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Hannah had worked hard since buying the house over the summer to make it a warm, welcoming place. It had new paint, windows, wood flooring and light fixtures. What had once been a rather old-fashioned and outdated cottage now seemed fresh and bright. At least she hoped that’s what Morgan and the children saw.

“Riley, your room is here.” She led them to the guest room next to hers. Riley poked her head in and some of the tension in her shoulders seemed to ease as she took in the bedroom, with its pink and purple accents and the matching flowery comforter.

“It’s pretty,” she said.

“Oh good. I’m glad you think so.” Hannah smiled at her. “I fixed this room for my niece. Lydia always seems comfortable here and I hope you will be too.”

Next, she led them to the room she had set up for Carter. “You room isn’t quite ready, but it does have a nice bed here.”

He looked at the bare bed frame. “There’s no mattress.”

“I have one. I just need to set it up. Everything will be ready when you come to stay, I promise. Do you want to see the comforter I got you?”

“Sure.”

She found the bed-in-a-bag she had picked up at the box store. “I know you like Star Wars,” she said to Carter. “I bought you sheets and a comforter with the Millennium Falcon on them.”

“Oh wow. That’s cool.” He rushed over, touching a hand to the comforter. “It’s soft too.”

“If you leave your box of things there, you can help me put them all away when you come to stay. And maybe we can put up a Christmas tree too.”

The children looked excited at that prospect as they all returned to the living room, where the cats had made an appearance from wherever they had wandered to.

The children sat on the floor and Ludwig approached them with the same caution he had demonstrated earlier toward Kodiak. In no time, though, both he and Elise were rubbing against the children and letting them pick them up, as they always did with Lydia.

“I don’t know how to ever thank you for this,” Morgan said, her voice thick with emotion.

Hannah hugged her. “You don’t have to thank me. You would do the same for me if I had two kids and was facing what you are. You can see I have the room and I am thrilled at the opportunity to help you. Plus I get to have two adorable kids in my house during the holidays. I’m the lucky one.”

“You bought new furniture and everything.” Morgan seemed dazed, as if she couldn’t quite believe anyone would do that for her and her children.

“I didn’t,” she assured her. “I did buy the bedding but I already had the furniture, I just hadn’t set it up yet. This gave me a great excuse to finish setting that room up as my second guest room.”

“You are determined to act like I’m doing you some kind of favor by letting the children stay with you. We both know the truth is exactly the opposite.”

Hannah hugged her friend again. “Promise me that you won’t worry about the children. I’m looking forward to having them here.”

She was, she realized. Riley and Carter were both sweet children and she expected they all would get along fine. She knew the children would be stressed at being separated from their mother but she intended to do her best to help them through.

“Everything will be fine, Morgan. We will FaceTime you every night, if you’re up to it. I can’t claim to be an expert on parenting but I have plenty of friends who are and I’ll be able to lean on them with any questions.”

“This is so hard,” Morgan said, her voice small.

Hannah squeezed her hand. “I know. I’m sorry. But your job for the next few months is to focus all your energy on beating this. Let me worry about Carter and Riley for you.”

Morgan nodded. “The doctors want me there first thing Friday instead of next week. That’s the other reason I wanted to stop by tonight, to make sure that is okay.”

“Totally fine.”

“If it’s okay with you, we will drop off the rest of the children’s things in the morning.”

“You’re still coming for Thanksgiving dinner, aren’t you?”

Morgan nodded. “Yes. But I’ll probably leave from there to drive to Salt Lake City, if that works for you.”

“It’s fine. I just wish you didn’t have to go alone,” Hannah said. “You don’t have any family you could reach out to to help you through this?”

Morgan shook her head. “My father is all I have left and we’re not speaking right now. It’s a long story.”