No Place Like Home (Holiday Classics) (9 page)

“We still have to set the tree up in the living room,” Sam gasped.

“Do you think we’re dead and don’t know it?” Sara asked as she poked her head out from between the branches.

“Who cares? We’re all so ugly no one is ever going to look at us again. We must really look bad if that old guy didn’t say a word.”

Cisco and Freddie were standing in the open doorway when Ezra pulled the truck to a full stop. “Last stop!” he called from the cab of the truck. The Trips piled out and staggered to the front door. Cisco looked at them and knew instantly what had happened. She didn’t say a word, just stepped aside so they could enter the house.

She walked over to Ezra and placed a hand on his arm. “Just don’t ask, okay? Now, if it isn’t too much trouble, do you think you could lean the tree up on the front porch. We’ll set it up tomorrow.”

“Loretta, I’d be more than happy to set it up for you if you fetch the tree stand. It’s my way of paying for my supper. You sure those young’uns are okay?”

“Ezra, they are more than okay.”

A smile as big as the outdoors spread across her features when she walked into the living room. The Trips were curled into each other on Freddie’s bed by the hearth, sound asleep. She brought her finger to her lips for Freddie’s benefit. The golden dog sniffed, then walked away to join her new friend Hugo, who was helping his master unload the tree from the back of the truck.

An hour later, Cisco looked at the magnificent tree and smiled. “You do good work, Ezra. I’m glad the Trips found you. I think it’s just going to be you, me, and this lovely child Sonia for dinner. And, of course, our two four-legged friends.”

It was six o’clock in the morning when Sam rolled over and bumped into his sister. He ached from head to toe. The fire was almost out. Why was he sleeping on the floor? Then he remembered. Hannah was the next to wake. She winced when she tried to stretch her arms and legs. Her gasp when she looked at her brother woke Sara.

They looked at one another, not sure if they should laugh or cry. As one, they bolted for the downstairs bathroom to stare at themselves. Hannah burst into tears. Sara turned away. Sam groaned as he limped out to the kitchen.

“Sonia!” he gasped to the small brunette eating a stack of pancakes. “It’s nice to see you. When…did you get here?”

“Yesterday afternoon. Sometime after your…accident with the Christmas tree. Your grandmother explained how you and your sisters risk your lives every year to cut down the family tree.”

“Uh-huh,” was all Sam could think of to say.

“My English is getting better, no?”

“Oh, yes, much better. You know Sara and Hannah,” he said, pointing to his sisters.

“You are all very brave. I saw that tree.”

“How bad is it, Cisco? Do we have anything that will help take down the swelling and discoloration?” Sara pleaded.

“I’m afraid not, dear.”

Sara sat down at the table. “I really liked him. I wanted to impress him. I even bought this new dress. Veils, we can wear veils. We can say veils are the latest trend in fashion. They’re guys, what do they know?”

“Shut up, Sara,” Hannah said.

“I’m sure the young men will understand,” Cisco said soothingly. “It’s entirely possible they won’t make it. Look outside. We got eight inches of new snow overnight. On top of the six inches we already had, that makes fourteen. I just heard on the radio that they are predicting another four to six inches this afternoon and into tomorrow. It’s coming from Canada, I think. We might end up being snowbound. Run along now and get cleaned up. I’ll have your pancakes ready when you get down here. By the way, Ezra was here earlier and brought gasoline for the snowmobiles. He’s such a thoughtful man. I think we’re going to become good friends. Freddie loves his dog Hugo.”

The Trips tried to smile. It was what they wanted for their grandmother. They trooped off to return an hour later.

Cisco did her best not to smile as the Trips took their places at the table. Normally, they wolfed down her pancakes. Today, they barely touched them. “It’s snowing harder,” she said, pointing to the window. “I really don’t think anyone will set out in this weather even if it is Christmas Eve.”

“Maybe we could invite them for New Year’s,” Hannah suggested. “We’ll probably look halfway decent by then. Please, please, let it keep snowing.”

“I second that,” Sara said.

