“Well, that’s good to know,” she said, laughing. “What’s going on around here?”

“We’re in full holiday mode,” he said. “We’re doing more food baskets if you’re interested in helping out. There are a few needs a little beyond food—children in need of a visit from Santa, some more than others. The volunteer fire department is taking on some of that. Mel and Paige and a few other women are making a run on the big box stores over in Eureka.”

“Oh, if I’d known, I would have volunteered to help! I finished my book and I’m ready to do more volunteer work.”

“That’s sweet, Kaylee,” he said. “Congratulations on the book. Did you celebrate?”

“I called a couple of friends and drank a toast with Landry, but then I forgot about it and it never occurred to me I could be useful in town. I should have called Mel. She’s probably not calling me to help because she thinks I’m bogged down with work.”

“She’s due back in an hour. Why do you have your computer with you if you’re done?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Because I never go anywhere without it? Because I feel so vulnerable if I’m not writing a book? Because I can always read something on the computer if I have no one to talk to?”

“Here? No one to talk to?” He threw back his head and laughed. “I don’t think you wrote a single sentence in this bar. No one would let you work. That’s not how they roll.”

“You noticed that?”

“Kaylee, they won’t let me work! I can be counting bottles and someone will say, ‘Yo, Jack, you hear about that eight-point buck sighted out on Cummins Pass?’ And then we have to talk about it a while even though it’s pretty clear I’m counting bottles.” But as he finished, he grinned. “Congratulations, Kaylee. You going straight back to the south? Where is it? Newport?”

“Newport Beach,” she said. “Not straightaway. I rented out my house for the rest of the year. I haven’t talked to them lately, but as of a couple of months ago they were planning to move out right after New Year’s. Like, maybe the third. Or fourth. I told them to give me a couple weeks’ notice.”

“What are you going to do with Landry? Because if you’ll forgive me for having eyes in my head, the two of you hit it off.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at him. “We’ve been talking about how we can arrange to visit each other. Often. But we haven’t made any real plans yet. Landry was a great surprise. I wasn’t expecting to meet someone like him. Well, as you know, I was expecting to stay in the Templetons’ house through Christmas...”

“Yeah, that’s right. And look what happened. You ended up with a guy, a kitten, some puppies, and God knows what all...”

“All I really wanted was to avoid Christmas...”

“You mentioned that early on. I can’t quite remember why. Did you tell me why?” he asked.

“I lost my mom to cancer last year. She passed on Christmas Day. I don’t think I told you. I did tell Mel...”

“She never tells anything,” he said. “And I’d have remembered something like that. I’m so sorry, Kaylee.”

“It’s not a secret, it’s just one of those things. I couldn’t quite bring myself to plan a celebration, you know? It’s hard to even think about it.” You may still cry at 11:04...

“I can imagine,” he said. “It’s gotta be hard. But there’s a forty-foot tree decorated to the hilt right outside. That’s gonna serve as a reminder. Kind of hard to avoid Christmas with that tree right out there...”

“True. Hey, you didn’t by any chance put a little decorated Christmas tree on my front porch, did you?”

He shook his head. “Is there a note or a card?”

“Nothing. It wasn’t there at two in the morning. I...ah...just happened to look outside then. It was there when I got up. Landry said he never heard a car, and what’s more mysterious is that Otis never heard a car. Otis would have made some noise. I just wish I knew who—”

“People around here surprise me all the time. There was a decorated tree above the highway in Fortuna for years. No one ever took credit for it and in January it would disappear. A couple of years ago it stopped appearing. We all went into mourning, wondering if the tree fairy passed. I bet someone was trying to make sure you have a nice holiday, knowing you’re by yourself even if they don’t know the circumstances.”

“I’m really not so all alone anymore, Jack,” she said. “I spend most of my time with Landry. We’ve become very close.”

Jack’s smile was broad. “Was bound to happen,” was all he said.

Kaylee started thinking about what her mother had said to her, about the antidote to sadness. As she recalled from growing up as Meredith’s only child, there were countless discussions about how to dispel self-pity and a feeling of hopelessness.

