Christmas Angels

by Nancy Naigle

  She stepped forward, but there was no way she was going to be able to carry the monstrosity. She and the big man kind of tangoed back and forth until he realized his gift was too big for her to lift.

  “I’ll carry it inside for you. Where should we put it?”

  “Gosh. It’s too big to hang in the cabin, but I’d hate for it to be in the middle of construction in the house. Let’s put it over here in the cabin for now.” There goes the space for a dining room table.

  He placed the huge taxidermy piece in the corner, then dug a business card out of his wallet and handed it to her.

  “I’m George Goodwin’s cousin. I’m Buck. I work with him over at the store.”

  “Nice to meet you, Buck.”

  “You just call me if you need anything. We might not be able to match those big-box store prices, but we’ve got anything you’d need and you don’t get charged shipping either. I’ll even bring it over if you need me to.”

  “Can’t beat that,” she said.

  “That your vehicle?” Buck pointed to the Range Rover.

  “It is.”

  “You single?”

  That was a little personal. “Yes.”

  “Nice SUV.”

  She’d never really considered it an SUV. It was pretty luxurious to be classed as one, and it had more bells and whistles than most cars. She wasn’t even sure why she’d bought the thing, except that it was such a great deal and fancier than the car she’d been driving. Dan had talked her into it.

  “I heard Matt Hardy is working on the place for you. Good man, and he’ll use the locals to get the job done right. Good choice.”

  Good thing. She hadn’t had many options. For a minute, she’d been afraid Buck was connected to the high bid she’d gotten from the RFP. She couldn’t even recall who’d submitted that now. If she hadn’t gone with Matt, no telling what kind of chilly reception Antler Creek might have given her.

  “Are you staying up here tonight?”

  “Yes. I’ll be here most of the time now.”

  “Do you have a weather radio? You been following the weather?”

  “No, but I have the weather app on my phone.” She glanced up at the sky. It was a chilly winter day. Gray, but then weren’t most days gray this time of year?

  “Calling for snow. You got wood for the fireplace?”

  “I’ve got a couple of heaters.”

  Buck shook his head. “That won’t do. If the power goes out you need wood on hand, young lady.”

  “I guess I’d better get to town and get some.” Being stranded in the cold was not on her project plan.

  “You won’t need much to get through the next couple of days. You know how that is. If you’ve got it you won’t need it.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I’ll send one of the boys up with some wood and matches for you. I’ll reopen the inn tab. My grandparents and your grandparents did business together for years. It’s like family.”

  “Thank you, but I can pay you. I can just go get my purse.”

  “Don’t worry about it right now. We can settle later.” Buck got back in his truck and rumbled off.

  She probably should have a snow shovel and ice melt around for the winter, too. She went back to the cabin and started a winter supply list. She hadn’t budgeted for that. A generator was probably a good idea. Long-term she wanted one that ran on propane and was attached to the house so it automatically kicked over if the power went out. For now just a small one so she could plug in a heater would do, and if the coffeepot would run it would be a bonus.

  Liz had her doubts it was going to snow.

  She spent the better part of the afternoon unpacking boxes, repacking the things that could be sold, and bagging up what could be thrown away.

  A little stir-crazy from being inside all day, she walked up to the house. Inside, good progress was being made. She could more readily see and believe her vision now. A small echo carried with each footfall as she let her imagination go wild, competing with the memories of what it once was. In between there was something special.

  A few minutes later, Matt drove up.

  “What are you doing here,” she asked.

  “Buck told George you were out of wood, and he asked me to bring some up for you.”

  She could kick herself for not insisting on getting it herself. She thought he’d be sending up one of the kids that worked for him, not taking up Matt’s time.

  “I’m sorry. I could’ve gone down and gotten it.”

  “Don’t be silly. You don’t need to be loading wood in the back of that fancy Range Rover. There are plenty of folks around here happy to lend a hand.”

  He backed up to the cabin and unloaded the wood, stacking it in a crisscross fashion that made it look like a giant game of Jenga.

  Just in case, she grabbed two logs from the top of the stack and laid them inside next to the fireplace.

  Matt came inside. “Here.” He handed her a long wooden box of fireplace matches, and a bundle of newspaper rolls to use as a starter.

  “Oh? Thank you.” Sort of a bouquet of them. Almost romantic.

  “Want me to start the fire for you? It’s way easier to keep a fire going than to start one if you haven’t done it before.”

  “No thanks. I can handle it.” She wasn’t sure what made her think she could start a fire, but she was sure she could find a video about it online and figure it out.

  He said goodbye and left. She lifted her phone to search for tips on starting a fire, but the data connection was so weak that she finally gave up.

  She didn’t really need anything at the market, but a quick drive to town would give her a chance to at least connect to the internet, plus she liked the feeling of being part of this town. Besides, she could use some more cleaning products to finish up those saddle stools at the island.

  The lot at Spivey’s Market was full, but there was an open spot right along the curb. She pulled into it and went inside. Pushing the basket up and down the aisles, she was happy to see that this small-town market was still thriving, with plenty of choices. The meat case looked better than the one in the fancy store down from her house in Charlotte. If people were going to keep dropping in, she was going to at least have something to offer. She stocked up on a few things that would be simple to put together quickly, then bought more packing tape and Magic Markers. On a whim she bought marshmallows. The big ones. Perfect for roasting.

