Authors: Sammi Carter

Goody Goody Gunshots (31 page)

BOOK: Goody Goody Gunshots

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After Jawarski led Hendrix away in handcuffs, I’d been promoted to the chief volunteer position on the Miners. Without Kerry Hendrix and his ego in the way, I found that I enjoyed coaching the team more than I’d thought I could.

I glanced at the scoreboard again, but faster than the score could change, the time clock wound inexorably toward zero. The bleachers weren’t exactly packed, but everybody who mattered had come to the game to cheer the boys (and their coach) on.

Someone whistled. Someone else shouted out one of the boys’ names. The ball left Caleb’s hands and met Brody’s with an accuracy that both pleased and startled me. “Great job, Caleb. Way to pass.”

Brody dribbled, searching for an opening into the key where Nathan Whitehorse, the Miners’ center, battled the Grizzlies center for position.

“Shoot it,” I heard Wyatt shout from the stands.

Wyatt’s not an easy man to ignore, but Brody did it. “When you’re ready,” I whispered. “Not until you’re ready.” We’d gone over this drill a hundred times in the past two weeks, slowly and surely building his ability to retain focus. It was a common problem for all the boys, but they were getting better.

One minute thirty seconds. Brody found his opening and lobbed the ball to Nathan. Nathan backed into the opposing center, ducked, and then quickly jumped over the other boy and shot the ball.

It arched delicately toward the basket, and a collective gasp came from every onlooker in the stands. The ball seemed to hover over the basket, then it dropped, hit the rim, and bounced off the backboard into the waiting hands of the Grizzlies’ center.

Both teams raced to the other end of the court, but the Miners were no match for the Grizzlies, and as the time clock ran out, the score read 37 to 34.

“Good job, Miners,” I said as the boys wandered dejectedly off the court. “Great effort. Good hustle. You did good, Brody. Your focus was incredible. Caleb, that pass was right on the money. Terrific play.”

My encouragement didn’t do much to soothe their battered egos, and they straggled off the court with their shoulders slumped and their heads down. They’d been struggling since the news of Coach Hendrix’s arrest hit the grapevine. It had to be unsettling to realize that the coach they’d all admired had killed two people in cold blood.

Someone jumped to the floor behind me, and a second later Wyatt put a hand on my shoulder. “They
almost
did it this time.”

“One of these days, we’re going to surprise you,” I predicted.

“I have no doubt,” Wyatt said. “Listen, I heard they set a trial date for Ingersol and Escott. Are you really going to testify?”

“I have to,” I said, meeting my brother’s concerned gaze. “My testimony alone won’t be enough to put them away, but maybe it will help.”

Wyatt shook his head in exasperation, but he didn’t argue with me. “What about Ginger? Are you testifying against her, too?”

I shook my head. “I don’t actually know anything.”

“You know what she was doing. You’re the one who figured it out.”

“But I never bought anything from her. She never actually scammed me. Jawarski thinks she’ll probably strike a deal with the DA, anyway. Just having phony pieces in her store isn’t actually a crime.”

Wyatt shook his head slowly. “What a mess.” We watched the kids for a moment, and when he spoke again, his mood had lightened. “You still coming by the house after? Elizabeth says that she bought all the stuff you told her you needed. What are you making, anyway?”

I grinned, anticipating his reaction. “You remember Aunt Grace’s Candy Bar-Stuffed Baked Apples?”

Wyatt’s eyes grew wide, and he looked about six years old. “With ice cream?”

I laughed and stuffed dirty towels into a bag. “Of course with ice cream. What do you think?”

With a whoop of excitement, my big, bad brother hurried off to find his wife, and I turned around to look for my assistant coach. I found him serving sports drink to a couple of players who’d spent most of the game on the bench.

He straightened when he saw me coming, and his blue eyes sparkled with appreciation. What can I say? I think it’s the whistle I now wear around my neck. A powerful woman drives him crazy. Who knew?

“Good game, Coach.”

“Yeah. I was proud of them. I wish for their sakes they could have won, but I think they felt good about the effort. I hope they did, anyway.”

Jawarski wrapped his arms around me, and I realized that my head fit snugly under his chin. “You win some and you lose some,” he said softly.

Yeah.

I’d done a little bit of both in the past few years, but as long as I kept winning the ones that mattered, I knew I’d be okay.

Candy Recipes

Chocolate Nut Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Makes 16 servings

WALNUT MIXTURE

2/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
3 tablespoons cocoa
¹⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon
¹/3 cup sugar

BATTER

¾ cup butter, softened (1½ sticks)
1½ cups sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1½ teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups sour cream
peel of 1 orange, grated
3 eggs
confectioners’ sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan.

Mix walnuts, cocoa, cinnamon, and 1/3 cup sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using mixer at low speed, beat butter with 1½ cups sugar until blended. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy. Add the flour and remaining ingredients (except confectioners’ sugar) and beat at low speed until mixed. While mixing, constantly scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Change speed to medium and beat for 3 minutes, occasionally scraping the bowl.

