Buffalo Valley by Debbie Macomber

Author:Debbie Macomber
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: MIRA
Published: 2001-01-26T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Hassie had been looking forward to this night. The Dawsons had moved to Buffalo Valley four years earlier; at that time the only church in town had been Catholic and was closed after Father McGrath’s retirement. Then Reverend John Dawson and his wife had arrived.

What a blessing the couple had turned out to be! Joyce knew instinctively what to say to make people feel welcome. John’s sermons were inspiring, and his advice was both sensitive and practical.

Her first Christmas in Buffalo Valley, Joyce had organized the Cookie Exchange, which had become a yearly event.

Hassie had baked oatmeal-cranberry cookies early that morning and set out a plate for her visit with Barbara. Both had gotten so involved in their conversation that they hadn’t tasted a single one. Hassie shook her head, smiling. It was as though all those years of not seeing each other had simply vanished after their initial awkwardness had passed. The visit had gone by far too quickly; Barbara had to leave long before Hassie was ready. What amazed Hassie was that she’d found herself saying things she hadn’t even realized she felt.

Her daughter’s decision to live in Hawaii was one example. She’d never understood what had prompted Valerie’s choice. Yes, there’d been a job offer, but Valerie had pursued that job. The fact was, she’d wanted to get as far away from North Dakota as she possibly could. Hassie understood this for the very first time.

When Barbara had inquired about Valerie, Hassie explained that her daughter had chosen to remove herself from the pain of losing her only brother and then her father. Never before had Hassie consciously acknowledged that. Yet the moment she said the words, she knew they were true.

Later that evening when Hassie got to the church for the Cookie Exchange, the place was blazing with light. Although she was twenty minutes early, the parking lot was already half-full. The first person she saw once she’d set her platter of cookies on the table was Calla Stern. Sarah’s once-rebellious daughter had become a lovely young woman. She was in her junior year of college now, if Hassie recalled correctly, and there was talk of her applying for admission to law school. She attended the University of Chicago and shared an apartment nearby, but at heart Calla remained a small-town girl.

As soon as Calla saw Hassie, she broke off her conversation and hurried across the room, arms outstretched.

“When did you get home?” Hassie asked, hugging her close.

“This afternoon. Oh, Hassie, I just heard about Value-X. What are we going to do?”

“I don’t know, Calla, and this might shock you all, but I’ve decided I’m too old to fight them.”

Calla frowned.

“That’s what Leta told us.”

“We can’t stand in the way of progress.” If progress it is. Change, anyway. Perhaps if Hassie repeated that often enough, she might come to accept it. This wasn’t what she wanted, but as she’d learned long ago, the world didn’t revolve around what she assumed was best.

“Let’s enjoy this evening,” Hassie urged, “and put these worries behind us until the new year.

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