Since my husband is usually gone by the time I wake up, I have the baby and the house to myself.
After brewing a cup of green tea, I step outside into the beautiful August morning to take a breath of fresh air before the baby wakes up. The barn is right across from the house, the little red barn that Jerry, my husband and a cop in town, built. We have an eight-acre farm with rescued animals here in Wilton, Connecticut. The goat, two sheep, and Oreo, an Australian shepherd, are already in the field. Jerry fed them and let them out of the barn, including our six house dogs. He also raked the straw out of the barn before he left for the Wilton Police Department down on Route 7.
How the baby sleeps through that racket I don’t know. She’s a little more than three months old.
I open the barn’s wide door and go straight to the back and to the aviary where the chickens are scratching in the dusty floor made perfect by Jerry, they roost in the cherry tree at night. The hens will dust bathe, sit on their nests, where, Jerry the rooster, not my husband, but a lovely bird that is named after him, placed them, and if they don’t like where rooster Jerry places their nests, the hens won’t sit and rooster Jerry makes a new nest.
Absolute privacy is called for when a hen lays her egg.
I’m mindful that I have only a few minutes for I must get back to Leonora. All the birds come from one of those huge “Egg Farms” where the hens are squeezed into cages, and in buildings with tens of thousands of others. They “fell off a truck” going to slaughter, Jerry says, and he rescued them. I don’t push on that. We started out with seven and now we have ten, and a few more might be “falling off a truck” any day now, Jerry told me yesterday. They arrived, pathetic, sick with respiratory ailments that I feared would kill them, along with their terror of humans. But they survived. A year has gone by, they are happier when we are not in sight, but they’ve healed, our vet bills reflect the care it took.
I’ve had my morning tranquility so now I rush across the front lawn on the worn dirt path to the front door of our little two-story wooden colonial, climb up the steps to our friendly small front porch. I take a deep breath, and gaze one more time at the fenced in eight acres spread, the field of corn, the towering maples and oaks, whose leaves reach the wide blue waking sky, the back field where the animals no doubt are roaming, they love it there. Heaving a couple of more sighs, I walk into the house and rush up the stairs that are a few feet away from the front door, and to the master bedroom and the baby’s small crib that is next to our bed. I can’t have her too far from me.
She’s sitting up, her warm brown hazel eyes are like Jerry’s and shoot over to me smiling even more, and her little chubby arms reach up to me and I wonder how I ever lived a day without her as I gather her up in my arms and kiss away and feel her soft silky skin.
Now for a little breakfast, and then a walk in the field with the stroller to say good morning to the dogs, sheep and goat under the morning sky. Life just couldn’t get any better; it is impossible to make it better.
In the kitchen, there is no note from Jerry, which is good news. Often when something terribly wrong happens, he’ll let me know. I was a reporter for the local papers, and know many people in town. Now I’m kind of a local hero, totally undeserved, people got the image of me since I thought it my business as a reporter to protect their interest in town policies regarding their well water, and the environment as a whole. Then we had a murder December before last, and Jerry and I solved it, but according to many in the town, I did it all on my own. Then there was the missing girl, last August, whose parents came to us for help.
So if things go wrong, I often get a call and I’m glad to help. As an investigative reporter, it’s natural for me to dig to find the truth. People expect that of me, I expect that of me. But, now with Leonora, I’m so loving the tranquility of my life, I’m a bit more selfish with my time, and believe that Leonora is my first priority.
I set Leonora into her little highchair next to the table to eat her breakfast made from our fruit trees, cherries, apples, pears and peaches harvested and then jarred by my incredible mother-in-law, Lillian. While I’m mixing fruit with a little baby oatmeal and organic almond milk the doorbell rings.
I pick up the baby all ready smeared with peaches on her hands and face. Opening up the door, I see a Roselyn, a choir member, she’s looking totally frazzled. I belong to the St. John’s Episcopal Church choir, and Roselyn is my best buddy there.
“Rossi, you have to help me!”
You can read more about Carol in Broken Window, the second book in the “Carol Rossi” mystery series, published by Mainly Murder Press. The first book in the series is Murder at the P&Z.
GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment by 12 a.m. eastern on May 8 for the chance to win a copy of Broken Window. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Winner will be notified within 48 hours after giveaway closes and you will have three days to respond after being contacted or another winner will be selected. Make sure to check your SPAM folder.
