As her eyes adjusted to the dark, her gaze darted from one familiar object to another. From the bedroom door where her housecoat hung on a hook to the dresser top with the silver mirror and brush set Jerry had given her on their tenth anniversary.
“Vaughn.” His name was a broken whisper, and she realized that she couldn’t remember what he looked like. His face, so well loved, refused to come. Strain as she might, she couldn’t see him. Panic descended, and she tossed aside the blankets and slid out of bed. It wasn’t her son’s image that filled her mind, but the face of another young man. Another Vaughn.
Vaughn Kyle.
“Of course,” she whispered, clutching the bedpost. Leaning against it, she heaved a deep, quivering sigh and climbed back into bed.
Wrapping the quilt around her, she tucked her arm beneath her pillow and closed her eyes. Yes, it made sense that she’d dream of Vaughn that night. Her Vaughn. It also made sense that it was Vaughn Kyle’s face she now saw. After all, she’d spent much of the day with him.
Barbara and Rick had done a good job raising him. Vaughn was a fine man, honest and genuine, sensitive yet forthright. She was grateful she’d had the opportunity to meet him before she died.
Giving him the gold watch had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. It was the one possession of Jerry’s she’d held back from Valerie and her two granddaughters. Valerie lived in Hawaii and although they were close, they rarely visited each other. Hassie had flown to the island once, but all those tourists and hordes of people had made her nervous. Not only that, she wasn’t comfortable in planes, and the long flight made her nervous. A few years back, after a scare with Hassie’s heart, Valerie had flown out to spend time with her, but had soon grown bored and restless.
Hassie didn’t think Val’s daughters, Alison and Charlotte, would have much interest in their grandfather’s watch. But it was precious to her, so she’d kept it.
She knew when she pressed the watch into Vaughn’s palm that this was the right thing to do. He looked as if he was about to argue with her, but he didn’t and she was glad. Still, his hesitation told her more clearly than any words that he understood the significance of her gift.
Warm once more, Hassie stretched out her legs, enjoying the feel of the sheets against her bare skin. She smiled, remembering the exchange she’d witnessed between Carrie and Vaughn Kyle last night. She hoped something came of it. After her divorce Carrie was understandably wary about relationships, but Hassie felt confident that Vaughn would never intentionally do anything to hurt her.
* * *
“Can’t something be done?” Carrie asked, pacing in front of Heath Quantrill’s polished wood desk. As the president of Buffalo Valley Bank, he just might know of some way to stop Value-X from moving into town. In the past day or so, news of the retailer’s plans had spread through town faster than an August brushfire. Carrie had first heard of it that morning. She suspected Hassie knew and had been protecting her; she also suspected there’d been rumors last night, but she’d been too involved with Vaughn to notice.
Heath’s frown darkened. It went without saying that he wasn’t any happier about this than she was. “I’m sorry, Carrie, but Ambrose Kohn is a difficult man to deal with. The town council has spoken to him several times. Hassie tried and I did, too, but he isn’t willing to listen.”
“You knew before this morning?” she fired back. “Hassie, too?” That was what she thought—and it explained a great deal. Hassie just hadn’t been herself lately, but every inquiry was met with denial.
Heath nodded.
“Doesn’t Mr. Kohn realize what he’s doing?” Carrie found it hard to believe he could be so callous toward the town.
“He knows all too well.”
“People have a right to know that the entire future of our town is at risk.” She could only imagine what would happen to her father’s store if Value-X set up shop.
Heath obviously agreed with her. “Hassie suggested we keep this under wraps until after Christmas, and the rest of the council decided to go along with her. I don’t know how the news leaked.” He scowled and rolled his gold pen between flat palms.
Delaying the bad news changed nothing. This morning at breakfast her father had announced what he’d learned. He was already alternating between depression and panic. He’d heard it from Joanie Wyatt at the treelighting ceremony. The Wyatts had sent away for stock information, and Joanie had read over a prospectus; she’d seen that Buffalo Valley was listed as a possible expansion site. She’d immediately phoned Buffalo Bob, who’d reluctantly confirmed it.
