by Amanda Cabot
“It is,” Marisa agreed. “Before you know it, you’ll get to be a flower girl.”
For the first time, Fiona frowned. “Yeah, but Christmas comes first. I’m worried, Aunt Marisa. I don’t have a present for Daddy Drew.”
“I’m sure your mother will take you shopping.”
Fiona shook her head, setting her braids to swinging. “She said she already bought something from both of us. That’s not right. I want Daddy Drew to have something special just from me.” Fiona’s eyes brimmed with tears as she looked up. “Can you help me?”
Marisa hesitated, remembering Lauren’s story of Fiona’s determination to make penuche for her father one Christmas and what a disaster that had been. “What did you have in mind?”
“Socks. Special socks. Not the kind you can buy here or at Walmart.”
As memories of the goat farm flashed through Marisa’s brain, she smiled. “I know just the place. As soon as we finish breakfast, you’re going to buy Daddy Drew the best socks he’s ever owned.”
And while they were there, Marisa was going to make a purchase of her own: a certain blue scarf and matching sweater for Eric.
32
This is the coolest thing I ever saw.” Fiona stroked the side of the ark, as if she somehow believed the painted hippopotamus peeking through the window was real.
The school grounds, which had been designated as the staging area for the parade, were growing crowded when Drew dropped Fiona off at the curb, but though vehicles queued behind him, he waited until Marisa reached her before he left. It might be six weeks until the wedding, but Daddy Drew was taking his parental responsibilities seriously, and both Lauren and Fiona were flourishing as the result of his love.
Though Fiona had chattered about what seemed like a hundred different things as she and Marisa had walked to the ark, her conversation became narrowly focused when they reached the Rainbow’s End float. She oohed and aahed over the ark, unaware that a month ago it had been nothing more than a large wooden box. Eric had worked wonders with it, somehow managing to make it appear that the sides and ends were curved.
“Alice can’t believe you’re gonna let us ride in it.”
Biting back a smile at the girl’s enthusiasm, Marisa forced a deadpan tone to her voice. “We needed two porcupines, and I hate to say this, but there’s something pretty prickly about you and Alice.”
Fiona gasped then giggled. “You’re just kidding, Aunt Marisa. I know you.”
“And I know you—prickly to the core.” She bent her head and pretended to study Fiona’s neck. “Aren’t those quills I see there?”
“No way!” But Fiona had taken the bait and rubbed her neck to convince herself there was nothing odd on her skin. Fiona was still rubbing her neck when Alice arrived, trailed by her mother.
Susan Kozinski gave Marisa a warm smile. “I can’t thank you enough for including Alice in this. It’s all she’s talked about for the last week. Bert and I are thrilled that we have a reprieve from the ‘why won’t Santa bring me a puppy?’ refrain.” Susan’s smile widened. “Those animals are a great substitute for a live one.”
Marisa wrinkled her nose as she watched the two girls petting the painted animals one last time before they followed Kate to the costuming area.
“I’m beginning to think we created a monster.”
“Not at all.” Susan shook her head. “You gave everyone another reason to watch the parade. It’s good to have a new float, especially one that’s as nice as this.”
“That’s what Kate and Greg thought.” The seed of the idea had been planted when they’d attended the Independence Day parade, but it might not have germinated had it not been for Eric. Kate had admitted that he was the one who’d lobbied for it, insisting he could finish the float in time for the Christmas celebrations.
Susan looked around the grounds, her eyes narrowing as she studied a couple other floats. “It seems the rumors are true. I’d heard that some of the others were going to spruce up their floats. They didn’t want to be overshadowed by Rainbow’s End.”
Since she hadn’t been to a Dupree parade in eight years, Marisa had no way of knowing which floats had changed, but the word rumor triggered a memory. “The rumor I heard is that your son is going to wear swaddling clothes tonight.”
