Read Heather Horrocks - Who-Dun-Him Inn 01 - Snowed Inn for Free Online

didn’t care for the man.
    Calabria pointed to an elegant lady standing next to Garrett. “Alexis Cordova is a wonderful romance writer. Her books are very popular with all the signoras . She resides in New York, as I do also.”
    The woman put up a hand in greeting. She must have been five-ten and could maybe have filled out her doll-sized dress if she took a deep enough breath. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into an elaborate bun, with all sorts of twists and curlicues I could never have accomplished on someone else’s head, much less my own. She wore a tailored suit in warm, butternut tones.
    “And you have to really pay attention to her books, because her plots are complicated.” Nicholas Ray turned to Alexis. “I really enjoyed Love All Tangled .”
    “Thanks, Nicholas.” Alexis turned to me. “I’m pleased to meet you.” Her voice shook.
    Garrett touched her arm. “Are you all right?”
    “I’m tired. A bit of a headache. But I’m fine. Really.”
    These people lived all across the country, yet appeared to know each other personally. Of course, that made sense if Calabria got them together every year. I wondered if he ever took them to the same place more than once. Hey, an innkeeper could hope.
    Calabria smiled broadly and motioned. “Come, Bonnie.”
    The short, dark-haired woman packing a few extra pounds— the housewife of the group— smiled and said, “Hi,” with a cheery voice. Her black hair curled around her pretty face. She was probably about halfway between my height and that of my seven-year-old son, but confidence fairly shone from her.
    “Hi,” Liz and I responded together.
    “This little lady from the mountains of Denver, Colorado, is my leading diva in the world of mainstream romantic comedies. I am pleased to present Bonnie McCall.”
    “This is great,” I said. “I’ve heard of all of you.”
    Bonnie put out her hand for me to shake, again smiling broadly. “Always glad to meet a fan.”
    Liz spoke up. “You’ve got two of them here.”
    “I am always delighted to meet two fans at a time, especially two as cute as you. My best friends growing up were twins, and I’ve been to the annual twin convention with them. Have you ever gone?”
    We didn’t get a chance to answer, as Calabria put an end to the unauthorized chatter by ignoring her and continuing. “And my newest rising star.” Calabria’s features softened. “My newest author, BJ. She has just written her first bestselling romance.”
    It appeared the romance in their marriage was going strong, as well. That was always a good sign. However, they couldn’t have been married long, or he’d have been robbing the cradle.
    I didn’t recognize her name.
    The pretty blonde flipped back her hair. “Charmed.”
    She had an accent I couldn’t quite place. A small-town -type of accent the woman— girl? — was obviously trying to conceal. She had a sense of agitation about her, and yet something else, too, that I couldn’t identify.
    All at once, the authors’ eyes shifted behind me, to the main staircase in the foyer. Martha must have decided to make her grand entrance before dinner.
    But when I turned, I discovered it wasn’t Martha descending the stairs to surprise her brother, after all. Martha’s dramatic appearance would have been a good thing.
    This was not a good thing.
    No.
    This was an unstoppable force of nature.

 
     
    Chapter Four
     
    It was Grandma making her grand entrance.
    Grandma was dressed for the occasion, now more resembling a macaw than a parrot, a forties movie star in a knee-length, short-sleeved, white and black sheath dress, lacking only the feather boa. She wasn’t kidding when she said she packed for a party.
    As Grandma reached the main floor and crossed the entryway, I saw a woman trying to steal the show from our guest who had already proven he liked being the star. I forced a smile. “I’d like to introduce our grandmother, Mrs. Naomi Ross.”
    Grandma fluttered to a