in the kitchens and the maple syrup comes from Great-Aunt Eunice’s trees so you don’t want to miss that.”
“Sounds good. So tell me, Catherine, what was Dan like as a child?”
Oh for—“This is not the time to get out the baby photos.” Rosie grabbed her sister before Catherine could answer, and headed toward the food. “Eat. Fill your mouth. Anything to stop you talking.”
She’d piled their plates with pancakes when her parents appeared in the doorway, hand in hand.
They were both rosy-cheeked and out of breath, as if they’d been rushing. Her mother was tugging at her clothing with her free hand, as if she’d dressed in a hurry.
“Sorry we’re late. We lost track of the time.”
Rosie felt a rush of embarrassment. Enough already! But hopefully this display of marital harmony would be enough to silence her sister. She added syrup to her pancakes and leaned closer to Katie. “You see? Lovebirds, after thirty-five years.”
Katie swallowed a mouthful of pancake. “They’re not usually so demonstrative. Especially not in public.”
Rosie added blueberries to Katie’s plate. “Have some vitamin C. You’re looking pale. Mum told Catherine they’re treating this like a second honeymoon. I can’t decide if it’s romantic or embarrassing. Why are you frowning?”
“Because it’s out of character for them to be romantic. Last year Dad gave Mum a dishwasher for Christmas.”
“That’s romantic if you hate washing dishes.”
“I’d kill a man who bought me a dishwasher. Hold this for a moment.” She handed Rosie her plate, and crossed the room to greet their parents.
Rosie put both plates down and followed her.
She saw their father put his arm around Katie’s shoulder and squeeze. Her sister winced and eased away.
Rosie frowned. Had she hurt her shoulder?
She realized that Katie had said next to nothing about herself since she’d arrived, only that work had been stressful and busy.
“My girls! I’ve missed you so much.” Their mother wrapped them both in a hug before turning to kiss Katie. “It’s been so long since we saw you both.”
And it was playing on Rosie’s mind. She’d been in the US of course, but what was Katie’s excuse? Why hadn’t she seen their parents since the summer?
“Hey.” Dan appeared, fresh from the shower, his hair still damp. He headed straight for Rosie and kissed her on the mouth. “Have you eaten all the pancakes?”
She felt the tension leave her, as it so often did when she was with Dan.
“I’m sure we left a few.” She grabbed his hand, walked back to the table and loaded up a plate. “While we have a moment alone, I wanted to say that I’m so sorry about last night. I know Katie went over the top, but she only did it because she loves me.”
“I know that.” He added blueberries to the plate she was holding. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.”
“You’re not mad with her? Tell me you don’t hate my sister.”
He took the plate from her and set it down on the table. Then he pulled her into his arms. “I definitely don’t hate your sister. I love that she cares about you. You’re lucky to have her.”
And she was lucky to have him. Why couldn’t Katie see that?
They didn’t have a chance to talk further because his mother joined them to talk wedding details.
Dan ate while they talked, and after breakfast they made their way to the back of the hotel where the snowmobile tours were arranged.
Catherine had arranged down suits and helmets for everyone. “You may think these are unflattering, but you’ll be thanking me when you’re out in the cold and wind.”
Katie pulled hers on. “Where are we going?”
“To the Maroon Bells.” Dan helped her with her helmet. “Mountains. You’ll want to bring your camera.”
“Am I driving my own snowmobile? Don’t I need a license or something?”
“No license. We thought you might prefer to be a passenger this time around.” Dan tightened the strap. “That way you can have all the fun of the ride and the views, without any of the responsibility.”
“Sounds good. Who is the best driver?”
Catherine laughed. “My Dan. Jordan is good, of course, but he drives too fast for me. Leaves my stomach somewhere behind on the mountain every time I partner up with him.”
“I’ll go with Dan,” Katie said and Rosie opened her mouth to say that she was going with Dan, but her sister was already sliding her leg over the back of the snowmobile and resting her hands on Dan’s waist.