A Witch For Mr. Christmas: Witches of Christmas Grove Book 2 Read online

  A Witch For Mr. Christmas

  Witches of Christmas Grove, Book 2

  Deanna Chase

  Bayou Moon Press, LLC

  Copyright © 2020 by Deanna Chase

  Editing: Angie Ramey

  Cover image: © Ravven

  All rights reserved. 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 permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

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

  Bayou Moon Press, LLC

  www.deannachase.com

  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  About This Book

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Deanna’s Book List

  About the Author

  About This Book

  Welcome to Christmas Grove, where second chances gets a dose of holiday magic.

  Ilsa McKenzie has only ever loved one man. But eleven months ago, he walked out of her life, leaving her heartbroken and her life changed forever. After leaving the magical town of Christmas Grove to regroup and get her life in order, Ilsa’s back, ready to face her past and start her future with or without him. There’s only one question. Will Zach want to be a part of her life or will he run again?

  Zach Frost doesn’t love easily. He’s loved and lost before. All he’s ever wanted was to run his Christmas tree farm and start a family. And once Ilsa arrives in town, it seems he’s on the verge of making his dreams come true. But his past is complicated and it’s about to catch up with him. Can he make peace with his mistakes or will he let history repeat itself and lose his chance with the one woman who can make him feel whole?

  Chapter One

  Zach Frost stood frozen in the front yard of his neighbor’s house, staring at the sweet face of Ilsa’s two-month-old baby.

  His baby.

  Mia Renee Frost. His heart thumped wildly against his ribcage, and his head buzzed with a million unanswered questions. How could he not know he had a daughter until a few moments ago? Why hadn’t anyone told him? Why hadn’t Ilsa come to him sooner? Why the hell hadn’t he called her back all those months before? He opened his mouth, but then closed it when his daughter let out a cooing sound and stared up at him with bright blue eyes. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, and his heart nearly melted when she lifted her hands in the air toward him as if asking for him.

  Zach glanced at Ilsa. “Can I hold her?”

  Ilsa hesitated for a moment, but then, even as she tucked her daughter closer to her body, she nodded. Her long dark hair spilled over her pale face as she bent her head to kiss her daughter on the forehead. As Ilsa passed Mia over, she said, “It’s time to meet your daddy, sweetheart.”

  The emotion clogging Zach’s throat as he held his daughter for the first time almost choked him. Terror warred with an unfamiliar feeling of warmth in his chest. “Hello, beautiful girl.” He held her in the crook of his arm and ran a light finger down her nose. The sweet baby blinked up at him and let out a noise that sounded a lot like a laugh. He glanced up at Ilsa. “Is she always this happy?”

  A single tear ran down her face unchecked as she nodded.

  Zach had a powerful urge to wrap his free arm around the woman he’d dated for a short time a year ago and pull her in for a hug. To comfort her. But then he remembered that she’d kept the news of his daughter from him for months. He knew he bore some of the responsibility for not calling her back, but it wasn’t as if she’d been out of the country. She’d only been sixty miles away in Sacramento. She couldn’t take a day to drive up to Christmas Grove to let him know he was going to be a father? Panic took over, and he hugged his daughter to his chest as he stared Ilsa in the eye. “How long are you here?”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  He waved at his friend’s house behind them. “How long are you visiting Holly and Rex?” What he really meant to ask was how long did he have to get to know his daughter before Ilsa took her away from him.

  “Oh.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and shuffled her feet. He could tell her nerves were getting the better of her, but finally she blew out a breath and said, “I’m… We’re… Mia and I are back for good.” She glanced around, nodding to their friends who were waiting on the porch while Zach and Ilsa had their moment. “We’ll be staying here with Holly and Rex until—”

  “You both should stay with me,” Zach said. Where the hell had that come from? The words had flown out of his mouth without a second thought.

  “Um, what?” Ilsa reached out and took Mia back into her arms.

  Zach let his little girl go without a word even though it felt like his heart was being ripped right out of his chest. Was it possible he’d fallen in love with her at first sight? All he wanted to do was gather her back up in his arms and hold her until he knew all her sounds, all of her expressions, and every detail of her tiny little face.

  He pressed his hand over his breastbone and rubbed the ache, wondering what the hell was happening to him. How was it possible to feel so much in such a short time? But even as he asked himself the question, he shook his head, already knowing the answer. He’d always wanted to be a father, right up until that dream had been ripped away from him in the worst betrayal possible. He shoved the memories out of his mind and forced himself to ask the question he had to ask. “You’re sure she’s mine?”

  Ilsa stared at him, her lips pressed into a thin line.

