me,” she began shakily, half afraid Linc would break in and start yelling at her. Grace had stepped out of the kitchen to give her privacy, a courtesy she appreciated.
“I’m in Cedar Cove,” she said. “I’ll be home sometime Christmas Day after I speak to David’s parents. Probably later in the evening. Please don’t try to find me. I’m with … friends. Don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing.” With that she replaced the receiver.
She saw that Grace had moved into the dining room, setting the table. “Thank you,” Mary Jo told her.
“You’re very welcome. Is your soup still hot?”
Mary Jo had forgotten about that. “I’ll check.”
“If not, let me know and I’ll reheat it in the microwave.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she murmured. Even if it was stonecold, she wouldn’t have said so, not after everything Grace had done for her.
But as Mary Jo tried her first spoonful, she realized the temperature was perfect. She finished the entire bowl, then ate all the crackers and drank her decaf coffee after adding a splash of cream. As she brought her dishes to the sink, Grace returned to the kitchen. “My daughters will be here at six,” she said, looking at the clock. “And my daughter-in-law and her family should be back soon. We’re having dinner together and then we’re leaving for the Christmas Eve service at our church.”
“How nice.” Mary Jo had missed attending church. She and her brothers just seemed to stop going after her parents’ funeral. She still went occasionally but hadn’t in quite a while, and her brothers didn’t go at all.
“Would you like to join us?”
The invitation was so genuine that for a moment Mary Jo seriously considered it. “Thank you for the offer, but I don’t think I should.”
“Why not?” Grace pressed. “We’d love to have you.”
“Thank you,” Mary Jo said again, “but I should probably stay quiet and rest, like the EMT suggested.”
Grace nodded. “Yes, you should take his advice, although we’d love it if you’d at least have dinner with us.”
The invitation moved her so much that Mary Jo felt tears spring to her eyes. Not only had Grace and her husband taken her into their home, they wanted to include her in their holiday celebration.
“I can’t believe you’d want me here with your family,” she said.
“Why wouldn’t we?” Grace asked. She seemed astonished by the comment. “You’re our guest.”
“But it’s Christmas and you’ll have your … your family here.” She found it hard to speak.
“Yes, and they’ll be delighted to meet you.”
“But this isn’t a time for strangers.”
“Now, just a minute,” Grace said. “Don’t you remember the original Christmas story?”
“Of course I do.” Mary Jo had heard it all her life.
“Mary and Joseph didn’t have anywhere to stay, either, and strangers offered them a place,” Grace reminded her. “A stable,” she added with a smile.
“But I doubt those generous folks asked them to join the family for dinner,” Mary Jo teased.
“That part we don’t know because the Bible doesn’t say, but I have to believe that anyone who’d lend their stable to those young travelers would see to their other needs, as well.” Grace’s warm smile wrapped its way around Mary Jo’s heart. “Join us for part of the evening, okay? I’d love it if you met the girls, and I know they’d enjoy meeting you.”
Mary Jo didn’t immediately respond. Although she would’ve liked to meet Grace’s family, she wasn’t feeling quite right. “May I think about it?”
“Of course,” Grace said. “You do whatever you need to do.”
Leaning forward in the chair, Mary Jo supported her lower back with both hands, trying to ease the persistent ache. Sitting had become difficult in the last few weeks. It was as if the baby had latched his or her foot around one of her ribs and intended to hang on. Mary Jo was beginning to wonder if she’d ever find a comfortable position again.
“Can I help you with anything?” she asked.
Grace surveyed the kitchen. “No, I’ve got everything under control. I thought I’d sit down with you for a few minutes.”
Mary Jo nodded. “Yes, please. I’d like that.”
“So would I,” the other woman said. “Here, let me get us some fresh coffee. And what about some Christmas shortbread to go with it?”
Chapter Ten
At the fire station, Mack McAfee sat by himself in the kitchen, downing yet another cup of coffee. The only call so far that day had been for the young pregnant woman who’d had the dizzy spell at the library. For some reason, she’d stayed in his mind ever since.
Because he wasn’t married, Mack had volunteered to work Christmas Eve and part of Christmas Day, allowing one of the other firefighters to spend the time with family. Unfortunately, his mother was none too happy that he’d agreed to work over the holidays.
Mack’s parents lived in Cedar Cove and his sister had, too, until she’d left several months ago, her heart broken by that cowpoke who used to work for Cliff Harding. Linnette had taken off with no plan or destination and ended up in some Podunk town in North Dakota. She seemed to love her new home out there in the middle of nowhere. Mack didn’t understand it, but then it wasn’t his life.
He was happy for Linnette, knowing she’d found her niche. She’d always said she wanted to live and work in a small rural town. As an experienced physician assistant, Linnette had a lot to offer a community like Buffalo Valley, North Dakota.
Gloria, Mack’s oldest sister, had been given up for adoption as an infant; their relationship had only come to light in the past few years. Mack was just beginning to know her and so far he’d discovered that they had a surprising amount in common, despite their very different upbringings. She’d promised to stop by the house and spend part of Christmas with their parents, but she, too, was on the duty roster for to night.
When Gloria had first moved into the area—with the goal of reconnecting with her birth family—she’d worked for the Bremerton police. Since then, however, she’d taken a job with the sheriff’s department in Cedar Cove.
Mack’s cell phone, attached to his waistband, chirped. He reached for it, not bothering to look at the screen. He already knew who was calling.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Merry Christmas.” Her cheerful greeting was strained and not entirely convincing.
“Thanks. Same to you and Dad.”
“How’s everything?”
His
