Thirty and a Half Excuses: Rose Gardner Mystery (Volume 3) by Denise Grover Swank

Author:Denise Grover Swank
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781484976838
Publisher: CreateSpace
Published: 2013-09-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

I spent the rest of the drive stewing over the mess that had become my life. Jonah Pruitt, Violet, and all my unresolved issues with Joe. I didn’t know how to resolve any of them, which made me feel even worse.

When I turned down my street, I gasped. Joe’s car was parked in my driveway.

He was home.

I tried to settle the raging butterflies in my stomach. Could he be done with his assignment?

But when I pulled into the driveway and saw his face, my stomach balled into a lump that weighed ten pounds. He was sitting on my front porch waiting for me. And he didn’t look happy.

I opened my door and climbed out as he came down the porch steps. “Joe, I know you were upset—”

Before I could finish my sentence, his arms were around my waist, pulling me to his chest as his mouth found mine. I reached for his face, holding him close in case he changed his mind.

But he covered my hands with his and lifted his head, searching my eyes. “I don’t care about the stupid truck, Rose. I only care about you. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too. I could have waited, but—”

He kissed me again, long and deep, letting me know exactly how much he’d missed me. “No more talk about this mess. I only have a few hours, and I don’t want to ruin it.”

My heart seized. “You’re not done with your job?”

He shook his head. “Not yet, darlin’, but we’re close. I had a break for the afternoon, and I drove straight here when I found out. I tried calling you, but you weren’t answering your cell phone.” He took in my dress. “Where’ve you been?”

“Church. How long have you been here?” I hated that I’d missed a single minute with him, especially after what I’d been through.

“Not that long. Maybe fifteen minutes. Since when did you start goin’ to church?”

“This morning was a one-time thing I hope to never repeat. I’ll tell you about it later.” I pressed my lips to his. “I can think of something better to do with our time.”

Joe grinned. “Then why are we still outside?” He lifted me up so that I straddled his waist, pulling the back of my dress down to cover my behind.

I giggled, swatting his shoulder “Joe, what are you doing? I’m about to flash the neighbors.”

“I’ve let Mildred down by not giving her a show. I plan on making up for it.”

“Well, it’s all for nothin’. She’s not home yet. She was at church too.”

His eyebrows lifted, a suspicious look covering his face. “You and Mildred were at church together?”

“It was sort of a coincidence. Let’s leave it at that.”

Joe didn’t look convinced, but he must have decided he’d rather focus on his conjugal visit because he climbed the steps, still holding me like I weighed nothing until he reached the front door. Then he slid me down his front while he pushed through the door. Muffy followed behind him, jumping up on my legs and wanting to be petted.

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