Abby moved beside her. “I think Dad misses the excitement of his job,” she continued. “Closing a big deal, getting the contract signed, coming home with an expensive bottle of something to celebrate. He was good at his job. Too good, maybe. I think he feels like he’s wasting away up here.”

“How old are they?”

“Dad will turn sixty in March. Mom is fifty-eight.”

“How long have they been retired?”

“Oh, this is like, maybe six years now. Or seven. I was still in college when they started the process.” She walked on. “At first I felt guilty. I thought they’d only stayed together because of me. Aaron was already out of the house. By the time I was a senior in high school, he was out of college and working. He hardly came around. I felt almost like an only child.” She paused. “You said you had a brother. Is he with your parents?”

Nic stared at her for the longest time. “Abby, I’d rather not talk about it if you don’t mind.”

“I’m sorry, Nic. I’m being nosy. It’s absolutely none of my business.”

“How about a necklace or something? Or a bracelet?”

Abby nodded. “Okay. But we don’t have to do expensive. And I’ll of course return it to you when we get back home.”

“Good. So what do you like? Silver? Gold?”

“You know what, let’s go down the street a bit. Do you mind walking?”

“Of course not.”

“There’s a place that makes handcrafted jewelry. It’s mostly silver. They have a lot of Southwestern designs and stuff with turquoise too. We should be able to find something there.”

The snow clouds had started drifting away when they’d first gotten to town but now the sky was clear, and the sun was bright. She handed Nic the blue knit cap she bought for her.

“Here.”

“Thanks.” Nic put it on and pulled it over her ears. “Much better.”

Abby smiled at her. “You’ve never worn one before, have you?”

“Nope. Why? Do I have it on backwards?”

“I don’t think there is a backwards.”

They walked on in silence, blending in with the other shoppers on the sidewalks. Despite the earlier snow, the town seemed to be bustling with activity. Each time a shop door opened, bells jingled, and Christmas music could be heard from inside. It was a festive atmosphere and she wondered if it was rubbing off on Nic. She seemed to be taking it all in and there was a smile on her face.

She opened the door to the jewelry store—The Red River Silver Mine—and motioned for Nic to follow. Like the other stores they’d been to, it was decorated for the season and Christmas songs played in the background. She found herself humming along to “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” as she went up to one of the displays.