by Haley Harper
“And just what have you realized?” He drew her into his arms so that his lips touched her hair. Then he whispered softly into her ear.
“I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Chapter Seventeen
The final week of her trip flew by. Somehow she had managed to spend a lot of time with Kevin and still get her work done. He was very understanding and seemed more than happy to do his own thing while she did hers. He also took Edgar for long walks and played countless games of fetch. They had become the best of friends and nothing could have made Shannon happier.
They had talked at length about working out the logistics of their relationship, but in the end they had decided to let things take their own course. He had a job to get back to, and she had this book to get published before she could make any changes to her life. She also needed time to talk things over with her Mom.
Their last night together before Kevin had to leave was somber. They were already dreading being apart. They built a fire down on the beach and sat for hours just talking and roasting marshmallows. Their relationship was so easy, so comfortable and so right. It filled Shannon with a kind of warmth that she had never known. When he walked her home for the last time, he refused to say goodbye.
“Just good night,” he said. “Never goodbye. Goodbye is for when you leave someone. I’m not leaving you. I’m taking you with me,” and he put his hand over his heart. Shannon couldn’t help crying just a little.
“I’m going to miss you. I’ll get up and see you off in the morning.” Kevin shook his head.
“No you won’t. we’re heading out at 4. I think you’ll still be in dreamland. And besides, the guys will ride me all the way home if you do.” Shannon laughed.
“Okay, macho man, I don’t want to embarrass you in front of your friends.” They kissed one last time and she watched as he walked back to his cottage. She couldn’t help but think about their first meeting and how she had thought he was a jerk. How quickly things can change.
She tossed and turned all that night. All she could think about was Kevin leaving. For whatever reason, it made her think about the legend of the Blue Lady and how that poor woman had waited through the night for a beloved husband that would never return. Her one regret for this trip was not having seen the ghost for herself. Climbing into bed, she considered for a second setting her alarm and getting up to see Kevin off anyway, in spite of what he said. Then, deciding that she couldn’t just ignore his wishes she changed her mind.
She was sound asleep when Edgar’s low throaty grumble woke her. She rubbed her eyes a couple of times to make sure she was really seeing what she thought she was seeing. There, across her room, looking out the window to the sea, was the floating form of the Blue Lady. She threw the covers back and crawled to the foot of the bed, trying not to move too fast. She reached out to touch the form but her hand met only air. And then she was gone.
Shannon looked at her bedside clock. The blue numbers blinked 4:00 AM silently at her over and over. It was 4 am and Kevin would be heading out soon. She went to the window and drew the curtain aside slightly. She could see them loading the car and getting situated. As Kevin slammed the gate of the SUV closed he looked up towards her window. She knew he couldn’t see her, and he didn’t wave. She didn’t try to draw his attention. Just the fact that he had looked was enough.
She still had two days left of her stay but they were going to be lonely with Kevin gone. She would head into town and visit with Maggie. She wanted to pop out and say goodbye to Sam too. She had been out to see him once since Adele had been arrested. He was doing okay although a little lost. He was eager to chat with her about his family history, and openly confessed that he himself saw the Blue Lady often but was afraid to tell anyone, for fear of being ridiculed. Shannon was ecstatic to be able to include some firsthand encounters in her book.
Her last day she spent with Jemma. Although she had only known her for two weeks, she already felt like an old friend.
She was thinking of the Blue Lady as she put the last item in her suitcase. Shannon was convinced that, without her help, they maybe would never have looked at Adele as a suspect and solved the murder. The earring on the mantel had been the key to it all. Wanting to find a way to say thank you and goodbye, Shannon reached into her purse, pulling out a small wooden carving of a dog that looked just like Edgar. Shannon carried it with her always, calling it her good luck charm. She placed the tiny item on the mantel exactly where she had found the earring. “Good luck, and find peace, Blue Lady,” she said softly.
