“Carrie,” she called from the living room, “you have a visitor.”

“I hope you don’t mind me dropping by unexpectedly,” he was saying to her mother when Carrie walked in. Vaughn stood awkwardly near the door. He removed his gloves and stuffed them in his pockets.

“Hello, Vaughn.” Carrie didn’t bother to disguise her pleasure at seeing him again.

“Hi.” He looked directly into her eyes. “Would you be free to meet my mother? I left her a few moments ago, drooling over Sarah’s quilts.”

“I’d like that.” Carrie reached into the hall closet for her coat and scarf. “What did you think of the quilts?” she asked, buttoning her coat. She wanted him to appreciate Sarah’s talent.

“They’re incredible. You’re right, it’s the perfect gift for Mom.”

Carrie supposed she had no business feeling proud; the quilt shop wasn’t hers and she had nothing to do with it. But everyone in Buffalo Valley took pride in Sarah’s accomplishments. It was more than the fact that Sarah had started the company in her father’s living room. People viewed her success as a reflection of what had happened to the town itself—the gradual change from obscurity and scant survival to prosperity and acclaim. Her struggles were their own, and by the same token, her successes were a reason to celebrate.

“I wanted you to know how much I enjoyed our time together yesterday,” Vaughn said, matching his steps to hers as they took a shortcut through the park. “I appreciate the suggestion about the quilt. And I learned a lot about you—and Buffalo Valley. You helped me see the town in an entirely different way.”

“I was grateful you let me talk out my feelings about Value-X…and everything else.”

Vaughn’s arm came around her and he briefly squeezed her shoulder. There was no need to refer to the divorce. He understood what she meant.

“I talked to Lindsay Sinclair earlier,” Carrie said, changing the subject. “She phoned the corporate office and asked if the rumors are true.”

“I thought you said they were negotiating for property.”

“That’s what I told Lindsay, but she doesn’t trust Ambrose Kohn. She said she wouldn’t put it past him to let people think Value-X was interested in the property so Heath or someone else would leap forward and offer to buy it. He’s not exactly the kind of person to generate a lot of trust.”

“What did your friend find out when she talked to the corporate people?”

“First they said they didn’t want to comment on their plans, but when Lindsay pressed the spokeswoman, she admitted that Buffalo Valley’s definitely under consideration.” Carrie’s shoulders tensed. “Lindsay took the opportunity to let her know they aren’t welcome in Buffalo Valley.” When she’d heard about that part of the conversation, Carrie had cheered.

“What did the company spokeswoman say then?”

Carrie laughed. “Apparently Value-X’s official response is that according to their studies, a growing community such as Buffalo Valley doesn’t have enough retail choices.”

Vaughn snorted.

“That’s what I thought. They’re sending a representative after Christmas. This person is supposed to win us over and show us everything Value-X can do for Buffalo Valley.” She couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

“It wouldn’t hurt to listen,” he said mildly.

Carrie whirled on him. “We’ll listen, but having a huge chain store in town is not what we want. Joanie Wyatt’s already started a petition, so when the company representative arrives, he or she will be met with the signature of every single person in town.”

Vaughn said nothing.

“What Value-X doesn’t understand is that Buffalo Valley is a small town with small-town values and that’s exactly the way we want to keep it. If they move in, they’ll ruin everything that makes us who we are.”

Vaughn stopped in front of a picnic bench, cleared away the snow with his arm and sat down. “What about jobs? Value-X will offer a lot of opportunity to young people. I’ve heard repeatedly that farming communities are seeing their young adults move away because of the lack of financial security.”

“That’s not necessarily true, the part about Value-X bringing jobs. After I talked to Lindsay, I got on the Internet and did some research myself. I learned that most of the positions Value-X brings into a town are part-time and low-paying. They offer few benefits to their employees. The worst aspect is that they destroy more jobs than they create.”

Vaughn’s frown deepened.

“I apologize,” she said. “I didn’t mean to get carried away about our problems with Value-X.”

Standing, Vaughn still seemed deep in thought. “No, I want to hear this. It bothers me that the company isn’t listening to your concerns.”

“They don’t want to listen.”

“But you said they’re sending a representative.”

“Right,” she said with a snicker. “To talk to us, not to listen. They’re under the mistaken impression that we’ll be swayed by a few promises and slick words. They’ve decided we need to think bigger and bolder and stop acting like a small town.”

“But Buffalo Valley is a small town.”

Carrie gave a sharp nod. “Exactly.”

As they approached the Buffalo Valley Quilting Compay, Carrie noticed the middle-aged woman standing inside by the window, looking out into the street. When Vaughn and Carrie appeared, she smiled and waved, then pointed to the quilt on display.

Carrie waved back, silently applauding his mother’s choice.

