Sealed With a Kiss by Leeanna Morgan Page A

home. The more time Rachel spent with Bella,
the more she realized just how much John’s absence was affecting
his daughter.
    When her dad was gone, Bella became quiet,
withdrawn, and easily distracted. At first, Rachel thought it was
because Bella was waiting for the sound of her dad’s car in the
driveway, or his voice in the entranceway. But his meeting this
week had left Rachel even more worried.
    “Do you want to help me open a box of
dresses, Bella?”
    A big smile filled Bella’s face. “Yes,
please.”
    Rachel used a pair of scissors to cut the
tape and Bella opened the flaps.
    The owner of the dresses had left a photo of
her bridesmaids inside the box. Standing in front of the
bridesmaids, looking as happy as a polar bear in winter, was a
little white dog. “Look at this, Bella. The doggie in the photo
looks like the little toy dog that you gave your friend.”
    Bella stood on the edge of a stool and looked
at the photo in Rachel’s hand. “It does. It looks just like
Jasmine. Could I show my friend Poppy the photo?”
    “Of course you can,” Rachel said. “I’ll put
it in my bag so that we don’t forget to take it home.”
    Tess opened another box and pulled out a
dress with a bright floral pattern on the fabric. “Wow. This one’s
different.” She peeked inside the box and pulled another matching
dress out. “Do you think our spring bridesmaids will like these
dresses?”
    Bella sighed. “I think they’re really
pretty.”
    Rachel grinned at Bella. “I’m sure someone
else will feel exactly the same. They’ll look stunning when Molly
photographs them for our catalog.” She handed Bella one of the
dresses. “Take this across to Tess. She’ll help you put it on a
hanger and leave it on the rack with the other dresses that arrived
this week.”
    Bella carefully took the dress across to
Tess. “I’ve seen your catalog. I like the Cinderella Collection the
best.”
    Tess smiled. “Why do you like that
collection?”
    “Because the dresses are beautiful and
sparkly.”
    Rachel found a hanger and put the second
floral bridesmaid’s dress beside Tess. “Would you like to see the
Cinderella dresses that we have at the moment?”
    Bella nodded her head so hard that it was a
wonder it didn’t pop off her shoulders.
    Tess looked out of the living room’s large
picture window. “While you’re doing that, I’m going to ask your
friend if he wants to come inside. The snow is getting
heavier.”
    Rachel glanced at the flurry of snowflakes
falling outside. “I didn’t realize how bad it was. I’ll call Tank
on his cell phone.”
    Tank had met Tess when they’d first arrived
at her home. For some reason, he’d insisted on staying in his truck
and not coming inside.
    A loud banging on the door made them all
jump. “I guess Tank got tired of waiting in the cold,” Tess said.
“You’d better invite him in before he turns into Frosty the
Snowman.”
    Tank nodded at Tess when he walked into the
loft. “It’s cold out there.” Bella handed him a towel as he stood
in the kitchen, shaking the snow off his jacket. “Thanks,
Bella.”
    “You’re welcome,” Bella said seriously.
“Rachel told me to dry my hair in case I got a cold. You’re a lot
wetter than I was.”
    Tank dried his hair and smiled at his little
helper. “It’s snowing a lot harder than when you came inside. We’re
going to have to leave in the next few minutes if we want to get
home safely.”
    “Will dad be all right?” Bella asked.
    Tank folded the towel and left it on the edge
of the counter. “He’ll be fine. If his flight is canceled, he won’t
try and come back another way. He’ll stay in Washington DC for
longer.”
    “Are you sure?” Bella asked.
    Rachel looked between Bella and Tank. Bella
looked so worried about her dad that it nearly broke her heart.
“Your dad will be extra careful because he knows you’re waiting for
him. Let’s get our jackets so that we stay warm when we go
outside.”
    Bella