Read Online Miss Ruffles Inherits Everything by Nancy Martin - Free Book Online

stub and smiling as if she’d been in on the joke all along.
    With sudden concern for Miss Ruffles, Mr. Carver cried, “Chocolate’s poison for dogs! Sunny, grab that away from her!”
    Miss Ruffles had already surrendered the chocolate, but I picked it up anyway. “You’re going to make this as hard as possible,” I said to her, “aren’t you?”
    Miss Ruffles gave me a panting smile. Her eyes sparkled as if she approved of what Honeybelle had in mind for us. To her, it was all one big, fun shenanigan.
    To Ten, I said, “You said something about the death certificate? It’s missing?”
    â€œI don’t think it’s missing. I’m just not experienced enough to find it yet.”
    â€œWhen you find it, will that change anything?”
    â€œNot a thing. Y’all take care of Miss Ruffles, y’all get a million dollars each.”
    â€œI don’t have to do this,” Mae Mae said flatly. “I don’t have to look after no dog, no sir. I’ll take my share this minute, Ten. You can write me that check right now.” She slapped her hand on the table as if she expected the money to materialize on the spot.
    â€œYes, ma’am. No problem,” Ten replied easily. “But a million dollars is a lot to walk away from. If you stick around, you won’t have to make any more fancy lunches and tea parties for Honeybelle. Just make your own meals and keep the place tidy. Take it easy for a year, and you’ll be a rich woman.”
    â€œI’ve got my dignity,” she shot back. “People will laugh at me. Already the man that delivers barbecue from the Bum Steer makes fun of me for working in a kitchen.”
    â€œAt least your kitchen has a roof over it,” Ten said, “and you’re not breathing hickory smoke all day. You’re tough enough to handle a little ribbing. For a million dollars, you can handle a lot. What about you, Carver?”
    Mr. Carver still looked shell-shocked. “I don’t know,” he said faintly. “This isn’t what I expected. I thought if we were lucky Honeybelle would give me enough to maybe move to Austin or Nashville. Somewhere I can listen to music.”
    â€œWait a year,” Ten counseled, “and you can have a whole band to yourself, anywhere you want.”
    â€œWhat happens if something goes wrong?” I asked. “What if Miss Ruffles chokes on a bone?”
    â€œOr gets into those pills of hers,” Mae Mae said. “There was the day she ate too many of her vitamins and had to go to the vet to get her stomach pumped.”
    â€œShe was real trouble before Miss McKillip came,” Mr. Carver said to Ten. “Once she ran away from Honeybelle and was almost run over by a car. What if that happens again? What if she dies by accident and it’s not our fault?”
    â€œThen you all lose everything,” Ten said solemnly.
    The doorbell chimed in the front of the house. The sound rolled back to the kitchen, and Miss Ruffles let out her threatening bark. She dashed to the swinging door. She scratched it and then began to dig at the floor as if she could excavate her way out of the kitchen. I reached over and grabbed her collar. She fought me as I dragged her back to the table. I held her fast, but she wriggled in my arms.
    â€œThat’ll be Hut Junior and the family.” Mae Mae seemed unable to stand up yet. “Do they know about this? About us?”
    â€œNo, ma’am,” Ten said. “I figured I’d tell y’all first so you’d be prepared when they hear the news.”
    â€œThey’re not getting anything from Honeybelle?” I asked.
    â€œA little something,” Ten said. “A big something, actually, because Honeybelle was a wealthy woman. Wealthier than most of us knew. But they won’t get this house, not now, anyway, and not as big a share of her money as they expected. Hut Junior