Double Wedding Ring by Peg Sutherland

Author:Peg Sutherland
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Treasury
Published: 1995-11-22T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

MALORIE WAS RESTOCKING birdseed when she heard the bell jingle over the front door.

“Good morning!” she called out over the aisles. “I’ll be with you in just a sec.”

Birdseed, Malorie figured, would be a big seller during the winter months, so she had placed a large order. She hoped she’d guessed right, and thought about setting up an eye-catching display on the sidewalk with some of those new bent-willow birdhouses and cedar feeders. Mr. Hutchins didn’t seem to mind what she did, although he had seemed awfully distant these past few days.

Maybe she shouldn’t have asked him about her grandmother.

Maybe she should ask Sam, instead. Except that Sam hadn’t been to the house for a couple of days and her grandmother had told her to let it lie.

“Your mother is a grown woman and deserves to make her own decisions,” Betsy said.

Once again, Malorie hadn’t had the gumption to remind her grandmother that it was Betsy herself who was always harping on the fact that Susan still wasn’t capable of thinking for herself. Malorie wished she knew which was right.

Maybe she should ask Sam that, too.

And maybe you’d better get Sam Roberts right out of your mind and get up front to see if your customer needs help, she chastised herself. Maybe you’d better admit that advice is not really what you want from Sam Roberts, anyway.

But no, maybe she was better off not admitting anything. Maybe she was better off just trying to put it all out of her mind. Mr. Hutchins and her grandmother and her sad, discouraged mother, and especially Sam Roberts.

“Oh, there you are.”

Malorie turned at the sound of Addy Mayfield’s voice, wondering if that meant her mother had “fired” their neighbor, too. What she saw next startled her, then filled her with quiet joy.

“Mother!” She knelt, clasping both Susan’s hands in hers. “Oh, Mother, what a nice surprise!”

“We’re on an outing. Addy’s idea.”

Susan looked so pleased with herself, there was so much sparkle in her eyes this morning, that Malorie wanted to hug Addy Mayfield. “What a wonderful idea. Why, it looks to me as if you’ve made a stop at the beauty shop.”

“That’s right.” Susan turned her head, giving Malorie a better view of the soft new style. “And we had milkshakes.”

“Oh, I’m jealous. I’ll bet the Dairee Dreme makes great milkshakes.”

Susan’s eyes lit up again, this time with surprise. “I used to work there.”

Malorie felt her throat tighten. Every moment like this one gave her hope and seemed to fill her heart to bursting. “You did?”

“Yes. A long time ago. Before you were born, I think.”

At that moment, realizing the memories had been triggered by a visit to a familiar place, Malorie had what was surely a stroke of genius. “Come on. I know something else that may jog your memory.”

And she pushed Susan’s chair down the cluttered aisles of the store, pointing out a few of the things she’d done to spruce up the place. When she arrived at the office door, she knocked.

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