Witch Dance (38 page)
Authors: Peggy Webb
Tags: #Indian heroes, #romantic suspense, #Southern authors, #dangerous heroes, #Native American heroes, #romance, #Peggy Webb backlist, #Peggy Webb romance, #classic romance, #medical mystery, #contemporary romance
She didn’t have long to wait.
“I don’t know if you are aware of this, Reverend, but there is a honky tonk in this neighborhood.” Hot on the trail of scandalous doings, Miss Beulah was in her element. Perspiration beaded her upper lip, and her hands trembled when she talked.
“Are you certain, Miss Beulah? I’ve heard of no such establishment.”
“Am I
certain
? Why, Reverend Donovan, that sleazy music well nigh blew me out of my bed last night. I never heard such whumping and pounding in all my life! For a minute there I thought it was Satan and his band marching through Pontotoc. Or at least the Russians.”
Paul tried unsuccessfully to hide his smile behind his teacup, and Martie’s sides were shaking with laughter. She thought this was almost as much fun as falling over the fence.
Miss Beulah took a gulping breath and continued her tirade. The orange flowers on her dress heaved up and down. “I’m telling you . . . something has to be done. It’s a sin and disgrace. A dis-
grace
. And right behind the parsonage, too. Just beyond that cyclone fence.”
Martie met Paul’s gaze over the teacup. For a moment laughter bubbled up inside as she started to explain what was going on behind the cyclone fence. Then she thought she saw a question in his eyes. Well, damn it all, let them think she ran a honky-tonk. It was probably the quickest way in the world to put an end to the music she had been hearing ever since she’d met the man with the quicksilver eyes.
Her cup rattled against the saucer as she plopped it down on a scarred end table. “I own that honky tonk behind the cyclone fence.” She glared defiantly at Paul.
Now
let him smile and talk about neighborly cups of tea and curiosity and fences and things that made her heart go bump!
“I should have known,” Miss Beulah blurted out.
Paul spoke quietly. “Just a moment, Miss Beulah.” Why was she doing this? he wondered. Women who adored golden retrievers and wore tattered marigolds behind their ears didn’t operate beer joints. “As a matter of fact, I heard the music myself. I thought it was rather lively and joyful sounding. I’m sure Martie is playing a joke on us.” He looked directly into her eyes. “Aren’t you?”
The question burned through her, singeing her heart, and she almost told him the truth. Almost. “Why should I deny it? Miss Beulah heard the music. So did you.” She turned to Miss Beulah. “And by the way, it’s not sleazy music. I call it jazzy juba juke music.” She bounced out of her chair. “It’s the kind of music that adds pizzazz to life. Good day, all.”
She flounced out of the room with a brilliant demonstration of pizzazz.
“Martie, wait.” Paul’s entreaty fell on deaf ears.
“Well, I
never
.” Miss Beulah fanned herself with her fat hands. “It just makes my blood boil. Running a honky tonk, and brazen about it, too. Pure D brazen. Pizzazz, my foot. I call that twitching your tail. I said to Essie Mae the other day . . . Essie Mae, I said—”
“Excuse me, Miss Beulah,” Paul said, interrupting her endless flow of words.
He left Miss Beulah in the parlor, still talking. The screen door was vibrating on its hinges from Martie’s flamboyant exit. He flung it open and stepped into the October brightness. A flash of scarlet announced Martie’s retreat down the sidewalk. He started to follow and then hesitated. The wonderful thing that had been blossoming between them was squashed the minute Miss Beulah had opened her mouth about a honky tonk. Now was not the time to force the issue. And anyway, Miss Beulah was still in his parlor, probably still talking.
He sent a prayer winging upward for patience as he turned to walk back into the parsonage.
o0o
Martie’s blood roared in her ears as she marched down the sidewalk. She heard the screen door slam again and knew Paul was standing in the doorway. If he tried to follow her, she’d knock him in the dirt! Her sandals slapped angrily against the sidewalk. Well, why wasn’t he following her? It just proved her point: she was totally unsuitable for a minister. She knew it and he knew it. Why then did it make her so angry that he thought so? She was so mad that she could have jumped the cyclone fence flat-footed.
She barreled down the sidewalk, blind to nature’s stunning display of gold-dipped foliage. She rounded the corner of the block and raced up the street to her own house. Baby met her with a short, joyful bark, tail thumping madly.
