A Merry Little Christmas by Amie Denman

Author:Amie Denman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-11-07T13:48:17+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

ON A WEEKDAY morning after the busy May Day weekend, Hadley decided to do something out of character. She knew very well that it was seven o’clock, but she didn’t get out of bed. She pushed her long dark hair off her face and closed her eyes, shutting out the bright sunlight coming through the lace curtains. Her bedroom walls were yellow, a color her grandmother had painted them and Hadley had never changed.

It was pretty and cheerful. The room next door, though, was not cheerful. The wallpaper in there was, quite possibly, as old as the house itself. Growing up, it had been her mother’s bedroom, and Hadley and Wendy had shared the larger room down the hall. Their mother hadn’t wanted to fuss about the wallpaper, claiming she was never in there, anyway, so it wasn’t worth the trouble.

Now that Hadley intended to use it as a nursery, that wallpaper had to go.

Later.

Instead of popping out of bed, she gave in to the luxury of running her hand over her baby bump and imagining holding a sweet-smelling baby in her arms as they watched the snow fall next winter.

Betty nosed into the room and whined, wagging her tail. Hadley closed her eyes, hoping the dog would take the hint. She heard the soft thump as the dog sat down and then her tail swishing on the hardwood floor.

“You’re still there, aren’t you?” Hadley asked. “I wish I could put your energy to good use stripping wallpaper.”

She shoved off the blankets and stood, taking a moment to get her bearings before heading down the steps in her nightgown to let her dog into the backyard. As she passed the front door, she heard a quiet knock. She paused, leaned back to peek through the narrow window alongside the door. Mike’s truck was parked outside.

Hadley sighed. “How about using the front yard this morning?” she asked Betty.

Betty trotted to the front door and waited while Hadley opened it.

“Good morning,” Mike said cheerfully. He held up a white bag and a drink carrier. “I brought breakfast sandwiches from the Christmas Carol and decaf tea.”

“You’re drinking decaf tea?” she asked.

“One decaf tea, and one strong black coffee I could drink outside if the smell is too tempting. Sorry, didn’t think about that.”

Hadley laughed. “It’s fine. Come in.” She left the door open for Betty and went into the kitchen with Mike. “You know it’s my day off, right?”

“Yes,” he said. “That’s why I’m here. I’ll do anything you want, up to and including scooping Betty’s poop out of the yard.”

“Good,” Hadley said. “That’s first on the list.”

“I’m serious,” Mike said. “I want you to be able to take it easy, and if I know you, you have a detailed to-do list for your day off because you know how busy we’re all going to be starting roughly next week.”

Hadley sat and opened the bag. She pulled out two warm sandwiches wrapped in white paper. “Are these the same?” she asked. Betty came inside and followed the smell of food to the kitchen.

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