1225 Christmas Tree Lane

19

“How did we get so lost—twice?” Linc groaned. The only thing left to do was return to Cedar Cove and start over. That sounded easy enough, except that he no longer knew how to find the town.

“That King did us wrong,” Mel muttered.

“You think?” Linc said sarcastically. He was past frustration, past impatience and past losing his cool. All he wanted was to track down his pregnant sister and bring her home. That shouldn’t be such an impossible task, and yet…

“I’m never going back to King’s,” Ned said in disgust.

“Me, neither,” Mel spat. “If I ever go back to Cedar Cove, which is unlikely.”

Frankly, Linc was of the same mind, at least as far as King went. The man had blackmailed him into paying for directions and then completely misled him. True, the sandwiches weren’t bad, but he’d overcharged them. The old coot had an evil streak a mile wide. If he thought it was fun to misdirect them, then he had a perverse sense of humor, too. Perverse? Downright twisted!

“Let’s find a phone that works,” Ned suggested, not for the first time. His brother had harped on that for the last half hour. Their cell phones were useless out here. But it wasn’t as if there was a phone booth sitting on the side of the road just waiting for them to appear.

“Okay, you find one, Ned, and I’ll be more than happy to pay for the call.”

Ned didn’t respond, which was definitely for the best.

“What we need is a sign,” Mel said.

Linc bit off a sarcastic comment. They needed a sign, all right, and it had better be one from heaven. He could only imagine what Mary Jo must be thinking. By now his sister probably figured they’d abandoned her, yet nothing could be further from the truth.

“What’s that?” Ned suddenly cried, pointing into the distance.

“What’s what?” Linc demanded.

“There,” Mel said, leaning forward and gazing toward the sky.

Linc saw a flash of light. He pulled over to the side of the road and climbed out of the truck. He needed to stretch his legs, anyway, and the cold air would revive him. Sure enough, someone was setting off fireworks. The sky burst with a spectacular display of lights.

“Wow, that was a big one,” Mel said, like a kid at a Fourth of July display.

His brothers didn’t seem to appreciate the gravity of their situation. “Okay, it’s nice, but how’s that going to help us?”

“You said I should find a phone,” Ned reminded him.

“Whoever’s setting off those fireworks must have a phone, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Linc agreed. He leaped back into the truck, his brothers with him. “Guide me,” he shouted and jerked the transmission into drive.

“Turn right,” Ned ordered.

“I can’t!”

“Why not?”

“I’d be driving across someone’s pasture, that’s why.” Obviously Linc was the only one with his eye on the road.

“Then turn as soon as you reach an intersection,” Mel told him.

Linc had never liked taking instructions from his younger brothers and he gritted his teeth. As the oldest, he’d always shouldered responsibility for the others. He had no choice now, however—not that things had worked out all that well with him in charge.

At the first opportunity, Linc made a sharp right-hand turn, going around the corner so fast the truck teetered on two wheels. It came down with a bounce that made all three of them hit their heads on the ceiling. “Now what?”

“Pull over for a minute.”

“Okay.” Linc eased to a stop by the side of the road.

“There!” Mel had apparently seen another display in the heavens. “That star!”

“Which way now?” Linc asked with a sigh.

“Go straight.”

Linc shook his head. The road in front of him was anything but straight. It twisted and curved this way and that.

“Linc,” Mel said, glaring at him. “Go!”

“I’m doing the best I can.” He came to a straight patch in the road and floored the accelerator. If anyone had told him he’d be chasing around a series of dark roads, desperately seeking guidance from a fireworks display, he would’ve laughed scornfully. Him, Mr. Great Sense of Direction? Lost? He sighed again.

“We’re getting close,” Mel said.

“Okay, stop!” Ned yelled.

Linc slammed on the brakes. The three of them jerked forward and just as abruptly were hurled back. If not for the seat belts, they would’ve been thrown headfirst into the windshield.

“Hey!” Mel roared.

“Maybe don’t stop quite so suddenly,” Ned added in a voice that was considerably less hostile.

“Sorry.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Mel cocked his head toward the sky. “Okay, continue down this road.” Mercifully it was flat and straight.

“Here,” Ned said a minute later.

Once more Linc slammed on the brakes, only this time his brothers were prepared and had braced themselves.

“Look!” Ned shouted. “This is it. We’re here!”

Linc didn’t know what he was talking about. “We’re where?”

“The Harding ranch,” Mel answered.

Then Linc saw. There, painted on the rural route box, was the name Cliff Harding. To his left was a pasture and a large barn.

“I think I see a camel,” Linc said. He’d heard about people raising llamas before but not camels.

“Are you sure?” Ned mumbled. “Maybe it’s just an ugly horse.”

“A camel? No way,” Mel insisted.

“I say it’s a camel.” Linc wondered if his brother’s argumentative nature had something to do with being a middle child. Ned, as the youngest, was usually the reasonable one, the conciliator. Whereas he—

“A camel?” Mel repeated in an aggressive tone. “What would a camel be doing here?”

“Does it matter?” Ned broke in. “This is where Mary Jo’s waiting for us.”

“Right.” Linc turned into the long driveway that led to the house and barn. The fireworks had stopped, but some kind of party seemed to be taking place, because the yard was filled with people. There was a bunch of little kids running around and the atmosphere was festive and excited.

“There’s an aid car here.” Ned gestured urgently in its direction.

