The Christmas Confection by Shanna Hatfield

Author:Shanna Hatfield [Hatfield, Shanna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Romance, Women's Fiction, Forever Love, Clean & Wholesome, Bachelor, Single Woman, Hearts Desire, Life-Changes, Second Chances, Honesty & Trust, Home & Family, Lifetime Love, Romantic Schemes, Hardman Holidays Series, Love-Family & Forever, Beautiful & Feisty, Christian Stories, Faith Based, Inspirational Reads, Love Inspired, Christmas Holidays & Celebration, Christmas Time, Holiday Whimsy, Festive Season, Outlaw Father & Shrewish Mother, The Town of Hardman, Eastern Oregon, Twin Siblings: Brother & Sister, Brother's Sudden Wedding, Criminal & Dastardly Schemes
Publisher: Shanna Hatfield
Published: 2017-12-05T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Elsa crawled from beneath the warm nest of quilts on her bed and shoved her feet into her slippers. The first night in the apartment went better than she expected.

Although she struggled to fall asleep, her weary body and mind soon succumbed to a peaceful slumber. Now, it was time to begin her day. The apartment was chilly and she realized she would have to figure out a way to get more heat to it or end up half-frozen. She might have asked Ethan about it, if they were on speaking terms. Perhaps she could impose on Fred, again, to help her.

She’d hoped Ethan would apologize at some point yesterday. When she at last turned out the lights in the bakery and made her way upstairs to bed, she realized he wasn’t coming. It was the first time in her life she’d gone to bed livid at her twin. Sure, she and Ethan had their share of sibling fights, but they’d always made up quickly and moved on. Even the residual anger and disappointment she’d felt since he returned from Portland was nothing compared to the boiling hostility she experienced yesterday.

This was far different than one of their sibling squabbles. And it was no longer just the two of them. Yesterday’s confrontation included Lottie and, whether he wanted to be involved or not, Fred.

As Elsa splashed her face with cold water and brushed her teeth, she recalled the moment when Fred had punched Ethan so hard, it knocked her brother clear off his feet and right onto his backside in the snow.

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, she couldn’t help but giggle. She hoped Fred leveling Ethan with one blow would take a little wind out of her brother’s suddenly inflated sails. Had he always been so obnoxious? Had she failed to notice? Or had the self-important dandy arrived the moment Miss La-De-Da said “I do.”

Whatever the reason or cause, she couldn’t deny Ethan was acting like a blunderheaded idiot, one she didn’t particularly like. How dare he accuse her of having relations with Fred! Even if she was that sort of girl, which she most assuredly was not, when did that stupid brother think she had time for those sorts of shenanigans? Ethan had left her with everything to run for more than a week. If he continued to cavort around town with his wife as though he hadn’t a care in the world, then she’d have no choice but to refuse to share the profits with him. She would initiate proceedings to buy him out as well as hire some much needed help.

In fact, she would hire some help today. A very slim possibility existed that she’d make it through the holidays without having extra hands in the bakery. Considering Lottie’s were useless and Ethan was currently no better, she’d have to hire one or two people to assist. But who?

Her first thought was to ask Fred.

Annoyed with herself, she realized she relied more and more on the man and that would never do.

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