Marked Down for Murder (Good Buy Girls) Read Online Free Page A

were sure Mrs. Shoemaker was shoplifting.” He paused while Maggie sputtered.
    “But that’s outrageous!”
    “Agreed,” he said. “Then they were concerned that someone was hiding in the dressing room. It was a stray cat.”
    “Summer probably caught it and put it in there just so she could call you,” Maggie said sourly.
    “You’re cute when you’re jealous,” he said.
    “I am not jealous,” Maggie corrected him. “Just appalled that your time is being wasted by those conniving idiots.”
    Sam opened the oven and used a pot holder to take out the pan of freshly baked corn bread. “I do feel like they have me on speed dial.”
    “Have you sent other officers over?” Maggie asked. She lifted the lid to her Crock-Pot and checked on the pulled pork. She had put in the leftovers from a roast they had made a few nights before and let it cook all day in her favorite sauce. It looked amazing.
    “Yes, but Blair insists she will only talk to me. Honestly, it’s embarrassing,” he said. He sighed, then he turned to frown at Maggie. “Are you laughing at me?”
    “No.” She clamped her lips together to keep from chuckling out loud. A snort came out of her nose instead.
    “You are!” he accused.
    “I’m sorry,” Maggie said. She gave in and laughed out loud. “It’s just that it’s all so crazy. Blair really thinks that if she keeps throwing Summer at you, you will eventually crack and give in.”
    “I suppose I would laugh, too,” Sam said, “if it wasn’t happening to me.”
    “Maybe you need to find a bigger fish for Blair to cast her net at,” Maggie said.
    “Like who?” Sam asked. “Seriously, I’ll take anyone.”
    “I don’t know,” Maggie said. “St. Stanley is not exactly hip-deep in available males. Obviously, Tyler Fawkes has been kicked to the curb.”
    “I really thought after the Madison ball that he and Summer were a thing,” Sam said.
    “So did I,” Maggie said. “But then Mama Blair showed up.”
    “Tyler’s not good enough?” Sam asked.
    “Apparently not,” Maggie said.
    “Well, I’ve had plenty of time to observe the wacky family dynamic that is Blair Cassidy and Summer Phillips,” Sam said.
    “What have you learned?” Maggie asked.
    “Well, aside from the fact that Blair’s been married five times and Summer four—that’s nine husbands between them—I think that Blair genuinely cares for her daughter and wants her to be happy.”
    “Which she assumes would be with you,” Maggie said.
    Marshall Dillon strolled into the kitchen and sat in the middle of the floor. He blinked at them and let loose a yowl that was most definitely a complaint.
    Maggie glanced down at the feline and smiled. “I swear the M on his forehead is wrinkling into a frown.”
    “Yep, that’s his hungry face,” Sam said. He crouched down on the floor, and Marshall Dillon stood on his back legs and put his front paws on Sam’s knee. Then they gently bumped foreheads. As always, Maggie found this male bonding ridiculously charming.
    “Well, I told him he has tuna from me for eternity after saving my life a few months ago,” Maggie said. She leaned over and scratched Marshall Dillon’s chin just the way he liked it.
    “From me, too,” Sam said. “I really would deputize him for saving my girl. Heck, I’d make him my sole heir if I could.”
    Maggie smiled. “I think you just need to feed the poor boy before he expires.”
    Sam stood, scooping Marshall Dillon up with him. Together they filled the food dish Maggie kept at her house for the cat. Sam watched his boy for a moment until he was satisfied that Marshall Dillon was happy with his dinner. It occurred to Maggie that Sam would have made a really great father.
    She shook her head. While she was curious about why Sam had never married or had a family, it felt as if it was too soon in their relationship to ask such a personal question. She was sure Sam would tell her in time.
    She dished the pulled pork into a serving bowl