When Wylie Lewis sells his half of the detective agency he owned to move into the house his grandfather willed him in the small town of Earlston, he expects he'll have work to do refurbishing and redecorating it. He doesn't expect that Garry Parish, the handsome restaurant owner who lives two doors down, would offer his assistance, as well as put him in contact with Carl, a handyman who could do most of the manual labor.<br><br>Wylie also doesn't expect to be the sheriff's prime suspect when Nelly, a young woman who works for Garry, disappears a week after Wylie arrives in town. As if that isn't bad enough, a second woman, Emma, vanishes a few days later.<br><br>Wylie, Garry, and Carl team up to try to locate them before the sheriff decides to arrest Wylie, but things take a deadly turn when they find Nelly's body. Will they be able to discover who the killer is in time to save Emma, while Wylie and Garry deal with their growing attraction to each other? Or will Wylie become the killer's next target, with deadly results?

New Man in Town

“It looks fantastic,” he said once he caught their attention.


“We’re almost finished with the staining,” Carl replied. “We won’t varnish until tomorrow, to give it time to dry.”


Wylie grinned. “Meaning I get to spend another day in the garden?”


Owen laughed. “That or work on mine. I’ve been so busy I haven’t done more than get it ready for planting.”


“I think I’ll pass. Once I’ve finished with mine I’ll be gardened out. If push comes to shove, I’ll go into town to buy a couple more paintings.”


“This is going to be a great home by the time you’re finished,” Owen replied.


“I hope, because I’m not planning on moving any time soon; or forever, when it comes down to it.”


Carl smirked. “And another victim joins the Earlston cult.”


Wylie shook his head in amusement before fixing a sandwich, which he took with him when he returned to the garden to finish the planting. An hour later, Carl came out to tell him they were leaving for the day.


Chapter 25