  A woman pushing a shopping cart with a toddler in the seat stopped her. “You’re the lady who just bought Angel’s Rest, aren’t you?”

  They were probably about the same age. “I am. Your little girl is so cute.” She couldn’t wait until the day she had a little girl in hot-pink cowgirl boots riding in her own buggy.

  “Thank you. Can you say hello, Lily?”

  “Lello.”

  Liz thought she’d bust. How adorable. “Hello, Miss Lily. I’m Liz.”

  “I’m Abigaile. My friends call me Abby. I work down at Dr. Flynn’s office. He’s the dentist.”

  “Then I’m sure our paths will cross. I’ll need a local dentist.”

  “Great. Until then, if you’ve got free time a bunch of us will be at the church Tuesday night. We’re putting together stockings for some of the kids in the area.”

  Liz loved the idea of the town caring for its own. “I’ll be there. What time?”

  “Six.”

  “Anything I can bring?”

  “We’d just appreciate your help.”

  “Count on it.” Liz waved to Lily. “Bye, Lily.”

  “Bye-bye.” The little girl’s fingers flapped, chased by a self-entertaining giggle and squeak.

  Liz drove home excited to have something to add to her calendar other than things from work.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Matt was fairly certain little miss Liz was going to be over her head if this storm system came through like the animated Van the Weatherman had predicted. A few hours ago Matt had s
coffed just as Liz had earlier, but now things seemed to be really lining up to be a humdinger that could blanket this town.

  He called Liz to make sure she had the fire started, but she didn’t answer.

  Her phone connectivity had been spotty at best. She needed to go ahead and change cellular providers. There was only one that the locals used with pretty good success.

  Matt took an old photo album off the bookcase next to the fireplace. His mother had been fanatical about archiving their lives. Every year, every trip, every occasion. He flipped through the grainy pictures of him, his sister, Krissy, and his parents. Mom would have loved the new technology and digital photography nowadays.

  He came across some old summer pictures. Among the group in a trout-fishing picture he was pretty sure he could make out Liz. Waders and all. That fly-fishing cast of hers had been something he would never forget. He remembered going home and practicing for weeks trying to look as adept as she had out there. Not only had she looked good, but she always caught something.

  Among Christmas pictures the year he was fourteen there were pictures from the family trip to see the lights at Angel’s Rest. Liz and her grandmother were in a candid shot serving hot chocolate next to a Christmas tree. A train chugged by behind them. He lifted that picture out of the album. Liz should have it, since it was of her and her grandmother. The light displays had been so spectacular, but he’d forgotten the specifics until now looking at the pictures. Reindeer, Santa, and snowflakes hanging from the tall trees.

  Matt flipped the page, and there were Hermey and the other elves in a scene that looked like it was straight out of Santa’s workshop. He counted them. He’d found four with “X”s on the boxes. There were five more somewhere. Hopefully they’d find them among the things in the other cabin.

  He laid the album down on the floor next to the couch and closed his eyes. Thoughts of Christmases past rolled in. Years of morning races to the tree with his sister. Mom’s cooking. Dad spending the whole day with them playing. Christmas was the one day they could count on him to completely put work aside and dedicate to the family. If he ever had kids, he hoped he’d be able to give more time. Dad gave them everything they needed, but time had always been a premium.

  When Matt woke up, it was almost eleven o’clock. The dark night sky had been replaced by tons of tiny snowflakes falling so fast it was nearly a whiteout in the middle of the night, and those tiny flakes had already piled into quite a heap.

  He pulled on his heavy coat and went out to the porch. Leaning against the rail, he closed his eyes and let the flakes fall against his face. It looked like Van the Weatherman had known what he was talking about after all.

  Matt dialed Liz again, then tried to text her. Maybe she’d already gone to bed.

  He went back inside and sprawled out on the couch. Elvis lay on the floor next to him. When he was just a kid on this mountain, nights like this were the best. He still kind of got excited when there was the threat, or promise, of a real winter storm.

  The lights flickered.

  Things were fine for about five minutes, and then the electricity went out.

  He’d been around here long enough to know that happened sometimes, and the Valley Electric Co-operative guys didn’t normally take too long to restore power.

  Matt lit the oil lamps on the sideboard in the dining room.

  When it was close to midnight and the power was still out, and he still couldn’t get ahold of Liz, he gathered Elvis and drove over to check on her.

  There was already at least three inches of snow on the ground, making it hard to tell where the road ended and the shoulder began. If he didn’t know the roads so well, it could have been some dodgy driving.

  He pulled in front of Angel’s Rest. He trudged through the piling snow carrying two portable spotlights. One for him, and one to leave with her. A large doe took off into the woods, kicking snow behind her, twigs cracking and snapping as she fled.

  Matt knocked on the door of the cabin. “Hello? Liz. It’s Matt.” He knocked again.

  She pulled open the door. “What are you do—” Her mouth dropped open. “Snow?”

  “Lots of it and more to come.”

