Christmas on My Mind by Janet Dailey Read Free Book Online

disease. “Well!” she huffed. “Well!”
    Katy smiled her angelic smile. “Hey, you found your mom. That’s really nice.”
    The doorbell chimed twice. Before the end of the second ring, the door flew open. “Don’t get up, anybody,” a cheery voice called. “Sorry I’m late!”
    The woman who burst into the room looked a little older than Jess. She was blond, pretty and late in her pregnancy. As she took her seat, Clara made the introductions.
    â€œJess, this is Kylie Taggart. Her husband, Shane, is Ben’s best friend. Kylie, Jess is Francine’s birth daughter. She came here to find her mother.”
    â€œOh, my stars!” Kylie beamed in delight. “So you’re Annie!”
    Jess’s jaw dropped. “You knew about me?”
    Kylie nodded. “I spent a little time with Francine last year. She told me about you. She said you had red hair and that she’d never stopped thinking about you. I can’t believe you’re really here! You could be just what that poor woman needs!”
    â€œSo, are you here to stay?” Connie asked.
    â€œI hope so,” Jess replied. “But first I’ll need to find a place to rent. Clara was kind enough to take me in for a couple of days, but I don’t want to impose on her any longer than I have to. As soon as I get my car back, I can start looking.”
    â€œYou know, it’s a shame Branding Iron doesn’t have any place for people coming into town to stay,” Kylie said. “We’d get an even better turnout for the Christmas Ball if folks from out of town could get a room here and not have to drive home.”
    â€œOpening a place like that would cost money,” Connie said. “And who’s got money around here?”
    â€œWe’re wasting time,” Maybelle interrupted. “We’ve got a lot of decisions to make. Let’s get started.”
    â€œCake now or later?” Clara asked.
    â€œLater,” Maybelle said. “We can’t talk with our mouths full, can we?”
    Jess settled back in her chair to listen. She had a lot to learn about the town and the people in it, and she was just getting started.

Chapter Four
    M aybelle, who chaired the planning committee and insisted on following parliamentary procedure, called the meeting to order. As Clara read the minutes from the last session, Jess sat back to listen.
    The Cowboy Christmas Ball would be held in the high school gym, the only place with enough room for the townspeople who’d already bought tickets and extra guests who would pay at the door. Since the menu was traditional, and the Nashville band had been booked over a year ago, there were few decisions to be made. This meeting was mostly for the purpose of making sure everything was covered down to the last detail.
    As they went down the list—ticket sales, decorations, plates and utensils for the buffet, security, cleanup and even a pre-party dance instruction class, Jess paid as much attention to the women as to the business at hand. She reflected on how each had responded differently to the news that she was Francine’s daughter—Clara with graciousness, Connie with curiosity, Katy with sweet acceptance, and Kylie with warm enthusiasm.
    Only Maybelle had seemed put off. But that shouldn’t be surprising. There were bound to be people in Branding Iron who’d judged Francine harshly and would view her daughter the same way. Until she could change their minds, she would just have to live with that.
    Still, she couldn’t deny that it hurt.
    Forcing the thought aside, Jess focused her attention on the plans for the ball.
    The local firemen would dig the barbecue pit and cook the prime beef. The rest of the food for the buffet table would be donated by people in the town, who’d already signed up for their dishes. The proceeds would go to pay the band and fund next year’s ball, with any leftover cash