The Trouble With Angels Page 0,58

the background before Karen came back on the line. "There was one small bag of candy canes, but those were mainly for decorations."

"It sounds like you had a wonderful time." Meeting Paula and Thom had changed both their lives for the better.

"Paula and I decided to be friends for life."

"That's great."

"How's your hair with olive oil in it?"

"Olive oil?"

"I heard you tell Thom you were going to put oil in your hair. It sounded weird to me and Paula, but when she asked Thom he said it was a woman thing."

"That's hot oil, sweetheart, and we'll do it on your hair someday."

"Paula's, too?" she wanted to know right away.

"Paula's, too," Maureen promised.

"Okay, Mom, I'd better go because we've got a whole lot more to do before you get here. Don't be late, okay? And oh - no, I'd better not say anything more."

Smiling, Maureen replaced the receiver. A few moments later she climbed out of bed and dressed. She stood in the middle of her bedroom and wondered what those three had managed to cook up this time. A surprise. She could just imagine.

Saturdays were generally reserved for errands, and Maureen left the house shortly after talking to her daughter. She stopped off at the cleaners and the drugstore and did a quick bit of Christmas shopping before heading for Thom's ranch.

She arrived precisely at four. No sooner had she parked the car than Karen burst out of the house and raced toward her, her arms open wide as if it had been six months since they'd last seen each other.

Maureen caught her in her arms.

Thom and Paula followed Karen outside. Maureen's gaze met Thom's, and his eyes sparkled. "I understand you've got a surprise for me," she said, smiling at Thom. Keeping a cool facade with him had become much too difficult. It required more energy and effort than she could muster. Like Karen, she was happy, truly happy. Perhaps for the first time in years.

"Oh, Mom, it's so beautiful."

"What is?"

Both girls were looking at her as if they were about to burst wide open. Karen grabbed hold of her hand and led her toward the house. Maureen looked over her shoulder at Thom, who was grinning broadly.

"This is only part of the surprise," Karen explained as she opened the screen door and led Maureen into the formal living room. Maureen had been in Thom's home a number of times before, but she'd always gone in through the kitchen.

The living room was sunken, with a huge stone fireplace that dominated one entire wall. The naturally bright room was cheered by the extensive display of Christmas decorations. A massive flocked white Christmas tree, six feet tall or more, took up one corner where the ceiling slanted upward toward a skylight.

In all her life Maureen had never seen a more beautifully decorated Christmas tree. The limbs drooped downward, heavy with layers of white flocking. Blue glass bulbs of varying sizes glistened like the moon against a crystal-clear lake. Ribbons of gold delicately embraced the tree, woven between the branches.

"It's beautiful," Maureen whispered.

"We decorated the tree," Karen said, so excited she could barely speak. "First of all we went out and bought it. Thom let us pick it out and everything."

It seemed unbelievable to Maureen what an incredibly good job they'd done. The entire house looked as if it had been decorated by a professional. The contrast between her house and this one said a great deal about the two of them. It was as if all the joy had been taken out of Maureen's life by the divorce.

"A friend of Thom's put the snow on it for us."

"You couldn't have timed your arrival any better," Thom told her. "We just put the finishing touches on it about five minutes ago."

"This is only part of your surprise, though," Karen said, taking Maureen's hand once more and leading her into the dining room.

The polished mahogany table in the formal dining room was set with china dishes and linen napkins. A pair of sterling-silver candlesticks decorated with bayberry-scented candles and a bowl of fresh flowers sat proudly in the center.

"This is lovely," Maureen told them. "Did you girls do this as well?"

"No," Karen said quickly, "Thom bought that, for atmosphere."

Maureen leveled her gaze on the rancher, who looked entirely too pleased with himself. She was tempted to ask him exactly what he had up his sleeve, but she didn't.

"There're only two place settings," Maureen pointed out to her daughter.

"Mom," Karen said in that way