Lalla Bains 02 - A Dead Red Heart (35 page)

Arms around each other, we stepped through the front door into the foyer. A noisy squeaking echoed through the hallway.

Caleb paused to listen. "Air conditioner?"

"Think smaller," I said, pointing to a small cart trundling towards us. Hind legs resting in a sling between two wheels, Spike easily maneuvered the little cart to a squeaky halt. And with tongue lolling, he greeted us with a happy tail wag.

"His lordship's conveyance."

Dumbfounded, Caleb squatted down to inspect the contraption. "What's this all about?"

"Mrs. Hosmer's influence, I'm happy to say. Turns out his bad manners were mostly due to painful hips. Once he got the hang of those wheels, his behavior took a dramatic turn for the better."

"Where is your dad?" Caleb asked.

"On a cruise to Alaska with Mrs. Hosmer. So, I'm babysitting the ranch, the business, and Spike. Not so bad, now that he's a regular dog again instead of a slathering Cujo."

"That's a pretty big change for your dad, isn't it?"

"You mean it's a big chunk of change for my dad. I think he's finally got it that he needs to enjoy the rest of his life, starting right now."

Caleb reached over and picked up my left hand, the one with the diamond sparkling on my ring finger. "I'm glad to see that you're taking your own advice."

Ignoring the dog, I pulled his face to mine where I could draw him into a deep warm welcoming kiss, and closed my eyes, concentrating on the soft sounds of the night and Caleb's breath against my lips.

He murmured against my mouth, "Someone needs to oil that dog's wheels."

"Mm-mmm," I answered, too happy to notice Mr. Happy Wheels circling us.

Squeaky, squeaky, squeaky.

The End

If you enjoyed this book, please consider reading more adventures with Lalla Bains:

A DEAD RED CADILLAC

A DEAD RED OLEANDER:
Coming June 15
^th
2012 on Amazon

When a late in the season emergency forces Lalla Bains to accept a greenhorn ag pilot for her dad's cropdusting business, she sighs in relief . After all, he comes highly recommended, his physical is spotless, and with a name by Dewey Treat, what could possibly go wrong?

Then her quirky relatives arrive from Texas and things go south in a hurry: Dewey Treat drops dead, his tearful widow claims he was murdered, clobbers Sherriff Caleb Stone with his own gun, and makes a run for it. Lalla, convinced the widow is innocent, sets out to prove it—against the express wishes of fiancé Caleb Stone.

Feds, local law, suspicious ag-pilots, nutso relatives, and her daddy's new sidekick, Bruce the goat, make life a living hell for Lalla. Will her nosey nature solve the crime and save the day? Or put them all in mortal danger?

website: http://rpdahlke.com

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Also, set in Baja, Mexico, my new romantic sailing mystery

A DANGEROUS HARBOR:
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