burst open just then and a smiling, lighthearted Clayton Kemper walked in. He glanced around and beamed proudly at the group of weary travelers.
"I was on my way home when I ran across this," he said cheerfully. He stuck his hand out the door and dragged in the sorriest-looking Christmas tree Len had ever seen.
One side of the evergreen was bare, the top had split and two branches spiked in opposite directions, resembling bug antennae.
"The man in the Christmas-tree lot gave it to me for a buck."
"You got overcharged," Matt McHugh muttered. His words were followed by a few short laughs and a general feeling of agreement.
"That may well be," Kemper said, not letting their lack of enthusiasm dampen his spirit. "But it seemed to me that since you folks are stuck here on Christmas Eve, you might as well make the best of it."
"That tree looks like it's in the same shape we're in," Elise Jones said dryly.
"The tree is yours to do with as you wish," Kemper told them. "Merry Christmas to you all."
No one thought to thank him, Len noticed.
The sad little tree stood in the center of the room, bare and forlorn, wounded and ugly. He'd have to go along with Elise. The Christmas tree did resemble them - and their attitude.
Five-year-old Kate Jones walked over to it and stood with her arms akimbo, staring at the limp branches. Then, apparently having come to some sort of decision, she turned to confront the disgruntled group.
"I think it's a beautiful tree," she announced. "It just needs a little help." She removed the red bow from the top of her head and pinned it to the nearest branch.
Despite himself, Len grinned. On closer examination, the kid was right. The tree wasn't nearly as ugly as he'd first thought.
CAN THIS BE CHRISTMAS? Chapter Six
"Sing We Now of Christmas"
M ost everyone ignored the Christmas tree, Cathy Norris mused sadly. Except for Kate...Then Kelly walked over and silently added a rattle. She took her time finding just the right spot for it, choosing to hang it directly in the middle, opposite Kate's hair bow.
Turning to the others, she smiled and said, "Come on, you guys, it's Christmas Eve."
"She's right," Nick said, and joined his wife. He bounced the baby gently in his arms, and Brittany grinned and reached for his bright green muffler. Nick removed it, handed the baby to Kelly and placed the muffler on the tree, stretching it out as if it were the finest decorative strand. He wove it between the lower branches of the fir, the wool fringe dangling like green wool tinsel.
Len surveyed the tree, then stepped up and added his white cap, settling it near the top, where it sat jauntily.
The elderly black man moved forward next and added his tie clasp. He clipped it to the branch in an upright position like a clothespin, stepped back and nodded once, apparently pleased with the effect. "Hey, this tree doesn't look so bad."
Soon others became creative about decorating the Christmas tree. Cathy cut strips of red yarn and with Kate's help draped the strands over as many branches as they could reach.
Even the grumpy salesman pitched in. Cathy saw him with the small pair of scissors on his Swiss Army knife, folding and cutting memos into paper snowflakes, then hanging them on the tree with dental floss. Actually they looked quite attractive against the backdrop of red yarn.
It wasn't long before every branch sprouted some sort of odd decoration. True, it wasn't a traditional Christmas tree, but it seemed to possess amazing powers. The scowls and complaints of moments earlier were now replaced by smiles and animated chatter.
"I think my daughter's right," Elise said, walking over to more closely examine their handiwork. "This is actually a beautiful tree."
The little boy, around three or four, who'd stayed close by his parents the entire day, clapped in delight.
Cathy noticed several smiles.
"I'm hungry," Kate whispered to her mother.
Worrying about their situation as she had for most of the day, Cathy hadn't given any thought to food until the youngster mentioned it. She apparently wasn't the only one.
"What about dinner?" Cathy asked, glancing about the room. It looked as though they'd been left to fend for themselves. Mr. Kemper had said someone would come by to check on them, but so far no one had.
"Nothing's going to be open tonight," Matt McHugh grumbled. "Not on Christmas Eve."
"Especially not with the storm and all earlier," Len put in.
Cathy could feel the