He pulled back, only to run his hands over the back of her head and then down her arms and legs. “Are you hurt, precious?”
“I’m okay, Daddy.”
“Then why did you scream?”
“I heard a lot of noise like something big coming through the woods and then a loud grunt, so I thought you were a bear.”
Devin was laughing from pure relief when Bri caught up to them. “Is she all right?” she asked, also falling to her knees in front of Kaitlin.
“She seems to be fine,” Devin said. “We better call the search parties off.”
“I’ll call Arthur right now.” Bri got to her feet and pulled her cell phone out of her coat pocket. “He’ll let everyone else know.”
“Thanks so much, Bri.” Devin stood long enough to peel off his leather jacket. He crouched again to wrap it around Kaitlin and then picked her up. “I need to get this little girl back to your house where it’s warm.”
“No, Daddy, no. I can’t go. I can’t leave the kittens.”
“Where are the kittens?” Bri asked, shoving her phone back into her pocket and nodding to Devin to indicate that she’d placed her call.
When Kaitlin pointed toward the inside of the cave, Devin shone the light toward the back, illuminating a basket and a backpack. “You mean those kittens stayed in the basket this whole time?” he asked.
Kaitlin giggled. “No, Daddy. They kept climbing out, so I put them in my backpack.”
Bri stepped forward and addressed Devin. “You better go ahead with Kaitlin. I’ll follow with the kittens.”
Devin tried to catch Bri’s eye. Was she afraid, as he was, that the kittens might not have fared well? But she didn’t appear to notice. She’d bent to make her way toward the back of the cave and reappeared shortly with both the basket and the backpack. “I can hear the kittens inside the backpack,” she said, “and they seem to be saying they want to go home. Shall I lead the way, Devin, since you’re carrying Kaitlin?”
Devin bounced Kaitlin a little higher into his arms. “Yeah, you’d better go in front because you’ll probably be able to aim the flashlight a little better than me.”
He held the flashlight out to Bri and when she stepped to his side to take it, he caught her eye. “Thank you,” he murmured, hoping she could read the full extent of his gratitude in his voice. She returned the smile, winked, then said, “Let’s get these adventurers home.”
Twenty minutes later, when the three of them emerged from the field and stepped into Bri’s backyard, Devin blinked in surprise. There must have been twenty people waiting for them, and every one of them cheered when they saw that Kaitlin was alive and well.
“Set me down, Daddy,” his little girl commanded. “I see Mr. Wheeler and I want to tell him about my adventure.”
“There are several details about your adventure that I want to hear about as well, Miss Muffin,” Devin informed her, but he doubted she heard him. She was already running toward Mr. Wheeler, who grabbed her and swung her up into the air.
Bri stepped to his side. “You can find out what happened later. The important thing is that we found her.”
“Thanks to you,” Devin murmured, turning to gaze at her. But he had no time for further expressions of his feelings. The sheriff had approached to assure him that they’d located Francine and were convinced she hadn’t even seen Kaitlin while she’d been visiting Cedar Hollow. And the sheriff had already called her back to assure her that Kaitlin was fine.
Devin wanted to express his thanks to all the searchers, but they’d already started dispersing. Those he managed to speak with waved away his thanks. “Just glad the little girl is okay,” was the almost universal response. Finally, when the last vehicle had pulled away, he looked around for Bri and saw her coming from the barn, holding Kaitlin’s hand.
He hurried toward them. “The kittens?” he asked.
“Both fine,” Bri assured him. “The backpack is a little worse for the experience though. You might want to invest in a new one.”
“It stinks, Daddy,” Kaitlin added.
Devin suppressed a groan, then laughed. “Got it,” he said. “New backpack coming up tomorrow. Now, young lady, you and I need to go home. I called Mrs. Lang to be sure she knew you were all right, and she said she was leaving a casserole for our supper. We’ll give you a bath, eat dinner, and then have a nice, long talk.”
“Okay, Daddy. But guess what. Miss Bri—she said I could call her that—Miss Bri says I can take the kittens home on Sunday. That will be the day before Valentine’s Day you know.”
“I know.” Devin looked at Bri. “Can I see you tomorrow or have we put you so far behind at the bakery that you’ll never catch up?”
“Good news on that end,” Bri informed him with a wide smile. “When I called Mrs. Sandler to tell her we’d found Kaitlin, she said one of my old classmates from culinary school saw that article about us on the Internet and stopped by the bakery. Turns out Sally was between jobs, so Mrs. Sandler put her right to work helping out over the holiday rush. I’m hoping she’ll be willing to stay on after Valentine’s Day. Mrs. Sandler and I could use another baker.”
“That’s great,” Devin said, glad that he at least didn’t have to feel guilty about causing Bri to lose business. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Okay?”
“Okay.” Her smile seemed so genuinely pleased that Devin felt his heart lighten. He’d kissed her only once, but that one time had been enough to convince him that the chemistry between the two of them was more than promising, and he really hoped to see how far it would take them.
But first he wanted to think of a very special way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her.
Chapter Seven
When she awoke the next morning, Bri scrambled out of bed and hurried to shower and dress. She needed to get to the store as early as possible. She couldn’t remember how many special orders they had to fill between now and Valentine’s Day, but she knew she was going to be busy.
