divorced divas 02 - crimped to death (21 page)

Sean said that I saved his life. . .again. I told him not to be so flattered.

I tried to see Donovan before I left the hospital, but since I wasn’t family, they told me I wasn’t allowed to. That didn’t stop Diva Cheri who sweet-talked a young orderly into letting her in to see Donovan. Unfortunately, Donovan had just been released and that was how I had found out he had gotten only a surface wound.

Several times throughout the rest of the night and day, I had tried to call and text him with no response. Eventually, his phone went straight to voicemail. He was ignoring me and I was going to have to give him time. Which meant that when the Divas showed up at my post-emergency room bedtime, they talked me into going with them to the Barn Dance.

The entire day, I had fielded calls about the big shoot out and I was sure I was going to be doing a lot of explaining to more as the night grew.

There was a local four-man band that was up on the stage belting out the latest Tim McGraw songs, which sounded a lot like karaoke to me, but who was I to judge? I was just glad to be alive.

The bundled lights seemed to have gotten untangled and strung all over the barn. There were hay bales strewn all around the edges of the barn and were taken up by people’s rumps. And the bar-b-que pit was a hit, just like always. But the dessert line, provided by Agnes Pearl and Bernadine’s Second Cup, was the hit of the night.

It was true. Bernadine stood to get millions of dollars from the insurance policy that was taken out on Henry and she was planning on donating to a lot of charities, especially the ones that helped children get dental care. It made me proud to see her hard work at Second Cup pay off.

“So you mean to tell me.” Agnes Pearl wore a plaid bandana tied around her neck to go with the theme of the barn. She talked with her hands, “Donovan Scott showed up to save you?”

“Yeah.” Suddenly I was shocked that he found out that I was there. Even more terrifying realization washed over me when I realized the bullet could have killed him. “Can you believe it?”

I looked out into the crowd and took a big sip of my Mason jar tea. It was sweet tea too. I didn’t care about the calories. Life was short and there wasn’t going to be a man in my life anytime soon. Willow was enough.

I let out a sigh and looked down at my little piggy, who was fast asleep by my feet.

Cheri reached over and patted me on the back. I didn’t dare ask if she had talked to Donovan today. I wasn’t prepared to hear the answer.

“How did he know you were there?” Ginger asked a very good question.

For a moment I just stared at her. That was a question I couldn’t answer. I looked around the table at my friends, the ones who had never judged my decisions and stopped at Marlene, the least of Donovan’s fans.

“Fine.” She dug deep in her purse and took out a stick of gum. “He came to the shop saying he was supposed to meet you for dessert at Second Cup. When he was there, Reba came in and wanted to apologize for her behavior.” Marlene tipped her cupped hand up to her mouth like she was drinking. “She said that she got nervous when she saw Patsy in the shop while she was there for her bridal appointment. Then she happened to explain what she had heard from Mrs. McGee and how she told you about it at the decorating committee. Donovan asked her all sorts of questions that I didn’t understand, then he bolted.”

Cheri took a bandana out of her pocket and bent down to tie it around Willow’s neck.

“That must have been when he showed up at the barn. I told him you were talking to Charlie and Charlie said that you went to talk to Patsy.” Ginger replayed the events of the night in her head. “But I don’t know how he got to Henry’s office.”

“I pinged her phone,” Donovan appeared over my shoulder. “I never took the app off my phone and I knew you were in trouble.”

I rose from my seat as if propelled by an explosive force and rushed over to his side. I dared not grab him in fear of him rejecting me. But the fact remained that I wanted to. All the Divas had their faces tilted toward him with a look of satisfaction. Even in a crowd, his presence was compelling.

“I . . .” I mumbled like a little baby. Not sure what to say. Not sure where we had left off. “Thank you. I swear I would have met you if. . .”

“She weren’t locked in the courthouse with me.” Sean walked out of the shadows. “Right, Hol?”

Sean’s jaw tensed visibly as he waited for my answer. His lips parted in a display of straight, white teeth. The playboy smile that had made me fall head over heels in love with him. But also the smile that made all the other women fall at his feet.

