sitting on the bed, she got out her cell. she tried the family home first. but the call didn't connect, and when mary jo glanced at the screen, she saw there wasn't any coverage in this area. well, that settled that.

she did feel bad but there was no help for it. she'd ask to make a long-distance call on the hardings' phone, and she'd try linc's cell, as well as the house. she collected her coat and gloves and hurried back to the house.

a few minutes later, she was in the kitchen. as grace had promised, the tea and a bowl of soup were waiting for her on the table.

mary jo hesitated. she really hated to ask, hated to feel even more beholden. "if you don't mind, i'd appreciate using your phone."

"of course."

"it's long distance, i'm afraid. i'd be happy to pay the charges. you could let me know-"

"nonsense," grace countered. "one phone call isn't going to make a bit of difference to our bill."

"thank you." still wearing her coat, mary jo went over to the wall phone, then remembered that linc's number was programmed into her cell. speed dial made it unnecessary to memorize numbers these days, she thought ruefully.

she'd have to go back to the apartment a second time. well, there was no help for that, either. "i'll need to get my cell phone," she said.

"i can have cliff get it for you," grace offered. "i'm not sure you should be climbing those stairs too often."

"oh, no, i'm fine," mary jo assured her. she walked across the yard, grateful the snow had tapered off, and back up the steep flight of stairs, pausing as she had before to inhale deeply and calm her racing heart. taking another breath, she went in search of her cell.

on the off chance the phone might work in a different location, mary jo stood on the hardings' porch and tried again. and again she received the same message. no coverage.

cell phone in hand, she returned to the kitchen.

"i'll make the call as quickly as i can," she told grace, lifting the receiver off the hook.

"you talk as long as you need," grace told her. "and here, let me take your coat."

she found linc's contact information in her cell phone's directory and dialed his number. after a few seconds, the call connected and went straight to voice mail. linc, it appeared, had decided to turn off his cell. mary jo wasn't sure what to make of that. maybe he didn't want her to contact him, she thought with sudden panic. maybe he was so angry he never wanted to hear from her again. when she tried to leave a message, she discovered that his voice mail was full. she sighed. it was just like linc not to listen to his messages. he probably had no idea how many he'd accumulated.

"my brother has his cell off," mary jo said with a defeated shrug.

"he might be in a no coverage zone," grace explained. "we don't get good reception here at the ranch, although i do almost everywhere else in kitsap county. is it worth trying his house?"

mary jo doubted it, but she punched in the numbers. as she'd expected, no answer there, either. her oldest brother's deep voice came on, reciting the phone number. then, in his usual peremptory fashion, he said, "we're not here. leave a message." mary jo closed her eyes.

"it's me," she said shakily, half afraid linc would break in and start yelling at her. grace had stepped out of the kitchen to give her privacy, a courtesy she appreciated.

"i'm in cedar cove," she continued. "i'll be home sometime christmas day after i speak to david's parents. probably later in the evening. please don't try to find me. i'm with...friends. don't worry about me. i know what i'm doing." with that she replaced the receiver.

she saw that grace had moved into the dining room, setting the table. "thank you," mary jo told her.

"you're very welcome. is your soup still hot?"

mary jo had forgotten about that. "i'll check."

"if not, let me know and i'll reheat it in the microwave."

"i'm sure it'll be fine," she murmured. even if it was stone-cold, she wouldn't have said so, not after everything grace had done for her.

but as mary jo tried her first spoonful, she realized the temperature was perfect. she finished the entire bowl, then ate all the crackers and drank her tea. as she brought her dishes to the sink, grace returned to the kitchen. "my daughters will be here at six," she said, glancing at the clock. "and my daughter-in-law and her family should be back soon. we're having dinner together and then we're leaving for the christmas eve service at our church."

"how nice." mary jo had missed attending church. she and her brothers just seemed to stop going after her parents' funeral. she still went occasionally but hadn't in quite a while, and her brothers didn't go at all.

"would you like to join us?"

the invitation was so genuine that for a moment mary jo seriously considered it. "thank you for the offer, but i don't think i should."

"why not?" grace pressed. "we'd love to have you."

"thank you," mary jo said again, "but i should probably stay quiet and rest, like the emt suggested."

grace nodded. "yes, you should take his advice, although we'd love it if you'd at least join us for dinner."

the invitation moved her so much that mary jo felt tears spring to her eyes. not only had grace and her husband taken her into their home, they wanted to include her in their holiday celebration.

