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Cat gripped the phone a little tighter, conscious of the surge of gladness shooting through her “I’ll look forward to seeing you then” She flicked a glance at her father “I’ll give you back to my…”

“No need Chase and I were finished Tell him I’ll see him next week Bye, Cat”

“Good-bye” She handed the phone back to Chase “He said he’d stop the first of the week”

Only a blind , and Chase was not blind Wisely he chose not to comment on it

“I’lad you told him we’d all welcome him,” he said instead

She gave him a narrowed look of sudden wariness “Dad, when he coain”

“I wouldn’t dream of it After all,” Chase added with a barely suppressed smile, “ouldn’t want to scare him off, would we?”

“Dad!” Cat protested, all indignant

“Don’t worry Your secret’s safe with me” He pushed his chair back from the desk and collected his cane

Cat opened her mouth to deny that she had any secret, then released all that righteous anger in a sigh and shook her head in a with you is hopeless”

She spun away and crossed to the doorway,Trey on his way in with Chase’s cup of cocoa “I hope you’d like some hot cocoa, Gramps, because we fixed you a cup”

With the co the dayti conditions ideal for a trip into the foothills to find the perfect Christmas tree Several candidates were located, but it was the one Jake picked out that they hauled back to the Ho it, with the whole fah Chase played more of a supervisory role

MondayCat aith a heady sense of anticipation “First of the week,” that’s when Wade had said he would be stopping by again

As she went about her daily routine, Cat kept one ear tuned to outside noises The sound of a vehicle pulling up to the Holance out a frontin hopes itBut Monday can of him

When Tuesdayturned out to be a repeat of the previous day, Cat finally faced the possibility that so by at all Disappoint