To Fudge or Not to Fudge (A Candy-Coated Mystery with Recipes) Read Online Free

Trent Jessop was the gorgeous grandson of my father’s dear friend. The friend who had been murdered in my utility closet. The entire town had been convinced that there was a feud between the McMurphys and the Jessops. So much so that they had started wearing ribbons to let everyone know whose side they were on.
    Trent had stifled the feud idea in a rather unusual way. Ever since, I’ve been nervous in his presence. There was a certain level of sexy that a girl like me didn’t dare get involved with—it never turned out for the best. Now someone like Jennifer . . . that was a different story. But she was having none of my protests.
    “Call him,” Jenn pushed.
    I shot her a dirty look, and she winked at me. I glanced at Rex, his broad capable shoulders straining against his fitted uniform as he tossed shovels of dirt and mulch onto the black plastic.
    There wasn’t a lot of free time in my life for things like dating and relationships. That didn’t mean I didn’t have a rich fantasy life.
    “Do you want me to do it?” Jenn whispered near my ear.
    “I’ll do it.” I punched in the numbers and walked as far from the crime-scene crowd as I could.
    “This is Jessop.” Trent’s rich, deep voice brought shivers down my back.
    “Hi, Trent, this is Allie McMurphy.”
    “What can I do for you, Allie?”
    Now that was a loaded question. “Trent, does Steven Karus work for you?”
    “Karus? No, he works for the Jacobs’ stables. Why?”
    “Have you seen him lately?”
    “Sure, I saw him yesterday. He stopped in to look at our new gelding.”
    “He did? Are you sure?” I glanced at Angus.
    “Of course I’m sure. I’ve known Karus since I was a kid. What’s this all about?”
    “I don’t know that I’m able to say just yet,” I hedged. “But I’m glad to hear Mr. Karus was alive yesterday.”
    “Allie . . .”
    “Thanks for the info, Trent,” I cut him off. “Stop by sometime and I’ll get you some fudge and coffee—on the house.” I hung up the phone before he could say anything else. Trent was pretty wired into the community hotline. I figured he’d figure things out on his own pretty quickly.
    “Steven’s alive.” Angus studied me.
    “Yes, Trent saw him yesterday.”
    “That shoots my theory down.” Angus scowled, then pursed his lips. “Too bad, I was kind of looking forward to figuring out why he had his toenails painted orange.”
    I handed the phone back to Jenn. “Maybe we should be checking to see who isn’t in the crowd,” I said. “These bones could belong to a local who died this spring or even someone who died last fall and has been buried in snow.”
    “Oh, like the iceman they found in Switzerland.” Jenn tucked the cell phone back into her pocket. My best friend was tall, curvy, and elegant. Her long, black hair and fine features made her a perfect candidate for modeling. Cameras loved her hair. In contrast my own mop of dark brown hair, which refused to reflect any sort of light, always looked dull in pictures and videos.
    Today Jenn wore a flowery sundress with a buttery-yellow background and a long, blue sweater. Her heels were white cotton espadrilles that had four-inch platforms and made her over six feet tall and all elegant arms and legs.
    Jenn was not only a good friend, but an excellent event planner. She came to Mackinac to help me with my first season. In the short month she had been here, she had been hired to plan two weddings. The woman was a genius when it came to organizing. She made me feel rumpled in my pink “McMurphy” polo shirt and black pants—standard uniform for retail workers. My uniform matched the pink stripes of the McMurphy’s lobby interior. It was an old-fashioned theme meant to remind people of their stay whenever they saw one of my pink and white striped boxes.
    On my feet were cushiony athletic shoes meant to be more practical than attractive. A good candy maker was on her feet most of the day. Four-inch platform shoes were