Mrs. Kyle smiled. Her eyes moved to her son and then to Carrie; her expression grew quizzical. Carrie didn’t have time to guess what that meant before Mrs. Kyle opened the glass door, stepped out and introduced herself.

Barbara Kyle knew that when she agreed to accompany Vaughn into Buffalo Valley, she’d be seeing Hassie Knight. A meeting was inevitable. They hadn’t been together since the day they’d stood in the pouring rain as a military casket was lowered into the ground.

Following the funeral, she’d kept in touch with Vaughn’s mother. They’d called each other frequently. But despite the war, despite her grief, Barbara’s college courses had continued, and she’d had to immerse herself in a very different kind of reality.

Rick had lost his best friend, and they began to seek solace from each other. Falling in love with him was a surprise. Barbara hadn’t expected that, hadn’t thought it was possible to love again after losing Vaughn. Rick wasn’t a replacement. No one could ever replace the man she’d loved. He understood, because in his own way he’d loved Vaughn, too.

When they announced their engagement, Hassie had pulled away from Barbara. Neither spoke of it, but they both knew that their relationship had fundamentally changed and that their former closeness could no longer exist. Vaughn’s parents didn’t attend the wedding, although they’d mailed a card and sent a generous check.

Barbara thought now that naming their son after Vaughn Knight had as much to do with Hassie as it did with their feelings for Vaughn. Perhaps she’d hoped to bridge the distance between them….

Until he was twenty-one, Hassie had remembered Vaughn Kyle every year on his birthday, but that was the only time Barbara and Rick heard from her. When Rick accepted early retirement and they’d decided to move back to North Dakota, Barbara recognized that, sooner or later, she’d see Hassie again. A month or so after they’d moved, Hassie had welcomed them with a brief note. It seemed fitting that Barbara’s son had been the one to arrange this meeting, to bring them together again.

“Hassie wanted me to bring you to the house, instead of the pharmacy,” Vaughn said as they left the quilting store.

“You’re coming with us, aren’t you?” Barbara asked Carrie. She’d quickly grasped that Vaughn was attracted to this woman, and she could understand why. However, she didn’t pretend to know what was happening. Natalie had phoned several times, wanting to speak to Vaughn; she wasn’t amused that he’d apparently turned off his cell phone. Barbara didn’t feel it was her place to inform the other woman that Vaughn was out with someone else. The situation concerned her, but she couldn’t interfere and had to trust that he was treating both women with honesty and fairness.

“I’d love to come to Hassie’s with you,” Carrie told them, “but I said I’d fill in at the store for her. You two go and have a good visit, and I’ll see you later.”

As they crossed the street, Carrie headed toward the pharmacy, and Barbara and Vaughn went in the opposite direction.

“Does the pharmacy still have the soda fountain?” Barbara asked her son.

“Sure does. In fact, I thought I’d leave you and Has-sie to visit, and I’d steal away to Knight’s to let Carrie fix me a soda.”

“You’re spending a lot of time with her, aren’t you?” Barbara couldn’t resist asking.

“Am I?”

Barbara didn’t answer him. There was probably some perfect maternal response, but darned if she knew what it was.

Hassie’s house came into view, and Barbara automatically slowed her pace. It’d been thirty-three years since she’d walked up these steps. Thirty-three years since she’d attended the wake, sat in a corner of the living room with Vaughn’s older sister and wept bitter tears. At the end of a day that had been too long for all of them, Vaughn’s mother had hugged her close and then instructed a family friend to make sure Barbara got safely home to Grand Forks.

“Mom?” Vaughn studied her and seemed to sense that something was wrong.

“It’s all right,” she said. Funny how quickly those old emotions resurfaced. Her stomach churned as if it’d been only a few months since she’d last walked this path. But thirty-three years, a lifetime, had passed.

Hassie opened the door before Barbara could ring the bell. They stood there for a moment, gazing into each other’s eyes.

Hassie smiled then, a welcoming smile that seemed to reach deep inside her with its warmth and generosity. “Barbara,” the older woman said, flinging open the screen door.

When she’d entered the house, Hassie hugged her for long minutes, and Barbara felt the tears gather in her eyes.

“I’m so glad you came.” Hassie finally released her and embraced Vaughn, who stood quietly behind his mother. “I assume Vaughn told you about our visit?”

“Yes, he did. I can’t tell you how honored we all are that you’d give him Mr. Knight’s gold watch.”

“It seemed right that he have it.” She took Barbara’s coat and hung it in the hall closet. “I won’t take yours,” she said to Vaughn, her back to them both. “You’re probably planning to sneak over to the shop for a soda.”

“How’d you guess?”

“I was young once myself,” Hassie said, and shooed him out the door.