Texas Christmas Bride: The Gallaghers of Sweetgrass Springs Book 6 by Jean Brashear

good the children have been?”
    Beth rolled her eyes. “I’ve been good, Mommy. We all have. Especially Boo.”
    The boxer/retriever/mutt mix thumped his tail at the mention of his name.
    Or in hopes of being slipped another cookie, more likely.
    “I’m on to you, buddy. You know you shouldn’t eat people food, right?” She bent to the old hound and cooed. “Who’s the best dog, huh?”
    More thumps of the tail.
    Beth giggled. “I wish Boo could talk, Mommy.”
    “He does, in his own way, don’t you, boy?” She scratched him behind the ears and Boo heaved a doggy moan.
    “Mommy, it’s Rissa and her sister! Prince Daddy’s sister’s other sister!”
    Veronica looked up. They were bearing a garment bag.
    “Sounds like wicked stepsister to me,” Rissa remarked.
    “Bite me,” Penny said. “Hi, Veronica. Sorry to just drop in. Do you have a minute?”
    “Want a cookie, Aunt Penny? You’re going to be my Aunt Penny, right? As soon as we marry Prince Daddy and we get to be Gallaghers?”
    Penny’s smile widened. “Wow. You didn’t take a single breath in all that, did you?”
    “I can talk for a long time,” Abby maintained.
    “I see that. We’re gonna get along just fine, girlfriend.” Penny held out a hand for high five.
    Abby jumped and slapped her palm against Penny’s.
    “Okay, wait. I have to ask this first: do you love shoes? And you?” She glanced at Beth. “This is important. Think carefully before you answer.” But she was grinning.
    “I love shoes!” Abby shouted.
    Penny approached Beth. “I’ll still love you if you don’t have a shoe thing. It’s okay.”
    Slowly Beth extended her foot. Where Abby’s sneakers were screaming yellow with lights, Beth had woven little flowers into the shoelaces of her less lurid pink ones.
    “Wow. I’m impressed. You did that?” Penny pointed to the flowers.
    Beth nodded, eyes huge.
    “That calls for a Gallagher hip-bump.” Penny gently swiveled her hip to touch Beth’s up on the bar stool.
    Beth giggled.
    “But mine are yellow, Aunt Penny! Like sunshine!”
    “And beautifully yellow, I might add.” Penny high-fived her again. “So…we’re eating cookies and nobody told me?” She jammed one fist on her hip. “Rule number one, right, Ris? Gallagher girls never hoard their chocolate from other Gallagher girls. Oatmeal cookies…no loss. Peanut butter…I can live with that. But chocolate? Oh no. Nonononono,” She waggled a finger. “Big, big mistake.”
    “Do you have any chocolate to share?” Beth asked, cookie extended.
    Penny leaned in and took a bite. “Not on me, so thank you. I was going to die if I had to wait five more minutes for some. My hero.” She leaned toward Abby. “Just between us Gallagher girls—”
    “We’re not Gallaghers yet,” Abby noted. “Not until we marry Prince Daddy and he adopts us.”
    “Which he will. Because he’s not crazy.”
    Veronica couldn’t help stiffening.
    Penny’s eyes caught hers, and Veronica shook her head faintly, then glanced at Rissa, who frowned.
    Penny quickly distracted the girls. “I might or might not have a stash of chocolate at my house. And you might or might not need to come see us so you could check. To practice being Gallaghers, of course.”
    “Might!” Abby shrieked.
    “I would like to come see you,” Beth said politely while her sister jumped around, insanely over-excited.
    Veronica cleared her throat. “Abby, you need to finish your snack and get started on homework. Beth, are you done?”
    “Yes, Mommy.” Beth slid down, grabbed her plate and brought it around to the sink. She returned to retrieve her glass and did the same.
    Rissa’s eyebrows rose, as did Penny’s.
    “Nice manners, Beth.”
    “Thank you.”
    “I have good manners, too,” Abby insisted, with a cookie crammed in her mouth and one shoelace untied.
    Veronica held her breath as Abby juggled both plate and glass in her small hands.
    “Do we—” Abby coughed around her