Teaberry for Two

by R A Wallace

  Teaberry for Two

  A Teaberry Farm Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery

  R. A. Wallace

  2018

  Author’s Note

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, dialogue, places, and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Material in this book is not intended as a substitute for legal or medical advice from qualified professionals. The author has no connection to any software or website mentioned.

  © 2018 R. A. Wallace. All rights reserved.

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter One

  Megan Bennet woke with a start and wondered what noise she had heard to awaken her. It took her a moment to realize that it was the noise that she wasn’t hearing. She no longer heard the generator running. Dan must have gone out to turn it off. A bad storm during the night had caused them to lose power. Apparently that power was now restored.

  Dan had been the one to go out into the storm and fire up the generator. Megan remained in the house, happy to know that the problem was in his capable hands. It had been a nice feeling. She’d been the one to go out and start the generator on her own for many years whenever it was necessary. Having someone to share both the good and the bad times was an adjustment she was looking forward to making.

  Now that she and Dan agreed that marriage was in their future, they had begun working as a team to weave their lives together. Dan was spending more time at the farm and was handling some of the chores, including the ones that her friend and neighbor, Tom Jenkins, had often performed in the past.

  It took another moment for her to realize that she had slept through the storm. Since the death of her first husband, that was a first. Typically, storms reminded her of the night Josh had died in an accident and caused her to have recurring nightmares, reliving the moment when her friend and sister-in-law, Erica Henley, had come to inform her of Josh’s death. For the first time in five years, Megan had slept through a storm without a single nightmare.

  She looked around the room. It was still very early, but it was light enough to see that Emma wasn’t there. Megan could smell coffee. She left her room and followed the luring aroma down the hall to her kitchen. She found Emma munching her food happily. She also found her favorite coffee mug sitting near the coffee maker. She filled the mug and doctored it up the way she liked it as she looked out the kitchen window toward the barnyard, paddock, and the fields beyond.

  She could see Dan near the chicken coop. He must have fed and watered the chickens. She saw Dan’s empty coffee mug on the kitchen table. She refilled it and took both cups out to the porch where she watched Dan walk back to the house. He had thrown on an old pair of shorts and a tee. Megan took a seat in the cushioned rattan sofa and handed Dan’s coffee to him when he took the seat next to her.

  “Good morning,” she said with a smile.

  Megan held her coffee cup with both hands as she tucked her feet under her. She was wearing sleep shorts and a tank. She knew it would be hot again later as the sun caused the humidity to rise. But for right now, the rain had cooled things down a bit and it felt good to sit outside and enjoy the view in the early morning hours.

  “That’s a nice generator.” Dan leaned back and sipped his coffee as he watched Henry looking for bugs in the barnyard.

  Apparently, the rain had brought out all kinds of exciting things for Henry to find. He would sometimes move forward in a burst of speed to catch his prey before returning to his methodical perusal.

  “It’s over five years old now,” Megan said.

  “Still runs without any problem when you need it to. That’s the important part.” Dan reached behind Megan with one hand and began massaging her neck. “What’s the game plan for today?”

  She dropped her head to give Dan easier access to her neck. “It’s Friday, so we have the farmers market.”

  Dan looked over toward the garden as he continued the massage. “The cabbage is ready.”

  Megan hummed in agreement. “There’s a lot of zucchini and tomatoes too.”

  Dan gave Megan’s neck a final rub before sipping some more coffee. “What about our guests this weekend?”

  She lifted her head and drained her coffee cup. “Yeah, that’s the tough part. Mr. McMann is coming back. He shouldn’t be any trouble but there is another guy that will be staying here too. We haven’t met him yet.”

  “How do you and Lauren usually handle weekends when you have guests?” Dan asked as he settled back against the cushion.

  “She usually covers for me. When I can, I still go. This weekend is difficult though.” Megan frowned. “With her being pregnant, I would rather she not deal with any heavy lifting.”

  “Can Justin help at all?” Dan asked of Lauren’s husband.

  Megan nodded. “He said he can help tomorrow at the end of the day. He’ll take the tent down and carry everything back to the van. His mom can watch the kids.”

  “They are lucky to have Bev. So what are you worried about?” Dan figured it out before he was done asking. “You don’t want Lauren carrying anything to your tent tomorrow morning.”

  “Right. We leave the tent and table there overnight so that isn’t a problem. But I may still be here tomorrow morning with our guests.” Megan looked at her empty cup. “I’ll check with my guests and see what their plans are. I’ll try to make it to the farmers market when I can. I also need to take some photos for the town web site.”

  “It’s not a problem. I can run over there and help Lauren in the morning.” Dan took Megan’s empty cup and stood. “Be right back.”

  Megan started to say that she could get more coffee then thought better of it. She was accustomed to serving others. It was nice to have Dan get her a refill. He returned a moment later and handed her the mug of coffee but didn’t have another for himself. He leaned against the banister, facing Megan.

