Return to Virgin River

by Robyn Carr

  “What did Mel say?”

  “She said I don’t need to worry because she’s going to keep an eye on me and everything.” She kissed the puppy’s soft fur. “I’m a little scared of going to some house I’ve never been to with people I don’t know. I hope I don’t have to do that.”

  “I would be scared of that, too.”

  Kaylee changed the subject and asked Mallory when was the last time she’d been to the library. It turned out it had been weeks, which made absolute sense because her mother had been very sick, died, there’d been a funeral, there were probably details with the house and furnishings. “Maybe we can go next Saturday,” she said. “Would you like me to take you?”

  “Well, yes, but I’m not sure where I’m going to be,” she said, and Kaylee could see the poor thing was feeling all uprooted, confused and worried.

  “I will find you, no problem. And I’ll take you.”

  They sat on the floor by the puppy pen and held them one at a time, including Tux, then put them back. They talked about books because of course Kaylee had looked up the most appropriate books for well-read ten-year-old girls. Mallory was very interested in how long it took Kaylee to write a book.

  Then Mallory said, “When did your mother die?”

  “It’s been a year now. Almost a year.”

  “Do you cry every day?”

  She shook her head. “Not anymore,” she said. “At first, when it was new and hurt so much, I cried a lot. But my mom used to always say, ‘A good cry will help you clean out the pipes so you can breathe easier.’ Sometimes it felt like I needed it. You know?”

  “I know. And I dream about her,” Mallory said.

  “So do I! Sometimes it feels real!”

  “I think it is sometimes!” Mallory said. “When I’m older I’m going to write a book about a girl whose mother dies and she comes to her in dreams.”

  “That would be a wonderful book,” Kaylee said. “We’re going to have a good time looking for books.” And she thought, This little girl needs an iPad for books and movies and pictures. In fact, she probably needed a lot of things. What she had started out thinking could be an experiment was growing in her mind, and she was bonding with her over the loss of their mothers.

  She asked Mallory to tell her all about her mother and the girl did, talking about when her mother was working at a motel in Fortuna. “She was a manager,” Mallory said proudly. “She was the boss of people.” And on she went, describing her mother’s beautiful long hair, her exercise suits that she wore to yoga, her friends from work and her friends from the neighborhood. She had a grandma when she was little, but she passed away. “I don’t like when they call it ‘passed,’” she said. “I think when they die they die and they wait for you to come later.”

  “Much later,” Kaylee said. She felt that her mother, however, had definitely passed. Or maybe slipped away. Quietly and with so little fanfare. 11:04.

  Before long, she looked at her watch. It had been two hours. “If you want to see some of Landry’s pots and his statues, we better go. I don’t think Mel plans to be here all day.”

  They visited Landry, and Mallory loved the idea of playing with the clay and painting and molding. He showed her some of his molding tools and demonstrated. Then he showed her a pot that had just come out of the kiln. He explained the danger of the super-hot kiln and the blow torch, and she held her hands tight in front of her, careful not to touch anything.

  When she took Mallory back to her little house next door, she broached the subject that had been on her mind for days. “I have an idea and if it doesn’t sound perfect, you should say so. I have a spare room in this little house. It has no furniture in it, but there is plenty of room for your things if you think you’d like to come and stay with me.”

  “Just for a little while?” Mallory asked. “Like with Ali next door?”

  Kaylee smiled. “At least through Christmas, so you can be here in your town, near your friends and your school, until the right place is found. We can play it by ear; it can last longer if we like it. I want you to always have choices. If it doesn’t feel right, you should tell me. Or Mel. But I have a feeling you’re going to like it. Let’s try it through Christmas and New Year’s. We should try to have a nice Christmas for our mothers. If you want to.”

  “Does Landry say it’s okay?”

  “Absolutely. I asked him first. This is his property and it’s where he grew up. I thought maybe we could help each other get through that hard part of losing our mothers. And we can do it with trips to the library, watching movies, reading together and training the dogs. Lady is very well behaved but she could use a little training. We’ll have our friends nearby. Your friends are welcome to come over, too. You might want to invite some of them.”

  “Do you want me to stay with you?” she asked.

  Kaylee nodded. “I do. I think you’re very good company. But the most important thing is if you want to. If you don’t, I understand. This is a tough time of year for some people.”

  “I could try it,” she said. “I could see Landry make pots.”

  “And if you ever feel uncomfortable, you can call me,” Mel said. “I can always think of something. Your mom asked me to look out for you and I promised I would.”

  “I think this would be okay,” she said.

  “Then Landry will bring your bedroom furniture from your house and put it in the spare bedroom. And we can start to dream up what kind of things we want to cook and bake for the holidays, and I bet you’d like to do some shopping. I think we’re going to be very busy.”

  “Will we bake cookies and things?”

  “Would you like to?” Kaylee asked. “I have to admit, I haven’t had much practice...”

  Mallory gave her an impatient look. “If you follow the directions, it comes out good. If you cheat the directions, not so much.”

  “I’ll be sure to remember that,” Kaylee said.

