by Darci Hannah
“What?”
“Now! Now, dude. Like, throw back the cloth!”
I took a deep breath and smiled. The honor of revealing Char and Todd’s long-awaited portrait was all mine. I took hold of the black cloth and flung it over the back of the painting.
The crowd fell silent. A flash of nerves seized me then, and I feared something might have gone wrong. I looked at the painting too. At first glance it was stunning, an outdoor portrait with the rich, saturated colors of nature—the cool green of lush summer grass, the vibrant blue of a cloudless sky, the deep indigo of the wind-swept lake beyond. Char, standing beside the young man soon to be her husband, looked magnificent in her long, bare-shouldered, form-fitting black gown. Todd, for his part, looked almost princely with his carefully brushed dusky-blond hair, his trim-cut black suit, and his flashy gold and black striped tie. The happy couple, for clearly that’s what they were, were cast in a glow of sunlight, but most remarkable was the tender look Silvia had managed to capture as Todd gazed down upon the woman he loved. He looked nothing like Tay’s brother, just as he looked nothing like Char’s doting son. What he looked like was a man in love.
What was I missing, I wondered as the silence continued. Then, finally, Todd’s voice rang out, breaking the silence.
“By God, it’s a masterpiece! That’s my future wife, people! And doesn’t she look magnificent! Happy engagement to us!”
The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers and clinking glasses.
It was extraordinary, I thought. At long last, from beyond the grave, Silvia Lumiere had finally managed to capture the hearts of the entire village of Cherry Cove.
The crowd had dispersed, yet some still mingled in the garden as Char and Todd celebrated their new portrait and their future life together.
“Whitney Bloom,” Jack said, appearing beside me. He looked into my eyes as a quiet smile graced his lips. “You promised me a date, remember? And since you took liberties with both my nerves and my profession, I’m going to insist you come with me.” Before I could answer, he took my hand and escorted me to his Jeep.
Once I was buckled in, he started the engine. “We have to stop by the station first, I’m afraid. I need to take the kids off the roof. They weren’t cooperating earlier, the little hellions. Will you help me?”
“Of course,” I said, thinking it an odd way to start a first date. But this was Jack MacLaren. Nothing about Jack was ever straightforward. I flashed him a smile. “You know that I love your kids.”
We pulled into the station and went straight to the garden. There Jack grabbed a covered bucket and handed it to me. He took one as well and said, “Sliced carrots. It’s like goat-crack.” He then called out to the thick grass of the roof, but no little horned heads appeared.
“Damn. I guess we’re going to have to go up there and drag them down ourselves. Ready?” he asked, opening the gate to the ramp. He took my hand and pulled me along with him up to the thick sod of the roof. And there I saw it.
“Oh my God, you didn’t?”
“Oh yes, I did,” he said, and gingerly led me to the blanket he’d placed on the gentle slope of his roof-lawn. Jack had set up a romantic picnic for two on his roof, complete with china and candles ready to be lit. As for the goats, thankfully they were nowhere to be seen.
“They’re at Inga’s,” he informed me, taking the bucket from my hand. He pulled back the cover, revealing four little bottles of wine sitting in crushed ice. His own contained a variety of wrapped cheeses, crackers, and thinly sliced meats. “The way she spoils those two, you’d think they were real kids. Duffy’s there too, but he clearly wanted to be here with us. Call it selfish, but I didn’t want to compete for your attention tonight.” He grinned before gently assisting me to the blanket.
The moment he was seated beside me, he asked, “Do you like it? It’s my special place, and it’s got the best view in town.” He pointed across the bay to the opposite shore. There, on the far wooded hillside, the roofline of the Cherry Orchard Inn could be seen poking above the trees.
Touched beyond words, I whispered, “It’s perfect, Jack. Absolutely perfect.”
Whitney’s Cherry-Tastic Recipes and Other Delights
The Cherry Orchard Inn’s Sour Cherry Martini
Makes 1 serving
Bring the taste of Cherry Cove to any occasion with the Cherry Orchard Inn’s signature drink. For the twenty-one-and-over crowd, this is the perfect cocktail to kick off the evening or to pacify a cranky guest. No one can frown when cherries are in the mix. And with the added health benefit of tart cherry juice, there’s even more to smile about.
Ingredients
1 fluid ounce of tart cherry juice (available in the juice aisle of most grocery stores)
2 fluid ounces of vodka
Splash of triple sec
1 slice of fresh lemon (for squeezing)
1 cup of ice (for chilling)
Sugar for rim of glass
Tart cherry or maraschino cherry for garnish
Directions
To prepare the martini glass, wet the rim of the glass with tart cherry juice, then immediately coat with sugar. Add the cherry to the bottom of the glass and chill in freezer if desired.