“Nothing’s been signed yet,” Heath said, as though that should make her feel better. It didn’t.
She glanced at her watch, wishing she had more time to get all this straight in her mind. Although she was eager to meet Vaughn at the Columbia Mall as promised, she wasn’t in the mood for Christmas activities. Not with this Value-X problem hanging over all their heads.
“Have you talked to anyone at the corporate office?” she asked.
Heath nodded.
“They weren’t interested in listening, were they?” Heath’s disheartened look was answer enough. “It’s progress, right?”
“Right,” Heath muttered. “Listen, I’ve got a meeting in ten minutes. I’m sorry, Carrie. I know what this will mean for your father’s business and Knight’s Pharmacy, too. I’m doing the best I can.”
“Can’t you buy the property yourself?”
“I approached Kohn about that, but...”
“He won’t sell it to you?” Carrie asked in an outraged voice.
“Let’s say he’d love a bidding war—one I’d be sure to lose.” Heath stood and retrieved his overcoat from a closet.
Her gaze pleaded with his. “You’ve got to find a way to keep Value-X out of Buffalo Valley.”
“Kohn hasn’t heard the last of this,” Heath promised as he escorted her out of the bank.
Carrie accompanied him to his four-wheel-drive vehicle.
“Is there anything I can do?” she asked, feeling the need to act.
Heath shook his head as he opened his car door. “Don’t worry, Carrie, this isn’t over yet. Not by a long shot.”
All Carrie could do was trust that, somehow or other, he’d convince Ambrose Kohn to be reasonable.
The drive into Grand Forks passed in a fog. Burdened by the news, Carrie was surprised when the two lanes widened to four as she reached the outskirts of the big city.
Vaughn was waiting for her inside the mall at a coffee shop they’d designated as their meeting place. He stood as she approached. She was struck again by what an attractive man he was. Her ex-husband had been attractive, too, but Alec’s good looks had belied his selfish, arrogant nature. She’d learned, the hard way, that a handsome face proved nothing about the inner man. No, handsome is as handsome does, her grandma always said. Which made Vaughn Kyle very handsome, indeed.
He’d been so gentle and caring with Hassie. He’d spent time with her, listened to her talk about her son. Carrie marveled at his patience and his good humor and the respect he seemed to genuinely feel for Hassie and for the town. When he’d asked her to meet him in Grand Forks to help him finish his shopping, she’d agreed. It’d been a long, long time since a man had impressed her as much as Vaughn Kyle.
“Thanks for coming,” he said now.
Although it was relatively early, the mall was already frantic. With exactly a week left before Christmas, the entire population of Grand Forks had apparently decided to cram itself inside.
“The only person I still need to buy for is my mother,” he told her, looking around as though he already regretted this.
“What about perfume?” Carrie wasn’t feeling too inspired, either.
“She’s allergic to a lot of those scents.”
“Okay, how about...” Carrie proceeded to rattle off several other
suggestions, all of which he categorically dismissed for one reason or another.
“Do you have any more ideas?” he asked, looking desperate.
“Not yet, but we might stumble across something while we’re here.”
Vaughn sighed. “That doesn’t sound promising.” He glanced around. “How about if we find a quiet restaurant and discuss it over lunch?”
He didn’t need to ask twice. She was as anxious to get away from the crowds as he was. They found an Italian place Joanie and Brandon Wyatt had once recommended and were seated almost immediately. Sitting at their table with its red-and-white-checkered tablecloth, Carrie could see why her friends liked it here. The casual atmosphere was perfect. If the food was half as good as the smells wafting from the kitchen, she was in for a treat.
Carrie quickly made her decision and closed the menu. Lowering her gaze, she pushed thoughts of Value-X from her mind for the umpteenth time. Her worries kept intruding on the pleasant day she was hoping to have.
