Page 18 of The Mountain that Saved Christmas

“What wasthat?” Cora asks, moving toward the door to investigate.

“Don't think I wanna know,” I grumble as I follow behind her.There's no way…

“It sounded a lot like–”

I quickly but gently rush up behind her and cover her mouth, meeting her wide but amused stare. “Don't say it. It's like the boogey monster. If you speak his name, he will come.”

She grins against my hand before reaching up to move it away. “C'mon, Rhett. We're hundreds of miles away from Bull. There's no way he's out there. That noise could've been anythin'. A bird?—”

“Yeah, one called Doofus,” I deadpan. We hear the noise again and I jump into action, moving to the door and swinging it wide open, ready to scare the bejesus out of that damn stalking bird. “See!” Except it's not Duck Norris I find. Instead, it's a wide-eyed Miss Frankie standing on the stoop with her arm hung mid-air as if she was about to knock.

“Did you hear a quack?” I ask, poking my head out and looking around for any sign of the menace duck.

“A quack?” Miss Frankie asks, her petite brows bunching together. “Can't say I did. Then again, my hearin' ain't what it used to be.” She giggles and I can't help but relax at the sound.

“You here to collect us?” Cora asks, resting a hand on my back.

“Sure am. We thought we'd all follow on in a convoy into town again. Ruthie's excited to get started,” Miss Frankie tells us.

“I am too,” my wife replies. “We'll meet you at the front house in ten minutes if you'd like.”

Miss Frankie smiles. “That sounds lovely, my dear.”

“Let me help you down the stairs. The snow has made everythin' a little slippery, I bet,” I offer, kissing Cora's cheek before reaching for Miss Frankie's hand.

“Such a gentleman,” the old lady says. “You've got yourself a good one, Cora.”

“Don't I know it. See you soon,” Cora replies, eyeing me in a way I hope Miss Frankie doesn't see—but in a way I'm goin' to utilize later.

“Be back in a minute, princess.”

“Look forward to it, cowboy.”

Then I take Miss Frankie's arm and help her down the stairs to where the rest of the Sallys are waiting for her.

An hour later, we're all gathered outside the old storage shed behind the Fire Station/Sheriff’s Office/City Hall building that George and his friends told us about.

“I'm not sure just what's left in here—” George says.

“Or what state it's in,” Larry adds.

George winces. “Yeah, that too. But I'm sure there'll be things we can still use.”

“I'm sure there'll be a lot of things,” Red replies. “Between the lot of us, we should be able to do somethin' with it or recycle it.”

“OK,” George says, sounding reassured. “And you can use whatever you need from the hardware section of my store. My wares are your wares.”

“Only if you let us pay our way,” I say, speaking up. What's the point if we're taking things for free from his place of business?

George opens his mouth as if to argue again, but Red steps up. “George, you're a man who's used to givin' to everyone. This is our chance–the town's chance–to give back toyou. You've gotta let them do that and let them have that same good feelin' you get when you help others. Yeah?”

George stares at Red with wonder before nodding.

“You deserve this, buddy,” Barry says, clapping George's shoulder. “Now let's see what we've got to work with.”

From there, we work together to form an assembly line of sorts, passing things out until we've got a decent-sized pile of Christmas decorations and supplies. Cora is in her element, buzzing around with excitement as she organizes the group and delegates tasks effortlessly. I watch her with a mix of admiration and adoration.

As we start to sort through the decorations, memories flood back to me of Christmases past. I remember the joy of decorating the tree with my family, the warmth of the fire crackling in the hearth, and the smell of cookies baking in the oven. I hope thatafter this week, George and the townsfolk of Rainbow Springs have similar memories to treasure just like me and my family do.

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