A frown was Susan’s response. “That had been the plan. Bert and I couldn’t say no when the church committee asked us. After all, it’s a Dupree tradition that if there’s a baby under six months old in town, he or she plays Jesus. We were all set, but Liam’s been throwing up since early morning.”
“Oh no.” No wonder Susan looked slightly harried.
“Doc Santos assures me it’s nothing serious, but a sick baby would not make for a very pleasant manger scene. Fortunately, my mother volunteered to stay with Liam so Bert and I can watch Alice’s moment of glory.”
A wide grin split Susan’s face as two familiar figures pranced toward them. “There they are, Dupree’s prettiest porcupines.”
Pretty wasn’t the word Marisa would have used. Odd or even bizarre seemed more appropriate. Like all of the costumes for the Rainbow’s End float, the girls’ consisted of only enough porcupine to cover their head and shoulders. Below the dark brown head, Fiona’s red sweatshirt and jeans were clearly visible, as were the split pant leg that accommodated her now colorfully painted cast and two mismatched socks. Alice’s outfit was slightly less jarring, because she wore a navy sweatshirt and socks. Despite—or perhaps because of—their unusual costumes, the girls were hopping up and down in a decidedly unporcupinelike manner.
“Marisa,” Kate called from the other side of the ark. “Time to get ready.”
Nodding, Marisa bade Susan farewell. “The next time you see me, I’ll be masquerading as a dove.”
“Have fun.”
“I expect we will.”
Five minutes later, Marisa was in the float with the others. Kate and Greg were dressed as giraffes, Mom and Eric as elephants. In addition to them and the porcupine girls were Marisa and one of the teenagers who waited tables as the ark’s doves. Knowing that the sides of the float would cover most of their bodies, Kate had ordered the half costumes, but now that they were inside, Marisa wondered if that had been a mistake. It was clear that Fiona and Alice wanted to wave at their friends. Unfortunately, if they did, their sweatshirt-clad arms would destroy the illusion.
“You can pretend you’re royalty and simply nod,” Marisa told the girls.
“But even the queen does that little wave,” Fiona whined, giving a surprisingly good imitation of Britain’s monarch.
“Not tonight, Queen Fiona. Your subjects don’t want to see red arms.”
“Okay.” It was a grudging acceptance, but with the mercurial change of mood that was so common for her, a second later, Fiona was nudging Alice and giggling.
“We’ll have the porcupines and elephants on the left side, doves and giraffes on the right,” Kate announced.
Marisa nodded. It was just as well. She wanted—no, she needed—to talk to Eric, but this was neither the time nor the place. They needed privacy and plenty of time. Marisa suspected she would also need a box of Kleenex.
After the parade ended and Fiona was back home with Lauren, Marisa would drive to Rainbow’s End. Eric had been busy all day, putting the finishing touches on the float, but once his masterpiece was safely in the garage, there would be time for Marisa to say everything that was in her heart. For now, she would enjoy the parade.
Within minutes, the ark had taken its place in the queue, and the parade had begun. One of the things Marisa had always enjoyed about life in Dupree was the way almost everyone in town participated in community events like the Independence Day and Christmas parades. If residents weren’t riding on a float or marching, they lined the streets as spectators, cheering on those who had a more active role.
The high school band marched, followed by the cheer squad, who paused at each intersection to give onlookers a sample of their repert
oire. Various organizations sponsored floats. The police chief rode in an antique cruiser, and not to be outdone, the fire department drove its largest engine, with four firefighters ready to give spectators the waves that Fiona and Alice could not.
Though the shopkeepers on Pecan Street did not have a float, Lauren and Samantha planned to stand in front of their stores, serving cookies to paradegoers, while Russ Walker handed out cups of coffee and hot chocolate at the Sit ‘n’ Sip. The parade created a party-like atmosphere that brought the community together.
Marisa stood next to Kate, laughing at the residents’ reactions when they heard the sounds coming from the ark. Though other floats played Christmas music, Greg had insisted that Rainbow’s End’s float be true to its theme, and so they had a soundtrack of animal sounds.
