Read Online Kisses on Her Christmas List by Susan Meier - Free Book Online Page A

separated the two houses. They stomped the snow off their boots as they walked across Mary O’Grady’s back porch to the kitchen door.
    Mary answered on the first knock. Short and round, with shaped gray hair, Mary wore a festive Christmas sweater and jeans. “Shannon!” She glanced at Finley and Rory. “And who is this?”
    â€œMary O’Grady, this is Rory Wallace and his daughter, Finley.”
    As Shannon made the introduction, Rory hoped Finley wouldn’t say something awful about the sweet-looking woman’s sweater.
    â€œRory was on his way to Green Hill to take a look at the store when they were stranded on the highway and had the state police bring them to my house.” She offered the cake. “Since we’re all getting a little bored, we brought a cake to share.”
    â€œWell, aren’t you sweet,” Mary said, opening her door to invite them in. She pinched Finley’s cheek. “And aren’t you adorable!” She smiled at Rory. “It’s nice to meet you.”
    â€œIt’s nice to meet you, too,” he said, sliding Finley through the door. The kitchen hadn’t been remodeled the way Shannon’s had. Old-fashioned oak cupboards dominated the room. A rectangular table, with four ladder-back chairs, sat in the center.
    Mary fussed over Finley. “Let me help you with your jacket.”
    Finley glanced at her dad. Rory nodded his head slightly, indicating she should just go with it.
    Unzipping Finley’s coat, Mary faced Shannon. “Sweetie, why don’t you put on a pot of coffee so we can enjoy that cake properly?”
    Shannon laughed. “You’re a woman after my own heart, Mary.”
    After removing her coat, she walked to the counter with the ease of someone who’d been there before. Rory watched her root through the cupboards to find the filters and coffee. She got water and measured grounds.
    Mary helped Finley onto a chair. “And what can I get you to drink, sweetie?”
    Rory held his breath. She hadn’t mentioned the sweater, but she’d gotten a little nervous over having a stranger help her with her jacket. They weren’t out of the woods yet.
    Finley smiled. “Milk.”
    Rory breathed again, as Shannon retrieved some plates and coffee mugs from the cupboard and joined them at the table. “That’ll only take a minute.”
    Rory faced Mary. “You have a lovely home.”
    She batted a hand in dismissal. “I had such plans for this, then my Joe died. And I just sort of lost interest.”
    â€œBut we’re hoping to have a contractor out here next summer, aren’t we, Mary?”
    Mary’s face saddened a little more. “I thought you were leaving if you sold the store.”
    â€œProbably.” She glanced at Rory, then back at Mary. “But we already looked at the books with the cupboard samples. All you need to do is finalize your choices and you can easily have the entire kitchen remodeled before fall. If you want, you can call me every night with an update or tell me your problems and I’ll help you figure out how to solve them.”
    Mary sat beside Shannon and patted her hand. “You’re very good to me.”
    Rory suppressed a smile. It seemed he and Finley weren’t the only strays that Shannon cared for. A few times it had popped into his head that her kindness to him and Finley might be an act of sorts to keep herself in his good graces when he looked at her store on Monday. He’d dismissed that thought, but now he could totally put it out of his mind. Shannon Raleigh was a genuinely nice woman.
    His heart twisted a bit. She was a nice woman. And Finley liked her. If he were in the market for a romance, she’d be at the top of the candidates list.
    But he wasn’t looking for a romance.
    The coffeemaker groaned its final release and Mary jumped from the table. “Cut the cake, sweetie, and I’ll get