The End
Authentic New England Recipes
New England Clam Bake
Ingredients:
Purchase enough of the following to feed the size group that will be attending
Lobster
Cherry stone clams
Spicy sausage
New potatoes
Corn on the Cob
2 pounds butter
Firewood
Keep ingredients cold until ready to use
Outside:
Dig a pit about four feet around and three feet deep
Place large smooth stones in the bottom of the pit to cover
Build a fire on top of the rocks
Let the fire burn for 3-4 hours until the rocks are sizzling hot, replenishing the wood as necessary
When the rocks are hot, let the fire burn down and then brush away any remaining wood, ashes and coals
Place a good three inched or so of seaweed on top of the rocks
Wrap all of the food in foil and place on top of the seaweed
Place another layer of seaweed over the food, wetting it if it is too dry
Cover the n tire pit with water soaked heavy cloth. Use rocks to hold the cloth in place
Let the food steam for at least an hour and a half
Remove from pit and serve with lots of melted butter
New England Crab Cakes
12 ounces of fresh crab meat
1 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 green onions chopped
1 ½ tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice salt and pepper to taste
Butter and olive oil for frying
Toss all ingredients together and mix gently
Add salt and pepper to taste
Form into small cakes
Combine some butter and olive oil in a non stick skillet
Cook over medium heat turning once until golden brown
Remove carefully and pat back into cake if they break apart
Hearty Fish Chowder
2 pounds of white fish
4 slices of bacon chopped
1 small onion chopped
3 potatoes chopped into cubes
1 carrot chopped in small cubes
1 cup frozen corn
2 cups clam juice or fish stock
2 cups milk
Butter to garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
In large cast iron Dutch oven, fry bacon until crisp
Add onion to bacon and cook until soft
Add clam juice or stock, vegetables and simmer until the potatoes are almost done
Add milk and fish and simmer on low for about ten minutes longer until fish is cooked. Do not allow the milk to boil
Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with a dollop of butter and salt and pepper to taste
Maggie’s Best Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup molasses
½ pound butter
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup hot water
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
Directions
In a heavy saucepan, bring the molasses slowly to a boil
Take pan off the burner and stir in butter until melted
Add the baking soda to the hot water to dissolve
Stir the dissolved baking soda into the molasses
Pour the sugar into a large deep mixing bowl
Add the molasses to the sugar and mix well
Add remaining ingredients and mix well
Wrap the dough in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least an hour
Roll out and cut with cookie cutters or form into a roll and slice
Place on non stick pan, parchment paper lined sheet, or greased sheet
Bake in a 325⁰ oven for about 15 minutes
Cool on wire rack
Campfire Cornbread
Ingredients
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons melted butter or oil
Directions
Mix all ingredients together to form a smooth batter
Heat cast iron skillet over hot coals
Add oil to coat the bottom
Pour batter into the skillet
Cook until golden brown
Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Ingredients
2 pounds navy beans
1 onion diced
½ cup molasses
1/3 cup ketchup or BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cloves garlic chopped fine
2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ cups water
½ pound bacon
Directions
Soak beans overnight and drain off liquid
Fry bacon until crisp and then break into pieces
Mix all ingredients together in slow cooker
Cook on low for 10-12 hours
Wild Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
½ cup butter or margarine
2 cups flour
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 eggs
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ cups blueberries
Directions
Preheat oven to 375⁰
Cream butter and sugar together
Add eggs separately mixing in well
Add blueberries and mix gently
Bake in greased or paper lined tins for 25 – 30 minutes
Wild Blueberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
½ cup milk
¼ cup melted butter
1 ½ cups blueberries
Topping
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
¼ cup melted butter
½ cup crushed walnuts
Directions
Mix egg milk and butter in one bowl
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in another bowl
Stir wet ingredients into dry just until moist
Fold in blueberries
Pour into square baking dish
Combine topping ingredients in small bowl
Add butter
Sprinkle over batter
Bake at 400⁰ for 20-25 minutes until top is golden brown
Traditional New England Johnnycake
Ingredients
1 cup cornmeal
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
½ cup milk
Oil or bacon grease for frying
