Читать книгу Once Upon a Christmas - Pamela Tracy - Страница 13

Chapter Four

The Main Street Church certainly drew a crowd. Maggie recognized customers, parents of Cassidy’s classmates and even Henry Throxmorton, the owner of the antiques store from across the street who never seemed to smile. He wasn’t smiling now, but he was sitting at a table across from two other men—both knew how to smile—and looking as comfortable as she’d ever seen him. His wife, looking frail but content, sat next to him.

Only six months in Roanoke and already she knew a few faces. For the first time since entering the church doors, Maggie relaxed. She could do this.

Maggie quickly purchased a few tickets and followed the path Cassidy had already taken—sans the toddler. How Cassidy knew her way around, Maggie didn’t know. In a matter of minutes, they were both in line for the horse and wagon. Never mind the cold! There were a handful of adults and a crush of kids under ten, most of whom Maggie did not know, but Cassidy did.

With mittens on and hats down over their ears, Cassidy and Maggie rode in the wagon bed, singing Christmas songs at the top of their lungs along with anyone else foolhardy enough to be outside in the freezing weather.

Joel McCreedy, Jared’s brother, added a deep bass from his position at the reins. He listened to the kids’ suggestions for songs, told jokes and even paid attention as little ones shouted their lists for Santa Claus.

Joel was easygoing, not like his older brother. With a devil-may-care glint in his eyes and I-can-do-anything attitude, the younger McCreedy brother had quickly won over both Maggie and Cassidy this past summer while he worked on remodeling the store that became Hand Me Ups.

Still, it was the older brother that Maggie couldn’t seem to forget.

After three go-rounds, the cold soon drove the Tate women inside to the crowded fellowship hall where the food smelled as inviting as the people were. It only took a moment before Cassidy claimed she was warm again and stood at one of the large windows staring longingly at the horse toting around yet another group of revelers.

Not a chance. Maggie was so cold her teeth hurt.

“Joel said that when the crowd dies down, I can sit up front with him. Then it would be fair.” Cassidy stood so close to the window that her breath frosted the glass.

Maggie was no dummy. “Which means we’ll be here until cleanup.”

“Yes,” Cassidy said brightly.

Just as Maggie was ready to open her mouth, squash that idea—

“We can always use help with cleanup.”

Trust Beth Armstrong to walk by at just the right moment. Her arms were full of paper plates, cups and napkins. Matt McCreedy followed her with a stack of plastic forks. He tripped over his untied shoelaces and the forks hit the ground. Maggie and Cassidy gathered them up and followed Beth and Matt to the kitchen.

“I’m not quite sure where Jared’s gotten off to.” Beth joined the workers in the kitchen. “He’s supposed to be helping with serving. He never shirks his duty.”

“Dad’s busy,” Matt volunteered.

“Doing what?”

Matt gave the typical kid reply. “I don’t know.”

Maggie bit her lower lip. She knew how busy Jared was. She also believed Beth’s words about Jared and responsibility. Her husband had been like that, putting duty first. Could be Jared had lost all track of time and didn’t realize how cold it was. If Jared and Caleb were outside, then maybe now was the perfect time to start interfering.

Helping.

She wasn’t interfering.

“Watch Cassidy for just a moment, will you?”

In response, Beth set Cassidy to putting plastic dining ware into separate containers.

Stepping outside the kitchen and once again into the fellowship hall, Maggie quickly looked around. No Jared. She headed for the foyer, still full of people in varying stages of taking off coats, putting them back on. Most laughing. No Jared.

She really hadn’t been expecting to find him in either place.

Then, exiting the church, she rounded the corner and found both Jared and Caleb leaning against the building, both of them looking half-frozen.

“We’ll go in when you calm down,” Jared was saying.

“Noooooooo.”

Maggie had to give Jared credit, he didn’t lose his temper at Caleb’s belligerent whine nor did he give in. His voice, however, was sharp when he said, “I’m sure getting cold.”

“Nooooooo.” If anything, the whine got louder. Jared winced and stood his ground.

“I’ll bet you’re getting hungry, too,” Maggie announced as she rounded the corner, hoping she was doing the right thing, slightly nervous at intervening.

Helping, she was helping.

She wished someone had been around when she was first going through this.

“Cassidy’s been looking for you, Caleb.” Maggie looked at Jared, trying to gauge whether he wanted her help or wanted her to back off. His expression was unfathomable. But, judging by the way he gritted his teeth, he did need help—whether he wanted it or not.

“Seems your Uncle Joel has promised a hayride with a couple of kids sitting up front,” Maggie continued. “She thought you’d like to go with her.”

Happiness for a moment, back to anger and then doubt all flickered across Caleb’s face.

