For once, I might be able to use Miss Mildred to my advantage.
Jimmy looked through the windshield. “Is that your shed?”
“Yeah, but I need the key. It’s inside.”
“Okay, we’ll get the key then wander back there. Do anything stupid and I won’t hesitate to shoot you, got it?”
I didn’t see the point of all of this. Jimmy had noticed Miss Mildred out on her porch, but maybe he was fooled by her age, especially after I’d told him she was blind and deaf. Well, he was in for a rude awakening. Not only could Miss Mildred give a perfect description of any suspect from fifty feet away, I wouldn’t be surprised if she couldn’t draw the photographic likeness herself.
“I still have to pee.” My bathroom had a window. If he let me go take care of business, I could climb out and run for help.
“You keep saying that but so far, you seem to be doing fine.”
I lifted my eyebrows in indignation. “Would you rather I pee on your seat and leave DNA evidence?”
“Fine…”
It took me three pushes to get passenger door open. Jimmy walked around the back of the car and stood next to the door. As I climbed out, I glimpsed Miss Mildred crossing the street with a broom in her hand.
Oh crappy doodles.
“I’ve had enough of this nonsense!” she shouted.
Jimmy’s mouth dropped open.
She waved the broom over her head and stopped three feet in front of us. “What kind of a neighborhood do you think this is, Rose Gardner? How many different men have you had here this week? Three?”
I struggled to get my wits about me. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You’re running a brothel outta that house and I’ve plumb had enough!” Miss Mildred whacked Jimmy on the head with the broom.
“Oww!” he shouted, covering his head with his arms. His gun fell to the driveway.
“Rose!” I turned toward the sound of the voice and saw Heidi Joy standing in her front door, her mouth gaping at Miss Mildred. Muffy appeared at her feet and took off running, barking as she went.
Miss Mildred’s beating continued, her momentum picking up. “Get out of here, you filthy vermin! This is a God-fearin’ neighborhood and we don’t allow filth in!”
Jimmy had accidentally kicked the gun under the car. I dropped to my knees, but Jimmy still had enough sense to realize what I was doing and lunged for me.
We fell to the ground, me on my stomach and Jimmy lying on my back. I tried to get to my knees to throw him off, but he pushed me back down.
Miss Mildred moved over and hit him on the head with renewed force. “Devil! Satan! Fornicating! In broad daylight!”
I stretched my hand under the car, the gun only inches out of reach. Jimmy crawled up my back, but I lifted my shoulders and we rolled around grunting. He got both feet planted into the driveway and slammed down onto my back, throwing me to the ground.
“Never,” Miss Mildred shouted, getting in several swings, “have I seen such filth!”
Muffy stood next to us, growling while Jimmy and I continued our tussle. She lunged, but Jimmy and I rolled into the front yard, away from my brave dog’s teeth.
“Heathens!” Miss Mildred shouted before turning the hose on us.
Jimmy jumped to his feet, yelling, his eyes dark and dangerous as he faced his five-foot-two nemesis.
I took advantage of his distraction and crawled to the car, reaching for the gun.
Sirens filled the air, still a distance away.
Releasing an ominous growl, Jimmy charged Miss Mildred, who continued to spray him with the hose. Muffy jumped and bit Jimmy on the leg. Howling, Jimmy bent down to swat her off, but Muffy latched onto his arm. Jimmy squealed in pain and dropped to his knees.
Miss Mildred continued to douse him, holding the hose with both hands. “Damn Yankee carpetbagger scum!”
Gasping to catch my breath, I moved toward them, pointing the gun at Jimmy.
Joe’s car skidded to a halt in front of my house. He threw open his door and tore across the yard, sliding to a halt when he saw us. He stared in disbelief.
Oh crappy doodles.
Two police cars pulled up behind Joe’s and the yard swarmed with police, all circling around, pointing their guns and not doing anything.
“Joe…I can explain.”
Joe’s face was expressionless. “You can explain this?” He pointed to the sight in front of him.
Jimmy screamed while Muffy nipped his arms. Miss Mildred had turned the nozzle on the hose to high. And I stood next to the mess holding a gun.
Maybe I couldn’t explain.
I waved the gun in the air. “This isn’t mine.”
Joe and the police ducked, shouting.
“Rose, toss the gun to the ground!” Joe said, easing himself toward me.
Was he mad enough to arrest me?
I dropped the gun and it landed on the grass with a thud. “Joe, I swear! I didn’t do anything! I was just sitting there mindin’ my own business.”
