“I would be scared of that, too.”

Kaylee changed the subject and asked Mallory when was the last time she’d been to the library. It turned out it had been weeks, which made absolute sense because her mother had been very sick, died, there’d been a funeral, there were probably details with the house and furnishings. “Maybe we can go next Saturday,” she said. “Would you like me to take you?”

“Well, yes, but I’m not sure where I’m going to be,” she said, and Kaylee could see the poor thing was feeling all uprooted, confused and worried.

“I will find you, no problem. And I’ll take you.”

They sat on the floor by the puppy pen and held them one at a time, including Tux, then put them back. They talked about books because of course Kaylee had looked up the most appropriate books for well-read ten-year-old girls. Mallory was very interested in how long it took Kaylee to write a book.

Then Mallory said, “When did your mother die?”

“It’s been a year now. Almost a year.”

“Do you cry every day?”

She shook her head. “Not anymore,” she said. “At first, when it was new and hurt so much, I cried a lot. But my mom used to always say, ‘A good cry will help you clean out the pipes so you can breathe easier.’ Sometimes it felt like I needed it. You know?”

“I know. And I dream about her,” Mallory said.

“So do I! Sometimes it feels real!”

“I think it is sometimes!” Mallory said. “When I’m older I’m going to write a book about a girl whose mother dies and she comes to her in dreams.”

“That would be a wonderful book,” Kaylee said. “We’re going to have a good time looking for books.” And she thought, This little girl needs an iPad for books and movies and pictures. In fact, she probably needed a lot of things. What she had started out thinking could be an experiment was growing in her mind, and she was bonding with her over the loss of their mothers.

She asked Mallory to tell her all about her mother and the girl did, talking about when her mother was working at a motel in Fortuna. “She was a manager,” Mallory said proudly. “She was the boss of people.” And on she went, describing her mother’s beautiful long hair, her exercise suits that she wore to yoga, her friends from work and her friends from the neighborhood. She had a grandma when she was little, but she passed away. “I don’t like when they call it ‘passed,’” she said. “I think when they die they die and they wait for you to come later.”

“Much later,” Kaylee said. She felt that her mother, however, had definitely passed. Or maybe slipped away. Quietly and with so little fanfare. 11:04.

Before long, she looked at her watch. It had been two hours. “If you want to see some of Landry’s pots and his statues, we better go. I don’t think Mel plans to be here all day.”

They visited Landry, and Mallory loved the idea of playing with the clay and painting and molding. He showed her some of his molding tools and demonstrated. Then he showed her a pot that had just come out of the kiln. He explained the danger of the super-hot kiln and the blow torch, and she held her hands tight in front of her, careful not to touch anything.

When she took Mallory back to her little house next door, she broached the subject that had been on her mind for days. “I have an idea and if it doesn’t sound perfect, you should say so. I have a spare room in this little house. It has no furniture in it, but there is plenty of room for your things if you think you’d like to come and stay with me.”

“Just for a little while?” Mallory asked. “Like with Ali next door?”

Kaylee smiled. “At least through Christmas, so you can be here in your town, near your friends and your school, until the right place is found. We can play it by ear; it can last longer if we like it. I want you to always have choices. If it doesn’t feel right, you should tell me. Or Mel. But I have a feeling you’re going to like it. Let’s try it through Christmas and New Year’s. We should try to have a nice Christmas for our mothers. If you want to.”

“Does Landry say it’s okay?”

“Absolutely. I asked him first. This is his property and it’s where he grew up. I thought maybe we could help each other get through that hard part of losing our mothers. And we can do it with trips to the library, watching movies, reading together and training the dogs. Lady is very well behaved but she could use a little training. We’ll have our friends nearby. Your friends are welcome to come over, too. You might want to invite some of them.”

“Do you want me to stay with you?” she asked.

Kaylee nodded. “I do. I think you’re very good company. But the most important thing is if you want to. If you don’t, I understand. This is a tough time of year for some people.”

“I could try it,” she said. “I could see Landry make pots.”

“And if you ever feel uncomfortable, you can call me,” Mel said. “I can always think of something. Your mom asked me to look out for you and I promised I would.”

