Read I Promise You This (Love in Provence Book 3) for Free Online Page B

chosen the photos, then Kat had purchased the frames and placed the grouping for her to enjoy.
    There was such hope and happiness on the faces of her parents as young immigrants to Canada from their small village in Hungary. In spite of the horror, cruelty, and betrayal they had witnessed and endured during the war years, their strong souls survived. Pure love radiated from their simple wedding portrait. Those same smiles, somewhat tempered with age, also shone from the photo Kat had taken at the intimate family celebration for their sixtieth wedding anniversary.
    There were a few small black-and-white images of Kat as a child with each parent, holding poignant memories. One collage frame held three small photos with her proud parents on each of her university graduation days. Elisabeth had insisted on those.
    Finally, she smiled at a selfie taken with her mother on their last Christmas morning together. She could almost hear Elisabeth’s words. “My sweet Katica, always remember what doesn’t kill us . . . ” There was no need to complete the sentence. Mother and daughter had shared a warm embrace before Kat snapped the photo. “You will be fine, my darling daughter.”
    Those photos will all go with me . . . when I go . . . if I go . . .
    An intense pang of loss shot through her. Coming home wasn’t necessarily going to be easy. When she had been coping with the early days of grief—first with her marriage ending and then the loss of Elisabeth—she’d read somewhere that feeling pain could be turned into a positive thing. The strategy was to make each ache a reminder of pleasant memories. Kat was determined to work on that.
    There’s no question my parents left me with a lifetime of good memories . Being back in this house brings those memories alive once more. This is home. Toronto is home. Fifty-six years of home. Can I really walk away from it?
    Checking her e-mail before going to bed, she discovered Philippe had sent her a message that contained only the audio of Ella Fitzgerald singing “All the Things You Are.” They had played and swayed to it often in the quiet candlelight of their apartment. Philippe told her every word seemed to be written to express his feelings for her.
    The sweetness of his gesture sent a rush of warmth through her. Kat tossed and turned as she tried to fall asleep in the midst of confusion.

CHAPTER FOUR
    Kat peered out the window in Molly’s room, thinking about Philippe and how the day they parted in Paris seemed so long ago. She had wakened eager to hear his voice after worrying herself to sleep.
    Both of them were consumed with the emotion of the words from the song he had sent. Their morning phone conversation had been filled with passion and longing. After she hung up, Kat realized she had just engaged in erotic phone sex for the first time in her life. She put her hands to her face as a hot flush rushed to her cheeks while a smile played on her lips. Better late than never . . .
    Snow was falling lightly again today. Katherine always felt a sense of peace watching the swirling delicate flakes.
    She was startled at the sound of a familiar voice.
    “G’day, gorgeous.”
    “Nick! I can’t believe you’re here!” she exclaimed as she spun around. “You’re making a habit of turning up at the most unexpected moments!”
    His customary dazzling grin was replaced with a subdued expression as his eyes flickered over to Molly from the doorway. Kat reached him quickly and welcomed his comforting embrace.
    “I came as soon as Tim told me about Molly. I spoke to Philippe and he filled me in with a few more details. I was just across the lake in New York, and I thought perhaps I could help somehow . . . with my plane . . . or I can hire a Medevac to take her wherever the best treatment is. I also had to fast talk my way past Nurse Ratched just now.”
    Deeply touched by his concern, Kat began to cry, her head still on his shoulder.
    Nick patted her gently on the