3 Bodies and a Biscotti (11 page)
Read 3 Bodies and a Biscotti Online
Authors: Leighann Dobbs
Tags: #Mystery: Cozy - Bakery - Amateur Sleuths
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla extract together in a large bowl.
Add the lemon zest to the egg mixture and mix well.
In a smaller bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together.
Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture.
Let the dough sit for 5 minutes.
Divide the dough into two balls. Roll the balls to be the length of a cookie sheet.
Put the rolls on the cookie sheet and press down to about 1/2” thick.
Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.
Let them cool for about 5 minutes, then slice them into 1” slices. Put the slices cut side up on the cookie sheet and cook for another 10 − 15 minutes until golden brown.
For added pizzaz, you can melt chocolate and dip one end of each cookie in the chocolate after they have cooled completely.
Thanks so much for reading my cozy mystery “
3 Bodies and a Biscotti
”.
I hope you liked reading it as much as I loved writing it.
If you did, and feel inclined to leave a review over at Amazon, I really would appreciate it.
This is book four of the Lexy Baker series, you can find the rest of the books on my website, or over at Amazon if you want to read more of Lexy’s and Nans’s adventures.
Also, if you like contemporary humorous romance, you might like my book “
Reluctant Romance
” which has lots of romance, suspense, conflict and even a couple of dogs.
I have an excerpt from it at the end of this book.
This book has been through many edits with several people and even some software programs, but since nothing is infallible (even the software programs) you might catch a spelling error or mistake and, if you do, I sure would appreciate it if you let me know - you can contact me at
[email protected]
.
Oh, and I love to connect with my readers so please do visit me on facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/leighanndobbsbooks
or at my website
http://www.leighanndobbs.com
.
Are you signed up to get notifications of my latest releases and special contests?
Go to:
http://www.leighanndobbs.com/newsletter
and enter your email address to signup - I promise never to share it and I only send emails every couple of weeks so I won’t fill up your inbox.
Leighann Dobbs lives in New Hampshire with her husband, their trusty Chihuahua mix Mojo and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty. She likes to write romance and cozy mystery novelettes perfect for the busy person on the go. These stories are great for someone who doesn't have a lot of time for reading a full novel. Why not pick one up and escape to another time and place the next time you are waiting for an appointment, enjoying a bath or waiting to pick up the kids at soccer?
Find out about her latest books and how to get her next book for free by signing up at:
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http://facebook.com/leighanndobbsbooks
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More Books By This Author:
Contemporary
Romance
* * *
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Lexy Baker
Cozy Mystery Series
* * *
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Dobbs “Fancytales”
Regency Romance Fairytales Series
* * *
###
Excerpt From Reluctant Romance:
Risa Kennedy felt a jolt of panic. Her office was too neat. Too organized. She glanced up at the clock.
He’d be here in ten minutes
.
Pulling papers from her inbox file, she spread them around the normally bare desk surface. She opened a folder, fanned some of the papers out, then shuffled them into a messy pile.
Much better.
“What are you doing?” Risa’s assistant, Meredith, appeared in the doorway, her eyebrows mashed together.
“Just a little rearranging…you know, for the
visit
.”
Her voice took on an air of doom when she said the word
visit
.
“Oh, that.”
Meredith came into the room and plopped herself into the guest chair, ankles demurely crossed. She reached down to pet Bailey, Risa’s golden retriever mix, who napped contentedly under the desk. “Do you think they’ll restaff if the acquisition goes through?”
Risa’s heart clenched. The proposed acquisition was the reason she had been messing up her office. The company, Healthy-Pet, had been founded by her father fifteen years ago. Risa had reluctantly taken over the helm after her mother’s death two years ago. Now her father wanted to sell out to a big conglomerate so he could spend his days traveling and golfing.
“Merry, there might not even be an acquisition.”
At least not if I can help it.
“
Well, that
is
why Connor Dunn is coming here, right?
To evaluate the company for a buy-out?
”
Risa turned to face her assistant. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal. I hear he is ruthless when it comes to business, so if he doesn’t like what he sees…”
She shrugged, spreading her arms to indicate the messy desk.
Meredith tapped the end of her pencil against her lips. “I also hear he is quite a looker…and available.”
She wiggled her eyebrows.
Images from Risa’s childhood flooded her memory. She had known Connor back then. The Dunn family had moved away when she was eleven. She still remembered the sweet, shy boy he had been. Now he was a greedy corporate executive and rumored to be a playboy with a different model on his arm every night. She had no intention of getting to know the grown-up Connor Dunn; in fact, the less time she spent with him, the better.
“That may be, but my job is merely to show him the different facets of the company and pray I can somehow get him to change his father’s mind about buying it.”
Meredith got up from her chair. “Well, I’d better get to my station so I can welcome the Dunn entourage when they arrive.”
She walked over to the door, then turned to look back at Risa. “Good luck.”
Risa nodded. Moving over to the bookshelf, she pulled a few of the books out of place so the rows weren’t quite so even.
Under Risa’s desk, Bailey made snoring sounds. She bent down to pet the dog. Healthy-Pet was focused on pet wellness. Everyone in the company had pets and loved animals. One of the key benefits employees enjoyed was being able to bring their pets to work as long as they behaved. Risa felt another stab through her heart as she realized a big corporation would probably put a stop to that perk.
