Murder in the Rose Garden: A Scent with Love Cozy Mystery (Scent with Love Cozy Mysteries) (10 page)

“Thank you, Doctor,
I am so glad to hear that she is going to make it.”

“Yes, she
was lucky. We got to her just in time; snake venom can be deadly. Although she
had no obvious signs of a snake bite, her symptoms had me convinced that she
had been poisoned with viper venom. Fortunately we had antivenom on hand. She
will need a lot of rest but she should be ready to go home by the end of the
week.”

 “Beth, let
me drive you back to my place. It’s been a long day and it’s too far to drive
back to Millie’s at this hour.” The warmth of Chase’s hand against her cheek
made her heart skip a beat.

“That sounds
wonderful. I am exhausted.”

They left
the hospital a little after midnight. Sheriff Hunter had called just as they
arrived at the hospital an hour earlier. They had apprehended Jack Reynolds on
his sailboat just as he was heading out of the harbor. Her mother’s pots and
vases had been recovered and Jack would be spending the night in custody with
Eleanor Blackwood.

Chase pulled
up to the harbor and stopped in a reserved bay next to the
Fisherman’s Wharf hotel
and restaurant building. He helped Beth out of his truck and walked her over to
a white sailboat and smiled, ushering her aboard.

“Home sweet home.”

“You live on a boat?”
Beth was surprised; they had grown so close over the last few weeks but it had
never occurred to her to ask where he lived.

“Yes, Lola and I are
lucky enough to call
The Sea Breeze
our home.”

Lola was delighted to
see them, and before long Beth was curled up in Chase’s arms with Lola snoring
softly at the foot of the bed. The idea of being on a boat had always appealed
to Beth and she found the gentle sway of the large vessel very soothing as she
dozed off to sleep.

~

Beth woke before
sunrise to the sound of fishermen heading out to sea and the smell of freshly
brewed coffee wafting in from the kitchen. She found Chase sitting on the deck
with Lola at his feet.

She wrapped her arms
around him from behind and whispered in his ear, “Want some company?”

Chase nodded and pulled
her onto his lap before kissing her softly on the mouth.

“I am glad that you
managed to solve the case but I can’t help feeling disappointed at the thought
of you having to leave…”

Beth cupped his face in
her hands and placed her finger on his lips, silencing him before he could
finish his sentence.

“I have been doing a
bit of thinking lately, Mr. Crawford,” she said teasingly. “Seeing as I am now
the proud owner of a flower shop, a seaside cottage and a large collection of
antique Chinese porcelain…it appears to me as if I no longer need to return to
Boston quite as quickly as I initially thought.

Chase’s eyes lit up and
a look of excitement darted across his face. “Are you going to stay?”

“I think so, at least
until I can figure out what I am going to do with all of it.”

Chase scooped her up
into his arms and carried her, laughing, back inside towards the bedroom.

“You have just made me
the happiest man on earth, Beth Andrews!”