Bring Me Home for Christmas (Virgin River #16)(61)

“I’d be happy to, but they don’t need me. You need me. There must be something I can do.”

There was a moment of silent indecision between the women. “Do you cook?” Paige asked.

“A little bit, I guess.”

“Any favorite dishes you like to make? Can you follow a recipe? We’re not going to have a crowd tonight, but whoever is here is going to have to eat.”

“We might have to stay in town tonight,” Mel said. “I don’t want to risk not being able to get to the clinic. I’ve got a couple of women in advanced pregnancy.” She laughed suddenly. “And nine months from tonight, I’m going to have plenty ready to pop. People can only think of so many ways to entertain themselves during a snowstorm.”

“I can get food together,” Becca said. “I can help in the kitchen.”

“Good,” Paige said. “Because John isn’t going to have a lot of time to cook if he’s delivering food and firewood. And I have to get these care boxes fixed up before I can get in there. Let me get you set up.”

Becca found thawed ground beef in the refrigerator. She boiled potatoes and shredded cheddar for her favorite potato casserole. She found Preacher’s recipe for meat loaf—simple enough. There were frozen and canned vegetables from the local farmers and gardens. She found green beans and thought, if needed, she could throw together a green-bean casserole. Paige promised to help her with desserts after she finished with the care boxes.

Becca began to realize there were a number of things she could have provided—spaghetti and meatballs, homemade mac and cheese, lasagna, stroganoff and noodles…

Every time she heard an increase in noise, talking or laughter in the bar, she pushed open the door to see who had arrived. Ellie and Noah Kincaid came to help; Jo and Nick Fitch arrived. Next, she found Paul Haggerty in the bar, cheeks and nose pink and a big smile on his face, brushing snow off his hands and shoulders. “You’re plowed through to 36,” he announced. “Gimme some hot coffee and I’ll clear the rest of this street for you.”

A while later, she stuck her head into the bar to see a few men she didn’t know laughing and warming up with coffee before getting back out into the weather. Then Jack and Preacher were there, carrying care boxes out to the truck. At almost noon, Denny arrived. He came right in the kitchen, all grins, and swept her up in his cold arms, burying his icy nose in her neck, causing her to eeek! loudly while he laughed.

He set her free. “I’m going to start digging out the car and put chains on the tires. We’re going to have to try to get out of here, get south today. There’s more weather due tonight and if we don’t go now—”

“I can’t,” she said instantly. “I’m busy. If I don’t cook for these people, who knows if they’ll have time to get a meal together!”

“They’ll be fine, honey. Wrap it up and I’ll get you down to the apartment to pack up.”

The phone rang and she automatically reached for it. “I think I have to take a chance on the weather,” she said. Then into the phone, she said, “Jack’s.”

“Hey, Becca, it’s Jack. Get Mel to the phone, will you, sweetheart?”

“Sure, hang on.” She crutched over to the swinging door. “Mel? Jack’s on the phone. He needs you.”

She gave her attention back to Denny. “We might not get on the road exactly when we planned, but it doesn’t matter as long as we get on the road eventually. Right? What if there’s another heavy snowfall and Jillian needs you?”

“I’ve got her squared away. She’s called in her troops to stand by if she needs them. Think about this, Becca, because you said you wanted to be home before Christmas. Christmas Eve is Friday.”

“I bought a couple of presents before Thanksgiving, but other than those, I don’t have a thing,” she said, thinking aloud. “I don’t have anything for you and I’d like it to be a special Christmas.”

He grinned. “You think it won’t be? You don’t need to put a bow on it, baby.”

And then she heard Mel say, “Oh, for Pete’s sake, they should know better than to worry about money when something like this happens! I’ll get right out there.” There was a pause. “No, I’m not waiting for you to come and get me. Cameron and I will come together in the Hummer. Paige will mind the kids. Tell them to get the heat turned up, get the worst one in the steam and I’ll be right there.”

Mel hung up and looked at Denny and Becca. “I’m on my way out to the Thicksons’. They have sick kids with coughs, sore throats and fevers. I hope they didn’t let it go too long.”

“I’m going with you,” Becca said. “That’s little Megan’s house.”

“You can’t, Becca,” Denny said. “You’re on crutches. If there’s a problem, like if Mel got stuck in the snow or something, you’d be a liability.”

“He’s probably right, Becca,” Mel said while she dialed. She spoke quickly to Cameron Michaels, instructing him to pull the Hummer up to the bar so they could go to the Thicksons’ together.

“Then you take me,” she said to Denny. “I need to go. I can’t leave without telling Megan goodbye, anyway. Please?”