A Valley Ridge Christmas

“That was a friend’s. She saved me in so many ways. This doesn’t even begin to compare.”

“It does to me, and despite his bearishness, it does to Boyd, too.”

Maeve nodded. “I’m glad to help. You stay near the stove, but watch Carl. It gets hot and I wouldn’t want him to be burned.”

“Will do.”

Maeve followed Boyd out into the snow, thankful to get away from Josie’s studying gaze. The small woman had a look about her that said she saw more than Maeve wanted to share.

Maeve had never shared easily. She was a private person.

But sometimes, especially over the past year, as she watched Sophie, Lily and Mattie bond over the loss of a friend and then grow closer and become friends in their own right, she wished she had someone she could confide in like that. Oh, the three women were her friends. She went to their showers and weddings, but they only knew her on the surface. And Josie, a practical stranger, already looked at her as if she knew more than the surface bits Maeve felt comfortable sharing.

It was disturbing and tantalizing at the same time.

Maeve guessed she could afford to be a bit more relaxed around Josie. After all, when the weather cleared, she’d be heading to North Dakota with her family.

So for today, and maybe even tomorrow, Maeve would let Josie be the friend she’d always hoped for.

* * *

AARON HOLDER BUNDLED into a pair of Carhartt overalls and a coat. The thick layers of cloth were constrictive and stiff. He felt like Ralphie’s little brother in A Christmas Story. If he fell onto his back, he suspected he’d give a very turtlelike impression as he tried to right himself.

He’d been in Valley Ridge less than a week and already wished he was back in Florida. If he was, he’d take his coffee onto his back porch—a lanai in local parlance—fire up his laptop and work there in shorts.

He stuffed his feet into a pair of boots. In his Florida fantasy, he was barefoot.

Sure, Orlando got some colder weather, but not in November. And when an occasional cold day hit, he might need to wear jeans and a sweatshirt, but he’d never woken up to snow that was measured in feet. Many feet.

He loved his uncle Jerry, but he wished he’d said no when he’d asked Aaron to spend a few months in Valley Ridge in order to mind the store. His uncle had pointed out that Aaron could do his work anywhere, and that the employees at Valley Ridge Farm and House Supplies took care of most of what needed to be done at the store. All Aaron would have to do was keep an eye on things. Uncle Jerry wanted someone from the family at the business’s helm because, as he said, “I have the best employees, but family is family, and blood is thicker than water.”

And because Aaron had grown up with the Holder family motto, Family is Family, he found it impossible to say no. His family’s near obsessive drive to support each other was why he was bundled up and heading out to plow the Valley Ridge Farm and House Supplies’ lot on a post-blizzard November morning. The store would open, albeit late. But from the looks of the quiet main street of Valley Ridge, all the businesses in the area would be opening late today—if they opened at all.

He hoped his uncle’s arthritis was benefiting from the warm dry heat of Arizona.

Aaron opened the garage door and a foot of snow tumbled in. He cursed under his breath as he climbed into his uncle’s truck. He’d made two passes when another truck pulled up in front of the store, leaving tire imprints in the six inches of snow that had fallen since the snowplow had last gone by.

A woman got out. She was bundled up almost as much as he was. Red hair stuck out wildly from under her hat. A man got out of the passenger side and pulled a propane tank out of the bed of the truck.

“Can you fill the tank?” the woman asked.

“I could. I think the question you want to ask is if I would.” Aaron felt immediately apologetic. He shouldn’t take the fact that he hated the snow out on customers.

He was about to say as much and apologize for being snippy when the redhead asked, “Where’s Jerry?” Her tone suggested she wanted to find his uncle and tattle on him.

Aaron had grown up with three younger sisters who liked nothing better than running to their parents with stories of his abuses—some real, some imagined. Maybe that was why he bristled, or maybe it was simply something about this woman that inherently annoyed him. “Jerry’s in Arizona, basking in the warmth, so if you want to tattle, you’ll have to call him to do it. I can give you his number.”

Despite her layers of clothing, he could see her back straighten to the point of breaking. Her words came out measured, as if she was struggling to hold her tongue. “I would prefer it, sir, if you simply filled the tank, then we’ll let you get back to your plowing.”

“Anything you say, Red.” He smiled, hoping she’d read the apology behind his words. But then realized she might find being called Red insulting.

