Read Sweet Tea and Secrets for Free Online

for Adams Grove, right? But I’ve got no overhead and nothing better to do. I’ll be wheeling you and Milly around later this week. Sorry to hear about Pearl, by the way. She was a grand lady.”
    “I miss her already.”
    “I imagine so. That why you’re callin’? About the arrangements for Saturday?”
    “No. Milly has all that under control. I’m trying to avoid dealing with the details as long as I can. I guess I keep hoping this is a nightmare, and Pearl will be here to comfort me when I wake up.”
    “I wish that was so, sweetheart. It’s a terrible loss for all of us.”
    “Yeah. It is. I was hoping to catch your dad about getting Pearl’s lawn cut. She’d hate for people to be stopping by with it not looking its best.”
    “Oh, honey, Daddy shut down the lawn service at the end of last season. He and Momma are spending all their time on the B&B now. After ten years of business, Daddy had to finally admit Markham House Bed and Breakfast was going to make it. Ya’ know, one of those ‘if-ya’-can’t-beat-em-join-em’ decisions.”
    “Well, I guess I’ll be mowing the lawn myself, then.” She could do that. Garrett couldn’t tell her what she could and couldn’t do. She was perfectly capable of pushing a mower. No problem. She said goodbye and headed to the back yard.
    Next to the back door, the familiar sight of Pearl’s yard sneakers with the backs pushed down stopped Jill in her tracks. She stretched her leg forward and pushed the tan shoes along the floor with her toes. Finally, she took a deep breath, slid her feet into them and headed out back to get the mower out of the shed.
    When she slid open the door, she was surprised to find the shed empty, except for a few hand tools and a garden cart.
    “No mower and I’ve run off the only help.” Jill slammed the shed door. What else could go wrong?
    She went back to the house to look up the number for another lawn service. Hopefully, someone could work her in today. She still had the mess from the vandals to clean up, too.
    As if on cue, Garrett’s truck idled back up the lane.
    Give me a break here, God, would you? Then it struck her. She’d have to suck it up and apologize, but he’d finish the lawn. Feeling better, she strode toward the truck.
    Garrett never looked her way. He climbed out of the truck with his back to her and slapped his thigh. “Come on, boy.”
    Jill stopped mid-step as one of the biggest dogs she’d ever laid eyes on dropped to the ground by Garrett’s side. She scanned the bed of the truck.
    “I’m not here to finish mowing the lawn, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
    Garrett seemed to be sizing her up. Thank goodness she hadn’t burst forth with an apology and a thank you. “That’s fine. So, why are you back?”
    “Since you want to do everything that needs doing for Pearl, here...” He shoved a blue leash in her direction. “Meet Clyde.”
    Jill stared at the massive dog panting in front of her. Black, white and tan, she wondered how much of him was body and how much was hair. Not that it mattered. “He’s huge. You’ve got to be kidding. That beast could eat me for lunch.”
    “He won’t bite.”
    She reached out her hand to Clyde. He gave her two big sniffs and then licked the top of her hand.
    “See.” Garrett winked. “He loves women. Took me months to get him to warm up to me, but he loves the girls, don’t ya’, Clyde?” Garrett held the leash out to Jill a second time.
    “What kind of dog name is Clyde?” Jill said, side-stepping to avoid the leash.
    “Pearl named him. She said he had feet the size of a Clydesdale. Be glad she didn’t name him after the king of beers. That was her first choice.”
    “Pearl did enjoy a cold beer,” Jill said.
    “For kidney stones.” Garrett reminded her.
    “I never knew Pearl to have kidney stones. Not once.”
    “See. She was right. It must’ve worked.”
    Jill smiled at the thought. “Wait. Do you really expect me to believe that’s