Till Death Do Us Port (A Colorado Wine Mystery, Band 4) - Softcover

Lansing, Kate

Softcover

ISBN 10: 059354627X ISBN 13: 9780593546277

Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group, 2023

Inhaltsangabe

When a wedding turns into a crime scene, young vintner Parker Valentine investigates the full-bodied problem in this captivating Colorado-set cozy mystery.
 
It’s June in Boulder, Colorado, and wedding season is in full swing. Parker Valentine is excited to attend the wedding of her cousin, Emma, where in addition to celebrating the happy couple, she’ll also be providing wine for the reception. But when the fussy wedding planner is found dead midway through the ceremony, Parker knows that to get the weekend back on track, she’ll need to unveil a murderer.
 
Unfortunately, there’s no shortage of high tension and hot tempers during a wedding, so Parker has a long list of potential suspects. Even worse, her entire family has fixated on the state of Parker’s relationship with her boyfriend, Reid. If Parker can manage to impress her relatives with her wine skills and dodge unwanted pointed personal questions, solving a murder will be the icing on the cake.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Kate Lansing is an award-winning short story author. Her work has appeared in the Brave New Girls anthology and the Crossing Colfax anthology. She lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband, daughter, and a chair-napping tabby cat named Maple.

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Chapter One


There are as many types of goodbyes as there are varietals of grapes. There are the bittersweet goodbyes full of hugs and promises to see each other soon. The final goodbyes no one is ever ready for. The relieved goodbyes from guests who overstayed their welcome. And then there are the ambiguous goodbyes.

Where there are too many words left to be spoken, none of which can do the parting justice. Or give any indication as to the future. Where the best way to communicate is through actions, which for me, ironically, also involve lips.

Gripping the collar of Reid's shirt, I pull him in for another kiss. Memorizing the taste of him, the feel of his glorious mouth pressed against mine, the way he trails his fingers down my back and tugs me closer.

He breaks away and bestows a featherlight kiss on my forehead, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I can stay," he says. "Push my meeting back, get a later flight, go to this shindig with you."

"The invitation clearly said black tie," I quip with a not-so-subtle survey of my boyfriend's attire. The blue collared shirt, khakis, and boots might be more zhuzhed than his usual T-shirt and jeans, but they're a far cry from what's expected at my cousin's wedding.

Reid isn't dismayed in the least. "Come on, Parks," he whispers, his nickname for me rolling off his tongue as if I'd always been Parks instead of Parker. "Let me be your plus-one. We'll bring down the house."

While this isn't the first time he's offered, it's the most tempted I've been to accept. I take a shuddering breath and steel myself. As much as I want to postpone the inevitable, I can't.

This goodbye is a pit stop for Reid, his final destination being the airport, where he'll jet his way to the Bay Area to scout locations for a new restaurant, his esteemed establishment on Pearl Street in such high demand that investors approached him and he couldn't do anything but expand.

Because food is Reid's passion. Taking his culinary concoctions transcontinental is a dream come true. And I'm not one to stand in the way of someone achieving their dream. Especially not someone I love. Given all that, and the fact that he'll be living on the West Coast if-nay, when-he finds the perfect place, hiring a kitchen staff and developing a menu, I'd better reacquaint myself with flying solo. Why not start now?

"First off," I start, "the house needs to remain standing today and there are enough cracks already." I cast a dubious glance at the venue chosen by my cousin.

Sure, the Longview Lodge is a historic building, composed of natural stone and wood paneling, a mixture of rustic and comfort that was no doubt a sight to behold in its heyday. Which has long since passed. The decades haven't been kind to the quaint motel, the landscaping wild and general upkeep fallen into disrepair, the bulk of its clientele being students at the neighboring university. Of course, all of this would be perfectly fine if it weren't for the construction.

Between the jackhammer raging in the background and the forgotten tools and stacks of plywood, there's something to be desired in the romance department. Particularly given the possibilities in Boulder and the surrounding mountainscape.

