Falling for Christmas
Debbie Macomber
featuring A Cedar Cove Christmas and Call Me Mrs Miracle
About the Author
DEBBIE MACOMBER is a number one New York Times bestselling author. Her recent books include 44 Cranberry Point, 50 Harbor Way, 6 Rainier Drive and Hannah’s List. She has become a leading voice in women’s fiction worldwide and her work has appeared on every major bestseller list. There are more than one hundred million copies of her books in print. For more information on Debbie and her books, visit www.DebbieMacomber.com.
Make time for friends. Make time for Debbie Macomber.
CEDAR COVE
16 LIGHTHOUSE ROAD
204 ROSEWOOD AVENUE
311 PELICAN COURT
44 CRANBERRY POINT
50 HARBOR WAY
6 RAINIER DRIVE
BLOSSOM STREET
THE SHOP ON BLOSSOM STREET
A GOOD YARN
OLD BOYFRIENDS
WEDNESDAYS AT FOUR
TWENTY WISHES
SUMMER ON BLOSSOM STREET
THURSDAYS AT EIGHT
HANNAH’S LIST
CHRISTMAS IN SEATTLE
To our dear friends
Rhett Palmer
and
Claudia Faye Johnson
plus
Beni
The cutest dog in the universe
Prologue
“I can’t believe Grace is willing to do this on Christmas Eve,” Mary Jo said, slipping the frilly red dress over Noelle’s head. The one-year-old fussed, objecting to the fact that her face was momentarily covered.
“It’s Noelle’s birthday,” Mack reminded her.
Not that Mary Jo needed reminding…
“A year ago today you stepped off the foot ferry to Cedar Cove…”
“And met you,” she finished for him.
“At the library…”
“Because Grace thought I needed medical attention.”
“Which you did,” Mac continued, smiling at their exchange, “because you were about to give birth.”
“Only I didn’t know that at the time.”
“No one did.”
Noelle squealed.
“Except Noelle,” Mary Jo said. “Right, sweetie?” She nuzzled her daughter’s face. “Happy birthday, baby girl.”
“Ma Ma.”
“That’s right, sweetie. That’s me.”
“Ma Ma,” Noelle repeated and gleefully clapped her hands.
“Are my two girls ready to party?” Mack asked. He had his coat on and a big collection of birthday and Christmas gifts tied up in a large bag that made Mary Jo think of something Santa would haul around. “We don’t want to keep everyone waiting.”
Grace had invited half of Cedar Cove—or so it seemed to Mary Jo—to her Christmas Eve bash, which was also Noelle’s birthday party. All three of Mary Jo’s brothers planned to attend, which was only fitting since they’d lost out on the chance to welcome their niece into the world a year ago. Mary Jo still had to grin whenever she thought about her brothers racing around the county like Keystone Kops frantically searching for their missing sister.
Grace’s two daughters and their families would be at the ranch as well, along with Grace’s dear friend Olivia and Olivia’s husband, Jack. And Charlotte and Ben Rhodes were on the invitation list, too, as well they should be.
Then, of course, there were Mack’s parents, Roy and Corrie McAfee. His oldest sister, Gloria, had sent her regrets. She was a sheriff’s deputy and unfortunately she’d pulled the Christmas Eve shift. His other sister, Linnette, who lived in North Dakota, was a new mom herself and had mailed a gift Noelle had cheerfully ripped open that morning. It was a pull toy that made popping sounds with every step. Mack had laughed and promised revenge. Mary Jo could see a toy drum set in little Wade Mason’s future.
Oh, yes, this was going to be quite the party and one Mary Jo had never expected. But then, she hadn’t expected any of this. That day exactly a year ago—when she’d come from Seattle with the desperate, and misguided, idea of finding Noelle’s birth father—had changed her life.
What she’d found was love, friends, a home, a whole new family. Not that there was anything wrong with her old one, but the people of Cedar Cove had expanded her family above and beyond anything she could ever have dreamed of.
“I’ll get the car warmed up and then come back and help you and Noelle,” Mack said.
“Okay, darling.”
“Darling?” Mack’s eyebrows rose ever so slightly, giving him a sexy, enticing look. “I have to say I prefer that to the nickname the guys at the firehouse have for me.”
“And what’s that?”
“You think I’m going to tell you? Not on your life.”
“Loverboy?”
He laughed, shook his head and disappeared out the front door. Mack returned a couple of minutes later to carry Noelle to the car. “You ready?”
“Ready.”
Noelle, bundled up in her winter coat with the faux-fur hem and edging around the hood, raised her tiny arms up to Mack. Her daughter had reached out to Mack a year ago, too. And Mack had responded—to both of them.
Love, family, friends—a place to belong. Her first Christmas in Cedar Cove had given her all that. And this, her second one, was a celebration of the first.
Christmas Eve. It was a night for remembering and rejoicing in two birthdays, wasn’t it?
Chapter One
A year ago
Even though she was listening to Christmas carols on her iPod, Mary Jo Wyse could hear her brothers arguing. How could she not? Individually, the three of them had voices that were usually described as booming; together they sounded like an entire football stadium full of fans. All three worked as mechanics in the family-owned car repair business and stood well over six feet. Their size alone was intimidating. Add to that their voices, and they’d put the fear of God into the most hardened criminal.
“It’s nearly Christmas,” Linc was saying. He was the oldest and, if possible, loudest of the bunch.
“Mary Jo said he’d call her before now,” Mel said.
Ned, her youngest brother, remained suspiciously quiet. He was the sensitive one. Translated, that meant he’d apologize after he broke David Rhodes’s fingers for getting his little sister pregnant and then abandoning her.
“We’ve got to do something,” Linc insisted.
The