Roses For Katie Read Online Free PDF

money.’
    ‘Oh, Mum, that’s great.’ Sam beamed and her eyes lit up. ‘Now you can get yourself togged up to the nines, get a makeover at ‘Clare’s beauty salon… and get your garden done.’
    ‘How did you know that’s exactly what I’d planned to do?’ Katie sniffed. ‘I detect a most appetizing aroma. I’ve had no lunch yet, so what is it?’
    ‘I guessed you’d do something like that, so I made a lovely casserole for you.’ Sam opened the oven door to see if it was done. ‘It’ll be ready in ten minutes, so freshen up, and then we’ll enjoy it together, because I’ve made arrangements with Denise to look after the baby for a few hours.’
    Katie enjoyed her lunch with Sam, then waved her off. She rested until she felt sufficiently recovered from the long drive and the substantial meal to set out for the shops. The tiny, but expensive, boutique on High Street beckoned as she parked the car. Thanks to Aunt Mabel, price was no problem. Now she could afford whatever caught her fancy. She explained to the assistant what she was looking for. After an hour, of trying on so many lovely garments she was totally confused. It was almost teatime before she walked out of the store with the most gorgeous two-piece she had ever owned. It was a soft apple green, pure silk, with a gorgeous, figure-hugging skirt that made her look even more sylph-like. She could barely wait to wear it.
    Full of excitement, she pulled up outside Clare’s, the beauty salon, to make an appointment. She walked in as though it was something she did regularly. ‘I’d like a facial and my hair completely restyled, in the morning, if possible,’ she said to the receptionist. The young woman smiled and offered a suitable time, and then handed over the appointment card.
    Katie had to acknowledge that the excitement she was feeling was no doubt due to the sizeable legacy, but it was also anticipation of what was to come. She hadn’t felt this good for years. With all the catching up she had to do after being gone, the evening passed quickly. Within minutes of her head hitting the pillow that night, she was fast asleep.
    Early the next morning she was having her breakfast when a knock on the back door surprised her. She opened it to find a tall, well-built man with a tousled mop of dark curly hair, and an infectious smile, standing on the doorstep. From his healthy looking weathered complexion she guessed this had to be the gardener she had called and left a message.
    ‘I… I’m Patrick O’Reilley, Madam. You phoned about your garden. I’m working just down the road today, so I’ve dropped by to see you, as requested.’ He jerked his thumb at the nearest flowerbed. ‘I’ve come not a day too soon, by the look of it. I mean no offense, to be sure, Madam, but this garden of yours looks to be in a sorry state.’
    ‘Yes, it is,’ Katie said, and returned his smile. ‘It’s a mess.’ She stepped outside and closed the door behind her. ‘And this is only part of it… there’s lots more. Let me show you the rest, and see what you think.’
    The man followed her around, commenting on the rose and flower gardens before they went to the kitchen garden at the back of the house. ‘This is in a sorry state, too.’ He stood still for a few moments, and glanced around. ‘It’s much bigger than it looks from the front, that’s for sure. Have you been doing this all on your own?’
    ‘Trying to, since my husband died,’ Katie said, spreading her hands in a gesture of helplessness, ‘but not coping, as you can see. I’m desperate for help.’
    The Irishman’s face broke into the most enchanting smile she had seen in a long while. His teeth were white and even, his twinkling eyes a penetrating ocean blue, and his whole countenance bore such an impish look, it seemed as though he could have been a mischievous leprechaun, straight out of an Irish folk tale. For some reason, Katie suddenly felt a great deal better about