Muffins & Moonbeams: An Arcadia Valley Romance (Baxter Family Bakery Book 2)

by Elizabeth Maddrey

  Barbara beamed and helped Ruth step up onto the round platform in front of a three-panel mirror. She fluffed the skirt and train and stepped back. “What do you think?”

  Ruth ran her hand down the skirt and looked over her shoulder at Ursula. “I love it.”

  Ursula nodded. “You’d be insane not to.”

  “Should I try on more? Barbara pulled two others...I don’t know the right answer.”

  “And I do? I’ve never been engaged.” She’d never dated someone for more than three months. But that could be left unsaid. The point was the same. Ursula looked at Barbara. “What do you recommend?”

  “Why don’t I bring the other two dresses out for you to see? Maybe if you see them next to this one, you’ll have an idea if she should try them on or not.”

  Ruth nodded. “That...sounds like a good idea.”

  Ursula stepped closer, lightly touching the material of the train. “This is really lovely. It’s in your price range?”

  “It is. Just. The first one was over by half, so I was actually quite pleased that it was terrible. I weeded through the others she pulled—there were eleven—and told her I wasn’t looking at anything over a thousand dollars. I know in wedding-dress-land that’s nothing, but I can’t justify spending more than that on something I’m going to wear once.” Ruth leaned back, her gaze shifting down the hall to where the dressing rooms were, her voice dropping to a whisper. “She wasn’t happy, but she went along with it.”

  Ursula nodded.

  Barbara returned holding two dresses. She hooked one on the edge of a rack and climbed up to stand by Ruth with the other. The contrast was stunning. Where the dress Ruth had on was understated and elegant, the one on the hanger was over-the-top with sparkles and a fluffy princess skirt.

  “Oh. I...no. I think you’d have the same problem with that one as the first. That skirt would eat you alive.”

  Ruth laughed. “That’s...quite the mental image. But I tend to agree. I don’t feel any desire to try that one on.”

  “All right.” Barbara stepped back down and switched the dresses before returning to stand by Ruth. “What about this one?”

  Ursula pursed her lips and moved so she could see it better. The dress was simpler—a column rather than an a-line. “It’s a completely different look. I think you could pull it off though, if you wanted to.”

  “I looked at a lot like that online. Maybe...maybe I should try it.” Ruth reached out and took the dress from Barbara, holding it in front of her. “Should I?”

  “It doesn’t hurt, and it’s better to be sure.”

  Barbara smiled and reached for the second dress. “That’s true. It’s always better to be sure.”

  “Okay. You don’t mind?”

  Ursula shook her head. This was already going faster than she’d anticipated. Frankly, she’d expected the Twin Falls shop to be a bust and a road trip to Boise to be in the works for some weekend soon. If they could find a dress in one afternoon of shopping? That seemed miraculous.

  When they disappeared back down the hall, Ursula returned to the rack and slid the hangers aside to reveal the empire waist gown once again. Checking to see that they were gone, she lifted the hanger off the pole and carefully stepped onto the platform, holding the dress in front of her. It was perfect. If only she had a groom. She pictured Malachi standing next to her in a charcoal tuxedo with a vest and tie rather than cummerbund. Tails? Definitely. He could pull them off. Her heart gave a lazy flip. What was she doing?

  She jumped off the platform and fumbled to hook the hanger back on the dress rack.

  “What did you find?”

  Ursula turned at Ruth’s question, heat warming her cheeks, and hummed in her throat. “That’s...different. In a good way.”

  It was much more sophisticated. Definitely not the girl-next-door vibe the other dress gave off.

  “It really is. But it’s not who I am anymore. This would’ve been the perfect dress if I’d married Lars back in D.C. But for Corban?” Ruth shook her head. “This doesn’t fit us at all. And I’m grateful for that. It really is lovely though.”

  Barbara smiled. “I concur. And you look stunning in both, but I tend to agree the first one is a better fit. You glowed.”

  “Pull that dress back out, Ursula. I want to see it.”

  “Don’t be silly. I was just poking around while I waited.”

