A Gift to Last Page 0,11

for peace and quiet and found it not worth the price of having to sit alone in the cold. The temperature wasn't the only source of discomfort; he didn't like the turn his thoughts had taken. He didn't want a divorce, but he could see that was the direction he and Pam were headed.

Matt and Nick sprinted back into the depot just as the stationmaster walked to the center of the room. Nick rejoined his wife and handed her the diaper bag.

"Folks," the old man said, raising his arms to attract their attention. "My name's Clayton Kemper and I'm here to give you as much information as I can about the situation."

"How much longer is this going to take?" the long-haired guy demanded.

"Yeah," someone else shouted. "When do we get out of here?"

"Now, folks, that's something I can't predict. The problem involves more than the storm. The tracks are out."

His words were followed by low dissatisfied murmurs.

"I realize you're anxious to be on your way, seeing it's Christmas Eve and all. But no one can tell us just how long it'll be before the repairs are finished. Our first estimate was two hours, but the repair crew ran into difficulties."

The murmurs rose in volume. "We need answers," Matt said loudly, his fists clenched. "Some of us are booked on flights."

Clayton Kemper held up his hands. "I'm sorry, folks, I really am, but like I said before, there's just no way of predicting this sort of thing. It could be another hour...or it could be till morning."

"Morning!" The grumbling erupted into a flurry of angry shouts.

"What about hotel rooms?" an older man asked, placing a protective arm around the woman beside him.

Matt watched Nick glance at his wife as he stepped forward. "That's a good question. Should we think about getting a hotel room?" It went without saying that a young family would be far more comfortable in one. "And what's available here?"

"There's a hotel in town and a couple of motels that should have a few rooms left. I can call and they'll send their shuttle vans for anyone who wants to be picked up. Same goes for the car rental agency. But - " Mr. Kemper rubbed the side of his jaw " - I can't tell you what would be best. When the repairs are finished, the train's pulling out. We won't have time to call all over town and round people up. If you're here, you go. If not, you'll need to wait for the next train."

Matt weighed his options and decided to wait it out. He was probably being too optimistic, but he'd rather take his chances at the depot. His choice wasn't the popular one. The majority of those on the train decided to get hotel rooms. Within ten minutes, the depot had emptied, leaving twenty or so hardy souls willing to brave the rest of the afternoon.

"What about you two?" Matt asked Nick, glancing at the younger man's wife and baby. He'd expected Nick to be among the first to seek more comfortable accommodations.

"Kelly thinks we should stay."

"It could be a long hard afternoon," Matt felt obliged to remind him. Later, when Nick and his wife changed their minds, there likely wouldn't be any rooms left. But that was none of his affair.

Matt's gaze went to the telephones. He probably should phone Pam, but the prospect brought him no pleasure. He'd wait until he had a few more pertinent details. No use upsetting her this soon. She had four hours yet before she needed to know he wasn't on his scheduled flight. In this instance ignorance was bliss.

"Mother...oh dear, this isn't working out the way I'd hoped." Madeline's distress rang over the wire.

Cathy's thoughts echoed her daughter. She pressed the telephone to her ear. "I don't want you to worry."

"I have every right to worry," Madeline snapped. "I should have come up there and gotten you myself."

"Nonsense." As far as Cathy was concerned, that would only have made matters worse. The last thing she wanted was to take her daughter away from her family on Christmas Eve.

"But Daddy would - " Madeline abruptly cut off the rest of what she was about to say.

"I'm perfectly fine."

"You're in the middle of a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. You're stuck without family, alone in some train depot in a dinky town in New Hampshire. You are not fine, Mother."

Alone. The word leaped out of her daughter's mouth and hit Cathy hard. Hard enough that she took an