Читать книгу A Valley Ridge Christmas - Holly Jacobs - Страница 11

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.

Maeve didn’t know what else to mention. That was part of her problem when it came to making friends. She was no good at the easy give and take, but she did ask, “How are the wedding plans?”

“Everything’s in order. Mattie keeps teasing me, but I don’t see what’s wrong with being well prepared. Look at last night’s blizzard. I know Valley Ridge gets snow in November, but normally not this much all at once. I have a bunch of friends with plows on standby in case we get another storm and...” She let the sentence fade. “Short of some unexpected volcanic eruption, I’ve planned for every contingency I could think of.”

Maeve was impressed. “Well, if you need something, you only have to holler.”

“All I need is you there,” Lily assured her. “Of course, if you need a date...”

Maeve could see it coming from a mile away.

“...I know someone,” Lily finished. “One of my patient’s grandsons moved into her house to help her out. He’s a very nice guy.”

Maeve sighed. “If I decide I need a date, I’ll let you know.” She wasn’t sure what happened to turn half of Valley Ridge’s minds toward fixing her up, but it had been bad ever since Mattie and Finn, and Sophie and Colton were married.

She took that back. She knew exactly what had happened.

Tori Allen—her summertime volunteer at the library and Sophie’s rediscovered daughter—that’s what happened. Or rather who happened.

Tori had decided that Maeve needed to get out more and she’d not so subtly tried to fix her up whenever she could. And for someone who lived in Ohio and only came in to Valley Ridge for visits, she managed quite a bit. She’d tried to convince Maeve to date the town’s bachelor cop, Dylan. But she was pretty sure she’d dissuaded Tori from making that particular match. Dylan was a nice enough man, but he wasn’t what Maeve was looking for.

To be honest, Maeve wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking for in a man. But she was certain that when she found him, she’d know. Immediately. That’s how it had happened when her mom met her dad. And after her father passed away, her mother had fallen head over heels for Herman Lorei, a new farmer in town. It was good to see her mom happy again.

Yes, someday Maeve would meet the man for her. Until then, she’d wait. She wasn’t willing to settle.

“Well, if you change your mind...” Lily let the offer hang there a moment. “My client’s grandson is cute.”

Maeve grinned. “Thanks, Lily. I’ll let you know.” But don’t hold your breath. “Thanks for everything.” Maeve saw Lily out and hoped that she’d dissuaded her friend from playing matchmaker. After all, she had Tori, the teenage yenta matchmaker-wannabe, on the job.

Maeve was comfortable. And she was busy. Between her paid job at the winery in Ripley and her volunteering at the library, there weren’t enough hours in the day. She wasn’t actively looking for a relationship. She was content to wait until she found him, or he found her. And if it never happened? She’d be okay. Ms. Mac, the school principal, had never married but seemed perfectly happy with her full, productive life. She’d made such a difference in Maeve’s life.

There were fates much worse than being single.

She glanced at the clock.

Since Maeve’s boss, Gabriel, had called and said not to even try to get to Ripley today, she could cross the now-clear parking lot to the library and catalog a few of her new books.

She hadn’t heard a peep from upstairs, so she left Josie a note on the table with her whereabouts and cell phone number, and took a pile of books with her.

She doubted anyone would be out today and even if they were, she doubted they’d be in desperate need of a library book, but still, as was her practice, she went to turn on the small neon open sign in the library window—before she remembered there was no power.

Well, that was that. Maeve would leave the books to be cataloged some other day.

As long as she was dressed for it, she decided she’d walk the few blocks to the grocery store and buy some more milk. She had some meat in the fridge and could easily put together a stew for herself and her unexpected guests. She should probably think about moving the contents of the refrigerator outside if the power didn’t come back on soon.

And while she was out, she might as well stop at Valley Ridge Farm and House Supplies for the salt and some more lamp oil, just in case the power wasn’t restored by nightfall.

She hadn’t exaggerated this morning when she told Boyd that she normally went on foot to the shops in Valley Ridge. She rarely drove anywhere other than to work. If Valley Ridge ever approved a budget that would pay her for her work at the library, then she would probably be able to give up driving all together. Well, mostly. She crossed over the bridge that spanned Cooper’s Creek, then past the schools. She continued up Park Street, past the familiar shops. As she approached the grocery store, she found that a number of Valley Ridge residents were already there. The owner had a generator that kept the freezers and refrigerators running. Her shopping done, she headed back toward home. The Farm and House Supplies store was on the way.

The store took up most of the block of Park Street right before the schools. The parking lot and outdoor yard comprised a great deal of it. Jerry carried mulch, stones, some bricks and other basic items he stored outside. She looked past the empty lot and saw the top of the old Culpepper place.