Sam looked at Sonia, who was looking at him expectantly. “I’m so glad you could make it,” he said, insincerity ringing in his voice.

“Sam, perhaps if you put a tea bag on your left eye, you might be able to open it a little,” the elfin Sonia suggested. “A wet, warm tea bag. It is the tannin in the tea that has healing properties.”

Cisco had a tea bag in her hand before Sonia could finish speaking. She held it under warm water, then handed it to Sam, who plopped it on his eye.

“Does that really help?” Sara queried.

“Not really, but it does take away some of the pain.” Sonia smiled brightly for everyone’s benefit.

“Sam, honey, I hate to ask you to do this, but we really need some firewood. I just used the last log off the back porch. We’re going to be burning some serious wood today and into this evening. Bring as much as you can. You know how drafty this old house is.”

“Sure, Cisco.”

“I will help you,” Sonia volunteered.

“I want to go to sleep and wake up January first,” Hannah whined.

“Me, too. It’s not going to happen, so let’s get our asses in gear and start putting up the decorations. We have to hang the wreaths on the front and back doors. Cisco said she wants some holly brought in. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, because nothing is going to change.”

It was noon when the last of the old decorations graced the cottage. “This was Mom’s favorite piece,” Sara said, setting a crystal angel on the coffee table. “Dad gave it to her the first year they were married. When and if we ever get married, which one of us is going to get it?”

“We’ll take turns. You don’t think Joel and Zack will make it, do you, Sara?”

Sara shrugged. “Depends on how much they want to see us. It is Christmas. No one wants to be alone on Christmas. Everybody wants to be with their family, except maybe our dad.”

“They should have called by now if they aren’t planning to make the trip. That tells me they’re coming. It’s too bad they had to go to that conference so they couldn’t get here yesterday, when the roads were still okay.”

Hannah’s voice was so fretful, Sara started to cry. “I can see myself with Joel. I had this whole wonderful holiday scenario in mind. You know, mistletoe, Christmas spirit, cozy fireplace, everything smelling really good. I bought him a present. Nothing great, just a book on children, a cartoon kind of thing.”

“I knitted a cap to go with the scarf I already gave Zack.”

“Is it as lopsided as the scarf?”

“Yeah. At least they’ll match. He’ll never wear them. I wrapped it pretty, though. I bought something for Dad, too. Did you?”

“Yeah. I found this old picture of him in Cisco’s album. Someone took it when he was loading up her station wagon with candy. It’s that brown sepia color. I had it blown up and put in a nice frame. What did you get him?”

“A picture of all of us. Mom’s in it. Sam didn’t get him anything.”

“That’s okay. He’s not coming, so it won’t matter.”

“He might, Sara.”

“No, Hanny, he isn’t coming.”

The phone rang. The sisters looked at one another. Each dared the other to pick it up. Finally, Hannah’s arm snaked out. Her greeting was high and shrill. “What? I can barely hear you. Zack, is that you? Where are you? Oh! You’re stuck in a snowbank. Can you give me better directions? Maybe you should turn around and go back. The weather is really bad and getting worse by the minute. You can’t because you don’t know where you are? I guess that makes sense. I know it’s snowing. It always snows in the valley for Christmas. Bring brandy? I have no idea how long it will take us to find you. Oh, you’re wearing my scarf and it’s keeping your neck warm? You’ll see us when you see us.”

“Oh, God, they’re coming, aren’t they?” Sara wailed.

“They’re lost. We have to go look for them. I know, I don’t want to do that either, but we have to. They could die out there. He’s wearing my scarf. He said it’s keeping his neck warm. It’s a good thing Ezra brought gasoline or they’d be in serious trouble. He must be intuitive. Ezra, I mean. Dress warm, Sara.”

“Stop babbling, Hanny. You’re making my headache worse.”

“Who was that on the phone, girls?” Cisco asked?