About the author
Dorothy Hayes, a staff writer for local Connecticut newspapers for five years, received an honorary award for her in-depth series on Vietnam Veterans from the Society of Professional Journalists. Prior to that she was a Language Arts teacher. A staff writer for a national animal protection organization, for six years, she wrote Animal Instinct, 2006. Dorothy lives in Stamford, CT with her husband, Arthur. She also raised four children, and is the mother-in-law to three, grandmother to fourteen, and is GN to Bella. She writes for WomenofMystery.Net, CriminalElement.Com, and is a member of Sisters-in-Crime-Tri-State Chapter, and Mystery Writers of American. Visit her at DorothyHayes.com for more information.
Wow! That blurb really sucked me in quickly. I so didn’t want it to end. Now I’ll be reading more about Carol Rossi soon. Thanks for the chance to win a copy. If it’s a print copy, I’ll share with my library as soon as I’ve read/reviewed it. Thanks again.
New author to me, new series, looks really interesting.
The story was sounding so tranquil, when bam it quickly piqued my senses of a mystery or a story that I just have to find out what’s happening. Thanks for chance to win
Sounds like a good read—thanks for the chance to win a copy!
Good morning and thank you, Dru, for introducing Rossi to your readers!
I’m happy to meet all your readers!
New author and series for me, thank you. Sounds like a great read
Sounds like a good series to get interested in. Thanks for the introduction, Dru. I enjoy reading your blog and your reviews.
Another new to me author, can’t wait to start reading her books!
This sounds like a terrific book! Thank you for the great post and contest!
I’m hooked! I need to meet Rossi officially (by reading the first book) and then I have to read this one. Dorothy you make everything seem so real…I can smell that sweet baby smell when she holds her arms up to be lifted from the crib. Can’t wait to read more! Thanks for sharing this and thanks to you and Dru for the opportunity to win a copy. 🙂
Your description makes it sound so inviting to the the country and then the excitment starts. Would love this book.
Sounds great!!
A great feature and giveaway.
Thanks for the chance to read this book!
Hoping I am the lucky one! Thank you for the chance!
All the detail and description of the day and surroundings really draws you into the story. Really want to read the book so hoping to win a copy. Thanks
Which window was broken? Were the glass shards on the inside or outside? Could you find any fingerprints? Oh, sorry, guess I should just read the book and find out, right?
KennyD
Hooked me again….can’t wait to find out what Rossi is into next.
Great intro, can’t wait to see what happens. Thanks for the chance to win a copy. 🙂
We have sheep so I am already interested in the story! Thanks for the opportunity to enter!
sounds like a great read hope I win it and thanks for having the giveaway
Sounds like a great story. I would love to finish it.
Thanks for the giveaway! Sounds great; I’m going to go to Amazon to check out the first book in the series!
Interesting plot line!
I have not read a Hayes book yet but I enjoy her blog posts. Judy D
I’m having great fun with your comments and the fact that people who have read Broken Window are now going back to read Murder at the P&Z, both are independent of each other. Rossi’s personal challenges, however, change throughout the series.
It sounds like a very interesting book, and one I would enjoy reading. Thanks for this chance.
Sounds like a great book, and ty for the chance, gl2all
Sounds like factoid read,
Thanks one in all! I loved reading your comments! And Judy, thanks for the mention of the posts, that would be on Women of Mystery.
Very interesting! I now need to read this book! Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy
I’m curious what happens! I am looking forward to reading this one to find out more. Thanks for the chance to win.
Hmm will have to check this series out. Sounds great!
A new-to-me author/series that I must read!!
Thank you for the giveaway!!
How cool! There is even an Aussie in this book! I’d love to win a copy. 🙂
Very cute, Jane!
I’m already interesting in someone who would keep all those rescue animals. Thanks for the contest.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Can’t wait to read the series.
I love a story with animals, especially rescues. Can’t wait to read this.
Another new-to-me author and series that is now on my TBR list!
Can’t wait to read this book. Love any story with animals in it.
looks like a great read and sheep are involved !!!
I fell in love with the sheep, Doris and Helen, so sweet and innocent. Our sheep are named after real sheep in England who were featured in Animal Watch, a magazine of The Anglican Society for the Welfare of Animals. Doris now has her own column, in fact, picture and all. You can see Doris by the link below.
http://www.aswa.org.uk
Would love to win and read
sounds like a great read thanks for having the giveaway
contest is closed.