by Tonya Kappes
Jobs were slim pickings in our little town of twelve hundred. Louisville was only thirty minutes away and surely I could score some sort of job there.
“I don’t know.” Derek shook his head. “There really isn’t anything out there that fifteen hundred will fix.”
I put my hand up to my brows to cover the sun beaming down and scanned the field. There had to be something.
“What about that one?” I pointed to the black-and-white-colored one to the far right. Sort of off by itself.
“That old ’62 Plymouth Belvedere?” Derek laughed so hard, he was hyperventilating.
“Yeah. What’s wrong with it?” There was no humor in my voice. “Other than the faded sign on the side.”
“Come on.” He tugged his head to the side. “The engine may need a good clean up.”
“Okay.” Like I knew what that meant. I followed him to the edge of the grass and stopped to take my shoes off. The heels would’ve gotten stuck in the ground and I had to keep them clean. It was going to be a long time before I bought any new shoes. “Oh.” My face contorted. Up close I could tell the old Belvedere had seen better days.
I swiped my hand across the dusty old door.
“Taxi?” I laughed, never recalling a taxi service in Walnut Grove.
“I got that when the police academy tore down the old building on the edge of town.” He pointed to me. Derek was also training to be a deputy with the sheriff’s department. On Monday and Wednesday he drove to the University of Louisville for the police academy. “Remember? I told you about how they had us running around the old building and things popped out at us and we had to assess the situation before we pulled the trigger.”
Vaguely I remember him saying something about it.
“Still. I’m serious, Derek. I need a ride.” I tapped the car. “Even if it does say taxi.”
“Can you imagine if you drove that thing down Main Street.” He slapped his knee. “Everyone would know you were crazy, not just wonder.”
“We could repaint it,” I suggested.
“We? We?” He gestured between the two of us. “You mean me.”
“Come on,” I begged. “You are my only hope of not letting Trixie down. You don’t want to do that, do you? After she has done for us. This place.” I pointed to his garage.
Trixie owned the property and when Derek graduated from mechanic school, she gave him the run-down building that he had turned into his business.
“Oh.” He shook his finger at me. “You are good at playing the guilt card. I worked hard for this place. I went to work every morning before school and every day after school.”
“Yeah, but Trixie gave you the car to do it.” I reminded him of her other good deed.
His chest heaved up and down as he let out a heavy sigh. He knew I had him.
“The only real problem with it is the rust.” He rubbed his hands along the side of the car and walked back to the bumper. “It was garage kept and it has low mileage. I probably should have covered it with a tarp or something, but I thought I’d be using it for parts. I suppose it would look fine if you painted it.”
“You can do that for me right?” I squinted to keep the sun out of my eyes. The skies were blue and the sun was bright.
“No. I don’t do paint,” he protested.
“I bet you could.” I tilted my head around the edge of the car to see the other side.
“Laurel, you exhaust me.” He bit the side of his lip.
I could tell he was thinking about it so I put the unexplained shadow behind me and batted my lashes. I put my hands together in a little praying way and mouthed please.
“Fine.” He jammed his hands in the pockets of his overalls. “It’s not going to be perfect,” he warned.
“I don’t care.” I smiled from ear to ear. I held the money out in front of me.
“Nope. I’m not taking the only money you have.” He shoved my hand back toward me. “Consider it an early Christmas gift.”
“You do love me.” I jumped up and down before throwing my arms around his neck.
“No. I love that Quantum Rod and Reel still.” He gave me a slight hug back.
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About The Author
Tonya has written over 15 novels and 4 novellas, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists including USA Today. Her novels have garnered over ten national award making her an International Bestseller.
Best known for stories charged with emotion and humor, and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband, three teenage boys, two very spoiled schnauzers and one ex-stray cat in Northern Kentucky and grew up in Nicholasville. Now that her boys are teenagers, Tonya writes full time but can be found at all of her guys high school games with a pencil and paper in hand. Come on over and FAN Tonya on Goodreads.
Click here to check out Tonya’s entire list of other books.
Praise for Tonya Kappes
“Full of wit, humor and colorful characters, Tonya Kappes delivers a fun, fast-paced story that will leave you hooked!” Bestselling Author, Jane Porter
“Fun, fresh, and flirty, Carpe Bead ’Em is the perfect read on a hot summer day. Tonya Kappes’ voice shines in her debut novel.” Author Heather Webber
“I loved how Tonya Kappes was able to bring her characters to life.” Coffee Table Reviews
“With laugh out loud scenes and can't put it down suspense A Charming Crime is the perfect read for summer you get a little bit of everything but romance.” Forgetthehousework blog
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the permission in writing from the author or publisher.
Edition: October 2014 Copyright © by Tonya Kappes
Editor: Cyndy Ranzau
Table of Contents
ACharming SecretA Magical Cure MysteryBook Six
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
Enjoy the first chapter in Tonya’s bestselling Laurel London Mystery Series from the first book...
Click here to check out Tonya’s entire list of other books.About The Author
Praise for Tonya Kappes
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the autho...
