Heaven and Earth Read Free

living arrangements without saying something first. Ripley wondered if this fell into the area of social skills, a tricky business for her.
    “Will I be in your way if I chow down in the kitchen?” she asked Nell. “That way I can talk to you while you work.”
    “Sure. Come on back.”
    Nell carried the food over to her worktable. “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”
    “Not a thing,” Ripley assured her. “Bitchy cold out. I bet you and Zack are sorry you didn’t stay south until spring.”
    “The honeymoon was perfect.” Even thinking of it brought on a warm, satisfied glow. “But it’s better being home.” Nell opened the refrigerator for the container holding one of the day’s salads. “Everything I want is here. Zack, family, friends, a home of my own. A year ago I’d never have believed I’d be standing here like this, knowing that in an hour or so I’d be going home.”
    “You earned it.”
    “I did.” Nell’s eyes darkened, and in them Ripley could see the core of strength—a core that everyone, including Nell, had underestimated. “But I didn’t do it alone.” The bright ding of the counter bell warned her she had a customer waiting. “Don’t let your soup get cold.”
    She slipped out, her voice lifting in greeting.
    Ripley spooned up soup and sighed with contentment at the first taste. She would just concentrate on her lunch and think about the rest later.
    But she’d barely made a dent in the bowl when she heard Nell call Mia’s name.
    “Ripley’s in the kitchen. I think she wanted to see you.”
    Shit, shit, shit ! Ripley scowled into her soup and got busy filling her mouth.
    “Well, well, make yourself at home.”
    Mia Devlin, her gypsy mane of red hair tumbling over the shoulders of a long dress of forest green, leaned gracefully against the doorjamb. Her face was a miracle formed of high, ice-edged cheekbones, a full, sculpted mouth painted as boldly red as her hair, skin smooth as cream, and eyes gray as witch-smoke.
    Those eyes looked Ripley over lazily, one brow lifted in a perfect and derisive arch.
    “I am.” Ripley continued to eat. “I figure it’s Nell’s kitchen this time of day. If I thought otherwise, I’d be searching my soup for wool of bat or dragon’s teeth.”
    “And it’s so hard to come by dragon’s teeth this time of year. What can I do for you, Deputy?”
    “Not a thing. But I did give some passing thought to doing something for you.”
    “Now I’m all agog.” Tall and slim, she moved to the table and sat. She was wearing those needle-thin heels she was so fond of, Ripley noticed. She could never figure out why anyone would put her innocent feet in such torture chambers without a gun being held to her head.
    She broke off another piece of her roll, munched. “You lost yourself a tenant when Nell and Zack tied the knot. I figured you hadn’t gotten around to doing anything about renting out the yellow cottage, and since I’m thinking about getting my own place, maybe I can help you out.”
    “Do tell.” Intrigued, Mia broke off a bite of Ripley’s roll for herself.
    “Hey, I’m paying for that.”
    Ignoring her, Mia nibbled. “A little too crowded for you at the homestead?”
    “It’s a big house.” Ripley gave a careless shrug, thenmoved the rest of her roll out of reach. “But you happen to have one going empty. It’s a pretty dinky place, but I don’t need much. I’d be willing to negotiate a lease on it.”
    “A lease on what?” Nell swung back in, straight to the fridge to get out the makings for a sandwich order.
    “The yellow cottage,” Mia told her. “Ripley’s looking for a place of her own.”
    “Oh, but—” Nell turned. “You have a place of your own. With us.”
    “Let’s not make this sticky.” It was too late to regret she hadn’t arranged to speak to Mia privately. “I was just thinking it’d be cool to have a little place to myself, and since Mia’s got one going begging—”
    “On the