“The guys. The doctors. They’re lost. They’re stuck in a snowbank. We have to go get them. We’ll use the snowmobiles. Don’t worry about us, Cisco. We know every inch of ground in this valley. We’ll find them. You’ll have to start the dressing for the turkey without us. Wait on the candy making, though. I’m not giving up that even for those doctors. Sam and Sonia can help you, and if you call Ezra, I’m sure he’ll pitch in.”

“Oh, dear. It’s snowing harder, girls. Perhaps we should call the state troopers. What if something happens to you two? This is not a good idea. I just heard on the news that the roads are impassable,” Cisco fretted.

Sam carried in the last load of firewood. “What’s up?” he asked, looking from his grandmother to his sisters.

“Zack and Joel are stuck in the snow. We’re going to take the snowmobiles to see if we can find them.”

“You’re nuts! You can’t see an inch in front of your face. Cisco, don’t let them go.”

“If we don’t go, they’ll die out there. We have to try. Look, you know as well as I do that we know the terrain. If anyone can find them, we can. In the meantime, Cisco, just to be on the safe side, alert the troopers.”

“Then I’m going with you. Just give me a minute to get my gear on. Don’t forget the goggles; that snow stings when it hits your face. The temperature is dropping, too.”

“Sam is so brave,” Sonia said in awe. “First the ordeal with the Christmas tree and now this. You Americans are so…forceful. I love the way you take charge.”

“That’s us all right. Brave, forceful, and let’s not forget,
stupid,”
Hannah said as she pulled on her ski pants.

“The power might go out, Cisco. The generator is all primed. I showed Sonia how to start it up. You’re all set. The stove will be fine because it’s gas, so get that turkey going,” Sam said.

The trio slogged their way through the snow to the barn. They had to shout to one another to be heard over the wind and biting snow that was taking their breath away. “That Ezra is something else. Look, he filled the tanks. Okay, let’s go up the hill and run parallel with the road.” He divvied up ten flares. His sisters jammed them into their pockets.

“Did they give you any indication how far away they were? How long were they driving? That conference was two hours from here.”

“Zack said they left at ten o’clock. He called at noon. Two hours on the road but you can’t go by that. The roads are hazardous, and they would have been driving slow. Who takes the lead?” Hannah asked.

“I will. Stay on my tail. Do you hear me? Don’t veer off for any reason. These babies can really skim the snow, and we’ll make good time. I suggest we stop every fifteen minutes to get our bearings. Keep your eyes on my headlight. If something goes wrong, send up a flare. If I’m in the lead, I won’t know what’s going on behind me,” Sam said as he led his snowmobile out into the yard. He turned the key, the high-pitched whine of the engine grinding in his ears. He gritted his teeth at the symphony of sound behind him.

Cisco and Sonia watched until the little dots that were the Trips’s headlights disappeared into the swirling snow.

On the second fifteen-minute break, the Trips had to scrape the ice from their goggles. “We’re almost to the interstate. I’m thinking they ran into trouble when they hit the secondary road. Keep a sharp eye out. It’s about eight more minutes to the exit where they would hit Ardmore Road. I’ll send up a flare. You know how snow builds up on those curlicue curves. I bet five bucks they hit the shoulder and bounced into a drift. Stay close.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so cold in my life,” Joel said as he blew on his hands. “Are we nuts or what?”

“Among other things. How come you don’t have a shovel in your car? Most people around here keep shovels in their cars because it snows like this.”

“Do you know why I don’t have a shovel in my car, Zack? Because you borrowed it last night to dig out your car. You didn’t give it back. That’s why I don’t have a shovel in my car.”

“Is that a flare over there? Look, the snow is orange. Yeah, yeah, it’s a flare. Maybe it’s the girls looking for us. Now, that’s brilliant. Do you have a flare?”

“Do I look like I travel with flares? No, I do not,” Joel said. “Turn the engine on and blow the horn. Lean on it!”

Zack did as instructed. The horn sounded feeble to his ears. He hoped the sound would carry on the wind to the person who set off the flare.

“Hey, do you hear that? Listen! Honk the horn again.”

Zack obeyed his friend and colleague a second time as he pressed down on the horn. If he got any colder, he was going to snap in two.