A Slice of Courage Quiche by Jennifer Moorman

Author:Jennifer Moorman [Moorman, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jennifer Moorman
Published: 2023-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Hot Cross Buns

Crazy Kate was dressed in her usual colorful attire, wearing an ankle-length turquoise skirt, a purple blouse overlaid with a patchwork vest stitched together in a rainbow pattern, and a black scarf tied over her silver-streaked hair, which laid in a long braid down her back. Wisps of hair fell around her sharp cheekbones.

“Please, come in,” Tessa said, not bothering to hide her sarcasm. “You must be confused about the spear.”

“I’m not confused about anything,” Crazy Kate said, rounding on Tessa. “You shouldn’t have taken it from the house.”

Tessa’s skin tingled. “Why?”

“Why do you think?” Crazy Kate said. “It was protecting the house. It has been for a lot longer than you’ve been alive.”

Tessa couldn’t stop the laugh bubbling up her throat. Crazy Kate narrowed her eyes, and the sun shifted behind the clouds outside, throwing the room into shadows.

“You haven’t wondered why those men were unable to tear down the house? Not a second thought as to why their machines failed?”

Tessa inhaled sharply. She met Paul’s gaze. His blue eyes were as wide as hers. “What do you know about that?”

Crazy Kate stepped toward her. “I know that the reason they failed is because of the one thing you stole from the house. Still haven’t outgrown your thieving ways, I see.”

A flush crept across Tessa’s cheeks, and she felt as though her mama had scolded her. “That’s not fair. I was a kid—”

“A thieving kid.”

“I borrowed the spear. I only wanted to learn more about it.”

“So you have. What you need to do right now is give it back to me,” Crazy Kate said. “It belongs to my family and to the house. It’s not yours any more than my suncatcher was yours.”

Crazy Kate’s eyes filled with tears. Tessa felt an overwhelming desire to console the strange woman. Sunlight eased back into the room and lightened the dark walnut floors.

“Actually,” Paul said, “the spear belongs to Tessa because Honeysuckle Hollow belongs to her. That means she’s the rightful owner of anything in the land as well.”

Crazy Kate’s mouth dropped open, and she pressed a hand to her chest. “You? You bought the house? When?”

“This morning,” Tessa said. “It’s not official yet, but I have a verbal agreement with the current owner. Honeysuckle Hollow will be mine.”

“Trudy.” Crazy Kate hissed the name as though it burned her tongue.

“How do you know Mrs. Steele?” Tessa asked.

Crazy Kate’s thin fingers rolled into her palms, and she clenched her fists. “I won’t let you tear down that house.”

“I have no plans to tear down Honeysuckle Hollow, but why is the house so important to you?”

“For reasons you would never care about,” Crazy Kate said.

Tessa shook her head. “It’s just an old spear with carvings. It’s ludicrous for me to believe it’s the reason they couldn’t tear down Honeysuckle Hollow. The bulldozer wasn’t working the first day, and the second day was because of the foggy weather.”

Crazy Kate tossed an exasperated expression at Tessa. “And what caused the weather? You don’t think the weather protected the house?”

Tessa made a scoffing noise in her throat.

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