My name is Rachel Wood. I was married to Mitchell Wood for nearly twenty-five years, but he died recently and left me with an unfinished house, an old motorhome, and enough money to last maybe two months. Since Mitch never allowed me to work when we were married, I have no job skills, and the construction loan payment is more than I can make. We had more money – a lot more money – in another account, but Mitch moved it before he died. I have no idea where he put the money, and if I don’t find it soon, I’ll lose my new home and the ten acre lot it sits on. Sue Fineman wrote my story and called it The Mitchell Money, which was recently published by The Wild Rose Press.
I’ll try to answer the following questions Emma asked.
Name Your Ten Temptations...
Material: cashmere, silk, cotton or denim?
I can’t remember the last time I owned anything cashmere, probably before I married Mitch. Silk is nice, but I don’t have anything silk. I’m not overly fond of denim, except well-worn jeans, but I love the soft feel of cotton. It’s comfortable and durable.
Hair length: long, shoulder, shaggy, short or bald?
I wear my hair shoulder length, blunt cut, with the ends curling under slightly. I cut it short once, and Mitch was so mad, he didn’t speak to me for days.
Eye color: brown, blue, green or hazel?
My eyes are green. Gary’s are hazel, and he has little wrinkles beside his eyes, as if he’s spent a lot of time in the sun. Since he’s a rancher and a former police officer, he’s spent a lot of time outside.
Performing arts: 0pera, ballet, Broadway or symphony?
I’ve never been to an opera. I took the girls to see the Nutcracker when they were kids. It was beautiful, and the girls loved it, but that’s the only ballet I’ve ever seen. I’d love to see a broadway show, but symphony’s beautiful music puts me to sleep.
Jewelry: diamonds, pearls, jade or rhinestones?
I don’t own anything with diamonds, but I’d like to. The wedding ring Mitch gave me is a plain gold band with a pattern scrolled into the surface. I took it off the day I discovered he’d lied to me about his retirement pay. I’ll never wear it again. I have my grandmother’s pearl ring, which I love, but that’s about the only jewelry I own these days. Jade is pretty, but rhinestones are too flashy for me.
Flowers: orchids, roses, lilies or daisies?
I love roses and daisies are nice. Orchids are too fancy, too delicate for me.
Alcoholic beverage: Champagne, wine, whisky or beer?
The last time I tasted champagne was at my wedding to Mitch. I like an occasional glass of wine, but I don’t like the taste of whiskey or beer.
Non-alcoholic beverage: coffee, tea, soda or water?
Coffee. Definitely coffee.
Favorite snack: popcorn, chips, cookies or candy?
Anything sweet. Salty is okay, but I have a sweet tooth.
Weather: sunny, cloudy or rainy?
I like the sun, but here in Arizona, I welcome the cloudy days. I don’t miss the constant drizzle of Western Washington, where Mitch and I lived before. The paint on Gary’s old blue pickup truck, shown on the book cover, is faded from the hot Arizona sun.
Excerpt from The Mitchell Money:
Gary headed for the ranch, talking on the cell phone to his stock broker, when someone backed out in front of him. He slammed on the brakes, but couldn’t stop in time. He bumped the car’s rear fender. “Aw, shit!” He was in front of his son’s law office in downtown Maystown, and since this wasn’t Gary’s first accident, he expected Joe to lecture him on paying better attention to his driving. As if he needed another lecture.
“Something wrong?” asked the voice on the phone.
“Nothing serious. Call you later, George.” Gary jumped out to assess the damage. His truck was all right, but the woman’s car couldn’t go anywhere until someone pulled the fender away from the tire. He took a deep breath and walked over, half expecting the woman driver to hit on him like the last one had. “Are you all right?”
She nodded and put a shaky hand to her forehead. He opened her car door and she stepped out. This was the woman he’d seen in the cemetery earlier today. She was quite attractive up close, with big green eyes and shiny dark brown hair. A gust of cold wind turned her cheeks pink and she hunched down inside her coat.
Brushing the hair from her face, she said, “I hope there’s not too much damage.”
“Just a dented fender, but you can’t drive it like that. Where do you live?”
“Out in the hills, out that way.” She pointed, then quickly lowered her shaking hand.
“I’ll call someone to take care of the fender while I take you home. It doesn’t look too bad. Maybe we can just pop it back out. Come on, get in the truck. I’ll take care of this. What’s your name?”
“Rachel.”
“I’m Gary.” He opened the door and she stared at the trash from his fast-food breakfast he’d left on the seat. “I’ll get that,” he said, picking up the trash and tossing it in the trash can on the sidewalk.
She climbed into the truck, then he slid into the driver’s seat and picked up his cell phone to call Bert’s Body Shop.
The woman stared at his cell phone and her eyes narrowed. Her lips pressed tightly together, and she looked like she’d erupt any second.
“What’s wrong now?” he said in frustration.
“Were you talking on that thing when you ran into me?”
Oh, no! She wasn’t blaming this on him. She’d backed out right in front of him. “Lady, if you’re implying I can’t do two things at once, you’re wrong.”
She lifted her chin. “If you’d been watching where you were going, you would have seen me and stopped in time.”
He snapped back a response. “If you’d bothered to look first, you wouldn’t have backed out in front of me.”
After a withering glare, she said, “I’ll wait for my car.” She opened the door, slid off the seat and walked to the bench nearest Joe’s office, muttering something to herself. He couldn’t hear her words, but it was probably just as well. She was obviously irritated, but so was he. The woman backed right into him.
Bert arrived and, ignoring the scowling woman on the bench, Gary pointed to her car. “See if you can pop the fender out so she can drive it.”
Bert reached under the fender with a rubber hammer and, in three quick whacks, popped the dent out. A crease remained, but the metal no longer touched the tire.
“You want this fender replaced?” Bert asked the woman.
She peered at the fender. “Can I drive it like that?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Then that’ll have to do. How much do I owe you?”
“I’ll take care of it,” said Gary.
She scanned the front of his old truck. “Are you sure your truck is all right?”
“It’s fine.” Best truck he’d ever had.
Her eyebrows knit as she peered closer at his pickup. “You mean it always looks like this?”
Gary looked to see what she was talking about. It was scratched and dented and the bumper hung a little askew. The hot Arizona sun had faded the light blue paint until it looked white in spots, but he didn’t see anything wrong. “Like what?”
“Like...like this isn’t the first time you’ve hit something.”
A burst of laughter erupted from Bert’s mouth. “She’s got you pegged, Gary.”
“Mind your own business, Bert.” Gary turned to the woman. “Are you making fun of my truck?”
“I didn’t mean to insult you or your...uh...lovely truck. Thanks for taking care of this. I’ll try to stay out of your way from now on.”
He tried to explain his rude behavior. “Look, I’m not having a very good day today, and—”
“Well, neither am I,” she snapped. Without another word, she got in her car, slammed the door, and drove away, leaving him standing in the street beside his truck, feeling like an idiot. Frustrating woman. She’d be nice looking if she’d get rid of that angry scowl on her face. With any luck, he’d never see her again.
The Mitchell Money is available from TWRP, BN, and Amazon:
The first sequel to The Mitchell Money, Ginger’s Grief, is available at BN and Amazon:
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