Sleigh Bells in Valentine Valley Read Online Free PDF Page B

only sipped her coffee rather than explain more. She was going to have to come up with a better explanation of her extended time off. She felt rootless and uncertain, things she never experienced.
    â€œWe’ve got to be close to the same age,” Emily said ruefully. “It’s so weird that you have a teenage son, and I’m only just getting started.”
    â€œHaving kids soon?” Kate asked politely.
    â€œWe’ve started the adoption process.” Emily leaned forward, blue eyes shining. “It’s very exciting!”
    Kate grinned. “I bet it is. We were young and scared when we had Ethan. It must be very different to plan and prepare.”
    â€œBoth paths have their advantages, I bet. Do you think—” Emily stopped and blushed. “Oh, never mind.”
    â€œGo ahead,” Kate said. “I don’t offend easily—I’m a lawyer.”
    â€œIt’s just that . . . I find myself more and more worried about how adding the strain of adoption and a child will change our marriage.”
    â€œDo you worry because having a child changed things for Tony and me?” Kate asked.
    â€œWell . . . gosh, it’s not my place to even assume . . . I can’t believe I’m asking you such personal questions.”
    â€œNo, it’s okay, really. Sure, a baby changes things, but in the end, having Ethan didn’t cause our divorce. We just . . . didn’t talk enough, both too busy to think beyond our own noses.”
    â€œThat’s good to remember, thanks.”
    In Kate’s mind she saw the little apartment with baby toys everywhere, the way she and Tony passed each other in a hurry as one came through the door and one went out. She used to think back a lot and wonder what she should have done differently, but she was trying to concentrate on the future now rather than mull over what couldn’t be changed.
    The door jingled as it opened, and Emily glanced at it, her eyes alight with expectation. In walked her husband, Nate, cowboy hat perched on his wavy black hair, dimples revealed as he spotted his wife and smiled with his whole face. Kate withheld a sigh. It had been a long, long time since a man had looked at her that way, and the only one who ever had was—
    Tony. He followed Nate into the bakery even as she thought his name. When he saw her, his brown eyes widened only a fraction. His naturally friendly expression remained the same, though, and she found herself releasing a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. They’d worked hard to be at ease with each other for Ethan’s sake, and she didn’t want that to change just because she might be hanging out in Valentine for a while—and just because she’d automatically gone to Tony with her problems, as if she still had that right. It made her uneasy.
    The last in line, Ethan closed the door behind him. “Hey, Mom,” he said in surprise. “Thought you’d be with Grandma.”
    â€œShe sent me on an errand,” Kate said, resisting the urge to hug her son in public. “Where are you guys off to?”
    â€œTony and I are playing hockey tonight,” Nate said. “Our team’s called the Valentine Massacre.” He gave Kate a hug. “Good to see you.”
    That was nice of him to say, but she never quite believed it. He was Tony’s staunch friend, though they’d all gone to school together. She wondered what Nate would tell Emily about her later. Emily might not be so friendly the next time they met. Kate felt sad, before mentally kicking herself for worrying about something that hadn’t even happened. It was one of her flaws—she overthought everything. Of course, it worked in her job, or it had until she’d overthought too much for the partners’ comfort.
    She found herself watching Tony as he strolled to the counter to greet the widows. He had the same irrepressible smile he’d had since