Directions
Bring water to a full boil and then remove from heat
Add salt to cornmeal
Pour water into cornmeal stirring constantly
Stir in milk
Pour circles of batter into greased heated pan and cook until golden brown
Flip and repeat on second side
Serve with butter, maple syrup or applesauce
Jemma’s Maple Sticky Buns
Ingredients
2 cups warm water with 1 teaspoon yeast
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups flour
½ cup skimmed milk powder
Directions
Dissolve yeast in warm water and maple syrup
Let stand until foamy
Stir in 2 cups of the flour and the salt
Mix in milk powder add remaining flour, kneading as you go then knead for about 10 minutes
Let the dough rise, covered, in a warm place until double in size
Punch down and roll out to about ¼”
Spread the dough with softened butter
Spread ½ cup maple syrup over the dough
Roll up dough jellyroll style
Slice about 1” thick
In a 9” round pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter, ¾ cup maple syrup, and 1 cup chopped pecans
Arrange slices in pan on top of topping mixture
Let rise again
Bake at 375⁰ until golden brown
Sweet Hasty Pudding
Preheat Oven to 325⁰
Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 cups light cream
3 Tablespoons yellow cornmeal
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
Pinch of nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs lightly beaten
Directions
In a heavy saucepan combine milk and cream. H
Sprinkle with cornmeal and bring gently to a boil, stirring constantly
Stir in sugar, maple syrup and butter
Add dry ingredients
Allow to cool for a few minutes
Stir in beaten eggs until blended
Bake in a buttered casserole for about 2 hours
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream
New England Boiled Dinner
Ingredients
3 pound corned beef brisket
Peppercorns and cloves to taste or spice packet included with meat
1 bay leaf
Turnips
Potatoes
Carrots
Cabbage
Directions
Place meat in a large roasting pan and add spice packet or cloves and peppercorns
Cover meat with water
Keep at a low simmer for four hours until meat is tender
Remove meat from water and set aside
Add vegetables to the water and add a bit more water if needed
If the water is too salty, replace some with fresh
Simmer until the vegetables are tender
Slice meat across the grain in thin strips and serve with vegetables
Red Flannel Hash
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
1 small onion diced
2 cups leftover corned beef chopped
1 ½ cups chopped cooked beets
1 ½ cups chopped cooked potatoes
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Cook onions in b utter until soft
Add corned beef, potatoes and beets
Spread evenly over pan
Cook over medium heat until crispy on the bottom
Flip and cook second side
Sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper
Castle Chaos
A Shannon Porter Mystery
With bonus recipes
By
Haley Harper
Chapter One
Shannon dro
pped the armload of clothes on the bed beside her suitcase. It felt as though she had just unpacked and here she was folding clothes right from the dryer into her suitcase. She had been home from Maine for exactly two weeks and now she was leaving again. She was excited to be visiting Ireland, and to be staying at a haunted castle, but there was a lot going on at home too, and she wished she could just stay put for a while.
For a few minutes she let her mind drift back to her trip to Maine. It had been another interesting trip for sure, with a lot more happening than just her book research. But the best part about it had been meeting Kevin.
They weren’t exactly sure how their long distance relationship was going to work out, but they were both committed to working hard at it. First she had to get through this trip, get the book published and then take a little down time to focus on her personal life.
Speaking of her personal life, she suddenly remembered that she had agreed to meet Burt and her mom for dinner downtown. The afternoon had slipped away from her and now it was almost four. Better finish up this packing and get ready.
The happy couple were seated in their regular booth at the loud, cheerful fifty’s diner where they went every Friday night for dinner. They sat across the booth from each other, hands clasped on the table top. Shannon couldn’t help but smile. As weird as it was to think of her mom dating, she had to agree that they looked happy, like a couple of teenagers in love.
Shannon’s dad had passed away years ago and Myra had been on her own since. Even this relationship with Burt was more of an accident than a planned thing. But Shannon was happy for them, and she had to admit, life was a little easier for her now that her mom had someone else to focus on. The “getting married and having kids” speech had started to fray her nerves.
“Hi you lovebirds,” she said as she slid into the booth beside her mom.
“Hi sweetie,” her mom replied as she slid to the end of the booth. “All ready for your next adventure?”