“Now you be good when Mr. Dunn gets here,” she whispered to Bailey who opened one eye briefly before letting it slowly drift closed again. Bailey was a good judge of character. Normally a mellow dog, she seemed to be able to sense “bad” people and usually made her feelings known by barking or growling at them.
Given what she knew about Connor Dunn, Risa hoped Bailey didn’t charge out from under the desk and bite him. She didn’t doubt he deserved it, but she didn’t want any trouble for Bailey.
The ticking of the clock captured Risa’s attention. It was almost show time. She stood, pushing her unruly auburn hair back behind her ears. Smoothing her tailored black pinstriped skirt, she tucked her gray silk blouse into the waistband.
No, that’s too neat.
Remembering she didn’t want to project her usual meticulous appearance, she bunched her silk shirt up, pulling it out of the waistband a little.
She looked down at her low-slung heels. Sensible and comfortable. She bent one leg. Looking back over her shoulder, she pinched the back of her stockings right at the heel. Pulling the stocking away from her leg, she rammed her thumb through the thin material generating the start of a run.
The waste-basket beside her desk held the remnants of her lunch.
A hamburger and fries. Plucking the stained wrapper from the trash, she put it on the desk. A blob of ketchup on the corner caught her eye. On a whim, she dipped her finger in the ketchup.
Grimacing, she smudged it on the front of her new silk blouse. She felt sick at ruining the expensive shirt, but the ketchup stain did wonders to add to the unorganized and unprofessional look she was going for.
Yep, her messy office, rumpled appearance, and stained shirt were sure to turn Connor Dunn right off. She hoped to make his first impression a bad one. Bad enough to turn him sour on the whole deal. And if that helped to stop the acquisition, then the cost of a
silk shirt was a small price to pay.
Chapter Two
Risa stared at the man standing in her office door with a critical eye. So
this
was what the grownup Connor Dunn looked like in person.
He still had the same blond, wavy hair she remembered from when they were kids. He even still had a boyish charm about him that Risa might have found appealing if she didn’t know that there was nothing boyish or charming about him. Connor Dunn was the enemy.
“Ms. Kennedy, Mr. Dunn here to see you.”
Meredith’s voice broke through her thoughts.
Risa moved toward him extending her hand. “Nice to see you again, Connor.”
Connor grasped her hand in his. She was surprised when she felt a tingle of electricity pass between them.
“It’s my pleasure,” he said.
Risa noticed he still had the slight dimple on his chin and those deep sapphire-blue eyes. She quickly withdrew her hand and looked out into the hallway.
“You’re alone?” She had expected him to travel with a group of
“yes”’ men.
“Yep.” He gave a slight nod.
Risa noticed his eyes stray down to her chest. She felt a burst of angry indignation until her gaze followed his and she realized he wasn’t staring at her ample breasts but at the ketchup stain she had strategically placed on her shirt.
Bailey chose that moment to dart out from behind the desk. Risa felt a jolt of panic, but instead of growling at Connor, Bailey padded over, happily sniffing at his pants.
Risa had to work to keep her mouth from falling open when Connor bent down to gently pet the dog. She wasn’t sure what surprised her more: the fact that Connor liked dogs or the fact that Bailey liked Connor.
Was she overreacting to this whole acquisition?
Surely anyone who liked dogs would want to keep the pet-friendly perks in place. Maybe her worries about losing the company culture she had fostered were all for nothing.
“You allow pets in the office?”
Connor looked up from petting Bailey, his forehead creased in a frown.
Any thoughts she had about how things might work out after all were crushed when she heard his disapproving tone. She straightened her back. “Yes, it’s a benefit we feel helps to retain employees and keep them happy.”
Connor raised one eyebrow and shook his head. Straightening back up, he brushed dog hair from his pants.
“Well, shall we get on with the tour?” he asked.
“Yes. I’ll show you around the offices and the clinic today. Later this week I’ve scheduled some time with Dana in the lab so she can go over our product testing and production process.”
Risa looked down at Bailey who was shifting her eyes from Risa to Connor. “Bailey, stay.” She pointed to the desk, and the dog obediently trotted over, flopping down underneath it.
Connor stepped aside. Putting his arm out, he motioned for Risa to go through the door first.
She slid through the door into the hallway, taking care not to pass too close to Connor who looked amused at her obvious avoidance. She cleared the door then looked back over her shoulder at him.
“This way.” She nodded her head toward the hallway. Connor fell in beside her.
Risa brought him down the various hallways, pointing out the different departments that made up Healthy-Pet and introducing him to some of the people who happened to be in their offices. The company was very small with only thirty-seven employees so the tour didn’t take long.
“It seems pretty informal around here,” Connor said.
Risa figured he was referring to the casual dress and flexible schedules. “Yes, we find people work better when they are comfortable.”
Another thing the big corporation will probably change
.
She felt her stomach getting heavier as they got closer to their final destination: the clinic. The clinic was her pride and joy-her passion. It was also the biggest reason why she opposed the acquisition.
Risa stopped in front of the glass doors. “In here is the clinic.”
