Page 38 of One Hundred Humbugs

“This is amazing,” she said, genuinely impressed.

Katie beamed. “Oh, I’m so glad you like it! I was worried the eggnog might be too much, but Bowie insisted it was perfect.”

As if summoned by his name, Bowie appeared from the back room, holding his daughter Sahara’s hand. “Hey there, Ruby,” he greeted. “Enjoying Katie’s latest creation?”

Ruby nodded, swallowing another bite of muffin. “It’s delicious. You’ve got a real talent, Katie.”

Katie nodded. “Thank you. You know, baking wasn’talways my plan. Life has a funny way of leading you where you’re meant to be.”

There was something in Katie’s tone that piqued Ruby’s curiosity. “What do you mean?”

Katie exchanged a glance with Bowie, who nodded encouragingly. “Well, it’s quite a story. Do you have some time?”

Ruby thought about the decision waiting for her back at the house, about Becket and the cookies. But something told her this was important. She nodded.

Katie took a deep breath. “Before I came here, I was living in Dallas. I had a corporate job, the kind where you wear uncomfortable shoes and count down the minutes until you can leave. I thought that was what I wanted, you know? The big city life, the career.”

Ruby nodded, the description hitting close to home.

“But then,” Katie continued, her voice softening, “I got sick. Really sick. It turned out I needed a heart transplant.”

Ruby’s eyes widened. “Oh, Katie, I’m so sorry.”

Katie reached out to squeeze Ruby’s hand. “Don’t be. It led me here, to this life I never knew I wanted.” She paused, her eyes growing distant, as if reliving a memory. “A few years after the transplant, I received a pink letter. It was from a woman named Bea Bennett, who is someone I’d never met. The letter ... it changed everything.”

“What did it say?” Ruby asked, captivated.

Katie laughed. “It was the strangest thing. Bea had given me this bakery and had written me a list of 100 reasons why I would be wonderful in this little town called Aspen Cove, a place I’d never even heard of before.”

“A hundred reasons?” Ruby echoed, amazed.

“Yes, and the first reason on that list was ‘because you have a good heart.’” Katie’s hand unconsciously moved toher chest. “It wasn’t just a list, though. Somehow, Bea knew everything about me. My hopes, my fears, even the dreams I’d been too afraid to admit to myself.”

A chill ran down Ruby’s spine. “That’s incredible. But how did she know all that about you?”

Katie’s expression turned bittersweet. “It turns out, the heart I received ... it was from Bea’s daughter, Brandy. Bea had hired a private investigator to find out about me. She wanted to know who had received her daughter’s heart.”

Ruby’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, Katie...”

Katie nodded. “It was overwhelming at first. But Bea’s letter felt like a gift. Not just a list of reasons, but a roadmap to a life I didn’t even know I wanted. So, I decided to take a chance. I came to Aspen Cove.”

“And that’s where you met Bowie?” Ruby asked.

Katie’s face lit up. “Yes. He was one of the first people I met here. We just ... clicked. And the rest of the town... Ruby, from the moment I arrived, it was like coming home. Everyone rallied around me, helped me reopen the bakery. They became my extended family, gave me a second chance at life.”

Ruby nodded, thinking about her own experiences in Aspen Cove. The kindness of the townspeople, the way they’d embraced her and Becket, goats and all.

“I know you’re facing a big decision,” Katie said. “Marge mentioned the offer on your uncle’s house. And I’m not trying to sway you one way or the other. But I want you to know that whatever you choose, you have a place here. In Aspen Cove, no one’s ever truly alone.”

Ruby’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you, Katie. That means more than you know.”

As Ruby left the bakery, her mind was even more conflicted than before. But now, mixed in with theuncertainty, was a feeling she couldn’t quite explain. She thought about Katie’s story, about the mysterious Bea Bennett and the power of a pink letter to change a life.

Almost without realizing it, Ruby ended up outside Maisey’s Diner. The warm glow from the windows beckoned her inside, promising comfort and clarity.

The bell above the door jingled as Ruby entered, drawing Maisey’s attention from behind the counter.

“Well, look who it is,” Maisey said, her eyes twinkling. “Shouldn’t you be elbow-deep in cookie dough right about now?”

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