Spread half the batter in the pan, sprinkle with nut mixture, and top with remaining batter.

Bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes.

Serve warm, or if cooled, dusted with confectioners’ sugar.

Chocolate Raisin Rum Drops

Yields about 48, depending on how big you make them

3 cups seedless raisins
1 cup light or dark rum
12 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces or bittersweet chocolate
1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Place the raisins in a large bowl. Add rum and cover with plastic wrap.

Let the raisins soak for 3 hours.

Drain raisins by putting them in a strainer, but
don’t press on them
! Drain the liquid into a bowl to use later. It’s terrific for fruit compote or over ice cream.

Combine the chocolate pieces and corn syrup in the top of a double boiler. Place over hot simmering water until the chocolate melts and is smooth, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat.

Fold raisins into melted chocolate, making sure they’re coated well. Drop by teaspoonsful onto waxed or parchment paper.

Chill until firm, and store in the refrigerator.

(When packing for gift giving, layer the mounds between two pieces of waxed paper to prevent sticking. Alternately, you can place them into mini paper liners.)

Old-Fashioned Molasses Candy

Yields 12 servings

3 tablespoons butter (do not use margarine or other substitute),
softened and divided
1 cup sugar
¾ cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
¾ cup molasses
¼ teaspoon baking soda

Grease a 15 × 10 × 1 inch pan with 1 tablespoon butter. Set aside.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and vinegar in a heavy saucepan and cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Stir frequently.

Increase heat to medium and cook until a candy thermometer reaches 245°F (firm-ball stage). Stir occasionally while cooking.

Add molasses and the remaining butter, and cook uncovered, until a candy thermometer reaches 260°F (hard-ball stage). Stir occasionally.

Remove from the heat and add baking soda. Beat well.

Pour into the prepared pan. Let stand for 5 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Butter your fingers well and quickly pull the candy until firm but pliable (the color will change to a light tan).

When the candy is ready for cutting, pull it into a ½-inch rope and cut into 1-inch pieces.

Wrap each piece in waxed paper or colored candy wrappers.

Candy Bar-Stuffed Baked Apples

Serves 4

4 medium apples
¼ cup toffee candy bar, chopped into medium-sized pieces
¼ cup chocolate-covered nougat nut candy bar, cut into medium-
sized pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup toffee candy bar, chopped into fine pieces.
¼ cup chocolate-covered nougat candy bar, chopped into fine
pieces
¾ cup soft apple cider
1 tablespoon sugar
Vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Scoop out the stems, cores, and seeds from the apples. Use an apple corer and small melon baller to make the job easier. Leave the apple bottoms intact.

Cut off the top ½ inch of each apple, then stand the hollow apples in a baking dish.

Stuff the apples with the medium-sized pieces of chopped candy bars. You’ll use about 2 tablespoons total for each apple.

Place 1½ teaspoons butter in each apple on top of the candy.

Stuff the apples with the finely chopped candy. You’ll use about 2 total tablespoons of candy per apple.

Whisk together the cider and sugar in a bowl and pour over the apples. Bake uncovered until the apples are tender, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes.

Place the apples on plates and top each with a scoop of ice cream. Spoon the pan juices over the ice cream and serve immediately.

Candy Corn Suckers

Serves 20

lollipop collar molds
silicone baking mat
6- or 8-inch lollipop sticks (as needed)
candy corns (as needed)
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup water
¼ teaspoon lemon or orange extract
yellow or orange food coloring
small plastic bags (one for each lollipop)
plastic toy rings (spider, turkey, etc.)

Lay lollipop collar molds on sheet pan lined with silicone baking mat. Fit the molds with sticks and place 1 piece of candy corn inside each collar. (If you don’t have collar molds, just lay out the sticks in rows on a Silpat mat. Leave about 3 inches of space between each stick and place a piece of candy corn above the stick.)

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a small saucepan (preferably one with a spout for pouring). Fit the pan with a candy thermometer, and bring mixture to boil over high heat.

Without stirring, cook the mixture until the candy thermometer reaches 305°F (hard-crack stage). (While the syrup cooks, occasionally wash down the sides of the pan with a clean brush dipped in water to prevent crystallization.)

Remove pot from heat and dip it into an ice bath for 15 seconds to stop the cooking. Add a few drops of extract (to taste) and food coloring as desired, and stir very gently with a wooden skewer until the color is evenly distributed. (To avoid those pesky air bubbles in the finished lollipops, stir gently in both directions, but be careful not to overmix.)

Pour or carefully spoon the syrup into the molds (or over the sticks and candy corns to make a quarter-sized disk).

Cool the lollipops until hard, at least 20 minutes.

Lift the suckers off the mat and remove from the molds. Slip plastic bags over the lollipops and gather the bag shut with a plastic finger ring.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.