2 Heroes & Hooligans in Goose Pimple Junction (49 page)
Honey dove in front of Ima Jean and caught one bouquet, and Butterbean jumped straight up in the air and caught the other one.
“Uh-oh,” Johnny said. “That girl is gonna be trouble, I can tell.”
“Johnny, why don’t you make your announcement now,” Martha Maye suggested, pulling on his sleeve.
“Okay. I’d like to announce that Butterbean will not be dating until she reaches the age of thirty.”
Everyone laughed and Martha Maye nudged him. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
He took a deep breath and blew it out. “Okay, Mrs. Butterfield, here goes.” He kissed her, then clapped his hands together. “‘Scuse me, everyone.”
Ima Jean put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. Now all eyes were on Johnny.
“I have an announcement to make. I want everybody to know that not only do I love Martha Maye, but I love our daughter, too, and I’m going to be such a proud father.”
A table of church ladies gasped, and one of them said, “Oh law, Martha Maye’s with child.”
Johnny’s face flushed bright red, and he quickly said, “No, I don’t mean that. No, no, no, no, no!”
“Well, what
do
you mean, boy?” Clive said. “Spit it out.”
“What I mean to say is, in about a month it will be all legal—I’m adopting Butterbean.”
Everyone looked at Butterbean, who looked stunned.
“What’s the matter, Butterbean? I thought that would make you happy,” Martha Maye said, rubbing her daughter’s back.
“Well,” Butterbean gulped. “I am happy. It’s just . . . it’s just . . . ”
“What? What is it, Bean?” Johnny asked, grabbing her hands and kneeling in front of her, his face full of concern.
“My name. Everybody’s going to call me Butterbean Butterfield.”
I am so thankful for my first readers: Liz Metz, Robert Hoffman, Carmen Pacheco, and Tim Mallory. Their suggestions, enthusiasm, and support were vital to the finished product.
Thank you to my editor, Lindsey Alexander, for polishing the manuscript and cleaning up my mistakes, and to my proofreader, Ellen Mansoor Collier, who caught the nits.
Thank you to John Charles Gibbs, who allowed me to use his painting,
Southern Home
(©
www.gibbsgallery.com
), for the cover art. His Southern home perfectly matched my vision of Martha Maye’s house.
I’m grateful to know Emily Mah Tippetts of E.M. Tippetts Book Designs. Her help in designing the book covers and formatting the books kept me from going crazy. Thank you, Emily.
Thank you to Tricia Drammeh and Ellen Mansoor Collier for their friendship and for saving me money on mental health bills.
Thank you to my sons Jake and Michael and my daughter-in-law Liz for their love and support. There’s never been a day when they were hooligans. Well, maybe one or two, but they’ve more than made up for it. As I said at the beginning of the book, they are my heroes.
Finally, thank you to the readers of this book. I am honored that you spent your money and time on my work. If you liked the book, I hope you will consider leaving a review online.
If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll check out book one in the series,
Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction.
And watch for
Rogues & Rascals in Goose Pimple Junction
, coming soon.
Amy Metz taught first grade before her sons, Jake and Michael, came along. Being their mom was her dream job, but now that they are grown, her new dream is to write books. When she’s not writing, Amy loves photography, baking, reading, and sweet tea. She spends her days in Goose Pimple Junction and her nights in Louisville, Kentucky. Online you can find her at her blog,
A Blue Million Books
, and her
website
. She can be reached at:
[email protected]
and would love to hear from you.
Visit Amy at:
This is a work of fiction. All names and characters are either invented or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 Amy Metz
All rights reserved.
Published by Southern Ink Press, an imprint of Blue Publications, 2014.
1st Edition
2
nd
volume in the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series.
Printed in the United States of America
Cover by John Charles Gibbs. Image © www.gibbsgallery.com
Cover design and Interior design and formatting by E.M. Tippets Book Designs
SUMMARY: Life is once again turned upside down for the residents of Goose Pimple Junction with the arrival of hooligans in the form of a philandering husband intent on getting his wife back, another murderer loose in town, a stalker intent on frightening Martha Maye, and a thief who’s stealing the town blind. The new chief of police has his hands full trying to fight crime and his feelings for a woman in need of a hero.
ISBN-13: 978-0989714044
ISBN-10: 0989714047
Table of Contents