The donkeys’ braying and the elephants’ trumpeting made spectators laugh. Or perhaps they were laughing at the fact that this ark defied natural law, and doves were almost as large as giraffes, with porcupines only marginally smaller than elephants. No one seemed to care. What mattered was that Rainbow’s End was once again a vital part of the community.
It was the perfect evening for a parade, cool but not cold, clear skies with a half moon, only a light breeze. Fiona and Alice squealed with delight when they passed by friends but somehow remembered to keep their arms at their sides. Marisa smiled. This was an evening both girls would long remember. And so would she. Even though they hadn’t spoken, Marisa had given her father a warm smile and had seen first his surprise, then his delight. The best was yet to come.
As the parade made its way at its traditional snail’s pace, Marisa sniffed, then sniffed again. It was difficult to be sure, since the mask blocked much of her face, but she thought she smelled wood smoke. Someone must be using their fireplace tonight. Though almost everyone in Dupree came out for the parade, there were always a few—the bedridden and the curmudgeons—who stayed home.
The parade continued, following its traditional route from the park, east on Avenue N, south on Maple past the fire department and the bowling alley, west on H, and then north on Pecan back to the park. Altogether it was less than two miles, but those were two miles of pure excitement for the porcupine girls. Marisa heard their exuberant cries each time the float rounded a corner.
The ark was traveling west on H when Alice’s cries of delight faded and she began to scream, her voice filled with panic.
“My house! My house is on fire!”
“You didn’t need to do this, Blake.”
He smiled at the petite woman whose auburn hair bore no trace of silver. Hilary was looking around the dining room of the small restaurant that had the reputation for serving the best steaks in three counties. “It’s my pleasure. I consider it a small thank-you for your potato salad and a big thank-you for making my dad so happy. He’s a lucky man to have you in his life.”
Blake had liked Hilary from the moment he met her. With a ready smile and startling green eyes, she seemed years younger than the sixty-two Dad had told him was her true age. And watching the two of them together had only reinforced Blake’s belief that this was the woman his dad was meant to marry.
“I’m the lucky one,” Hilary countered. “I never thought I’d find someone like Gus.”
Dad laid his hand on Hilary’s. “That’s enough. Blake doesn’t want to spend the evening with two love-struck seniors.”
“Actually, I do.” It was heartwarming to see such a happy couple. “I want to get to know the lovely lady who’s going to be my stepmother.” Dad had proposed to Hilary last night, and they’d chosen her ring this morning. That was one reason Blake had insisted on taking them to dinner tonight: he wanted them to have an engagement party.
“There’s not much to tell,” Hilary said, giving Dad another of those smiles that announced she was as smitten as he.
“You taught school for forty years,” Blake told her. “There must be a story or two in there.”
There were. They were all laughing at one of Hilary’s more amusing anecdotes when Blake felt a chill run down his spine. He blinked, trying to dismiss the feeling that something was terribly wrong, but it only intensified. He closed his eyes for a second, and as he did, Marisa’s face flashed before him.
“She needs me.”
Marisa raced to the other side of the float and stared, horrified by the billows of smoke coming from the Hickory View apartments. This must have been what she’d smelled before. The north wind, even though it was little more than a light breeze, had carried the majority of the smoke away from town, leaving only a slight odor to waft toward the parade route. That and the fact that almost everyone in town was watching the parade explained why the fire had not been noticed before.
“My brother’s there!” Alice shrieked, her voice filled with panic. “Liam’s there!”
As Marisa remembered Susan Kozinski saying that her mother was caring for the sick baby, her heart began to pound. Surely Liam’s grandmother had gotten him to safety, but if she had, why hadn’t she called 911?
Marisa reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. “Hickory View’s on fire,” she cried when the call went through.
At the same time, she heard Eric shout “Stop!” as he pounded on the truck’s back window. Without waiting to see whether the driver heard him, Eric tossed his costume aside and ran to the tailgate, quickly lowering it and jumping off the ark. A second later, he was sprinting down the street. In the distance, the fire sirens began to wail.
