Bring Me Home for Christmas

prepared a hearty stew for dinner.
    The Sheridans spent another night in town because more snow was predicted for Wednesday morning, but it was supposed to be clear on Thursday.
    “If we leave early on Thursday, we can be in San Diego by the evening,” Denny said to Becca. “In time for Christmas Eve on Friday.”
    “All I have to do is close my suitcase,” Becca said. “What can I do to help you get ready?”
    “I’m as good as ready,” he said.
    When they weren’t holed up in their little room above the garage they were at Jack’s, where, despite the weather, there were always a few people. It was the gathering place for the town and the best spot to get the latest information.
    On Wednesday night, Becca and Denny were having yet another farewell dinner. By her calculation, this was their third. She was sitting up at the bar, talking to Jack, while Denny was out gassing up Jack’s truck.
    “Tomorrow it will be clear,” Becca said to Jack. “You’ll have your life back.”
    He gave a nod. “Not quite. My family is due tomorrow. And we’ll also run around checking on people. We’ve been lucky—no power loss. I’m assuming we’ll find that everyone is fine. We could still get more snow before spring—an outrageous amount this winter. You know what that means? When the snowpack melts in the spring, we could have floods.”
    “Here? In town?”
    “Virgin River doesn’t usually have a real bad time, being at this elevation. But there are areas around that will have issues. But down the mountain could be a challenge. A few years ago, our friends in Grace Valley were just about wiped out. We helped where we could.”
    “You always help where you can,” she said. “I can see why Denny has become so attached to this place.”
    Jack grew suddenly serious. “Becca, I hope you know I support Denny in his decision to leave, to go to a place he can have a life and family with you.”
    “I know,” she said. “I appreciate that. Where will you go tomorrow? To check on people?”
    He thought for a moment. “Mel will go out to the Thicksons and check on the kids. She’ll check on the young mother. Noah will see about some of his elderly congregation. Me and Preacher, we’re kind of in charge of the outlying areas. There are folks out on the ridge and up the mountain a ways that need help digging out. Thank God no one got out on a trail and lost!”
    “Has that happened?” she asked, sitting straighter.
    “It’s happened in good weather! This is no place to wander if you don’t know where you’re going. Becca, you haven’t seen the half of Virgin River.”
    She laughed. “I’m going to miss this place.”
    “And this place will miss you. You were a huge, one-legged help.” She just laughed at him. “Seriously,” he said. “Terrific meat loaf and potatoes. And there will be terrific meat-loaf sandwiches for a long time!”
    “Thanks. Although I don’t have a future in a bar and grill kitchen, I’m finding it kind of hard to leave….”
    “Is that so?”
    She shrugged. “A couple of weeks ago I was feeling like I’d been real lucky to meet such nice people. By now I feel like you people are the closest friends I’ve had in a while.”
    He laughed. “That kind of happens here. We get bonded real easy when we pull together for a cause. A big snowstorm is a cause.”
    “I was scared to death,” she said, but her smile was huge. “I had fun.”
    Jack stilled. “Let me get this right…”
    “Yeah, scared to death and fun. It’s kind of a pattern. I’ve always been like that. My mom always said I just didn’t like things easy. She’s the mother of the century, you know—managed the perfect home. Everything was always stable, secure, perfect. I mean, she wasn’t the kind of mother people write bad mother novels about—she really is awesome. So what did I always need? I needed to jump out of airplanes or surf the biggest waves or barrel race on horseback. Anything with a rush.”
    He grinned largely. “My wife’s the same,” he said. “Mel’s a longtime adrenaline junkie. She spent ten years in an inner-city E.R. If it wasn’t scary and risky, she was unenthused.”
    “I get that.” Becca laughed. “Yet Denny is the one who went to war. Twice.”
    “Totally different,” Jack said. “He’s a trained Marine. He’s not looking for war, he’s responding. You and my wife? You like the edge.”
    She laughed happily. She felt so understood. “Mel doesn’t seem