Read Online Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 03 - Smoky Mountain Mystery by Hope Callaghan - Free Book Online Page A

visited earlier.  Less touristy.  More authentic.  Gloria decided she liked Cross Creek much more than the hustle and bustle of the touristy areas.  This entire town seemed a more fitting backdrop for the magnificent Smoky Mountains. 
    Margaret pushed the front door of the small shop open and the girls quickly stepped inside.  The inside of the shop was filled from floor to ceiling with shelf after shelf of moonshine.  Margaret walked over to the nearest display cabinet to check them out.  She was a bit disappointed there were no free samples like the other, bigger place. 
    Gloria stood near the doorway and glanced around.  There really wasn’t much here to look at unless you were shopping for moonshine. 
    She left Margaret inside as she made her way out the front door and over to the car.  She opened the back door.  “C’mon, girl.” 
    Gloria stepped back on the porch and wandered over to the long wooden bench.  She plopped down on the narrow wooden bench and watch as Mally sniffed around a couple of landscape bushes before taking care of business.  She faithfully padded over to where Gloria was resting and plopped down at her feet.  She lay her head down on her paws and closed her eyes. 
    Margaret came out a short time later carrying a small shopping bag.  Gloria raised her eyebrows but didn’t say a word. 
    Margaret settled in beside her.  “Just trying to support small local business,” she sniffed defensively.  “So what’s the plan after this?”
    “We wait for Liz to catch up with us.”  Hopefully she wouldn’t take much longer. The sun was beating down on the little porch and it was almost unbearable. 
    Mally was awake now and panting heavily. Gloria jumped to her feet.  “Maybe we should just wait inside where it’s a little cooler.”  She grabbed the handle on the front door and started to pull.
    “There she is.” Margaret pointed at a small speck far off in the distance.  The speck was travelling at a high rate of speed and heading right towards them. 
    Gloria shaded her eyes.  The vehicle was still so far away.  Surely Margaret’s vision wasn’t that great?  “How can you tell?”
    “Cuz she’s driving like a bat out-of-you-know-what,” she surmised.
    Margaret had a good point.  Yeah, it probably was Liz. She had quite a lead foot. The car got closer.  It was Liz. 
    Gloria couldn’t help but grin.  Man, it felt good to have one up on Liz after this crazy, wild goose chase.  She could just imagine how hopping mad her sister was when the desk clerk handed her the brochure and told her it was from Gloria.
    Liz whipped her black sedan into the gravel drive and pulled toward the front.
    Margaret stuck a hand on her hip.  “Will ya’ look at the scowl on ole Liz’s face!”
    Yeah, Gloria saw it.  She was enjoying every second of it.  Served her sister right for scaring her half to death and forcing her to follow her halfway across the country.
    Liz slammed on the brakes.  The car came to an abrupt halt next to Anabelle.  The door swung open and Liz piled out.  Her eyes settled on Gloria.  A scowl blanketed her face as she angrily slammed the car door shut and marched over to where Gloria was standing. 
    She shoved her hands on her hips and leaned forward so she was only inches from Gloria’s face.  “What’s the big idea?  This is my adventure, not yours,” she huffed. 
    Gloria crossed her arms, the smile still firmly etched on her face.  “Just giving you a little taste of your own medicine for what you put me,” she turned to Margaret, “put us, through these past few days.”
    Margaret shook her head and tsk-tsked.  “Not nice, Liz.  Not nice at all.”
    Liz turned briefly to Margaret. “Hey Margaret,” before fixing her temper on her younger sister once again.  “Well, you don’t know everything yet.”  Liz bit her tongue.  She needed to know what clue Gloria might have.  Maybe she needed to back off a bit before she ticked