Morgan’s favorite hobbies are reading, cooking, and traveling—though she would rather you didn’t mention that last one to her husband. She has too much fun teasing him about having become a “Traveling Fool” of late.
Morgan is blessed to have two surviving children, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. She lives in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, with her husband of forty-eight years, fellow retiree and aspiring author, David, and two new fur babies: Missy and Bear, progeny of their beloved Mr. Tuffy.
For all titles by Cara Covington, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/cara-covington
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LOVE UNDER TWO DETECTIVES
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
LOVE UNDER TWO DETECTIVES
The Lusty, Texas Collection 40
CARA COVINGTON
Copyright © 2020
Prologue
From the diary of Kate Benedict
February 1, 2020
The sense of unease that took hold of me a couple of days ago continues. As I noted in my entry yesterday, I’ve been in contact with some of my friends from around the globe. I was already concerned before I heard from them. But after this morning’s call, I realize that action needs to be taken. There is no time to lose!
Early this morning, I received a call from Greg. He and Cody are on the last leg of their current trip and are in Afghanistan. They’re finishing up on a two-week assignment on behalf of Maria’s Quest. They’ve been checking in with teams of aid workers deployed in various areas in the Middle East. As stewards of our relief organization, Maria’s Quest, they’ve spent a few days in Taiwan, Iran, Iraq and Turkey. Afghanistan is their last stop.
I was so proud of our Cody! He had insisted on accompanying Greg on this trip. It’s the first time he’s been back in that region since he’d been kidnapped and wounded in Syria, in 2013. I take this as a positive sign that he’s really, truly healed emotionally from that horrible ordeal. The love of his husband and wife, as well as the love of all of his family here in Lusty, I believe, have played the largest part in that healing.
Prior to Greg’s call, I’d just finished reviewing some reports about an outbreak of pneumonia in China. Though the government of that country has held back a lot of information, some of my contacts there have not been so miserly with the details. Just two short weeks ago, there was a report from Washington State that someone there has the same kind of pneumonia—someone who’d returned from Wuhan Province, in China, where the outbreak seems to be centered.
This new disease is headed our way. It’s not a flu virus. The scientists I’ve spoken with are telling me it’s a completely novel coronavirus, and they’re concerned that it’s a much more deadly and virulent strain than even SARS was.
Greg’s call has brought that home for me as nothing else could have. He mentioned that there were people sickened with pneumonia at every stop they’ve made during this trip, and that, he said, was highly unusual. He mentioned it because he knows that’s the kind of information I’ll want to pass on. And just now, I’ve passed some on to him. This information he’ll see gets to all of our medical teams in the field, and I know he was deeply saddened by it, and its implications.
As well, I gave him and Cody very direct instructions.
I’ve told Greg I want him and Cody to come home as soon as possible, but not via one of the commercial airlines. They’re to hitch a ride on the transport plane filled with relief supplies that we have landing in Kabul tomorrow. That plane will bring them to our private airfield in upstate New York.
I’ve just called a meeting with Morgan and Henry, as well as Adam, Jake, and Jordan. Robert will be coming, too. I’m going to need his medical mind on this. I’ve already made a few other phone calls. My grandsons currently in town will be arriving here at the Big House shortly for that meeting.
I’ll ask those two fly boys if they’ll head to New York to pick up their cousins. I’ll explain that once on the ground in New York, and before receiving Greg and Cody into the Lear, they’ll have to put on hazmat suits. I’ll have Jake put a car at the airport here for them so, when they arrive, they can get themselves where they need to be. Jake will also take care of decontaminating the Lear.
I’ll ask Jordan to set up and outfit two house trailers for now, with possibly more to come, because I do know that some of our family members are off in different areas of the country as I write this. There’s a large parcel of land out by the cottage, and I think that would be a good place to set everything up. They’ll have the isolation they’re going to need for the next couple of weeks, and privacy. As soon as they get back, Greg and Cody will each go into a two-week quarantine. They’ve agreed to this, of course. The last thing either of them wants to do is bring any illness home to the family.
Monday, I’ll call a meeting of the full Town Trust. There’s only so much I dare do on my own. Not because I’m shy of wielding my authority. No, I’m quite comfortable with that at my age. But the more minds that are engaged in this situation, the better for us all.
Right now, we have to focus on those returning to Lusty. But soon—sooner than any of us would like—we’ll have to secure the entire town, and everyone who lives within her. And then we’ll have to see what contribution we can make to the country and to the larger world.
But first, my meeting with my grandsons.
Also, even if it’s a bit selfish of me, I won’t cancel the event I have had planned here at the Big House