All at once, the Divas sat comfortably back on the picnic bench to take it all in. There I was stuck in the middle of my present and my past. Only I wasn’t sure what the present had to hold. I could look back at my past and knew that it was somewhere I didn’t want to travel to.

“Locked. Locked in is right.” I moved closer to Donovan and looked deep into his eyes. “I would have come if I wasn’t locked in the courthouse after spying on Charlie and Dr. Russell.”

It turned out that Dr. Russell was worried the cops would find out that he had stalked Henry’s office to see who was doing the decorating. Dr. Russell felt like the finger was pointing to him and the little fight he and Henry had at the committee meeting.

Donovan put his finger up to my mouth. “Shh.” His eyebrows rose in amusement. The warmth of his smile echoed in his voice, “You are safe now.”

“Thanks for the tip.” Officer Kiss walked up to the table, breaking any sort of tension between Sean and me.

Sean seemed to disappear as quickly as he had appeared.

“You are welcome,” Bernadine said to Officer Kiss.

“What tip?” I asked and ran my hand down Donovan’s arm before our hands clasped between us.

“I told her about how Henry used his phone to dictate,” Bernadine said.

That didn’t seem like much of a tip.

“We,” she pointed to her badge that was neatly pinned on her cop vest, “were looking at phone logs and records. We quickly scanned through his photos, but when Bernadine told us at the station—after we had arrested her—about how he used his phone, I started to look deeper into the photos. That was when I saw a selfie Henry had taken right before his death and in the shadows, I could make out a woman’s figure with a hat on.” She raised her hands. “Leading me to Patsy Russell.”

The band interrupted with their rendition of Eric Clapton’s
Wonderful Tonight
and Donovan stepped between me and Officer Kiss.

“I think it’s time we show this town who the real man in your life is.” He grabbed my hand and took me to the dance floor.

We danced and danced and danced, not a care in the world and let the others fade in the background.

It was the best Barn Dance I had ever been to.

“Would you like a tea to wet your whistle?” Donovan’s mouth swooped down to kiss mine.

“Unsweetened, please,” I whispered with satisfaction in my soul.

I knew tomorrow I was going to have to meet Bernadine for a few laps around the lake to burn off the sweet tea I had drank. After all, I had a man in my life.

Bride Jewelry Set Holly Harper Style

Necklace, Bracelet and Earrings

Intermediate Level Skills

Bead, Swarovski crystal and gold-plated brass, crystal AB, 6x3.5mm rondelle (49 beads)

Bead, Swarovski crystal, jet, 12x8mm rondelle (26 beads)

Pearl, Swarovski crystal, white, 14mm round with 1.3-1.5mm hole (28 pearls)

Bead cap, gold-finished brass, 6x1mm flower, fits 6-8mm bead (2 bead caps)

Crimp bead, 12Kt gold-filled, 2x2mm smooth tube, 1.1mm inside diameter (4 crimp beads)

Crimp cover, gold-plated brass, 4mm stardust round (4 crimp covers)

Headpin, gold-plated brass, 2-inch, 21 gauge (1 headpin)

Headpin mix, Swarovski crystal rhinestone and silver-plated brass, mixed color, 2.5mm / 3.2mm / 4.2mm round, PP 18 / 24 / 32, 1-1/2 inches, 24 and 21 gauge (2 headpins)

Earwire, gold-plated brass, 17mm flat fishhook with 3mm coil and open loop, 22 gauge (2 earwires)

Clasp, toggle, gold-plated ''pewter'' (zinc-based alloy), 10mm twisted round (2 clasps)

Clasp, lobster claw, gold-plated brass, 12x7mm (1 clasp)

Clasp, lobster claw, gold-plated brass, 18x6mm flat (1 clasp)

Beading wire, Accu-Flex, clear, 49 strand, 0.019-inch diameter

Pliers, flush-cutter

Pliers, round-nose

Pliers, chain-nose

Pliers, crimping

Necklace:

Step One: Using flush-cutters, cut one 18-inch length of Accu-Flex® professional-quality beading wire.

