Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Turning to Mrs. Harper, I answered her question more thoroughly. “Yes, we know each other. We met through Emeline. Remember I told you I was volunteering at the ranch last summer?”
Mrs. Harper touched her forehead. “That’s right. This memory, I swear.” Her smile appeared again. “Caden visits me once a week, usually Thursday mornings. He’s offered to put up my Christmas decorations on the front porch for me today.”
I looked back at Caden, who was still leaning against the doorjamb. I wish he wouldn’t do that. He looked so…so…ugh. Good.
Mrs. Harper walked out of the room, and I kept my eyes on Caden.
“How nice of you. I usually visit with Mrs. Harper once a week as well. Sometimes twice, when I can.”
He pushed off the jamb and walked into the kitchen. Picking up a cookie from a cooling rack on the counter, he bit into it. “Must be nice to have all that free time.”
I shrugged. “Some of us don’t drive to Granby each week to meet with our…friend.”
A brow rose. “Jealous, Flower Child?”
I huffed. “You wish.”
“Is that why you snuck away this morning?”
I shrugged. “Actually, if memory serves, I believe you told me you wanted me out of your house, so I left. Like I was told.”
Did he just flinch? No, I was imagining it. “How did you get home?”
“Why do you care?”
A voice cleared, and we both turned to see Mrs. Harper’s eyes bouncing between us. “It appears you know one another very well.”
“No!” we both said at the same time.
“It isn’t anything like that,” I quickly added.
Caden popped more of the cookie into his mouth, chewed and swallowed, then explained, “She got wasted at a bar in Granby last night, and I had to drive her, Ensley, and Moreen home. It was late, and I was tired, so Lilibeth slept in my guest bedroom.”
I scowled. Did he have to tell her I’d been drunk? “I wasn’t wasted, thank you very much.”
He smiled. “Oh, so you were sober? That’s why you threw up?”
I wanted to slap the smirk off of his stupid handsome face. I lifted my hand and pointed at him, ready to lay into him, when Mrs. Harper stepped between us. “Would you be able to help me with the decorations inside the house, sweetheart? I always put them up Thanksgiving weekend, and I’m a bit behind this year.”
I pulled my gaze away from Caden and looked down into soft, sky-blue eyes. “Yes. I would love to help you.”
She clapped once. “Wonderful! Caden, the next batch of cookies are almost done. You take those out, and I’ll show Lilibeth where the decorations are.”
Mrs. Harper turned and headed out of the kitchen, toward the stairs. As I walked by Caden, he purposely bumped into me.
I pushed him away, and he pushed me back.
“Grow up, will you!” I whisper-shouted.
Caden glared. “You pushed me!”
“That’s because you bumped into me on purpose!”
“I’m getting the cookies out of the oven and you walked right behind me. Where was I supposed to go?”
“How about to he—”
“Lilibeth! Are you coming?”
Caden grinned. “What were you just about to say, Flower Child?”
“Ugh!” I breathed, as I rolled my eyes and quickly caught up to Mrs. Harper.
Once we got to the second floor, she pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. “The decorations are in the attic.”
I’d been up in her attic before. It was heaven on Earth up there. So many old pieces of furniture and pictures. I could get lost for hours just looking at everything.
Once she showed me where all the decorations were, I started hauling the boxes down. According to Mrs. Harper, every bedroom would have a tree, along with two trees down in the living room, and one in the family room. She had decorations for every bathroom, the kitchen, the living and dining rooms, as well as the breakfast nook. Caden ended up having to help me bring everything out of the attic and put the boxes in their corresponding rooms, since there were so many. Apparently, Mrs. Harper’s daughter and son-in-law were usually here for Thanksgiving, and helped decorate afterward, but they couldn’t make it this year.
On the last trip up to the attic, I sat down on an old settee. I’d thought I was pretty fit, but all the multiple trips up and down the various flights of stairs told me I wasn’t in as good of shape as I could be.
“What’s wrong? Tired, Flower Child?”
I sat back. “I’m exhausted, and we still haven’t brought down the trees. She has a tree for every single bedroom! Plus, three downstairs.”
“Oh, she doesn’t have fake trees. She prefers real.”
My eyes widened. “Real trees?”
He chuckled. “Yep. I’ll leave here in a bit to go buy them.”
I tilted my head. “Do you do this every year for her?”
His cheeks flushed. “I do. Ever since Mr. Harper died. Lisa, Mrs. Harper’s daughter, tells me every year not to buy the trees, that they can buy them, but I enjoy it.”