Page 48 of Mistletoe and Mischief

“Will do.” Linc stepped forward and shook hands with the sheriff and then, for good measure and goodwill, with each of the deputies. “Thanks for all your help.”

Troy Davis nodded. “You tell your sister she shouldn’t have worried you like this.”

“Oh, I’ll tell her,” Linc promised. He had quite a few other things he intended to say to her, too.

After receiving directions to the fire station, they jumped back in the truck. Finally they were getting somewhere, Linc told himself with a feeling of satisfaction. It was just a matter of time before they caught up with her.

It didn’t take them long to locate the fire station.

Rather than repeat their earlier mistakes—or what Linc considered mistakes—he said, “Let me do the talking, understand?”

“Okay,” Ned agreed quickly enough.

“Mel?”

“Oh, all right.”

They walked into the station house and asked to speak to the duty chief. The man eyed them cautiously.

Linc got immediately to the point. “I understand that earlier today you responded to an incident involving a young pregnant woman. A firefighter named Hutton was mentioned in connection with this call. Is that correct?”

When the chief didn’t reply, Linc added, “If so, we believe that’s our sister.”

The man raised his eyebrows, as if determined not to give out any information.

“She needs her family, chief.”

There must’ve been some emotion in Linc’s voice, some emotion he didn’t even know he’d revealed, because the man hesitated, then excused himself. He returned a few minutes later, followed by a second man.

“This is Mack McAfee. He’s the EMT who responded to the call.”

“You saw Mary Jo?” Linc asked. He extended his hand, and Mack shook it in a friendly fashion.

“I did.”

Linc’s relief was so great he nearly collapsed into a nearby chair. “That’s great!”

“She’s okay, isn’t she?” Ned blurted out. “She hasn’t gone into labor or anything?”

“No, no, she had a dizzy spell.”

“Dizzy?” Linc repeated slowly and cast a startled look at his brothers.

“Does that mean what I think it means?” Mel asked.

Linc felt sick to his stomach. “I was twelve when Mary Jo was born and I remember it like it was yesterday. Mom got real dizzy that morning and by noon Mary Jo had arrived.”

“That’s not generally a sign of oncoming labor,” Mack reassured him.

“It is in our family. Dad told me it was that way with each and every pregnancy. According to him, Mom had very quick deliveries and they all started with a dizzy spell. He barely made it to the hospital in time with Mary Jo. In fact—”

“She was born while Dad parked the car,” Mel said. “He dropped Mom off at the emergency door and then he went to look for a parking space.”

That tale had been told around the kitchen table for years. Once their father had parked the car and made his way back to the hospital, he was met by the doctor, who congratulated him on the birth of his baby girl.

“Do you know where she is?” Linc asked with renewed urgency.

“You might talk to Grace Harding,” Mack said.

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