Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything (37 page)
Read Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything Online
Authors: Nancy Martin
I thought about it. Thought about Honeybelle and how she'd been so insulted by her friends in the garden club not leaping to her defense. How she'd been the most important person in the whole town and kept things that way by lending money to anyone who asked. But then she was humiliated by her own daughter-in-law in front of the garden club. I thought about how she had asked me to help her think up a prank to retaliate against her former friends. She had wanted to punish everybody who'd done her wrong. Most especially President Cornfelter. She came up with a plan, all right, but it punished all the wrong people.
I said, “She willed all her property to Miss Ruffles.”
“I think that was intended to be temporary,” Ten said. “She probably figured if she gave all her possessions to the dog, it would be easier to get them back when she returned. My bet is, my grandfather helped cook up that scheme, too. It has his sense of humor all over it.”
I looked at Ten and wished I could clear the frown from his brow with a touch. A kiss, maybe. But I refrained.
He caught my look and got serious. He took my hand in his. “I made a commitment to Poppy, you know.”
I let out an unsteady breath. “And you're not going to break that commitment, are you?”
“Poppy wants to go to Atlanta. If she gets the job, she's going.”
“What about you? Are you moving to Atlanta with her?”
Ten met my gaze. “My place is here. I was born and raised here, and I'm making my life here. And Poppy knows that.”
I found myself smiling. “So what are you saying, Ten?”
His smile started to dawn, too. “I'm saying this situation has made Poppy and me both think we've made a mistake. She thought she wanted to get married, have a family, but ⦠well, turns out she'd really like to have a glamorous career.”
“She could go far. She just needed a little nudge in the right direction.”
He laughed. “Is that what you call it? A nudge?” He shook his head wryly. “Doesn't matter. We're going to talk tomorrow. This probably means there's going be a producer's job opening up at the television station. They need somebody smart. Somebody who has good ideas and can make things happen.”
I was feeling happily dizzy again. “Sounds interesting. Especially since I don't think I can work for Honeybelle anymore. Miss Ruffles and Fred and Iâwe might have to find a new home.”
“I might be able to help you with that.” Ten's grin was steady. “Want to have supper with me tomorrow night? Out at the ranch, after the rodeo? I bet Mae Mae will make us something good to eat.”
“Are you breaking things off with your fiancée tomorrow, and asking me to dinner the same day?”
“Yes, ma'am,” he said. “And after supper, we're going to take a walk under the stars, and I'm going to kiss you. Think you could arrange not to have a funny color on your mouth?”
“Yes, I can arrange that,” I said.
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N
ANCY
M
ARTIN
, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award for mystery writing from
RT Book Reviews
, is the author of
Foxy Roxy, Sticky Fingers,
and the bestselling Blackbird Sisters Mysteries. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. You can sign up for email updates
here
.
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ALSO BY
NANCY MARTIN
Roxy Abruzzo Mysteries
Blackbird Sisters Mysteries
A Little Night Murder
Little Black Book of Murder
No Way to Kill a Lady
Murder Melts in Your Mouth
A Crazy Little Thing Called Death
Have Your Cake and Kill Him Too
Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die
Some Like It Lethal
Dead Girls Don't Wear Diamonds
How to Murder a Millionaire
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CONTENTS
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
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MISS RUFFLES INHERITS EVERYTHING
. Copyright © 2015 by Nancy Martin. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
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Cover photographs: dog © Lauren Elizabeth / Ruffles Art Studio; floor ©
iStock.com
/ ejs9; jewels ©
iStock.com
/ Leysan; shadow ©
iStock.com
/ anants
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
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ISBN 978-0-312-57374-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-02241-7 (e-book)
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First Edition: November 2015