Read Online Hope Callaghan - Garden Girls 06 - Magnolia Mansion Mysteries by Hope Callaghan - Free Book Online Page A

was beginning to wonder if his kids had any intention of ever moving out.  They had settled in quite nicely.  Gloria had finally met them a few weeks earlier when Paul invited her over for a cookout.  They were nice enough.  Very friendly.  Very polite.  “So what made them change their mind?”
    Paul grinned mischievously.  “I got a cat.”
    Gloria was confused.  “What does that have to do with motivating them to move?”
    Paul sipped his drink.  “Tina’s allergic to cats.” Tina was Paul’s daughter-in-law.
    Gloria shook her head, but she was smiling.  “Paul.  That’s terrible!” It reminded her of something her mother used to say: “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”
    He rubbed his finger along the rim of the glass.  “I admit it was a little underhanded but I was nearing the point of desperation.”
    He looked up.  “Dorito is fitting right in at the farm.”
    “So how’s Tina holding up with the allergies?”
    He shook his head.  “Not good at all.  She’s pretty much confined to the bedroom – the only place where the cat is not allowed.”
    He sighed.  “I hated to do it, but I was running out of ideas.”
    “I told her Dorito was a stray I found down by the station and I didn’t have the heart to leave him behind, which was true.”
    “It was like a gift from heaven. An answer to prayer,” he added.
    Gloria nodded.  Things like that happened to her every once in a while.  Where she was in a predicament and it seemed like there was no solution. Suddenly, something would happen and it was like God answering prayer in his own way.  Not necessarily a way she would’ve thought.  She firmly believed the saying, “God works in mysterious ways.”
    Paul took the words right out of her head.  “God works in mysterious ways.”
    The timer echoed through the screen door, letting them know the rolls were ready. 
    Paul held the door as Gloria stepped back inside.  He helped set the table while she moved back and forth, arranging the dishes.
    She slid into a side chair and he slid into the one next to her.  The two of them held hands while Gloria prayed.  “Dear Lord, please bless this food.  Thank you for letting Paul and I have this evening together.  You know how much I’ve missed him.” Paul squeezed her hand.
    “Thank you for finding the perfect solution to his problem with his children.  Once again, You have taken care of the situation in a way that neither of us would’ve thought of.  We pray for all of our children, for blessings in their lives and for our own.  Thank you for Your son, Jesus Christ.  In His name we pray. Amen.”
    “Amen!” Paul lifted his head.  He grabbed Gloria’s plate, placed a piece of the baked chicken on one side, and then scooped a large spoonful of potatoes on the other side. 
    At the last minute, Gloria had thrown together a side dish of fresh green beans with bacon bits. He scooped some onto her plate before sliding a piping hot roll in the last remaining spot.  He handed the plate to Gloria. 
    He loaded his plate and set it in front of him. He leaned in.  The aroma of baked chicken and cheese filled the air.  “This smells heavenly.  I haven’t had a home-cooked meal since.  Well, since you surprised me with that pork chop dinner last month.”
    After dinner, they wandered out to the porch with a piece of homemade apple pie and cup of coffee.  Gloria set her coffee on the stand between the chairs before turning to Paul.  “Did you hear about the skeleton we found in Andrea’s dumpster?”
    Paul nodded. He picked up his fork.  “I’m not sure who attracts more bodies – you or Andrea.” He lifted a piece of pie to his mouth and took a bite, savoring the tart apple and cinnamon sugar.  “This is delicious.”
    “I threw in a cup of wild blackberries,” she told him.
    Paul lifted his dessert plate to eye-level and inspected the pie filling.  “Yeah, you sure did.  The flavor is