Much Ado About Muffin (27 page)

“Merry, I've made a decision,” he said, his voice husky. “The FBI was my dream when I was twenty-five, but going through the application . . . I realized it's not me now. I'm not applying.”

“
What?
Are you
sure
?”

“I am.”

“But if you're not doing that, and you're not the sheriff, what
will
you do?”

He smiled. “I've already got a job. You're looking at the newest detective for the Two Cops Detective Agency, owned and operated by Dewayne Lester and Virgil Grace.”

“Detective? You mean . . .”

“I'm a private dick now,” he said, with an unusually mischievous grin. “Dewayne has more work than he can handle, and I've got skill sets and connections he can use. Plus, we know, like, and trust each other, and he's got his office in Buffalo. I can center mine wherever I want.”

“In Autumn Vale?”

“In Autumn Vale,” he said with a laugh, lying back and pulling me on top of him. He kissed me senseless, then rolled me onto my back, staring down into my eyes. “I know what I want from life, and it's all here: my family, work I believe in and am excited about, and . . . you.” He kissed me. “Most of all, you.”

He kissed me again, his mouth hungry and demanding, but then abruptly stopped and rolled off of me, much to my chagrin. He dug in his jeans pocket then knelt beside me as I awkwardly scrambled to sit. “Merry, I've never met anyone like you. I love how I feel when I'm with you, and I love your spirit, your heart.” He paused and stared at me intensely, his face taut with anxious desire. “I love
you
. Will you marry me?”

Gasping, I stared at up him, the firelight flickering on his handsome face, his dark eyes shadowed by thick, dark
brows, his perfect lips firmly together. It took me a moment to understand. I had gone from hoping he'd still want to be together, even when he was at Quantico, to knowing he was staying in Autumn Vale, to being asked to spend the rest of my life with him.

“Merry? Am I too . . . Is
this
too much? Too fast?” he asked, pushing the ring box toward me.

I jumped up and knelt in front of him. “No! I mean, no, it's not too much. Not too fast. But yes,
yes
, I'll marry you!” I threw my arms around him and we kissed for several delirious minutes. Belatedly I looked at the ring. It was gorgeous, a deep blue stone rimmed in diamonds, with a filigree bridge and gallery, vines, and curls. “Oh, Virgil, it's extraordinary!” I whispered.

He took the ring out of the box, which he flung aside. He slipped it on my finger. It fit perfectly, and sent sparkles flashing in the firelight. “It's the blue of your eyes. Extraordinary?
Nothing
is as extraordinary as you.”

I met his gaze and held it; I thought I'd be first to say it, but realized he'd beaten me to it. Never too late, though. “Virgil Grace, you are an amazing man, and I
love
you.”

“I
am
an amazing man,” he growled, pulling me to him and kissing me deeply. “Now, may I escort you to your boudoir, or shall I ravish you right here?”

“
Oh!
” I exclaimed, as he kissed my neck, his breath warm, his lips moist. “Here. Right . . .
here.”

Makes 10–12 muffins

¼ cup butter, softened to room temperature

¼ cup vegetable or canola oil

⅓ cup white sugar

⅓ cup brown sugar

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1-½–2 cups finely chopped apple (I recommend Honeycrisp)

Topping:

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup old-fashioned oats

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup butter, softened to room temperature

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-unit muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together butter, oil, sugars, and applesauce until combined, about 1 minute (mixture will look curdled). Add egg and vanilla, then mix to combine.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Remove two tablespoons of the flour mixture and toss with the chopped apples in a separate bowl to coat.

Add remaining flour mixture to wet ingredients in two batches, mixing until just combined after the first before adding the next batch. Gently fold in the apples.

Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them ¾ of the way full.

Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl until well combined, then sprinkle a heaping tablespoon—or more—on top of each muffin.

Bake for 23–28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool in muffin tins for 10 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

These muffins are so good—all the flavor of an apple crisp, but in an individual delight. Great with coffee or tea as an afternoon treat!

Makes 12 muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

3–4 tablespoons cocoa powder (4 if you like it
very
dark chocolaty)

1 cup chocolate chips (whatever kind you like best—I use milk chocolate)

½ cup chopped walnuts (more if you like it nutty!)

1 large egg

½ cup Greek yogurt (I use plain, but vanilla would be okay.)

¼ cup canola oil

½ cup brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup
overripe
bananas (about 2 large)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spray muffin tin with spray oil, then dust with cocoa powder. Muffin liners are NOT recommended, as the muffins tend to stick to them.

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, then toss in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts and stir.

Mash the bananas well and measure. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, whisk together the egg and Greek yogurt first, then stir in the oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and mashed bananas, blending well.

Add half the dry ingredients to the wet, stir well, then add the rest of the dry ingredients and stir until mixture is smooth, but don't beat or overmix!

Ladle the batter into the muffin cups.

Bake for 18–23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool on a rack, then remove muffins; you may need to loosen them with a butter knife around the edges to help pull them out.

Store in an airtight container, or freeze.

These are great when you need a hit of chocolaty sweetness, but don't want something too decadent!

As
Victoria Hamilton
, Donna Lea Simpson is the national bestselling author of the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, including
No Mallets Intended
and
Freezer I'll Shoot
, as well as the Merry Muffin Mysteries, including
Death of an English Muffin
and
Muffin but Murder
. She is also a collector of vintage cookware and recipes. Visit her at victoriahamiltonmysteries.com and facebook.com/AuthorVictoriaHamilton.

Looking for more?
Visit Penguin.com for more about this author and a complete list of their books.
Discover your next great read!