Blood Brothers
Page 29
When they were close enough, Mattie yanked them down and whispered into their ears.
“That sounds like plan.” Matthew grinned as Diana nodded in vigorous agreement.
Together, the three led the faithful mules to the barn. When Matthew and Diana emerged, leaving Mattie to care for her animals, Diana carried a wriggling bundle in her arms.
The remaining crowd parted as Diana knelt before Juan, who was half asleep in Grim’s lap. “Hey there, buddy…” Diana kissed his dirty little cheek. “Wake up, Leona and Mother Mattie have sent you a present…”
Juan’s eyes popped open when he recognized Diana, and no coaxing was needed as the mysterious bundle began to bark. The child sprang to his feet and grabbed the puppy.
“It’s a wolf cub!” he howled in ecstasy. “Is he really mine?”
At the word wolf, even Grim’s dour face registered shock and surprise, and the video cameras started rolling.
“Seems like maybe something good came out of this mess, after all,” Matthew drawled.
“Yeah!” Juan yipped. “I got me a good dog!”
Epilogue…
The moment they turned into the familiar lane, gravel crunching under the four new tires on Matthew’s truck, Diana was stricken by a powerful déjà vu, a bittersweet sense of loss. Yet so much had changed.
The country road was crowded with bumper-to-bumper traffic. Newly appointed park rangers in crisp brown uniforms were directing the cars to park in a remote field, where Fourth of July fireworks lit up the evening sky.
After a word with one of the rangers, Matthew was permitted to detour into the private path leading to the Porter’s residence, where a sumptuous picnic dinner awaited them---a thank you celebration from Bobby and Juanita.
And they were late. Grim had detained them with last minute details concerning the preliminary hearing they had agreed to attend at the end of the month---to speak on Leona’s behalf. But for tonight, they were determined to put all that aside and rejoice in the sheer wonder of being alive.
“You best behave yourself, Ursie.” Matthew patted the giant Doberman wedged between them. She was slobbering on Diana’s lap. “Juanita won’t take kindly to you gobbling all her fried chicken.”
Diana laughed. “That’s right, Ursie, and you’ll have a new little playmate to contend with. I suspect Juan’s wolf puppy will give you a run for your money.”
The Porter family was waiting on a grassy hillside overlooking the festivities. They had spread an enormous tablecloth on the lawn, and dinner was well under way. Ursie charged the group, baring her teeth in a ferocious smile, while her knot of a tail continued to wag a mile a minute. She stopped short when she saw the small boy rolling with a lively black puppy, which was also baring its teeth.
Ursie was worried until she realized the pup is only begging for a French fry. Ursie would beg, too, but only after she performed her famous stomach crawling grovel and engaged in some polite canine butt sniffing. Only then, would she accept a treat.
“It’s about time!” Bobby hollered from the depth of a lawn chair. He was propped up like King Tut, a mummy with a cast officiating from his rustic throne.
“Don’t get up on our account, pal,” Matthew said as he and Diana approached hand in hand.
“I wasn’t planning to.” Bobby grinned. He seemed hail and hearty in spite of his affliction. “Can you believe all this…?” His good arm gestured, taking in the panorama, where crowds of excited citizens swarmed along the waterfront, enjoying the Grand Opening of PorterState Park. “I never thought they’d pull it off on schedule.”
Neither had Diana. It was Tuesday evening, Independence Day, but only last Saturday, three short days ago, life had almost ended for three members of their little assembly. As she and Matthew hugged Juan, she felt grateful indeed.
“Check it out…” Juanita shyly extended her left hand, where the Porter heirloom engagement ring sparkled on her finger. “We’re getting married as soon as Bobby can walk down the aisle.” She cast a meaningful glance at Diana, and then Matthew.
“Congratulations!” they cheered in unison.
“I’m grateful you never sold that ring, Trout,” Bobby blushed.
“Here they come!” Juan squealed as the Sorvino family appeared over the rise. “I knewthey’d come!”
Brenda and John Sorvino looked relaxed in shorts and sandals, while Johnny exploded, running to Juan. The boys collided and tangled together on the lawn, amid wild wagging and barking from both dogs.
