1225 Christmas Tree Lane Read Free Page B

Mom’s porch, she can focus all her attention on them. She spends a lot of time training her dogs for those canine therapy programs—”
    â€œAnd being the unofficial rescue facility,” Bailey threw in.
    Sophie nodded. “And now there’s this Ted guy. Getting Mom and Dad together isn’t going to be as easy as you think.”
    â€œWhat did you tell Dad?” Bailey asked.
    Sophie slouched into a chair and stared at her sister. “Just that it’s important to Mom that we all spend Christmas together.”
    â€œDid he ask why?”
    â€œNot really. He said he didn’t have any fixed plans for Christmas, and if Mom wanted him to come he would.”
    â€œWhat are we going to tell them when they discover we arranged this?”
    â€œWhat we should’ve said when they told us they were getting divorced. This is stupid. They should’ve tried harder.”
    â€œThey just grew apart, that’s all, but if they’d made an effort they could’ve gotten close again, right?”
    â€œRight.”
    â€œMarriage takes work,” Bailey said, feeling wise. The research for her recent psych essay on “Family in the New Millennium” had made that very clear to her.
    â€œI just don’t want them to be upset with us,” Sophie said, worried.
    â€œThey can’t. It’s Christmas. We brought them together…okay, under false pretenses, but they can’t be mad because we’re only doing what’s best for them.”
    â€œAmen. Sing it, sister.”
    â€œWe’ll sing it in two-part harmony.”
    â€œDad gets here when?”
    â€œTomorrow afternoon.”
    â€œPerfect.” Sophie held up two crossed fingers. “I believe. I believe.”
    â€œSo do I,” Bailey echoed. This was going to be the most wonderful Christmas of their lives and it didn’t have a single thing to do with the wrapped packages under the tree. It was because of the gift they intended to give their parents.
    And each other.
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    The snow had stopped falling, and the grounds were so pristine and lovely, they could’ve been on a book cover. Or a Christmas card. The evergreens were daubed with snow, giving them a flocked look that was morebeautiful than anything Beth could reproduce with the sticky artificial stuff her crew applied to the more elaborately decorated trees in the shop.
    â€œWe’re back,” Bruce Peyton said as he approached Beth. “And this time, we’re definitely going home with a tree.”
    His pregnant wife, Rachel, looked so much better than she had two weeks ago. Beth had learned later that Rachel was hospitalized with food poisoning that same evening. Bruce’s teenage daughter, Jolene, was with them today, as she’d been before.
    â€œAre all the best trees taken?” the girl asked, her eyes wide with concern.
    She had a point. The trees closer to the house had been thinned out, but there were still a number of excellent spruces and firs in the far lot. “Not to worry,” she assured Jolene. “I always save the best for last.” She handed the girl a cup of warm cocoa. “If you’d like, I’ll have my foreman take you to the back twenty in the ATV and you can see for yourself.”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œReally,” Beth confirmed. She led them over to Jeff, made introductions and gave him Jolene’s request.
    The ATVs were built for two, so Jeff took one and Jolene climbed on behind him. Bruce took the secondvehicle. Rachel looked at the hard seat, then eyed the dirt road speculatively.
    â€œI think I’ll stay here and visit with Beth while you two choose the tree.”
    â€œYou can’t,” Jolene said loudly. “You have to help pick out the tree. That’s the most fun part.”
    â€œI’m just not sure I’m up to this.”
    â€œLet me take you for a test run,” Bruce suggested.
    Rachel remained hesitant, then