A Valley Ridge Christmas. Holly Jacobs

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