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“The library is where?” Being on foot and pregnant definitely imposed some limitations, especially now that it had started to snow.
“How’d you get here?” Shaw asked.
“Foot ferry.”
He grinned. “Then you walked right past it when you got off. It’s the building with the large mural on the front. You won’t have any trouble finding it.”
Mary Jo had noticed two such murals. She supposed it wouldn’t be difficult to distinguish which one was the library. Eager to talk to Grace Harding, she left the remainder of her drink behind. She put the wool hat back on her head and pulled on her gloves. It was cold and the few snowflakes that had begun to drift down seemed persistent, like a harbinger of more to come. The Seattle area rarely experienced a white Christmas, and under other circumstances Mary Jo would’ve been thrilled at the prospect of snow.
As Shaw had predicted, she didn’t have a problem locating the library. The mural of a frontier family was striking, and the library doors were decorated with Christmas wreaths. When she stepped inside, she saw dozens of cut-out snowflakes suspended from the ceiling in the children’s area, as well as a display of seasonal picture books, some of which—like A Snowy Day—she remembered from her own childhood. A large Christmas tree with book-size wrapped gifts underneath stood just inside the small lobby. One look told Mary Jo that this was a much-used and much-loved place.
She welcomed the warmth, both emotional and physical. There was a woman at the counter, which held a sign stating that the library would close at noon. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Mary Jo was surprised to see that it was already ten-forty-five.
She approached the front counter. “Excuse me. Are you Grace Harding?” she asked in a pleasant voice.
“Afraid not. Should I get her for you?”
“Yes, please.”
The woman disappeared into a nearby office. A few minutes later, she reappeared with another middle-aged woman, who greeted Mary Jo with a friendly smile. She wore a bright red turtleneck sweater under a festive holly-green jumper. Her right arm seemed to be thickly bandaged beneath her long sleeve.
“I’m Grace Harding,” she announced. “How can I help you?”
Mary Jo gave the woman a strained smile. “Hello, my name is Mary Jo Wyse and—” The baby kicked—hard—and Mary Jo’s eyes widened with shock. She placed her hands against her stomach and slowly exhaled.
“Are you okay?” Grace asked, looking concerned.
“I…think so.”
“Perhaps you should sit down.”
Numbly Mary Jo nodded. This was all so…unseemly. She hated making a fuss, but she suspected the librarian was right and she did need to sit. Thankfully, Ms. Harding came around the counter and led her to a chair. She left for a moment and returned with a glass of water.
“Here, drink this.”
“Thank you.” Mary Jo felt embarrassed, since almost everyone in the library was staring at her. No doubt she made quite a spectacle and people probably thought she’d give birth any second. Actually, her due date wasn’t for another two weeks; she didn’t think there was any danger the baby would arrive early, but this was her first pregnancy and she couldn’t really tell. She could only hope…
Grace took the chair beside hers. “How can I help you?” she asked again.
Mary Jo gulped down all the water, then put the glass down beside her.
Taking a deep breath, she clasped her hands together. “I’m looking for a man by the name of David Rhodes.”
Right away Mary Jo saw that the other woman stiffened.
“You know him?” she asked excitedly, ignoring any misgivings over Grace’s reaction. “Is he here? He said he’d be visiting his father and stepmother in Cedar Cove. It’s important that I talk to him as soon as possible.”
Grace sagged in her chair. “Oh, dear.”
“Oh, dear,”Mary Jo repeated. “What does that mean?”
“Well…”
“Is David in town?”
Grace shook her head, but her expression was sympathetic. “I’m afraid not.”
Mary Jo’s heart sank. She should’ve known not to trust David. This was obviously another lie.
“What about his father and stepmother? Are they available?” If she didn’t tell David’s family about the baby, then her brothers surely would. The information would be better coming from her. The image of her brothers barging into these people’s home lent a sense of urgency to her question.
“Unfortunately,” Grace went on, “Ben and Charlotte have taken a Christmas cruise.”
“They’re gone, then,” Mary Jo said in a flat voice. She recalled the message on their phone; ironically, Ben had been the first Rhodes she’d called. Maybe she should be relieved they were out of town, but she wasn’t. Instead, a deep sadness settled over her. The uncertainty would continue. Whatever happened, she accepted the likelihood of being a single mother, but her brothers would do their best to prevent it.
