Chapter 17

Seventeen

W e finally got our girls time on my deck around dawn, just in time for the sunrise.

We had Hattie's delicious coffee and blueberry muffins instead of margaritas, but it was still wonderful.

The three of us sat side by side with our bare feet up on my railing, watching the gorgeous orange and pink fill the sky.

Devlin, the sheriff, and the rest of the law enforcement crew had finally left, leaving us alone so we could process all that had happened.

"You think Devlin is going to arrest us?" Lucy asked. "We did drive a body around, and fail to report it."

"Nah," Hattie said. "He has enough to deal with right now. He got his people, so it's good."

"Thanks to us," Lucy said.

"Damn straight, girl," Hattie tapped her coffee mug against Lucy's. "We're such a great addition to this town."

"We are!"

Rachel. Emmeline. Bert.

They had all been involved, but Bert was delighted to testify against them to save himself. He was already talking as fast as he could.

Devlin had recovered the gun from the lake, and they were expecting a match to the one that had killed Beckwith, and, apparently, Charles. Death by bullet, decoration by corkscrew.

Grisly, but over. And we'd survived.

As we sat there, a sky-blue Jeep pulled into my parking lot.

We all sat up. It was too early for it to be a customer.

"Anyone have a hairdryer?" Hattie asked.

"Did we miss someone? Or something?" Lucy said warily.

King Tut jumped up on the railing, his tail switching as the Jeep circled around and parked right next to the deck.

I stood up as the door opened, and Chef Felicia got out.

We all went silent.

Chef Felicia had been declared innocent by all involved, but we were definitely responsible for the fact that cops had dragged her out of her kitchen and interrogated her. And broken into her car.

She leaned against her Jeep and folded her arms across her chest. In the dawn light, she looked as gorgeous and radiant as she had in the kitchen. Felicia was a woman who carried vibrance wherever she went. "Well, that was quite a night."

"It was," I said cautiously. "Look, sorry about setting the cops on you."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Are you?"

Crud. "I am?—"

She suddenly burst out laughing. "I can't fake being mad! Damn, ladies, that was quite a night! Who knew I had all these murderers in my kitchen? Pies, Hattie. Pies! People killing over pies!"

I relaxed, as Hattie let out a whoop. "Girl, people will be killing over my recipes until the end of time!"

Chef Felicia threw up her arms. "I concede defeat, Hattie. I've never had anyone kill over my recipes. You win, and honestly, as much as I like adventure, I'm happy to give that title to you."

Hattie grinned. "You want to join us for a cup of coffee?"

She grinned. "I'd love to, thanks!" She shut her door and trotted up the steps. "By the way, Mia, is it true that you're running a drug empire?"

I stiffened. "No, I was undercover against my ex-husband for two years to put him in prison for the drug empire he was running."

She studied me. "Really?"

"Yes." I lifted my chin, waiting for the questions. Like why had I married him if I knew he was a drug dealer, as if I hadn't run to the feds the minute I realized what he was up to. Like?—

"I bet that was scary and stressful," Felicia said as she sat down next to me.

"I was scared every minute of every day that he'd find out and kill me," I admitted.

Felicia smiled. "No wonder you, Hattie, and Lucy figured out what was going on tonight. You're a hero, Mia Murphy. I'm honored to meet you."

I felt the truth in her voice, and my throat tightened.

Hattie and Lucy beamed at me, and I couldn't help but smile.

Maybe they were right.

Maybe there really were people out there who were my people, who would see me for who I was, if I stopped hiding it.

Well, there were at least a handful, and that was more than I'd ever had.

It was a good start.

I'd take it.

Do you want to know what happens when Mia launches the grand reopening of her marina, only to have it derailed by a poisoned margarita? If so, keep an eye out for the next Mia book, Margarita Mayhem, today!

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If you love the Mia girl power and sass in a contemporary romance setting , you'll love When We Least Expect It , a sassy romcom featuring a high-stakes fake engagement between a sassy wedding planner committed to being single and her reclusive, widowed landlord whose shadowy cop past makes him the worst possible match for her.

Three-time runaway bride Piper Townsend believes in four things: her friends, her career, staying single, and fulfilling the promise she made to her mom before she passed away. But when a series of wedding mishaps turns Piper into the viral hashtag of #weddingkillerpiper, she must resurrect her reputation before she loses all she's fought for. The solution? A high-profile fake engagement to her grumpy, anti-social, deliciously hot landlord.

Declan Jones buried his heart three years ago, along with a secret that still haunts him. All he wants is his sledgehammer, his privacy, and his job back. Dating? Never. Romance? Forget it. His sassy, sparkly tenant? She's the one breath of sunshine in his life…not that he'd ever admit it.

When Piper proposes a fake engagement, it's the solution Declan needs. But can he fake-date Piper, kiss her senseless, "accidentally" get caught in bed with her, and still keep his heart in lockdown?

Of course he can. He's an ex-cop. He can handle the heat.

Or can he?

Get your copy of When We Least Expect It here, or skip ahead for a sneak peek here!

If you love cowboys, try my deeply heartwarming, family-oriented (but with a little spice!) Wyoming Rebels series or the spinoff Hart Ranch Billionaires series. Grab the series starter for the Hart family, A Rogue Cowboy's Second Chance , or start with the first first book in the Wyoming Rebels series, A Real Cowboy Never Says No .

If you want more small-town stories with heart-melting, emotional romances, you'd love my Birch Crossing series! Get started with Unexpectedly Mine today, in which a billionaire hero gets stranded in a small town and gets his world upturned by a sassy single mom and her daughter. Read a sneak peek from the newest Birch Crossing romcom (they are all standalones), Secretly Mine , here !

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