Close to Home

By Kimberly A. Bettes

With their vacation coming to an end, Clyde and his family are nearly home. Deciding to take a scenic shortcut would turn out to be much more than just a mistake.

After a sudden rainstorm, their vehicle becomes stuck on the road that has become little more than a path. Forced to walk for help, Clyde leaves his family behind, promising to return.

Clyde encounters three men. Revealing that he's a doctor, the men ask for his help. Agreeing to help them in exchange for a tow, Clyde walks with the men to their homes, which are nothing more than shacks built deep in the forest.

In spite of his efforts, Clyde fails to save the sick woman.

Blamed for her death by her husband, Clyde is about to realize that sometimes justice is macabre.

*This is the second short story in the Minutes to Death series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kimberly A. Bettes
• Release date: Aug 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466149977

Kimberly A. Bettes

Kimberly A. Bettes was born on Thanksgiving Day, 1977, completely ruining any chance her mother had at enjoying a delightful dinner. At the age of 12, Kimberly began writing poems, essays, and short stories. At 14, she began her first novel, a project that would take two years and many sleepless nights to complete. Since then, she has written more than ten novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of poems and essays. She currently lurks in the Ozark Mountains of southeast Missouri with her husband and son. It's there she terrorizes the residents of a small town with her twisted tales, most of which focus on the dark side of human nature. In addition to writing, Kimberly is also a freelance photographer and life-long chocolate enthusiast.

Book preview

CLOSE TO HOME

KIMBERLY A. BETTES

Copyright © 2011 Kimberly A. Bettes

Cover Copyright © 2011 Kimberly A. Bettes

All rights reserved.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the author.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter 1

My neck was itchy, my skin chafing. Actually, chafing was too kind a word. The word was more like ripping. It was probably bleeding, but I couldn’t be sure. I couldn’t reach it with my hands, and I was too busy to try.

I looked at my wife, who only stared at me with vacant eyes. I hoped she wasn’t angry. The kids were both looking at something else, not at me. I didn’t want them to be angry with me either. I hadn’t meant to ruin their vacation. I hadn’t even wanted to take a trip this year.

It was hard for me to get away from work. I was one of the best doctors in town, which meant my office was always full of patients. I had to skip lunch more days than not just to keep an empty chair or two in the waiting room so the next patient would have a seat. I wasn’t complaining. I enjoyed my work. I was proud, not only for having a flawless reputation as a doctor, but also for overcoming all the obstacles that were in my way. It was a great accomplishment for anyone, but especially for me.

I was the first in my family to graduate high school, obviously the first to attend college, and certainly the first to become a doctor. I’d been poor as a child. My mother and father had three children, with me being the youngest. Three kids isn’t really a lot, but my parents had quit school early to work and help their parents feed their families, so they didn’t have enough skills to get good jobs making good money. When you have to scrape by, three mouths may as well be thirty. I’d been working since I was twelve years old,

Reviews for Close to Home

[murderbydeath · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another excellent read in a very strong series. Nothing real estate oriented in this book, but mysteries much closer to home for Savannah. This book has her dealing with her family, with Todd, and with Rafe - coming to terms with her place in the world now that she no longer is able to meet her family's expectations. This all dovetails nicely with the murder plot, and Savannah's involvement in it's resolution. While it's not hard to figure out the culprit (it hasn't been in any of the books thus far, except the first one) the story isn't one of the over hashed plotlines found in a lot of books; I found the story line to be someone unique and therefore interesting. This series as a whole, and this book in particular has been gripping enough and interesting enough to make me read them back-to-back without doing much of anything else. A good read.

[cozy4reader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I read a good book I get so caught up in the outside world, that I can almost feel that I'm right there - in the story, observing it, living it. A good book evokes a passion in me, a passion to read more. As most of my readers know I simply adored the first three books in Jenna Bennett's Savannah Martin series. However, my adoration was nothing compared to how much I simply LOVED the fourth book, CLOSE TO HOME. CLOSE TO HOME sees Rafe off deep undercover, and Savannah back in Nashville missing him more than ever. However Savannah has her hands full, with an unplanned pregnancy and her sister-in-law turning up dead. It's up to Savannah, yet again, to put aside her real estate career and try and figure out the puzzle of Sheila's death. CLOSE TO HOME is an emotional rollercoaster. I had read a few reviews that had said how much CLOSE TO HOME is an emotional read, but I don't think I was prepared for how emotional. I quickly got wrapped up in the story, as Savannah tries to decide what to do with her pregnancy, especially without Rafe by her side to help, and tries to help her brother come to terms with his wife's death. I read CLOSE TO HOME within a day, as I was constantly willing myself to read more, more, more to find out what would happen to Savannah and her family. I won't give too much away as I don't want to spoil this for other readers, but I will say that this is a 5-star read that evokes so much emotion and backs up everything that I have said that this series is an outstanding series. If you love your mystery and your romance, you need to be reading this series! Jenna Bennett will have you falling head over heels for this Southern Belle, her complicated love life, and the adventures she has!