Sweets Galore: The Sixth Samantha Sweet Mystery (The Samantha Sweet Mysteries) (6 page)

“Tonight we’re meeting for dinner
at a place Beau and I really like. Everyone has directions to get there,” she
said. “And right now I’m going to take you over to Zoë’s bed and breakfast.
Daddy, you can follow me over there, then I’ll get back to work while y’all get
settled in.”
Oh, god. Ten minutes with
them and I’m speaking Texan again.

Sam led the way with her bakery
van covered in the decal motif that made it look like a big box of pastries.
Zoë was waiting for them and showed the parents to her best room. She suggested
that they freshen up if they’d like and then she would serve tea and show them
around the place, including the garden where the ceremony would take place.

“How do you manage to anticipate
her questions before she even asks?” Sam said as she and Zoë parted at the back
door.

Zoë tugged at the tunic top she
wore over a flowered broomstick skirt. “I’ve hosted many moms of many brides. I
had a little clue what she would be after.”

“Daddy might want a nap before
dinner,” Sam suggested, “so if you could keep Mother entertained for a little
while . . .”

“No problem. Before she knows it
she’ll be helping me make flower arrangements for the tables.”

Sam hugged Zoë and thanked her. As
she drove away she let out a long breath. One hour with her parents and she was
tired already.

Chapter
5

A deep azure sky set off the gold
cottonwood leaves, rendered more brilliant by the low afternoon sun. Sam headed
toward her old house—Kelly’s now—almost on automatic pilot, but feeling the
urgency of her mission. She hit the speed dial for Rupert.

“Are you busy?”

“Sweetie, I just typed ‘The End’
on my newest and I’m ready to chill.”

“I’m on my way to the house. I
need to find out if all my half-eaten meals and calorie consciousness helped.
Can you come by and do another zipper check?”

“I’ll be there in ten.”

Sam let herself in and went
straight to her old bedroom where the dress hung on a padded hanger from the
top of the closet door. She ran her fingers appreciatively over the beautiful
fabric and envisioned herself stately and slender in it. She got the stately
part down fine but slender still eluded her. On top of her dresser the carved
wooden box containing her jewelry sat like a dull lump. If things had feelings
Sam would swear it was miffed that she hadn’t yet moved it to her new home.

She walked over and ran her hand
across the top of the quilt-patterned carving. The wood immediately lightened
and warmed slightly to her touch. A knock at the back door startled her and she
turned away.

“Yoo-hoo? Sam?” came Rupert’s
voice.

“In here,” she called out. “Give
me just a minute.” She pulled off her bakery attire and stepped into the silk and
lace confection. Easing the cap sleeves up to her shoulders, she called Rupert
to join her.

“What do you think?” she asked
after he’d pulled the zipper up as far as it would go.

“A good foundation garment and ten
more pounds, and this thing will
glide
up,” he said.

“Ten pounds? I’ve got less than
three days and we’re going out to dinner tonight.”

“There’s still that spa in Santa
Fe.”

“No time for that,
Rupe
. I’m doing good to stay above water as it is. Kelly
still needs more training on the houses, my parents are here, the rest of the
family are arriving all day tomorrow, and my cake is less than half ready.”

“Minnie Rodrigues is good with
alterations, but she’ll need some time.”

Sam closed her eyes, debating and
picturing herself running at full speed for the next three days. “I think I can
manage the ten pounds.”

Rupert unzipped the dress. “I know
you will.” He grazed a kiss on her cheek and told her to call him if she
changed her mind. He offered to put Minnie on alert in case it was a
last-minute thing. Wishing Sam luck with her mother, he left.

Sam gazed at the wooden box again,
that mysterious little artifact that had been placed in her hands by a supposed
bruja
, the
old woman on her deathbed telling Sam that the box would help her in many ways.
Including giving me the serenity to cope
with all my relatives?

She picked it up and hugged it to
the bodice of her wedding dress, imagining the remainder of the week and this
weekend going without a hitch. As the wood warmed Sam found herself calming.
Everything would work out fine.

She took a deep breath and set the
box on the bed, slipped out of the dress and put her clothes back on. It seemed
that her slacks buttoned more easily than they had this morning. She stared at
the box.

