Falling for Christmas: A Cedar Cove Christmas / Call Me Mrs. Miracle

Chapter Five

Mary Jo hated the idea of returning to Seattle having failed in her attempt to find either David or his family. He wasn’t in Cedar Cove the way he’d promised; not only that, his parents weren’t here, either. Ben and Charlotte Rhodes would show up the next afternoon or evening, but in the meantime…

The thought of her brothers approaching the elderly couple, shocking them with the news and their outrageous demands, made the blood rush to her face. Her situation was uncomfortable enough without her brothers riding to the rescue like the superheroes they weren’t.

The fact that Mary Jo had left on Christmas Eve was only going to rile them even more. Linc, Mel and Ned were probably home from the garage by now. Or maybe they’d skipped work when they found her note on the coffeemaker and immediately set out in search of her. Maybe they were already driving up and down the streets of Cedar Cove…

Looking around, Mary Jo could see that the library was about to close. People were putting on coats and checking out their books. She wondered how an hour had disappeared so quickly. Now what? There wasn’t a single vacant room in the vicinity, which meant the only thing to do was thank Grace Harding for her help and quietly leave.

She waited until the librarian stepped out of her office. The least she could do was let Grace know how much she appreciated her kindness. As she approached, Mary Jo rose from her chair.

All of a sudden the room started to sway. She’d been dizzy before but never like this. Her head swam, and for an instant she seemed about to faint. Blindly Mary Jo reached out, hoping to catch herself before she fell.

“Mary Jo!” Grace gasped and rushed to her side.

If the other woman hadn’t caught her when she did, Mary Jo was convinced she would’ve collapsed onto the floor.

Slowly, Grace eased her into the chair. “Laurie!” she shouted. “Call 9-1-1.”

“Please…no,” Mary Jo protested. “I’m fine. Really, I am.”

“No, you’re not.”

A moment later, the assistant behind the front counter hurried over to join Grace and Mary Jo. “The fire department’s on the way.”

Mortified beyond words, Mary Jo leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Needless to say, she’d become the library’s main attraction, of far greater interest than any of the Christmas displays. Everyone was staring at her.

“Here, drink this,” Grace said.

Mary Jo opened her eyes to find someone holding out a glass of water—again. Her mouth had gone completely dry and she took it gratefully. Sirens could be heard roaring toward the library, and Mary Jo would’ve given anything to simply disappear.

A few minutes later, two firefighters entered the library, carrying their emergency medical equipment. One of the men moved toward her and knelt down.

“Hi, there.” The firefighter’s voice was calm.

“Hi,” Mary Jo said weakly.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“I just got a bit light-headed. I wish they hadn’t called you. I’m perfectly okay.”

He ignored her comment. “You stood up?”

She nodded. “The room began to sway and I thought I was going to faint.”

“I think she did faint,” Grace added, kneeling down next to the firefighter. “I somehow got her back into the chair. Otherwise I’m sure she would’ve crumpled to the floor.”

The firefighter kept his gaze on Mary Jo. He had kind eyes and, despite everything, she noticed that he was attractive in a craggy, very masculine way. He was in his late twenties, she guessed, a few years older than she was.

“My name’s Mack McAfee,” he said. “And that guy—” he pointed to the other firefighter “—is Brandon Hutton.”

“I’m Mary Jo Wyse.”

Mack smiled, maintaining eye contact. “When’s your baby due?”

“January seventh.”

“In about two weeks then.”

“Yes.”

“Have you had any other spells like this?”

Mary Jo was reluctant to confess that she had. After a moment she nodded.

“Recently?”

“Yes…”

“That’s not uncommon, you know. Your body’s under a lot of strain because of the baby. Have you been experiencing any additional stress?”

She bit her lip. “A little.”

“The holidays?”

“Not really.”

“I’m new to town. I guess that’s why I haven’t seen you around,” Mack said. He opened a response kit he’d brought into the library.

“Mary Jo lives in Seattle,” Grace said, now standing behind Mack as the other firefighter hovered close by.

“Do you have relatives in the area?” he asked next.

“No…” She figured she might as well admit the truth. “I was hoping to see the father of my baby…only he isn’t here.”

“Navy?”

“No…I understood his family was from Cedar Cove, but apparently they’re out of town, too.”

“Ben and Charlotte Rhodes,” Grace murmured.

Mack twisted around to look up at Grace. “The judge’s mother, right? And her husband. Retired Navy.”

“Right.”

“David Rhodes is the baby’s father,” Mary Jo said. “We’re not…together anymore.” David had told her one too many lies. She knew intuitively that he’d have no desire to be part of the baby’s life.

Mack didn’t speak as he removed the blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around her upper arm. “How are you feeling now?” he asked.