“That would be fine with me,” Jared encouraged. His hands were shoved deep in the pockets of his tan coat. A black knit cap was pulled over his head, low enough so Maggie couldn’t see his eyes, but not so low that it did a good job of protecting his face.

Caleb pushed himself away from the church, a little clumsily since he had on a heavy coat—just like his father’s but definitely a size too big—and boots that were also a little too big for his feet. It looked like hand-me-downs were alive and well at the McCreedy house. Without a backward glance, Caleb trotted toward the horse and wagon.

Maggie turned. She needed to get Cassidy pronto.

“Wait!” Jared said.

“Just let me get Cassidy out there to meet him. It’s important that I keep my word.” She hurried inside, fetched Cassidy, and rushed toward the horse and wagon.

A moment later, she promised Joel that she’d have the children’s tickets after he made the round. Caleb, used to both the wagon and Joel, hopped right up on the front seat. Cassidy scrambled alongside him. Both children shouted Giddy up!

Maggie headed to the side of the church, albeit hesitantly. Thanks to his winter hat, she’d not been able to read his expression and wasn’t one hundred percent sure he’d appreciated her interference.

Her help.

But Jared—sensible man—had already gone inside and was taking his place carrying hot dog buns to the serving area. No way did Maggie want to talk to him amid all these people.

There was a short line at the table where two women sold tickets. A jar with money inside had a photo of a family and in black marker were the words: all proceeds to go to needy families.

Nostalgia, unwelcomed and unwanted, hit Maggie like a surprise kick to the back of the knees. Three years ago, she’d been the church woman sitting at the table collecting the money. Sixteen years ago, she’d been a member of the “needy family” club.

Maggie took a deep breath. Tonight she was close to being the needy family again and as far away from the church woman as she could possibly be.

It’s not a church service. It’s just a party. We’ll be singing Christmas songs.

But Maggie could never forget, no matter how she tried to place her memories of Christmas on a back burner for Cassidy’s sake.

Christmas was not the best time to venture inside a church, and not because they collected for needy families and not because Maggie no longer prayed.

It was because it had been a December day that she’d received word that her husband had been killed in the line of duty. It had also been a December day that Maggie’s mother had walked out on her daughter and husband.

I’m strong. I can do this. I will do this.

Maggie managed to buy the tickets with minimal words and—her legs still feeling weak—backed away from the table and just stood in the middle of the crowd looking at the walls.

I’m strong. I can do this. I will do this.

The walls behind the ticket sellers were awash with Christmas drawings made by the kids. Santas of varying sizes, some even skinny, tumbled across the walls. Snowmen chased them. Snowflakes, some resembling pumpkins, came in amazing colors.

Cassidy didn’t have an offering on the wall as Maggie didn’t let her attend church.

Maggie left the fellowship hall. She needed something to chase away the memories of the past. She needed away from all the “Merry Christmases.” It was somewhat calmer in the hallway. The Bible classroom doors were shut, but the area teemed with people and, yes, their minds were on Christmas.

Tables were set up, and a craft business seemed to be thriving. Joel could wait a little longer for the tickets. And, she knew if she wasn’t there when he finished the round, he’d just take the kids again.

Low on funds, Maggie bypassed the spiral-bound cookbooks that were for sale next to a display of beaded jewelry and went straight to some knitters and crocheters who might consider selling their goods on consignment in her shop. What she really wanted was crocheted soda can hats, but she’d make the request after seeing which of the crafters wanted to work with her.

While the ticket takers on the inside were collecting money for needy families, the crafters were all about collecting money for the church camp. They were thrilled at having another avenue to make money.

There was also a husband and wife team selling photo identification badges for kids. He was flanked by an artist and a clockmaker. If she’d had some spare cash, she’d buy a few presents.

Maybe next year they’d let her set up an area and sell vintage clothes. She could do a great business in the kids department.

That did it. Just a few thoughts about work and next year. Some of Maggie’s anxiety ebbed. Enough so that when Cassidy came barreling around the corner shouting, “I couldn’t find you!” Maggie was able to pick up her daughter and swing her saying, “I’ll never wander far. You’ll always be able to find me.”

Cassidy didn’t know how true those words were. She also wasn’t willing to slow down to look at such grown-up temptations as jewelry and identification tags.

“How did you get away from Joel?” Maggie asked.

“We went around three times and then Joel said for Caleb’s big brother to bring me to you,” Cassidy explained. “There were lots of kids in line. We weren’t being fair.”

The sound of laughter and the smell of food wafting from the fellowship hall were a magnet. Cassidy pulled Maggie through the door and into the room crowded with people both eating and playing games.

Maggie wasn’t a bit hungry.

Neither apparently was Cassidy, except for wanting a bag of popcorn which she didn’t get.

In the back of the fellowship hall there was a coloring table, a face-painting table manned by Beth, and a fishing game. Cassidy looked, paused, and passed by saying, “Maybe I’ll get my face painted, later.”