“Sorry,” he said, hoping that a spoken apology at this point could cover his multitude of failings with this particular customer.

She didn’t acknowledge his apology. The now silent woman and the always silent man followed him as he filled the tank. “That’s—”

The redhead cut him off. “Can you simply put it on my account? I’ve got to come back later and get some salt for the library steps.”

“And your account is?”

“Maeve. Maeve Buchanan. Or maybe your uncle has it filed under the Valley Ridge Library. Either way, that’s me.”

He nodded. “Fine, Maeve Buchanan of the Valley Ridge Library. I’ll do that.”

“That’s much better than Red,” she muttered as she turned around and waded back to her truck. Once there, the man started arguing with her about something.

Now, that was an odd romance, Aaron thought as he got back into his truck. Maeve. Maeve Buchanan. She was a bristly thing. The town librarian, from the sound of things. He’d have to do a better job apologizing when she came back later for her salt. Aaron had promised his uncle he’d look after the place and he didn’t think chasing away customers would qualify as doing a good job of it.

Maeve.

Maeve Buchanan.

He’d remember her name.

* * *

“YOU SEEM RILED,” the hitherto silent Boyd said as Maeve pulled back into her now clear driveway.

“You think?” she snapped and immediately felt sorry. The fact that the stranger at the store was awful didn’t mean she needed to be, as well. “Sorry.”

Boyd nodded. “Being called Red seems to have set you off.”

“Humph.” Maeve remembered when Mrs. Anderson first introduced her to L. M. Montgomery. Anne with an “e” was one of her favorite characters, and Maeve had definitely commiserated with Anne when she broke a slate over Gilbert Blythe’s head because he called her Carrots.

Maeve was pretty sure that being called Red was as bad as being called Carrots. It was lucky for the man who was filling in for Jerry that she didn’t carry a slate around, otherwise she’d have been tempted to follow Anne Shirley’s example.

“If you don’t mind,” Boyd started hesitantly as if talking to anyone other than Josie was a strain, “I thought I’d take your snowblower out and help some of your neighbors. Looks like some of them are slow getting cleared out.”

“A lot of them are elderly,” she told him. “I was going to go out and do that myself.”

He silently studied her a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I can see you doing that. But if you don’t mind, I could do it this once.”

“If you’ll have dinner with me without snapping your spine telling me you don’t need my charity, I’ll graciously accept your offer to help out my neighbors,” she said.

“Snapping my spine?” he asked, and for the first time, Maeve thought she saw a hint of a smile in his expression.

“I think you and I both have our fair doses of pride, but I think for Josie’s sake, you need to put some of yours aside and let me help.”

He mulled her statement over for a moment and nodded. “I’ll try.”

“Then I’ll put some of my pride away and let you help out my neighbors while I go in and check on Josie and Carl. I’ll have some soup on for lunch when you come in.”

“About noon?” he asked.

Maeve nodded. “Sounds good.”

She stomped her boots off before she went back into the house. Carl was sitting at the table, playing with some plastic measuring cups and dry cornmeal.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Josie said quickly. “I’ll clean up any mess he makes.”

“I definitely don’t mind. What’s a bit of cornmeal?”

Josie went to stand, and then grimaced.

Maeve hurried to her side. “Josie?”

Josie was silent and her expression grew more serious. Slowly she relaxed and looked at Maeve. “I had a twinge about an hour ago, and now this one.”

Maeve had been a bookworm her whole life, which meant she knew a little about a lot of things, but other than understanding the basic mechanics of birth, she knew very little about the process. “Could you be in labor?”

“No.” Josie seemed panicked at the thought. “It’s too soon. He has at least another month to go. I’m sure it’s only Braxton Hicks contractions.”

Maeve didn’t know Braxton Hicks from Adam, but she knew that she did not like the situation. And she was equally sure that Boyd wouldn’t like it, either. “Sit down and let me make a call. I have a friend who’s a nurse. I’ll see if she can come over.”

“In this weather?” Josie asked.

“The snow’s stopped and your husband’s out there personally clearing my half of Valley Ridge, as well. Plus, Lily lives close enough to walk if need be.”

Josie shook her head. “I won’t have anyone walking—”

“Shh,” Maeve interrupted. “Don’t argue or I’ll think you’re as stubborn as your husband.”

