CHAPTER ONE
When Della Fox stepped into her hen house early in the morning to collect some eggs, she noticed that it looked like it would be a clear and cloudless day in the small rural town of Clover, Missouri.
Located in the scenic Ozark Mountains, only about thirty miles from the famous country music town of Branson, the town’s population consisted of only a few thousand people. The tourist crowd that swarmed into Branson to enjoy the music and theatrical acts for which the town was so well known, occasionally made their way to Clover, looking for antique bargains and things that would remind them of their trip. For that, Della, the owner of Fox’s Finds, a second-hand store, was grateful.
But when the tourists weren’t enjoying the shows in Branson or looking for bargains in nearby small rural towns, they could often be found on a tour bus headed for a day of underground touring and exploring the many caves that are so common in that particular area of the Ozarks.
Over three hundred caves have been identified within the boundaries of Ozark National Scenic Riverways, ranging from not much more than a rock overhang to one cave with almost seven miles of identified passages.
Jacob’s cave is the largest and most scenic of the many caves found in the Ozarks. It is one of Missouri’s top tourist attractions, with visitors coming from all over the world to see it. There’s every type of cave formation in it, from massive stalactites and columns, to the world’s largest geode.
As Della left her chicken coop with five eggs in her egg basket, she realized that summer had fully set in and thanks to a late night rainstorm, it was cooler this morning and made it easier for her to handle her outside chores.
Thankfully, her hens were laying on a regular basis now, and her garden was really starting to produce, but there was one little problem. She suspected she had a family of rabbits nearby that were helping themselves to the buffet she’d been growing. As she thought about it, she decided to take the eggs in and then come back out to check on her plants.
She still needed to do some indoor cleaning, but she wanted to take care of anything to do with the outside while it was still nice out. They were still getting a few days of reprieve from the heat, but she knew it wouldn’t be long before it was hot all the time.
Moose, her big Saint Bernard mix dog followed behind her, trotting along in her shadow. She’d taken him to the groomer’s the day before and had all his thick fur shaved off to make it more pleasant for him during the summer heat, and he seemed to be a much happier dog because of it. No more looking miserable in the shade where he’d been hiding from the sun. Della had taken pity on him and gotten him the haircut even though he didn’t seem very happy about it at first, but now she was sure he loved it.
He seemed to prefer being right next to her, even more than the plastic kiddie pool she’d filled with water for him, although he really liked taking a dip in it and cooling off from time to time. He’d taken to following her around the yard as she worked, and when she would be in one place for a while, he’d always find somewhere nearby to lie down and stretch out.
Della could feel him at her side as they climbed the back steps, and she held the door open for them so they could go inside. She went over to the kitchen counter and opened the egg carton she kept there. In a day or so when it was full, she’d stick it in the fridge.
“Maybe I’ll make pancakes and eggs tomorrow for breakfast,” she said to herself as she looked at how many eggs she had. “Or maybe I’ll hard-boil some for a salad.” Seeing her bounty made her proud. At least there wouldn’t be any need to buy eggs for a while. She started thinking about all the things she could do with them when she remembered she still had things to do outside.
“Let’s go check out the garden, Moose,” she said to the big dog. “I wonder if the rabbits left anything for us or if they’ve eaten it all.” He lumbered silently along behind her, grabbing a quick drink from his water bowl before following her back outside.
As she walked over to the garden, Della decided that maybe she should build a path to the garden. She’d bought raised beds and filled them, but she’d noticed that the grass was starting to get beaten down from them walking around. She made a mental note to come up with a plan. Even just a bit of gravel or a few steppingstones might be a good idea, because when it finally did rain, she had a feeling they’d be walking in mud. Not something she was a fan of.
Della approached the first raised bed and began to move the plants around to see what was ready to be picked and what wasn’t. It was a trick she’d had to learn from lots of research and reading when she’d missed out on some great cucumbers because she let them go too long. She was still kicking herself over that mistake. Who knew they would swell up and turn yellow when they were overripe?
“I wonder what we have today?” she asked aloud. She found there was some spinach that looked ready and the last of her broccoli needed to be picked. There were a couple of tomatoes that would be ready soon, too. She was glad she’d chosen a partially shaded part of the yard so the plants wouldn’t cook in the hot summer sun. It had been a dry year and if she hadn’t taken that little precaution, she might have ended up with nothing. Her gardening efforts would have literally been baked in the sun.
The sound of a beeping alarm cut through the quiet and made her jump. Pulling out her phone, she saw it was her reminder to get ready for the book club meeting.
“Time to head inside and get things ready,” she told Moose. “The ladies will be here before we know it.” She picked the last of her fresh produce that was ready and hurried back inside.
*****
Della was beginning to wonder if she’d lost her mind by agreeing to join the book club. It was after dinner, and her guests would be showing up any time. She’d cleaned the house and checked the bathroom twice, but she was still feeling anxious about the whole “having guests over” thing.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like being in the book club, but it was her turn to host it, and now she wondered if it was all a mistake. She was perfectly fine with going to other people’s homes, but having everyone come to hers suddenly felt so personal.
It was the first time she’d had real company since Seth’s funeral, and that thought made her insides twist with worry. She was standing at the front window, looking down the road for cars when she felt something bump up against her leg. Looking down she saw Moose leaning against her. His eyes were looking up at her as if he was concerned about her.
“I’ll be okay,” Della said as she reached down and scratched him on top of his head. “I’m just a little nervous about having so many visitors and you here. I don’t know how everything’s going to go.” His eyes closed as though the scratching felt good, and she smiled in response.
