Christmas in Blue Dog Valley by Annie England Noblin

Author:Annie England Noblin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2022-06-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Two things were clear from the look of Hill House when Goldie arrived at the top of the hill and at the giant iron gate that surrounded the house and the yard—Mrs. Lucretia Duvall was very, very rich, and she was also very, very old. The only thing that kept Hill House from looking like it had come straight out of a horror movie was that the grounds were immaculately kept. Still, there were a few signs that the once-grand house wasn’t all that it used to be, like the way the gate squeaked—loudly—when Goldie opened it, and the way the porch steps were slightly soggy in the middle when she went up them. The brass door knocker was green with age, and the mailbox attached to the front of the house was hanging on by a single screw.

Goldie hesitated for just a second before knocking, and in that hesitation, the door swung open and a little woman appeared in the doorway, dwarfed by the sheer magnitude of the house.

This won’t be so bad, Goldie thought to herself, taking in the woman. She looked like a sweet, old grandmother, not the wicked witch Tiffany had described, with her snow-white hair swept up into a bun and her floral housecoat.

“What do you want?” Lucretia asked sharply, shattering Goldie’s daydream. “I’m not buying any Mary Kay or whatever it is you gals are selling these days.”

“N-n-no,” Goldie faltered. “No, I’m not selling Mary Kay.”

Lucretia squinted—well, it was more of a glare—at Goldie. “Whatever it is, I don’t want it.”

“I’m not here to sell you anything,” Goldie said, her words coming out in a rush as Lucretia attempted to shut the door in her face. “My name is Goldie McKenzie, and I’m the new veterinarian in town . . .”

“Who told you to come here?” Lucretia wanted to know. “I did what the city said I had to do—I keep my cat inside. He’s not out there terrorizing the precious children. What more do you want?”

“I didn’t even know you had a cat,” Goldie said, surprised. “I’m not here about that.”

“My patience is wearing thin, child. Out with it.”

“We’re having a carnival,” Goldie said. “I mean, the town is.”

“I’m a little old for acrobatic work,” Lucretia said, the smallest hint of a smile playing on her thin lips.

“No,” Goldie replied. “Uh, I mean, it’s a Christmas carnival, and I heard you owned some of the empty buildings downtown, and I wondered if you might be willing to allow the town to use them.”

For a moment, Goldie thought the old woman might shut the door in her face, but, instead, she took a step back and motioned for Goldie to come inside.

The inside of the house was clean, if a little dusty. Goldie followed Lucretia through the foyer and into a large sitting room where everything, absolutely everything, was covered in plastic.

Lucretia eased herself down into a flowered chair that was nearly too tall for her and motioned for Goldie to sit down on the matching floral couch.

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