He pulled me into a hug. “I know. It’s okay.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Trouble seems to find you wherever you go, Rose Gardner. I give up.”
I titled back my head, my stomach flip-flopping in dread.
His mouth lifted into an ornery grin. “I wouldn’t have you any other way.”
Then he kissed me to prove it while mass chaos swirled around us.
But by now, Joe was used to it.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Joe and I walked out of the courthouse, his arm around my waist. Storm clouds brewed on the horizon, and a cool wind swept through the streets of Henryetta.
“Looks like our heat spell may have broken.” I said, breathing in the sweet smell of rain and hope.
Joe nuzzled my ear. “It depends on which heat spell you’re referring to.”
I giggled and nudged him in the ribs as Mason Deveraux descended the courthouse steps toward us.
“Congratulations, Rose.” Mason grinned. “You were right. Bruce Decker was innocent just like you said all along. He’s been released and James DeWade has been charged with the second-degree murder of Frank Mitchell. The police in Louisiana are picking up his cousin for questioning.”
I squinted in confusion. “But I thought Bruce would still be prosecuted for robbing the hardware store. How can he be released?”
“He didn’t break in—the back door was open. And the only thing he stole was the crowbar.”
“Oh.”
His eyes softened. “So what’s next for you? I heard you officially quit your job.”
I looked up at Joe, my heart fluttering with nervousness. “I’m not sure yet.”
Mason held out his hand and I took it, his fingers holding my hand with tenderness. “I wish you happiness with whatever you do.”
I smiled up at him. “Thank you, Mason.”
Mason turned his gaze to Joe, his eyes turning cold. “Simmons.”
“Deveraux,” Joe said in his detective voice.
I looked up at Joe, narrowing my eyes. “What was that about?”
“It’s between the two of us. Don’t you worry about it.” He led me to a bench on the sidewalk. “We need to talk.”
My stomach tossed around my insides.
We sat down and Joe draped his arm around the seat back behind me.
He was silent for several seconds, his face serious. “This morning I decided to break up with you.”
I looked down at my lap, a lump filling my throat. “I know.”
“It’s just…you just…you drive me crazy.”
A tear fell down my cheek, dripping onto my lap.
“You’re like this storm of confusion and unpredictability, and I don’t know how to handle it.”
Why was he doing this here? In downtown Henryetta? “I know.”
He rubbed his face with both hands. “I have no idea what you’re goin’ to do next, and you scare the hell out of me.”
I looked up into his face, bi
ting my lip. “I’m sorry.”
His hand reached up to my cheek, careful of my bruises. “But the thought of life without you scares me even more.”
I held my breath, not sure what he meant.
“I’d made up my mind. I was going to break up with you as soon as I knew you were safe. But the thought of never seeing you again, or holdin’ you. Or kissin’ you.” His lips lowered to mine, kissing me with a surprising tenderness. “The thought sent me into a panic. You’re full of excitement and spontaneity. You’re like a roller coaster ride, and I suspect life with you will be a series of ups and downs, but I don’t want it any other way. I love you, Rose.”
“I love you.” I reached for his face, crying with relief. I kissed him, hoping my next words didn’t send him away. “But I can’t move to Little Rock with you.”
He leaned back, staring into my eyes. “I know.” Sadness filled his voice.
“It’s not just Violet—”
“I know.” His mouth lifted into a small smile. “I found your list at the coffee shop.”
“Oh.” I closed my eyes for a moment. I still had Joe. Why was my heart breaking so? “What are we gonna do?”
“I guess we’ll just keep doin’ what we’re doin’.”
“I guess.” I was miserable doing what we were doing.
“What are you goin’ to do about a job? You’re not going back to the DMV, are you?”
“Shoot, no. I don’t know, maybe… Violet wants us to go into business together.”
“The nursery?”
I looked down at my lap, suddenly unsure. “Yeah.
Joe lifted my chin. “Is this something you want to do? Not Violet. You?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I do.”
“Then I think it’s a great idea.”
“Really?”
“Look out, Henryetta. The Gardner sisters are about to take over.”
I grinned. “Yeah.”
He leaned over and kissed me so thoroughly I was sure Miss Mildred would turn the hose on us if she could see.
“I don’t have to go back to Little Rock until tomorrow morning.”
“Then I say we go home and finish this conversation there.”
