As you read your favorite books, I’m sure there are certain parts that you enjoy more than others; maybe, you read them more than once. The same is true of authors:, at least, it is true of this author. The following excerpt is from the fourth Darcy and Flora cozy mystery, Grave Heritage. I think I like it because it reminds me of my childhood home and the way the family always gathered in at the end of the day, after the work was done. I hope you enjoy this.
As I drove around the house, and into the garage to park beside Mom’s Toyota, a sense of homecoming met me. I loved the trees that stood guard near our home, the welcoming porch, and the small cat who waited inside the door.
Whippoorwills called from the hollow. A nighthawk darted through the twilight, scooping up tiny insects. Lightning bugs blinked above the grass.
Jethro peered through the glass patio door, impatient to greet us. He meowed a welcome as we stepped inside the kitchen, winding around first Mom’s ankles, then mine. Checking his food dish, I saw that it was nearly full. Jethro had his little habits, just as we humans do. Many times he would eat very little or nothing until he was sure that his people were safely home.
Stooping, I ran my hand over his sleek fur. “Have you been a good watch cat?”
“He’s probably holding out for a little bit of cream,” Mom said. “It won’t take long to mix up some cornbread for us, although I don’t think Jethro would care for it. Does cornbread and milk sound all right to you for supper?”
“It sounds perfect,” I answered.
I set the table, poured milk and placed the butter on the table. Soon the aroma of baking bread filled the kitchen. My stomach growled.
Later, sitting at the dining table and gazing out the patio doors to the woods, partially lit by the dusk-to-dawn light, I idly wondered if some of the inhabitants of those woods were looking in at us. What did the ’possums, skunks, raccoons, and rabbits think about Mom and me? Did they see us as interlopers in their domain or just fellow creatures whose home looked different from theirs?
Manos Mysteries
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