Josie laughed, which had been Maeve’s intent.

“You tell your friend it’s not an emergency,” Josie warned her. “I don’t want her hurrying over here and inconveniencing herself more than she already will have to.”

“I’ll tell her that we don’t think it’s anything, but want to be sure.” Maeve got her cell phone from the window ledge. Thank goodness it still had a charge. She went out to the front room and dialed Lily’s number.

“Hello?” the almost–Mrs. Bennington answered.

“Getting pre-wedding jitters yet?” Maeve asked by way of a greeting, though she already knew the answer.

“As long as Sophie’s Tori doesn’t speak up at my wedding, there’s nothing to worry about. I have everything planned to the nth degree,” Lily assured her.

Their friend Sophie had been about to marry this summer when a stranger stood up and objected. The entire community was shocked to discover the girl, Tori, was Sophie’s biological daughter.

“How’s Mattie handling everything?” Maeve had listened to Mattie complain about Lily’s bridal ways in the past. The two friends couldn’t be more different. Mattie would have gotten married in jeans if Lily hadn’t pitched a fit. While Lily had definite ideas on what a wedding should entail and jeans weren’t in the picture.

Maeve wished she had friends who were as close as family.

She had friends, but nothing like them.

“Mattie’s calling me Bridezilla now. That’s an upgrade from Bridesmaidzilla.” Lily had been a bridesmaid in Sophie’s wedding, as well as Mattie’s. “And Sophie keeps joking that if the baby gets any bigger, she’s renting a scooter to ride down the aisle.”

“Speaking of pregnant women,” Maeve said, “that’s why I’m calling.”

“I didn’t know you were seeing anyone,” Lily said slowly.

Maeve chuckled. “I know it’s the season for immaculate conceptions, but no, not me. I’ve got a pregnant woman in my kitchen. And I hate to ask, but I’m hoping you’ll run over and check on her. She’s got about a month until she’s due. She’s had a couple pains. She had a name for them and tried to tell me they’re nothing to worry about, but I’m worried.”

“Braxton Hicks?” Lily asked.

“Yes, that’s what she said.”

“She’s probably right, but I’ll come over and check her out.”

Maeve released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Thanks, Lily. Her family spent last night camped out in an RV that ran out of propane this morning. I’m worried. Can you get out, because if not, I can come get you.”

“That’s not necessary. I have four-wheel drive for work and you’re only a few blocks away.”

“I hate to make you—”

“You’re not making me do anything. I told Sebastian I’d give him a hand at the diner this morning and I have a few house calls to make this afternoon, so I have to go out, anyway.”

Maeve felt a flood of relief. “Thanks, Lily.”

“See you soon.”

Maeve hung up and walked back into the kitchen. Carl dumped a cup full of cornmeal into a bigger cup, while Josie sat, eyes closed, in the rocker, her hands over her protruding stomach.

Maeve glanced at Mrs. Anderson’s cross-stitch.

No, she couldn’t save the world, but she was going to do her best to help this one small family.

CHAPTER TWO

MAEVE HAD ALWAYS wanted dark, mysterious looks like Lily Paul’s. Lily tended to wear a lot of Bohemian clothes that would be considered suspect by the locals if anyone other than Lily wore them. Lily had a fondness for a lot of clunky jewelry and bold colors.

None of that was evident today as she came into the kitchen bundled up in a hat, parka and knee-high boots. Her scarf was wrapped around her face so many times, only her eyes were visible.

“Come in, Lily,” Maeve said, and then teased, “I mean, I’m assuming you’re Lily. It’s hard to tell under all those clothes.”

Lily began unwinding the scarf and shucked off most of the layers. “Seriously,” she grumbled, “Sebastian had some very firm opinions on what I should wear today. Most of the time, he doesn’t say a word about my clothing choices.”

“He probably wanted to be sure you stayed warm,” Maeve said. She wouldn’t say it out loud, but it was endearing. No one worried about her dressing warmly enough except her mother. That thought made her feel lonely, despite the fact that her house was currently overflowing with people.

“Yeah. Sebastian also wanted to drive me. I put my foot down on that notion. However, he insisted I wear two pairs of socks inside my boots, so there was no satisfying stomp when I put my foot down, only a very wimpy smooshing. Still, he got the picture.” Lily turned and smiled at Josie. “Hi, I’m Lily. And this handsome man is?”