That night, after having a nice long talk with Landry and filling him in on all the goings-on in town, Kaylee called Mel. “I stopped by the bar today and Jack told me you have a lot happening.”

“It’s my busy season,” Mel said. “And I heard the book is done. You must be thrilled. And bored senseless.”

Kaylee laughed. “I haven’t had time to get bored yet. I did call to say I can help with some of your projects. You’re doing food baskets again, right? I could help with that.”

“That would be great! I’ll take you up on that offer.”

“And I wanted to know how Mallory is doing.”

“Pretty well, considering. She’s coping very well, getting a lot of support from her best friend’s family—that’s the neighbor she’s been staying with. Accommodations are a little tight. She has to share a bed, but they’re kids, they’ve done it before. There just isn’t room for her things, that’s all. But Jack and I will bring her to our house. It’ll be a full house—one of his sisters is coming with kids and grandkids. But we’ll manage.”

“Well, I was thinking about that. Do you think Mallory likes puppies?”

* * *

Mel brought Mallory over the next afternoon. “Mel said you wanted me to see something,” the little girl said.

“First of all, I’m sorry to hear about your mother,” Kaylee said, giving her a hug. “Did Mel tell you we have that in common? I lost my mother last year. I think I know how you’re feeling.”

“How I’m feeling is not that good,” she said. “But I’m taking it slow. My mom said, just take it slow because you can’t hurry your feelings. I don’t know what that means, but I’m doing it the best I can.”

“You’re doing fine,” Kaylee said. “Mallory, I was out for a walk and I found a mama dog. She was tied up to a tree and had four puppies with her. Someone left her there, abandoned her. So I brought her back here. I thought maybe you might want to see them?”

“Yes! Were they hurt?”

“No, just hungry. Landry has them in his kennel. I’ll show you,” she said, taking Mallory’s hand.

“I have a few phone calls to return,” Mel said. “Can I stay here and do that while you see the puppies?”

“Of course. But we might be a while.” She pulled Mallory along to Landry’s house and then through the house to the back door. Otis came out of Landry’s shop and greeted them. “Mallory, have you met Landry?”

“Yes, I’m pretty sure,” she said. “What are you doing in there?”

“Making pots and statues and wind chimes and all sorts of artsy things,” he said. “I bet you’re here to see the puppies. When you’re done I’ll show you everything if you’re interested.”

“I’d like to see it, if Mel says it’s okay.”

They found Lady in the backyard, sniffing around. “Lady,” Kaylee called, and the dog pranced right over. “This is Lady, Mallory. When I found her she was nearly starving but she’s looking so good now.”

“Why was she starving?”

“I don’t know because I don’t know what happened to her. I suspect her owners neglected her, didn’t feed her, didn’t take care of her. But she’s very well taken care of now. Let’s look at the puppies.”

Mallory gasped with pleasure when she saw the puppy pile inside the kennel. She immediately got down on her knees and reached into the space to touch a puppy. Then she pulled a hand back and looked at Kaylee. “There’s a cat in here,” she said, shocked.

“I know,” Kaylee said with a laugh. “That’s Tux. I found him, too. He was so young when I found him and when Lady and the puppies came here to stay, he crawled in and never wanted to leave. The puppies are going to outsize him pretty soon. He thinks he’s one of them.”

Lady joined them and got into the dog bed, lying down for the puppies to nurse. “I don’t think they’re going to be nursing much longer. They’re getting big and they need real food. Landry has started feeing them puppy kibble once a day. Lady will decide when she’s done nursing and just quit on them. Then we’ll have to try to find homes for them.”

Mallory picked up a puppy and cuddled him. “I guess that’s going to happen to me, too.”

“Are you worried about that, honey?”

“A little bit. I’d kind of like to just stay with Ali’s family. I know them, they’re nice, they like me, but...” She shrugged. “There’s a lot of kids. I don’t think there’s room. Maybe not enough food or something.”

“What did Mel say?”

“She said I don’t need to worry because she’s going to keep an eye on me and everything.” She kissed the puppy’s soft fur. “I’m a little scared of going to some house I’ve never been to with people I don’t know. I hope I don’t have to do that.”