Read Online The Year the Cat Saved Christmas - a novella by Barbara Bretton - Free Book Online

tuna
sandwich with me."
    "When?" David asked. They were beginning to
sound like the cops on CSI .
    "About an hour ago," Marge said. "I was
thrilled to see my old friend. He doesn't make many trips into town
these days."
    "He shouldn't have made this one," Jill said.
"We can't find him, Marge, and we're frantic."
    "Well, I wish I'd paid more attention when he
left but Mr. Jensen came in looking for a crescent wrench and you
know how talkative he is."
    "No apology necessary, Marge." Jill was so
disappointed she could cry.
    "Wait a minute!" Marge's face lit up again.
"I'm sure I saw him headed toward Frank's Meat Mart."
    "Oh no," Jill murmured.
    "Frank's a dear," Marge said, patting Jill's
hand. "He forgave Sebastian for that mishap with the filet mignons
ages ago."
    David started inching toward the door.
"Thanks for the help, Marge."
    "Now, just you wait a minute!" Marge barred
their exit with her ample body. "You can't leave here without
telling me all the wonderful details." She winked broadly.
"So...?"
    Jill nudged David. In the best tradition of
husbands everywhere, he didn't say a word.
    "I'm afraid there really isn't much to tell
you."
    Marge winked again. "You mean nothing you can
tell me in mixed company!" Her laugh was downright bawdy. "It does
my heart good to see you two together again. We've all been talking
these last few months, trying to figure out what it would take to
get you two to see the light, but it looks like you managed just
fine on your own."
    Jill took a deep breath and plunged in.
"Marge, this isn't what you think."
    "Oh, honey!" A third wink in case they'd
missed the previous two. "Of course it is. A fool could see how
happy you are."
    "Marge, I think you've had a bit too much
eggnog. David and I aren't getting back together again. We're just
trying to find Sebastian before the kids get home from the
mall."
    Marge's jolly face sagged like a fallen
souffle. She sighed deeply. "Guess I'm one of a dying breed," she
said, looking from Jill to David. "My hubby calls me an incurable
romantic" Another sigh. "All I want is for everyone to be as happy
as Archie and I are."
    "Archie is a lucky man," David said with a
perfectly straight face.
    Jill suppressed a snort of laughter. Archie
was Marge's fifth husband. The other four had headed for the hills
before the first anniversary.
    "Well, have a merry Christmas anyway," Marge
said, "although I must say you've put quite a damper on my holiday
mood."
    "She certainly told us off," Jill said as
they escaped the hardware store. "You'd think we were divorcing
just to spite her."
    "Maybe she wanted to give us tips on how to
have a happy marriage," David said. "You've got to admit she's had
enough experience."
    "She means well."
    "She's a loud-mouthed snoop who spends half
her life spreading gossip and the other half creating it."
    "I never knew you spent so much time
analyzing Marge Foster."
    "Marge is easy to figure out," he said. "It's
the rest of your gender that has me stumped."
    Jill stopped in her tracks. "Frank's standing
in the doorway of the butcher shop and he doesn't look happy."
    Frank was obviously fuming mad. For a second
Jill thought she saw steam swirling over his head. They were
definitely on Sebastian's trail.
    "Merry Christmas, Mr. DeMarco," Jill said
pleasantly.
    "Merry Christmas, my butt." Frank aimed a
glare at both of them. "That damn cat of yours wished me a merry
Christmas and now I'm out two crown roasts and a tenderloin. Don't
you people feed that animal?"
    "Name your price, Frank." David pulled his
wallet out. "Just tell us where Sebastian went from here."
    Frank treated them to a five minute tirade
against poor Sebastian before he accepted a hundred dollar bill and
their apologies. What he didn't do was tell them where Sebastian
was heading when he departed.
    "Good for Sebastian," David said as the
butcher door slammed shut. "Too bad he didn't take the turkeys
too."
    They started walking again and Jill shivered.
"It's getting worse out,"