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"Oh, Mohts were so pretty and so Christoods for food baskets Thos, and this stuff wasn’t froo to the grocery store and shop with a cart and everything" Her voice dropped once again "We were real careful and chose nutritious food, too No candy or junk food"

Maureen heard a whisper in the background before Karen ca of candy canes, but those were mainly for decorations"

"It sounds like you had a wonderful tied both their lives for the better

"Paula and I decided to be friends for life"

"That’s great"

"How’s your hair with olive oil in it?"

"Olive oil?"

"I heard you tell Tho to put oil in your hair It sounded weird to me and Paula, but when she asked Tho"

"That’s hot oil, sweetheart, and we’ll do it on your hair soht away

"Paula’s, too," Maureen proot a whole lot et here Don’t be late, okay? And oh--no, I’d better not say anything , Maureen replaced the receiver A few moments later she climbed out of bed and dressed She stood in the ed to cook up this tienerally reserved for errands, and Maureen left the house shortly after talking to her daughter She stopped off at the cleaners and the drugstore and did a quick bit of Christ for Thom’s ranch

She arrived precisely at four No sooner had she parked the car than Karen burst out of the house and raced toward her, her arms open wide as if it had been six ht her in her araze ot a surprise fora cool facade with hiy and effort than she could muster Like Karen, she was happy, truly happy Perhaps for the first time in years

"Oh, Mo at her as if they were about to burst wide open Karen grabbed hold of her hand and led her toward the house Maureen looked over her shoulder at Tho broadly

"This is only part of the surprise," Karen explained as she opened the screen door and led Maureen into the for room Maureen had been in Thoone in through the kitchen

The living rooe stone fireplace that doht room was cheered by the extensive display of Christmas decorations A massive flocked white Christmas tree, six feet tall orslanted upward toward a skylight

In all her life Maureen had never seen a more beautifully decorated Christmas tree The li Blue glass bulbs of varying sizes glistened like the old delicately embraced the tree, woven between the branches

"It’s beautiful," Maureen whispered

"We decorated the tree," Karen said, so excited she could barely speak "First of all ent out and bought it Tho"

It seeood job they’d done The entire house looked as if it had been decorated by a professional The contrast between her house and this one said a great deal about the two of them It was as if all the joy had been taken out of Maureen’s life by the divorce

"A friend of Thom’s put the snow on it for us"

"You couldn’t have timed your arrival any better," Tho touches on it about five h," Karen said, taking Maureen’s hand onceroo room was set with china dishes and linen napkins A pair of sterling-silver candlesticks decorated with bayberry-scented candles and a bowl of fresh flowers sat proudly in the center

"This is lovely," Maureen told theirls do this as well?"

"No," Karen said quickly, "Thoaze on the rancher, who looked entirely too pleased with himself She was tempted to ask him exactly what he had up his sleeve, but she didn’t

"There’re only two place settings," Maureen pointed out to her daughter

"Mom," Karen said in that way of hers that made Maureen feel as if she’d suddenly lost a hundred points off her intelligence quotient

"Take her into the kitchen, girls," Thom advised

The party of four traipsed into the kitchen, and Maureen swore she’d seldo had required every pot and kettle in the house Tomato sauce was splattered across the stove top and the wall Lettuce leaves trailed froerator

"What happened in here?" Maureen cried Her instincts were to push up her sleeves and clean the ood idea, Dad," Paularoom," Karen advised Thom, "and leave the rest to us"

Maureen felt as if she were trapped in a London fog "What’s going on here?"

"I believe what you just saas our dinner," Tho roo in a bucket of ice, so earlier Tho thelass

"I hate to appear so dense," Maureen whispered, "but exactly what’s happening?"