A Christmas to Remember Read Online Free PDF Page A

attention,” Sara said with a laugh.
    “Yes, I’ve gone to great lengths to get some, haven’t I? I must crave attention desperately.”
    “What’s next, doctor?” Emily asked.
    “I’ll give you the information for the local agencies. She’ll need someone with her twenty-four hours at first, even with all of you visiting.”
    “Not at night,” Lillian piped up. “I’ll just be sleeping. Why does someone have to be there at night?”
    “In case you need to get out of bed or have some unexpected emergency,” Emily explained patiently.
    “Someone must be there at night, or I can’t approve this plan,” Dr. Bartow said firmly.
    “I don’t want a stranger in my house at night—wandering around, peering in at me, going through my things…. I won’t sleep a wink. They’re liable to give me a heart attack.”
    Emily touched her mother’s hand, hoping to calm her down. “We’ll figure it out, Mother. Jessica and I can come stay with you until we find someone you feel comfortable with. How’s that?”
    Lillian peered at her. “How can you manage that? And don’t tell me you’re going to bring your babies along with you. That would be even worse.”
    “We do have husbands, Mother,” Jessica reminded her. “Husbands can take care of babies when necessary. They’ll all be just fine.”
    “That remains to be seen,” Lillian huffed.
    Sara stood up and walked over to the bed. “Lillian’s right. It will be hard for either of you to stay over. I can do it. At least until we find someone she likes.”
    “What about your fiancé?” Lillian asked. “I don’t think he’ll like the idea much.”
    Lillian did not approve of Luke McAllister, Sara’s fiancé, and had never pretended otherwise.
    “Luke will understand. He’ll want to come visit you, too,” Sara said.
    “That’s just what I was worried about.”
    “Mother, really,” Emily said. “There’s no pleasing you. If it’s not one thing, it’s—”
    “Luke McAllister. All right, I give up. One can’t expect perfection in this world. I already know that.”
    Lillian closed her eyes again and rested back on her pillow. Everyone else in the room exhaled sighs of relief.
    “Do you think we should have her sign something?” Jessica whispered in a teasing tone.
    “I heard that,” Lillian said, her eyes still closed.
    The doctor struggled not to laugh. “All right. We have a plan. If you three can step out into the hallway a minute, we can go over a few more details and Lillian can get some rest.”
    “Excellent suggestion. I wish you would all go now and leave me alone.”
    Emily and Jessica kissed their mother good-bye then followed the doctor out in the hallway. Sara stood at the side of the bed a moment, then kissed Lillian lightly on her forehead, thinking she had already drifted off.
    Lillian surprised her, gripping her hand. She opened her eyes a tiny slit. “Thank you,” she mouthed the words.
    “You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sara whispered back.
    Twenty minutes later, Sara found her way to the elevators and punched the button to go down. She reached into her jacket for her car keys and found instead the old photo she had picked up off the floor by the attic door.
    Two young women stood together, one with fluffy blond hair and a round face, who looked directly at the camera with light blue eyes and a guileless smile.
    The other was tall and thin, with chestnut-brown hair in a smooth, sophisticated upsweep that looked a bit severe. But the young woman was beautiful enough to carry it off. She had high cheekbones and a wide sensuous mouth. Large blue eyes were enhanced by the color of her ice-blue dress, a silk sheath with a matching stole. She wore long white gloves and a wide gold bracelet.
    Her gaze seemed to challenge the photographer, as if she dared him to take her picture. Sara had no idea who the blonde was, but she had a strong suspicion about the brunette. She would know that look anywhere.
    She flipped