The Cottage on Juniper Ridge
Page 32
When the women had finished their discussion of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, Juliet set down her cup of eggnog and said, “Before we exchange our Secret Santa gifts, how about assessing the year of simplifying our lives? I’d say we did a pretty good job.”
“I think so.” Stacy smiled, admiring her simply decorated living room. Less really was more.
“I’m certainly glad I simplified mine,” Jen said. “I learned that it’s easy to get too busy no matter where you live, and I had to cut out a couple of commitments so I could meet other goals.”
“Emily Ward over at the library still misses you, by the way,” Stacy told her.
“You can’t do everything,” said Chita.
“Look who’s talking,” Charley teased.
“At least now I’m busy with things I want to do. And I have help.”
“Where are you and Dr. Wolfe going to live once you’re married?” Juliet asked her.
“He’s selling his condo and moving in with us. We need the room,” she replied, “now that we’ve got a blended family. And three dogs,” she added, rolling her eyes. “And I thought I had my hands full with Hidalgo. Now I’ve got a golden lab and a basset hound to deal with.”
“But you’ll have a live-in vet to take care of them,” Juliet said.
“Hey, and if you end up working for him after you finish your veterinary assistant program, he’ll have free help,” Charley joked.
“Just part-time help,” Chita corrected her. She smiled. “I’m so looking forward to finally being at home more often.”
Juliet turned to Jen’s sister, Toni, who had joined them for this special meeting. “And how about you, Toni?”
“My family is as tied in to their technology as ever. But we’ve made some changes,” Toni said. “Friday nights are now family nights. And I’m the queen of Wii bowling.”
Then she grinned at her sister, who was sitting beside her on the couch. “I think Jen probably has the best news to report.”
“Thanks to Cecily’s mom, I sold my book,” Jen announced. “Muriel not only helped me whip it into shape, she also introduced me to her editor.”
“That is so cool!” Juliet exclaimed, and the others chimed in with their congratulations.
“You’re going to be a famous author,” Chita predicted.
“I don’t know about that, but I’m excited,” Jen said.
“That’s all you have to tell us?” Cecily asked with a frown. “I was sure you’d have some other news.”
Jen unzipped a side pocket on her purse and pulled out a diamond ring. “Oh, like this?” she asked, and slid it on her finger.
The room erupted in squeals.
“I thought so,” Cecily said smugly.
Cass laughed. “The famous Cecily Sterling intuition strikes again.”
“Well, that and the fact that I told her back in September that I saw the lost bride when Garrett and I were hiking up by the falls,” Jen said with a smile.
“This calls for a toast,” Juliet said, and raised her glass of eggnog. “To simplifying our lives.”
“Which isn’t always that simple,” Charley pointed out, and they all drank.
“You know, I’ve done some thinking about that,” Toni said, “and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not so much about simplifying our lives as making them right for us.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Charley raised her glass. “Here’s to life. Whether it’s simple or complicated, the important thing is to make it good.”
And as far as Stacy could tell, they all had.
And they all would.
* * * * *
Acknowledgments
I thoroughly enjoyed my adventures in Icicle Falls this time around, and I had good company. Thanks to Lily-Ann Wilder for sharing her scary adventure in the Enchantments with me. Also thanks to Todd Cook, forest ranger, and Kelly O’Brien from Station #3, who generously shared their expertise. I have my brain trust to thank for watching over the process of writing this book: Susan Wiggs, Anjali Banerjee, Lois Dyer, Elsa Watson and Kate Breslin. You guys rock. And finally, big thanks to my editor, Paula Eykelhof, who is amazing, and Paige Wheeler, the guardian of my career and sanity, who is equally amazing. I also want to say a big thanks to the wonderful people at Harlequin who work so hard to make each book special. With so many great people helping along the way it’s impossible not to love what I do for a living. And to you, the reader, a special thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with my characters. Thanks one and all!
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ISBN-13: 9781460327012
THE COTTAGE ON JUNIPER RIDGE
Copyright © 2014 by Sheila Rabe
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