I'll Be Home for Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page B

Andi.”
    â€œGood night, Dr. Evans. You can call me Peter. What are we having for dinner?”
    â€œWhatever you bring. Tomorrow is bath day. I’m big on fast and easy. What time are you bringing Hannah?”
    â€œHow about ten? Our attorney will be out bright and early for you to sign the contract. Is that all right with you?”
    â€œOkay. Good night.”
    â€œI enjoyed this evening. Take good care of my dogs.”
    â€œI will.” Suddenly she didn’t want him to go. He didn’t seem to want to go either. She watched the 4 by 4 until the red taillights were swallowed in the snow.
    He was nice. Actually, he was real nice. And, he was going to give her over three million dollars. Oh, life was looking good.
    îŠ¦
    The following morning, Andi woke before it was light out. She threw on her robe and raced down the stairs to check on Rosie. “I just want you to know I was having a really, that’s as in really, delicious dream about Mr. Peter King.” She hunched down to check on the new pups, who were sleeping peacefully, curled up against their mother.
    While the coffee perked, Andi showered and dressed, taking a few more pains with her dress than usual. Today she donned corduroy slacks and a flannel shirt instead of the fleece-lined sweats she usually wore in the kennel. Today she even blow dried her hair and used the curling iron. She diddled with a jar of makeup guaranteed to confuse anyone interested in wondering if she was wearing it or not. A dab of rouge, a stroke of the eyebrow pencil and she was done. She was almost at the top of the steps when she marched back to her dressing table and spritzed a cloud of mist into the air. She savored the smell, a long-ago present from a friend. She told herself she took the extra pains because it wasn’t every day she signed a three-million-plus deal. As she drank her coffee she wondered what the plus part of the contract would net her.
    Andi thought about Gertie and her friends under the railroad trestle. Where did they go last night during the storm? Were they warm and safe? As soon as everything was tended to and she checked out Hannah the cat, she would drive into Plainfield and try to locate Gertie and her friends. Now that she had all this money coming to her, she could rent a motel for them until the weather eased up, providing the manager was willing to wait for his money.
    The notebook on the kitchen table beckoned. Her list of things to do. Call Realtor, make plans to transport animals. Her friend Mickey had an old school bus he used for camping in the summer. He might lend it to her for a day or so. She could pile Gertie and her friends in the same bus.
    Andi’s thoughts whirled and raced as she cleaned the dog runs and hosed them out. She set down bowls of kibble and fresh water, tidied up the kennel, sorted through the blankets and towels. The heavy duty machines ran constantly. Her own laundry often piled up for weeks at a time simply because the animals had to come first. She raced back to the kitchen to add a note to her list. Call moving company. She wasn’t parting with the crates, the laundry machines or the refrigerator. She was taking everything that belonged to her parents even if it was old and worn-out. The wrecking ball could destroy the house and kennel, but not her stuff.
    She was on her third cup of coffee when Peter King’s attorney arrived. She read over the contract, signed it and promised to take it to her attorney, Mark Fox. Everything was in order. Why delay on signing. The plus, she noticed, amounted to $750,000. That had to mean she had three and three-quarter acres. “Date the check January first. I don’t want to have to worry about paying taxes until ninety-seven. Where’s the date for construction to begin? Oh, okay, I see it. January 2, 1997. We’re clear on that?”
    â€œYes, Dr. Evans, we’re clear on that. Here’s my card; have Mr. Fox call me. Mark