Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series, Volume 3 (119 page)

“We'll be there at two,” Cecilia said.

“Be sure to bring the kids,” Grace told her. “Cliff is boarding
a pony over the holidays. She's very gentle, and the owner said we can give
rides to anyone we want.”

“Oh! Aaron and Mia will love it. See you at two.”

Grace finished addressing the last of her Christmas cards and
walked down to the mailbox to send them off, knowing they'd be late this year.
She wondered how she'd gotten so far behind.

Cliff helped her prepare by setting out a plate of cookies,
although Grace suspected he ate as many as he put on the plate. The cocoa was
warming on the stove when a car rolled into the driveway.

Beau, her puppy and guard dog, barked, warning them of
impending visitors. “Is it the Randalls or Olivia?” Grace asked.

Cliff peered out the kitchen window. “Looks like Olivia.” He
reached for his coat. “I'll be outside with Pixie, saddling her up for the
Randall kids.”

“Thanks.” Grace dried her hands and hurried to the door. Olivia
immediately handed her a fruitcake wrapped in aluminum foil.

“From Mom,” she announced, stooping to pet Beau. “She baked
them while she was living with Jack and me, and wanted to be sure you got
one.”

Grace wasn't a fruitcake fan—except for Charlotte's, which
included green tomato mincemeat and pecans. She put it on the counter next to an
evergreen spray in a narrow vase.

“That's so thoughtful. How's Charlotte doing?” Grace was well
aware that Charlotte and Ben's recent move into the assisted-living complex
hadn't been easy.

“She has good days and bad days.” Olivia removed her gloves,
stuffing them in her pocket, then slipped off her coat and draped it across the
back of a kitchen chair. “On Tuesday, Mom phoned and told me she'd made a big
mistake and wanted to return to the house.”

“But Will's living there now.”

“I didn't remind Mom of that. I figured out what was wrong.
It's Christmas and she misses all the things that represent the holidays to her.
She associates them with the house.”

“Poor Charlotte.”

“It
is
hard to make such a huge
move at this point in her life.”

As Beau settled on the rug by the kitchen door, Grace poured
them each a cup of coffee. She carried the mugs to the table, then pulled out a
chair. “So what did you do?”

“I found the crèche she'd tucked away in the basement and
brought it over to their apartment, along with a small Christmas tree and a few
other decorations. Then we sat and chatted over tea for a while. After about an
hour, Mom said she'd had a change of heart and the assisted-living complex would
suit her just fine.”

“That's a relief.” Grace knew this had been as difficult for
Will and Olivia as it was for their mother and Ben. On the whole, though, the
new arrangement seemed to be working out.

“I had a call earlier today,” Grace said.

“Oh?” Olivia sipped her coffee.

“Remember I mentioned that Ian and Cecilia Randall were coming
to town? In fact, Beth was by just a short while ago to drop off a tree for
them.”

“So they're here?”

“Yes. Since Ian's been transferred to the Bremerton shipyard,
they came to spend Christmas with Cecilia's father, and look for a place to
live. They're staying at the Comfort Inn.”

“When did they get in?”

“Yesterday. Cecilia phoned and they'll be stopping by—” She
paused to glance at the kitchen clock. “Anytime now,” she finished.

“Why the Christmas tree?” Olivia asked.

“You know as well as I do that Bobby Merrick isn't going to
have a Christmas tree for those kids. I explained the situation to Beth and she
brought over the cutest tree you can imagine. It's in a pot and won't take up
much space. They should be able to set it in a corner of the hotel room without
a problem. She even threw in lights and a few ornaments.” Grace appreciated all
the effort Beth had put into this spur-of-the-moment idea.

“She owes you big-time after you decided to keep Beau,” Olivia
said.

On hearing his name, Beau scampered from his place by the door
to Grace's feet. When she picked him up and held him in her lap, Beau licked her
hand, then settled down to snooze, content to be close to his mistress.

“I'm the one who owes Beth,” Grace said, brushing her hand
along Beau's soft fur. She'd resisted her affection for Beau as long as she
could, but his sweet temperament had eventually won her over.

“I heard Beth has ten more puppies to find homes for now.”