  Barbara made an impatient noise and crossed to the rack, her hand unerringly closing over the dress she’d been looking at. “This is lovely. And it would definitely suit you.”

  “Not engaged. Not even dating anyone.” Ursula held her hands in front of her, fending off...well, everything. She wasn’t trying on a wedding dress when she didn’t have a boyfriend.

  “Oh come on. It’ll be fun. It’s all right, isn’t it Barbara? It wouldn’t take long.”

  Ursula gave her friend a long look. She hadn’t realized the woman was a champion wheedler. “I really don’t—”

  “Come on. Ruth’s right, it’ll be fun. And you might be the first person to try this one on that I think it actually suits. It’s eye catching, and affordable, so a lot of mothers pull it. But it never really fits.” Barbara hoisted the dress to keep it from dragging on the floor.

  “Yay!” Ruth stepped down from the platform, wobbling a little as the column restricted her movement. “I’ll put my regular clothes back on and meet you back out here.”

  Ursula sighed and followed Barbara. She should’ve stayed in her seat. Or at least not taken the dress down off the rack. Now...there was little choice. Barbara held open a dressing room door and followed her inside.

  “Have you tried on a wedding dress before?”

  Ursula shook her head.

  “Go ahead and take your clothes off. It’s generally better to step in, although this one can go over the head without too much fuss if you prefer.” Barbara worked to take the dress off the hanger.

  Ursula swallowed. The woman was staying in here with her? It was worse than high school gym class. At least then the other girls had also been busy changing. Barbara just stood, looking at her impassively. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before tugging off her clothes and crossing her arms over her middle.

  “Here, step in.” Barbara held out a hand.

  Ursula did as instructed and slid her arms into the sleeves as Barbara pulled the dress up, adjusting and fussing as she did so. The back was fastened with buttons. The woman must have the world’s most nimble fingers, because she had it closed in record time.

  “There now. Have a look.”

  Ursula turned and looked at herself in the mirrors. The dress fit like it had been made for her. And it was even better than she’d imagined it. Tears welled in her eyes. She blinked them back. “Wow.”

  “Mmm. It definitely suits you. You’re sure you don’t have someone on the horizon?”

  Ursula managed a sardonic laugh. “Pretty sure.”

  “Too bad. Let’s at least go show your friend.”

  “No. I don’t think—”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. She wants to see.” Barbara opened the dressing room door and arched a brow.

  Fine. Okay. It was like playing dress up. That’s all it was. Ursula strode down the hall to the front and paused. “See?”

  Ruth turned, her jaw dropping. “Oh. Oh oh oh. Up on the platform. I need to see the whole thing.”

  “Come on, Ruth. This is dumb.”

  “Nope. Up.”

  Better to just get it over with. She stomped to the platform and stepped up. She wasn’t going to imagine Malachi beside her this time though. Maybe, oh, that Australian actor who played in all the action movies. Ursula tried to conjure the image, but it kept morphing into Malachi and the charcoal tux. She sighed. “Okay, there you go. Can I change now?”

  Ruth frowned, but she nodded. “You really do look lovely.”

  “Thanks.” Ursula headed back down the hall with Barbara on her heels. The woman undid the buttons in the back
and pointed at the hanger before disappearing. At least she got some privacy to change out of the dress. She gave the fabric a final, loving stroke after she hung it up and hurried back to the front of the store.

  Barbara stood at the register. Ruth’s dress hung in a bag by the counter. “Have you given thought to a veil or a headpiece?”

  “I have my mother’s veil.”

  Barbara smiled. “Lovely. If you need help with shoes, I hope you’ll come back.”

  Ruth nodded and signed the credit card slip before putting the card back in her purse. “Thank you for all your help.”

  “If you decide you do want the hem raised a little, please call and we’ll get you an appointment with the seamstress. I think you’ll be fine as long as your shoes have a little heel, but it’s what you’ll be comfortable with that matters.”

  Ursula grabbed the dress off the hook and headed toward the car with a wave to Barbara.

  “Hey.” Ruth hurried up from behind. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. I’m good.” Other than that impossible fantasy of Malachi. Talk about rushing things and setting herself up for heartbreak.