Combine the tart cherry juice, vodka, splash of triple sec, and a squeeze of lemon (approximately 1 teaspoon of juice) in a cocktail mixing glass. Fill with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into prepared martini glass. Enjoy!
Whitney’s Famous Cherry Scones
Makes 6 servings
So good they’re to die for!
Ingredients
For the Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
¼ cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons cold butter
1 cup unsweetened dried Montmorency cherries
½ cup toasted pecans
¼ cup sour cream
½ cup + 1 Tablespoon heavy cream
1 egg
1 Tablespoon milk
For the Glaze:
2 Tablespoons tart cherry juice
1 cup powdered sugar
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Place pecans on baking sheet and bake 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from oven and set aside.
Increase oven temperature to 450°F.
In large bowl or mixer, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or mixing attachment until butter is the size of peas. Add cherries and toasted pecans.
Mix the sour cream into the heavy cream and stir until blended. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix gently until well blended. Be careful not to overwork the dough or scones will be tough.
With floured hands, remove dough and place on floured surface. Form into round ball, then gently flatten into round disk approximately six inches in diameter and one inch high. Using a sharp knife, cut into six wedges.
Place scones one inch apart on parchment-covered baking sheet.
Beat the egg with the tablespoon of milk. Brush the top of each scone with the egg wash.
Let stand ten minutes.
Bake 15 minutes in heated oven until tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
For the glaze, stir two tablespoons of tart cherry juice into the cup of powdered sugar. Pour over scones and let sit until glaze is set.
The scones are ready to eat! For an extra tasty treat, serve them with clotted cream and lemon curd.
Grandma Jenn’s Delicious Cherry Chicken Salad
Makes 16 tea sandwiches
A delightful salad and a perennial favorite. It can be enjoyed on a bed of crisp greens, stuffed into a flaky croissant for a delicious sandwich, or spread on a dinner roll and served with tea.
Ingredients
4 cups cu
bed cooked chicken breast
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1½ cups dried tart cherries
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup real mayonnaise
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Leaf lettuce, washed and dried
16 dinner rolls (I use King’s Hawaiian)
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, combine first six ingredients. Stir in mayonnaise. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Slice rolls in half and line with a leaf of crisp lettuce.
Remove chicken salad from fridge, stir in toasted pecans, and spoon onto lettuce-lined rolls. Enjoy with a cup of your favorite tea!
Acknowledgments
As a writer, coming to the end of a book is like arriving home after a long, marvelous vacation, one that began with a spark of an idea, required meticulous planning, took on a life of its own, and ultimately ended too soon, leaving behind cherished memories and a yearning to revisit that special place again. Cherry Cove is that special place for me, and one I can’t wait to return to. But like with all great adventures, I wasn’t alone on this journey. I’d like to thank those special people who paved the way and enriched the experience.
Sandy Harding, who believed in my Very Cherry Mysteries as much as I did, and who taught me what it means to be a cozy mystery writer; Terri Bischoff, for taking a chance on Whitney Bloom and her very cherry adventures; Sandy Sullivan, for her good judgment and excellent editorial skills; the generous people of Door County, Wisconsin; Jane Boundy, for the friendship, laughter, and cherry pies; Robin Taylor, a wise friend, gifted artist, and all-around cherry-tastic person; Dana Allen, for her kindness, support, and vast knowledge about cozy mysteries; Tanya Holda, for the friendship and amazing writer’s quilt; Brandi Tambasco and all my lovely coworkers at the Howell Carnegie Library, for letting me share my cherry enthusiasm; Todd and Debbie Coy, for the dinners and the laughter; my wonderful parents, Jan and Dave Hilgers, for absolutely everything; my amazing sons, Jim, Dan, and Matt, who inspire me every single day; and to my fabulous husband, John, who’s not only up for cherry-tastic adventures but is truly the wind beneath my wings. Thank you!
And a special thanks to all you wonderful readers who took a chance on this book. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Cherry Cove as much as I did.
About the Author
Darci Hannah is the author of Cherry Pies & Deadly Lies and two works of historical fiction, The Exile of Sara Stevenson and The Angel of Blythe Hall (Ballantine). When she isn’t whipping up tasty treats in her kitchen, she’s hard at work writing. Cherry Scones & Broken Bones is the second book in her Very Cherry Mystery series.
