Two Brothers, One Redhead, and a Stolen Giraffe by Sarah Mandell

​The McElroy brothers find trouble easily. Dylan plunges headfirst into it, while Daniel cleans up behind him. That’s the way it’s always been, ever since their mother left them to be bounced around the foster system, causing trouble wherever they went. The soon-to-be euthanized giraffe they just stole from the Northside Animal Park may be their biggest predicament yet, in more ways than one, but there's no undoing what's been done.

Lost in Nebraska without a plan, clueless how to care for the ornery old beast in the back of the trailer, the well-meaning brothers stop to rest at an abandoned-looking barn. A pretty redhead with a snappy temperament and a shotgun discovers the boys and their sixteen-foot stowaway. Her name is Josephine, she lives on this farm with her father who is spoken of, but never seen, and her root cellar has more locks than a bank vault. She’s got a way with animals and plenty of secrets, not to mention the interest of two brothers who swore they’d never let some girl come between them.

​Please help me welcome the author, Sarah Mandell!

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​Exclusive post from Sarah Mandell

Today I’m sharing an excerpt and recipe from my new coming-of-age novel, Two Brothers, One Redhead, and a Stolen Giraffe. 

In the story, Daniel and Dylan McElroy, along with the soon-to-be euthanized giraffe they just stole from the Northside Animal Park, trespass for the night in an abandoned-looking barn, but are soon discovered by Josephine Larsen, a redheaded farmer’s daughter with a snappy temperament and a shotgun. The brothers end up staying on to help Jo with the harvest, since they need to earn some money and she could use a few extra hands around the farm. One of the many crops the boys help her with that summer is rhubarb. 
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Jo’s extremely book smart, she’s got a green thumb and a way with animals, but has absolutely no idea how to cook, so one night after a long day of working in the fields, Daniel bakes a rhubarb pie from memory, something his grandmother taught him when he was a kid, a few years before he and his brother ended up in the foster system. Daniel isn’t baking to impress Jo, or to show off. He’s just doing what he does best: being quietly helpful. 

Excerpt from Two Brothers, One Redhead, and a Stolen Giraffe

“Does anyone actually eat these things?” Dylan asked, holding up a stalk of rhubarb. He inspected the thing like it was from some foreign planet, apt to explode at any minute. 

Wiping sweat from her brow, Jo said, “You’d be surprised.”

“I wish you grew good stuff, like blueberries and strawberries. Seems like all we harvest around here is healthy stuff nobody likes.”

Daniel chimed in from a few feet away, diligently plucking rhubarb at a faster rate than his brother, “I’m gonna make one of Grams’ rhubarb pies tonight. Remember those?” 

Daniel’s Rhubarb Pie (from his grandmother’s recipe)

Ingredient list (filling): 

• 6 tablespoons of sifted flower
• 1 1/3 cup of sugar
• 8 large stalks of rhubarb cut up into small pieces
• 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter

Ingredient list (crust): 

• 12 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 3 cups of all-purpose flower
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 8 tablespoons of ice water
• 1/3 cup of refrigerated vegetable shortening 

Make the crust:

1. Mix flour salt and sugar in a large bowl, then add diced butter and shortening. Mix well, until butter is broken up into small crumbles. Add ice water and continue to mix until dough forms a ball. 
2. Use rolling pin to roll the dough flat on cutting board covered in flour. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 20 minutes.

Make the filling: 

1. Cut dough into two equal parts, and roll each piece into a circle on the cutting board. Place one piece of dough in pan, and trim off edges if needed. 
2. Mix together 2 tablespoons of flower with 2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle over pie crust in pan, and then add rhubarb. Mix together remaining flour and sugar to sprinkle over rhubarb.
3. Place second piece of dough overtop, and pinch edges together. Pierce the top of the dough in the middle to vent, and sprinkle with sugar. 

Bake the pie:

1. Bake pie for 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, then reduce heat to 250 degrees and bake for 45 minutes. If edges start to brown, you can use aluminum foil to cover the edges. 
2. Set aside to cool, then cut and serve. ​​

(A note from Angela: Yum! I love rhubarb pie, and this one looks amazing, Sarah. Thanks for sharing!)

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About the Author

Sarah Mandell is a professionally trained artist with a background in commercial interior design.

She's also the brains and busy hands behind a thriving indie craft business called Once Again Sam in Greenville, SC. Even with an ever-expanding collection of creative outlets, she's truly the happiest when she's writing. Two Brothers, One Redhead, and a Stolen Giraffe is Sarah’s second novel. Her debut novel was Celia on the Run (Untreed Reads, 2012).

Website: www.sarahmandell.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/theshyauthor
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sarahmandellauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com//Sarah-Mandell- Author
Newsletter Signup: http://www.sarahmandell.com/newsletter

BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Redhead- Stolen-Giraffe- coming-ebook/dp/B01F4ND9ZU

Sarah will be awarding 5 of her handmade laser etched wooden pendants that she is launching as a new collection in conjunction with the release of the book to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway