Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series, Volume 3 (136 page)

“I made it myself,” Jolene said, her eyes bright as she bit her
lower lip. “I hope you like it.”

“I'm sure I will.” Rachel carefully slid the ribbon off and
peeled back the decorative paper. The box had, indeed, held Jolene's new gym
shoes. Rachel lifted the lid and stared down at a white hand-knit baby blanket,
enfolded in pink tissue. Rachel hardly knew what to say. “You…you knit this
yourself?” She drew it out, marveling at the complexity of the design.

Jolene nodded. “We learned how to knit in an after-school
class. I bought the pattern and the yarn at that craft shop downtown, the one
where Mrs. Flemming works. I worked on it every day. I made a lot of mistakes,”
she admitted. She hurried to Rachel's side, kneeling in front of her. “See?
Here's one.”

It was so small Rachel had to squint to see it.

“There are other mistakes, too.”

“Oh, Jolene, it's
perfect.
” Rachel
struggled to hold back tears. “I'll bring your sister home from the hospital in
it.”

“You will?”

Rachel leaned forward and brought Jolene toward her, kissing
her hair. “I'll always treasure it, because you made it for me and the
baby.”

“Don't tell me you're both going to get all weepy on me,” Bruce
groaned.

“I might,” she said, struggling to hold back the tears.

Jolene raised her arms and wrapped Rachel in a big hug.

“I love you, Jolene,” Rachel whispered.

“I love you, too… You're going to be a great mother.”

Bruce put his arms around them both. “She already
is
a great mom,” he said.

Jolene nodded and met Rachel's eyes. “Yes, she is.”

Nineteen

T
his was Sheriff Troy Davis's first
Christmas with his wife, Faith. It was a second marriage for both. Each of them
had been blessed with a long and happy first marriage and each had suffered the
loss of their beloved partner. Recently, they'd found a renewed sense of purpose
and love with each other.

As it was their first major holiday together, they'd divided
the time between his daughter, Megan, and her family and Faith's son, Scott.
Christmas Eve had been spent with Megan, her husband, Craig, and their infant
daughter, Cassandra.

Today, Troy and Faith were headed for Scott's home. Late
Christmas morning, Troy loaded up the car with the Christmas gifts and treats
Faith had prepared for her son's family. They'd delivered a carload of presents
and homemade sweets to Megan the night before, as well. Faith had been baking
for weeks, not that Troy was complaining. He hadn't enjoyed the holidays this
much in a very long while. During the last years of her life, Sandy had been in
a nursing home, and Troy hadn't bothered with decorating their house or putting
up a tree. For the first time since Sandy went into the care facility, it
actually felt like Christmas to him. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed all
the fuss and bother.

“Can we make one stop?” Faith asked as she climbed into the
front seat beside him.

“Sure,” he said. “Where?”

“The Beldons'. Peggy and Bob were so kind to bring us that
plate of goodies. I'd like to reciprocate.”

“The Beldons probably have more than their fair share of candy
and cookies.”

“This is a peach-and-raspberry cobbler. They can eat it now or
put it in the freezer. Peggy's always thinking of others, and I wanted to do
something nice for her.”

“Then of course we'll drop by.”

“It'll just take a moment,” Faith promised. “In fact, you don't
even need to get out of the car.”

Troy reached for his wife's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
He loved Faith. He'd loved her when they were in high school, and he loved her
now. After Sandy died, Troy had never expected to marry again. And then…Faith
came back into his life. Their courtship had had its ups and downs, but despite
some confused and difficult times, Troy wouldn't change a thing. Faith was with
him now. Nothing else mattered.

The Beldons' Thyme and Tide Bed-and-Breakfast on Cranberry
Point was en route to Scott's house, so it really wasn't out of their way. Troy
entered the long driveway and noticed three vehicles parked in the area reserved
for guests. He remembered that Bob had mentioned that their children would be
visiting from Spokane, which accounted for two cars. The other must be a
guest.

“I'll be right back,” Faith assured him as he eased to a
stop.

She got out of the car, opened the rear passenger door and took
out the cobbler in its lidded plastic container. She'd put a bow on top, giving
it a festive look. He hoped she'd tucked one in their freezer for him—and he
didn't need the bow!

Bob Beldon answered the door and Faith went inside. Troy
listened to Christmas music and sang along with Burl Ives on the car radio. Two
or three minutes later, Faith reappeared and motioned for him.

Troy turned off the engine and started toward the house.
Something was definitely wrong. He could see it in Faith's stance as she stood
in the doorway, waiting for him.

When he approached, Faith said, “Oh, Troy, I'm afraid there's a
bit of a…situation here. I think you might be able to help.”

“What kind of situation?”

She moved aside and he walked into the house. The instant he
did, he heard a woman shrieking and crying uncontrollably in the background. She
seemed to be having some sort of temper tantrum. Troy heard things being thrown
against the walls.

“It's one of our guests,” Bob said, coming toward him. “She
arrived with Kent Morehouse, Beth's ex-husband. We thought they were a
couple—but apparently not. Seems she was supposed to meet up with a sailor from
the navy base, but something happened. She hasn't been able to tell us
what.”

“So what's her relationship with Kent?”

“Friends, I guess. She works for him.”

Kent wandered into the foyer with his hands in his pockets. He
looked completely baffled. “I'm sorry,” he said. “I tried talking to Danielle,
but she's too upset to make much sense. As far as I can tell, the young man she
came to see has decided to dump her.”

“On Christmas Day?” Troy wasn't impressed with the sailor's
timing.

“She hasn't stopped crying.…”

“For hours,” Peggy inserted. “And throwing stuff. I don't know
if she's broken anything but…”

“She refuses to answer the door,” Bob added. “She must have
blocked it with a chair or something, because we can't get in.”

Troy could well imagine what this was doing to the family's
celebration.

“I think all Danielle wants to do now is get back to
California. I went on the internet to find a flight, but talking to her is
impossible.” Kent shook his head.

Troy moved down the hallway to the guest bedrooms and knocked
on the door. It wasn't hard to tell which room was Danielle's.

“Sheriff Troy Davis,” he announced authoritatively.

Silence followed, which was a blessing after the racket of the
past several minutes. Then they heard the unmistakable sound of furniture being
moved.

“What seems to be the problem here?” he asked when Danielle
slowly opened the bedroom door.

“I have to get out of here,” Danielle said, dabbing her eyes
with a wadded tissue. “I
hate
this place.”

“I found a flight that can get you to LAX, leaving Sea-Tac in a
few hours,” Kent rushed to say. This was obviously the information he'd been
wanting to tell her for some time.

“Fine,” she said, slamming her suitcase shut. It was on her
bed, although little else was. In fact, the room looked as if it'd been hit by a
hurricane. Bedding lay on the floor. So did a potted poinsettia, with dirt
scattered everywhere, and a framed picture, its glass now broken. And that
wasn't all....

“I'm really sorry about this,” Kent said, apologizing to the
Beldons.

Danielle seemed to think he was talking to her. “Why didn't
Hunter tell me sooner?” she wailed. “It worked out so well that I could come
here for Christmas.... He said he'd be tied up, but I said that was fine because
my boss invited me to visit his family until Christmas Day and then…then…” She
broke into a fresh bout of tears. Angrily, she grabbed the tissue box from the
floor and jerked out three. “Then Hunter waited until this morning to tell me.…
He didn't even do it to my face. Instead, he sent me a text message and said he
was seeing someone else. He let me come all this way and make a fool of myself.”
She dabbed at her eyes again. “Now all I want is to get away from this horrible
town....”

“We'll need to get her to the airport.”

Kent shifted uncomfortably. “I had plans with my family but I
feel responsible for her. I'll drive her to the airport.”

“I want to go home!” Danielle screamed. “I don't care who takes
me to the airport. Isn't there a taxi or something?”