Eric couldn’t go alone. Marisa knew that. He couldn’t stop the fire. Only trained firefighters could. Eric probably thought he could rescue Liam and the grandmother, but he didn’t know which apartment was Alice’s. Ripping off her costume, Marisa leapt from the float and raced toward Eric.
Marisa ran and ran, the five blocks feeling like five miles. She was more than twenty years younger, and she would have said she was in better shape, but no matter how fast she ran, she could not catch Eric. He raced as if his life depended on it, barreling down the street toward the burning building, his longer legs covering the distance faster than Marisa could.
Her legs ached, and the stitch in her side made her want to stop, but she could not.
Where were the fire engines? The sirens were still blaring, but they sounded no closer. She took another stride, trying to catch her breath as she realized what was happening. The fire truck that had been part of the parade was boxed in on Maple Street, unable to turn around. The other engine was probably unable to leave the station because of the crowds lining the street.
It would take less than a minute for the firemen to clear the road so the engines could move safely, but that might be too long. Memories of the fire chief speaking to her high school class and stressing that every second was critical raced through Marisa’s brain.
And still Eric ran. Marisa was less than a block away when she saw him enter the building.
“No!” she screamed as he disappeared into the flames. “No, Daddy, no!”
33
I’m sorry, sir, but the last flight has left.” The airline representative’s voice registered no regret. Not that Blake had expected it. She was doing her job, and whether or not he could reach Marisa made no difference to her. He, on the other hand, was gripping the doorway in an attempt to keep his fear from escalating into panic. Marisa needed him. He knew that. And the fact that he’d been unable to talk to her only deepened his conviction that she was in trouble. That was the reason he was standing in the entry to the restaurant, trying to find a way to get to Texas.
Blake heard the click of keys. “I have one seat left on the early morning flight,” the woman said. “Do you want me to reserve that for you?”
There weren’t a lot of alternatives. Greg or Drew might have chartered a private plane, but Blake was not comfortable on small aircraft. Give him a 747 any day. “What time will that get me to San Antonio?”
After a second’s delay the clerk said, “Ten oh seven, local time.”
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br /> “All right.” Blake recited his credit card number and waited for the confirmation, trying to convince himself that the delay would give him more time to call Marisa and find out his fears had no basis in reality. Worst case, he’d be in Dupree by noon. Marisa would be home from church, probably amused that he’d thought she needed help and that he’d come all that way on a wild goose chase.
Feisty, independent Marisa St. George never needed help. But deep in his heart, Blake didn’t believe that. She needed his help, and more than that, she needed God’s. Even if nothing was wrong—and Blake’s gut told him something was—she needed God to help her with her relationship with her father and the anger that colored so much of her life. Blake began and ended each day with a prayer that Marisa would open her heart to her heavenly Father’s healing, but now she needed more. He said a silent prayer that God would give the woman he loved whatever help she needed.
Shivering slightly as the door opened and another couple entered the restaurant, Blake tapped Marisa’s number. Perhaps this time the call would go through. Once again he got voice mail. Once again he left no message. He’d keep trying, but if he hadn’t reached Marisa by midnight, Blake would arrive on her doorstep and pray that he wasn’t too late.
“Is everything all right, son?” his father asked when Blake returned to the table.
“I don’t know. I can’t reach Marisa.”
It was possible she was ignoring his calls, but that didn’t jibe with the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Though he had tried to convince himself that it was nothing more than his imagination, Blake had failed. Marisa needed him. No one could tell him otherwise. Perhaps it wasn’t rational. Perhaps he should have called Lauren or even Kate to see what they knew, but Blake did not. Whatever was wrong was between him and Marisa and God.
“I hate to do this,” Blake said as he spread the napkin on his lap and cut a piece of the steak that had seemed so delicious a few minutes ago. “I hate to desert you, but I’m going to Texas tomorrow morning.”
