by Donna Ball
Lindsay didn’t bother to hide her smugness as she agreed. “Probably.”
Cici reached for the decanter of wine on the table between them, then hesitated. “Is that the new wine? I need real wine.”
“It is real wine,” Lindsay insisted, pouring her a glass. “It’s just not finished.”
Cici took the glass and tasted. “Not bad,” she admitted. “A little sweet.”
“Dominic says that’s the good thing about summer wine,” said Lindsay. “It’s like an unfinished story. The best is yet to come.”
Cici smiled a little and took another sip. “I like that,” she said. “An unfinished story.”
They were quiet for a time, rocking, sipping wine, gazing out over the fading day. Then Lindsay said, “I’m going to marry Dominic.”
Bridget looked at her. So did Cici. Neither woman said anything for so long that an uneasy anxiety crept into Lindsay’s eyes. Then Cici grinned.
“Now I ask you,” she declared, lifting her glass, “who didn’t see that coming?”
Bridget sprang from her chair, letting the book tumble to the floor, and hugged Lindsay, laughing. So did Cici.
“Oh, Lindsay, I’m so happy for you!”
“Congratulations, sweetie, you know we’re crazy about him!”
“This is the best news ever, the best!”
And Cici added, “If I don’t get to have Diane and Jonathon for in-laws, at least I get to have Dominic for a brother.” She thought about that for a moment and added, “More or less.” And Lindsay laughed.
But when they were all settled again, and glasses were refilled to replace the wine that had spilled, Bridget looked at Lindsay with a mixture of affection and resigned regret and said, “Oh, Lindsay—does that mean you’re leaving us?”
Lindsay smiled contentedly and leaned back in her chair. “Nope.”
Her friends didn’t attempt to disguise their relief. “Then Dominic will be moving in here?” Cici said, and her expression was a mixture of delight and uncertainty.
Lindsay sipped her wine thoughtfully. “I don’t see how that can work,” she said. “He has a house of his own, and a garden and two horses and a golden retriever.”
“Horses?” Bridget’s eyes lit up. “That’s right! Dominic has horses.”
“Golden retriever?” Cici looked worried. “I don’t know how Rebel would like that.”
Lindsay shrugged. “We’ll work something out.”
“Lindsay,” said Cici, sounding both amused and curious, “don’t you think that’s kind of important?”
Lindsay just smiled. “Nope.” She took a sip of wine and added, “I’m wearing the Vera Wang. I can let it out.”
The three of them sat in happy contemplation for a while, plans and dreams dancing through their heads, the taste of summer wine playing on their tongues.
Bridget leaned forward to retrieve the book that had fallen open on the floor. She started to close it and then paused. “Well, will you look at that?” she observed. “It’s a picture of Ida Mae, right here on the last page. I wonder if she saw it.”
Lindsay and Cici glanced over at her. “Let me see,” Lindsay said, reaching for the book.
Bridget held up a hand, her eyes fixed upon the book and growing wide. “Oh my goodness,” she breathed. “Girls—girls, listen to this! ‘The breach between Emily Blackwell and her son Andrew was never resolved …’”
“Breach?” interrupted Lindsay.
“What breach?” added Cici.
Bridget waved them silent impatiently and read on, “‘… and when Emily Blackwell died in 1982, Judge Andrew Blackwell’s inheritance was limited to the house in which he was born, its furnishings, and surrounding acreage. The remainder of the Blackwell family fortune, valued at the time in excess of 1.5 million dollars, was left in trust to Emily Blackwell’s longtime friend and housekeeper, Ida Mae Simpson …’”
The rest of her words were drowned out by exclamations of “What?” and “Are you kidding me?”
Bridget repeated, her eyes dancing with incredulity and excitement. “Ida Mae Simpson!”
Lindsay snatched the book from her. “Let me see that!”
Cici got up to read over her shoulder. When she had finished, she gave an exclamation of disbelief and collapsed back into her chair. “Ida Mae?”
“Don’t you remember when we bought the place there were no living relatives and that’s why the estate was so anxious to sell?” Lindsay said. “We just assumed that Judge Blackwell died broke.”
“Well, he did, I guess,” Bridget pointed out, “since Ida Mae had all the money.”
