Derby Divas (Zoe Donovan Mystery) (21 page)

“Absolutely. I’ll get you all set up in one of the guest rooms.”

I looked toward where
Bella and Charlie were napping in the shade. I was glad Tiffany had volunteered. Ellie would have been happy to do it, but with her working all day, I was worried that Bella would get lonely.

“Any time you need a house sitter
, I’m your girl,” Tiffany assured me.

“Zak and I may have to go to Ireland after the holidays. You know he started that new company?”

“I’d heard. Is it going well?”

“
Really well, although there’ll be a fair amount of travel, and I’ll feel better about tagging along if I know that Bella and the cats are well tended to.”

“Count me in,” Tiffany
said enthusiastically.

“It looks like my mom is waving at me to come over and talk with her parents before they leave,” I informed Tiffany.

“Leave? The reception just got started.”

I looked to
ward the stodgy couple dressed in black. They looked like they were dressed to attend a funeral, not an outdoor wedding. I suspected their choice of dress had been intentional. They’d never approved of my dad and were the people behind my mother leaving me with him in the first place.

“Yeah, well
, they really aren’t as thrilled about the marriage as everyone else. In fact, I’m surprised they came at all.”

“You aren’t close
to your grandparents?” Tiffany frowned.

“We don’t really know each other,” I
said. “I met them a few times when I was a child, but the only real memory I have of our time together is being terrified that I’d do something wrong.”

“Wow. That’s
too bad.”

“Yeah. I guess that not having a relationship with their granddaughters is their choice.”

“Well, they’re the ones missing out. You’re both awesome.”

“Yeah
.” I smiled. “We are.”

After I said my good
-byes to my grandparents and watched them drive away in their huge limo, I went in search of the grandparent who loved me and
had
been part of my life. Pappy was talking to Nick, Hazel, and a couple of other members of our book club. He smiled and put an arm around me when I walked over to join them. He knows that the fact that my mother’s parents don’t seem to care a bit about me hurts me, even though I try to tell myself it doesn’t. Unlike the Montgomerys, Pappy has been a loving part of my everyday life from the day Mom dropped me off on Dad’s doorstep.

“So who
’s the girl with Levi?” Pappy asked.

Nick and Hazel seemed interested in the answer as well.

“Her name is Darla. She moved to Ashton Falls to work with Serenity after Barbie left town.”

“Another yoga instructor?” Hazel asked with a
look of disapproval. “Didn’t that boy learn his lesson with the last one?”

I shrugged. “I guess he likes them bendy
, and Darla seems nice. She has the whole serene-lover-of-all-living-things vibe going on like Serenity, rather than the sexy-lover-of-all-men vibe Barbie had. They haven’t been dating long, so who knows if the relationship will amount to anything, but so far I like her.”

“I guess you heard about the debacle with the Haunted Hamlet,” Hazel
said, changing the subject.

“Debacle? What debacle?”

I was in charge of the event this year and didn’t want anything to interfere with my time away with Zak. The Haunted Hamlet was still almost two months away, but I knew from past experience what a huge time suck the events we sponsored could be if even one little thing went wrong.

“It’s not the haunted maze?” I groaned.
The landowner who’d let us use his field last year had complained about the noise and damage.

“No
, not the maze. The haunted barn,” Hazel informed me.

“What?”
The haunted barn had been held in the same deserted barn since I was a child.

“
The property was sold as part of an estate sale and the new owner is using the barn as an actual home for his livestock. We’ll need to find another venue.”

That wasn’t going to be easy. It wasn’t like there were a lot of deserted buildings around town. The barn had been perfect. The fact that i
t was old and deserted gave the event an authentic feel.

“Any ideas?” I asked.

“Not a one.” Hazel confirmed what I already expected.

“
We could just decorate the community center,” Nick suggested.

We could. A lot of towns did just that
, but somehow I didn’t think that a dressed-up community center would provide the spook factor the barn had.

“Don’t worry
.” Pappy put his arm around me. “We have time to figure something out. For now, you should enjoy the reception.”

I looked
over at Mom and Dad, who were talking to Jeremy, Jessica, and Rosalie. Mom was holding Harper, who was laughing at the funny faces Rosalie was making. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was part of a
real
family.

