Read Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 05 - Life Between the Lines Online

Authors: Diane Greenwood Muir

Tags: #Mystery: Cozy - Friendship - Iowa

Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 05 - Life Between the Lines (30 page)

BOOK: Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 05 - Life Between the Lines
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Polly looked up and discovered that everyone was staring at her. Sal had removed her mask and was standing beside Mark. All of her friends were there, some looking at her with concern, others in amazement.

She stood up. “I’m fine, everyone. Please. You came here to have a good time. We’ve had a little bit of extra entertainment this evening, but I believe it is all over now. Sylvie cooked a wonderful dinner for you, the music is beautiful, the room is decorated and you all look fabulous.”

As some of them turned away, she said, “Oh, and in this story I’m the heroine and Henry is my hero. That’s the way it will be told, okay?” She laughed and pulled Henry to her for a kiss and the room applauded.

“You are my hero, Henry Sturtz,” she said out loud and then whispered into his ear, “and don’t you ever do something that stupid again!”

He kissed her lips and refused to release her until he felt her melt, then he pulled her close. “I will always step in front of a bullet for you, so if you never want that to happen again, you have to be smarter than you were this evening.”

“No guarantees,” Polly grinned.

“Then you will always have to worry about how I’m going to protect you.”

He tugged her in to him, squeezing her as tightly as he could.

“I can’t breathe,” she gasped.

“I don’t care. I don’t want to let you go.”

“Just a little bit so I can breathe, please.”

He released her and she saw Genie and Kevin Campbell standing there with Ben Seafold.

“I’m sorry I missed all of the excitement, Polly.” Ben said. “I hear you two are heroes.”

“Where did you go?” she asked.

“I’d gotten a call from Miss Dormand asking me to meet her in my room. She told me she wanted to discuss coming to work for me since she had experience with Thomas and his books. I had no idea that she was just getting me away from the Campbells.”

Genie Campbell stepped forward, “Meeting you has certainly given my heart a workout, Polly, but I wouldn’t change any of it.”

Kevin interrupted. “I might change the whole having-a-gun-waved-in-my-face thing.”

“Now that it’s all over, you’ll come up with a wonderful story to tell about the evening,” his wife laughed, swatting him in the arm. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so frightened. Thank you for stepping in, Miss Giller. Even if all you did was distract her, you were wonderful. And Miss Fletcher, you have some amazing moves! It was like something out of a movie!”

“I wasn’t nearly as frightened as the rest of you. The Sheriff was too far away to see that the safety was on. The poor girl had no idea. We were
safe, but rather than give her a chance to do anything stupid, while Polly was attempting to talk her down, I decided I could make a bit of a scene and bring the whole thing to an end. I’m glad it worked out for all of you. Thomas told me that he had found you and it made him very happy to see that your family had grown. He was planning to contact you soon, but was still trying to figure out how to tell you that everything was okay.”

Lydia interrupted, “Miss Fletcher? My husband would like to speak with you.” She handed the woman her telephone and Lila walked away.

She returned and handed the phone back to Lydia. “I need to go down to Boone. I will only be here for a few more days, Polly. Thank you for your hospitality.”

Ben grinned as he watched her leave. “That’s how I know her! She’s been around before as a body guard. I’ve seen her at Literary Conventions. Whaddya know. She’s kind of hot stuff!”

He escorted the Campbells back to their table and Polly sat down again.

Sal dropped into a chair beside her. “How ya doin’ Giller?”

“I’m exhausted. Adrenaline wiped me out,” Polly said. “I see you found your dashing veterinarian.”

Sal grinned and lowered her fangs, then retracted them. “I surprised him. He didn’t know it was me until you were in the hallway. Everyone was taking off their masks and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. It was perfect. I’m going home with him tonight. I think I’m going to test these babies out.” She snapped the fangs down and back up again.

“You’re twisted,” Polly said. “Have fun!”

Henry took Sal’s seat when she left to go b
ack to Mark. “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

“I should be taking care of you! You’re the one who got up on his white charger for me tonight.”

“What if we just sit here for a while and let the party happen around us.” He scooted his chair closer to hers and pulled her into his arms. “I think I want to hold onto you a little more.”

“I like that. We can eat tomorrow.” She looked around the room. People were talking to each other and eating at their tables. Some were dancing and every once in a while someone would sneak a quick peek at her.

“Does it seem odd to you that my friends take an evening like this in stride?” she asked. “One minute they’re dancing and having a good time, and in the next minute a lunatic is waving a gun around the room. Once the craziness dies down, they all go back to eating and dancing, just like it never happened.”

“I’m afraid they might be getting used to you living in Bellingwood. If they’re going to be friends with you, anything could happen.”

“Are you used to it? Because I’m sure not.”

“I don’t know if that’s what I’d call it, but I’m doing my best not to be surprised at what happens when you’re in the room.”

Polly kissed him again. “I love you, Henry Sturtz. Thank you for being my hero.”

THANK YOU FOR READING!

 

I’m so glad you enjoy these stories about Polly Giller and her
friends. There are many ways to stay in touch with Diane and the Bellingwood community.

 

You can find more details about Sycamore House and Bellingwood at the website:
http://nammynools.com/

 

Join the Bellingwood Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pollygiller

for news about upcoming books, conversations while I’m writing and you’re reading, and a continued look at life in a small town.

 

Diane Greenwood Muir’s
Amazon Author Page
is a great place to watch for new releases.

 

Follow Diane on Twitter at
twitter.com/nammynools
for regular updates and notifications.

 

Recipes and decorating ideas found in the books can often be found on Pinterest at:
http://pinterest.com/nammynools/

 

And, if you are looking for Sycamore House swag, check out Polly’s CafePress store:
http://www.cafepress.com/sycamorehouse

BOOK: Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 05 - Life Between the Lines
9.71Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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