  The stormy look on her face told him she wanted nothing more than to tell him to go to hell. And if he was honest, he probably deserved it. But he had to know.

  “Yes, she’s yours, Zach. You were the only one I was with. The only possibility. If you don’t believe me, you can get a paternity test.” She tucked her daughter against her shoulder and turned to walk toward the house.

  “Ilsa,” he said softly. “Wait.”

  She stopped in her tracks, but her back was rigid and she didn’t turn around.

  “I’m sorry. I… I believe you.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I meant it when I said you both should stay with me.”

  She glanced over her slender shoulder. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I want to spend time with my daughter,” he said, keeping his tone soft. “I can help you with her. Get up in the middle of the night to change diapers or help with feedings.”

  This time she turned to stare at him, her head tilted to the side, studying him. “Zach, you just found out about her. I think you should take some time to
process this, and then we can talk in a few days.”

  “I don’t want to take time,” he said stubbornly. “I’ve already missed two months.” And the months before that when he could’ve been at her doctor appointments and reading baby books with her. Rubbing her feet and her back. All the things he’d watched his brother do when his child was on the way.

  Ilsa shook her head. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

  “Yes. I do.” There was steel in his voice. He knew exactly what he would be getting himself into. And even though he’d just found out he was a daddy, he wanted it more than she’d ever know.

  She sighed. “I need to take Mia inside, and this isn’t a decision I can make on the spot. You’re going to need to give me some time.”

  Zach felt as if she’d just ripped his heart right out of his chest but said nothing as she walked up the steps where her friend Holly was waiting for her. Holly gave him a look of sympathy before the pair of them disappeared into the large Victorian. Rex moved off the porch to stand next to Zach. “Are you okay?”

  “Not even close,” Zach said, shaking his head. The anger he’d been holding back started to bubble up from deep in his gut. Who was Ilsa to tell him she needed time? She was the one who’d kept his daughter from him. Zach straightened his shoulders and moved toward the porch stairs.

  “Whoa, buddy,” Rex said, reaching out and grabbing his arm. “Hold on.”

  Zach stopped and stared at Rex’s hand holding him in place. “You need to let go.”

  “Oh, is that right?” Rex asked as his clear blue eyes flashed with a challenge. “What are you going to do if I don’t? Deck me?”

  “Maybe. You probably deserve it for not telling me about my daughter.” There was no need to ask if Rex had known about Mia. His fiancée was Ilsa’s best friend. There was no way he hadn’t known. Pain had settled in Zach’s chest from the betrayal of the one person he’d always trusted with all of his secrets. He couldn’t imagine keeping something that huge from Rex if the situation were reversed.

  Rex blinked and then let go and took a step back. “You might be right. But don’t tell me you don’t remember me mentioning more than once that you needed to call her. That you’d regret it if you didn’t.”

  The anger that had been seizing Zach’s body drained away as he stared at his friend. Rex had told him to call her. In fact, he’d all but demanded it and had stormed out when Zach hadn’t listened. He closed his eyes briefly and let out a long sigh. His voice was barely audible when he said, “You should’ve told me.”

  “It wasn’t my place, Zach. You know that.” Rex patted his friend on the shoulder as he moved past him to grab Ilsa’s bags that were still in the trunk of her car.

  Zach followed Rex, and as he grabbed one of her bags, he said, “I guess I do, but you and I both know I’d have been by her side if someone would’ve told me.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure you would’ve. But did you ever stop to think that maybe she didn’t want you there out of obligation?”

  “Obligation?” Zach asked stupidly. “Is that what you think I feel when I look at my daughter?”

  “No. I know better,” Rex said, giving him an exasperated look. “But Ilsa doesn’t. You basically ghosted on her, man. Then you wouldn’t call her back. And why would a woman like that want to move in with her baby daddy after he ignored her for a year?”

  Zach stared at the door where Ilsa had disappeared into the house and let out a groan of frustration. He was an idiot. Ilsa was full of life and plenty of self-confidence. And despite the fact that she’d been a nervous wreck around him when they’d gotten together, he’d already known her to be a strong, self-reliant woman. She wasn’t just going to move in with him as if she needed a man to take care of her. That wasn’t her style, and having a child wasn’t going to change that. “You’re right.” He turned to Rex. “She’s not going to forgive my disappearing act easily, is she?”

  “Nope,” Rex said with a soft chuckle. “You have work to do if you want to get back into her good graces.”

  Chapter Two

  Ilsa sat in the armchair in the corner of her room, holding her daughter to her chest. She just needed a moment to settle her rapidly beating heart. Her head ached, and she was near tears from the stress of running into Zach the moment she’d arrived at Holly’s house. Couldn’t the universe have given her an hour or two before she had to drum up her courage to face him?

