Read Pistols & Pies (Sweet Bites Book 2) (Sweet Bites Mysteries) for Free Online Page A

plain to see that he totally adores her. 
    And the fact that he’s the tall, dark and handsome type doesn’t hurt.
    If Honey knew I felt this way, she’d be pushing us together all the time, but I’ve kept it to myself as my feelings for him have grown from dislike to toleration to something like friendship. Compared to my short-term relationship with Shawn last spring, Jack is someone with whom I could actually consider having a long-term relationship. I’m not exactly over the pain of my failed engagement, so I’ve been in no hurry. And he didn’t seem to think of me like that anyway. Darn it.
    “What can I get for you, sir?” I asked.
    His smile broadened. “Blueberry tart.”
    I got it for him. “Of course.” He had a thing for blueberries whether in tarts, muffins, or topping for his cheesecake. I always made sure to stock a fruity favorite for him. Just in case.
    “Tingey wasn’t very happy you left like that,” he said as I handed over the treat.
    “That’s a shock. And I thought he’d say it was a brilliant idea,” I teased. “Actually, he may have decided it was brilliant after he left here. He had some cappuccino and treats, and took more to the guys since I had leftovers I needed to get rid of.”
    His brows lifted in amusement. “Did he accuse you of bribing him?”
    “Like he’d accept a bribe! But, yes, of course he questioned my motives. He took the food though. Any news about the investigation?”
    “Not really. Hogan’s wife’s been talking things up because they’re looking at her son, but Tingey’s not spilling.”
    “I knew it was too much to hope for.” I met his gaze. “Sandra asked me to do some checking around.”
    He arched a brow. “Wait. Do you remember how many times you were hurt when you got involved in the investigation last spring?”
    And he always seemed to show up when I was at my worst. What was with that, anyway? “Yes, but that was a unique situation.”
    “Unique, as in the person was actually willing,” he looked at his daughter, who seemed fascinated by the discussion, “to remove a threat? Right, very different, because obviously this person didn’t mean to, um, hurt Eric.”
    He had a point. Jack had a way of doing that, but his arguments wouldn’t dissuade me. “You wanna help?”
    “Sure. What can I do?” His capitulation was instant, like he’d hoped I’d leave an opening for him to step in, despite his argument two seconds ago.
    I would never understand men. “Well, someone’s got to figure out who else might have wanted Eric dead.”
    “I’ll see what I can find out for you.”
    Oh yeah, the man’s smile really did it for me. I reminded myself that we were just friends, and it was better that way. With determination, I focused more attention on Sadie.

     “We’ll need two dozen of each kind of cookie,” Mary Ellen Perkins said as I took down her order. Apparently the ladies in the local quilt guild were big on sweets. “And two dozen of your terrific gingerbread cupcakes as well.”
    I smiled and nodded. It would be a decent sale, which always made me happy. “That’s great. And what time will you be by to pick them up?”
    Mary Ellen put her hand to her abundant bosom and gave me a look of shock. “Why, aren’t you coming? You came in May.”
    I tried to keep a pleasant expression on my face. I hadn’t actually gone to participate in May, I’d stopped in to speak with Honey, whose mother-in-law had roped her into the meeting. I’d gotten sucked in to talk. Me and needles don’t mix—have I mentioned that before? And I’m not just talking about medical needles. I took home ec like everyone else in school (much to my distaste), but I was terrible at it. Joining the quilt guild was definitely not my speed. “Well, you see, I’m not really the quilting type, and my work keeps me so busy—”
    “Your work is exactly why you need some outside activities. You have to have something besides this shop to keep your life