  “Are you sure it isn’t a problem?” Megan asked. “Ross McMann probably won’t be an issue. But I don’t know what the other man’s plans are yet.”

  “I liked Ross. Who is the other guy?” Dan asked.

  Megan shrugged. “I know his name is Parker Lavigne.”

  “Well, we’ll deal with it.” Dan smiled. “It felt good to say that.”

  Megan smiled back. “It felt good to hear it.”

  They’d been doing a lot of talking and making plans, but they were doing it together. For each decision that they’d made as they moved forward, they’d been making them as a team. They were careful to discuss things and not make assumptions. They both had been married before and had made a lot of mistakes. They both were willing to work at avoiding those same mistakes now. They knew they wouldn’t get it perfect every time but they both felt strongly that communication was important.

  “I’d better get ready for work,” Dan said. He reached out his hand and pulled Megan up.

  “I’ll have breakfast ready when you’re done.”

  “We’re still planning to meet with the mayor n
ext week, right?” Dan asked.

  Megan chuckled. “That is the plan, Dan Parker.”

  After Dan left for work, Megan got ready for the farmers market which included harvesting and cleaning some vegetables from the garden. She met Lauren there and quickly took control of getting the tent into position. It was in a canvas bag that had wheels at the bottom. Together, they were able to get it set up in no time once Megan had wheeled it to their spot. Then Megan went back to Lauren’s van and got the folding table that they used to place their produce on. The rest of the produce and baked goods remained in boxes and coolers until there was more room on the table.

  Several trips later, she had the produce and Lauren’s baked goods moved from their vehicles to the tent. It was a pleasant chaos in the process. All of the other vendors were doing the same thing and there was a lot of activity and greetings as she passed by others. At last, Megan and Lauren were behind their table, waiting for customers. Megan opened a folding chair and motioned for Lauren to sit.

  “Who are your guests this weekend?” Lauren asked as she took the seat and removed her sunglasses, setting them on the top of her head. She’d dressed for the heat in a lightweight sleeveless sundress and sandals.

  Megan sat next to her. “I don’t know the one man yet, but the other one was here a few weeks ago. His name is Ross McMann.”

  “Oh, that’s Susan’s new friend,” Lauren said as she watched shoppers begin to move through the aisles.

  It looked like it was going to be a good crowd. Many had wisely worn hats to shade the sun. The temperature had begun to climb, and Lauren was beginning to feel it. She had a small cooler next to her with bottles of cold water packed in ice and she took one out for each of them, passing one to Megan as she watched for shoppers who might approach their tent.

  “Susan? Caitlyn’s mom?” Megan asked incredulously as she reached for her bottle.

  Lauren turned to look at her cousin as she uncapped her water. “Yes. Bev mentioned him. I guess Susan and Ross spent some time together when he was here before.”

  “Oh.” Megan thought about it as she took a swig. “Do you remember her ever dating anyone since her husband died?”

  “No, but that just means she’s due. Her husband has been gone for over a decade, right?” Lauren started to stand as someone approached their table. Megan jumped to her feet first and made the sale before sitting back down.

  “Yes, I think Jax was still in his teens when his dad died. Does Caitlyn or Jax know about this?” Megan turned to her cousin.

  Lauren returned her gaze. “I don’t know, but I do know it’s none of our business. Susan is an adult. She can deal with her new friend and her children. We’ll stay out of it.” She looked pointedly at Megan. “Right?”

  “Yes. Right. Staying out of it sounds like a good plan.” Megan watched Lauren get up to handle a customer. She didn’t think that Caitlyn was going to have a problem with her mother dating. But she wondered what Jax was going to think. Lauren was right. Staying out of it sounded like a great idea.

  Chapter Two

  Susan Anderson stood near the large picture window at the front of the florist shop that she had opened over three decades ago. The summer heat was either keeping people indoors or they had already made it to wherever they had planned to spend their hot summer day. There were few people walking around Main Street. Maybe they were at the farmers market, Susan thought. She planned to go there herself once her daughter returned.

  She glanced at the clock again. Caitlyn was out making deliveries and was due back soon. That gave Susan time to think. Maybe too much time. She knew that Ross McMann was due back in town. He’d called her to let her know. She couldn’t fault him for his communication skills. He had contacted her several times since he had last been in Teaberry.

  He’d said that he needed to return to Seattle to settle some affairs but then he would be back here to place a bid on the building in which Susan now stood. She wondered what would happen once he returned. They’d been getting along pretty well when he’d first been here, though that visit had been short. In addition to spending a little time alone with him, Susan had also introduced him to friends around their age. They’d had drinks with Bev and Vince. And they’d remained in touch once he’d returned to Seattle, often having long conversations on the phone.

  She wondered how her children were going to react when she told them she was seeing someone. She was an adult, she knew that. She was entitled to her own life. But they were her children, and their feelings mattered to her. Susan glanced back at the clock and sighed. She had planned to tell Caitlyn about Ross when Caitlyn returned from her deliveries. It wasn’t something she was looking forward to.