“It’s all your fault,” Martie said sharply to her puzzled dog. For an instant Baby’s tail forgot to wag, but she recovered quickly and pranced off to worry the cat.
Martie stood in the middle of her yard. She was tempted to put her eye to a crack in the fence to see if Paul was still standing on the steps. It would serve him right. Honkytonk, indeed! Self-righteous hypocrite.
Her indignation made her feel noble for all of two seconds, and then she wilted. He had never accused her of anything. He had cast no stones. She had acted on impulse, as she always did. But this time it was different. She had the uneasy feeling that she had thrown away something precious.
Well, damn the luck, anyway. She marched to the pile of tattered flowers and gave them a vicious kick. She would never look at another marigold as long as she lived.
o0o
About Peggy Webb
In a career that spans 26 years, the Mississippi author has written almost 70 books. Writing as Peggy Webb, she pens romance and the popular, comedic Southern Cousins Mystery Series starring Elvis, the basset hound who thinks he’s the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll reincarnated. Writing as Anna Michaels, she pens literary fiction. She has been on the romance bestseller list numerous times and has won many awards, including a Romantic Times Pioneer Award for creating the sub-genre of romantic comedy. Several of her romances have been optioned for film.
The Tender Mercy of Roses, 2011,
written as Anna Michaels, is a Delta Magazine Top Five Pick, a Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club Featured Alternate. Pat Conroy, author of
The Prince of Tides,
calls it “astonishing.”
Peggy is a member of Novelists, Inc., International Thriller Writers, and Romance Writers of America. She is excited about bringing her romance classics (originally published as Bantam
Loveswepts)
back to readers as E-books. The award-winning
Touched by Angels
and
A Prince for Jenny,
as well as the Donovans of the Delta series, are Kindle Top 100 bestsellers.
Follow the author on her websites:
www.peggywebb.com
and
www.annamichaels.net
and on Facebook as both Peggy Webb and Anna Michaels.
o0o
Other E-Books from Peggy Webb
Classic Romance (originally published as Loveswept)
Dark Fire
Touched by Angels (RT Reviewer’s Choice)
A Prince for Jenny,
sequel to
Touched by Angels
The Edge of Paradise
Duplicity (Rave review, RT Reviewer’s Choice)
Where Dolphins Go (RT Reviewer’s Choice,
women’s fiction, optioned for film)
Night of the Dragon
(time travel romance)
Christmas in Time
(time travel, brand now, prequel to
Only Yesterday)
Only Yesterday,
(time travel, sequel to
Christmas in Time
)
Summer Jazz
The Donovans of the Delta Series:
Donovan’s Angel (Paul Donovan’s story)
Sleepless Nights (Tanner Donovan’s story)
Hallie’s Destiny (award winning book, Hallie Donovan’s story))
Any Thursday (Hannah Donovan’s story)
Higher Than Eagles (Jacob Donovan’s story)
Romantic Suspense, originally published as Bantam Fanfare
Witch Dance
E-books Coming Soon
The McGill Series (spin-off from Donovans of the Delta)
Valley of Fire(Rick McGills’ story)
Until Morning Comes (Colter Gray Wolf’s story)
Saturday Mornings
Taming Maggie (#1 on Waldenbooks’ Romance Bestseller List)
Only His Touch
From A Distance, romantic suspense
Southern Cousins Mysteries, Peggy Webb
(available in print and e-books)
Published by Kensington
Elvis and the Dearly Departed, 2008
Elvis and the Grateful Dead, 2009
Elvis and the Memphis Mambo Murders, 2010
Elvis and the Tropical Double Trouble,
2011
Elvis and the Blue Christmas Corpse, Oct. 1, 2012
Coming Soon
Southern Cousins Companion and Cookbook (digital only)
Jack Loves Callie Tender (prequel to the series, digital only)
Novels written as Anna Michaels
(available in hardcover and e-book)
The Tender Mercy of Roses (
Gallery, Simon & Schuster, May 17, 2011)
The Language of Silence
(Gallery, Simon & Schuster, coming soon)
Table of Contents
The Eagle
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
The Witch Dance
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
The Passage
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Excerpt from Donovan’s Angel (Donovans of the Delta)
Classic Romance (originally published as Loveswept)
Romantic Suspense, originally published as Bantam Fanfare
E-books Coming Soon
Southern Cousins Mysteries, Peggy Webb
Novels written as Anna Michaels