Her face lit up. “Oh, my goodness. So great! We’re opening in two weeks. I can’t believe it.”
So, rumors were true. That was great news, because there wasn’t an inn or hotel within miles of Evergreen. Until now. Nice lodging in the area would help everyone.
Ezra did that weird brow wiggle again. “It’s so nice to have someone move to Evergreen to open a business.”
“Thanks,” Barbara said.
He turned his gaze to Allie. “Instead of business owners moving away.”
“Okay, meanie,” she said to Ezra. “Don’t make me tell them about the incident in second grade.”
Ezra paused, then pasted a smile on his face and said, “Best of luck in your new job.”
Allie and the girls exchanged a knowing glance. She’d put Ezra right in his place. Honestly, she wasn’t sure which thing he was so worried about her telling; there were so many. It could’ve been anything from the time he’d cut her left pigtail off at the shoulder when he’d sat behind her, to the time the teacher had asked him to “tell her more” and he’d broken out in the song from Grease, to the time he’d told everyone that his ancestors had come over on the cauliflower. He’d always been a funny kid with way too much energy, but he’d also been one of the brightest. As irritating as he could be, it was true that he’d probably do great things for Evergreen.
“Michelle”—Ezra was clearly eager to change the subject—“since Doc Hadley retired and moved away, we need someone new to play Santa. I’m thinking we go against type: younger, handsome…” He stroked his hair, preening, in hopes for their approval.
Michelle shut him down. “Too late. I already got a guy out of Burlington.”
“I think I saw him,” Allie said. “He looks like Santa Claus even without the costume.”
“Wait? He’s here already?” Michelle was surprised. “Must be getting ready for the role.”
“Well, okay. If you want to be traditional,” Ezra said. “But what about the children’s choir? Can’t they do some newer Christmas songs?”
The only somewhat-newer Christmas song Allie could think of off the top of her head was “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer,” and she wasn’t so sure that was a good choice for the family event.
Michelle shook her head, but Allie was pretty sure her friend would like to shake Ezra right about now. “Give me a break.” Michelle threw up her hands and walked away.
Barbara and Allie tried to hold back their snickers as Ezra ran after Michelle, begging her to listen to more of his great ideas.
Chapter Six
As Ryan drove through scenic Vermont, the mountains towered above them on either side. Blanketed in snow, the evergreens rose, green with their branches dragging. The snow was coming down good. Blowing in big, blurry gusts in front of him. He was glad they were traveling during the day. This would be treacherous at night.
“Silent Night” filled the car while he and Zoe played their favorite car trip game.
“Okay,” he said, wondering why after playing this game with her for so many years that he didn’t have a list of words memorized already. His letter was F. What Christmas word starts with an F? “We’ve got…Angels, Blitzen, Candy Canes, Decorations, Elves… Fireplace!”
He glanced at Zoe in his rearview mirror. She cocked her head. “Fireplace isn’t a Christmas word.”
“It’s what Santa comes down.”
“Santa comes down the chimney.” Zoe wasn’t as easily convinced now as she had been at five or six. Maybe it was just as well he didn’t remember the words he’d gotten away with back then.
“Okay. Okay. Umm. How about…fruitcake.” Ryan glanced in the rearview mirror to see her reaction.
“Pretty good,” Zoe admitted.
“Pretty good?”
“Okay,” she said with a giggle. “My turn. G.”
“Okay,” Ryan urged her.
“Angels, Blitzen, Candy Canes, Decorations, Elves, Fruitcake, and…Gingerbread.” Zoe smiled with that toothy grin he loved so much. It would no doubt set him back thousands of dollars in orthodontics not too far down the road, but for now, he adored that smile just the way it was.
“Mmm. Mm. Mm,” Zoe said, clearly proud of the answer she’d come up with.
“That’s a good one.”
“Thanks. Except…now I’m hungry,” she said, hugging her tummy.
“Okay. You know what?” He glanced at the clock on the dash. “I think we have time to stop. We just have to make it quick. We’ve got a flight to catch.”
A couple of minutes later, Zoe pointed out a sign. “Evergreen! Let’s go there.”
“Yeah, sure.” It was on the way. Who was he to argue? They’d grab a bite, top off the fuel, and be on their way. “Sounds good.” He slowed down and took the exit toward Evergreen.
The speed limit was only thirty-five miles per hour. After being on the interstate for a while, it felt like they were creeping down the rural route. He was beginning to worry the town might be too far off the interstate and they might have to turn around, when he came upon a big green sign on the side of the road with an arrow to turn.
The sign read Welcome to Evergreen and was decorated with a red-and-white picture of a jolly Santa Claus holding a candy cane above the town name.
“We’re here, Dad!”
They took the turn and drove through a red covered bridge that crossed over the semi-frozen creek they’d been driving alongside for miles.
Ryan was kind of surprised he and Sarah had never happened across Evergreen. When he’d first started practicing medicine and times had been lean, they’d taken day trips in the car. They’d been to nearly every covered bridge in the area. How had they missed this one? There were plenty of them in this region, each unique and special in its own way. Somewhere, there was a scrapbook with pictures Sarah had taken on all of those trips.
“It’s so pretty,” Zoe said.
They drove out the other side of the bridge, and almost magically, the landscape opened up, revealing all the buildings and the town below in the valley. A pretty white church sat on the edge of town, its tall steeple reaching to the sky.
It looked storybook perfect.
Allie left town hall and drove over to Main Street, pulling into an empty parking spot in front of the post office across from her clinic.
She’d worked so hard to open her veterinary practice in Evergreen. It had been her dream for so long. She’d done well, experiencing steady growth every year, but it was time to find her place in this big world. The job in DC was an awesome opportunity. She wouldn’t be handling large animals anymore; that group only handled domestic pets—cats and dogs—and a few exotics. No house calls, either.
Being a vet in a big city practice was going to be quite a switch. No longer would she have to keep her medical bag at the ready for any emergency that might arise day or night. Her truck wouldn’t be a second medical closet, and her wardrobe wouldn’t consist of muck boots and a heavy coat anymore. Not that she’d ever minded that.
She picked up the FOR SALE sign from the seat next to her and got out of the truck. She