This romantic suspense is set in Colorado in 1921 at
Christmas time. My hero is re-visiting the hotel where he spent his honeymoon
40 years before, while my heroine is seeking a refuge from her haranguing
family while she makes some difficult choices. Matthew cannot find a reason to
go on, and Edith refuses to give up.
I chose this setting because of some research I did into a
famous hotel in Colorado Springs, The Antlers, as well as research about other
buildings in that city which were razed in the 60’s to make room for urban
expansion. I was horrified at the way the downtown core lost its history and
its personality, and wanted to write a story where that didn’t happen.
I chose older characters because, well, I’m getting older,
and I find my tastes turning to older characters who are more set in their
ways, less likely to jump out of moving vehicles or parachute from perfectly
good airplanes. The time period seemed perfect because the train had just
started coming to Colorado Springs from Denver, and the original Antlers hotel
was slated for destruction early in 1922. I wanted to change that history.
Matthew and Edith team up to find a way to save the old
hotel, and in the process, they uncover more than they bargained for: a body in
a wall; a decades-old murder mystery; a secret somebody wants to keep; and a
love that will carry them through the coming years.
Here’s an excerpt:
Edith Cochrane admired the fine lines of
the inn as the sleigh traveled down the main street of the small town of
Valleyview. Having lived many years in the foreign mission field, she
appreciated the trappings of civilization, although, she liked to tell herself,
she didn’t need them.
Well, perhaps she hadn’t
needed them during the years she and her husband had lived in primitive
conditions, but today, or rather, for at least the next week, she needed this
inn. Or some other place much like it. She was looking forward to spending some
time alone, gathering her thoughts and considering her options.
Because from where she sat
right now, her thoughts were as scattered as dandelion seed on a spring breeze,
and her options were few.
Drawing to a halt in front
of the inn, the driver alighted and held open her door. Doffing his cap, he
extended a hand. “Christmas Inn, ma’am.”
She slid across the leather
seat, accepted the proffered hand, and emerged, feet first. She winced at the
cold, wet sensation in her shoes, and looked to the ground. Slush. Snow. A cold
breeze blew down from the snow-capped mountains in the near distance, and she
pulled the collar of her thin coat around her neck. She definitely hadn’t
missed winters during the years she lived in the tropics.
Unclasping her handbag,
Edith pulled a dollar bill from a pocket inside the purse, and handed the money
to the driver. “Keep the change.”
He accepted the bill and
smiled. “Merry Christmas, ma’am. And a Happy New Year to you, too.”
She nodded. Merry Christmas
indeed.
Not likely.
Not without Andrew at her
side.
The hotel valet appeared at
her side, a young lad barely out of school. She nodded to the rear of the
sleigh. “There are three bags.”
The valet nodded, and
assisted by the driver, the two carried her suitcases through the door of the
inn.
Edith followed at a slower
pace, enjoying the atmosphere and the fresh, clean air. So unlike the polluted
air of Pittsburgh, where her son lived, or the damp humidity of Miami, where
her daughter called home. Maybe that’s why she couldn’t—or wouldn’t—commit to
living in either place. The air was unhealthy. So unlike the air of the Congo.
The wonderful smell of fresh
evergreen tickled her nostrils as she entered the lobby, and she studied a
magnificent tree completely covered with every sort of Christmas decoration
imaginable. So much color and glitter overwhelmed her senses. But so lovely to
celebrate Christmas surrounded by reminders of the season. The Festival of
Lights in the midst of the winter solstice. A Christian influence for a pagan
world. How like God to orchestrate a celebration in the midst of darkness. All
she needed to make this moment perfect was for Andrew to be at her side,
sharing this spectacle with her.
But that was not to be.
She stood for several
minutes, staring into the lights and shining ornaments on the tree, glad she’d
chosen this place to spend her holidays. Away from the hustle and bustle of the
commercial side of the season.
Away from the petty
bickering, the outright hostility, and the greed of her children.
Away from the looks of pity
and awkwardness from her friends.
So entranced was she by the
spectacle before her, so involved was she in her own feelings of pleasure mixed
sadness at having to experience this beauty alone, she was startled when the
man sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace stood. His look of abject
loneliness grabbed her attention and fixed her gaze.
He appeared to be about her
age, perhaps a couple of years older. His overcoat and suit looked older but
well kept, and the fedora in his hand was clean but worn. The small blue
feather tucked into the hatband flared outwards in a curious bend, and for a
brief moment, she wondered if he’d sat on his hat once or twice before. Andrew
often did that….
He ducked his head and
stopped. “Excuse me. I didn’t see you.”
She smiled and extended a hand.
“Edith Cochrane. Pleased to meet you.”
The man’s hand darted out,
grasped the ends of her fingers, then dropped her hand like a hot potato.
“Matthew White. Excuse me.”
He glanced toward the
check-in desk then sidled between two chairs and strode up the staircase, his
overcoat flapping around his legs like a flag.
She watched until he
disappeared from view before turning her attention to the clerk behind the
desk. Once more, she checked at the hallway where Matthew White had gone.
Strange.
If she didn’t know better,
she’d say he’d seen a ghost.
About The Mystery of
Christmas Inn, Colorado:
Matthew returns to Christmas Inn to celebrate his fortieth
anniversary alone, intending to take his own life so he can join his beloved
Sarah, who passed on to glory the previous January. Not certain how—or if—he
will go on without her, Matthew learns on his arrival that the old inn will
close its doors on New Year’s Eve. A developer has purchased the building and
intends to tear it down and put up a chain hotel. Determined to keep his
memories and his connection to Sarah alive, Matthew embarks on a harebrained
scheme to keep the inn open.
Edith Cochrane, a widow, comes to Christmas Inn because she
has nowhere else to spend the holidays. Her children are angry with her because
she refuses to choose to live with one of them. Edith and her husband enjoyed a
long marriage and a long mission-field ministry, but ever since his passing the
previous year, Edith has found herself at loose ends. She comes to Christmas
Inn to spend some time thinking about her options.
Can Matthew and Edith save the old hotel—and themselves—or
will they run out of time?
About Donna:
Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick, her first-line
editor and biggest fan. She writes historical suspense under her own name, and
contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts. She is a hybrid
publisher who has published a number of books under her pen name and under her
own name. Her recent releases include The
Mystery of Christmas Inn, Colorado and Christmas
Under the Stars. Donna is also a ghostwriter and editor of fiction and
non-fiction, and judges in a number of writing contests. Donna loves history
and research, and travels extensively for both. Donna is proud to be represented by Terrie Wolf of AKA
Literary Management.
www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com
Receive a free ebook simply for signing up for our free newsletter!
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthor
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DonnaSchlachter
Books: Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ci5Xqq
and Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2gZATjm
1 comment:
A historical Christmas story with a challenge for the hero and heroine to save the Christmas Inn should be a fun read.
Post a Comment