“According to a friend of mine, they’re coming back sometime tomorrow,” Grace told her.
“On Christmas Day?”
“Yes, that’s what I understand, at any rate. I can find out for sure if you’d like.”
“Yes, please.”
Grace looked tentative. “Before I phone Olivia—she’s the friend I mentioned—I should tell you that her mother is married to Ben Rhodes.”
“I see.”
“Would you mind if I asked you a question?”
“Of course not.” Although she already knew what that question would be…
“Is your baby…is David Rhodes—”
Rather than respond, Mary Jo closed her eyes and hung her head.
Grace touched her arm gently. “Don’t be upset, dear,” she murmured. “None of that matters now.”
The answer to Grace’s question was obvious. Why else would someone in an advanced state of pregnancy come looking for David and his family—especially on Christmas Eve?
As she opened her eyes, Grace squeezed her hand reassuringly.
“I haven’t seen or heard from David in weeks,” Mary Jo admitted. “He occasionally calls and the last time he did, he said he was coming here to spend Christmas with his family. My brothers want to make him marry me, but…but that isn’t what I want.”
“Of course you don’t.”
At least Grace shared her point of view. “I’ve got to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes as soon as I can and explain that even if David offered to marry me, I don’t think it’s the right thing for me or my baby.”
“I don’t either,” Grace said. “David isn’t to be trusted.”
Mary Jo grinned weakly. “I’m afraid I have to agree with you. But this is their grandchild. Or…or Ben’s, anyway. Maybe they’ll be interested in knowing the baby. Maybe David’ll want some kind of relationship.” She turned to Grace and said earnestly, “Shouldn’t I give them that choice?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what you should do.” Grace squeezed her hand again. “I’ll go call Olivia and get right back to you. She’ll know Charlotte and Ben’s travel schedule. However, it does seem to me that they’re due home on the twenty-fifth.”
“Thank you,” Mary Jo murmured. She was feeling light-headed and a bit queasy, so she intended to stay where she was until Grace came back. It didn’t take long.
Grace sat down next to her again. “I spoke with Olivia and she confirmed that Charlotte and Ben will indeed be home tomorrow afternoon.”
“Oh…good.” Still, Mary Jo wasn’t sure what she should do next. If she went home, her brothers would be impossible. They’d be furious that she’d left with no warning other than a brief note. In any case, they were probably on their way to Cedar Cove now. And with some effort, they’d uncover the same information Mary Jo had.
“What would you like to do?” Grace asked.
“I think I’d better spend the night here,” Mary Jo said. She hadn’t packed a bag, but her requirements were simple. All she needed was a decent hotel. “Can you recommend a place to stay?”
“Oh, yes, there are several, including a lovely B-and-B. I’m just wondering if there’ll be a problem getting a room for tonight.”
“A problem?” This wasn’t something Mary Jo had considered.
“Let’s see if there’s anything at the Comfort Inn. It’s close by and clean.”
“That would be great. Thank you so much,” Mary Jo said.
Here it was, Christmas Eve, and she felt as if she’d found an angel to help her. An angel fittingly named Grace…
Chapter Three
Grace Harding studied the young pregnant woman beside her. So David Rhodes was the father of her baby. Not a surprise, she supposed, but it made her think even less of him. Certainly Olivia had told her plenty—about his deceit, his loans that were more like theft, since he never seemed to have any intention of repaying his father, the rumors of women he’d cheated on…That Ben Rhodes, who was one of the most decent and honorable men she’d ever met, could have a son like David defied explanation. Not only had David fathered this child, which she didn’t doubt for a minute, he’d also lied to Mary Jo.
Well, Grace decided, she’d do what she could to give the poor girl a hand. And she knew Charlotte and Ben would, too.
“I’ll get that list of places for you,” Grace told Mary Jo, rising to her feet. The library had a sheet with phone numbers of the local bed-and-breakfasts, plus all the motels in the area. The best place in town was Thyme and Tide Bed & Breakfast, run by Bob and Peggy Beldon. However, she recalled, the couple was away for the holidays. So staying there wasn’t an option. But there were several chain hotels out by the freeway.
“I’ll need to be within walking distance of the Rhodes home,” Mary Jo said as Grace handed her the list. “I didn’t drive over.”
“Don’t worry. If there’s a vacancy a few miles out of town I’ll take you there myself and I can drop you off at Charlotte’s tomorrow evening.”
