Martin waited by his front window, gazing out at the fall leaves, waiting for the mayor. He’d intended to spend Thanksgiving alone. After last night, he didn’t want to be around anybody. It was an embarrassing moment when Lois and Martin figured out that apparently Lois had been sleepwalking when she agreed to marry him. He’d sat down with the sheriff and Lois after the play. Being the person of integrity that he was, Irwin apologized for hitting him, and told him how important their friendship was to him.
It had eased the pain a little. Lois assured him he’d been a strong contender. But when all was said and done, there was only one heavyweight standing.
Martin sighed. It had been so out of character for him to fall in love in the first place. And now he had good reason to keep it from happening again.
The mayor had insisted they accept the sheriffs invitation for Thanksgiving dinner. He wouldn’t take no for an answer and had hung up the phone with, “I’ll be there in five minutes.”
Fine. But Martin was going to have to be brutally honest with the mayor. It was time somebody gave that man some relaxation techniques, or maybe a Valium. He was beginning to realize the mayor didn’t have the capabilities to handle anything out of the ordinary, and in Martin’s opinion, the town had suffered for it.
The mayor honked his horn as he pulled into the driveway and screeched to a stop. Martin pulled his scarf around his neck, buttoned his coat, and headed toward the door. The mayor honked again.
“Coming,” Martin mumbled. He locked his front door and got into the car. “Good morning, sir.”
The mayor growled. “Not so much. The coffeehouse is closed.”
“Yes sir. It’s Thanksgiving.”
“Well it’s rude. They get you addicted, then cut you off. Maybe we should drive to the next county, see what’s available.”
Martin hadn’t realized the mayor was such a fan. “Ainsley will have coffee going, I’m sure, sir.”
“It’s not the same!”
“As what?”
“Look, I know it sounds strange, but if I don’t have my double espresso with a shot of Irish Cream, I go insane.”
Espresso? Double espresso? That’s what the mayor had been drinking all these weeks? Martin laughed out loud, and the mayor shot him a look. That was it! No wonder he was shaking like a leaf all the time!”
“I don’t know what’s so special about it, but I can’t start my morning without it.”
Martin started laughing so hard he couldn’t stop. The mayor tried to smile but was left out of what was so humorous. They arrived at the sheriff’s house.
“Are you okay?” the mayor asked.
Martin settled down, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Yes sir. I’m fine. It’s just that some things aren’t what they seem.” They got out of the car and walked inside.
“Martin,” the sheriff said, greeting him with a hug. “I’m so glad you came. And you, too, Mayor Wullisworth.”
“Thanks for having me,” Martin said. “Hello, Lois.”
She smiled. “Hi Martin. I’m happy to be spending Thanksgiving with you.”
The sheriff said, “Why don’t we all gather around the table?”
Everyone took their seats, including Wolfe, Ainsley, the reverend, Oliver, and Melb. Butch walked in.
“You’re back already? What they’d say?” the sheriff asked. “He ‘fess up yet?”
“Told us everything,” Butch said. “He didn’t want to spend another night in jail, especially on Thanksgiving. He admitted to breaking into the house.”
“I don’t understand. What was his motivation for all this?” Ainsley asked.
“Apparently anger,” the sheriff replied. “I guess Dustin had outbid him on the Internet and was boasting about it in some chat room for snake lovers. When he let everyone know the snake was loose, Tarffeski decided this was his chance to get back what he thought was rightfully his.”
“Is he really from New Zealand?”
“No. Admitted he learned the accent at some Web site called cool foreignaccents.com. He’s been trying it on women for years and decided it might be useful for picking up snakes, too.”
“Neither successfully,” Butch laughed. “By the way, we can all feel safer now. The guy’s got a pretty lengthy record and is wanted for holding up a convenience store.”
“So what’s Dustin going to do with the snake, now that he knows how much it’s worth?” Wolfe asked.
“He’s not selling it. He says he wouldn’t sell them for a million bucks. But the pet store did donate a large tank for them, and the owner is giving Dustin some more accurate feeding tips. Also heard that a few zoos are interested in coming out and taking some pictures of our newest star.”
“Dad, that was a brave thing you did. Who knew what could’ve happened had you not intervened,” Ainsley said.
“Well first of all, it was a prop gun, so I knew it wasn’t loaded. He didn’t know that, but then again, if he’d grabbed my real gun, that wouldn’t have been loaded either!”
Everyone laughed, and the sheriff took his seat at the head of the table. Everyone sat down. “Well, it’s hard to believe, but a year ago this young man we now know as Ainsley’s husband was just getting to know the family at Thanksgiving dinner. So much has changed since then. My only daughter has found true love. Melb and Oliver have found each other as well. Even Thief has managed to settle down. Butch, there’s always next Thanksgiving.” Everyone laughed.
“I’ve got my eye on Tammi from the restaurant.”
The sheriff looked around the table. “I don’t think any of us could’ve predicted where our lives would be.” He grabbed Lois’s hand. “Could anyone imagine that I would’ve found such a unique and lovely woman that I hope to share this house with someday? Especially now that we’ve cleared things up about the fact that there was no other woman.”