“And remember when Ida Mae first came to live here and we offered to pay her a salary?” Cici reminded them. “She said she had a pension and didn’t need our money.”
“One point five million,” Lindsay repeated, awed. “That is some pension.”
“Our housekeeper is a millionaire,” Bridget said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I guess I’ll have to be a lot nicer to her from now on.”
“I wonder what the breach was between Judge Blackwell and his mother,” Cici murmured speculatively. “Is it in the book?”
“Not that I’ve seen,” Bridget admitted. “But I haven’t read much of it.”
“We could always ask Ida Mae,” Lindsay suggested, and both Cici and Bridget shook their heads.
“Not for one point five million dollars,” Bridget declared.
And Cici agreed. “More than my life is worth.”
“I’ll bet the lawyer, Frank Adams, would know,” offered Lindsay. “After all, his firm is the only one in town and they must have handled the will …”
All of a sudden, all three women looked at each other, and understanding dawned. “Oh, my goodness,” breathed Bridget. “Our secret investor.”
“It has to be,” Cici agreed, her voice stunned. “She was right there, the whole time, and all she had to do was make a phone call to her lawyer …”
“Who happened to be the agent for Ladybug Farm Winery.”
“Which she apparently wanted to see succeed more than she let on,” said Cici.
“Probably for her fruitcakes,” Bridget speculated.
“Ida Mae Simpson is our angel,” Lindsay said, her eyes big with wonder.
And then they couldn’t help it; they burst into laughter. They laughed until they spilled their wine. They laughed until they couldn’t see. And then they laughed some more.
~*~
Six miles down the road, Derrick gave Paul the thumbs up, and Paul climbed off the stepladder and came to stand beside him. Together they admired the sign that was perfectly centered over the red-doored entrance to the B&B: Welcome to The Hummingbird House.
At the international departure gate of Dulles Airport, Lori wiped a final tear, stowed her electronic tablet, and grasped the handle of her carry-on bag, moving into the boarding line for her overnight flight to Rome, Italy.
Several hundred miles away, Noah got in line behind twenty-seven other recruits and marched determinedly forward.
And on Ladybug Farm, all was well.
~*~ ~*~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR ….
Donna Ball is the author of over a hundred novels under several different pseudonyms in a variety of genres that include romance, mystery, suspense, paranormal, western adventure, historical and women’s fiction. Recent popular series include the Ladybug Farm series by Berkley Books and the Raine Stockton Dog Mystery series. She lives in a restored Victorian barn in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains with a variety of four-footed companions. You can contact her at http://www.donnaball.net.
Also in this series ...
A Year on Ladybug Farm
At Home on Ladybug Farm
Love Letters from Ladybug Farm
Christmas on Ladybug Farm
Recipes from Ladybug Farm
And coming soon from the author of the LADYBUG FARM series
THE HUMMINGBIRD HOUSE
Where hearts come to heal
Paul and Derrick open The Hummingbird House Bed and Breakfast in the heart of the Virginia countryside with the intention of making it the premier resort destination of the South, but in no time at all they realize they have taken on more than they bargained for. The quirky, eccentric house with its multi-colored doors, kitschy birdhouse furnishings and outrageously abundant garden seems to have a mind of its own, and the best they can do is to let it have its way.
Over the course of the first year an odd assortment of guests find their way to The Hummingbird House. The glamorous, the broken, the influential, the lonely; the eccentric, the lovelorn and the downright bizarre--they all come looking for something, and before they leave, they are transformed. There is something inexplicable about The Hummingbird House, because the magic that it works is on the heart.
So come spend some time at The Hummingbird House. Rest. Relax. Get to know your fellow guests. What you find there may not be what you expect, but it will always be what you need.
Coming in 2013 from Blue Merle Publishing
~*~
Other books you might like from Donna Ball:
The Raine Stockton Dog Mystery Series
SMOKY MOUNTAIN TRACKS
A child has been kidnapped and abandoned in the mountain wilderness. Her only hope is Raine Stockton and her young, untried tracking dog Cisco...
RAPID FIRE
Raine and Cisco are brought in by the FBI to track a terrorist …a terrorist who just happens to be Raine’s old boyfriend.
