A Time to Give — Linda Swift

The small roadside restaurant where Ellen works is busy with travelers rushing home on Christmas Eve. She is counting on her employer's bonus and tips to take her over the top for the gift she plans to buy today for the guy she loves. Bruce is a college student in need of a typewriter he can't afford and Ellen has been saving for months to surprise him. A mother and two young children stop in while their car is being repaired next door. Ellen learns they have a long drive ahead in a worsening snow storm and little money. She invites them to stay over with her but the woman wants to try and make St. Louis in case her husband calls. If Ellen helps them she will not be able to buy the gift Bruce requires for school. How can she choose who has the greater need?