Maddie forced a smile, nodding as she glanced out the window again. The thought of meeting new people, especially around Christmas, made her stomach knot. But maybe it was time. She knew she needed to stop retreating into her shell, but actually doing something about it wasn’t so easy to accomplish. The quiet of the mountains had helped, but it was only masking the emptiness inside her, not filling it.
Schatzi grabbed the cider and started for her coat by the door. “Don’t worry about a thing. They’ll be too busy gossiping and sharing holiday recipes to pay much attention to us.”
Maddie, slipping into her coat and wrapping a scarf around her neck, doubted that very much. But she could handle small-talk about baking and town news. It would be easy to smile and nod, to listen without saying too much. At least, she hoped it would. “You want me to carry that jug?”
“No, I can manage it. I’m old, I’m not dead.”
“Just trying to help.” Maddie thought about taking it anyway, but Schatzi was stubborn and wouldn’t appreciate being treated like she couldn’t do things for herself, so Maddie let her be.
The walk to the bonfire wasn’t far. Schatzi had mentioned that her neighbors, Tom and Alice Parker, hosted a Christmas bonfire on their land down by the frozen creek every year.
As Maddie and Schatzi got closer, the path through the woods was lit by lanterns hanging from low branches, their flickering light casting shadows that danced on the snow-covered ground. The cold air stung Maddie’s cheeks, but there was a kind of beauty in the stillness of the evening and the faint crunch of snow beneath their boots.
For a passing moment, Maddie almost felt like she was going to church.
When they reached the clearing, the smell of burning wood filled the air, mingling with the sweet scent of mulled cider that someone had brewed over a camp stove in a big stock pot. Paper cups of it were being passed around. More lanterns, dangling from branches, lit the area.
The bonfire itself roared in the center of the clearing, flames licking toward the night sky, casting a warm glow over the group that had gathered. There were a dozen or so women gathered in a big group, bundled in heavy coats and scarves, their breath fogging in the cold air as they laughed and talked.
The men had formed several smaller groups on the other side of the bonfire.
“Schatzi!” a voice called from near the fire, and an older woman with rosy cheeks and a bright smile waved them over. “You made it! We were beginning to wonder if the snow had kept you in.”
“Nothing keeps me in if I can help it,” Schatzi replied, her tone as feisty as ever. She leaned in toward Maddie andwhispered, “That’s Alice Parker. She and her husband own the big cabin up the ridge.”
Maddie smiled as Alice greeted them warmly and took the extra cider from Schatzi with a grateful nod. “And you must be Maddie,” Alice said, her eyes crinkling with kindness. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”
“All good things, I hope,” Maddie replied, forcing a light laugh.
Alice smiled warmly. “Only good things. We’re so glad you’re here.”
“Thanks.” The warmth of Alice’s welcome eased some of Maddie’s tension, and as they moved closer to the fire, the others gathered around to introduce themselves. There was Beth, a retired schoolteacher who seemed to know everything about everyone in town; Junie, a younger woman with two small children who were already asleep back at the house with her husband; and Lyla, a hairdresser in town whose makeup looked like something off a magazine cover.
The conversations flowed easily, touching on everything from the weather to Christmas traditions to how much shopping they all had left to do, and for the first time in a long while, Maddie felt herself relax.
But as the evening wore on, Maddie found herself standing slightly apart from the group, watching the flames dance and crackle. The warmth of the fire seeped into her bones, and the smell of burning wood brought back a flood of memories. Mostly Christmases spent here with Jack. They’d never come to this gathering, but a few of the faces still looked familiar.
She was sure they all knew Jack had died. Schatzi would have told them. Thankfully, no one had said anything about him. She wasn’t sure she could bear to talk about him without breaking down.
Her throat tightened as she thought of his easy smile, the way his arm would always drape around her shoulders, pulling her close. Not even the good memories were grief-free these days.
“Hey, there.”
Maddie turned to see Sam Bishop standing beside her, a paper cup of steaming cider in his hand. Fargo sat at his feet, his eyes fixed on the fire, content to be close to his owner.
“Sam,” Maddie said, surprised but pleased to see him. “I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”
He smiled, his breath forming small clouds in the cold air. “Alice always ropes me into these things. She’s impossible to say no to.” He took a sip of cider before adding, “Besides, it’s tradition. You want some cider?”
“No, I had some. Thanks.” Maddie turned back to the fire. The orange and red flames swayed against the dark backdrop of the woods, casting a glow on the faces of those gathered around. There was something mesmerizing about it, something soothing in the way the fire consumed the wood, crackling and popping as it burned.
“How’re you holding up?” Sam asked, his voice gentle, as though he sensed the swirl of emotions Maddie was trying to keep at bay.
Maddie hesitated, then shrugged. “I’m here,” she said, her tone soft. “That’s something.”
Sam nodded, his expression full of understanding. “That’s a lot, actually.”
Maddie glanced at him, catching the way the firelight reflected in his eyes. Sam’s presence was comforting in a way he probably didn’t even realize—he didn’t push, didn’t pry, but he was there, solid and steady, like the mountains themselves.