The sheriff glanced at Butch, who threw up his hands and grinned. “What? It took some getting used to. But I know Mom would want you to be happy, Dad. You have my blessing.”
“We have many blessings. This family. Our friends. This town. Two new babies on the way. None of us knew what the future held a year ago. In fact, things looked a little grim last Thanksgiving. Wolfe had been kicked out in the snow and nearly died. Thief looked to have been poisoned. But isn’t that where our hope is? In the idea that life will get better with God by our side?”
Everyone nodded.
“In the tradition of this holiday, would anyone like to name something they are thankful for?” The mayor stood. “I would.”
“Go ahead.”
“We’ve seen a lot of changes in this town over the years, some subtle, some not so subtle. I have loved this town with all my heart, and given her everything I had. I am thankful for it all. But it’s time for me to step down.”
Everyone looked at one another. Martin couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“And I am naming Martin as interim mayor, until the election. But I’ve done some polling, and Martin, you’re guaranteed to be voted in. This town loves you. And I can’t think of anyone more capable of leading Skary, Indiana, into the next phase of her life.”
Martin felt himself choking up. Tears formed in his eyes.
The sheriff said, “Martin, please, stand and say something!”
Everyone around the table urged him, and he slowly stood. The mayor nodded at him the way a father gives a son his blessing.
The mayor said, “You’ve inherited a town that is divided. It won’t be an easy task.”
“Yes sir. With division comes a host of problems. This town can become like a two-headed snake, each head wanting to go a separate direction and therefore hardly able to go one right way. A snake like that can’t even defend itself against the smallest of predators. But if both heads learn to work together to accomplish a common goal, then the chances of one head swallowing the other are diminished quite drastically.”
Maybe that was too graphic an illustration for the dinner table.
/> “Anyway, the fact of the matter is that what makes a small town isn’t the things but the people. Our small-town values can remain no matter what comes our way. But it’s up to you all. We must work together to keep Skary, Indiana, a town never to be forgotten!”
Hearty applause followed, and everyone at the table stood and cheered. Martin couldn’t hold back a smile. And he knew one thing for certain: he, too, had found the love of his life.
Martin said, “Let’s give God thanks for the chance to be part of this delightful journey. And may there be many more journeys to come.”
The sheriff held up his glass and said, “To Skary, Indiana. May she always bring us love, peace, and laughter.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
SKARY, INDIANA, HAS BECOME a second home to me, and I will be eternally grateful for all of those involved in this wonderfully fun project. What started out as one crazy idea turned into a vision for a series. I never imagined when I first dreamed up the town of Skary that it would be as beloved as it is. I’m thankful first and foremost to all of my readers who allowed their imaginations to be captured by the wacky and lovable citizens of Skary.
The incomparable editorial talents of Dudley Delffs made the books unique and the journey fun. Thank you, Dudley, for all those amazing ideas that translated so well into the story. I’d also like to thank Don Pape for the never-ending encouragement he is so famous for offering. You gave me the courage I needed. Thank you to Mark Ford for the brilliant cover designs that have made these books stand out, and to Laura Wright, an insightfully talented editor who always adds that extra punch to the story. I’d also like to thank everyone at WaterBrook Press for your support and your hard work on behalf of these books.
Thanks to Nessie Ng for your stellar and keen editorial eye. And thanks to my agent, Janet Kobobel Grant. Your support through the writing of this book—and the unseen challenges along the way—went above and beyond the call of duty.
I’d also like to thank Dr. Danny Barnes, for restoring my health and restoring my faith in doctors.
Thanks to my parents, Wayne and Karen, for providing the extra baby-sitting time I needed to complete this book.
Thanks to all my Writing Chambers friends, who continue to be a delight in more ways than I can count. I appreciate all your prayers and your wonderful friendships. Thanks also to my church, WCC, for being such loyal fans and loving friends.
And thank you, Father, for allowing me this great privilege, and for making my journey deeper and broader so that every word I write will continue to point back to You.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RENE GUTTERIDGE is the author of seven novels, including Ghost Writer, Troubled Waters, and the Boo Series. She worked as a church playwright and drama director, writing over five hundred short sketches, before publishing her first novel and deciding to stay home with her first child.
Rene is married to Sean, a musician, and enjoys raising their two children while writing full time. She also enjoys helping new writers and teaching at writers’ conferences. She and her family make their home in Oklahoma.
Please visit her Web site at www.renegutteridge.com.
BOO HISS
PUBLISHED BY WATERBROOK PRESS
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A division of Random House Inc.
Scripture quotations and paraphrases are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
The characters and events in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental.
Copyright © 2005 by Rene Gutteridge Inc.
Published in association with the literary agency of Janet Kobobel Grant, Books & Such, 4788 Carissa Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95405.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
WATERBROOK and its deer design logo are registered trademarks of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gutteridge, Rene.
Boo hiss: a novel / Rene Gutteridge.—1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Suburban life—Fiction. 2. Social change—Fiction. 3. Housewives—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3557.U887B663 2005
813’.6—dc22
2005014143
eISBN: 978-0-307-50757-0
v3.0
Rene Gutteridge, Boo Hiss
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