“Carl. And I’m Josie. Thank you so much for coming out in this mess. I’m sure I’m fine and I hate to be a bother.”

“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t we let Carl sit with Maeve, and you and I will borrow her bedroom for a quick checkup.”

Josie hesitated long enough to make Maeve wonder if she’d agree, but Lily said, “I did come all the way over here in the snow. The very deep, frigid snow.”

“Wow, way to lay on the guilt.” Maeve laughed.

Lily laughed, too. “I have to wheedle a certain feisty patient on a regular basis. Guilt is a first foray. I do have a trump card I can pull out and use if necessary.”

“A quick game of one-handed basketball?” Maeve asked. Everyone in town had talked about Lily and Sebastian’s one-handed basketball game this past summer. If talk were to be believed, half the town had witnessed the game. That’s how things went in Valley Ridge. People told stories so often that after a while they felt as if they were there, even if they weren’t.

Josie smiled. “More guilt won’t be necessary. Plus, I’m not sure what one-handed basketball is, but I’m sure I’m not up for it. You’re right. My husband will feel much better about everything if I can tell him I got checked out.”

Maeve took Carl as the other two women left. “What do you say we start some water for tea?” she said.

She held the boy on her hip as she filled the kettle.

As they passed the fridge, Carl reached for a postcard that the Langley kids had sent her from Disney World. When Mattie and Finn had gotten married in August, they’d taken the kids—his nieces and nephew—on a family honeymoon to the Magic Kingdom. Abbey, the youngest, was still telling anyone who would listen about her honeymoon.

Carl reached for the card and said, “Mickey.”

She let him grab the postcard. “Yes, that’s Mickey Mouse. Let me put the kettle on the woodstove. I think I have a Disney book that we can read together.”

She carried the toddler into the front room where she had some books waiting to go to the library. “I think I saw...” she muttered as she dug one-handed through the pile. “There.” She pulled out the Mickey Mouse storybook and carried both Carl and the book back into the warmth of the kitchen. They’d read the first few pages when Lily and Josie rejoined them.

“Everything all right?” she asked them both.

“I think so, but I want Josie to come in and see the doctor. No one’s at the office yet. To be honest, I don’t think any stores or offices are open except Jerry’s and the grocery store, but I’m sure Neil will be in soon. After I’ve talked to him, I’ll call you with a time today or tomorrow.”

“Really, we can’t afford a doctor’s visit,” Josie protested.

“Of all the things you need to worry about, that’s not it,” Lily said gently but firmly. “Neil owes me.”

“But...” Josie looked as if she was trying to find an argument.

Lily put her hand on top of Josie’s. “One of the things I love about Neil’s practice is that we see everyone regardless of insurance or means. He could have practiced anywhere. He had offers and to be honest, still occasionally gets offers from bigger towns. He chose a small town because he wanted to make a difference. He’s not in this for the money.”

“Boyd is very proud,” Josie said softly. “He won’t accept charity.”

Maeve might not have known him long, but she knew that was the absolute truth. “He’s paying me back for some oatmeal and an electric outlet by single-handedly clearing half of Valley Ridge’s sidewalks and driveways.”

Lily thought a moment. “Okay, Josie, I’ll tell you what. You come in for a visit, and if Boyd is willing he can help us out with a couple of projects around the office.”

“He can do anything. I mean, absolutely anything. I’ve never met a job Boyd couldn’t do,” Josie gushed.

“Well, then, it’s settled.” Lily reached out for the toddler. “May I?”

Josie nodded and Maeve handed him over. “He’s adorable.” Carl reached up and wrapped his hand in a clump of Lily’s hair. She gently unwound his chubby fist.

“That’s why I go with a braid or ponytail most days. We call him the hair monster. Boyd likes to quip that his hair is thinning out of self-preservation.”

Maeve had a hard time imagining Boyd joking. But people could hide things behind their public faces. She knew this from experience.

When Carl was unwound, he held his hands out for his mother and Lily passed him over to Josie. As she cuddled the toddler, Josie said, “Thank you so much, Lily. First Maeve, now you. I think that snowstorm stranding us in Valley Ridge was the first bit of good luck we’ve had in a long time.”

