“It’s okay, Diane. This is an emotional situation. I’d be more worried if you weren’t upset.”
Diane squeezed her arm. “You’re an angel.”
Sheila stepped back to close the door on the van, then waved to the children as Doris drove away.
Sheila turned and looked at Natalie in disbelief. “This is heartbreaking. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“It’s terrible,” Natalie said, “and with it so close to Christmas. I wonder what caused the fire.” She climbed into the vehicle.
Orene had overheard the whole thing, responding with, “Could’ve been wiring, a candle, who knows, but does it matter? So many things can go wrong. That house was so old. They’d been working on it to bring it up to date. Doing what they could as they could afford it. Too bad that it fell into such disrepair. It was a nice place when I was a little girl, but it had been left empty for longer than is good. Things break down over time.”
Natalie watched a firefighter run across to the EMTs. “I think that guy is hurt. Look at how he’s holding his arm. No matter how hard they work, will they be able to save the house?”
“It’s the lives that matter, and the forest and preserving nature here on the mountain that drives all these folks to volunteer to help,” Orene said. “There’s so much more than a structure to protect.”
“Thank goodness for homeowner’s insurance,” Sheila said. “But finding temporary housing isn’t easy, even in the city. I can imagine it will be even harder up here.”
“Maybe, but folks around here don’t mind disrupting their lives to help others.” Orene lifted her chin. “I’ve taken in quite a few over the years. Some folks I knew from church. Some I’d never even met. I treated them all the same. It’s what we do in Chestnut Ridge.”
“That wouldn’t happen in the city. They’d be more likely toraise some money to put you in a hotel than open their home to a stranger. No one wants to be inconvenienced.”
Natalie grinned. “You are experiencing firsthand the beauty of Chestnut Ridge. It’s not all just the landscape. It’s so much more.”
Sheila was beginning to believe that. “Let’s pick up some of the immediate needs for them tomorrow,” Sheila said. “With all those children, nothing will be easy or cheap. Just diapers and pajamas could break the bank. I can’t even imagine. Orene, do you know someone who can help us get the sizes so we could help them?”
“Doris will already be gathering that information,” Orene said. “She’s Tucker’s right hand on that administrative stuff and her heart is bigger than Alaska.”
Tucker walked over to the vehicle. “I know you mean well, but I need to ask you to vacate the premises. We have more trucks coming in.”
“We wanted to see if we could help,” Orene said. “Plus, we have all this food. If it’s going to be a long night, I’d rather keep your guys and gals going strong.”
“As you can see, the weather is not cooperating, but we’ve got plenty of manpower. The homeowner was taken to the hospital, and the rest of the family is now safely evacuated. Hopefully, the family dog will turn up.”
“Maybe he’s just hiding. He has to be scared,” said Natalie.
Sheila could tell she was thinking about Buzz, that little dog of hers. Natalie treated that beagle like a child.
“Doris will work on finding a place for them to stay. Hopefully, we won’t have to split them up, but that’s a lot of people,” Tucker said. “The structure fire is contained. We’ll be workinghot spots for hours, but we’re more concerned about this shifting wind and the woods right now.”
“So, you’re in for a long night,” Sheila said.
“Definitely.”
Orene lifted her chin. “We’ll set up food and drinks over under the picnic shelter. If it doesn’t get eaten, that’s fine. We can come clean it up tomorrow.”
“That’s not necessary, and it’s going to end up everywhere in this wind,” Tucker said.
“We’ll leave all the food, plates, and paper towels in the big boxes, so nothing will blow away. If nothing else, it’ll let everyone know they are appreciated. And then we’ll be out of your hair.”
Tucker stepped in front of Sheila, blocking her from the flying embers as the roof fell in on the house, sending sparks swirling.
She ducked her head into his coat.
“I’ve got to get back. Y’all should leave. It’s getting dicey.”
“We’ll go as soon as we set everything up,” Orene said.
Sheila pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh at Orene’s won’t-take-no-for-an-answer attitude. Clearly, she was willing to throw around her weight when she saw reason to. She caught the half smile on Tucker’s face. He knew he was beat.
