Earth Star Publications
P.O. Box 267 • Eckert CO 81418
Annette Vetter Adventure #1
The Mystery at Hickory Hill
Annette Vetter Adventure #6
The Valentines Day dance is coming up and Annette knows Pete expects her to ask him, yet she wants to ask Penny's brother Tim instead. Plus it's no secret that Pete and Penny are attracted to one another.
Annette loves having a new brother and sister as she grows weary of a hard long winter in Wisconsin. Her growing fondness for Tim causes her to have anxiety as Valentines Day approaches.
Also, Ruby's nightmares are growing worse, causing the family some concern. Stranger yet, her dreams seem to have this weird connection to a "Missing in Action" American pilot in Vietnam.
And ... look out! Livestock rustlers have infiltrated the county and have attacked the farms of people she knows. Annette is worried that her farm and her neighbors may be next.
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Time travel back to the Sixties with Annette Vetter and her friends. It's February and the Valentines Day is just around the corner. Annette longs to ask Penny's brother Tim to the girls-ask-boys dance, but is afraid Pete will feel rejected. Introducing a mystery character suffering from amnesia over in Vietnam .....
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An excerpt from Chapter 6 - The Ground Hog Sees His Shadow
The girls chatted a few minutes longer, and then Annette noticed that Terry was still stewing. She walked over and put her hand on his shoulder. “Terry, is anything wrong?”
“Oh … it’s just that today … February second … happens to be my stepdad’s birthday.”
“Really?”
Penny joined them, a look of concern on her face. “Ruby’s father, you mean?”
“Yeah,” said Terry, staring into his lap. His bottle of RC Cola rested, untouched, on the table next to him.
“It must be hard thinking about him,” said Annette.
“Tell us about him,” encouraged Penny. “What do you remember?”
Terry sighed, then began to open up. “Bob … my stepdad … could be hard sometimes. He was in the military, as you know, and he believed in discipline and rules. But he was kind and he could be gentle at times. I grew up as if he were my real father. It was only in the last couple of years that my mom explained that he wasn’t my real dad.”
Annette sympathized with her brother. “But you didn’t know my father was your dad until recently,” she confirmed.
“Not until my mom’s passing,” said Terry. “That’s when I saw my birth certificate for the first time. She’d never tell me who my real dad was. I guess I’ll never understand why she had to keep that secret.”
Penny shrugged a took a drink of her soda.
"But Uncle Will must have known,” said Annette. “Didn’t he?”
“He may have guessed it,” said Terry. “He hasn’t told me for sure.”
“Well, I’m truly sorry about your stepdad,” said Penny. “It has to be so hard on you and Ruby, not knowing if he’s …” She stopped short of saying the words.
“I’m sure Bob is … dead,” said Terry and the word caught in his throat. He swallowed it down. “The authorities told us his chance of survival was practically zero. I’m sure he must have perished after his plane went down in those jungles in Vietnam.” ........
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