She walked around the block to get to the residential street where the Culpepper house was located. From Park Street there wasn’t much to see apart from the roof. Standing in front of it now, she recalled how people said that it had good bones. The bones of the Culpepper place were becoming better disguised with every passing day as neglect etched itself onto the facade. The stonework was covered with ivy that was dead and brown given the cold. As for the yard, she knew there was no lawn under the snow, but rather a collection of weeds that the neighbors occasionally mowed. Most of the windows were boarded over, and the corner of the porch had begun to sag in a way that gave the impression the entire porch would someday completely slide off the house.

There was nothing sadder than a deserted house, Maeve mused. Once, a family had lived there. She had a vague recollection from her childhood of Mr. and Mrs. Culpepper. They’d seemed ancient then. The house had been vacant since Maeve had moved back to town.

Even the layer of snow that covered it couldn’t erase the lonely look of the place. For some reason, it made Maeve ache. She remembered a time when she would have been thrilled to call even that sorry neglected house her home.

She forced herself to ignore the wave of unpleasant nostalgia that had been biting at the edge of her memories since she met the Myers family.

She cut through the back of the property, went around the dilapidated fence and arrived back at the store. She went inside and was relieved when she practically bumped into Sophie McCray. Sophie was one of those eternally sunny people, around whom it was impossible to stay glum.

“Maeve,” Sophie cried out as she teetered toward her on high-heeled boots. Sophie was petite and as such, rarely seen without some kind of heel on her footwear. But given that she was only weeks away from giving birth, Maeve thought maybe her friend should consider trying out some more sensible shoes. Sophie’s stomach protruded so far out that she couldn’t zip her coat, sensible shoes made even more sense. But Sophie didn’t seem to care as she ran over and embraced Maeve.

“What are you doing out?” Maeve asked. “Colton should have tethered you to the farm in this weather.”

“He tried, but I don’t tether well. Besides, we needed a few things and he’s helping Sebastian and Finn dig out some neighbors. I’m on my way to the diner to meet Mattie and Lily.”

“Lily will probably run late and I’ll be the one at fault,” Maeve admitted. “I have company and she came to help me out.”

Sophie nodded knowingly. “I heard.”

“The Valley Ridge message boards—I should have guessed. Social media doesn’t have anything on our grapevine, does it?”

Sophie laughed. “So how is your pregnant visitor?”

“Her name’s Josie. She’s passing through Valley Ridge with her husband, Boyd, and son, Carl. She’s fine for now. Lily’s going to set up an appointment with Neil before they move on. I’ll feel better after he checks her out.”

“If you don’t mind more unexpected company, maybe I’ll stop by later and say hi. Us pregnant women need to stick together.”

“I’m sure Josie would enjoy that.” Maeve rarely had anyone over to her house. Instantly she’d gone from no guests to overflowing with guests.

“Is it true they lost their house?” Sophie asked.

With some people, Maeve would have bristled at the question, assuming they were only looking for some juicy gossip. But this was Sophie, and there was concern in her eyes. Maeve didn’t want to give up Josie’s confidences, but felt safe confiding in Sophie. “They’re headed to North Dakota to look for work.”

“I wish I knew about some job in Valley Ridge,” Sophie said. “But times have been tight here like everywhere else.”

“I know.” Maeve jostled the grocery bag from one arm to the other. “But as soon as the storm’s aftermath is cleared, it sounds like they’ll be on their way.”

“Well, I’m glad I’ll meet her before they leave. I’ll stop in after lunch, if that’s okay?”

“That would be fine.”

Maeve wasn’t sure why she didn’t like to open her home to anyone, but that was the truth of it. She had never been someone who could have friends over after school, or after work. Her home now was her private sanctuary. She hadn’t thought twice about having Josie and her family come over, but with more people crowding into her modest house it made her feel...anxious.

She pushed the feeling aside and went looking for the first thing on her list. She rounded a corner in the home section and spotted an employee with his back to her. He was wearing a T-shirt that had a large logo of the store. “Excuse me. Can you tell me where the lamp oil is?”

“Can I? Certainly, I can. The question you wanted to ask was, Will I?” the employee muttered as he turned around.

“You,” was Maeve’s response. Not that she was surprised. The minute the words left the man’s mouth she’d known he was the snarly guy from this morning. Despite his surliness, Maeve couldn’t avoid liking his voice.

Maeve hadn’t realized until this very moment how much she loved a good voice. The rich, low gravelly type was her favorite. Put a voice like that on one of her audiobooks, and she could listen to the phone book being read.

