Embraceable You (Irish Hearts Series) by Mary Tate Engels Read Free Book Online

ourselves. We fill our hotpot, plug it in and tea’s on the way." Carrie started for the stairs. "Come on Harry and Sally. I’ve got a treat for you."
    "Oh wait, ladies." Siena was losing ground by the minute. "Today, actually, I hadn’t planned on opening."
    "No matter." Claire waved her hand. "Sometimes people come in just to watch us work our lace, and they turn into customers. Isn’t that what we want?"
    "Customers, yes," answered Roberta with a laugh. "We’ve learned that much from Addie."
    Siena glanced out the window wondering where customers would come from on a day like this. Most shops around were closed.
    "She wanted to sell our lace along with lingerie," Claire said wistfully. "She thought they were a natural pair, so to speak. But the town fathers frowned on it."
    "Frowned?" Roberta clasped her forehead, mocking a major headache. "There was practically a rebellion!" She crossed her arms and mocked a man’s voice. "We’ll have no skivvies on display in our town!"
    "Skivvies! Can you believe it?" Claire straightened a couple of books on a shelf. "Talk about old-fashioned. So I came up with the idea of lacy angels. That's what I made when I was a girl, back in Ireland. Roberta's idea was the lacy heart's desire pillows. But they've all grown stale and we just can't sell them anymore."
    "I can prove the magic works. I made a wish with my lace pillow, and it came true. Almost," Roberta claimed seriously. "We also make little sachets, for the tooth fairy and such."
    Siena shook her head. Was this the Twenty-first Century or had she crossed into some time warp? "A wish? On a n angel or pillow? This just can't be."
    "Don’t you want to know what I wished?"
    "Yes." What else could she say?
    "That my children would come back home for Christmas. And they did. Zoey came first and took over the kitchen. Said she wanted to make sure I ate all the right things. Then Zach decided to return and became Mayor. And Zane even brought his baby son for a visit from D.C. while his wife was on a secret mission in the Middle East." She smiled with such angelic expression that it broke Siena’s heart.
    "Siena, we hope you’ll be happy here in Haven’s Point. We have a few good men, if you’re interested, including Roberta’s son, the mayor. Do you know Zach?" Carrie asked as she plugged in the hotpot to heat water for tea.
    "Uh, we’ve met." Visions of sugarplums danced in her head. If these lovely ladies only knew! 
    "Met?" Roberta laughed. "Why they used to be sweethearts, all those years ago. When they were just kids."
    "I’m afraid my niece, Monique, has her heart set on capturing our fine mayor," Claire said with a wink. "He saved her life, you know, and now they’re almost engaged."
    Siena blinked at Claire, then at Roberta. Zach was engaged? What the hell! That certainly banished any lingering fantasies with the old boyfriend. And why did he lure her to his bed if he were engaged? "He saved her?"
    "Last winter, snow up to our knees, Monique was skating and fell through the ice on the lake," Roberta said. "A bunch of young people were skating and playing hockey out there. Too much goings-on and not enough of paying attention. Suddenly she was down in the icy pit. Could have died right then and there from hypothermia."
    Claire picked up the tale. "And it took the rescue crew so long to get there that Zach and a friend shoved an old kayak out onto the ice and pulled her to safety with that thing. My, my they’re such clever, strong fellows." She placed four delicate teacups on the counter.
    "Oh yes," Carrie added. "Everyone was so very proud of him that they elected him mayor after that." The teapot whistled and she poured the tea while Claire unveiled the scones.
    A sweet bread aroma filled the air and Siena was swept into warm memories of cooking with Aunt Addie.
    "Y’know, the amazing thing was that Zach never took credit for it by himself. Said it was a team effort and that became his campaign slogan. All of us,