  “Hey,” Holly said as she stepped into the room carrying two red mugs. “Can I offer you some cocoa?”

  “Yes. Please. Do you have any Irish Cream to liven it up?” Ilsa asked as she tried to smile, but she knew it was more of a grimace.

  “Nope. Fresh out,” Holly said, placing the mugs on the nightstand. “But I can send Rex out for it if you’re desperate.” She reached down and gently took the baby out of Ilsa’s arms. “Come to auntie, little one. I haven’t had nearly enough Mia time.”

  Ilsa sighed. “Too bad. Not that I’m drinking yet, but after that encounter, I was willing to make an exception.”

  “It wasn’t that horrible, was it?” Holly asked, her tone sympathetic. “I mean, he didn’t lose it on you. In fact, he seemed… I don’t know. Happy isn’t the word, but… moved, maybe?”

  “Moved?” Ilsa scoffed. “More like shocked and presumptuous. Can you believe he immediately wanted me and Mia to move in with him? We haven’t spoken for eleven months.”

  Holly pressed a light kiss to Mia’s cheek and then looked back up at Ilsa. “Can you blame him? He’s lost a lot of time getting to know her, Ilsa.”

  “You’re taking his side?” Ilsa gasped out, horrified that her best friend was defending the man who’d not only ghosted on her, but also ignored the messages she’d left him saying it was important that they spoke.

  “Of course not.” Holly placed the baby in the crib set up on the other side of the room and then moved to take Ilsa’s hands in her own. “I’m on your side, always. You know that. He was a stupid, selfish jerk. There’s no denying that. But it doesn’t change the fact that he was in the dark about his daughter, even if it was his fault. I can’t help but feel a little sorry for him.”

  Ilsa crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin, feeling defensive even if she did see where her friend was coming from. She couldn’t help the self-righteousness still swimming through her veins. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried, dammit. And now she was expected to just forgive him after he’d been an asshat?

  She was the one who’d cried for days when she’d found out she was pregnant with the man’s child. The man she’d secretly loved for years. Then she’d finally thought they had a chance before he’d run with no explanation. For a while there, she’d truly never wanted to see him again. But then her anger turned to resignation, and she knew that she couldn’t let her ego and hurt feelings stand in the way of her daughter knowing her father. No matter what had happened between Ilsa and Zach, Ilsa knew that he was a good man. That he would be good to his daughter. And his reaction upon learning he was a father had confirmed her assessment of him.

  “I think I just need a little time to process,” Ilsa said, as if she hadn’t had months to prepare for their meeting.

  “It’s a lot, I know,” Holly said reassuringly. “But at least it went reasonably well, right? He didn’t get mad or turn his back on her. That says a lot about him.”

  “Yeah. Sure.” But what was he going to want from them? She’d already turned her life upside down twice for him. Once when she left town a year ago, and again when she knew it was time to come back. What was he going to do when the news sank in? Demand shared custody? A shudder ran through her at the thought. Ilsa couldn’t imagine parting ways with her little one every other week. He wouldn’t do that to a newborn, would he? She had no idea, and that was the problem. She’d known Zach most of her life. They’d both grown up in Christmas Grove, but she had no idea what he’d do when faced with such a huge, life-altering issue. All she could do was pray that he
’d be reasonable.

  Holly glanced at the clock on the wall. “Don’t you have a meeting with Mrs. Pottson about that position at Love Potions?”

  “Yes.” Ilsa glanced at Mia and wondered how she’d deal with leaving her daughter for seven hours a day, five days a week. She’d been the manager of a gift shop that Mrs. Pottson’s daughter, Mandy, owned. But Mandy, who’d been out of pocket for a number of years, had returned to run the place herself, leaving Ilsa out of a job before she ran off to Sacramento just after the holidays the year before.

  It was just as well. With Mia in the picture, she didn’t want to work the hours required of management. If she got the job with Mrs. Pottson, she’d go in early before the store opened to prepare for the day and help with the morning rush before taking off to pick up Mia from daycare. “I don’t think I’m ready for this. The idea of Mia going to daycare makes me a little nauseated.”

  “No mom ever is,” Holly said, patting her arm. “But at least she’ll only be there for a few hours a day.”

  Ilsa smiled gratefully at her friend. Holly had graciously offered to take care of Mia in the mornings and then drop her off at daycare on her way to work. It meant Mia would only be in someone else’s care for a few hours a day. Honestly, it was a dream situation for Ilsa, and she’d be eternally grateful for her friend’s help. “Just as long as you’re okay with it. Promise you’ll tell me if it gets to be too much? It’s not like you signed up to be a mom or a nanny.”