Texas Haven by Kathleen Ball Page A

sun picking berries.”
    “I’ll be there soon. Sherry? Thanks for inviting me.”
    “It’ll be fun. See you in a bit.”
    She’d wanted to get to know Sherry better, and the jam making was definitely the cherry on top. She couldn’t wait to tell Burke her plans.
    She poured his coffee when he walked into the kitchen, and he gave her a quick kiss. She’d been waiting all her life for affection. She’d hoped for more. Reaching out she hugged him.
    Burke disentangled himself from her. “The day’s a-wastin’, darlin’.” He sat down and ate the eggs she made. “You’re spoiling me, you know. You’re a good cook.”
    Annie sat down to join him. “Sherry called. She asked me to go berry picking with her and then she’s going to show me how to make jam.”
    “If I had known just how happy jam makes you, I’d have bought a truckload,” he joked. “I’ll drive you over.”
    “That’s okay; I’ll just drive myself over.”
    “I said I’ll drive you.” Burke stared her down.
    Annie eyes narrowed as she looked at Burke. “Which is it?” she demanded. “Do you need the truck or am I not allowed to go out on my own?”
    Burke wiped his mouth with his napkin and threw it down on his plate. He ran his fingers through his brown hair. “I need the truck today.”
    Annie simply nodded and turned away, cleaning the kitchen. Somehow, she didn’t believe him completely. She still had a sinking suspicion that he just didn’t trust her and it made her wonder if it had anything to do with Alice. She was tired of paying for Alice’s mistakes. Maybe Sherry would tell her more about the whole situation.
     
    * * * *
     
    Annie was delighted with Sherry’s house. The decor was an updated country style. Everything looked so cheerful, colorful with splashes of blue, and yellow. She planned to make a few changes in her house. She could even make new curtains and maybe a sofa cover or two. Sherry greeted her like an old friend and it filled Annie with warmth.
    “I love your decor,” Annie commented as she walked through the house.
    “I like to go antiquing on the weekends. I hit a few flea markets too,” she explained. “You’re welcome to come anytime you want. I know that Ted just humors me by going and it would be fun to go with a girl friend.”
    Annie smiled at Sherry. “Thanks I’d like that.”
    They spent the morning picking berries. Annie had never seen so many berries in one place and she certainly had never picked them before. She and Sherry both laughed at her enthusiasm. Sherry assured her that in a few years Annie would look upon it as a chore, but Annie didn’t agree.
    Making jam had always been a dream of hers. Unfortunately, her family discouraged such things. Their cook had, however, taught her to cook thankfully.
    She stirred the bubbling mixture of berries, sugar, and pectin. “This is fun, Sherry. Thank you so much for inviting me!”
    Sherry smiled. “I’m glad you’re having fun. This is just one batch of many,” she explained. “We also have a lot of fruit trees on our land. I can make jams with that fruit too.” When Annie’s look turned hopeful, she just laughed. “Don’t worry; you’ll be invited to help with that too.”
    “Good, I’ll look forward to it.” Annie began to ladle the jam into the jars. “Did Alice help you make jam?” she asked.
    Sherry became noticeably silent. “No, she wasn’t interested.”
    “You didn’t like her,” Annie observed.
    Sherry hesitated again. “We were never friends, since she wasn’t into country people.” She sighed and paused a moment. “To tell you the truth, she was a snob of the first order and I always felt as though she looked down on me and Ted. I tried, for Burke’s sake, to be friendly, but she made it hard. After a while we just didn’t spend much time with her or Burke for that matter.” Sherry took Annie’s hand, “That’s why we were thrilled to meet you. You’re exactly the kind of wife Burke