“We did it.” Zak walked up behind me
and grabbed me around the waist. He pulled me to a location behind a grove of trees where no one could see us. He wrapped me in his arms and kissed my neck.

“Yeah
.” I turned and wrapped my arms around his waist. “We really did.”

Zak tucked a stray lock of my hair behind my ear with the index finger of his right hand.

“It’s been a very nice day, but I can’t wait to get you alone,” he whispered in my ear.

“Everyone should be
gone in a few hours.”

“I wasn’t talking about today,” Zak clarified. “I was talking about our trip. Just you,” he kissed my lips, “and me,” he kissed me again, “in a house by the sea.”

I giggled at his lame attempt at poetry, but I agreed with the sentiment. I couldn’t wait to get Zak alone with no interruptions.

“Tiffany is going to stay at you
r house with Bella and the cats,” I informed him.

“Sounds good
.” Zak gently kissed my neck.

“You know that I love you.”

“I love you too.” He moved his lips around to the back.

“It seems that Ellie
has settled into the boathouse,” I added.

“Um
m,” Zak replied as he lowered his lips just a bit.

“I’ve been thinking about it
, and I was wondering if you’d been okay with me moving some more of my stuff over here.”

Zak lifted his head
and smiled.

“
You know you’re welcome to bring anything you’d like. What were you thinking?”

“All of it.”

Zak grinned. “Really?”

“Really,
” I screeched as he lifted me into his arms.

“Does this mean what I think it means?” Zak looked into my eyes as he held me against his chest.

“That you’re going to get stuck living with a crazy woman.”

Zak
grinned. “I’ve been dreaming of crazy since the moment I met crazy.”

4 cups
mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 chicken breast
s, cooked, cubed, and tossed with Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce

1 can artichoke hearts
, diced (approx. 14 oz.)

1 can spinach (approx. 14 oz
.)

g
rated Parmesan cheese

For each serving
:

I large flour tortilla toasted (I put it on
a sandwich grill, but you can toast in oven)

Cover with:

2
tbsp. alfredo sauce (you can use more or less per your taste)

1
cup mozzarella cheese

½ prepared
chicken breast

¼
can artichoke hearts

¼
can spinach, squeezed of excess liquid

Sprinkle with grated
Parmesan to taste

Bake in 350-degree oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and toppings are heated.

Two variations for twice the fun
!

Traditional Chicken and Rice

Combine:

1½ cups Minute rice

2 cans mushroom soup

2 soup cans of milk

2 packets of onion soup mix

Pour into greased 9
" x 13" baking dish. Place 3–4 chicken breasts on top. Cover with foil.

Bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Combine:

1½ cups Minute rice

1 can cheddar cheese soup

1 jar alfredo sauce

1 soup can of milk

Pour into greased 9
" x 13" baking dish. Place 3–4 chicken breasts on top. Cover with foil.

Bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes.

Note: sometimes I spread shredded cheddar over the top after I remove foil.

4 chicken breasts, cubed

Sauté in olive oil until chicken is cooked through.

Add:

1 onion, diced

2 carrots
, diced

2 stalks celery
, diced

2 cloves
garlic, diced

Sauté until veggies are tender.

Add to chicken mixture:

2 cans Great Northern White Beans

1 can chicken broth

2 cans diced Ortega Green Chilis

1 tsp
. salt

1 tsp
. cumin

1 tsp
. oregano

1 tsp
. pepper

1 tsp
. cayenne pepper (or more if you like it hot)

Cook over medium heat until warm

Stir in:

1 cup sour cream

½ cup heavy whipping cream

Heat for a few more minutes

Serve with tortillas
.

Sauté in small amount of olive oil:

1 bell pepper, diced

1 onion
, diced

2 cloves garlic
, chopped

Add:

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp
. oregano

2 tsp
. chili powder

Add:

1 tub salsa (I use hot, but you can use mild)

1 15 oz
. can black beans, drained

Cook on medium heat until warm

Serve with rice and tortillas.

Anyone who has ever gone camping has probably made a hobo pack. There are as many variations as there are people making them. Basically
, you place your meat and veggies in a large piece of heavy-duty foil and then place the foil in the coals of a hot-burning wood or charcoal fire. You can make many different variations, but my favorite is the basic meat and potato kind.