And this man’s voice was deep, commanding, intoxicating.

“Listen, I don’t want to start another debate with you. You’re Jerry’s employee and even if he’s not here, he has standards. So, I’d appreciate it if you would help me find the lamp oil without any more of your sarcasm.”

He tipped an imaginary hat. “Anything for you, Red.”

“Maeve. Remember?”

He chuckled. “I’m not likely to forget. Maeve Buchanan, the librarian.”

“Well, then, if you haven’t forgotten my name, I’d appreciate it if you’d use it.” That was polite, not that this guy deserved polite.

“Follow me and I’d be happy to show you to the lamp oil, Maeve.”

She wasn’t the only one he was testy with. That much was evident as he led her through the aisles, ignoring everyone as they passed.

“So is your mood an everyday occurrence, or is it specific to today?” she asked.

He gave her a quizzical look.

“You are less than salesman-nice.”

“You’re right. I find the snow and the power outage unbelievably annoying. And I feel sort of naked without my computer...”

At the word naked Maeve got a very vivid image of the man with the good voice in far less clothing than he was wearing. She immediately tried to push the unwelcome image away.

Pretty is as pretty does, or so the saying went. So far, judging by his attitude, he wasn’t very pretty at all.

“...I guess it shows in my manners. Sorry.” He stopped at a shelf and pointed.

“Oh, you have manners? I hadn’t noticed.” Now she was the one being snippy. She felt a little guilty—but only a little. After all, it wasn’t his fault that she’d had crazy images of him in her head. She coughed. “Thank you for showing me to the proper aisle.”

“Would you like to have dinner sometime?” His look of surprise matched how she felt.

Maeve couldn’t have been more taken aback if the man had asked her whether the moon was flat, or if it was summer. “No, I don’t think so. To be honest, not if you were the last man on earth.” She said it as nicely as she could, but she wanted to be clear. Her mother would have scolded her for being so blunt, but this man set her teeth on edge and didn’t seem to realize how off-putting he was. “But thanks for asking and for your assistance.”

She practically sprinted toward the cashier, anxious to get away from this man, who she suspected was still staring after her.

“I’m Aaron, by the way, Maeve the Librarian. Aaron Holder,” he called.

She didn’t turn around, but did wave a hand to acknowledge him. Aaron. Nice name. Nice voice. But other than those two things, she could find very little that was nice about Mr. Aaron Holder.

* * *

AARON WATCHED RED dash for the register with her lamp oil and grocery bag in hand. She certainly had the temper of a redhead. He wasn’t one to believe in stereotypes, but this one seemed to apply.

He acknowledged he’d been less than pleasant both times they met. When he was younger, his mother used to say that the world had best watch out when he was in a mood—especially when it involved his sisters. Recently, his mother informed him that he’d been in a mood for the past two years.

Today’s exercise in wireless living only exacerbated his general level of frustration. He hadn’t lied when he said not having power ticked him off. He felt disconnected. He was a man who made his living on the computer. So, not only could he not work on his new program today, his only access to the internet was via his phone, and answering clients’ questions on its minuscule screen was a pain because he was pretty sure he needed glasses. Constantly increasing and decreasing the size of the screen and font only fueled his frustration. Added to that, he was here in snowy Valley Ridge, New York, rather than sitting in the sun, enjoying life in Florida. But for some reason, Red had perked him up.

His family would say he took perverse delight in being annoying.

He’d disagree. He never intended to be annoying. He merely liked to understand things. And he counted people as things that he liked to understand.

They were so complicated.

Give him complex ideas to code into a computer and he could puzzle through any of them. But people? There was no algorithm for understanding them. You could input data to your heart’s content, but they still surprised you. You thought you knew everything about them and then when you least expected it, they’d spring something new on you.

Sometimes, they’d spring something on you that shook you to your core.

Okay, he knew where this line of thinking would lead and frankly he didn’t have time for that today. He’d already annoyed one customer. He owed it to his uncle to not annoy any more.

He wished Maeve the librarian had said yes to his dinner invitation. Maybe he should have assured her that he wasn’t asking her on a date. He wasn’t interested in dating anyone. But he could do with a friend here in town. Or at least an acquaintance. And because Maeve the librarian seemed to be able to hold her own with him, she seemed like a good candidate.

He didn’t have more time to think about Red. He had a store to see to. Aaron spotted a man whose uniform proclaimed that he was the local cop. “Do you need help, Officer?”

“You’re new here,” the cop stated. “Even if I didn’t know almost every soul in Valley Ridge, I’d have known because you’re the first person to call me Officer in weeks.”