Outside, the cold slapped at Maggie’s face. Cassidy zoomed to the maze and latched on to the McCreedy boys, to both Ryan and Caleb’s joy and Matt’s consternation. After one turn making their way through the labyrinth, Maggie knew why. Ryan was overjoyed because he surrendered Matt and Caleb into Maggie’s supervision. He disappeared with his friends toward an impromptu football game played with bigger boys and a few fathers.

Caleb was overjoyed because he just plain liked girls, Cassidy especially.

“Nothing makes Matt happy,” Cassidy confided after their third time going through the maze.

“I want to go help Beth,” Matt said.

Maggie looked in through one of the windows. Beth had a line ten kids deep. “Beth’s busy at the face-painting booth,” Maggie said. “We’ll see if the line dies down soon, and then you can go help her.”

An hour later, Cassidy and the boys were out of tickets and Maggie was guiding them back to the fellowship hall and the food line. Matt and Caleb ran ahead, Cassidy on their heels. Maggie wasn’t quite as fast. But, the closer she got, the slower her feet became.

Once again, Jared had a towel in his hand and was cleaning up a mess. Only this time it wasn’t pancake batter. It was ketchup.

She didn’t have time to look away before he glanced up and caught her staring.

She could only hope he realized that she was fixated on the ketchup spill and not him.

* * *

Too bad hot dogs were a staple at Solitaire Farm because after tonight, Jared wasn’t sure he could stomach the smell ever again. This wasn’t his first time helping with the church’s Christmas party, but it was his first time without Mandy. The last few Christmases had been hard.

Jared’s helpers were ambitious and laughed a lot, but they really weren’t much help. They got sidetracked on conversations, mostly football scores or whose house had been broken into recently—seemed there’d been quite a few thefts. They took too long taking orders, because every customer was a friend. They forgot where stuff was stored, even though most had attended the Main Street Church for decades and this wasn’t their first time in the kitchen. And, most of all, they were clumsy.

Even worse, when they spilled things, they were more likely than not to leave the spill where it was than to clean it up.

Jared had just sent home Sophia Totwell. She had claimed a hurt ankle; he figured she was as tired of the hot dog smell as he was. Plus, she’d seen her husband and two kids wandering around, looking lost.

“I wish you’d talk to him,” Sophie said to Jared as she untied her apron. “You’ve been farming a long time. Give him some advice on how to make money as well as spend it.”

Kyle Totwell didn’t want to hear what Jared had to say. He’d moved onto a broken-down farm, purchased way too many cows for his ability and finances, and was now suffering.

“Dad, can I have a hot dog?” Caleb skidded under the table, managing to rearrange the tablecloth and knock a handful of napkins to the ground. Matt picked them up and stayed on the correct side of the food counter.

“One hot dog, no bun, coming up,” Jared said. He nudged Caleb around the table to stand next to Matt. He just knew his voice dripped with patience. Surely Maggie would notice how in control he was. “You want one, too?” he asked Matt.

“Yes.”

“And you?” he asked Cassidy.

“I don’t like buns, either.”

Maggie came to the edge of the table, guiding Cassidy away from the tablecloth and smiling at Jared as if this morning hadn’t happened.

“Thanks for what you did earlier, and thanks for taking my boys around,” he said.

“They were no problem. We had fun.”

He’d noticed. Maybe that’s why he’d been so attuned to the ambitious, laughing lot in his food court. He’d been wishing he was with Maggie and the kids.

“I’m sorry I left the coffee shop so abruptly this morn—” he started.

“Nothing to apologize for,” she finished. “Some topics are harder than others.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Matt wanted to know.

“Grown-up talk.” Jared quickly made four plates, two with just hot dogs and two with buns, potato chips and a homemade chocolate chip cookie.

“I want a choc—” Cassidy and Caleb chimed in unison.

“Only after you eat the hot dog,” Maggie said. “And then only half.”

“Dad, you always give me a chocolate chip cookie,” Caleb complained.

“Now might be a good time to change.”

Little adult that he was, Matt had already made his way to a table and was eating his hot dog, sans ketchup—before touching anything on his plate. He did not look overjoyed when Cassidy and Caleb joined him. He did, however, astutely move his plate so his cookie was out of his little brother’s reach.

“How many times did they go through the maze?” Jared asked.

“I stopped counting at seven.”

Jared’s next words came out before he had time to think. “You have more patience than I do.” Immediately, he wanted them back. Her smile slipped a little, just enough so he knew she was thinking about this morning.

She, indeed, did have patience because instead of pointing out the obvious, she simply said, “I’d better go see what the kids are doing and make sure they eat.”

He watched her walk away, her hips sashaying in such a way that Jared wondered how such an old-fashioned red dress could look so appealing.

Maybe because it wasn’t the dress.