“Do you think someone’s hurt?” Mel asked.

“No,” Linc said slowly, thoughtfully. This was what he’d feared from the first. The minute he’d heard about Mary Jo’s dizzy spell he’d suspected she was about to give birth. “I think Mary Jo might have had her baby.”

“But she isn’t due for another two weeks,” Mel declared.

Ned opened the truck door. “Instead of discussing it, let’s go find out.”

A middle-aged woman approached as Linc got out of the truck. “You must be Mary Jo’s brothers,” she said. “I’m Grace Harding. Merry Christmas!”

The woman looked friendly, and Linc appreciated the pleasant greeting. “Merry Christmas to you, too. Sorry for the delay….”

“We got lost.”

How helpful of Mel to point out the obvious.

“Some guy named King gave us the wrong directions.”

“King’s Gas and Grocery?” A man came up to them, extending his hand. “Cliff Harding.”

“That’s the one,” Ned answered.

Cliff pinched his lips together, but didn’t speak.

Linc shook hands with Grace’s husband. “Linc Wyse,” he said, introducing himself. “My brothers, Ned and Mel.”

Hands were shaken and greetings exchanged all around.

“We were wondering if you were ever going to find the place,” Cliff told them.

“If it hadn’t been for the fireworks, we probably wouldn’t have,” Mel admitted.

Linc ignored him and glanced at the aid car. “Mary Jo?” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the question.

Grace nodded. “She had the baby.”

“A boy,” Mel said confidently. “Right?” His eyes lit up with expectation.

“A girl.”

“A girl?” Linc was shocked. “Mary Jo had a girl?”

“You sound disappointed,” Grace said, studying him closely.

“Not…disappointed. Surprised.”

Ned felt obliged to explain. “For some reason, we were all sure she was having a boy.”

“Well, she didn’t. You have a niece.”

“We have a niece,” Linc said to his brothers. Mel gave him a congratulatory slap on the back that nearly sent him reeling. He suddenly realized what this all meant. He was an uncle. He hadn’t thought of himself in those terms until that very moment.

“The EMTs are bringing Mary Jo and the baby down now,” Grace was saying.

“Can we see the baby?” Linc asked.

“And talk to Mary Jo?” Mel added.

Grace warmed them with a smile. “I’m sure you can.”

A little boy raced up to her. “Grandma, Grandma, can I play my drum for the baby and Mary Jo?”

Grace crouched down so she was eye level with her grandson. “Of course, Tyler, but remember you have to play quietly so you won’t disturb the baby.”

“Okay!”

Two EMTs rolled Mary Jo toward the aid car on a gurney.

As soon as she saw her brothers, Mary Jo—holding the sleeping newborn in one arm—stretched out the other. “Linc, Mel, Ned…oh, my goodness, you’re here!”

They hurried over to her side.

“You had a girl,” Mel said, staring down at the bundle in her arms.

“She looks just like you,” Ned commented.

“No, she doesn’t,” Linc chimed in. “She looks like the Wyse family—like all of us.”

“And like herself,” Mary Jo said.

“I’m sorry we were so late,” Ned apologized.

“Yeah, we got lost.”

If Mel announced that to one more person, Linc might be tempted to slug him.

“Where are they taking you?” he asked.

“To the birthing center in Silverdale,” one of the EMTs answered.

“You won’t have any trouble finding it,” Cliff assured them. “I’ll draw you a map.”

“No, thanks.” Mel shuddered noticeably.

“We’d better follow the aid car,” Linc said.

“Mary Jo, we brought you gifts.”

“Thank you, Ned.” Her face softened as she looked at the three of them. “That’s so sweet.”

“We’re sorry about the things we said.” Again this came from Ned, who was more willing to acknowledge he was wrong than either Mel or Linc.

“Yeah,” Mel agreed.

Linc muttered something under his breath, hoping it would pass for an apology. He did feel bad about the way everything had gone and the pressure they’d put on Mary Jo. They hadn’t meant to. Their intentions had been the best, although he could see now that they’d gone too far. Still, he wasn’t letting David Rhodes off the hook. The man had responsibilities and Linc was as determined as ever to see that he lived up to them.

“Linc, Mel, Ned, I want you to meet Mack McAfee,” his sister said, her arm out to the EMT. “Oh, I forgot,” she added. “You guys met earlier.”

Linc nodded at the other man. So did Mel and Ned.

“Good to see you again,” Mack said. “And congratulations on your brand-new niece. Oh, and this is my partner, Brandon Hutton.”

Once more the brothers nodded.

“I couldn’t have managed without them,” Mary Jo said fervently.

Linc thanked them both. “Our family’s much obliged to you for everything you’ve done.”

“Just part of the job,” Brandon said.

“It was an honor,” Mack told them. “I have to tell you this was the best Christmas Eve of my life.”

“And mine,” Mary Jo said. She looked at Mack, and the two of them seemed to maintain eye contact for an extra-long moment.

“Now, Grandma?” Tyler stepped up to Grace, a small drum strapped over his shoulders.

“Now, Tyler.”

The youngster set his sticks in motion. Pa-rum-pum-pum-pum, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum.

Linc glanced over at the barn and saw the ox and the lamb in the paddock. They seemed to be keeping time to the drum, bowing their heads with each slow beat.

Mary Jo was right. This was the best Christmas Eve of his life. Of all their lives.