  Susan was interrupted from her thoughts by the bells on the door. She’d been thinking about her situation so much, she hadn’t noticed someone approaching the shop. She turned to see Phil Porter walk in. She immediately plastered a professional smile on her face. It was the best she could do. She’d never liked Phil well enough to give him a genuine smile.

  They’d grown up in the same town and had gone to school together. Phil had always been the type of person who thought about doing something but never quite got around to doing it. He had talked about running for every class office back when they were in school. As an adult, he had even talked about running for mayor a time or two over the years. He had never acted on those ventures or any other that Susan could think of. He had just talked about them. Susan hadn’t particularly cared for him in school and her feelings hadn’t changed with time.

  Phil had changed over time, Susan thought as she looked at him now. Although he was tall and dark, he was never what Susan would have considered handsome and time had not been kind. His dark hair was now sprinkled with gray and he carried extra weight in his stomach. His weathered face was heavily lined from time spent outdoors both on the car lot he’d inherited from his father and on the golf course he loved.

  “Susan, I saw you standing in the window and stopped to say hello,” Phil said loudly. Everything Phil did was loud.

  She realized that he must have come from a golf course as she looked at his colorful, patterned polyester pants and matching yellow shirt. “Phil, what brings you out in this heat?” Susan moved to the other side of the counter in the corner of the room, using it as a barrier between her and Phil and establishing a vendor-customer relationship.

  “Well, a guy doesn’t need an excuse to visit a friend, right?” Phil smiled flashing unnaturally white teeth.

  Susan inwardly sighed. They’d gone down this road before. As business owners, they had often been on the same committees and also had crossed paths often over the years. Phil had made his interest in Susan clear while they’d been in school, during his marriage, and then after his divorce. Susan hoped to end the conversation before it took its typical path. “How is your wife?”

  Phil’s smile wavered. “Ex-wife. You know Carla and I divorced.”

  The bells rang again as Caitlyn entered the shop behind Phil. She glanced first at Phil’s back and then at her mother’s emotionless face. “I finished my route, but I’ll need you to finish that other job in the back for me.” Caitlyn moved farther into the room and then turned to Phil as though she’d just noticed him. “Oh, hello Mr. Porter. Are you here for flowers? I can handle that order for you.”

  “Well, I just stopped to say hello to your mother,” Phil began.

  “Have a good day,” Susan said to Phil, then turned to Caitlyn and flashed a smile. “I’ll get right on that thing in the back.”

  Phil and Caitlyn watched Susan walk into the workroom in the rear of the shop. Caitlyn moved to the other side of the counter and raised her eyebrows at Phil to indicate that she was ready to take an order from him. Phil shot one more frustrated look at the doorway to the workroom then turned and left, the bells on the door ringing loudly behind him.

  Susan popped her head out. “Thanks, I owe you one.”

  Caitlyn followed her mother into the workr
oom. “That’s okay, you’re still up by about a million on me. Was he hitting on you again?”

  “You saved me just in time.” Susan reached into a drawer and pulled out her purse.

  “You can do a lot better than Phil Porter, that’s for sure. There are a lot of good men out there.” Caitlyn walked to the small fridge they kept for food and pulled out a bottle of water.

  “Funny you should say that. I have started seeing someone lately.” Susan held the small purse in front of her as she waited for Caitlyn’s response.

  Caitlyn froze for a moment with the water bottle halfway to her mouth as though collecting her thoughts. She took a drink while watching her mother, then set the bottle on the counter next to her. “Well, good for you. It’s about time.”

  Susan felt herself relax. She pulled the cross-body strap of the purse over her head. “I’m glad to hear you say that.”

  Caitlyn watched her mother closely. “Do I get to meet him soon?”

  Susan smiled. “Yes, he isn’t a secret. We’ve even had drinks with Bev and Vince. They both liked him. And he loves the food at the Station Pub & Grill.”

  Caitlyn nodded. “Good. That’s good. We’ll have to go there with Doug sometime. Soon, right?”

  “Sounds good. I’m headed to the farmers market. Do you need anything?”

  “Nope. I’m good.” Caitlyn watched her mother leave the shop. She was happy for her mom. But she wondered how her brother was going to handle this new situation. Jax had never seen his mother with anyone other than their father and that had been over a decade ago. Susan had never dated anyone before. Well, not since before she’d married Caitlyn’s dad anyway. Whoever this new man in her life was, he must be someone special.

  ***

  Ross McMann pulled into the driveway of the Teaberry Farm Bed and Breakfast late Friday and turned off the engine of his rental car. He’d flown into Pittsburgh earlier and had come directly here. He’d enjoyed his stay a few weeks ago on his first visit. He’d especially enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere of the bed and breakfast. He was greeted by both Megan and Dan and he felt like he’d just come home to family.