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“You want anything?”
“No, still full from lunch. You?”
“Same.”
There was a booth selling fresh wreaths, a bakery with treats displayed in a glass case, an ornament shop hanging with glass baubles, a toy store, and another with every kind of knitwear imaginable. We stopped briefly in front of a large fir tree labeled The Giving Tree. Small envelopes were attached to branches.
“We’re coming in to town with the gang on the fourth,” Luci said. “Ivy wants us to pick a family.”
“Do you want to do it now?”
She shook her head, looking slightly evasive. “No, let’s wait until everyone’s here.”
“Yeah, sure.”
We passed a toy booth with a big handmade dollhouse set up on the table out front, three stories with a little staircase and real shingles, and a hand-lettered sign propped against it. A serious woodworker had created it, that much was obvious.
“Oh, look at it,” Luci said, running over to inspect the dollhouse. She knelt to look into each of the rooms. “I wanted one just like it when I was seven. There was one in the display case at a toy store in Stonehaven. I was obsessed. But my mom couldn’t afford it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Maybe someday I’ll be able to afford one for my daughter,” Luci said.
“You want kids?”
“In theory, yes.”
“But?”
“It seems unlikely, given my job,” Luci said. “How could I have a baby and still work such long hours? Fortunately for me, I have no prospects, so no life choices will have to be made.”
“You will. You’ll meet someone great and have whatever kind of family you choose,” I said, even though it hurt to imagine her with someone else.
We wandered over to the knitwear booth, a timber-frame stall strung with the same warm lights as the rest of the market. The sign read Helen’s Handknits. A plump, older woman was knitting in a rocking chair, presumably Helen. She appeared to be wearing her own products. Her white hair was covered with a knit cap with bear ears paired and a bulky hand-knit cardigan. Her needles didn’t stop when she greeted us “Welcome in. I’m Helen. Please let me know if you have any questions.”
Hanging overhead on clotheslines were scarves in every color, mittens, gloves clipped in pairs, hats hung by their pompoms, long knitted Christmas stockings, and a few sweaters at the back. Baskets were filled with folded stacks of hats, fingerless gloves, ear-warmer headbands and cowl scarves rolled into cylinders. Tiny mittens hung from a string in the baby sections, as did itty bitty adorable hats with little animal ears and a folded stack of baby blankets.
“I think I need a new cap,” I said to Luci. “The one I have is not warm enough. My ears nearly froze off during our trail ride.”
She nodded, but I could tell she wasn’t really listening to me. Instead, she headed over to the Little Lambs section to gaze at a row of tiny hats hanging from another clothesline. She pulled down a pink one with bunny ears and brought it to her nose as if it might smell like a baby, then set it back on the stack. Her hand ran over the top of the baby blankets.
“The baby things are my favorite to make,” Helen said, still in her rocking chair. “Are you shopping for anyone in particular? Maybe a baby coming in the new year?”
“What?” Luci snatched her hand away from the blankets like they were hot. “No. I don’t know any babies. I mean, I know some. I’m a pediatrician, but none personally. Like in my family. Or my belly.” She flushed several shades of pink and pressed her hand against her mouth as if to keep herself from saying anything further.
“Well, one never knows what the new year will bring,” Helen said. “Are you two new to town or just visiting?” Her needles stopped clicking. “Wait. Are you here for the wedding out at Crescent Moon Ranch?”
“That’s right,” Luci said. “Does everyone know we’re here?”
“They can’t, or the paparazzi would be here,” I said.
“No, sir, not here,” Helen said. “We know how to keep our traps shut here in Blue Fern. We wouldn’t want anything to disturb Miss Ivy. We love her here. Jack too, of course. They’re very popular with our residents. Those two sweethearts deserve to celebrate in peace without those idiots chasing them with cameras.”
“That’s very nice to hear,” Luci said. “I’m Jack’s sister. Luci Wilder.”
Helen beamed. “Oh, how lovely. Aren’t you just as pretty as a picture too. And a doctor. Such a smart girl.”
“She is,” I said, unable to keep the admiration out of my voice.
