Christmas in the Mountains {Christmas Novelette} ✓

Chapter Three

After exhausting herself over wine and packing, Noelle finally slipped between the sheet and comforter and succumbed to sleep.

The next morning the alarm clock started blaring "O Christmas Tree" as Noelle slipped out of bed and began to get dressed for her long trip to Tennessee. She untangled her blonde locks and pulled them back into a low ponytail, brushed her pearly whites, and dressed into a long sleeve sweater and a pair of jeans with a pair of black knee-high boots, preparing for the cold winter weather ahead.

Noelle walked to the front door and looked back at her home, whispering a temporary goodbye, before grabbing her luggage and heading toward the car. She tossed her luggage in the backseat, got into the driver's seat, took a big swig of coffee, and turned on the radio, settling in for the long, three day drive. 

She drove for twelve hours with minimal stopping, trying to put as much distance in that first day as possible. Finally, when the sun began to set and her eyelids grew heavy, she decided to call it a day. She stopped in a small town called Atlanta, Nevada and rented a cheap motel. It wasn't the Ritz by any standards, but she would only be there to sleep anyway. The next morning, she had to drag herself from bed to begin the next leg of the journey. She drove until she made it to Colorado Springs, where she stopped at an In and Out Burger and settled into her room for the night.

Finally, she drove straight from Colorado Springs, Colorado to Silverwood Falls, Tennessee which proved to be an extra sixteen hours of a drive.

When she finally arrived at her hometown of Silverwood Falls, Tennessee it was around 2 am. She stayed in a hotel close by for the night. She hadn't told her parents that she was coming in for the holidays. Exhausted, Noelle's eyes glued shut the moment her head hit the pillow. The thirty-six-hour drive from San Francisco to Silverwood Falls proved to be a feat. But Noelle enjoyed every bit of the drive. She loved driving home because it gave her a chance to appreciate the beauty of the country she loved. She left behind the palm trees of San Francisco for cactus's and sand dunes of Nevada and Utah. One of her favorite sights was the peaceful scenery of Colorado with the vast Rocky Mountains in the distance, soaring intimidatingly into the sky. 

She couldn't wait to surprise her parents the next morning and getting the keys to the cabin. She loves the cabin and all of the childhood memories spent there, so she stays there every time she comes home. 

The next afternoon she gazed at the clock which read 12:00. She had slept for about ten hours and it was a much needed. 

Noelle sprang from bed. It was nearly 11 and time to check out of the hotel. She stared at the bare trees covered with a layer of snow. It was peaceful here, unlike the city she now called home. She basked in the quiet, absorbing it, feeling her muscles relax for the first time in ages. There was something about being back home that made her feel carefree again. 

She walked outside as the thirty-degree cold nipped at her nose. It didn't take long for her to feel like she was freezing to death. She could see her breath as she slowly breathed the cold into her lungs. So much time had passed in the warm winters of California that she wasn't sure how to respond to the cold of Tennessee.

In the distance, she could see a white blanket of snow glistening upon the high mountains. Something she had missed seeing since moving to San Francisco. The view almost took her breath away. It was absolutely beautiful. 

Noelle got into her car and cranked up the heat before making the drive to her parents' house. 

She turned on the radio and blared Christmas music coming from the nearest music station. Her parents lived about five minutes from town. She didn't have a far drive to go. 

She enjoyed the Christmas decorations as she passed by each and every house. Everyone in Silverwood Falls was keen on decorating for Christmas. They even held a Christmas light contest every year to find the house with the biggest, best, and most creative decorations. 

Finally, Noelle came upon a yellow sided two-story home with blue shutters. She pulled into the driveway before taking a deep breath and unbuckling her seat belt.

She opened the car door, closing it gently behind her before walking up to the door and giving it a gentle knock.

An older lady with graying hair and a cane opened the door. Her face lit up and she broke into a smile. She gently placed her hand on her heart. 

"My sweet Noelle!" she breathed, embracing Noelle in a hug. "Do come in! It's awfully cold out." 

"George, come here. Look who it is." The older lady shouted behind her into the house.

An older man came to the door and greeted Noelle. "My baby girl. Well, this is a surprise!" He whispered before also giving Noelle a hug.

Noelle took off her shoes and walked into the living room, making herself at home. 

The older lady walked into the kitchen and came back moments later with a mug full of hot chocolate. "For you," she smiled, handing the mug to Noelle."I thought you could use something to warm the insides."

Noelle thanked her mother for her hospitality as she slowly started drinking the warm liquid. It felt so good to warm the inside of her body from the brutal cold, a cold Noelle hadn't been used to in over five years. 

"How has work been?" Mama asked. 

"It's been good."

"How are you liking the city?"

"Oh, I like it. It's noisy though. In comparison I miss home. I like the quietness of this little town."

"How is everything going here in Silverwood Falls?" Noelle asked. 

"Oh, you know. It's the same. Nothing really new since you came to visit five years ago."

"I really need to make coming to Silverwood Falls a yearly thing. I miss my hometown too much." 

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Her father asked. Noelle accepted the invitation and soon they all sat down to eat the hot homemade meal that had been prepared.

Noelle ate the hot chili and warm buttery cornbread, a meal that was her favorite since she was just a small girl. The chili also felt warm all the way down. The cornbread was a melt in your mouth type of cornbread. One that Noelle had missed since moving away. As she spoons the chili into her mouth, she realized how much she'd missed her mother's cooking. The food was delicious and she had to fight the urge to dance in her seat as she ate. 

Finally, after the meal, Noelle's parents gave her the key to the family's cabin as they drove over to help her get settled in.

The cabin was up in the mountains surrounded by glistening snow. The cabin was about a fifteen-minute drive from Noelle's parents' house.

After settling in, Noelle made herself at home before bidding a farewell to her parents. She gazed at the snow on the ground outside and all around in the tops of the trees. She stepped onto the porch of the little cabin, making her way inside to build a fire. Memories of building snowmen and sledding down the hill just beyond the back door made Noelle smile. 

As the fire sparkled and crackled in the fireplace, Noelle curled up with a nice hot cup of tea and a Christmas book before being delving into the pages of the book. A small smile stretched across her face and her heart felt full for the first time in a long time. It was so nice being home again.