The House On Sugar Plum Lane. Judy Duarte

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СКАЧАТЬ didn’t want to complain. Not to Barbara, the woman whose relationship with her mother had always been strained. “She’s all right.”

      “Good. I just wanted to let you know that we think we found a tenant for the house today.”

      So soon?

      “Do you know anything about them?”

      “Not really. Just that the woman is a single mother with one child—a little girl. I’m not sure when she’ll move in, but she’s supposed to sign the lease and take possession tomorrow.”

      “But the house isn’t empty….” Maria paused, hoping she hadn’t overstepped her boundaries.

      “The woman volunteered to pack up my mother’s belongings for us, and under the circumstances, I jumped at the offer.”

      “I would have done that for you,” Maria said.

      “I’m sure you would have, but you have your hands full, don’t you think?”

      That was for sure.

      “Well, I’d better go,” Barbara said. “I just wanted to keep you in the loop.”

      “How’s Joe today?” Maria asked. Barbara’s son had suffered a heart attack a couple of weeks ago, and there’d been complications.

      “He’s frustrated by his slow recovery, but the doctors think he’ll pull through. It’ll just take time.”

      Time.

      Maria glanced at the small alarm clock on the bureau. It was after nine. The boarders had already turned in, but the kids should have been in bed an hour ago. Would this night ever end?

      Why had she offered to pack Ellie’s things? Where would she have found the time to do it?

      And why did she feel bad that she couldn’t? It really wasn’t her place.

      “Well, I’ll let you go,” Barbara said. “But if you don’t mind, I’d really appreciate it if you would keep an eye on the place and let me know if anything seems…well, if things are out of sorts.”

      Ellie Rucker’s home had fallen into more disrepair than Maria’s had, and to be honest, Maria was surprised they’d managed to rent it so quickly.

      “Sure, I can do that. Maybe I’ll take some cookies or a coffee cake next door when I see that she’s moving in, and then I can introduce myself.”

      “Good. That will be one less thing for me to worry about.”

      And one more thing for Maria to heap on her plate. But Ellie Rucker had been a good friend, and she’d gone out of her way to welcome any newcomers to the neighborhood.

      It was, Maria decided, one way to pay it forward.

      But, Lord, how she could use a few extra hours in her day.

      Eddie Gonzales was stretched out in the recliner, watching the evening news, when the phone rang.

      Who could be calling at this hour?

      He glanced at the time displayed on the cable box—it was almost ten o’clock—and reached for the portable receiver that rested on the lamp table. “Hello?”

      Ramon, his brother, responded. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

      “No. What’s up?”

      “I just got a call from the property manager at Fairbrook Realty. He’s got a job for us on Sugar Plum Lane. I’m up to my neck with the Sanderson project, so would you mind going over there and giving them a bid?”

      “Sure, I can do that.”

      “Ron said the yard had once been a showcase, but it’s been neglected for years. He thought it would take a week or more to get it back into shape, especially since we’re shorthanded right now. He thinks we’ll have to repair the sprinkler system, too. But I’ll let you make that call.”

      Eddie appreciated his brother’s trust, but they’d both grown up on the Rensfield estate, where their father had been the gardener. And they’d learned the landscape trade early on, although Ramon was the one who actually owned the company.

      “I’m tied up until about noon,” Eddie said, thinking about the yards he mowed on Tuesdays. “But I’ll take a look at it when I’m finished.”

      “Thanks.”

      Ramon didn’t have to thank Eddie for anything. Not after Ramon had gone to bat for him with the parole board. His brother’s connections with law enforcement, along with a job offer and family support, had been instrumental in getting him an early release.

      “Hold on a minute.” Eddie brought the recliner to an upright position and stood, careful not to step on Roscoe, the bushy-haired dog sprawled out on the floor. “I’ve got to find a pen.”

      He headed for the kitchen counter, where he kept his keys, cell phone, and daily log. Moments later, after he’d written down the address, as well as the name of the owner, he ended the call and returned to the living room.

      Roscoe looked up, stretched out his big, lanky body, and yawned.

      “You ready to go out before we turn in for the night?” Eddie reached for the leash he kept near the entrance.

      The dog barked and got to his feet, his tail swishing back and forth with more excitement than he’d shown all evening.

      Eddie ruffled the top of the mutt’s head and rubbed his ears. Roscoe had to be one of the ugliest dogs he’d ever seen. The first time he’d laid eyes on him, he’d been a stray hanging out near the ball fields at Mulberry Park and begging for food from anyone who’d brought a picnic lunch. Eddie had given him a chunk of his bologna sandwich, but some of the mothers near the playground weren’t so nice.

      When Roscoe accidentally knocked a toddler to the sand and started licking peanut butter off the kid’s face, the mother freaked out. Once she’d shooed the dog away and saw that her child was okay, she’d called someone and reported a dangerous dog on the loose.

      But Roscoe didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He’d just been starving, and not just for food. The poor guy only wanted a little human companionship, but no one at the park seemed to care.

      When the animal control officer arrived, Roscoe bolted, almost as though he’d already had a couple of run-ins with the doggie law and knew that the uniformed man wasn’t the kind of human friend he’d wanted.

      Eddie had found himself silently cheering the stray’s attempt to escape, but eventually the officer had cornered him. While he was being restrained, Roscoe had looked at Eddie, imploring him to help.

      Talk about weird connections. Eddie had felt an inexplicable tug at his heart.

      “What are you going to do with him?” he’d asked the officer.

      “I’m taking him back to the animal shelter. Normally, after a bath and a medical exam, we put them up for adoption. You’d be surprised at СКАЧАТЬ