Sugar Cookie Kisses by Mary Manners

Author:Mary Manners
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: christian Fiction
ISBN: 9781611169218
Publisher: Pelican Book Group
Published: 2016-10-19T04:00:00+00:00

6

A cool winter breeze sang through the driver’s side window later that afternoon, tousling Katy’s hair as she turned into the long, winding blacktopped drive that led to the Kendrick farmhouse.

She still thought of the place that way…not Mariah’s house or Caleb’s house, but the Kendrick family’s home. If she closed her eyes and imagined hard enough, she might still see the elder Mr. Kendrick, his hair thick and dark and just beginning to show signs of graying, shoveling the entrance walk or affable Mrs. Kendrick in her apron at the front bay window, her head a halo of ashen curls as she watered a Christmas cactus. Katy could almost smell the hearty aroma of one of Mrs. Kendrick’s tender roasts that baked to perfection in the oven.

But one glance down the winding drive told Katy the vision wasn’t real…at least not anymore. But the majestic weeping willow still stood proudly, gracefully and the creek beyond danced like shimmering jewels beneath late afternoon sunshine.

The SUV’s dashboard clock registered a few minutes ’til five…she was right on time.

Katy smoothed a hand along her neck, feeling the warmth that radiated. Though the temperature dipped to thirty-five, she felt as if it were eighty. A quick look in the rear-view mirror announced that her cheeks were flushed, her neck a deep shade of scarlet. The coloring, like a chameleon changing shades, crept in whenever she felt nervous.

And, for reasons she couldn’t fathom, her nerves had kicked into high gear as she’d crested the drive and closed in on the stately farmhouse and Caleb’s gleaming black pickup that sat parked to the side. The juicy aroma of grilling steaks drifted through the window and Katy knew Caleb had kept his word. She spotted him along the side porch, paying no mind to the winter chill as he tended the steaks in nothing more than a flannel shirt and jeans. Billy, on the other hand, was bundled in a coat and mittens at his side.

Caleb…he’d done something to her…twisted her up inside like a ragdoll tossed into the high-heat cycle of a dryer.

“Hi, Katy,” Mariah called from where she’d hobbled onto the porch. Clearly, the drugs Dr. Pemberton had prescribed still had some work cut out for them. Katy’s heart hitched at the thought that this flare-up had left Mariah slow to recover. She’d always been proud and independent, and now she had to lean on others to help with even the simplest everyday tasks. But not for long, Katy hoped. “Go on and park beside Caleb’s truck and come on in. We’ve been waiting for you.”

We…

Katy swung into a spot next to the pickup and then slipped from the SUV and headed up the walk. The path stood clear and the sun refused to budge from the horizon, but forecasters predicted the clear skies wouldn’t hold for long; snow was in the weekend forecast.

“Caleb’s out on the side deck with Billy, grilling,” Mariah said as Katy climbed the stairs to the porch.

“Yes, I spotted them.

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