true. Maybe it was the magic of a place she had been dreaming about finally coming to life before her very eyes. Maybe it was relief in knowing she didn't need to lug her luggage around anymore. Whatever it was, Maya felt the heavy feeling in her chest lighten ever so slightly at the sight of Thistlecombe Cottage. It was the Christmas cottage she'd been dreaming about since she was a little girl spending sunny holidays in California and wishing for snow. And while she had already celebrated a few snowy Christmases in London, a coy holiday in the English countryside just had a different, more magical feeling.

For the first time since she'd left London that morning, she found herself excited at the prospect of this holiday. It didn't matter that she was going to be on her own. Maybe that was a good thing. She could already imagine herself cooped up inside the cottage, warm under a cozy blanket by the fire and reading a book while she enjoyed a plate of freshly baked cookies and a warm cup of hot chocolate.

Her happy and hopeful thoughts propelled her tired legs forward. This Christmas, she didn't need to be with someone to be happy. Eyes set on the cottage, she started across the street. This Christmas, Maya Darcy was going to be fine being all by her lonesome, alone but not lonely.

The sound of an engine approaching from the curb interrupted her tiny self–pep talk. The noise grew louder and louder, stopping her in her tracks in the middle of the road as a car zoomed into view.

Oh no.

Maya willed her legs to move. She knew she had to get to the other side of the road quickly, but her legs wouldn't let her, and she just stood there, frozen. She watched in horror as the car came closer and closer until she couldn't watch anymore, too terrified of what she knew was about to happen. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and—

There was a loud screech of tires against pavement, then silence. When Maya opened her eyes, she saw a man stepping out of a fancy car that had stopped just a hair away from where she stood. If her knees hadn't already been shaking, she probably would've been weak in the knees for an entirely different reason, given the stunning sight before her. The man looked like he'd come straight out of a modern-day fairy tale, a contemporary Prince Charming, his long navy coat accentuating his tall frame, his hair perfectly coiffed, and his stunning deep eyes framed with long lashes.

"Are you trying to cause an accident, miss?" The man took long strides toward her, gaze intense.

While the scowl didn't take away from his handsome face, it triggered something in Maya. She'd expected him to ask if she was okay, to be apologetic for nearly hitting her with his car, yet there he was, affronted by her as if she had been the one who had almost caused an accident.