Joe stood, pulling me up against him and kissing me again. “I think that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day. By the way. I particularly liked number sixteen on your list.”
“Which one is that?”
“He is a very handsome man.”
I laughed. “Obviously, I left off ‘Joe is a very humble man.’”
We walked to his car arm in arm, Mason’s words niggling the back of my head. If we were getting everything out in the open, I needed to know this too. “Joe?”
“Yeah, darlin’.”
“What did Mason mean when he said he didn’t to lie to me, and could you say the same?”
Joe stopped, uncertainty washing over his face.
“Joe?”
He squared his shoulders, hesitating. “I had help getting you out of jail last week. Deveraux and I had tried everything and the judge was fit to be tied, so I called in a favor. I made Deveraux promise not to tell you.”
I steeled my back. “What did you do?”
Swallowing, a hardness filled his eyes. “I called my father.”
“I don’t understand.”
“My father has a lot of influence in the state. A lot. He used his persuasion.”
“Your father used his influence to get me out of jail? Why would he do that? He doesn’t even know me.”
“Because I asked him to. What you don’t understand, Rose, is that asking my father for something always comes with a price.”
“And you asked for it anyway?”
“I couldn’t leave you in jail.”
“I’m sorry.” Why was I always telling him sorry?
Joe shrugged. “Water under the bridge.”
“What was the price?”
“What?” He tried to act confused but failed, instead looking like he was hiding something.
I lowered my voice. “What was the price, Joe?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know yet. Dad called it a future favor.”
My stomach tightened with fear. “I hope I was worth it.”
He tilted my head back and looked into my eyes. “I would do anything for you. Do you realize that?”
I nodded. He’d proved it multiple times.
He winked. “Now take me home and show me how much you love me.”
I tilted my head with a grin. “I don’t think one night is long enough to show you that.”
He kissed me with the promise of happiness and love. “Then we’ll just have to spend the rest of eternity workin’ on it.”
That sounded good to me.
Thirty and a Half Excuses coming Winter 2013
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my critique partner, Trisha Leigh, who tolerates my insanity with very few eye rolls. (That I know of.) And thank you to Derek Dodson for agreeing to read my first draft, even if he didn’t realize what he was signing up for. Trisha and Derek were flooded with pages in a very short period of time after my writing marathon in a week and a half. Thank you for fitting me into your busy schedules and giving feedback in a very short period of time!
Thank you to my beta readers: Rhonda, Anne, Lori, Wendy, Brandy and Kay Bratt. I sent them Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons and asked for feedback in two weeks. They all sent back their notes within two days. I love when readers can’t put my books down!
Thank you to Marcy, Marjorie, Anne, and Heidi, who won a contest a year ago and each named a character in the book. (Marcy: Neely Kate; Majorie: Marjorie Grace; Anne: Anne; Heidi: Heidi Joy) I was a little worried about making it work, but it turned out to be so much fun. In fact, I’m planning to do it again for Thirty and a Half Excuses.
Thank you to Mandie Metier with her invaluable help with courthouse questions as well as zoning issues. She saved me a ton of legwork. I love Facebook and I love my friends who are so will and eager to help.
Thank you to my developmental editor, Alison Dasho, who sent back her edit notes on my first draft—full of Rose love! She had minor change suggestions, but they made a huge difference, making the story even richer. I love that she can read my characters and come up with psychological insight to them that I’ve missed.
Thank you to my copy editor, Jim Thomsen, who takes my words and makes them even shinier. After six books together, I love that he gets me.
Thank you to my proofreader, Annette Guerriero. She’s meticulous and she loves my books. Total win for both of us.
And finally, thank you to my readers. I write for me first, because if I didn’t love what I was doing, you all would notice. But I write for you second. I love that I entertain you and make you laugh and cry. I love that you think of Rose and Joe and Violet as real people. There are a million books out there and you chose to read mine. This significance of this is not lost on me.
About the Author
Denise lives in Lee's Summit, Missouri. She has six children, three dogs, and an overactive imagination. She can be found dancing in her kitchen with her children, reading or writing her next book. You will rarely find her cleaning. After living in the South for seven years, her biggest disappointment was her lack of an acquired Southern accent.
You can find out more about Denise at www.denisegroverswank.com or email her at [email protected] Be sure to sign up for newsletter on her website to find out her newest releases.
Contents
Title page
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
Chap
ter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
About the Author
Table of Contents
Title page
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 Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
About the Author
RG2 - Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons Page 30