“You’d better tell me,” Vaughn said. His hand reached for hers and he gently squeezed it. “Something’s wrong.”
Apparently she hadn’t done a very good job of hiding her concerns. Rather than blurt everything out, she stared down at the tablecloth for a long moment.
“We learned this morning that Value-X is considering Buffalo Valley as a possible site,” she finally said. “Apparently they’ve already negotiated for a piece of land. I don’t need to tell you what that’ll do to our community.”
“It might be a good thing,” he said slowly. “Try to think positive.”
“If this is progress, we don’t want anything to do with it,” she muttered. Vaughn couldn’t possibly understand. She was sorry she’d brought up the subject. “We happen to like our town just the way it is.”
“It isn’t that—”
“We’re going to fight it,” she said confidently.
“How?” Vaughn asked. “Isn’t that a little like David fighting Goliath?”
“Perhaps, but like David, you can bet we aren’t going to idly sit by and do nothing.” Already plans had started to form in her mind. “Other communities have succeeded. We can, too.”
“You’re serious about this?”
“Damn straight I am.”
“Don’t you think you’re overlooking the positive aspects of a company like Value-X opening a store in Buffalo Valley? They have a lot to offer.”
Carrie glared at him. “You don’t get it, do you?”
“I guess not. Help me understand.” Vaughn leaned back in his chair, his expression serious.
“Value-X will ruin everything. We don’t want it, we don’t need it.” Carrie struggled to keep her voice even.
Vaughn studied her. “I imagine you’re a formidable opponent when you put your mind to something.”
“It isn’t only me,” she told him. “The entire town is up in arms. We haven’t come this far to let some heartless enterprise wipe out all our efforts.”
Vaughn frowned. “Value-X will mean the end of Knight’s Pharmacy, won’t it?”
That was only the beginning as far as Carrie could tell. “And AceMan Hardware.” She ran one finger across the tines of the fork. “The only business I can’t see it affecting is the Buffalo Valley Quilting Company.” Carrie shot him a look and wondered why she hadn’t thought of this earlier. “That’s it!”
“What is?”
“A quilt. It’s the perfect Christmas gift for your mother.”
Vaughn didn’t appear convinced. “A quilt?”
“They’re special. Hand-sewn, and you could go traditional or innovative.”
“How much are they?”
“I don’t know the full range of prices,” she said, “but if the quilt is more than you want to spend, there’re table runners and place mats and lap robes.”
“Hmm.” The idea seemed to take hold. “That does sound like a gift she’d enjoy.”
“I’m sure she would,” Carrie said. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of it earlier.”
“So how do I go about this?”
“If you don’t want to drive back to Buffalo Valley so soon, I could choose one for you,” she offered.
“Perhaps Mom should pick it out herself.”
“Great idea—and I know Hassie would love to see her.”
“I think it would do my mother a world of good to renew her friendship with Hassie.”
The waitress arrived and took their orders. Seafood linguine for her, lasagna for him. And a glass of red wine for each. “Hey, it’s Christmas,” Vaughn said with a grin.
He took his cell phone from his jacket and flipped it open. Within seconds, he had his mother on the line.
“What about tomorrow?” he asked, looking at Carrie.
“I’m sure that’ll be fine.”
“Hassie will be there, won’t she?”
Carrie nodded. “She’s scheduled to work in the morning, but she has the afternoon free. I’ll cover for her, if need be.”
He relayed the information to his mother, then ended the conversation and slid the phone back inside his jacket. Smiling at her, he said, “Thanks, Carrie.”
A warm feeling came over her, and once again she lowered her gaze. Vaughn Kyle—kind to old women and a thoughtful son. He was exciting and he was interesting and he made her heart beat furiously. She could only regret that he was heading back to Seattle so soon after Christmas.
Four
“I suppose you heard,” Hassie said when Leta Betts came bustling into the pharmacy late in the afternoon. The word about Value-X had filtered through Buffalo Valley, and the town was rife with speculation. Nearly everyone she knew had stopped by to talk it over with her, as though she had a solution to this perplexing problem.