Nah. No way.

Out in the van Sam set the wooden
box on the passenger seat and thought of the attorney in New York. What was she
going to do about that?

Kelly’s little red car pulled in
beside the van and Sam powered down the window long enough to tell her daughter
to have a good time. At dinner. With Jake. Although Sam felt a momentary pang
at sharing with the newly discovered father, she put a smile on and hoped Kelly
didn’t see her misgivings.

She arrived home to find Beau’s
Explorer parked beside the house but no sign of him or the dogs outside. The
barn was closed up and the horses were grazing contentedly at the far end of
the pasture. She gathered her belongings and went inside to be greeted
enthusiastically by the border collie.

“Hey, Nellie, how’s the girl?” Sam
ruffled the dog’s coat and noticed that Beau had left the attorney’s letter on
an end table. She headed upstairs to put the wooden box in a safe spot and
change her clothes.

At the head of the stairs she
caught the scent of soap and a steamy shower. Beau emerged as Sam was studying
her side of the closet for something to wear to dinner.

“I got some background on that
attorney, the one who sent the letter,” Beau said, toweling his hair dry. “The
firm is legit and Clinton Hardgate has been licensed to practice in New York
since 1968. They specialize in estates and wills, and have agreements in place
with other firms around the world where estate matters involve parties in
different countries. I was able to get that much from public records. When I
spoke to Hardgate himself he confirmed that they work with a legal firm in
Galway, but he will only give the particulars of your inheritance directly to
you. Which makes sense. I’m glad to see he’s careful about such things. All you
have to do is call him. Said he’ll be at his office until eight o’clock
tonight, or all day tomorrow.”

Sam thought about all of it while
she showered and pulled on a dressy pair of slacks and one of her favorite
blouses. It was still only five-thirty, so she dialed the number on the
letterhead and pressed the extension that Beau had obtained directly to
Hardgate’s
line.

“I was shocked to get your
letter,” she said after introducing herself. “I had no idea there was an uncle
in Ireland.”

“Well, if you are the Samantha
Sweet who was born in
Cottonville
, Texas, Terrance
O’Shaughnessy was your uncle. You’ve verified the other information I have in
my files, and based on that I’m authorized to cover airfare and hotel for
yourself and a companion. Of course, you’ll have to present yourself at the
offices of Ryan and O’Connor in Galway and show your identification, etcetera,
before you’ll receive anything more than the travel expenses.”

“Do you have any idea what the
inheritance consists of? Not that it matters a lot, but I’m puzzled. Why me?”

“Apparently, Mr. O’Shaughnessy was
married but had no children. He planned to divide his estate among the children
of his nieces, choosing one from each branch of the family. Unfortunately, your
aunt, Lily
Bowlin
, never had children. I’m not clear
on how the choice was made, but now it appears you are the sole heir.”

This news probably wouldn’t go
over well with her sister, Rayleen. Sam decided not to mention the possibility
of money until she knew more about the whole situation. For all she knew the
inheritance might consist of something equivalent to the wooden box she’d
gotten from Bertha Martinez, a gift that Rayleen would find useless and, in her
words, tacky.

Hardgate continued: “The airline
reservation is flexible. I simply chose a date randomly, but you can change
that. I only need your passport numbers and full names. And I will contact Ryan
and O’Connor, who will finalize all other arrangements in Galway for you.”

Sam realized they were running
late to pick up her parents and promised to get back to him with the
information within a day.

“You’re right about the letter
being genuine,” she said to Beau as they walked out to his Explorer. “So, what
do you think about changing our honeymoon plans and going to Ireland instead?
Air and hotel all paid. And who knows what this mysterious inheritance might
be?”

“Maybe a big fat bank account, so
we can both retire early.” He chuckled as he turned onto the road.

“Maybe a smaller bank account, but
we could still do some traveling?”

“Maybe a title—do they have dukes
and earls and such in Ireland?”

“Maybe a castle!” She let her eyes
light up at the outlandish thought.

“Most likely it’s a vacation to
Ireland and some kind of memento like a lucky shamrock.”

