Black Widow White Lies,New

Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Chapter 1What began as a romantic holiday for two somehow evolved into a family vacation for twelve adults, seven kids, one golden retriever, two schnauzers, one tigerstriped cat, and one hamster. By Salazar standards, this was actually a small group, but since it wasn't an 'official' family reunion, we managed to keep the numbers down.My name is Sharon Salazar. My husband, Ryan, and I live in San Antonio, Texas. Nearly all hundredfifty or so members of the Salazar clan live in Zapata, a small town twohundred miles farther south. All three members of my immediate family live over a thousand miles away.Ever since Ryan and I had spent a few days crosscountry skiing in Chama, New Mexico, we'd talked about going back the following summer to ride the CumbresToltec narrowgauge train. We'd fallen in love with the town and were giving Ryan's sister and her husbandAlana and Beto Melndeza glowing report one evening while playing cards at their home.'Where is Chama?' Beto asked.'It's kind of a remote little village in northern New Mexico, just a few miles south of the Colorado border,' Ryan said.Alana raised an eyebrow. 'Remote? As in dirt roads and no electricity?'I laughed. 'Hardly. It's quaint in some ways, but has all the modern amenities. Better than that, it's almost completely surrounded by mountainsthe scenery's gorgeous.''A mountain hideaway,' Alana said, a wistful look in her deep brown eyes. 'Imagine. Cool summer breezes.'Since summer temps were frequently in the 100s in Zapata, the cooler weather must have sounded especially appealing. Ryan and I exchanged glances. He winked as if we'd read each other's minds.'Why don't you come with us?' I asked.There was no one else I'd rather invite. Alanagoodhearted, spirited, and beautifulwas truly a sister to me. Beto reminded me of a lovable teddy bear. He called himself a computer nerd, downplaying his technical skills.Alana frowned. 'Oh, Sharon, I don't know....''Got a better offer?' Ryan teased.'Ay, Corazn.' Beto's gray eyes twinkled behind his rimless glasses. 'How long since we took a vacation?''Even longer for Am and Ap,' Alana replied.'Well, let's ask them too!' I blurted out without stopping to check Ryan's radar before including his parents.Ryan raised his arms over his head and clasped his fingers together, cracking his knuckles. 'Whose deal?''Or maybe next time,' I murmured as I dealt the cards for our next round of rummy.'No, you're right,' Ryan said, grinning at me as he picked up his cards. 'They deserve a getaway, and I'd like a chance to do something for them. Problem is....'Alana rolled her eyes. 'Ta Dippy.'Epifiana Jimnez, 'Ta Eppie' when we were being respectful, was one of Am's older sisters. The oldest of the trio was Ta Marta, who had never married and was as set in her ways as Ta Eppie was unconventional.Ta Eppie, a.k.a. Ta Dippy, not only had a bizarre sense of style, but a wide range of opinions that she delighted in sharing with everyone. Actually, all three sisters, all in their late sixties, were highly opinionated and bickered with each other constantly. Yet they were practically inseparable since Ta Dippy, newly widowed and lacking someone to argue with, had recently moved back to Zapata.Am wouldn't want to leave Ta Dippy alone. 'Pobrecita,' I could hear Am saying. 'Poor thing. She can't help herself. She's still grieving.'If tales were true, Ta Dippy was glad to be free of her hardtoplease husband, and after a month or so of selfimposed mourning, seemed to be coping nicely. She'd traded her widow's weeds for shimmery blouses made of colorful scarves, miniskirts that revealed scrawny blackstockinged legs, and a dozen jangly bracelets.'Look,' I said, 'your folks can come along in that brand new motorhome that sits in their carport. If they decide to invite Ta Dippy....' I shrugged.Alana brightened. 'That's true. That Winnebago fits any