Hallow Haven Cozy Mysteries Bundle Books 1-3 by Mara Webb (books to read fiction .txt) 📕

seemed I had summoned a few items of clothing from my house back on the main island and a fresh t-shirt and shorts were waiting for me on the chair by the foot of the bed. I quickly dressed, slipped the warning note into my pocket and ran into the attached bathroom to fix my hair.

Thankfully, Kate and Effie had fixed my hair for me enough times that I had picked up on how to use the spell for myself. I placed my hands on the top of my head and focused on the need to detangle and style the mess of curls and frizz. When I looked back into the mirror, I realized that I was absolutely not ready to have tried a spell like that on my own.

My long hair had been sheared just above the shoulder and was now curled voluminously like a 50’s pin-up model. I looked at the floor, but there wasn’t any hair there. Where had my hair gone? At least it wasn’t messy anymore, but it hadn’t been my intention to have such a dramatic hair cut before breakfast. There was no use in me trying to fix it, the next time I might accidentally bald myself.

I was more nervous about what Kate and Effie would say when they saw it than about Miller’s reaction. I grabbed the key, unlocked the bedroom door and hurried down the stairs, following the scent of toast and coffee.

“Sadie!” Miller said, calling me over to the small table by the window. The dining room area opened out onto a deck that faced the water, it somehow felt like every room in the house had an ocean view. It wasn’t until I was about to sit at the table with him that he realized what had happened. “Your hair! Wow, I love it!”

“I’m glad you do,” I smiled.

“Was this not what you were aiming for?” he asked.

“I just wanted to brush out the tangles from sleeping on it, maybe pop it up in a bun or something,” I confessed. “I don’t dislike it, but it wasn’t planned.”

“Well, I think you look like a movie star,” Honey grinned as she brought over a French press with hot coffee. “Would you like any fresh fruit juice? I’m partial to pancakes on a day like this and I’ve got any topping you can think of.”

“Gee, orange juice would be just swell,” I said. Swell? Eesh, now I was even talking like someone from the 50’s. Had the hair cut messed with my brain?

“Pancakes would be great, Honey,” Miller said. I nodded in agreement and Honey walked back to the kitchen. “Did you sleep well?” Miller asked.

“Not too bad,” I said. “How about you?”

“I kept thinking I heard noises outside, but I figured it was just the sound of the ocean. Your house is right on the beach, so you’re probably used to the sound of the tide,” he smiled.

I didn’t mention the note. I thought about it a few times as we waited for our breakfast, but I felt as though I should wait until we were back outside by ourselves just in case anyone was listening in.

“Here we are, two servings of pancakes and I’ve got enough butter and syrup here to sink a battleship,” Honey laughed. She placed the plates in front of us and the stack was so tall that I had to lift my knife and fork almost as high as my chin to start cutting into it. “What are your plans for the day? I suppose you will be chasing down Pete for some information about that cannon, huh?”

“Why does he have a cannon?” I asked.

“I can’t even remember how long he’s had that thing, but he loves any excuse to get it out and demonstrate his power with it. Of course, that’s just the biggest weapon he has, that man had plenty of smaller ones…” she trailed off. That sounded slightly ominous. “Anyway, enjoy your breakfast.”

She turned and walked back to the kitchen and then the sound of pans crashing together rang out.

“Are you okay?” Miller shouted.

“Yeah, just tripped over a darn cat. Don’t mind me!” Honey chuckled.

I thought that sharing breakfast together would be a great time to talk, but I was so into my pancakes that I didn’t say a single word until the plate was empty.

“Do you need more food?” Miller asked. “I bet Honey can get some more if you need.”

“No…” I gasped, feeling sluggish from the amount of food in my stomach. “That was perfect, I just need a minute.”

“I remember my first time staying here,” he laughed. “I ate more than I could handle then, too. Say what you like about Green Holt, but they make some amazing food here.”

“I need to get some air,” I managed, struggling to hoist myself onto my feet. Had we eaten dinner last night? I couldn’t even remember when I’d last had a meal. We’d been up in the trees on the main island, then walked down to listen to the music on the beach, and before I knew it, we were on a boat out to some random island.

I walked through the door out onto the deck that faced the water. The cliff seemed to curve around, and I realized why so many of the windows could face out onto the water, they had water on two sides of the house. The ocean air was helping with my feeling of fullness, I inhaled deeply in an effort to speed up the process of digestion.

“What on earth…?” Miller said. I looked behind me and saw him emerging from the dining room doorway and staring at the grass that ran alongside the deck. He was staring out at a hole in the dirt, and the mound of soil beside it.

“How did I miss that?” I mumbled to myself as I walked to stand beside him.

“Oh, for crying out loud,” Honey complained as she came out to join us. “Some days I wish I