What the Heart Knows: A Milford-Haven Novel - Book One (35 page)

Nicole Champagne:
mid20s, 5’5, brown eyes, brunette, chic dresser; runs MilfordHaven’s Finders Gallery; sells Miranda Jones’s and other artists’ work with skill; originally from Montreal, Quebec and speaks with a FrenchCanadian accent.

Stacey Chernak:
late 40s, 5’6, blue eyes, blond hair, kind, submissive, speaks with a SwissGerman accent; married to abusive Wilhelm Chernak; works full time as Clarke Shipping secretary, and works parttime for Chernak Agency.

Wilhelm Chernak:
mid60s, 6’, deepset black eyes, saltandpepper hair, low resonant voice, a Swiss citizen who still carries an accent from his native Germany; capable of fierce and sudden anger; started the Chernak Agency, a service for locating adopted children; abuses his wife Stacey.

Christine Christian:
early40s, 5’6, aqua eyes, blonde, vivacious, beautiful, intense; special investigative reporter for Satellite News TV station KOSTSATV; lives in Santa Maria; frequent international traveler; dates Joseph Calvin.

Russell Clarke:
early 60s, 6’3, coal black eyes, dazzling white teeth, dusky skin, deceptively strong, by turns charming and stern, adopted with unknown mixed lineage; owner of Clarke Shipping; Stacey Chernak’s employer; business associate of Joseph Calvin; commissions Jack Sawyer to build him MilfordHaven’s most magnificent seaside mansion.

Ralph Hargraves:
late 70s, 6’, blue eyes, gray hair, a face seamed with smilelines, pleasant disposition; a fixture in MilfordHaven, owner of Hargraves Hardware.

James Hughes:
early 60s, 5’11, brown eyes, thinning gray hair, softspoken with a midAtlantic accent; the fiercely loyal Butler at the Calvin Estate, Calma.

Samantha Hugo:
early 50s, 5’9, cognacbrown eyes, redhead, statuesque, sharp dresser; Director of MilfordHaven’s Environmental Planning Commission; Miranda’s friend; Jack Sawyer’s former wife; a journal writer.

Deputy Delmar Johnson:
early 30s, 6’2, brown eyes, black hair, handsome, muscular, AfricanAmerican; with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department, assigned to the Special Problems Unit; originally from South Central Los Angeles.

Meredith Jones:
early 30s, 5’8, teal eyes, mediumlength brunet hair, beautiful, shapely, athletic; San Francisco financial advisor; Miranda’s sister.

Miranda Jones:
early 30s***, 5’9, green eyes, long brunet hair, beautiful, lean, athletic; fine artist specializing in watercolors, acrylics and murals; a staunch environmentalist whose paintings often depict endangered species; has escaped her wealthy BayArea family to create a new life in MilfordHaven.

Michelle “Shelly” Larrup:
mid40s, 5’6, hazel eyes, bobbed burgundy hair, welltoned dancer’s body, flamboyant dresser; originally from Australia and speaks with the accent; owner of Shell Shock in MilfordHaven.

June Magliati:
mid 40s, 5’2, brown eyes, dark brown curly hair, nononsense expression that goes well with her thick Brooklyn accent; Sally O’Mally’s trusted friend and employee at the restaurant.

Mr. Man:
age unknown, dark eyes and hair, medium height, medium build; one of reporter Chris Christian’s anonymous sources.

Will Marks:
mid30s, 6’, dark eyes and hair, athletic build; VP at Clarke Shipping; contact of Zack Calvin’s at Calvin Oil.

Zelda McIntyre:
early50s, 5’1, violet eyes, wavy black hair, voluptuous, dramatic and striking; owner of private firm Artist Representations in Santa Barbara; Miranda’s artist’s rep; corporate art buyer; has designs on Joseph Calvin.

Mary Meeks:
late 50s, 5’2, warm brown eyes, mousy brown hair perfectly coiffed, trim figure, conservative dresser; loyal secretary at Calvin Oil, remembers every detail of Calvin business.

Sally O’Mally:
early 40s, 5’3, blue eyes, blond curly hair, perfectly proportioned; owner of Sally’s Restaurant; owner of BurnItOff; born and reared in Arkansas; Miranda’s friend; dislikes Samantha; secretly involved with Jack Sawyer.

Burt Ostwald:
age unknown, 6’2, dark eyes, closecropped blond hair, quartersized mole on left cheek, burly; taciturn loner; freelance temporaryhire at Sawyer Construction.

Michael Owen:
mid40s, 5’9, blue eyes, black hair, slightly rotund; owner of Lighthouse Tavern.

Cynthia Radcliffe:
early 30s, 5’8, amberbrown eyes, blond, shapely, gorgeous; passionate, petulant, persuasive; Santa Barbara social climber; Zackery Calvin’s girlfriend.

Kevin Ransom:
late20s, 6’8, hazel eyes, sandy hair, strong jawline, lean, muscular; Foreman at Sawyer Construction; innocent, naive, kind; tuned in to animals; technologically adept; highly intuitive; has longings for Susan Winslow.

Jack Sawyer:
mid50s, 6’, blue eyes, saltandpepper hair and mustache, barrelchested, solidly muscular, ruggedly handsome; MilfordHaven contractorbuilder; Samantha Hugo’s former husband; secretly involved with Sally O’Mally.

