Kelly's Koffee Shop (A Cedar Bay Cozy Mystey Book 1) by Dianne Harman

still be heard in the distance.
Wherever Kelly went, Rebel was right behind her. He sensed fires were dangerous
and since his self-appointed job in life was to insure her safety, he stayed
right next to her. Over the years, the customers had grown used to watching out
for him. Tripping over a ninety pound dog with not an ounce of fat on him was
like tripping over a brick wall. Kelly realized there was no way the dog was
going to get in his bed until the fire was out and there was no threat of
danger. She picked up his bed and took it to the storage room.
    Late that morning, Roxie’s
husband, Joe, opened the door of the coffee shop. He was sweaty and covered
with soot. “Kelly, where’s Roxie? I need to talk to her.”
    “She’s in the kitchen.”
    A few minutes later they
both hurried out of the kitchen, Roxie untying her apron. “Kelly, is it okay if
I leave early? Something’s come up at home. I’ll call you later.”    
    “Of course, sweetie.
Anything I can do?”
    “No, but the fire was at
the Black’s ranch. Looks like it pretty much burned it up.”
    “What?” she exclaimed, but
by that time Roxie and Joe had left.
    A fire at the Black’s
ranch? Now what? Mike will know what’s happening .  She walked into the kitchen, took
her phone from her purse and called him.
    “This is Mike,” the voice
said. “I can’t take your call right now. Please leave your name and number and
I’ll get back to you.” She asked him to call and walked back into the main
room.
    It was the tail end of the
lunchtime crowd and not many people were left in the coffee shop. A few of them
had heard Roxie say something about the fire being at the Black’s ranch and
asked Kelly if Roxie had told her anything more.
    “No, and I tried to call
Mike, but all I got was his answerphone. I don’t know any more than you do. If
he calls, I’ll let you know.”
    The last of the diners
left, several of them saying they were going to drive out to the Black’s ranch
and see what happened. Others were anxious to get on their phones and see what
they could find out. In most small towns gossip was the main entertainment and
Cedar Bay was no exception. It was fast, efficient, and sometimes right. It
reminded Kelly of the old Tarzan movies and the drumbeat messages sent by the
local natives.
    Madison helped Kelly for
the next two hours, cleaning up and getting ready for the next day. Kelly knew
the fire danger was gone when Rebel consented to get on his bed while she made
the breakfast casseroles. There was only a faint smell of smoke in the air. She
couldn’t wait to talk to Mike.
     

CHAPTER 15
     
    When Kelly got home, the first thing
she noticed was the blinking red light on her answerphone. “Kelly, it’s Roxie.
Sorry I bailed on you today. Give me a call when you have a chance. I need to
talk to you.”
    The events of the last
week had taken their toll on Kelly’s house and on her newly planted spring
garden flowers. Both called out for attention and Kelly had mentally promised
herself that today was the day she’d take care of them. After hearing Roxie’s
message, she wasn’t so sure she’d be able to keep her promise.
    Kelly changed her clothes
and called Roxie. “Hi Roxie, I got your message. Is everything okay?”
    “Yes and no. I told you
the fire was out at the Black’s ranch. From what Joe told me, looks like some
dry brush caught fire and the fire was probably intentionally set by someone.
The cattle herd Jeff has on the ranch is just for show. His real business is
the marijuana he was growing. The fire spread to the back part of the ranch
where he was growing it. The marijuana caught fire and everything burned to the
ground.”
    “Oh, my gosh!”
    Roxie continued, “The only
things that were spared were the cattle and the ranch house. Joe says it’s like
scorched earth back there. Nothing left but ashes. Not a single plant was left
standing. They were just incinerated by the extreme heat of the fire. The