Chicken Culprit
Page 20
She swallowed hard and willed herself to speak. “Thank you for coming. I’m grateful to have moved to a place with such wonderful people. I’m appreciative of all the friends I’ve made here, and hope to get to know each of you better in the days ahead.”
Someone yelled, “To Anne.” Everyone chimed in and took a drink.
“Um, yes. Thank you.” Anne found Stanley in the crowd. He gave her a thumbs-up.
“I…I…well, to say these last few months have been a crazy introduction to this town might be an understatement.”
Everyone laughed.
“But it’s because of the tragedy—” “To Ralph,” someone shouted.
“To Ralph,” others echoed the words. This was getting off track fast.
“Yes, to Ralph.” She raised her glass, took a sip, and then set it down on the railing. She grasped her hands together to stop the shaking. There was no turning back now. Hopefully she wasn’t about to become the town fool.
“Anyway. As I was saying, it’s been during this time that I’ve really gotten to know many of you.”
She paused. “And it seems that I…I…have lost my heart to one of you in particular.”
This is it. Just do it. Don’t think.
She turned.
“I never thought that I could care for someone the way I do for you. I thought that I had lost the chance to ever experience this type of love. But I’ve found out that I am able to feel it. Kandi, I could never replace your mother, but I know in my heart that I love you like I would love my own daughter. You once said that it would take the impossible to believe I’d never abandon you. Well, I hope to prove it to you.”
Anne got down on one knee and pulled a box from her pocket. Inside, the little box held two pink booties. “Will you do me the honor of being my daughter and allowing me to adopt you? I promise to never leave you …” she said through tears and laughter, “unless I fall into a compost pile and die.”
Kandi clutched her hands to her chest. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’d be honored for you to be my mother. Yes! Yes, of course!”
The audience shouted and clapped as the two women embraced.
An elderly woman wiped her eyes. “Oh my, that’s just the sweetest thing I ever did see.”
One of the ladies from the woman’s auxiliary chimed in, “Bless her heart.”
A guy standing next to her said, “That’s just dumb.
She’s a grown woman. You don’t adopt a grown-up.” The woman batted him with her large purse.
“Hey!” He frowned and moved off, clutching his empty beer bottle.
“Men,” the other lady quipped.
The band struck up a lively tune. Kandi and Anne were enveloped by the crowd who showered them with well wishes. Hugs and tears were in abundance.
Anne had not just found the home she’d always dreamed about but the daughter she’d always wanted.
From the Author
I hope you enjoyed reading Chicken Culprit. Would you mind doing me a big favor and reviewing it on your favorite retailer, Goodreads or wherever you share what you’re reading? I’d appreciate it!
For the latest releases or preorders of my books, go to www.vikkiwalton.com and sign up for my newsletter. There you’ll find freebies, giveaway opportunities and much more. Also, you can check out my author page.
Finally, you can contact me directly:
vikki@vikkiwalton.com
Like everyone says, you may write alone, but it takes a lot of people to help you reach the finished product. Even with all their expertise, any errors you may find are all mine.
Hilary LaBarre, Deputy Coroner—who knew talking about gory deaths could be so much fun!
The Misplaced Modifiers—especially Donita and Jill—who improved the story with their insights.
Erica of Ink Deep Editing, who made editing less painful and caught development issues I’d missed.
Melinda of Martin Publishing Services who went the extra mile on helping me bring this book to fruition.
Donna Rogers for her artistic talent in cover design.
Lt. Jane of the Colorado Springs Police Department who explained evidence requirements to make an arrest; then said with a serious tone, “Now don’t go committing any murders.”
Any errors you find are mine—all mine.
Finally to my kiddos, Michelle, Matthew, Jeremiah, and Jori, and to my husband, Jack, who puts up with me.
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