Step Two: String on to the beading wire one gold-filled 2x2mm crimp bead and the loop on the ring portion of a gold-plated "pewter" toggle clasp. Pass the wire back through the crimp bead, pulling the wire snug against the loop. Place a small amount of adhesive inside the crimp (Loctite® optional). Using the crimping pliers, crimp the crimp bead. Using flush-cutters, trim the excess wire from the short end. Place a gold-plated 4mm crimp cover over the crimp bead then gently close it.

Step Three: String onto the beading wire the following beads:

• One Swarovski white 14mm round pearl
  
• One gold-plated and Swarovski crystal rondelle
  
• One Swarovski jet 12mm rondelle
  
• One gold-plated and Swarovski crystal rondelle
  

Repeat for a total of sixteen sets, plus one additional Swarovski white 14mm round pearl.

Step Four: Repeat Step 2 to attach the second half of the necklace to the gold-plated 12x7mm lobster claw clasp.

Bracelet:

Step One: Using flush-cutters, cut one 9-inch length of Accu-Flex beading wire.

Step Two: String on to the beading wire one gold-filled 2x2mm crimp and the loop on the ring portion of a gold-plated "pewter" toggle clasp. Pass the wire back through the crimp bead pulling the wire snug against the jumpring. Place a small amount of adhesive inside the crimp (Loctite® optional). Using the crimping pliers, crimp the crimp bead. Using flush-cutters, trim the excess wire from the short end. Place a gold-plated 4mm crimp cover over the crimp bead then gently close it.

Step Three: String onto the beading wire the following beads:

• One Swarovski white 14mm round pearl
  
• One gold-plated and Swarovski crystal rondelle
  
• One Swarovski jet 12mm rondelle
  
• One gold-plated and Swarovski crystal rondelle
  

Repeat for a total of seven sets, plus one additional Swarovski white 14mm round pearl.

Step Four: Repeat Step 2 to attach the second half of the bracelet to one gold-plated 12x7mm lobster claw clasp.

Step Five: String the following components onto one gold-plated headpin:

• One gold-finished 6mm bead cap
  
• One Swarovski white 14mm crystal pearl
  
• One gold-finished and Swarovski crystal 6mm rondelle bead
  
• One Swarovski jet 12mm rondelle bead
  
• One gold-finished 6mm bead cap
  

Step Six: Using round-nose pliers and chain-nose pliers, begin to form a wrapped loop on the straight end of the wire. Prior to making the first loop, pass the wire through the ring portion of the toggle clasp then continue to finish the wrapped loop.

Earrings:

Step One: String the following components onto one silver-plated and Swarovski crystal headpin:

• One Swarovski white 14mm crystal round pearl
  
• One gold-plated and Swarovski crystal 6mm rondelle bead
  

One Swarovski jet AB 10mm round bead

Step Two: Using round-nose pliers and chain-nose pliers, form a simple loop on the straight end of the wire.

Open the loop on one gold-plated fishhook earwire and pass it through the simple loop created in Step 1. Close the loop.

Repeat Steps 1 and 2 to create a second earring.

A special thank you to Firemountain Bead Company where I get all my beading necessities. You can find this pattern along with many others on their website.

About The Author

Tonya has written over 15 novels and 4 novellas, all of which have graced numerous bestseller lists including USA Today. Her novels have garnered over ten national awards making her an International Bestseller.

Best known for stories charged with emotion and humor, and filled with flawed characters, her novels have garnered reader praise and glowing critical reviews. She lives with her husband, three teenage boys, two very spoiled schnauzers and one ex-stray cats in Northern Kentucky and grew up in Nicholasville. Now that her boys are teenagers, Tonya writes full time but can be found at all of her guys high school games with a pencil and paper in hand. Come on over and FAN Tonya on Goodreads.

Praise for Tonya Kappes

“Tonya Kappes continues to carve her place in the cozy mystery scene with the witty and endearing 
Ghostly Undertaking
set in a small town that is as fun as it is unforgettable.”

New York Times
 bestseller Dianna Love

“Full of wit, humor and colorful characters, Tonya Kappes delivers a fun, fast-paced story that will leave you hooked!” Bestselling Author, Jane Porter