“What do most people call you?” Aaron asked with interest. He was curious. This guy’s pants and shirtsleeves were creased. Anything metal, from badges to the grip on his weapon, gleamed. Everything about him screamed, my job is my identity.

“Sheriff.” There was significant annoyance in his voice as he spit out the word. Sort of like Maeve bristling every time he called her Red.

“Doesn’t matter how many times I explain that there are differences between a police officer and a sheriff,” the cop grumbled, “certain people here in town still persist in using the wrong term. And they’ve polluted the populace to the extent that most of them use it, as well. The other cops all get officer, but not me. Sheriff?” He looked fierce. “But don’t worry, I know the origins of my sheriffing—so I know where the blame lies—and someday, Colton will get his. I’m Dylan, by the way.”

“Did I hear my name?” A man wearing a cowboy hat rounded the corner. “I’m trying to find my wife and I am sure I heard my name.” He smiled at the cop. “Sheriff.”

Aaron had heard a lot of men refer to their wives, but never with so much love put into the term. He knew without probing any further that this was Colton and that torturing the cop was part of his fun.

The man in the cowboy hat extended his hand. “Colton. Colton McCray.”

“Aaron Holder.”

“So, you’re the nephew who got in last week,” Colton said.

“Whose nephew?” Dylan asked.

“Jerry’s,” Colton and Aaron said in unison.

“Oh, you’re the one spending the winter with us. Sorry it started with a bang. I mean, we definitely get snow here, but for the most part not this much this early,” Dylan offered.

“You know what they say about jumping into the deep end,” Aaron said. “You sink or swim. I’m not sure I’m doing either right now. It’s more like treading water, but at least I’m not drowning.”

“Well, welcome to Valley Ridge,” the cop-not-sheriff said.

“Dylan, this is my friendly reminder. You haven’t RSVP’d to Lily’s wedding yet. It has been the subject of discussion. Much discussion,” Colton added ominously.

“Oh, crap,” the cop said, looking nervous. “I could have not RSVP’d to Sophie’s or Mattie’s weddings with little repercussion, but this is Lily.” He started rummaging in his pocket and produced a phone.

“Yeah, it’s Lily,” Colton agreed.

Dylan punched in a number on his phone, made a hang-on-a-minute gesture and walked down the aisle. “Lily...”

“What’s the problem with this Lily?” Aaron asked as Dylan took his conversation out of earshot.

“Nothing. She’s marrying one of my best friends and is one of the sweetest women in the world. But she has some—” he hesitated as if trying to think of the right words to describe this sweet woman who made cops cower “—uh, very definite ideas about how weddings, engagements, even showers should work. RSVP’ing by the date indicated on the card is in her must-do column.”

“Oh, I see.” But he didn’t. Dylan, a man who carried a gun for a living, had looked truly nervous.

He came back to them, clearly relieved. “Okay, I’m out of the doghouse. I think. I offered to direct traffic out of the church’s parking lot for her.”

Colton chuckled. “Sucker.”

“Hey, they don’t call me an officer of the peace for nothing.”

“No, they call you Sheriff.” Colton laughed at his own joke and Dylan growled.

“I’d better get back to work,” Aaron said. “It was nice to meet you both.”

“Nice to meet you, too. I’m sure Sophie’s going to stop in and invite you to dinner sometime. She’s fond of Jerry. I know he asked her to keep an eye on you and make sure you get introduced around.”

Aaron groaned. Socializing had never been his strong suit. “I’m awful busy between my own work and taking care of things here for Uncle Jerry.”

“I get it,” Colton said. “Dinner with strangers is nobody’s idea of a good time.”

“But you can’t resist,” Dylan told Aaron. “Honestly. You can try to tell Sophie no, but it’s not going to happen. When you meet her you’ll know almost immediately you’ve met your match.”

“I’d like to take offense, but he’s right,” Colton said. “My wife doesn’t know the meaning of the word no.”

“We’ll see,” Aaron said. “Do you guys know the redheaded librarian?”

“Maeve?” they answered as one.

“Yes.”

“What do you want to know?” Dylan asked.

Aaron shrugged. The better question was what didn’t he want to know. “We had a bit of a run-in.”

“That sounds more like the old Maeve than the new one,” Colton said.

“Old Maeve?” Aaron asked.

“I went to school with her. When we were younger, she spent a lot of time in the principal’s office. Called there almost daily. All sorts of rumors about her and what she might have done to warrant so many trips to see the principal. To be honest, I never noticed much of a wild side to her. What I remember most about Maeve growing up was that she always had her nose in a book. She spent most afternoons at the library with Mrs. Anderson. Maeve was...quiet.”

