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  Ariel jumped up and followed Margaret into the kitchen. Margaret asked Ariel how many glasses they needed.

  “Well, there is Zach, Gilly, Daddy, you, your mom, your dad, me, and my sitter,” said Ariel counting on her fingers. “That makes eight.” Just then there was yet another knock on the door.

  “That must be Patty and her husband,” said Margaret. David answered, and Margaret heard Patty’s voice. Ariel did too.

  “That makes ten,” Ariel told Margaret.

  “Correct,” said Margaret. She helped Ariel pour the tea. David appeared with a pie.

  “You’ll never guess what Patty brought,” David said.

  “You’re kidding me,” said Margaret, laughing.

  “You guessed it,” said David. “It’s pumpkin.” Margaret and David laughed. Ariel laughed with them. Margaret helped Ariel serve the sweet tea and then went back into the kitchen.

  “Just in time to put the casserole in,” said Zach. “Gilly finished the mashed potatoes.”

  “Thank you, Gilly,” said Margaret. It was nice having another set of hands in the kitchen. Margaret put the casserole in the oven as soon as Zach pulled the turkey. Zach put the turkey on a platter and started mixing flour into the drippings. Margaret watched him make the turkey gravy.

  “That looks great,” said Margaret. “Just like real gravy,” she teased.

  “Hey, you can’t give me a hard time about my cooking,” said Zach, and they laughed. He mixed in other ingredients and got a spoonful for Margaret to taste.

  “Delicious,” said Margaret.

  “Well, if you want to call everyone, dinner is ready,” said Zach.

  Before Margaret could speak, there was another knock at the door. Margaret wondered who that could be. She walked to the front door.

  “Surprise!” a woman said when Margaret opened the door. It was Sylvia.

  “What a great surprise,” said Margaret. Sylvia laughed.

  “I know it is Thanksgiving and I don’t mean to barge in, but I have something for you,” said Sylvia.

  “Oh really?” said Margaret.

  “Yep. Why don’t you come out to my van,” said Sylvia. Margaret followed Sylvia out to her van, wondering if she was getting another pumpkin pie. Her eyes lit up when Sylvia opened the door.

  “It is time,” said Sylvia. The two dogs that Margaret and Zach had been bonding with were in the van. They were in cages and their tails started wagging furiously when they saw Margaret.

  “Oh, Sylvia! This is wonderful, but I haven’t had any time to prepare my house. I don’t have any cages or food or toys,” said Margaret.

  “Then it is a good thing I brought all that with me,” said Sylvia.

  “What?” Margaret asked.

  Zach came out and saw the puppies.

  “Great timing, Sylvia,” he said.

  “You knew about this?” asked Margaret.

  “You bet. I have been crossing out the days on the calendar,” said Zach.

  “You didn’t think to mention it to me?” asked Margaret.

  “I wanted it to be a surprise. Let me help you,” Zach said to Sylvia. He got the larger dog, and the puppy followed. Zach walked the dogs into the house and Margaret followed behind.

  “Everyone, I want you to meet our new dogs,” said Zach. The dogs wagged their tails, and everyone oohed and ahhed. Ariel squealed and ran to the puppy. The puppy sat down and shook Ariel’s hand. Ariel scooped up the dog and sat on the sofa with it. The larger dog lay down by Ariel’s feet. Margaret just smiled. David helped Sylvia with the cages and food.

  “You can put their pens in my room,” said Zach. “They can sleep with me.”

  “You have this all figured out, don’t you?” said Margaret.

  “Yep,” said Zach.

  “And they’re housebroken, right?” asked Margaret.

  “Yes,” said Zach. “When they need to go out they will put their paw on your lap.”

  “Who taught them that?” Margaret asked Sylvia.

  “Zach did,” said Sylvia. “He has a knack with dogs.”

  “Well, I suppose I should welcome them to the family,” said Margaret, bending down to pet the dogs. The dogs wagged their tails and Margaret was hooked. She thanked Sylvia and invited her to stay for dinner.

  “We have plenty of food,” said Margaret.

  “And pumpkin pie,” said Zach. Everyone laughed.

  “Thank you, but I have my own Thanksgiving dinner to get to,” said Sylvia. “Yours smells delicious though.”

  “It was all Zach,” said Margaret. Sylvia said her goodbyes, and everyone settled back down. Margaret followed Zach into the kitchen.

  “They are cute,” said Margaret.

  “Yes, and they will keep each other company while we’re gone. I plan to keep them in their pens for a while, while we are at work. I will come home and walk them and play with them at lunch. They’ve gotten used to that schedule,” said Zach.

  “How can I say no?” asked Margaret.

  “You can’t. But you can invite everyone in for dinner,” Zach said. Margaret laughed.

  Margaret walked into the living room and made the announcement. Everyone went into the dining room and sat down. The dogs sat between Margaret and Zach. Margaret was used to her father carving the turkey, but he deferred to Zach that year. Zach carved the bird like a pro and everyone passed the platters of food.

  “I would like to say how lucky and happy I feel to have my friends and family here with me for Thanksgiving,” said Margaret.

  “I like being with my new friends, too. And the dogs,” said Ariel.

  Everyone laughed and dug in. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols praised Zach and Margaret. Patty complimented Gilly on the mashed potatoes. Mr. Nichols talked about the government and banking while Mrs. Nichols discussed the environment. Everyone else talked about the goings-on around town. Gilly invited everyone to hear her band later that evening in the town square. Margaret said she would love to go, and her parents wanted to as well. Margaret was pleasantly surprised by that.

  “Won’t it be too cold out for you?” asked Margaret. “I’m not trying to dissuade you, I just want you to be comfortable.”

  “We will be fine,” said Mr. Nichols. “We have each other to keep us warm.” He smiled at Mrs. Nichols and she smiled back.

  Margaret glanced at David, who was sitting next to her. He smiled, and she felt his hand in hers under the table.

  “We’ll keep each other warm too,” he murmured.

  There’s that tingle again, Margaret thought happily.

  Dear Reader,

  Hi there. Thank you for reading.

  I hope you’ll leave a review and/or rating at the retail website where you purchased it, I appreciate you and your feedback.

  Thanks again,

  Wendy Meadows

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  About the Author

  Wendy Meadows is a USA Today bestselling author of cozy mysteries. She lives in “The Granite State” with her husband, two sons, two cats and lovable Labradoodle.

  When she isn’t working on her stories she likes to tend to her flowers, relax with her pets and play video games with her family.

  Get in Touch with Wendy

  www.wendymeadows.com

  Also by Wendy Meadows

  Maple Hills Cozy Mystery Series

  Nether Edge Mystery Series

  Chocolate Cozy Mystery Series

  Alaska Cozy Mystery Series

  Sweet Peach Bakery Cozy Series

  Sweetfern Harbor Mystery Series

  Candy Shop Mysteries

 

 

 
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