“You wouldn’t be the first person to find yourself coming to Valley Ridge for a quick visit, then falling in love and staying,” Lily said. “I came here for a nursing assignment. When it was over—” Lily’s voice caught on the word over, then she continued “—I stayed. I’d made friends here and fallen in love with the town itself.”

Maeve remembered when Lily came to town. She’d watched as Lily bonded with Mattie and Sophie as they all cared for Bridget Langley. It was true that most of the community had pitched in to help the sick mother of three, but Lily, Mattie and Sophie had shouldered the bulk of Bridget’s care. As Bridget got sicker, the three of them had become so close. When Bridget had passed, their friendship had buoyed them.

Maeve envied their friendship. She wasn’t jealous. At least she didn’t think she was. She tried not to be, but she couldn’t help feeling as if she’d spent her whole life on the outside looking in. She’d watched each of the three friends fall in love. Mattie and Sophie were married, and Lily was on her way to the altar. Maeve wasn’t jealous of that, either. At least most days she wasn’t.

She rarely shared too much about herself, but this once, she forced herself to say, “I grew up here, but I left home for college and didn’t think I’d be back. Yet here I am. Once Valley Ridge gets its hooks in you, it’s hard to tear yourself away.”

“So far, it seems like a lovely place,” Josie said wistfully. “Not that I’ve seen much more than Maeve’s house and the library parking lot. But the company here has left a very good impression on us.”

“Where are you all headed?” Lily asked.

“North Dakota. Boyd read an article that said jobs were to be had there, so we sold pretty much everything we owned, bought the RV and are going to see for ourselves. The article also mentioned a housing shortage, and Boyd thought we could live in the RV until we got settled.”

“Traveling in your condition must be hard.” Maeve knew what it was like to call someplace with four wheels home. Granted, she hadn’t had an entire RV, but she remembered how awful it was.

She hadn’t thought about those times in a while. It didn’t take a psychologist to see why her subconscious was making a connection between Josie’s circumstances and her own back in the day.

Josie answered, “No, it’s not hard. I’m sitting in the front passenger seat, and that’s not any worse than sitting in a recliner at home. Frankly, the RV is so small that cleaning is a breeze. And...” Josie continued to entertain them with all her happy reasons why living in an RV had some huge advantages over living in a house. Lily was laughing, but Maeve couldn’t join in. She made tea and served everyone and pretended to laugh along with Lily at the appropriate places in Josie’s soliloquy, but Maeve knew deep in her heart that no matter how nice a spin Josie put on the situation, being homeless was no laughing matter.

Lily checked her watch. “I’ve got to run. I need to get to the diner because a few of our employees are snowed in. Then I have a couple of home visits that can’t be put off until later. But I’ll call you soon with a time for your appointment.”

“Thank you again,” Josie said.

Lily smiled. “It was no problem at all.”

Carl’s head was nodding against his mother’s shoulder. “Josie, if you want, he can have a nap in my bedroom. The whole house has warmed up quite nicely, so he should be fine.”

“Thank you, Maeve.” Josie hefted herself to her feet.

“Do you want me to carry him up for you?” Maeve asked.

“No, I’m fine,” Josie assured her.

“The stairs are a bit steep and narrow.”

“Are you saying I can’t fit up a narrow staircase?” Josie asked.

Maeve felt utterly embarrassed. “No, honestly, Josie. That’s not what I meant at all. I would—”

Josie held up her hand, interrupting Maeve’s apologies. “I was just kidding. Honest. Boyd tells me all the time that my sense of humor is warped. I’m afraid he’s right.” She picked up the toddler and went through the living room to the stairs.

Maeve turned to Lily. “Thank you so much for helping. I’ve just met Boyd and Josie, but I know they’d pitch a fit if I offered to pay for her visit, but maybe we could work it out on the sly.”

“No need for that,” Lily assured her as she started to put on her layers. “I meant what I said. I don’t even have to ask Neil to know that he’ll work something out with them. Last spring he got paid in chickens for a home visit. I used to watch stuff like that on TV when I was younger, but really, I didn’t imagine it ever working in this day and age.

“Neil insists he didn’t go into medicine to be rich. Plus, we’ve got honey-do jobs galore at the practice. Neil is a very gifted doctor, but he’s hopeless when it comes to a paintbrush or screwdriver. Ask me sometime about the time he decided to change a washer in the bathroom faucet.” Lily shivered as if to say the project hadn’t gone well.