“And since that’s the longest string of words I’ve ever heard Colton say, as he’s usually so quiet himself...to have him call her quiet says a lot,” Dylan continued. “If I had to use one word to describe her, it would be busy. She’s always busy. Always in motion. She volunteered to reopen the library practically on her own and when she’s not at her day job, she’s generally there. A lot of kids head to the library after school to wait for their parents to pick them up. I know a few kids who say Maeve helps them with homework. And little Abbey Langley assures me that Maeve is the best storyteller ever, though according to her, Tori, Maeve’s assistant, is a close second.”

“Where does she work?” Aaron asked. Then he clarified, “Her day job.”

“A winery in Ripley,” Colton said. “My partner, Rich, and I have talked about trying to hire her away from them when we have more cash flow. Right now, Mrs. Nies is handling everything at my winery, but if things continue to pick up, she’ll need the help.”

“Colton here owns a winery and a farm,” Dylan told him.

“Who was the guy she was with this morning?” Aaron hadn’t meant to ask that. But the thought of her and that guy had bothered him.

“Guy?” both men asked.

“Not old, but average height, roughly our age. He was bundled up, so I can’t tell you much more about him other than he needed propane and she drove him over here to get it.”

Dylan went from looking like one of the guys to looking like a cop in the blink of an eye. “I don’t know. It doesn’t sound like anyone she hangs out with.”

“That’s because she doesn’t hang out with anyone,” Colton said.

“I’ll find out,” Dylan promised.

Aaron told them goodbye and turned to help other customers. He had a nagging feeling that he’d broken a confidence by talking to the men about Maeve. That was ridiculous. She’d made no secret of the man—she’d brought him to the store after all. But still, the feeling persisted.

Colton and the sheriff had given him a lot of information to process.

And as the rest of the busy day flew by, he couldn’t help thinking about Red. Bad girl, bookworm, librarian, winery employee, spitfire.

She was a puzzle, and there was nothing Aaron liked better than a good puzzle.

* * *

THE POWER CAME on at three in the afternoon. Maeve could have moved the stew to the stove, but she left it on the woodstove instead. For some reason the sight of it bubbling away in her cast-iron Dutch oven was cheery.

It didn’t just lift her spirits—Boyd seemed less taciturn than earlier. He’d taken the news that Josie had experienced some Braxton Hicks contractions better than Maeve thought he would. He’d even thanked her for calling Lily.

He hadn’t exactly regaled them with tales of his day, but he told them about the people he’d met as he helped clear driveways all over town. “This one older lady came out with cookies and hot chocolate for me. She said she had her fireplace going. I offered to carry in some wood for her. She didn’t look as if she should be doing it.”

“Who was it?” Maeve asked.

“A Mrs. Esterly.”

“She’s a lovely lady. That was nice of you to—” She was interrupted by a knock on the door. She wasn’t sure where she’d put anyone else. Her small kitchen was already crowded with her current company.

She opened the door and saw not only Sophie, who was obviously making good on her promise to visit, but also Colton and Dylan.

Maeve smiled, already predicting Dylan’s first comment. “You’re in luck. The power came on a few minutes ago.”

Sophie and Colton went in, but Dylan stayed on the stairs. “I heard you had a strange family staying with you?”

“They’re not strange, though I haven’t known them long, and they’re not staying with me.” She pointed to the RV. “Before you give me the lecture I heard in my head this morning before I even knocked on their door, I’ll let you know that not only have they been perfectly polite, honest and forthright, but Boyd even wanted to pay me back for allowing them to come in and warm up and eat some oatmeal. Really, Dylan? A man who feels he has to repay someone for oatmeal? They’re perfectly safe.”

Dylan sighed. “I’d prefer meeting them myself, but I just got a call about an accident off I-90. I’ll check back in with you later. Colton will keep an eye out for me in the meantime.”

“Honestly, I’m an adult,” she reminded him.

“Yeah? And I’m the cop. Making sure people are safe is what I do.”

She stuck out her tongue, which made him grin. “Just don’t make a habit of taking in strangers.”

“I can promise that, if you can promise not to make a habit of checking up on me,” she countered.

“I can’t make that promise,” he said with sincerity, “but I’ll take you up on yours.”

She went into the kitchen and found Sophie talking to Boyd and Josie as if they were old friends, while Colton sat back, evidently assessing the couple for Dylan.

Living in a small town could be challenging at times. She pasted a smile on her face and said, “I guess you all managed to introduce yourselves?”

She sat down to the two pregnant women’s assurances and joined in their conversation while Boyd and Colton continued to size each other up.

This was not how she’d imagined her day going.