“Nine,” Grace was pleased to tell her. “Beth is elated. Bruce
and Rachel Peyton let Jolene have a puppy for Christmas. She's named her
Poppy.”

“I hope everything's okay,” Olivia said, frowning slightly. “I
don't want to see them in my courtroom.”

“The situation seems to have resolved itself. When I spoke to
Rachel, she said all three of them were in counseling and making great strides.”
Then Grace added, “I'll be grateful when Rachel returns to the salon. My nails
are a mess without her.”

“Grace!”

“Well, it's true.”

They heard a car door slam in the distance. Beau's head came up
and he leaped down from his resting place on Grace's lap. Barking, he ran to the
front door, tail wagging furiously.

She followed him and opened the door to Cecilia Randall.

“Merry Christmas,” Cecilia said, giving her a bright red
poinsettia.

Cecilia didn't seem to have changed since the last time Grace
had seen her. True, her dark hair was shorter now, stylishly cut, but she was as
slim and elegant as ever.

Cecilia broke into a big grin. “You look exactly the same as I
remember.”

“I was just thinking the same thing about you.” Grace set the
plant on a small table near the entry. As she closed the door she glanced over
at the barn. Ian and the two children were already talking to Cliff, who'd led
the pony into the yard. Cliff had Pixie saddled and was introducing her to the
children. Grace would serve them cookies and hot chocolate later when they came
in. “Olivia's here.”

“Oh, good! I was hoping for a chance to see her.” As Cecilia
moved into the kitchen, Grace hung up her scarf and wool coat.

“Hello, hello,” Olivia said. Standing, the two women exchanged
hugs.

“Sit, please,” Grace said. She took out another mug and filled
it with coffee.

There was a lot of laughter and smiling as they caught up with
one another, but then Cecilia grew serious. She turned toward Olivia. “I was out
to see Allison this morning.” She bowed her head slightly. “Do…do you ever visit
your son's grave?” she asked in a small voice.

“Yes,” Olivia admitted softly. “On Jordan's birthday, Justine
and I put flowers by his headstone.”

“Ian and I went this morning and cleaned off her grave. The
kids brought her a poinsettia.”

“It's still difficult, isn't it?” Olivia said, reaching across
the table to squeeze Cecilia's hand.

Grace leaned over to grab a tissue and passed it to the young
woman.

“Do you still cry?” Cecilia asked, unmistakable pain in her
voice. The loss of her infant daughter was an anguish that might fade but would
never disappear. Grace knew that from her own experience, losing Dan.

“Yes,” Olivia said. “We don't forget our children. Ever. We
can't. There's been a gaping hole in my heart—in my life—ever since we lost
Jordan. He was only thirteen.…” She cleared her throat. “I've chosen to fill
that hole with love.”

“I have, too,” Cecilia whispered. “Love for Ian and our other
children. Both Aaron and Mia know they had an older sister. On Allison's
birthday last year, Aaron wanted to bake her a cake.”

“Did you?”

Cecilia nodded. “It never felt right to leave Allison when Ian
was transferred. I'm so glad we're moving back.”

“We're glad, too,” Grace told her. Then because she was afraid
they'd all end up weeping, she changed the subject. “So, you're looking for a
house....”

“Oh, yes.” Cecilia wiped the tears from her eyes and
straightened. “Ian and I want to talk to you about the house on Rosewood
Lane.”

Grace smiled happily. “Well, as I said, my last renters left
when their lease expired, and the house is empty. Cliff and I would be delighted
to rent it to you.”

Olivia checked her watch. “Sorry to rush off, but Justine needs
me to babysit this afternoon.”

“Of course.” Grace stood, too, and hugged her friend. “If I
don't see Charlotte, make sure you thank her for the fruitcake.”

“Will do.”

“See you Christmas Eve at Noelle's birthday party, right after
church.” She briefly explained, for Cecilia's benefit, who Noelle was and that
she'd been born here at the ranch a year earlier.