  “I thought they said we might get a flurry. I swear there were stars out when I went to sleep a few hours ago. This is no flurry.”

  Elvis shook hard, making his tags jingle.

  “No, it most certainly is not,” Matt said.

  “What time is it?”

  “Midnightish.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Being a good neighbor.” He shrugged. “Power’s out. I was worried.”

  She spun around. He was right: the little night-light in the kitchen was dark, and the heaters weren’t whirring. “Thank you.”

  Matt grabbed a couple of logs from the stack near the door and carried them inside. “I didn’t want you to freeze to death else I might not get paid.”

  “I see your point.”

  “So I figured you could come back to my house, or I could build a fire for you here.”

  “Build the fire. Elvis and I will watch and learn.”

  Elvis woofed.

  Matt gave her step-by-step pointers as he began to build a fire that an Eagle Scout would be proud of. He kind of impressed himself with it.

  “You make it look so easy,” she said.

  He lit the match, and the rolled newspaper caught immediately. “Just lay the lit roll right between the logs like this.” The flame licked the air, then the smaller log, and began to spark and sizzle the edges of the bark.

  “Thank you,” she said. “My first big snow.”

  “It’s the second this year. We had our first snow the week before Thanksgiving. Totally unexpected.”

  “It’s the first snow for me.”

  “But the first one doesn’t count. Do you have a big pot? Or bowl?”

  She cocked her head suspiciously. “I do.”

  “Get it.”

  She went into the kitchen and pulled a blue four-quart Le Creuset pot from underneath the counter. “Here you go.”

  In the luminous glow from the fireplace he noticed her necklace. She had it on backward—on the poinsettia side. He wondered if it was intentional. “Wait a minute. You don’t cook and this is what you have for cookware?”

  “Mm-hmm. They’re pretty.”

  “Pretty nice.” He shook his head, laughing as he walked outside and set the high-dollar pot on an old tree stump. “Tomorrow. Snow cream.”

  “Oh my gosh. I haven’t had that in…”

  “Too long.”

  “I don’t know how to make it.”

  “You can leave that to me. It’ll count as your first cooking lesson.” Before she could argue, he added, “Is your phone charged?”

  “Oh. I don’t know.” She jogged back to the bedroom and brought it back. “I’m at about thirty percent.”

  “I tried to call you earlier, but the calls weren’t going through.”

  “My cell reception is lousy.”

  “We all use the same carrier up here. I wish I’d mentioned it sooner. It’s the only one that works. I’ll help you get that set up this week. Meanwhile, let me at least charge this one up in case you need help.” He walked out and left Elvis with Liz in front of the fire. He put the phone on charge in his truck, then walked back to the cabin. The snow was coming down so hard that he had to stomp off his boots and brush the snow from the shoulders of his coat before going back inside.

  Liz’s eyes lit up. “It must be snowing even harder.” She went to the window and pulled the curtain to the side. “It’s so pretty.”

  Elvis walked to the door and woofed.

  “I think he wants to go out.” Matt opened the door and he barreled out.

  “We should walk with him.” She seemed as excited as an eight-year-old on a snow day. “Give me a second.” She raced back to the bedroom and closed the door behind her. When she came out she was dressed in layers, wearing a bright red and whi
te toboggan with a giant white fuzzy ball on top. “Get your coat.”

  He slipped it back on while she put on hers along with a scarf and gloves. “I’m ready!”

  They went out and Elvis raced past them.

  They walked out across the land toward the edge of the property. It was quiet, and walking with her seemed so right as they broke the pristine landscape with their footprints.

  “You should be able to see all the way to Main Street from over there.” Matt grabbed her hand as they stepped over a log and he led her to a clearing between the trees.

  “It’s so quiet out here.”

  “I love that about this time of year,” he admitted. “Look.” He extended his arm, pointing toward the opening in the tree line.

  “It looks like a Christmas card.”

  Below them Antler Creek was nothing but snow and rooftops. Not a single light disturbed the scene, and even with no light the town seemed to sparkle down there, showing off the simple joy of its people.

  Her eyes glistened. “This place brings me such joy … right down to my freezing toes.”

  He laughed. “You’re going to need warmer boots.”

  “You’re right about that. I hate to leave this view, but we better get back.” She turned to head home. “Come on, Elvis.”

  Matt walked beside her, and Elvis romped next to them, biting at the snow.

  “He’s going to get a brain freeze if he keeps that up.” She’d never seen Elvis expend so much energy. “I think he’s definitely a snow dog.”

  “He does seem to be in his element, doesn’t he?”

  Back at the cabin Liz put down a bowl of water for Elvis, then made coffee. She carried two mugs over to the fireplace, and sat on the floor next to Matt.

  They warmed up by the fire, letting the crackle of flames take the place of conversation as they sipped their coffee. It was nice just sharing the space with her.

  “It doesn’t seem like the electricity is going to come back on anytime soon,” she said.

  “Yeah, doesn’t look good. I should probably go so you can get some rest.” He got to his feet. “You should be plenty warm with this fire.”

  “Yes. Absolutely,” she said with a smile. “I promise I’ll keep adding logs, just like you showed me.”