Return to Virgin River (Virgin River #19) - Robyn Carr Page 0,77

mother’s tribe. It was a wonderful reunion.

* * *

Thanksgiving Day dawned bright and sunny with a light dusting of snow on the ground. A couple of women were busy in the kitchen putting out a breakfast. A couple had bundled up and were sitting on the porch, taking in the view of the snowy mountains. Kaylee made sure to take her morning walk.

Then they began to get their meal ready. King crab legs, mussels and oysters were the main course, but Janette brought a brisket as well. The red meat was in a marinade and she flipped it regularly. They made twice-baked potatoes smothered in cheese and sour cream and sprinkled with bacon. They had corn casserole, broccoli mixed up with onions, peppers and mushrooms, and a giant loaf of soft French bread. They prepared dishes of butter for dipping and Korby made her specialty of pot stickers. Janette prepared an appetizer of snails; she brought the shells and special plates from home. There was enough food to feed an army and dinner was scheduled for four o’clock.

Michelle put on a movie—An Affair to Remember followed by Sleepless in Seattle. Two favorites guaranteed to give them all an excuse to cry.

“Like a purge,” Michelle said. “Some good old tears will clean out the pipes.”

By the time Landry showed up late in the afternoon, they were all dabbing the tears from their eyes but were ready to eat. Kaylee had to explain what they’d done—prepared food all day, watched a couple of tearjerkers and set the table.

They had already started the brisket on the grill, but Landry was more than happy to take over. The mussels were cooked indoors, the crab was thrown on the grill, scattered around the brisket, the oysters were served chilled, the potatoes, casserole and vegetables all warmed for the table. Dinner was scheduled for four but it was promptly at five that they all gathered around the big dining room table and lifted their glasses in a toast.

“To Meredith,” Michelle said.

“And to Kaylee,” Janette added.

Then, except for regular comments about the food being out of this world, there was very little talking. In fact, Landry did most of the talking when he said, “Oh my God,” and “Are you kidding me right now?” There was very little additional comment from him. He was too busy chewing.

“Landry, you don’t seem to be uncomfortable partying with a bunch of women,” Michelle said.

“Are you kidding me?” he said. “I haven’t eaten like this in at least a hundred years. This is amazing.” He lifted his glass and added, “And never have I had such beautiful and brilliant company for a holiday dinner.”

“Very slick, Landry,” Terri said. “You seem to know who to flatter. We like having you, too.”

“I would travel far for another day like this!” he said.

“Unfortunately, we leave in the morning,” Janette said.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Landry said. “The day after Thanksgiving is a big day in Virgin River.”

“What’s going on?” Kaylee asked. “We’ve already handed out all the food baskets. They’re having Thanksgiving dinner at Jack’s.”

“The tree, Kaylee!” Landry said. “The tree is going up in town. A huge tree between the bar and the church. Appropriate, wouldn’t you say? And it’s not just that it’s incredibly big, it’s that the men from town have to make it happen while the women from town are giving advice and directions and bossing them a lot. Hardly anyone misses the tree raising and trimming. It’s not like you have to stay all day but if you stay into the afternoon, you’ll see some of it. And... Well, if you’re interested in meeting Kaylee’s rescue dog and her pups, it would be great to have you all come out and see where she lives. Kaylee brought that dog out of the woods, saved her life, and now Lady lives for a smile from Kaylee.”

“I would like to see where you are living for now,” Korby said.

In the end Michelle and Janette decided to head back to their homes first thing in the morning while Korby, Terri and Maggie stayed on until afternoon. And the day did not disappoint.

They raved about Landry’s pots and sculptures and other art; they loved the little house he had rented to Kaylee. Lady completely charmed them and Landry had to nearly arm wrestle them to keep them from absconding with the puppies. Otis and Tux got a fair bit of attention as well.

Then their trip into town paid off. They got there at