  * * *

  If there was one thing Kaylee hadn’t expected, it was how the people in Virgin River, her new friends, responded when they heard the news that she’d taken in Mallory. The generosity they displayed was unimaginable. It was almost as if they were showing their appreciation. Jack was probably responsible for getting the word out because he and Mike and Preacher helped Landry move Mallory’s bedroom furniture the very next morning. Mallory spent one more night with Ali until then.

  Kelly Holbrook brought over a large basket of scrumptious baked goods, and Jillian brought some squash and onions and peppers from her winter garden. Paige and Preacher hand-delivered a large basket of brisket and salmon, prepped for the freezer, for their future meals together. Vanessa and Paul brought two pies and a dozen cookies, which was a lifesaver because Kaylee’s first attempt at baking Christmas cookies didn’t go that well. Then there were many packages left on the porch with no card. There were gifts of banana, zucchini and cranberry breads and a tray of cinnamon rolls. Not only were the gifts of food plentiful and in a great variety, there were other gifts—hand-stitched Christmas place mats and napkins, garland left decorating the front porch rail, a wreath for the door and a holiday basket filled with ornaments.

  “I guess we’ll have to put up a tree,” Kaylee said.

  “That shouldn’t be too hard since we live in a forest,” Landry said.

  Kaylee called her father and surprised him by inviting him to Christmas Eve dinner. “Really?” he asked. “Of course I’d like to come! What can I bring? Where should I reserve a room?”

  “Life has become very interesting here,” she explained. “I’m fostering a little girl who just lost her mother, she’s ten, and she’s staying with me. Landry said you can have his room.”

  “Where is Landry going to stay?” Howard asked.

  “I’m sure I can make room for him somewhere in my little house, but he has the larger dining room and kitchen, so
we’ll be cooking there.”

  “I guess things are progressing nicely,” Howard said.

  “There’s a gathering in the town at Jack’s Bar and it spills out around the tree. I hear there’s food, drink, carol singing and in general a town party. I’m told it usually starts around six when the sun goes down and the tree lights up. Can you get here early enough for that?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it.”

  The week leading up to Christmas was consumed with volunteer duties. Mallory decided she was ready to go back to school and that freed Kaylee to shop and help with the food baskets. Every evening she read with Mallory and it thrilled her. Since all her books were back in Newport, she downloaded the first book in the Harry Potter series and if Mallory enjoyed it, she’d buy her the set. But for now, having this sweet little girl tucked up next to her, the two of them taking turns reading every other page, was sheer bliss.

  Kaylee could see that when children suffered a loss like this, they could be resilient, at least in the moment. Mallory could be easily distracted by the puppies or other children, laughing and playing one moment and then a bit later, morose and feeling a little lonely. Kaylee was there for her when her spirits were down.

  Every day was packed with activity. Every evening Kaylee was busy getting dinner ready or spending time with Mallory. Most nights the dogs joined them for at least a little while until one the puppies made a mess. Kaylee found that Lady curled up beside her, leaning against her, as if Lady had chosen Kaylee as her everything.

  Not only had she gone over to the coast to do a little shopping, but Landry had run a few errands for her as well so that Santa would not miss this house. There were gifts wrapped and hidden at Landry’s house, ready to be put under the tree.

  In the dark of night when Kaylee and Landry held each other, they whispered about the turn of events. “I never would have seen this coming,” Landry said. “I’m glad you decided to bring Mallory home.”

  “How could I not?” she asked. “I know exactly how she must be feeling.”

  “And for you, this whole idea of ignoring Christmas seems to have changed focus,” he said. “You’re the kindest person I know. I fall more deeply in love with you every day.”

  But she thought he was the kindest, most giving person in the world. “I don’t know how long we can have this gift. A foster home might be found for her.”

  “Unless we tell Mel to ask them to stop looking,” he said. “I could live like this. Actually, this is how I always thought my life would be.”

  She couldn’t help but think, she never imagined her life like this. She thought she would grow old with her books, her mother, her friends. But this new routine seemed to suit her as well. “There’s still Newport,” she reminded him.

  “This is not a tragedy,” he said. “We each have a house and there’s plenty of room in both. We each have a little money set aside, thanks to our parents. All we need is a plan and a little patience.”

  * * *

  Kaylee’s editor called and raved about both of the manuscripts she’d submitted. “The suspense is right on target and I have a long list of things I love about it, and the women’s fiction is a wonderful bonus! I want to buy it, but first we should talk about whether you want to make a change in genres or add a genre to your booklist. For someone who didn’t feel confident about writing women’s fiction, you nailed it.” They talked for an hour then decided to shelve the rest of their conversation about how to proceed until after the first of the year.

  Landry helped get a spaghetti casserole ready to put in the oven to eat on Christmas eve, after they’d been to town. In the afternoon, Howard arrived and was greeted by yipping puppies and barking dogs. And his laughing daughter hugged him. “Dad,” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek, “I want you to meet Mallory and Lady and Lady’s kids, and I believe you know everyone else.”

