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Abby bit down on her lip as she rested against the ork of the door frame She had her work cut out for her, didn’t she?

Art Ellis was ardens Abby spent several pleasant hours listening to him recall stories about Marian’s tiolds, pansies, and alyssum filled out the flower beds, but Abby also took care to add some new perennials that would last from year to year—lilies, phlox, and her personal favorite, cheerful red bee balm She knelt in the dirt and Art supervised nearby By the tiarden was alive with color and scent, and as she put her hands on her lower back and stretched, she watched a butterfly alight on one of the crimson blossoms

Help in the forether She volunteered her services along with that of the churchworoceries Together they decided on a very garden party-ish er sandwiches, petits fours and cookies, punch, and of course, tea

Jess was enlisted to help with the table decorations, details that Abby left in her capable, creative hands Tents were rented froether beautifully

It was Jess’s idea to ask Sarah to help with the invitations Ever since arriving home from the hospital, Sarah had been withdrawn It wasn’t unexpected but it was increasingly worrisome as the days went by Jess had somehow acquired a pen-and-ink sketch of Foster House They scanned it into Sarah’s coy she’d shown for days, Sarah added the details in an elegant font Eighty invitations were sent out to local businesses, civic figures, and anyone who’d had a personal connection to the Fosters

The only thing left was to decide what she was going to wear

And for that, she needed to make another trip to the attic

To fro up the drive he could already see the white tents set up in the back, festive and pristine against the blue of the sky Abby couldn’t have better weather if she’d ordered it especially for the day To the parking, and that he was dressed in what Tom suspected was the old Foster livery—not a re-creation, but the original, real deal

How on earth had she come up with that?

There were at least a dozen cars all lined up along the side of the lane, their hoods partially shaded by the row of birch trees Tolad for once he had put away his work boots and jeans for so into the back of his closet, but the light blue shirt and charcoal suit pants had seemed far more appropriate The dress shoes pinched his toes a bit but were livable He wasn’t dressed like soht

Everything was happening in the backyard, but Toht He should be here because it would be good for business And since his business had involved the house and not the backyard, he figured he’d better htly proprietary about it all today Abby hadn’t changed herQuite the contrary, in fact Ever since that day at the hospital he’d been waiting for her to take down that blasted sign, but it stayed stubbornly in place, a glaring reed

She was really going It was tione into town and put his offer in thisbefore the place sold from under his nose

The door opened before he could raise his hand to knock, and feeling foolish he stepped inside He felt even more foolish when he saw the man behind the uniform “Mayor,” he said drily