“Which wouldn’t be so bad either,”
she said. “Just FYI, let’s don’t say anything about any inheritance until we
find out what’s involved. Hardgate said something about this uncle making a
choice from among all the nieces on Mother’s side of the family. I’d hate to
think about there being a big catfight over the leaves of some lucky clover.”

Beau took a shortcut that avoided
the tourist traffic around the plaza and pulled into the front parking area at
Zoë and Darryl’s place. They went inside, where Sam found her mother wearing a
fresh outfit, a purple dress in some crepe-like fabric. Her dad was chatting
with Darryl about the price of two-by-four lumber these days.

“Are you sure you guys won’t join
us all for dinner?” Sam asked Zoë, even though she already knew the answer
before Zoë shook her head.

Nina Rae piped up: “We’ve spoken
with Bessie and Chub, and they’re going to meet us at this place. I warned them
it isn’t going to be Tex-Mex.”

Beau laughed. “Not around here, it
won’t. I hope everyone is up for authentic New Mexican food.”

He placed a gentlemanly hand on
Nina Rae’s elbow and the group headed for his vehicle. At the restaurant Bessie
and Chub were standing in the vestibule of the converted Spanish hacienda,
staring at the paintings and sculpture by local artists.

Bessie, a quintessentially
well-mannered Southern woman with a petite build, short blond hair and a
sparkle in her blue eyes, greeted Sam with a warm hug. Her husband, Charles,
looked more like Sam’s dad every year. Although he’d shed the nickname Chub in
the outside world, the family had never quite dropped it. He stood quietly
aside until the women finished their exclamations and Sam finally introduced
him to Beau. By the ready smile that lit Beau’s face, she knew these two would
hit it off well.

“So, is this all of our group for
tonight?” Howard asked.

“I bet I’ve said this a
hundred
times, Howard,” said Nina Rae.
“Lily and Buster and Wilhelmina will be coming in tomorrow. Rayleen and Joe Bob
and the kids can’t get away until Thursday night but they’re driving straight
on through and will get here Friday by noon.” She turned to the rest of the
group. “
Ya’ll
aren’t going to believe how those
grandsons
of mine have
grown
.”

Luis, their favorite waiter at
Casa Benito, escorted them through a courtyard where petunias still bloomed in
profuse clumps of purple and pink and water trickled down a stack of artfully
arranged rocks into a small fishpond. He showed them to a table in a private
room with windows overlooking the garden. Once assured that everyone was seated
he took orders for beverages. Nina Rae, seated across from Sam, reiterated her
warning—a little under her breath—that the food wouldn’t be their usual Texas
versions of Mexican food. Sam noticed that even Bessie nodded a little
impatiently.

“Mother,” Sam said after their
food orders had been taken and the others had started a conversation at their
end of the long table, “I just heard that we had an uncle in Ireland. I never
knew that.”

“Well, I’m sure I’d told you about
him. Terrance. Mother used to call him Uncle Terry when Lily and I were
children. I remember him visiting us at the farm once. Gosh, I must have been
only about seven or so. Lily was a baby, I’m sure of it.”

“So you never really knew him,
personally?”

“When we were just little bitty,
they used to send us little Irish gifts at Christmas. He and Aunt Maggie.” Nina
Rae rolled her eyes upward, thinking. “Maggie must have passed on more than
twenty-five years ago. Uncle Terry was actually younger than she was, I
believe.”

“But you hadn’t heard from him in
recent years?” Sam asked.

Nina Rae shook her head. “Not a
word.”

Their food arrived and the
conversation turned to tastes and comparisons. Sam found herself intrigued by
this unknown uncle and what his life must have been like. She’d ordered a
simple bowl of chile stew and took her time spooning it up, trying to make
herself feel full by imagining how her dress needed to fit. By the time the
sopapillas
with honey arrived for dessert, she managed to
pass the basket along to Beau without feeling tempted by them.
Almost
not tempted.

When she noticed her father
stifling a yawn she suggested that they make it an early evening. No one
disagreed, and they said goodnight to Bessie and Chub outside in the parking
lot, then took her parents back to Zoë’s.