by Peg Cochran
“Come on. Out with it,” Jeff said.
“Oh, all right.” Gina’s blush intensified. “We are an item. As a matter of fact, the thought of settling down is looking more and more attractive.” She looked at Monica. “Monica, you were right. I’d been chasing all the wrong things—money, fancy cars, luxury vacations—instead of looking at the man himself. And Mickey is quite a man. He’s kind, thoughtful, intelligent, he makes me laugh and frankly, he’s just perfect.”
Jeff leaned over and kissed his mother. “I’m happy for you.”
“Let’s drink to that,” Greg said and raised his champagne flute.
“I have some good news, too,” Dana said. “I’ve taken a new position at the Grand Rapids Community College. I’ll be starting next week. I’ll also be starting the renovations on our family home, which is where I plan to live. There’s a deal pending for the purchase of a good chunk of the property, which will make it much more manageable for me.”
“Not a developer, I hope,” Greg said, reaching for an olive from the dish in the center of the table.
Dana shook her head. “No. It’s a couple who plan to build a house for themselves and a stable for their horses. The wife rides dressage and they both give riding lessons so they’ll need room for a fairly large riding ring as well.”
“And more good news,” Jeff said, reaching for Lauren’s hand and squeezing it. “I’ve decided against selling Sassamanash Farm. I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“But what about your surgery?” Monica said.
“I got a second opinion,” Jeff said. “The doctor I saw told me that there are some even newer developments coming down the pike that might prove more successful. He suggested I wait a bit and try for those. He’s going to see if he can get me into one of the clinical trials.” He smiled. “So there’s hope.”
“Did I tell you?” Dana said. “John has been charged with vandalism, trespassing and criminal harassment. He’s hired some big-gun lawyer out of Detroit.”
“He’ll probably get off then,” Greg said.
“That’s quite possible,” Dana said. “But I think he’s learned his lesson. At least I hope so. He’s always gotten whatever he wanted. But this time he’s had to accept defeat.”
• • •
“That was a lovely evening,” Monica said as Greg opened the back door to the cottage.
“It was. And now I’m tired. I think I’ll go straight up to bed. How about you?”
“Me, too,” Monica said, flipping off the light she’d just turned on in the kitchen.
They went upstairs together, Mittens darting ahead of them to wait for them on the landing.
Greg went into the bedroom and flicked on the light. Monica hesitated in front of the door to the spare room.
Greg came back out of the bedroom and stood next to Monica. He put his arm around her.
“What are you thinking?”
She turned to him and rested her head on his shoulder.
“I’m thinking that maybe this would make a good baby’s room after all.” She looked up and smiled at Greg.
He tightened his arm around her. “I think you might be right.”
“I . . . I hope we aren’t going to be disappointed,” Monica said.
“We won’t know until we try, will we?” Greg said, taking Monica’s hand. “Either way, I know we’re going to have a wonderful life together.”
Recipes
Healthy Cranberry Orange Loaf
1½ cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup granulated sugar substitute
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1 egg
Zest from one large orange
1 cup fresh cranberries tossed with ¼ cup sugar substitute
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 8x4-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until well incorporated.
In a separate bowl combine unsweetened applesauce, sugar substitute, orange juice, zucchini, egg and orange zest. Stir to combine.
Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Do not overmix.
Gently stir in cranberries.
Bake 35–45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cranberry Orange Cake with Cinnamon Ribbon
1 box yellow cake mix
1 box vanilla instant pudding and pie mix (4-serving size)
¾ cup water
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup softened butter
2 tsp. grated orange peel
4 eggs
1½ cups fresh cranberries
Cinnamon Ribbon
½ cup sugar
½ cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)
2 teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon orange peel
Heat oven to 325 degrees and grease and flour a Bundt pan or tube pan.
Mix the sugar, chopped nuts and cinnamon for the cinnamon ribbon and set aside.
Beat cake mix, pudding mix, water, ¼ cup orange juice, butter, orange peel and eggs on low speed for 30 seconds. Blend on medium speed for two minutes. Fold in cranberries. Pour half the mixture in the pan.
Sprinkle cinnamon ribbon mixture over batter and cover with remaining batter.
Bake 57–65 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake cool on a rack until thoroughly cooled. Remove from pan.
Mix ingredients for glaze and drizzle over cooled cake.
Books by Peg Cochran
The Cranberry Cove Mysteries
Berried Secrets
Berry the Hatchet
Dead and Berried
Berried at Sea
Berried in the Past
The Lucille Mysteries
Confession Is Murder
Unholy Matrimony
Hit and Nun
A Room with a Pew
Cannoli to Die For
Farmer’s Daughter Mysteries
No Farm, No Foul
Sowed to Death
Bought the Farm
The Gourmet De-Lite Mysteries
Allergic to Death
Steamed to Death
Iced to Death
Murder, She Reported Mysteries
Murder, She Reported
Murder, She Uncovered
Murder, She Encountered
Writing as Meg London
Murder Unmentionable
Laced with Poison
A Fatal Slip
About the Author
Peg grew up in a New Jersey suburb about twenty-five miles outside of New York City. After college, she moved to the City, where she managed an art gallery owned by the son of the artist Henri Matisse.
After her husband died, Peg remarried and her new husband took a job in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where they now live (on exile from New Jersey, as she likes to joke). Somehow Peg managed to segue from the art world to marketing and is now the manager of marketing communications for a company that provides services to seniors.
She is the author of the Cranberry Cove Mysteries, the Lucille Mysteries, the Farmer’s Daughter Mysteries, the Gourmet De-Lite Mysteries, and, writing as Meg London, the Sweet Nothings Vintage Lingerie series.
Peg has two daughters, a stepdaughter and stepson, a beautiful granddaughter, and a Westhighland white terrier named Reggie. You can read more at www.pegcochran.com and www.meglondon.com.
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