  Howard just stood stock-still and let the tears well up in his eyes. She knew it was because she’d finally called him Dad rather than Howie. He hugged her fiercely for a long moment and then, wiping his eyes, he said, “Well, what’ve we got here.”

  Landry crouched to the floor and said, “A puddle, for one thing.” He pulled a thick wad of paper towels from his pocket. “Merry Christmas, sir,” he said. “I think it’s time for the children to go to bed. Can I have a hand, Mallory?”

  “You bet,” she said, scooping up two puppies.

  “We’ll go into town and join the party, then come home for dinner. Dad, let’s get your bags into Landry’s house and then we can all go in one car. We’ll eat at Landry’s.”

  “Sounds good,” he said. “Are we ready to go?”

  “Just about,” she said. “Once Landry gets the dogs settled.”

  “Will they be all right with no one home?” he asked.

  “They’ll be in the kennel. Lady is an excellent mother.”

  He just shook his head. “This is such a wonderful surprise, seeing you around dogs and children.”

  “It’s all been a whirlwind,” she said. “Would you like something to eat before we go? I have cookies. Home-baked.”

  “You made cookies?”

  “Yes, I did. But, fortunately for you, these were made by someone else.”

  * * *

  The street through Virgin River was crowded with cars and trucks, and there were people milling around the tree, on the porch at Jack’s, in front of the church, everywhere.

  “Good God, look at that tree!” Howard said. “How’d they ever get it into town and standing up?”

  “It was quite a show, I’ll tell you that,” Kaylee said. “Half the town was here watching. People were hanging around, waiting for it to fall down at least once, and Jack didn’t disappoint them. It took a giant flatbed truck, pulleys and winches and a lot of anchoring ropes. Then came the decorating, which required a cherry picker. I couldn’t tear myself away.”

  “I’d love to watch something like that,” Howard said with a laugh.

  Mallory touched Kaylee’s arm. “There’s Ali,” she said softly.

  “I’m going to stay right around the front steps here so please don’t go anywhere else without telling me. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “And try not to eat too many cookies. We have dinner waiting.”

  “Okay,” she said. Kaylee leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead, nudging a smile out of the girl.

  “It’s almost like you two were made for each other,” Howard said.

  “I met her for the first time a couple of months ago,” Kaylee said. “I knew her mother was sick but I never imagined it would come to this. She’s been with me a week and I can’t imagine her ever leaving.”

  “Does she have to?”

  Kaylee shrugged. “Mel said that Social Services will conduct a search for family members, but Mallory doesn’t know of any. What we need right now is time. Even with the best of intentions, I’m not going to be selfish. I want Mallory to have the right home. One where she can count on staying through her teenage years.”

  “I hope it turns out to be with you,” he said. “I don’t know anything about situations like this but it feels right to me. Kaylee, I’m very proud of you.”

  A warmth spread through her and she was a little bit surprised by how good it felt to hear that. This father who had not been there for her suddenly filled her full of pride and affection.

  “I’m going to go inside and see what’s available to drink. Would you like something?” he asked.

  “If they have anything hot, that would be great,” she said.

  She scooted out of the way of people who would be going to the porch or inside and also those coming out and wandering over toward the tree. She saw so many familiar faces and waved to a few friends. It was almost as if she’d lived here for years, she felt so comfortable among them. She wondered which of them had brought
the tree, who decorated her porch rail with garland. For someone who didn’t want Christmas to come, she found all of this enchanting. Promising. And yet because she helped with the holiday food baskets, she knew that for many, times were hard. She caught a glimpse of the elderly mother and daughter she’d met at Thanksgiving, talking to neighbors and pointing up at the height of the tree.

  “Well, if I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re actually enjoying the holiday,” came Mel’s voice.

  “Oh!” she said, turning to Mel and giving her a hug. “Thanks largely to you, I’m having a very nice time. Mallory is doing pretty well. We talk about her mom a lot but we’re doing other things that are as distracting for me as for her. We’re reading together—I can’t believe how smart that kid is. We play board games and watch some movies and she loves Lady and the puppies. Now, I’d really like to find out who brought me some of the Christmas treats I found on my porch.”

  “I think if whoever it was didn’t want to be anonymous, you’d have gotten a card,” Mel said. “I think Jack let it slip that you were dreading Christmas on account of your mother’s passing. If there’s ever a time you want to get the word out about something, just tell Jack.”

  “You’re saying he’s a big mouth?” Kaylee asked with a laugh.

  “He’s a bartender,” Mel said. “He can’t help it.”

  “He said you never tell,” Kaylee pointed out.

  “I’m a midwife,” she said, grinning. “Requirement of the job.” Then she stood on her toes as if to look over heads. “One thing about raising kids in Virgin River. They’re relatively safe.”

  “Relatively?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Well, we do have wildlife and miles of woods and rivers you should try not to fall into, but we haven’t had a kidnapping in a long time.” Kaylee grabbed Mel’s arm so suddenly, Mel laughed. “It was a long time ago, like ten years or so. Paige Middleton was kidnapped by her abusive ex-husband, but he didn’t have her long. Preacher went looking for her and found her. Her ex-husband regained consciousness before long.”