  “Want to grab an early dinner before we head back?”

  Ursula shook her head. “I’m getting a headache...would you mind if I took a rain check?”

  “Not at all. Let’s get you home.”

  19

  Malachi looked up from his phone when the light over the door flashed and caught his eye. What was Ruth doing stopping by this close to closing? “Hey. Weren’t you going out this afternoon?”

  Ruth grinned. “Already done.”

  “Really? I thought dress shopping was supposed to take longer than that.” Malachi tucked his phone in his pocket and leaned forward on the counter.

  “Maybe. But I bought the second dress I tried on. It’s perfect. Bonus, it doesn’t need any alterations.”

  “Cool.” Since his sister had to know he couldn’t possibly care less about her wedding dress—not that he wasn’t happy she found one, but it didn’t go much beyond that—there had to be some alternate reason for her to be here. How long would it take for her to get around to it? “Jonah and Micah already left. They were both looking beat.”

  “That explains why you’re out front. I know you hate it.”

  He shrugged. “It’s not that bad. I’ve decided I just need to sign when I speak so people understand why I miss something if they’re not looking at me. I’m done being self-conscious about it, though. I am who I am, you know?”

  “I’m so glad to hear you say that.” She pulled her lip between her teeth. “Did the fight with Ursula have anything to do with this new realization?”

  “A little. But we’re good now. I told you that.” Maybe they weren’t back to where they had been. But who knew if that was even still possible? He’d like it to get there, but did she? It was hard to tell. Still, the ache that losing his daily conversations with her online caused had lessened and was now something he could, mostly, ignore.

  “Define good. ‘Cause I get the impression from Ursula that maybe that word doesn’t mean what you think it does when it comes to relationships.”

  The light above the door flashed as one of their regular Monday pickups came in. Malachi collected the bag under the counter that held their standing order. “Hold that thought. Hi there, adding anything on?”

  “Yeah, toss in a half-dozen of the muffins and two cookies, would you?” The woman smiled at her daughter who was spinning in circles. “Someone earned a treat. And mommy wants one too. Is there a way to just upgrade my weekly purchase to include the muffins?”

  Malachi grinned. “Absolutely. I’ll take care of that for you. Half-dozen each week?”

  She nodded. “Please. We’ve loved every kind you’ve offered so far, so there’s no reason to imagine we won’t keep on doing that. Honestly, this week’s apple-cinnamon are exactly the whisper of fall I’ve been craving.”

  “I’ll let my brother know. That’ll make him happy.” Malachi boxed up the muffins and slid cookies into a bag before tucking them into the reusable bag they used for regulars. The woman set last week’s bag on the counter and dug in her purse for her credit card. He tapped the reader. “Go ahead and sign. Do you need a receipt? We can email or text it if that’s easier.”

  “A text would be great—I think I’m in the system already so it should have my details.”

  Malachi confirmed that and nodded before tapping the text receipt button. “There you go. Have a great day.”

  The mother and daughter left, the little girl still twirling.

  Ruth walked over with a mug of coffee.

  Malachi arched an eyebrow. “That’ll be seventy-five cents.”

  “Add it to my tab.” Ruth made a face before taking a sip. “So. Ursula?”

  “We’re friends, okay? I think that’s how she wants it.”

  Ruth shook her head. “Bzzt. Try again.”

  He frowned. “We aren’t friends?”

  “Don’t be dense, Mal. She doesn’t want to just be friends. I’m not sure where you were on the relationship spectrum before whatever happened, but it’s pretty clear to me that she’d like to be back to that point. At a minimum.” She paused and took a sip from the mug. “She tried on a wedding dress this afternoon, too.”

  His heart raced. A wedding dress? He wasn’t at the wedding dress stage yet. He took a breath. Then another. Why couldn’t he get any air?

  “Whoa there. I’m not saying she’s going to ask you to marry her tomorrow. I’m just saying that she’s got love—and forever—on her mind. I thought you did, too.” Ruth’s forehead creased. “Are you okay? You should sit down.”