“I don’t like it,” Leta muttered, walking behind the counter of the soda fountain and pulling out a well-used teapot. “Want me to make you a cup?”
“Please.” Hassie had filled prescriptions all afternoon, between interruptions, and she was ready for a break. She’d known that Leta would come by at some point; fortunately, there was a lull just now, which made it a good time to talk to her dearest friend.
“Where’s Carrie?” Leta found two mugs and set them on the counter.
“It’s her day off.”
“I heard she went to see Heath.”
Hassie had heard about that, as well. Carrie had a good heart and cared about this community with the same intensity as Hassie did. Once Carrie received her Pharm.D., Hassie had planned to turn the business over to her. That was before the threat of Value-X, however. If that threat became a reality, Hassie couldn’t sell the pharmacy, not in good conscience. In all likelihood the place would be out of business within a year after the big retailer moved in.
“It’s a shame, you know,” Leta murmured. She dragged a chair closer to the counter and perched on the seat. Leaning forward, she braced her elbows on the edge, sighing deeply. “Who’d have thought something like this would ever happen?”
Hassie shook her head helplessly. She’d worked so hard to save this town. And now, even if oblivion wasn’t to be its fate, a corporation like Value-X could make Buffalo Valley unrecognizable, could turn it into something that bore no resemblance to the place it had been. The place it should be.
“What are we going to do?” Leta asked.
Hassie sat next to her and assumed the same slouched pose. Leta was her friend and employee, and there wasn’t anything Hassie couldn’t tell her. But this situation with the conglomerate had her poleaxed. She was at her wit’s end. “I don’t know,” she admitted.
“We’ll think of something,” Leta insisted, and poured tea into the mugs. She set one in front of Hassie and then added a teaspoon of sugar to her own.
“Not this time,” Hassie said as she reached for the mug, letting it war
m her hands. She was too old and too tired. A few years back she’d fought for her town with determination and ingenuity, but this new war would have to be waged by someone else. She’d done her part.
“This was how we both felt when we learned Lindsay had decided to return to Atlanta, remember?” Leta prodded.
As though Hassie would ever forget. At the last minute Leta’s son, Gage, had realized he’d be making the worst mistake of his life if he let Lindsay leave without telling her how much he loved her. As a result, Lindsay had not only stayed on as a high-school teacher, she’d married Gage. Leta was a grandmother twice over, thanks to the young couple.
“Value-X is too powerful for me.” A bit of research had revealed that the retailer was accustomed to exactly this kind of local resistance. They had their battle plans worked out to the smallest detail. Hassie remembered from the television exposé that the company had a legal team, as well as public-relations people, all of them experts at squelching opposition. Hassie knew the town council couldn’t afford any high-priced attorneys to plead their case. Even if they banded together, they were no match for the company’s corporate attorneys. They were cutthroat, they’d seen it all, done it all. According to the documentary, they’d won in the majority of their cases. Like it or not, Value-X simply overran a community.
“We can’t give up,” Leta insisted. She glared at Hassie, as though waiting for some of the old fight to surface.
It wouldn’t, though. Not anymore. Slowly Hassie lowered her gaze, refusing to meet her friend’s eyes. “It’s a lost cause,” she murmured.
“This doesn’t sound like you, Hassie.”
“No,” she agreed, glancing at her tired reflection in the mirror above the soda fountain, “but it won’t matter that much if I lose the pharmacy.”
Leta’s jaw sagged open. “Wh-what—”
“I should’ve retired years ago. The only reason I held on as long as I did is the community needs a pharmacy and—”
“What about Carrie?”
Hassie had been so pleased and grateful when Carrie had come to work as an intern. This was what she’d always wanted for the pharmacy. Years ago she’d expected her son to take over, but Vietnam had robbed her of that dream. The hopelessness of the situation settled squarely over her heart.
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