Free 1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber

the next few minutes Beth and her daughters carried down boxes from the storage area upstairs. Princess watched from her place by the sofa. Roscoe was in his bed with his chin resting on his paws, still too weak tomove about much, although he seemed to enjoy the activity around him. “Did you and Dad ever have birds?” Bailey asked, standing near the canaries’ cage.
    Beth unsuccessfully hid a smile.
    â€œWhat’s so funny?”
    â€œI did have a canary named Tweetie shortly after we were married, but we had to give her away.”
    â€œBut why? Dad loves animals, too!”
    â€œYes, I know, but both your father and I were gone during the day. We had to keep the apartment heated for Tweetie, and after the first heating bill, your father insisted I find her a wealthier owner.”
    â€œDid you hate giving her up?”
    â€œA little. She went to an aunt of mine, who had her for years.” She smiled again. “Your father promised me there’d be other birds when we could afford them.”
    â€œBut you never got another canary until you came to Cedar Cove.”
    â€œAnd now you’ve got two.”
    â€œSo they could keep each other company,” Beth said. Kent had long ago forgotten his promise and, frankly, so had she. Then one day last year she saw the canaries in a feed store and impulsively purchased them.
    They heard a car drive up to the house.
    â€œDad’s back,” Bailey said, looking out the living room window.
    â€œIs… Did Danielle come with him?” Beth asked, trying to make the best of this.
    Sophie joined her sister and glared out the window.
    â€œYup. Danielle’s with Dad,” Bailey said in a stark voice.
    Beth didn’t know why she’d expected anything else.

Chapter 6
    â€œIs that Allison?” Rosie Cox called from the kitchen.
    Zach glanced out the window and, sure enough, his daughter’s car had just pulled into the drive. “Yes,” he called back. She’d gone to pick up her boyfriend, Anson Butler, at the airport, since he’d be spending the holidays with them. Rosie had been cooking and decorating for days in preparation for Christmas. Zach had gotten roped into helping, not that he minded.
    Eddie, their son, who was home from college, came out of his bedroom. He’d spent most of the afternoon there, which was unusual. Eddie was tall and lanky, and he’d shot past Zach’s six feet by two or three inches.Eddie must be working on some project in his room, but when he heard the commotion in the hallway, he hurried out, earbuds plugged into his ears and his iPod playing. He yanked one plug free. “What did you say?”
    â€œYour sister and Anson are here.”
    â€œCool.”
    Zach already had the front door open. The decorative lights on the roof flashed on and off, their colors reflecting in the layer of fresh snow. Anson waved. He’d flown in from Washington, D.C., that afternoon.
    Anson had entered the army at eighteen and currently worked in Military Intelligence at the Pentagon. Zach was proud of Anson’s achievements, although there’d been a time he was convinced the young man was a felon. Zach had done everything he could to keep his daughter away from Anson.
    Fortunately, as Zach had discovered, he’d been wrong about his daughter’s boyfriend. Anson hadn’t been born with many advantages, but he’d risen above those difficulties, thanks in part, Zach believed, to his daughter. The two of them had met in high school, and they’d maintained their relationship all these years.
    At this stage, Zach would welcome Anson as his son-in-law. Rosie cautioned him not to rush their daughter into an engagement, and she was right. Allison andAnson were still young and, as Rosie said, these things had to develop on their own. Parents shouldn’t involve themselves one way or the other.
    Zach opened the screen door for his daughter and Anson, who set