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

“Not happening,” Tommy, the older cook replied, grinning back.


With a laugh, Wylie left. When he got back to the bar Carl and Dave moved to give his room to join them again.


“If Garry was a woman, I’d probably have to tell you wipe the lipstick off your cheek,” Carl wisecracked, getting chortles from the others.


“Some people…” Wylie grumbled, taking a deep drink before setting his glass on the bar.


“Not yet, but soon,” Wylie told him.


“When he is, I’m paying,” Roger said. “It’s the least I can do for his finding Emma.”


“What about me? I did, too,” Carl said with feigned dismay.


Dave replied, “I’ll buy your next one, just ‘cause.”


“Whew. I was beginning to feel neglected.”


“Now who’d neglect you, Dad?” Owen asked, taking the now empty seat next to Roger. “I’ll buy a round for everyone at the bar since it sounds like we’re celebrating them saving Emma.”


Chapter 52