IN FOR A PENNY (The Granny Series) by Nancy Naigle, Kelsey Browning Read Free Book Online Page B

These fiberglass ladders don’t come cheap, and you’ll never use it again. I’m not sure those limbs are your biggest problem. I think I need to figure out a holistic plan for you to keep up this place.”
    “Well, clue me in when you do, because if this place isn’t in order before Angelina prances in with her committee, no telling what will happen. She’s been dying to weasel her new money in and push the Summer name out, and August is not that far away.” Lillian swallowed to keep the tears from coming. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. Maggie, I know you think I’m going crazy. You’re always so capable, so sturdy. So there. So always wonderfully there. “Have I told you lately how much you mean to me?”
    Maggie’s mouth dropped open wide enough to catch a swarm of flies. Her eyebrows went MIA under her dark brown curly bangs and her eyes had that popping-out-on-springs look to them.
    “Where in the world did that come from?” Maggie rushed over, slapped a palm across Lillian’s forehead. “Oh, hon, do you have the fever? Are you feeling okay? Maybe you should lie down.”
    Lillian pushed Maggie’s hands away. “I’m fine. I just don’t tell you often enough how much I appreciate your friendship and how happy—” relieved, “—I am you came to live at Summer Haven.”
    “I know you do.” Maggie squeezed her hand once and marched to the car. “Come on. Let’s get this puppy out of here.”
    They both headed for the end of the ladder, but at the end, neither of them was tall enough to reach the darned thing.
    Maggie worked her way to the middle of the ladder and then pushed it up and stepped back to release its hold on the inside of the trunk. The ladder teeter-tottered hip level. “Now, that’s better, only we don’t want to scratch the car.”
    Lillian opened the driver’s door and pulled out the carpet mat. “Here. Put this under it.”
    “Perfect,” Maggie said. Then she and Lillian walked out to the far end of the ladder, placed their hands on the top rung. “On three. One. Two. Three.”
    They both heaved backward and the ladder fell to the ground. Together they dragged it off to the side of the driveway.
    “Help me get it over to the porch,” Lillian said with a tug.
    Maggie took hold of her side again and dragged it the last few feet, then slowly walked it up to lean against the veranda roof.
    “Lil, you’ve got a little more oomph than I expected out of that teensy frame of yours.”
    “Together we can do just about anything, Maggie.”
    “I think you’re right. You never cease to amaze me.”
    Lillian smiled at her friend. Honey, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
    Bartell County Sheriff Teague Castro pulled to the side of the road in front of Summer Haven’s infamous fountain. Everyone treated the colorfully tiled landmark as if it belonged to the town even though it was part of the Summer family estate. First time he’d laid eyes on it, he thought it was the tackiest thing he’d ever seen, but it had grown on him over time. Now, if it would only return the favor by granting him a wish.
    Teague dug the spare change from his uniform pocket. Two nickels, three quarters, a dime and six pennies. He got out of the car and circled the fountain flipping the coins one by one into the mosaic designs decorating it.
    Local lore claimed each design carried different luck. Folks said the original Mrs. Summer was a crazy old bird. She’d tiled the mosaic patterns in the fountain while her husband was away. Apparently, he’d been as angry as a bear woken too early from hibernation when he saw the psychedelic mess she called art. One of the scenes, on the back side facing Summer Haven, was so sexy that there’d been talk of having it removed. Rumor was Mrs. Summer tiled that one especially for her lover, the one she’d fancied while her husband was away on business. The whole town knew, but no one ever spoke about it above a