A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber Page A

“I’ll heat you up some.”
    Now that Grace mentioned it, Mary Jo realized she really could use something to eat; she was getting light-headed again. “Cliff cooks?” Her brothers were practically helpless around the kitchen and it always surprised her to find a man who enjoyed cooking.
    “I am a man of many talents,” Grace’s husband was quick to answer. “I was a bachelor for years before I met Grace.”
    “If I didn’t prepare meals, my brothers would survive on fast food and frozen entrées,” she said, grinning. Thankfully her mother had taught her quite a bit before her death. The brothers had relied on Mary Jo for meals ever since.
    The thought of Linc, Mel and Ned made her anxious. She’d meant to call, but then she’d fallen asleep and now…they could be anywhere. They’d be furious and frightened. She felt a blast of guilt; her brothers might be misguided but they loved her.
    “If you’ll excuse me a moment,” she said urgently. “I need to make a phone call.”
    “Of course,” Grace told her. “Would you like to use the house phone?”
    She shook her head. “No, I have my cell up in the apartment. It’ll only take a few minutes.”
    “You might have a problem with coverage. Try it and see. By the time you return, the tea and soup will be ready.”
    Mary Jo went back to the barn and up the stairs to the small apartment. She was breathless when she reached the top and paused to gulp in some air. Her pulse was racing. This had never happened before. Trying to stay calm, she walked into the bedroom where she’d left her purse.
    Sitting on the bed, she got out her cell. She tried the family home first. But the call didn’t connect, and when Mary Jo glanced at the screen, she saw there wasn’t any coverage in this area. Well, that settled that.
    She did feel bad but there was no help for it. She’d ask to make a long-distance call on the Hardings’ phone, and she’d try Linc’s cell, as well as the house. She collected her coat and gloves and hurried back to the house.
    A few minutes later, she was in the kitchen. As Grace had promised, the tea and a bowl of soup were waiting for her on the table.
    Mary Jo hesitated. She really hated to ask, hated to feel even more beholden. “If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate using your phone.”
    “Of course.”
    “It’s long distance, I’m afraid. I’d be happy to pay the charges. You could let me know—”
    “Nonsense,” Grace countered. “One phone call isn’t going to make a bit of difference to our bill.”
    “Thank you.” Still wearing her coat, Mary Jo went over to the wall phone, then remembered that Linc’s number was programmed into her cell. Speed dial made it unnecessary to memorize numbers these days, she thought ruefully.
    She’d have to go back to the apartment a second time. Well, there was no help for that, either. “I’ll need to get my cell phone,” she said.
    “I can have Cliff get it for you,” Grace offered. “I’m not sure you should be climbing those stairs too often.”
    “Oh, no, I’m fine,” Mary Jo assured her. She walked across the yard, grateful the snow had tapered off, and back up the steep flight of stairs, pausing as she had before to inhale deeply and calm her racing heart. Taking another breath, she went in search of her cell.
    On the off chance the phone might work in a different location, Mary Jo stood on the Hardings’ porch and tried again. And again she received the same message. No coverage.
    Cell phone in hand, she returned to the kitchen.
    “I’ll make the call as quickly as I can,” she told Grace, lifting the receiver off the hook.
    “You talk as long as you need,” Grace told her. “And here, let me take your coat.”
    She found Linc’s contact information in her cell phone’s directory and dialed his number. After a few seconds, the call connected and went straight to voice mail. Linc, it appeared, had decided to turn off his cell. Mary Jo wasn’t sure what to make of