Hannah added, “And if any cows go into labor, he’ll handle that too.” It was an inside joke from the year all the flights had gotten cancelled. That was when Allie had met Ryan, and they’d both been snowed in, so it hadn’t been all that bad. Allie had ended up with a new boyfriend, and Henry had ended up with Allie in town to bring his new calf into the world.
“Ha ha.” Allie’s lips pulled into a fake pout. “Well? I can’t help it if I worry.”
“We got this,” Hannah and Lisa assured the woman. “Don’t you worry one bit.”
“And you also have my cell phone number,” Allie reminded them.
“We do.”
Hannah was almost sorry to have to release Brutus to Lisa, but she had pugs at home waiting on her attention, so she handed the leash to Lisa, who took it in her free hand.
“And when Kevin’s back from the logging camp with Thomas, I’ll have help.” Lisa whispered into Max’s ear, “You’re going to love Kevin. He’s very nice.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Allie wrung her hands together. “I know this is asking a lot.”
“You have got to stop worrying,” Lisa said. “You’re going to Paris. Come on. Ryan’s going to be so excited to see you there when he accepts that award. It’s the trip of a lifetime.”
Joy twinkled in Allie’s eyes. “I know, but I’ve just never been out of Evergreen for Christmas and it will to be tough to say goodbye to my parents later and—”
“And you always talk about how there’s a big world out there and you want to go see it,” Hannah reminded her. “Seriously, Allie. Go be with Ryan and Zoey. I’ve got the truck keys.” She jingled the keys to the famous red truck from her fingertips. “And I’ll feed your fish.”
“That’s right,” Lisa said. “And I’ve got these two little boys. We’re going to have so much fun.” She dropped a kiss on the dog’s nose.
Hannah stage-whispered to Allie. “You know she’s going to end up adopting them.”
“Oh, yeah. A thousand percent.” The three of them laughed and although they were giving Allie a hard time, Hannah knew she’d miss her while she was gone.
“Excuse me, I’m sorry to interrupt.”
All three of them spun around to see a blonde with a suitcase at her side, trying to get into the store, which they’d unknowingly blocked in their dog detail huddle.
“Not at all.” Allie stepped aside.
“Hi.” Lisa set Max down on the ground and handed his leash off to Allie. “Sorry. Welcome to Daisy’s Country Store.”
“Thanks. Are you Daisy?”
“Ah, no, that’s a whole other story. Daisy was the original owner. I’m Lisa. I own the place now. I kept the name to keep the spirit of what she built here.”
“That’s really nice.” She placed a hand against her heart. “I’m actually just looking for a phone charger—”
“Just a charger?” Lisa asked. “You sure? Nothing else? Because we are just filled with all kinds of cute little quaint things made right here in Evergreen. Wonderful gift ideas, too.”
Hannah held back a laugh as the stranger flashed her a look, locking eyes as if to say, Is she always like this?
“See those hats over there? They’re really great. Right? Hannah, right here, made those hats!”
“I did.” Still holding Brutus, Hannah offered up a finger wave.
“For real, those hats are so cute,” Katie said, “but I, um—”
Lisa pouted. “But like everyone else who comes into a general store, you’re looking for something practical and general.”
“Lisa, don’t worry.” Hannah reassured her. “Tourist season is just around the corner.”
“She’s right.” Katie lifted her left hand. “Actual tourist here.”
“Be careful now,” Allie said. “A lot of people come here as tourists and end up as residents.” She thumbed toward Lisa.
“It’s true.” Lisa raised her hand. “Actual resident. Let me go get you that charger.”
“Thank you.” Katie watched Lisa skip off into the store, then turned to Allie and Hannah. “Do you guys happen to have directions to Barbara’s Country Inn?”
“Yeah,” Hannah said. “I’m dropping off decorations over there in just a minute. Do you want a lift?”
Katie’s eyes widened. “Wh—Are you sure?”
“Of course. No problem at all.” Hannah jingled the keys to the red truck in her pocket.
Allie offered Katie a knowing smile. “Welcome to Evergreen. People are a lot friendlier than you could ever imagine around here.”
“I can see that.” Katie couldn’t help but shake her head.
Lisa came back, carrying a few things. “All right, here’s your charger,” she said to Katie, then handed a box to Hannah. “And here are the decorations.” Then back to Katie again, she lifted a pretty striped toboggan in shades of pink and blue and handed it to her. “And the hat is on me. It gets cold in Evergreen. You’ll need it.”
“Wow.” Katie held the hat. “Thanks. You guys really are nice. Thank you.” It was too warm for a hat today, Hannah thought, but it sure was a nice gesture.
“That’s a terrible way to run a business,” Allie said to Lisa in a low voice.
“Whatever. Be nice.” Lisa slapped at her. “It’s Christmas.”
Allie’s giggle made it abundantly clear that she enjoyed poking fun at the newest business owner in town.
“Come on.” Hannah carried the decorations over to Allie’s red truck with Katie dragging her suitcase behind her.
“Very cool truck.” Katie stood there for a moment, checking it out. “Can I just set my bag on the floorboard here?”
“Yep. Should slide right in.” Hannah slipped behind the wheel while Katie got situated, then slammed the door closed.
Katie stood there, looking amazed, as Hannah climbed into the red pickup truck. “You even decorated the truck?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s tradition,” Hannah said. “But it’s not my truck. It’s Allie’s.”
“My brother would have gone crazy over this truck.” Katie stroked the metal dashboard. “He and my dad were always working on old cars. What year is this? A 1956?”