  Malachi found the stool by the register and lowered himself onto it, still trying to catch his breath. The edges of his vision were fuzzy.

  “Slow down. You’re going to hyperventilate. What’s going on?” Ruth came around the counter and rubbed his back.

  He shook his head and took in a deep breath, holding it this time, before letting it out. Better. That was better. His heartbeat began to slow.

  “Do you want some water?” Ruth stepped back and studied his face.

  “I’m okay.”

  “You want to tell me what that was?”

  Not really. Especially since he wasn’t positive himself. He wanted more from Ursula than friendship. Their kisses haunted his dreams. But marriage was a few big steps down the road, and he hadn’t even been sure they were still on it. It was the logical progression...but did you think about marriage before you knew you were in love? “It’s nothing.”

  “Nothing. Got it. ‘Cause you have—what was that, a panic attack?—all the time. I shouldn’t have said anything. But I like Ursula. And she’s good for you, whether or not you’ll admit it.”

  He liked Ursula, too. Cared for her. He skirted around the l-word when it popped into his mind. Skipping steps had proved disastrous once already. But maybe it was time to nudge things up a bit from friends to something closer to what they’d had before. Or at least to try. “Okay.”

  Ruth rolled her eyes. “Box up a dozen muffins, would you? They’ll be a nice addition to the breakfast buffet tomorrow morning.”

  “I’m sorry.” He moved to the display case and loaded up a box.

  “No. It’s fine. I know guys don’t spill their innermost secrets all the time. But you’ve always been a little more open with me than your brothers. I don’t like feeling shut out.”

  He set down the muffins and took her hands in his. “I’m not shutting you out. I’m just...trying to figure out what’s going on.”

  “I know. I’m sorry if I was pushy.”

  “You’re always pushy. That’s what older sisters do.”

  She grinned and offered him her credit card. “Don’t you forget it.”

  Malachi locked the back door of the bakery and carried two small muffin boxes out to the car. It was hard to believe it was going to be September on Friday. The weather agreed. Temperatures had been steadily
cooling from the nineties earlier in the month and had hovered in the high seventies today. Or so the weather app on his phone said. He hadn’t actually gotten out of the store until just now. It was a lovely evening, though some clouds were moving in. Would it rain?

  He got in his car and turned toward Amos’ house. The man loved his muffins. And Malachi could use his advice. As much as he appreciated Ruth’s attempt to talk with him, she was still his sister. And she was in the throes of her own happy ending. It was natural—from both standpoints—that she’d see the easy slip into love for Ursula and him. Maybe she was right—he hoped so—but he still wanted to see what Amos had to say.

  Malachi parked along the curb in front of Amos’s house and looked across the street. The light in Ursula’s front room flickered—she must be watching TV. He left the box of muffins he’d brought for her on the front seat of his car. Maybe he’d swing by after he talked to Amos. Depending.

  He took the stairs to the porch by twos and frowned. Why wasn’t he still outside? Had he gotten chilly? Had his doorbell been adapted to flash a light somewhere he’d see it? Surely it had. Malachi pressed the bell. Seconds ticked by. Maybe he’d send a quick text to let Amos know he was here. He pulled out his phone and did that then waited.

  When five minutes had gone by without a reply to his text or Amos at the door, a tiny tendril of worry wormed through him. He reached out and set his hand on the knob and stopped. What if it was unlocked, would he go in? And if there was nothing wrong? No. If there was nothing wrong, Amos would have texted back. He’d been quick to reply every time in the past. Malachi twisted the knob and pushed open the door. The fact that it was open did nothing for his hammering heart.

  The house was dark. All the blinds were still closed. Malachi thought back to the times he’d visited on the porch with Amos and couldn’t remember if that was usual. It didn’t seem like it. Not for a man who could rhapsodize about the sunshine like Amos could.

  There was no one in the kitchen. Or the living room. Malachi swallowed, but it did nothing for the desert in his mouth. He turned on the hallway light and looked down toward the bedrooms. Everything was neat, it didn’t look like Amos had fallen or anything like that. He strode down the hall, peeking in the first door and continuing on when that room, too, was empty.