“This is Wolf, my new puppy,” Juan bragged.
“He’s not a real wolf,” Johnny said.
“Yes he is!”
“Is not!”
Soon the two were tussling, tugging, and pulling at one another and the animals, all worries forgotten.
“Thanks for inviting us.” Brenda smiled shyly as they all exchanged handshakes. Recent history had exposed the best and worst in each of them.
“Glad you could make it,” Bobby spoke from his chair. “How’s it goin’, John?”
Sorvino patted his breast pocket. “I’m twenty-five thousand richer.”
“My mother said the same thing,” Diana told them.
The ransom money had been returned to everybody over the weekend, except the contribution from the McCord grandparents in California.
“They wanted us to keep it.” Juanita lifted her eyes. “Can you believe it? They said we should invest the money towards Juan’s college education.”
“Yeah, and guess what else?” Juan interrupted as he and Johnny approached with the dogs at their heels. “My grandparents invited me to visit their ranch in San Jose next summer, when I’m on vacation from school.”
“Is that the place with cowboys?” Johnny asked.
“Yep.”
“Cool! Can I go too?”
“We’ll see…” Juanita and Brenda said in unison.
“We sold the house.” Brenda sheepishly informed Diana. “Your friend, Liz McCorkle, thinks you two should split the commission.”
“I’m sure we’ll work something out,” Diana said as another familiar couple trudged up from the crowd to crash their private party.
“You may have to work it out sooner, than later,” Matthew whispered. “Speak of the devil…”
Diana was truly astonished as Liz’s red head bobbed into focus. On her arm, looking distinctly out of place in plaid shorts and city shoes, was Miles Lawton.
“Hey, girlfriend!” Liz winked. “I’ve been worried sick about you.”
Suddenly Diana was in her friend’s arms for a tearful, long overdue reunion. After introductions all around, Miles was impatient to escape with his flaming prize.
“It’s not too late for you to rejoin the real estate class, Diana,” he mumbled.
“No thanks. I’ll pick it up in the fall, but for now I need a long vacation.”
“Miles and I are planning a celebration vacation,” Liz said. “IfI pass the Broker’s Exam.”
As Liz and her current beau wandered back down to the party at lakeside, it occurred to Diana that compared to all that had happened, her career now seemed a relatively insignificant part of her life. Putting that strange thought aside, supper was consumed, jokes were told, and a good time was had by one and all.
While the pyro-technicians geared up for the Grand Finale, Matthew led Diana to a quiet haven behind Jed Porter’s old barn. Moonlight filtered through the leaves of a lone sycamore tree, while a band played patriotic tunes in the distance.
“Do you really need a vacation?” he asked.
“Absolutely.” She reached out and took his hand.
“Well, my cousin owns a tag-along camper near the beach at Wilmington…”
Diana had severe reservations. “Listen, Matthew, I’ve had my fill of mountains and nature treks through the woods. I want fine food, hot showers, and a soft bed.”
“Wilmington’s flat as
a pancake--- no mountains. No woods to speak of, either. I hear the city has some gourmet restaurants and a four-star hotel. I can’t vouch for the beds…”
“Never mind.” She blushed.
“Then you’ll come with me?”
“You bet.”
THE END
About the Author
Kate Merrill is an art gallery owner and real estate broker with a lifelong passion for writing. She has previously published two romances: Northern Lights as Christie Cole and Flames of Summer as Kate Merrill.
Blood Brothers is the second of five novels featuring amateur sleuth Diana Rittenhouse. The first in the series, A Lethal Listing, was released in the summer of 2013. All the books in the series reflect Kate’s love of both the mystery and romance genres and draw upon her experience as a Realtor.
Kate lives with her family on a lake in North Carolina. When she is not writing, working with the art community, or selling real estate, she enjoys swimming, boating, and allowing her two strong-headed Golden Retrievers to take her for a walk.
Visit Kate’s website:
www.katemerrillbooks.com
or contact Kate:
merrilljennings@aol.com