But perhaps this was the only place available; June is wedding season, after all. Only, I thought that was why my cousin Emma hired a wedding planner. Or rather, why her pushy stepmother encouraged (read: forced) her to hire one.

I continue, running a hand through Reid's hair, sandy with undertones of port, relishing the contact, "Second, as dashing as you are, pretty sure the spotlight is supposed to be on the bride."

Reid catches my hand and twirls me, mischief sparking in his green eyes. "Hate to break it to you, but in that dress, all eyes are gonna be on you."

"What, this old thing?" I ask coyly, even though we both know I'm wearing one of my favorite numbers for the occasion. A little black dress with a fitted top embossed with an elegant vine texture that flares into a knee-length skirt. And let's not forget the silk-lined pockets; a dress isn't a dress without pockets, IMHO. "Besides, you've never met Emma. She's a looker, and so sweet birds literally eat out of the palm of her hand like some sort of real-life Disney princess."

"I would get to meet her if I stayed," Reid points out.

"I'm protecting you, I promise." That, at least, is the truth. My family is not for the fainthearted. I take a step back, out of the gravitational field that is Reid, already missing his warmth, even as the temperature climbs upward to eighty degrees. "Now, you're going to miss your flight, and that poor Uber driver is about to blow a gasket."

We both look to where the smart Audi is idling in the roundabout, and the driver within craning his neck every few seconds to shoot us an impatient glare.

"Eh, I'm sure he's seen worse," Reid says.

"Even so, I can't have my rider rating dinged."

Any self-respecting girlfriend would have driven their guy to the airport under such circumstances, only, pitiful as it might sound, driving and me don't mix. And while I have plans to correct that, there was nothing else for it this morning. Hence, rideshare.

A high-pitched wail rises from inside the motel, so loud it carries through the sliding glass doors that lead to the lobby and competes with the rumble of a nearby forklift.

Reid and I turn in unison toward the guttural noise. All I can make out is our reflection in the glass, two star-crossed lovers desperate to extend the moment. But another shriek reaches our ears, this one transitioning into a sob.

"I should really go make sure everything is okay," I say, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

I plant a swift peck on Reid's lips and retrieve the case full of wine and palate-cleansing crackers waiting at my feet. This may seem like an odd wedding gift, but Emma specifically requested my label for the celebratory libations, and I was pleased as punch to acquiesce. The wedding industry is lucrative. If I could wedge even my pinky toe in that figurative door, it could be huge for my business. Huge as in, well, I don't know exactly what yet. But I'll worry about that if I succeed.

With my heels clicking against the cement in time to clinking bottles, I start toward the entrance to the motel. But suddenly, I stop. Who knows when I'll see Reid again? I set the case on the ground and jog back to him, throwing my arms around his neck for one last kiss.

"You just can't get enough of me, huh?" Reid asks, the dimples making their grand appearance.

"Never," I say, my voice growing hoarse.

He traces a small circle on my bare shoulder with his thumb. "Same here, Parks." Another sob sounds, this one closer to a howl. Reid gestures toward the motel. "Go, do your thing. I'll text when I land."

I nod and smooth the front of my dress, the picture of decorum once more, or as close as I can get. Then I hightail it into the lobby and the family drama inevitably waiting for me.


Sometimes a bottle of wine is the celebration. With the telltale pop of a cork, any hardships of the day fade into the background, the senses engaged by layered aromas, silky textures, and lush flavors, the clinking of glasses elevating the experience. This is even more true when the hallowed beverage is your own craftsmanship. Although, as delectable as my wines may be, I hoped there would be a worthier event to laud at my cousin’s wedding.

You know, like the bride and the groom tying the knot. The I dos and culminating kiss. The first dance, and toasts with friends and family. The cake.

Instead, this soiree is one mishap away from a full-on catastrophe.

The crying that Reid and I heard outside hailed from a distraught...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2023
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 059354627X
• ISBN 13: 9780593546277
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 304
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: preigu; mail@preigu.de; ; Lengericher Landstr. 19; Osnabrück; 49078; Deutschland