Mary Jo glanced up at her, brown eyes wide with astonishment. “You’d do that?”
“Of course. It wouldn’t be any problem. I’m going that way myself.”
“Thank you.”
Grace shrugged lightly. “I’m happy to do it,” she said. The offer was a small thing and yet Mary Jo seemed so grateful. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to make another phone call.”
“Of course.” Mary Jo had taken out her cell phone, clearly ready to start her search for a room. Normally, cell phone use in the library was discouraged but in this case Grace couldn’t object.
Grace returned to her office. She’d promised to call Olivia back as soon as she could. Although they spoke almost every day, their conversations over the past week had been brief. With so much to do before Christmas, there hadn’t been time to chat.
Sitting at her desk, Grace picked up the receiver and punched in Olivia’s number. Her dearest friend was at home today, but unfortunately not because it was Christmas Eve. Judge Olivia Griffin had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone surgery; she’d begin chemotherapy and radiation treatments early in the new year. She’d taken a leave of absence from the bench. The last month had been frightening, especially when Olivia developed a life-threatening infection. Grace got chills just thinking about how close they’d all come to losing her.
Olivia answered on the first ring. “It took you forever to call back,” she said. “Is the girl still at the library?”
“Yes. She’s staying the night and then meeting with Ben and Charlotte tomorrow afternoon.”
“Oh, no…”
“Should I tell her it might be better to wait?” Grace asked. Like Olivia, she hated the thought of hitting Ben with this news the minute he and Charlotte got home.
“I don’t know,” Olivia said. “I mean, they’re going to be tired…” Her voice faded away.
“The thing is,” Grace went on to say, “I really don’t think it should wait. Mary Jo’s obviously due very soon.” She hesitated, unsure how much to tell Olivia. She didn’t want to burden her friend. Because of her illness, Olivia was uncharacteristically fragile these days.
“I heard that hesitation in your voice, Grace Harding,” Olivia scolded. “There’s more to this and you’re wondering if you should tell me.”
There were times Grace swore Olivia could read her mind. She took a breath. “It seems David told Mary Jo he’d be spending the holidays with Ben and Charlotte.”
“I knew it! That’s a lie. This cruise has been planned for months and David was well aware of it. Why would he do something like this?”
Grace didn’t have an answer—although she had her own opinion on David and his motives.
“He probably used the lie as another tactic to put the poor girl off,” Olivia said. “The way David manipulates people and then discards them like so much garbage infuriates me.” Outrage echoed in every word.
“It appears that’s exactly what he did,” Grace murmured. She remembered how David had tried to swindle Charlotte out of several thousand dollars a few years ago. The man was without conscience.
“This poor girl! All alone at Christmas. It’s appalling. If I could, I’d wring David’s neck myself.”
“I have the feeling we’d need to stand in line for that,” Grace said wryly.
“No kidding,” Olivia agreed. “Okay, now that I know what this Mary Jo business is all about, tell me what happened to your arm.”
Instinctively Grace’s hand moved to her upper right arm. “You’re gonna laugh,” she said, smiling herself, though at the time it’d been no laughing matter.
“Grace, from what I heard, you were in a lot of pain.”
“And who told you that?”
“Justine. She ran into Cliff at the pharmacy when he was picking up your prescription.”
“Oh, right.” Small towns were like this. Everything was news and nothing was private. That could be beneficial—and it could be embarrassing. Olivia’s daughter, Justine, knew, so Olivia’s husband—the local newspaper editor—did, too. It wouldn’t surprise her if Jack wrote a humorous piece on her misadventure.
“So, what happened?” Olivia repeated.
Grace saw no reason to hide the truth. “I got bitten by the camel.”
“What? The camel? What camel?”
Grace had to smile again. Olivia’s reaction was the same as that of Dr. Timmons. According to the young physician, this was the first time he’d ever treated anyone for a camel bite.
“Cliff and I are housing the animals for the live Nativity scene,” she said. “Remember?” The local Methodist church had brought in animals for the display. Grace wasn’t sure where the camel had come from but as far as she was concerned it could go back there anytime. And it would. Yesterday had been the final day of the animals’ appearances; they’d be returning to their individual homes just after Christmas. True, she’d miss the donkey, since she’d grown fond of him. But the camel? Goodbye, Sleeping Beauty! Grace almost snorted at the animal’s unlikely name.
