Free Sweets Galore: The Sixth Samantha Sweet Mystery (The Samantha Sweet Mysteries) by Connie Shelton

know if this is even getting
close. If not, I think we better call your friend the seamstress.”
    She stepped into the dress and
called him into the bedroom. The zipper slid up. Not easily, but almost to the
top.
    “I think another three pounds and
I might actually breathe at the same time,” she said cautiously.
    The box. She’d handled it yesterday. Could it be?

 
 
    Chapter
7

 
    The heavenly scent of grilled meat
wafted across the back deck and into the house, and Sam smiled at the sounds of
their guests laughing and chatting outside in the mellow September evening.
Kelly chopped tomatoes and added them to the big salad bowl on the kitchen
counter.
    “I’m happy for you, Mom. Really
glad you met Beau.”
    In comparison to Jake? Sam decided not to read too much into her
daughter’s comment. It only mattered that she knew she’d made the right choice. Jake the charmer with his changeable moods,
or Beau the solid, honest man who loved her above all else. There was no
comparison.
    “Thanks, Kel .
I can’t believe how lucky I’ve been this past year.” A picture of the wooden
box popped into her head. Had it played a big role in bringing her that luck?
    Kelly nodded as she added a
chopped avocado to the salad. “True. A lot of great things have happened for
you. Including having me move back home.”
    Sam rolled her eyes. “Including
that. But don’t get too cocky.”
    Chants of “steak-steak-steak” rose
from the back deck.
    “We’d better be getting the rest
of this food to the table, or there’s likely to be an uprising,” Kelly said.
    “This is a Texas crowd. As long as
the steak makes it to the plates we’ll be okay.”
    She picked up tongs and pulled
ears of sweet corn from the big kettle on the stove, stacking them on a large
platter. Thick toast with garlic butter filled a couple of baskets, and a
casserole with barbeque beans had just come out of the oven.
    Bessie stepped into the kitchen.
“I hope Chub can pry our bull-headed daughter away from your horses long enough
to eat with us,” she said with a laugh. “I’d really hoped she’d outgrow that
stage by her teens, like most girls do. But no ,
she works with ’ em all week and rides ’ em for fun on the weekends.”
    “She’s welcome to ride here, all
she wants,” Sam said. “Beau says these two don’t get nearly enough exercise.”
    “Let’s not tell Willie that until
after supper.” Bessie took the platter of corn Sam had set on the kitchen’s
center island.
    Sam glanced out the wide windows
that faced the pasture as she set the baked beans on the table. In the distance
Willie stroked Old Boy on his velvety nose then turned toward the house. Sam
had the feeling Beau had already given her cousin the go-ahead for all the
horse-time she wanted.
    Beau caught Sam’s eye through the
window and she pointed toward the laden table. He handed platters of steaks to Chub
and Buster then reached for the rope on the large bell that hung near the back
door.
    The long dining table had been
maxed out with extra leaves and it didn’t take but a rabbit’s hair, as her
father would say, for everyone to get to their seats.
    “Here’s to Sammy and Beau,” Howard
said, raising his glass of bourbon. “Thanks for having us all out to your
home.”
    Sam felt a warm glow. It meant a
lot to her that her father liked Beau so well and approved of the home she
would now call her own. But then, hadn’t she known that he would? The fertile
ranchland and barn, the horses and dogs, the big log house—if Howard Sweet
could have ordered up an ideal spot for his eldest daughter, Sam knew this
would be it. She pressed her lips together so they wouldn’t tremble.
    “To my lovely bride and her
family,” Beau said, with a warm hand on her shoulder. “I’m right proud to be
here, as ya’ll would say.”
    Somehow they all knew that he
meant it with respect.
    “Now let’s eat this fabulous
steak,” said Uncle Buster.
    Bowls and platters were