“I have a friend who owns a car service,” Troy offered. “He can
drive you to the airport.”

“Fine!” Danielle shouted. “I want to leave
now.
”

“Please call your friend,” Kent said. “And I'll pay whatever it
costs.”

The small group watched as Danielle finished gathering up the
last of her things, stuffing them in her carry-on. Kent seemed relieved not to
be taking her to the airport. She swung the suitcase off the bed, and it landed
on the floor with a loud thump. Straightening her shoulders, she wheeled her bag
out of the room, ignoring everyone.

As soon as she'd left, Kent slumped on the edge of the bed and
heaved a sigh. He lowered his head and plowed his fingers through his hair.

“You all right?” Troy asked.

Kent nodded. “I've made a big mess of things.”

“It's not your fault the sailor broke it off.”

“No,” Kent said. “My mistake was taking her out to meet Beth
and the girls. I let them assume Danielle and I were romantically involved. It
was a stupid thing to do and I regretted it almost immediately.” He looked
disgusted with himself. “Danielle went along with it, since she knows I still
love my ex-wife and she wanted to do me a favor. But she totally overplayed her
role.” He sighed again. “I wanted to tell Beth last night, but before I had a
chance Danielle phoned in hysterics because she couldn't get hold of her
boyfriend. After that, the situation went from bad to worse.” He gestured around
him. “I've botched everything.”

“Don't be so sure,” Faith said, coming to stand next to
Troy.

“Do you think there's a way to salvage this?” Kent asked
hopefully.

“Troy and I were in the pew behind you and Beth at the service
last night. I believe if you speak to Beth honestly, you'll discover she feels
the same way.”

Kent's eyes brightened. “Really?”

Faith nodded.

“First let me see if I can arrange this airport ride,” Troy
said, reaching for his cell. He punched in the appropriate number and waited.
Logan, the son of a friend, had recently started a car service, focusing on
airport transportation. He was hungry enough to take the fare, even if it was
Christmas Day.

After a short conversation, Troy closed his cell. “He'll be
here within thirty minutes.”

“Have you ever done anything so stupid you wonder what you
could possibly have been thinking?” Kent asked Troy.

The sheriff wasn't sure whether this was a real question or a
rhetorical one. He decided to answer it anyway. “We all have, at one time or
other. All you can do is learn from it—and you've certainly done that. And like
Faith says, things will probably turn out okay.”

Kent looked up and gave a slight nod. “I appreciate the
encouraging words.”

After a few minutes, Troy returned to the kitchen. The Beldons
had gathered there. Danielle sat in the living room next to her suitcase, crying
quietly. He did feel sorry for her. This couldn't be easy; no broken
relationship was.

Kent wanted to pay for the damages, but the Beldons refused.
And at their insistence, no charges would be laid. They, too, sympathized with
Danielle, despite their exasperation with her out-of-control behavior.

To be on the safe side Troy and Faith remained at the B and B
until Logan arrived and Danielle departed.

They left a few minutes later. Faith sighed as Troy turned out
of the driveway.

“Well, that was an unexpected interlude,” she said in a
good-humored voice. “I don't know what would've happened to that poor girl—and
Kent—if we hadn't got there when we did. You're my hero, Troy Davis.”

“And you're my sweetheart,” he returned, smiling in her
direction.

Twenty

“N
ow what?” Will Jefferson asked. He held
his gloved hands upright like a surgeon about to enter the operating
theater.

“It's a turkey,” Miranda Sullivan teased, “not an
appendectomy.”

Will lowered his arms.

“We're going to stuff it,” Miranda said.

“You mean I'm actually going to put my hands
inside
that bird?” His look was incredulous.

“Yes.” It was difficult to keep a straight face when Will took
everything so seriously.

“I've never done this before.”

Miranda rolled her eyes. “Really? You could've fooled me.”

“Are you making fun of me?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

“I'm doing my best not to.”

Will grinned. “Well, this is hard work. First time in my life
that I've cooked a turkey.”

“We'll do fine.”