“Are you going to be a good boy when we have company?” she asked. The sound of a car approaching made her look out the window. Thankfully, the first person to show up was her friend, Michelle Young.
“I’m so glad to see you,” Della said as she opened the door to greet her. “I was afraid someone like Rose would show up first, and I’d be forced to make awkward conversation.”
Michelle chuckled. “I made sure I headed this way a little early just so I could be the first. I knew you’d be nervous.”
Della wrapped her arms around her friend. “I’m so glad you’re my friend.”
“I know you are,” Michelle teased. “Well, hello, Moose,” she said as she greeted the dog while Della ushered her friend inside.
“I hope everyone isn’t expecting something fancy. I don’t have a big table or anything we could all sit at together.” Della had been overthinking the seating arrangement all day.
“Sitting around your living room will be just fine. Remember, that’s what we did at your first meeting,” Michelle reminded her.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Della relented. “I know I was probably just being dramatic, but still.”
After that, everything happened in a flurry of activity. Alice Dupont, Rose Pixley, and Maylee Jones arrived on her doorstep, each with a smile on their face. As they came in, they gave Moose a loving scratch before taking their seats.
“I have to say, Della, I wasn’t sure about your book choice at first,” Alice said as they all got comfortable. “I’ve never read a book like that in my life.” The others started to nod in agreement. An old familiar feeling of unease began to settle in the pit of Della’s stomach.
Della had been worried about that kind of a reaction when she’d chosen the book, but it had been one she’d had on her to-be-read list for a long time, and had thought it was the perfect time to pick it up. It was a fantasy book with lots of romance, enemies to lovers, and political intrigue.
There were kings, queens, and magical lands where epic battles were waged between kingdoms. She’d loved it and ended up reading the entire book within a week, sneaking in lots of reading between customers while she’d been at her store. Alice and Rose were older and more into murder mysteries and romance stories, and she’d been worried they wouldn’t like her selection.
“At first I was on the fence about it, too,” Rose said. “Now I think you just opened me up to a whole new genre of books for me to explore!”
Della felt the tightness in her stomach release. “Really? You didn’t hate it?” she asked. She’d been braced for them to tell her they didn’t like it. She’d never in a million years thought that they would all absolutely love it.
“Not at all!” Alice gasped. “I was actually going to suggest the next book in the series for my choice since it’s my turn to host the next meeting of the book club,” she said with a grin.
Della smiled and felt her shoulders relax. “Oh good. I was afraid I was going to get kicked out of the group.” She chuckled nervously as the group shook their heads in unison.
“We wouldn’t kick you out just because we didn’t like a book you picked,” Rose said with a gentle look. “If that was the case, they would have kicked me out a long time ago.”
“I loved it,” Maylee sighed as she gripped the book to her chest. “Oh my goodness, why can’t I find a man like Kristian? Someone who would fight to the death for me and never want to leave my side.” You could practically see the hearts in her eyes.
Alice chuckled. “I’m sure that would get old after a while,” she pointed out.
“Well, I’d like the chance to find out,” Maylee said with her chin jutting out.
Soon they fell into a conversation about the book and all of the characters. Della smiled to herself as they discussed different scenes in the book. Every one of them had managed to finish it, despite the fact that it had been over seven hundred pages in length. Moose had gone over to his bed in the corner and was quietly napping, leaving the ladies to their book discussion.
“So is everyone okay with reading the next in the series for our next meeting?” Michelle asked. Heads bobbed in agreement.
“I already started it,” Maylee admitted. “I couldn’t wait. I had it ordered when I was three quarters of the way through this one.”
“Then it’s settled,” Alice said firmly. “That’s my choice for the next meeting.”
“I was going to suggest that maybe we start meeting every two weeks?” Rose asked. “I mean, it doesn’t have to be a new book every time if we choose something longer. But I’d like the chance to talk about the books while I’m in the middle of it, too. Or, if we all fly through it like this one, we can start another.”
“That sounds good to me,” Della said with a nod. “I tend to read quickly if I’m enjoying a book.” The others agreed.
“Then it’s settled. We can meet in two weeks,” Michelle said with a smile. “I’m already looking forward to it.”
The conversation drifted on and eventually they started to leave, one by one. Alice was the first, saying she needed to get home to her cats, and then Rose said it was time for her to go home, too. Michelle was the last one there. Moose had wandered over to her, and she began to idly stroke his fur.
“I just want to say I’m so glad you joined the book club,” Michelle said as she looked absently down at Moose. “I think you’re going to bring a little more fun into the mix.”
“You think?” Della asked as she watched her friend and dog bonding. “I don’t know how. I’m not that interesting.”
“You have a different style than the rest of them. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. I’m sorry I never mentioned the group to you, and I should have.” She looked off toward the now dark window. “I guess I was a little embarrassed that I was reading murder mystery novels with some of the town’s old ladies.”
“Maylee isn’t old,” Della pointed out.
“Yeah, but she’s an old lady at heart,” Michelle chuckled. “Which is why MaryAnn had put up the flyer at the library. We’d been looking for a couple of new people to change the dynamic just a bit.”
They both became quiet remembering what had happened with MaryAnn. “I’m glad I could help,” Della said eventually.
Michelle stood up and got her purse and her book. “I better go, but if you find anyone you think might be good for the group, just go ahead and invite them, but let me know. I don’t want the group to get too big, but one or two more members might round it out a little and create some balance.” She began to head for the door.
“I’ll keep it in mind,” Della told her as she followed her to the door.
“Good night, Della. Good night, Moose,” she called over to him.
“Good night,” Della said, closing the door. Before she headed off to bed, she downloaded the next book the club members had agreed to read to her Kindle.
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