Roses For Katie Read Online Free PDF Page A

at the same time; I don’t fancy being all alone in this big house. I know I’ve got lovely neighbours who pop in all the time, but you’re my only family now, and you’re so far away.’ She struggled to her feet. ‘Come on, Katie, I want to take my mind off these miserable thoughts, so let’s check that everything is ready for our visitors to have some nice refreshments.’
    By mid afternoon when the expected visitors began to call, Katie and Aunt Bertha were ready to receive them. The steady stream of people seemed to invigorate the old lady, and she appeared to be enjoying the attention. Katie was busy serving cups of tea and biscuits and, catching snippets of conversation as she walked in and out of the parlor, when the phone rang.
    ‘I’ll answer that for you,’ Katie called out, as the shrill tone of the phone echoed through the hall. Her daughter’s voice at the other end was a surprise. ‘What’s the problem, Sam?’
    Katie was disappointed over what Sam had said. When she replaced the phone, she went straight to Aunt Bertha with the news. ‘Sam and Tanya will be coming to the funeral, but they will only be able to stay for the service and an hour or so afterwards.’ Katie took Aunt Bertha’s hand in hers with an apologetic look. ‘Whatever time they can manage to have off from work, I’ll be glad of their help, because it looks as though the day of the funeral will be chaotic.’
    She continued to make pots of tea for the callers, guessing everyone in the village must have put in an appearance. When the last of the sympathizers had gone, Bertha looked exhausted. She sank heavily into her recliner chair. ‘I’m sorry you have to go home so soon, my dear,’ she said. ‘I wish you could stay longer. I haven’t seen you for such a long time, and there’s a lot of family business I need to discuss with you.’
    ‘Tell you what,’ Katie said, taking Bertha’s hand again, ‘What if I take you back with me for a little holiday after the funeral. Would you like that?’
    Bertha’s eyes lit up. ‘Oh, I’d love it,’ she said. Her smile lit up her face. ‘That will be such a delightful change for me. You’re so very kind, my dear.’ She perked up straight away, her face animated as she began to plan. ‘I’ll have no worries about leaving this place for a while because I know my neighbor will look in to see that everything’s all right while I’m away. They have a spare key.’
    By the time she was ready to leave, Aunt Bertha was enjoying the company of several elderly ladies who had called that morning, and who seemed quite settled in for the rest of the day. One of them agreed to stay for a few days, so, knowing that her aunt had plenty of company and was well occupied, Katie decided it was the best time to leave. ‘I have shopping to do, and lots of other things to see to at home, so I’ll leave this morning instead of tomorrow. I’ll be back for the funeral before you can turn around.’ Katie gave her aunt a big hug. ‘Now take care, and if there are any problems before you see me again, don’t hesitate to ring me.’
    Confident that her aunt was in good hands, she drove away with mixed feelings, still stunned, but pleasantly surprised to have inherited such a large sum of money. She vowed to spend as much time with her surviving aunt as she could, and looked forward to her visit. Bertha would be a delight to have at her home, and no way as demanding as Elspeth. When she pulled into the forecourt outside her front door, Sam’s car was there. Within seconds the front door opened. ‘The kettle ’s on, Mum,’ Sam said, giving her mother a big hug. ‘How’s Aunt Bertha?’
    ‘Dreadfully upset, as you can imagine. It’s going to take a long time for her to adjust.’ She sighed and sat on one of the kitchen chairs. ‘She’s a strong lady though, so I’m sure she’ll be all right given time.’ She smiled eager to share her news. ‘By the way, I’ve come into quite a bit of