High Plains Hearts Read Online Free PDF Page A

and me, that poor angel would be a nervous wreck. What you don’t see is the itching powder the little boy put inside the girl’s clothing, and the Kick Me sign she taped to his pants.” He studied the picture. “Matter of fact, why don’t you wrap that up, too? I’m going to give it to my sister for Christmas, just to remind her of how angelic we were as kids.”
    “Does your family live around here?” Tess asked as she took the painting down and wrapped pink and gold angel-printed tissue paper around it.
    “They’re all over the country,” he said, paying her once again with cash. “Sis and her family are in Mississippi, my two brothers are in New England, and Mom and Dad are in Southern California.”
    “Will you be seeing them this Christmas?”
    He shook his head. “No. The big family gathering takes place every summer at the family cabin in Montana, but I’ll try to buzz out and see Mom and Dad later in January.” His eyes twinkled. “Right about then I’m ready for some basking in the sun without a parka, and, oh yeah, it’s great to see my parents, too.”
    “Sounds fun.”
    “It is. They have a big ranch-style house with a swimming pool. It’s quite a nice break from the icy depths of winter. Although I have to say it gets harder and harder to go out there to visit, what with Panda’s taking so much of my time.”
    “Being a sole practitioner in business means vacation time is severely curtailed, that’s for sure.”
    “True.” He reached down and patted Cora, who had joined them. “Besides, this grand lady might not be as flexible as your customers.”
    “That’s the truth!”
    She handed him the package. “Want some help carrying all this to your car?”
    “I can get it.” As he gathered up the large angel and balanced the print under his arm, he said, “By the way, come out to Panda’s soon and see how Faith is doing out there. I think you’ll like it.”
    “I’ll try.” She held the door open for him. “It was nice doing business with you.”
    He stopped and turned to look at her. “Oh, I’m not finished yet. I still have more shopping to do. See you later!”
    Cora joined Tess at the door but cringed back at the gust of cold air that swept into the small store.
    “Brr. You’re right, Cora. It’s way too cold today.” She shut the door and, through the window, watched him struggle with the angel as he tried to wrangle it into the car without bending the wings or totally tearing off the halo.
    She grinned as he finally gave up and put it in the front seat, like a passenger.
    What was he doing now? She laughed out loud as he stood up and moved away from the door. He’d even fastened her in with the shoulder strap of the seat belt!
    He glanced back at the store and, catching her eye through the window, gave a jaunty wave before pulling away from the curb.
    He’d no sooner left than another figure loped up the walk to the front of the shop.
    “Reverend Barnes!” Tess cried in delight as the minister stooped slightly at the door. “You don’t have to duck today. The door angel broke.”
    “Oh no.” He looked in consternation at the body of the angel still swinging over the transom. “She always seemed to say hello when I visited.”
    “Oh, she’ll be back. It wasn’t anything I can’t fix. Actually, it’s a good sign. I’ve been so busy today that she got a workout, the likes of which she’s never seen before.”
    “I heard you had some good coverage last night on the news. It’s great that it brought out customers in droves.”
    “Well, not in droves, exactly. Clusters. That’s it. Clusters of customers. So what can I do for you, Reverend?”
    “I want to buy Mrs. Barnes a really special angel this year. This will be our thirty-seventh Christmas together, you know.”
    “Thirty-seventh! I’m impressed. You both deserve angels for that. What did you have in mind?”
    “Something with gold and diamonds and emeralds for putting up with me all these