"i can't believe you'd want me here with your family," she said, struggling to get the words out.

"why wouldn't we?" grace asked. she seemed astonished by the comment. "you're our guest."

"but it's christmas and you'll have your...your family here." she found it difficult to speak.

"yes, and they'll be delighted to meet you."

"but this isn't a time for strangers."

"now, just a minute," grace said. "don't you remember the original christmas story?"

"of course i do." mary jo had heard it all her life.

"mary and joseph didn't have anywhere to stay, either, and strangers offered them a place," grace reminded her. "a stable," she added with a smile.

"but i doubt those generous folks asked them to join the family for dinner," mary jo teased.

"that part we don't know because the bible doesn't say, but i have to believe that anyone who'd lend their stable to those young travelers would see to their other needs, as well." grace's warm smile wrapped its way around mary jo's heart. "join us for part of the evening, okay? i'd love it if you met the girls, and i know they'd enjoy meeting you."

mary jo didn't immediately respond. although she would've liked to meet grace's family, she wasn't feeling quite right. "may i think about it?"

"of course," grace said. "you do whatever you need to do."

leaning forward in the chair, mary jo supported her lower back with both hands, trying to ease the persistent ache. sitting had become difficult in the last few weeks. it was as if the baby had latched his or her foot around one of her ribs and intended to hang on. mary jo was beginning to wonder if she'd ever find a comfortable position again.

"can i help you with anything?" she asked.

grace surveyed the kitchen. "no, i've got everything under control. i thought i'd sit down for a few minutes and have a cup of tea with you."

mary jo nodded. "yes, please. i'd like that."

"so would i," the other woman said. "here, let me make some fresh tea. and what about some christmas shortbread to go with it?"

10

at the fire station, mack mcafee sat by himself in the kitchen, downing yet another cup of coffee. the only call so far that day had been for the young pregnant woman who'd had the dizzy spell at the library. for some reason, she'd stayed in his mind ever since.

because he wasn't married, mack had volunteered to work christmas eve and part of christmas day, allowing one of the other firefighters to spend the time with family. unfortunately, his mother was none too happy that he'd agreed to work over the holidays.

mack's parents lived in cedar cove and his sister had, too, until she'd left several months ago, her heart broken by that cowpoke who used to work for cliff harding. linnette had taken off with no plan or destination and ended up in some podunk town in north dakota. she seemed to love her new home out there in the middle of nowhere. mack didn't understand it, but then it wasn't his life.

he was happy for linnette, knowing she'd found her niche. she'd always said she wanted to live and work in a small rural town. as an experienced physician assistant, linnette had a lot to offer a community like buffalo valley, north dakota.

gloria, mack's oldest sister, had been given up for adoption as an infant; their relationship had only come to light in the past few years. mack was just beginning to know her and so far he'd discovered that they had a surprising amount in common, despite their very different upbringings. she'd promised to stop by the house and spend part of christmas with their parents, but she, too, was on the duty roster for tonight.

when gloria had first moved into the area-with the goal of reconnecting with her birth family-she'd worked for the bremerton police. however, she'd recently taken a job with the sheriff's department in cedar cove.

mack's cell phone, attached to his waistband, chirped. he reached for it, not bothering to look at the screen. he already knew who was calling.

"hi, mom."

"merry christmas." her cheerful greeting was strained and not entirely convincing.

"thanks. same to you and dad."

"how's everything?"

his mother was at loose ends. not having any of her children with her during the holidays was hard for her. "it's been pretty quiet here this afternoon," he said.

corrie allowed an audible sigh to escape. "i wish you hadn't volunteered to work on christmas."

this wasn't the first time his mother had brought it up. but as the firefighter most recently hired, he would've been assigned this shift anyway.

"it'll be lonely with just your father and me." her voice fell and mack sighed, wishing he could tell her what she wanted to hear.

"it'll be a wonderful christmas," he said, sounding as positive as he could.

"i'm sure it'll be fine," she agreed in a listless voice. "i decided to cook a ham this year instead of turkey. it's far less work and we had a turkey at thanksgiving. of course, i'm going to bake your father's favorite potato casserole and that green bean dish everyone likes."