Rose Harbor in Bloom Read Online Free

fiftieth wedding anniversary. Annie lived in the Seattle area and had stopped by to check out the inn and make other arrangements for the family gathering. I’d learned she was a party planner by profession, and had taken on organizing the event.
    “If possible, I’d like a room on the same floor as Annie’s.”
    “I can do that.” That meant shifting Mary Smith to another room, but that wouldn’t be a problem.
    “Perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow, then, with the Shivers. I plan to arrive around noon.”
    I took his credit card information and paused as I looked down. I’d taken the reservation for Mary Smith the same day that Kent Shivers had phoned. Both conversations had stayed in my mind, which was unusual.
    By mid-morning, the scent of the carrot-and-pineapple muffins filled my kitchen. The recipe was a new one, and I was anxious to try it out. The ingredient list called for walnuts, raisins, and flaxseed. Filled with fruit, nuts, and seeds, they were healthy, and if the heavenly scent coming from the oven was anything to go by, they would be delicious, too. I also planned to bake cookies, if time allowed.
    Hailey arrived around two, when the kitchen countertops were lined with cookies and the muffins rested on top of the stove.
    “Where would you like me to start?” she asked, after setting her backpack inside my office.
    I gave her a detailed list that I’d made up earlier. She read it over, asked me a couple of questions, and then set about completing the tasks. While she was busy I worked in the kitchen. I finished loading the dishwasher, and after placing the cookies for the open house in an air-tight storage container, I wiped down the countertops.
    I planned to serve the muffins with breakfast over the weekend. My baking for the open house was just getting started. I had several cookbooks spread out across the table when I heard the sound of a car approaching.
    I looked out the window as the driver parked the car, climbed out, and then came around to the other side of the vehicle and opened the passenger door. A woman I could only assume was Mary Smith slid out and paused as she viewed the inn. She was an elegantly dressed businesswoman.
    I removed my apron, and with Rover at my heels met her on the walkway leading to the front door.
    “Hello and welcome,” I said. “I’m Jo Marie Rose. Welcome to Rose Harbor Inn.”
    “Thank you,” she returned with a faint New York accent.
    I recognized the high-end designer suit immediately and realized it was slightly too big for her. It wasn’t until then that I noticed the scarf on her head cleverly disguised the fact that she had lost her hair. Mary Smith appeared to have recently undergone chemotherapy. She had cancer, and I could only speculate what would bring her all the way from New York to Cedar Cove and Rose Harbor Inn.

Chapter 3
    Exhausted from the long flight out of Newark, Mary Smith lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. The desire to visit Cedar Cove had come after she’d been diagnosed with breast cancer. It’d been an impulse motivated by fear, she realized. The truth was she never actually expected to make the trip. She wasn’t an impulsive woman. She lived a purposeful life. Flying all the way across the country on a whim was completely unlike her, and yet … yet here she was.
    Mary had intentionally booked a nonstop flight into Seattle so she wouldn’t have to change planes. She feared the necessity of rushing from one gate to another might have completely worn her out physically. As it was, the six-hour flight between the east and west coasts had utterly drained her. Yet tired as she was, she foundit impossible to nap. Her mind raced, tumbling back through the years … to the decisions she’d made and the man she’d once loved.
    For all she knew George might still live in Seattle. The last she’d heard, nineteen years ago—oh, had it really been that long?—he’d married. Mary wanted him to be happy, which was one reason