“Yes, see you then,” Olivia confirmed. She put on her coat and
gloves and wished Cecilia a merry Christmas. Grace walked her out, returning to
find Cecilia by the back door, looking at her children, who were taking turns on
the pony. “About the house,” Cecilia began, moving back to the kitchen table.
“Ian and I—”

A polite knock sounded at the door, but before Grace could
reach it, Ian Randall came inside. “Hello, Grace,” he said warmly. “Cliff said I
should go on in. He's taking the kids into the barn to feed the horses.” Giving
an obligatory bark, Beau trotted over to him and Ian crouched down to stroke the
sleek, soft head.

“They're going to love that,” Cecilia said. “Aaron is such an
animal person.” She might as well have said,
And so is
Ian.

“Would he like a puppy for Christmas?” Grace rushed to ask,
knowing how desperate Beth was to find good homes.

“He'd love one,” Cecilia replied, “but with the move, a
puppy—”

“He can pick one out. They're at a tree farm owned by Beth
Morehouse, a friend of ours. If you get a puppy, Cliff and I can keep him here
with Beau until you're back in Cedar Cove.”

Cecilia and Ian exchanged a glance. “That's too much to
ask.”

“Not at all. And it would be a huge help to Beth. Someone
abandoned ten puppies on her porch and she needs good homes for them before
Christmas.”

“Aaron's responsible, and he'd love it,” Cecilia prompted.
“Besides, we'd be rescuing a puppy. What do you think?” She looked at her
husband, obviously attracted to the idea.

Ian shrugged. “A puppy for Aaron would be a great gift…if
you're positive you don't mind keeping him for a few weeks.”

“We wouldn't mind in the least,” Grace assured him.

“Okay, that's settled. We'll go and see your friend, pick out a
puppy.” Ian pulled out a chair and sat down next to his wife. “Did Cecilia
mention the house on Rosewood Lane?”

“We'd just started to talk about it,” Grace said. “I told her
it's available and we'd love to rent it to you again.”

Ian shook his head.

“You don't want it?” This surprised Grace because she
remembered how fond Cecilia had been of the place and all the small homey
changes she'd made. “My mistake. I'm sorry,” she said with some
embarrassment.

“Actually, Cecilia and I were wondering,” Ian said, clasping
his wife's hand, “if you and Cliff would consider selling us the house.”

“Selling,” Grace repeated. “Oh…I hadn't thought of that.”

“I brought it up to Cliff,” Ian continued, “and he said the
decision was yours.”

“Well…yes, I suppose it is,” Grace murmured. Her immediate
reaction was not to sell. Her emotional attachment to the house on Rosewood Lane
remained strong. “Can I think about it and get back to you sometime in the next
couple of days?”

“Of course,” Ian said.

The back door opened again and Cliff came in with the two
children. Aaron was instantly on the floor, playing with Beau, and Mia ran to
tell her mother all about riding Pixie.

The rest of the visit passed in a blur for Grace, preoccupied
as she was with Ian's request. She served cocoa and cookies and presented the
Randalls with the small Christmas tree, which thrilled the kids, but she was
hardly aware of anything that was said. The young family left soon
afterward.

Grace and Cliff waved them off and returned to the house.

“From the look on your face, Ian must have said something about
wanting to buy the house.” Cliff walked over to the coffeepot and refilled his
mug. He leaned against the counter as he waited for her reply.

“He did.”

“And?”

“I…don't know if I can give it up.”

“Then tell them it's only available to rent,” he said
matter-of-factly.

“But…this is exactly the type of family I'd want to sell the
house to.” Grace found she couldn't keep still. She walked over to the
refrigerator and opened it for no reason. Closing it, she circled the kitchen
table.

“I understand.” Cliff came up behind her, placing his hands on
her shoulders. “It's a big decision.”

Grace exhaled slowly. “It is…but I think it's time,” she said
with sudden resolve. “My old life was on Rosewood Lane. My new life is here with
you—and Beau.”

Lying on the braided carpet beneath the kitchen table, Beau
raised his head and barked once. Apparently, he was in full agreement.

Three

T
wo down and eight puppies to go.

Saturday morning, the day before Christmas Eve, Aaron
Randall—as well as his parents and little sister—had stopped by and picked out a
puppy. Grace, bless her, had agreed to keep tiny Poko until the Randalls
returned to Cedar Cove in the second week of January. He was with her now, as it
would've been too difficult to look after the puppy in the hotel room.