“I think this would be okay,” she said.

“Then Landry will bring your bedroom furniture from your house and put it in the spare bedroom. And we can start to dream up what kind of things we want to cook and bake for the holidays, and I bet you’d like to do some shopping. I think we’re going to be very busy.”

“Will we bake cookies and things?”

“Would you like to?” Kaylee asked. “I have to admit, I haven’t had much practice...”

Mallory gave her an impatient look. “If you follow the directions, it comes out good. If you cheat the directions, not so much.”

“I’ll be sure to remember that,” Kaylee said.

* * *

If there was one thing Kaylee hadn’t expected, it was how the people in Virgin River, her new friends, responded when they heard the news that she’d taken in Mallory. The generosity they displayed was unimaginable. It was almost as if they were showing their appreciation. Jack was probably responsible for getting the word out because he and Mike and Preacher helped Landry move Mallory’s bedroom furniture the very next morning. Mallory spent one more night with Ali until then.

Kelly Holbrook brought over a large basket of scrumptious baked goods, and Jillian brought some squash and onions and peppers from her winter garden. Paige and Preacher hand-delivered a large basket of brisket and salmon, prepped for the freezer, for their future meals together. Vanessa and Paul brought two pies and a dozen cookies, which was a lifesaver because Kaylee’s first attempt at baking Christmas cookies didn’t go that well. Then there were many packages left on the porch with no card. There were gifts of banana, zucchini and cranberry breads and a tray of cinnamon rolls. Not only were the gifts of food plentiful and in a great variety, there were other gifts—hand-stitched Christmas place mats and napkins, garland left decorating the front porch rail, a wreath for the door and a holiday basket filled with ornaments.

“I guess we’ll have to put up a tree,” Kaylee said.

“That shouldn’t be too hard since we live in a forest,” Landry said.

Kaylee called her father and surprised him by inviting him to Christmas Eve dinner. “Really?” he asked. “Of course I’d like to come! What can I bring? Where should I reserve a room?”

“Life has become very interesting here,” she explained. “I’m fostering a little girl who just lost her mother, she’s ten, and she’s staying with me. Landry said you can have his room.”

“Where is Landry going to stay?” Howard asked.

“I’m sure I can make room for him somewhere in my little house, but he has the larger dining room and kitchen, so we’ll be cooking there.”

“I guess things are progressing nicely,” Howard said.

“There’s a gathering in the town at Jack’s Bar and it spills out around the tree. I hear there’s food, drink, carol singing and in general a town party. I’m told it usually starts around six when the sun goes down and the tree lights up. Can you get here early enough for that?”

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

The week leading up to Christmas was consumed with volunteer duties. Mallory decided she was ready to go back to school and that freed Kaylee to shop and help with the food baskets. Every evening she read with Mallory and it thrilled her. Since all her books were back in Newport, she downloaded the first book in the Harry Potter series and if Mallory enjoyed it, she’d buy her the set. But for now, having this sweet little girl tucked up next to her, the two of them taking turns reading every other page, was sheer bliss.

Kaylee could see that when children suffered a loss like this, they could be resilient, at least in the moment. Mallory could be easily distracted by the puppies or other children, laughing and playing one moment and then a bit later, morose and feeling a little lonely. Kaylee was there for her when her spirits were down.

Every day was packed with activity. Every evening Kaylee was busy getting dinner ready or spending time with Mallory. Most nights the dogs joined them for at least a little while until one the puppies made a mess. Kaylee found that Lady curled up beside her, leaning against her, as if Lady had chosen Kaylee as her everything.

Not only had she gone over to the coast to do a little shopping, but Landry had run a few errands for her as well so that Santa would not miss this house. There were gifts wrapped and hidden at Landry’s house, ready to be put under the tree.

In the dark of night when Kaylee and Landry held each other, they whispered about the turn of events. “I never would have seen this coming,” Landry said. “I’m glad you decided to bring Mallory home.”

“How could I not?” she asked. “I know exactly how she must be feeling.”

“And for you, this whole idea of ignoring Christmas seems to have changed focus,” he said. “You’re the kindest person I know. I fall more deeply in love with you every day.”