Sunny McKillip travels from Chagrin Falls, Ohio to Mule
Stop, Texas to work as Administrative Assistant to the Dean
at the local college. However, after working for him
several months, he is is fired for falsifying his resume.
The flamboyant multi-millionaire, Honeybelle Hensley, needs
a personal secretary, and offers Sunny the position.
Accepting, they shake hands and Sunny moves into the
luxurious estate belonging to the wealthy widow. To live in
the Southern mansion with a magnificent rose garden, with many
roses found from abandoned farms and ranches and was
Honeybelle's greatest achievement, was an added plus for
Sunny. What was hard, was the coldness extended to her
from the longtime housekeeper and friend, Mae Mae, and the
longer in residence butler, Mr. Carter. They refuse to
welcome Sunny and hope she will just go away. She is an
Ohio outsider and does not belong there. Will things get
better with time?
Half of the Town wanted Honeybelle bumped off; the other
half adored her A do-gooder, she helps many financially.
But some dislike her. At the top of that list is her son.
He is unhappy because she refuses to turn over the reins of
Hensley Oil and Gas to him. Also unhappy, is her
daughter-in-law, Posie, who refuses to take NO for an
answer for her request to have a lavish wedding reception
for her sister, Poppy, in the Rose Garden. Also unhappy
with her is the President of the college who wants
Honeybelle to buy him a new football stadium. He is not
getting his wish. At his last visit, they argued, and Miss
Ruffles bit him. Honeybelle keeps busy. She takes Sunny
into the Rose Garden and begins to teach her about the care
and history of her roses. While together one day,
Honeybelle innocently said, "If something suspicious happens
to me, Sunny, sniff out what happened." Surprised, Sunny
wondered about those concerns.
A week later, Honeybelle's private nurse, Shelby Ann, hired
after a tripping accident occurred to Honeybelle, found her
dead in her Lexis convertible while waiting for Shelby Ann
to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy. She immediately
drove Honeybelle to the funeral parlor where she was
cremated. No muss. No fuss. A Memorial Service was held.
Full capacity inside and the parking lot full. Miss Ruffles
attends and sits in the front row. One week later, a will
is read by the lanky, handsome young attorney, Ten Tennyson,
who plays lawyer during the week and cowboy on the weekends.
What a shocking surprise when he advises Mae Mae, Mr.
Carter, and Sunny, that according to the will, they will
each receive a million dollars, IF they stay at the
residence and care for Miss Ruffles for one year. Nothing
can happen to the dog. They simply have to care for the
house and the dog like they always do and then collect
their inheritances. How hard can that be?
MISS RUFFLES INHERITS EVERYTHING is a charming book with a
few very mischievous turns that will delight and surprise!
Nancy Martin tells a good story while keeping you
entertained and laughing. As a dog lover, I loved Miss
Ruffles and Frank, both pleasing dogs that warm my heart.
My favorite character is dashing Ten Tennyson, who
immediately steals my heart with his charm and humor. Sunny,
an unwilling dog sitter, feels she owes Honeybelle her best
efforts to find out who killed her and why? When someone
kidnaps Miss Ruffles, she will stop at nothing to get her
back and keep her safe. No concern is given to her
inheritance. The banter between Ten and Sunny is a delight.
In the end, all ends well and I loved it!
Author of the popular Blackbird Sisters mystery series
Nancy Martin introduces a brand-new heroine: the
incorrigible canine Miss Ruffles.
When flamboyant Texas millionaire Honeybelle Hensley dies a
suspicious death, everybody in town is shocked to learn that
the sole beneficiary of her worldly fortune is none other
than Miss Ruffles―her dog. Miss Ruffles liked nothing better
than terrorizing Honeybelle’s many gentleman callers who
came knocking at cocktail hour, to say nothing of digging up
her famous rose garden after breakfast. And chasing the UPS
man. And causing commotion, generally, in Mule Stop, Texas.
So what gives?