One Foot in the Grove by Kelly Lane Page B

Nothing made sense. “He was here. The pastry guy! From Boston.”
    â€œHon, I don’t have the faintest notion what you’re talkin’ about.”
    â€œI tripped over his foot. In the woods—our woods! Oh my gosh, he was really dead, wasn’t he?” I felt tears welling.
    â€œNow listen, Sunshine. You’re not makin’ sense, ’cept the part about there bein’ a dead guy. You must be confused . . . What would some ‘pastry guy’ from Boston be doin’ here in Abundance? Doc said your heart had a shock—literally—and you need to rest and remain calm. So, we’re not gonna think about a pastry guy anymore today. Or donuts. And we’re not gonna think about whatever it was that happened in the woods, either. Doc’s orders. I promised to keep you calm.”
    â€œBut I have to know! Please, why was the guy from Anthony’s Awesome Pastries here?”
    â€œSunshine. This conversation is over. Ya hear? I’m not gonna be the one callin’ Doc to tell him you keeled over on account of your fussin’ and havin’ a big ol’ heart attack about some Boston pastry fella. It ain’t gonna happen. Not on my watch. Nuh-uh.”
    â€œBut it doesn’t make any sense!”
    â€œIf it don’t make sense now, then maybe it’ll make sense tomorrow after y’all have had some rest and Doc has been out to check on you again.” Precious fluffed my pillow. “Now, I promised your big sis that I’d head on over to make breakfast after you were up. So, that’s what I’m gonna do. Y’all just stay here, cool your jets, enjoy your pretty room, and relax. There are some snacks on the bedside table. Someone’ll check on y’all in a little while.”
    With that, Precious turned on her yellow Louboutins and marched toward the hidden door.
    â€œWait!”
    Precious reached for the latch in the wall, pulled open the door, and stepped into the hallway.
    â€œAre you
seriously
telling me that Buck Tanner is the
sheriff
?
    The door clicked shut.

C HAPTER 12

    I tried to sort out what had happened. I remembered that I’d been running in the woods with Dolly when the storm changed direction and got decidedly dangerous. Then, apparently, I’d tripped on a dead man’s foot just on the edge of Daddy’s olive grove. Just as I’d recognized the dead man as the guy from behind the counter at Anthony’s Awesome Pastries in Boston, according to Precious, lightning hit a big oak tree behind me and I got zapped. Ian Collier, the new owner of Greatwoods next door, found me in the early morning and brought me to Greatwoods where Doc Payne examined me. I had a sprained ankle, probably a cracked rib or two, and was suffering from the aftereffects of a lightning strike, which somehow affected my heart. Still, it couldn’t have been too serious, or I’d be in a hospital. Right? But then, Precious said the hospitals were all full, on account of a big accident on the highway. Also, Precious said she was helping Daphne prepare meals for the guests—six, not four—until we hired a chef to replace Loretta, who’d vanished without giving notice to marry our guide, Leonard, who’d also vanished.
    That’s all I could put together before Precious said she had to run off to help Daphne. I still didn’t know what happened to Dolly. And, more important, I didn’t know what happened to the pastry guy before I stumbled over him. Or why he was here in the first place. I shuddered thinking about the rubbery foot and his deathly face.
    Also, I didn’t remember seeing Daphne, Pep, Doc Payne, or Ian Collier. Although, I’d been told that they’d all been at my bedside. On the other hand, I did remember seeing Buck Tanner. And he’d most definitely seen me.
    All of me.
    My stomach flipped. I felt myself flush at the thought.
    â€œCrap.”
    I needed to