Town in a Pumpkin Bash (41 page)

Porter was silent. He’d heard all this before. His grandmother had lived with her
simmering hatred of the Pruitts for more than sixty years, constantly plotting ways
to strike back. Now she’d pulled him and his siblings into her web, and for some reason
he’d let her do it.

But, no, that wasn’t entirely true. His brother and sister were the ones who had initially
bought into their grandmother’s schemes. He’d only been persuaded later—and now one
part of him regretted that he’d ever let it get this far.

But another part was intrigued by the possibilities that still lay ahead.

“We’re getting closer,” Daisy said, as if reading his mind. “I can feel it. Once we
find those old land deeds that belonged to Silas Sykes, we’ll be in a position to
destroy the Pruitts once and for all.”

“Ah, yes, the famous land deeds,” Porter said skeptically, longing for something stronger
to drink. “Roger thought he had those in hand, didn’t he? Or at least a clue to their
whereabouts,
supposedly written down in Old Man Sedley’s journal. But it was another dead end,
wasn’t it? At this point, I’m not even sure they exist.”

His grandmother looked as if she wanted to slap him. “Don’t talk like that!” she admonished
him. “Of course they exist. I know it. We’ll find them. We have to.”

They both sat in silence for a long time, mulling their individual thoughts, until
Porter shrugged and said, in a facetious tone, “I suppose we could just hire Candy
Holliday to find the deeds for us. She’s had quite a bit of success at that sort of
thing lately.”

His grandmother snorted at the suggestion. “You’re taken with her, aren’t you?”

Porter arched an eyebrow. “I’ll admit I like her, yes. She’s spunky.”

“Is that why you arranged to have her boyfriend shipped off to the West Coast?”

At that, Porter frowned. “Ben Clayton? I had to get him out of the way. I knew if
I made him the right offer, he’d never be able to refuse it. He was getting too close
to the truth, anyway. I just had to make sure he didn’t know who was behind the offer.”

“So what now?” Daisy Porter-Sykes asked, her eyes hooded, her expression vengeful.
“What’s next for Cape Willington, Maine?”

Porter Sykes mulled over his grandmother’s question for a long, long time, sipping
his tea as the room darkened with the setting sun.

He had poked the hornet’s nest several times now, getting interesting reactions. His
latest effort, unknown to his grandmother, had been a discreet offer, made through
back channels, for the Pruitt’s private library collection. He’d heard rumors about
what the collection might contain, and had taken a chance. It was possible, he thought,
that there might be valuable information hidden away in some of those old volumes.
He hadn’t been surprised when the Pruitts
refused the offer, or by the events that had followed. But he still hadn’t quite figured
out how to leverage it all to his—and his family’s—advantage.

Finally, softly, he said, “I’m still working on that. But I can promise you we’re
not done with those people. We’ve only just begun. But we must bide our time, Grandmother,
and wait for the right opportunity to come our way.”

“Well, as long as it doesn’t take too long,” Daisy Porter-Sykes said bitterly. “I
want to walk the halls of Pruitt Manor before I die.”

“And you will, Grandmother, you will. I have a feeling that before this is over, you’ll
not only own Pruitt Manor, but half of Cape Willington—and Blueberry Acres as well.”

While the Cranberry Isles are real, Wren Island is fictional. You won’t find it on
any map. However, the Cranberry Isles ferries do exist, along with a great number
of working ferries and mail boats providing seasonal and daily service to the islands
along the Maine coast. Thanks once again to Todd Merrill of Merrill Blueberry Farms
in Ellsworth, Maine, for providing details about fall mowing and burning procedures.
Thanks also to the many fans, family, and friends who continue to support the series.
For more information on the Candy Holliday Mysteries and Holliday’s Blueberry Acres,
visit www.hollidaysblueberryacres.com.

Holly Holliday’s Pumpkin
Chocolate Chip Bread

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the flour, sugars, and baking soda.

In a second bowl, mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water, and spices together.

Combine the pumpkin mixture with the dry flour mixture.

Add the chocolate chips and nuts.

Pour into a well-buttered loaf pan.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean.

Take out of the pan and cool on a rack or board.

Holly Holliday made this bread for Candy’s birthday every year. Happy 40th birthday,
Candy!

Wild Rice and Pumpkin Pilaf

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter.

Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the dry rice and mix with the onions.

Add the vegetable broth, making sure the rice/broth ratio is correct.

Cook the rice 50 minutes (or according to package directions).

While the rice is cooking, cube the pumpkin or squash.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the mushrooms and pumpkin cubes.

Cook, stirring until browned.

When the rice is cooked, stir in the pumpkin and mushrooms.

This recipe is a favorite of Doc’s. Enjoy!

Melody Barnes’s Pumpkin Soup

In a large saucepan, sauté the onion in the butter.

Add the flour and stir, cooking for 2 minutes.

Add the vegetable broth slowly, stirring while adding it.

Add the pumpkin mash.

Cook for 15 to 20 minutes on low heat.

Stir in the cream, nutmeg, and ginger.

Cook 5 minutes more on low heat.

This is a delicious soup to serve on a cold Maine day. It’s served at Melody’s Café
daily in October!

Candy Holliday’s
Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.

Add the sugar and mix.

Add the eggs one at a time and mix.

Take out 1⁄3 cup of the cream cheese mixture and put it in a smaller bowl.

Add the pumpkin and spices to the mixture in the large bowl and mix.

Spread the pumpkin mixture from the large bowl into a graham cracker crust.

From the leftover mixture in the small bowl, take tablespoonfuls and drop them over
the top of the pie.

Use a fork or sharp knife and swirl the drops into the pie mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the filling is firm in the center when
touched.

Cool on a rack or board.

Store in the refrigerator.

This pie is great anytime, but especially on Candy’s birthday!