Sleigh Bells in Valentine Valley Read Online Free PDF Page A

good meal and lots of laughs, the tension Kate had anticipated being mostly absent except for her brother’s occasional curious glances, which she ignored. Joe was blond like her, a guard on the high school team, since he was only a little taller than their dad, and beginning to fill out from the gangly stage that Ethan was just now entering. The two boys were only four years apart in age, and toddler Joe used to pipe up that Ethan wasn’t his brother but his nephew, shocking and delighting everyone who’d asked.
    Kate silently admitted to herself that she was a little disappointed Ethan hadn’t called to see if he could join her for dinner. But this was Tony’s holiday, not hers, and she would never dream of interfering.
    Christina wouldn’t let Kate help with dishes, sending her off to the bakery and even trying to slip her money to pay for the pies.
    â€œMom!” Kate protested, firmly handing the money back. “I may not be working at the moment, but I’m still getting paid. I can afford some pies. And I’m happy to contribute to Thanksgiving.”
    Christina kissed her cheek. “And we’re so happy to have you—for as long as you want. You know that, right?”
    Kate nodded, slipping into her coat and heading out into the falling snow before she could embarrass herself by tearing up again. She would have walked the few blocks to Main Street, but she needed her car to carry the pies. Still, parking was difficult, and she ended up around the corner from the bakery. Standing just outside the colorfully decorated front door, she took a moment to enjoy the beauty of her hometown. Now that she’d crossed some of the initial hurdles of her return, she was more able to appreciate the twinkling lights outlining the buildings and the wreaths on so many doors. No town did Christmas like Valentine Valley.
    At last she entered Sugar and Spice, and the aroma of cinnamon and vanilla wafted over her in a wave that made her mouth water. Unlike the Christmas-focused Main Street, Emily Thalberg had decorated for Thanksgiving, with stalks of hay in the corners and little lights that looked like turkeys strung along the front windows. Ten people stood in line along the glass-fronted display case. Kate slipped in line behind the last person and examined the brownies, cookies, and cakes, trying not to salivate.
    â€œKate Fenelli?”
    Kate looked up to see Mrs. Thalberg, one of the three widows she’d just been thinking about earlier. She still had unnaturally red hair, and her makeup made her look years younger. Her jeans and turtleneck were covered by a Sugar and Spice apron that read, WE PUT THE HEAT IN SWEET . Behind her crowded her two housemates, Mrs. Ludlow and Mrs. Palmer. Mrs. Ludlow was your typical grandma, with her white hair and walker, blouse and slacks, but Mrs. Palmer had only gotten wackier as far as Kate was concerned, her blond wig towering above her forehead, her makeup exaggerated, her dress patterned with tiny Pilgrims.
    â€œHello, ladies!” Kate answered cheerfully, for regardless of what had happened in her marriage, these women still treated her fairly, rather than as the selfish “career woman” who’d broken Tony De Luca’s heart.
    â€œHow wonderful that you’re in town for Thanksgiving!” Mrs. Thalberg said.
    â€œIt’s kind of a last-minute thing,” Kate admitted. People ahead of her in line frowned as she distracted the employees, so she said, “You go ahead and work. We’ll talk afterward.”
    For the next ten minutes, Kate enjoyed watching the ladies work. They knew everyone’s name and asked questions about relatives and friends. How could anyone mind chattiness, even on the eve of a busy holiday? Every so often, a pretty woman roughly Kate’s age came out of the kitchen, her strawberry blond hair bouncing in a ponytail, her apron matching the ones worn by the widows. Kate wondered if this