The Christmas Cottage by Mignon F. Ballard

The Christmas Cottage by Mignon F. Ballard

Author:Mignon F. Ballard [Ballard, Mignon F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General, Fiction, Religious, Christmas stories, Atlanta (Ga.), Christmas Stories; American
ISBN: 9781933523224
Publisher: BELLA ROSA BOOKS
Published: 2007-10-15T00:00:00+00:00


“You drive. I’ll navigate,” Augusta said when I scooted under the wheel of my car. “Get closer so I can read her license plate.”

“Why, Augusta, I do believe you’ve been reading detective stories,” I said. “You’re getting to be a regular Sherlock Holmes.”

“Hmm, well, Arthur had a few problems with that first one. Plot development and such. Don’t mind saying I gave him a hint or two.”

“Arthur . . .?”

“Conan Doyle. You know. The man who wrote the series. Let me tell you, there were times when we both despaired, but it worked out well, don’t you think? Only I do wish he’d left out that part about Sherlock smoking dope!” Augusta stuffed her needlework back into her bag and held onto the door grip. “She’s turning right at the next corner. Step on it, Prentice, I believe we’re gaining on her.”

I was glad it was too dark for her to see my smile. Ola Cress wasn’t driving above forty and I was close enough to read the name of the company where she’d bought the car.

Still, I was relieved an hour later when we pulled into the near-empty parking lot of The Dogwood Inn.

Since neither of us had eaten, I picked up sandwiches at the motel coffee shop while Ola got Joey ready for bed. Ola’s rooms were as she had described them: comfortable but nothing fancy. The bedroom, just large enough for a double bed and the baby’s crib, led off of a small sitting area and kitchenette. A playpen took up one corner of the living room, toys were scattered about, and a quick look in the kitchen cabinets revealed a good supply of baby food and formula. It appeared as if Ola Cress was prepared to stay awhile.

“Would you like to give Joey his bottle?” Ola asked. “You’ll find one ready in the refrigerator. Just zap it for about ten seconds in the microwave.”

I hadn’t baby-sat since my college days, but I did remember how to heat a bottle, shake it, and test a drop on my arm. My nephew made his entrance howling and clung to Ola for dear life until he saw I had the bottle. I held out my arms and bribed him with milk, and from then on, it was a piece of cake. I sat across from Ola at the small kitchen table while Joey drained his seven ounces, burped obligingly, and dropped off to sleep in my arms. Finally, Ola, seeing I wasn’t going to give him up voluntarily, picked up the sleeping infant and tucked him into bed.

“Thank you,” I said when she returned.

“For what?”

“For letting me hold him, feed him.”

Ola opened a couple of soft drinks and found plates for our sandwiches. “He has to get used to you. I can’t just abandon him with someone he doesn’t know.” She pulled out a chair and sat across from me, but didn’t touch her food. “I didn’t know what else to do,” she said, grabbing a paper napkin to blot her tears.



Download



Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.