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Informationen zum Autor Kate Lansing Klappentext When a wedding turns into a crime scene, young vintner Parker Valentine investigates the full-bodied problem in this captivating Colorado-set cozy mystery. It’s June in Boulder, Colorado, and wedding season is in full swing. Parker Valentine is excited to attend the wedding of her cousin, Emma, where in addition to celebrating the happy couple, she’ll also be providing wine for the reception. But when the fussy wedding planner is found dead midway through the ceremony, Parker knows that to get the weekend back on track, she’ll need to unveil a murderer. Unfortunately, there’s no shortage of high tension and hot tempers during a wedding, so Parker has a long list of potential suspects. Even worse, her entire family has fixated on the state of Parker’s relationship with her boyfriend, Reid. If Parker can manage to impress her relatives with her wine skills and dodge unwanted pointed personal questions, solving a murder will be the icing on the cake. Leseprobe Chapter One There are as many types of goodbyes as there are varietals of grapes. There are the bittersweet goodbyes full of hugs and promises to see each other soon. The final goodbyes no one is ever ready for. The relieved goodbyes from guests who overstayed their welcome. And then there are the ambiguous goodbyes. Where there are too many words left to be spoken, none of which can do the parting justice. Or give any indication as to the future. Where the best way to communicate is through actions, which for me, ironically, also involve lips. Gripping the collar of Reid's shirt, I pull him in for another kiss. Memorizing the taste of him, the feel of his glorious mouth pressed against mine, the way he trails his fingers down my back and tugs me closer. He breaks away and bestows a featherlight kiss on my forehead, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I can stay," he says. "Push my meeting back, get a later flight, go to this shindig with you." "The invitation clearly said black tie," I quip with a not-so-subtle survey of my boyfriend's attire. The blue collared shirt, khakis, and boots might be more zhuzhed than his usual T-shirt and jeans, but they're a far cry from what's expected at my cousin's wedding. Reid isn't dismayed in the least. "Come on, Parks," he whispers, his nickname for me rolling off his tongue as if I'd always been Parks instead of Parker. "Let me be your plus-one. We'll bring down the house." While this isn't the first time he's offered, it's the most tempted I've been to accept. I take a shuddering breath and steel myself. As much as I want to postpone the inevitable, I can't. This goodbye is a pit stop for Reid, his final destination being the airport, where he'll jet his way to the Bay Area to scout locations for a new restaurant, his esteemed establishment on Pearl Street in such high demand that investors approached him and he couldn't do anything but expand. Because food is Reid's passion. Taking his culinary concoctions transcontinental is a dream come true. And I'm not one to stand in the way of someone achieving their dream. Especially not someone I love. Given all that, and the fact that he'll be living on the West Coast if-nay, when-he finds the perfect place, hiring a kitchen staff and developing a menu, I'd better reacquaint myself with flying solo. Why not start now? "First off," I start, "the house needs to remain standing today and there are enough cracks already." I cast a dubious glance at the venue chosen by my cousin. Sure, the Longview Lodge is a historic building, composed of natural stone and wood paneling, a mixture of rustic and comfort that was no doubt a sight to behold in its heyday. Which has long since passed. The decades haven't been kind to the quaint motel, the landscaping wild and general upkeep fallen into disrepair, ...