Lucy Seecor:
mid30s, 5’6’, black eyes, shiny black hair worn in a long braid; trim figure; photographic memory; manager of Rosencrantz Café.

Cornelius Smith:
early 40s, 6’3, indigoblue eyes, black hair, handsome, lean; grew up in MilfordHaven where his parents still live; a professional astronomer who works part time at NASA Ames and plans to build an observatory in MilfordHaven; a loner, an eccentric.

Susan Winslow:
mid20s, 5’4, brown eyes, long black hair, railthin, attractive but sullen, Native American; Samantha’s assistant at the EPC; avid rockstar fan; victim of traumatic childhood; feels trapped in MilfordHaven; defensive about her heritage; toys with Kevin.

MilfordHaven Recipes

Joan Calvin’s
Chicken Breasts Marsala with Fetuccini Alfredo
(As prepared by James Hughes at Calma]

Meat Dish Ingredients:

1/4 C. all-purpose flour for coating

1/2 t. sea salt

1/4 t. ground black pepper

1/2 t. dried or fresh oregano

4       skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (pounded 1/4 inch thick)

4 T. butter

4 T. olive oil

1 c. sliced mushrooms

1/2 C. Marsala wine

1/4 C. cooking sherry

Preparation:

In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture.

Cooking:

In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown. Turn over chicken pieces, and add mushrooms. Pour in wine and sherry. Cover skillet; simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once more, until juices run clear.

Pasta Sauce Ingredients:

2 C. heavy cream

1     stick of butter

1 C. grated Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking:

In a medium saucepan, use low heat to melt butter, then add heavy cream and stir. When mixture is hot, slowly add grated cheese, mix well, and cook 510 minutes till sauce thickens. Serve over fettuccini noodles cooked
aldente
.

* Provided by Marshelline Purl

MilfordHaven Recipes

Sally O’Mally’s
Fabulous Gooey Sticky Cinnamon Buns
As Served at Sally’s Restaurant

Preheat ovento375°

Ingredients for Dough:

4 ½ C. allpurpose or bread flour

2C. flour (wholewheat or white whole wheat)

2 pkg instant yeast

2 T. bakingpowder

½ C. sugar

1 t. salt

3 eggs, beaten 2C. milk

6 C. butter

Ingredients for Roll Filling:

½ C. butter, very soft

1 C. brown sugar

1 C. white sugar

3 T. cinnamon

Gratings of fresh nutmeg

Other spices as desired: pumpkinpie, ginger, cardamom

Sticky Nut Topping:

¾ C. butter

3 C. dark Karo syrup

1 C. lightly toasted pecans, walnuts or blend coarsely chopped salted nuts

Preparation:
1. Blend dry ingredients, including yeast, in a bowl and set aside.
2. Scald milk, then add butter, sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add 2 cups flour mixture. Beat until well blended.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.
5. Stir in remainder of flour mixture. Beat or knead until well developed. Leave in bowl, cover tightly with towel then plastic wrap.
6. Let rise until double.
7. Spray or butter 2 large baking pans (11×13 or so). Pour in syrup, dot with butter. Sprinkle nuts evenly over surface.
8. Meanwhile, blend filling sugars and spices in a bowl.
9. When dough is doubled, punch down. If your work table is small, divide the dough into two parts.
10. Roll each part into 13×24inch rectangle on wellfloured board.
11. Spread with butter, leaving blank oneinch strip on long edge. Spread blank edge with egg wash, then sprinkle buttered part evenly with sugarspice mixture.
12. Beginning at buttered long edge, roll up firmly. Mark halfway point in the roll, then halfway point of each half.
13. Cut into 1.5inchthick slices. Llay slices on top of the syrup in the pans. [For softedged rolls, leave ½ inch between; for firmly baked sides, leave 3 inches between rolls.]
14. Set lightly covered pans in warm, moist place to raise until dough is doubled.
15. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until tops are nicely brown and edges are firm.
16. When rolls are nearly done, cut two aluminum foil sheets slightly larger than pans. Set out two matching cookie sheets.
17. Put on long, heavy baking gloves, to protect your hands and arms (the syrup is very hot and very sticky.)
18. Carefully remove pan(s) from oven. Immediately top with heavy foil and a sheet pan slightly larger than pan holding the rolls. Flip quickly and remove baking pan. Slide off the aluminum foil onto another sheet pan or cookie sheet, and let rolls cool (it’s so hard to wait!) until rolls are cool enough to touch.
Caution! Remember, if hot syrup will burn your fingers, it will burn your tongue and mouth!

*Contributed by Kathe Tanner, The Upper Crust Bakery, Cambria

Return soon to…

MilfordHaven!

Coming in 2012

Mara Purl’s

Where the Heart Lives

Book Two in the exciting MilfordHaven saga

Reserve Your Copy Now!
[email protected]

Here’s an excerpt from the Prologue…

Senior Deputy Delmar Johnson startled at a tapping sound, darting a look around his shadowed office.

Just the rain
… or
the wind
. There it was again.
Like someone’s knocking to get in
. His scalp prickling, he pushed back from his desk. Remaining seated, he interlaced his long fingers and reached overhead to stretch his back.

Still, he couldn’t shake his feeling of foreboding. Highway 1 stretched past his window, a slick ribbon of asphalt devoid of traffic. He’d stayed so long in his office that now it was dark outside. Daylight hours had grown short, and winter rains doused the Central Coast much of the day—again.