joking, right?â
Hassie laughed delightedly. âI should have known better.â
âJeb, Maddy and the kids are already here.â
The names flew over Vaughnâs head, but it was apparent that Hassie loved each family.
âMaddy owns the grocery,â Joshua explained as they strolled across the street and entered the park. âSheâs married to my son. Best thing that ever happened to him.â
âOh, yesâI saw the grocery,â Vaughn said. âMaddy. I remember. The fantastic reindeer.â
Joshua grinned widely. âYup, thatâs our Maddy. Loves any excuse to decorateâand does a great job.â
âThey have two of the most precious children youâll ever want to see,â Hassie added, âwith another on the way.â
âThe first pregnancy and this latest one were real surprises.â
âIâll bet Jebâs developed a liking for blizzards,â Hassie murmured, and the two older folks burst into laughter.
âYouâd have to know the history of that family to understand whatâs so amusing,â Carrie said, joining them.
âHello again,â Vaughn murmured.
âHi.â
Vaughn had trouble looking away.
âHow about you and Carrie getting me some hot chocolate?â the older woman asked.
âBring some for me, too, while youâre at it,â Joshua said.
âI think we just got our marching orders,â Carrie told him, her eyes smiling. âIs that okay?â
âI donât mind if you donât,â Vaughn replied.
The cold had brought color to her cheeks, and her long blond hair straggled out from under her wool hat. âItâs fine with me. Buffalo Bob and Merrily are serving cocoa and cookies over there,â she said a little breathlessly.
âIâll be right back,â Vaughn said over his shoulder as he followed Carrie.
âDonât rush,â Hassie called after himâ¦and then he thought he saw her wink at him.
Chapter 3
T he Christmas lights strung around the outside of the old house welcomed Vaughn back to his parentsâ home. His mother had been born and raised in Grand Forks, but his grandparents had moved to Arizona when he was six. Vaughn had no recollection of visiting the Dakotas, although he was certain they had. His memories centered on the Denver area and his fatherâs family. Not until Rick was accepted for early retirement did they decide to return to the home that had been in the Lowell family for more than a hundred years.
The television blared from the living room as Vaughn let himself into the house, entering throughthe door off the kitchen after stomping the snow from his shoes on the back porch. He unzipped his jacket and hung it on a peg, along with his muffler.
âIs that you, Vaughn?â his mother called.
âNo, itâs Santa,â he joked.
He watched as his mother, still holding her needlepoint, hurried into the kitchen. âYouâre not hungry, are you?â
âI filled up on cookies and hot chocolate.â
His mother studied him as if to gauge how the meeting with Hassie had goneâthe real question she wanted to ask, he suspected. âDid you have aâ¦good visit?â
âYes.â He nodded reassuringly. âWe talked before dinner, but afterward there was a tree-lighting ceremony in the park.â
âYou attended that?â His mother sounded pleased.
âSure, why not?â His response was flippant, as though this was the very thing heâd normally do. In truth, though, Vaughn couldnât recall attending anything like it since he was in grade school. The evening had been quite an experience. The whole town had come alive with music and laughter and people enjoying one anotherâs company. Christmas had neverbeen a big deal to Vaughnâbut heâd never seen an entire community join together like this, either. He knew it had made a lasting impression on