GUN SHY
Raine rescues a traumatized service dog, and soon begins to suspect he is the only witness to a murder.
BONE YARD
Cisco digs up human remains in Raine’s back yard, and mayhem ensues. Could this be evidence of a serial killer, a long-unsolved mass murder, or something even more sinister… and closer to home?
SILENT NIGHT
It’s Christmastime in Hansonville, N.C., and Raine and Cisco are on the trail of a missing teenager. But when a newborn is abandoned in the manger of the town's living nativity and Raine walks in on what appears to be the scene of a murder, the holidays take a very dark turn for everyone concerned.
THE DEAD SEASON
Raine and Cisco lead a winter wilderness expedition for troubled teens and find themselves trapped in blizzard...with a killer.
Spine-chilling suspense by Donna Ball
SHATTERED
A missing child, a desperate call for help in the middle of the night… is this a cruel hoax, or the work of a maniacal serial killer who is poised to strike again?
NIGHT FLIGHT
She’s an innocent woman who knows too much. Now she’s fleeing through the night without a weapon and without a phone, and her only hope for survival is a cop who’s willing to risk his badge—and his life—to save her.
SANCTUARY
They came to the peaceful, untouched mountain wilderness of Eastern Tennessee seeking an escape from the madness of modern life. But when they built their luxury homes in the heart of virgin forest they did not realize that something was there before them… something ancient and horrible; something that will make them believe that monsters are real.
EXPOSURE
Everyone has secrets, but when talk show host Jessamine’s Cray’s stalker begins to use her past to terrorize her, no one is safe … not her family, her friends, her coworkers, and especially not Jess herself.
RENEGADE by Donna Boyd
Enter a world of dark mystery and intense passion, where human destiny is controlled by a species of powerful, exotic creatures. Once they ruled the Tundra, now they rule Wall Street. Once they fought with teeth and claws, now they fight with wealth and power. And only one man can stop them… if he dares.
Romance Revisited by Donna Ball
MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKER
He was a cowboy looking for a wife. She was a lady specializing in brides. They were made for each other... They just didn't know it yet.
A MAN AROUND THE HOUSE
He was the answer to a busy working woman's dreams. But was he too good to be true?
FOR KEEPS
He's an animal trainer who lives by one rule: never get attached. She's a social worker who knows all too well the price of getting involved. It may take an entire menagerie to bring them together, but eventually they both must learn that sometimes it's for keeps.
STEALING SAVANNAH
He was a reformed jewel thief now turned security expert and her job depended on his expertise. But could he be trusted not to steal the most valuable jewel of all-- her heart?
UNDER COVER
She's working on the biggest case of her life, and her cover has already been blown-- by the very man she's investigating. Now they must work together to solve an even bigger mystery-- their future together.
THE STORMRIDERS
They were thunder and lightning when they were married, and their divorce has been no less turbulent. But trapped together during a deadly blizzard with the lives of an entire community depending on them, they discover what's really important, and that some storms are worth riding out.
INTERLUDE
Sometimes a chance encounter is over in a moment, and sometimes it can last a lifetime.
CAST ADRIFT
She was a marine biologist on short deadline to find a very important dolphin, with no time to waste on romance. He was a sailor who knew there could only be one captain on his ship-- himself. But two weeks at sea together could change everything...
~
Table of Contents
Copyright
~ONE~ Dreams and Schemes
CHAPTER ONE Resolutions
CHAPTER TWO Resolutions Revised
CHAPTER THREE A Grand Adventure
CHAPTER FOUR The Importance of a Strong Start
CHAPTER FIVE Crush
CHAPTER SIX A Matter of Faith
CHAPTER SEVEN Wine and Roses
CHAPTER EIGHT In Search of an Angel
CHAPTER NINE Valentine
~TWO~ Bigger Dreams
CHAPTER TEN Blossoms
CHAPTER ELEVEN Labors of Love
CHAPTER TWELVE Surprise
CHAPTER THIRTEEN Blessings
CHAPTER FOURTEEN Graduation Day
CHAPTER FIFTEEN The Home Front
CHAPTER SIXTEEN Summer Wine
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN The Angel of Ladybug Farm
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Also in this series
And coming soon from the author of the LADYBUG FARM series
Other books you might like from Donna Ball:
