Berry the Hatchet Read Online Free PDF Page A

would have to warn people to warm the muffins and bread before eating them—the cold air was quickly chilling them, and they felt as if they’d been stored in the refrigerator and not in the warmth of her kitchen.
    People were beginning to stroll down the street, many arm in arm, their cheeks rosy from the cold. The official start of the Walk was four p.m., when Miss Winter Walk, accompanied by Mayor Preston Crowley, would arrive in the horse-drawn sleigh. Fortunately there was now plenty of snow, so Preston must be pleased. The thought of Preston made Monica’s jaw clench, and she quickly turned her mind to something else.
    Monica finished arranging her display and looked around. She had to admit, Cranberry Cove had certainly risen to the challenge. Lights twinkled on all the shop fronts, the scent of hot chocolate and mulled cider drifted on the air, and the old-fashioned street lamps gave a ruddy glow to the entire scene. A group of young men and women dressedin period costume stood at the top of the street singing old English ballads. The whole scene was quite magical.
    Monica glanced toward Twilight and wondered if Tempest was going to hold her ritual despite Preston’s petition. Personally, she thought it would add to the celebration rather than detract. The way Tempest had described it, there would be candles and bells and various other noisemakers. Certainly it would give the tourists something to talk about when they got back home.
    The door to Gumdrops opened and Hennie and Gerda came out, bundled to their eyebrows in matching boiled wool coats, knitted hats and mittens.
    Hennie pushed back her sleeve and glanced at her watch. “It’s almost four o’clock. The sleigh should be arriving any minute now.”
    â€œThis is so exciting.” Gerda clapped her mittened hands together.
    â€œWho is Miss Winter Walk?” Monica asked, suddenly realizing she had no idea who had been chosen for this prime part in the celebration.
    Hennie rolled her eyes. “Preston’s niece Candy. She’s a complete ninny if you ask me. We hired her briefly to help out in the store, and even after a week she couldn’t figure out how to make change.”
    â€œWe had to let her go,” Gerda chimed in. “But then I heard she was working at that jewelry store down the street with the unusual name—”
    â€œBijou,” interjected Hennie with an air of superiority. “It’s French, I think.”
    â€œI heard she’s only working because her mother refused to support her anymore.” Gerda squared hershoulders. “She didn’t want to go to college, so it’s time she went out into the world and earned her own keep.”
    â€œYes,” Hennie said, lowering her voice confidentially. “Her mother can hardly afford to take care of herself, let alone a twenty-one-year-old girl more than fit enough to hold down a job.”
    Monica raised her eyebrows.
    â€œPreston has done very well for himself,” Hennie explained, “but his sister hasn’t been as lucky. She married this complete ne’er-do-well who left her high and dry with a baby to raise.”
    Monica didn’t think she’d ever heard anyone use the word
ne’er-do-well
in conversation before. It was one of the things she liked about the VanVelsen sisters—talking to them was like opening a window into a different era.
    There was a noise at the top of the street—it started as a rumble and grew louder until it reached the spot where Monica and the VanVelsens were standing.
    â€œThe sleigh is coming,” Hennie said, peering into the distance, pressing against the barricade that had been set up to keep people out of the street until after the sleigh had arrived. She checked her watch. “It’s early. It’s only ten to four.”
    â€œAnyone who’s late is going to miss it.” Gerda pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at her nose.