At the same time, she was determined to spend some time with Devin if he asked. Perhaps they could meet for lunch. Surely by now he’d know exactly why Kaitlin had run away from home yesterday.
To her delight, when she got to the bakery she found both Mrs. Sandler and their new employee, Sally Emery, already there and hard at work. Bri and Sally had been acquaintances rather than close friends in culinary school, so Bri hadn’t been aware that Sally’s true love was decorating cakes. But as soon as she saw the two cakes that Sally had prepared for this afternoon’s wedding—a white bride’s cake and a chocolate groom’s cake—not to mention the tier of cupcakes that she’d created as companions to the traditional cakes, Bri decided that Mrs. Sandler had latched onto a treasure.
Still, there was plenty of work for Bri to do although she couldn’t help working with an ear tuned to the phone, hoping Devin would call sooner rather than later. His call came right at ten o’clock.
“Morning,” he said. “I’m hoping you’ll be able to take time for a lunch break today. I’d love to pick you up so we can grab a bite to eat somewhere.”
“That sounds great. And with our new employee already working out so well, I won’t be in any rush to get back to the store.”
They decided to have an early lunch in an effort to beat the crowds, so Devin picked her up promptly at eleven thirty. He drove out of town a few miles to a small place that had yet to be discovered by the majority of the tourists. In fact, it was a restaurant Bri had never eaten at before. Devin explained his choice before they went inside. “I worked here as a busboy when I was in high school, so the owners, Charlie and Martha Obed, know me and have assured me that we can have a table where we’ll be able to talk undisturbed.”
Bri was delighted with the quaint coziness of the restaurant and with the kindness of the Obeds, both of whom obviously doted on Devin. They immediately made Bri feel welcome too, and after they all chatted a minute, Mrs. Obed escorted them to their table. A few seconds later, Mr. Obed arrived with a basket o
f hot bread, took their orders, and left them alone to talk.
“So what did you discover about Kaitlin’s reasons for running away?” Bri asked.
Devin sighed. “She’d overhead Mrs. Lang telling her daughter Jennie on the phone that Francine was in town and was threatening to take Kaitlin away from me. As you know, Kaitlin hasn’t seen her mother in almost a year and a half, and although she has a few pleasant memories of New York, she’s come to love living here, especially after meeting you and the kittens.”
Bri laughed. “I have no illusions about being on equal footing with the kittens in Kaitlin’s affections.”
Devin grinned. “I think that goes without saying. Obviously, the kittens were foremost on her mind when she decided to hide until her mother went away again. And frankly, I’m rather impressed with the detail she put into planning her escapade. As you surmised, she got off the bus near your house with a group of older children. According to the sheriff, who talked to the kids, they didn’t know who Kaitlin was or much care that a little one had gotten off with them. She appeared to know what she was doing and where she was going, so no one questioned her.”
“Goodness, she planned that exceptionally well for a six-year-old,” Bri said. “What happened then?”
“According to Kaitlin, she walked straight to your barn, ‘borrowed’ the kittens to keep her company, and set off to find the cave she’d heard us talking about.”
“I still don’t understand how she maneuvered the drop-off and located the cave. It’s not that easy, even for an adult.”
“Apparently, our trek there and back had created enough of a path for her to follow, and when she reached the slope, she sat down on her bottom and slid until she came to the drop-off. Then she put the kittens in her backpack, tossed the basket down, and jumped.”
Bri grimaced. “I’m amazed she didn’t end up with a sprained ankle or worse.”
Devin shrugged. “She’s pretty limber. She was in a gymnastics class before we moved here. But she says she was disappointed when she found the cave. She was expecting something much bigger, I’m afraid.”
“I’m just thankful it was large enough to give her a little protection from the elements. I hope she didn’t take a chill.”
“She seemed in good health this morning, and there were no ill effects from her adventure except for a few scratches. I took her to school and we had another talk about her always telling me if she’s worried about something and how I will always be there to help her.”
“That’s good.” Bri paused when a waiter arrived with their lunch. After that, she and Devin devoted their attention to some really excellent pasta until it was time to leave.
“How’s your book coming along?” she asked after they got on the road again.
“Not bad,” he replied. Then, after a pause, “Could I ask you something?”
She turned to look at him but he was staring at the road ahead. “Certainly. Ask away.”
“Would you go out with me?”
“As on a date?”
“Yep.”
Bri continued to look at Devin, who continued to watch the road. She could tell he was nervous, which she found quite endearing. The famous, talented Devin Morris was unnerved by the thoughts of asking out little Briana Galen. She bit back a smile. “I’d love to go out with you.”
He still didn’t look at her but he did grin. “Do you have a little more time before you have to be back at work?”
She wondered what this could be about, although she had a sneaking suspicion she knew. “I have as much time as I want. I’m the boss, remember?”
His grin widened. “Yep, although you’re the most conscientious boss I’ve ever known. But I like your attitude today.” Still grinning, he flipped on his turn signal and slowed, then steered onto a side road Bri hadn’t even known existed.
“Where are we going?”
“Remember I said I worked at the restaurant when I was in high school?”
“Yes?”
“If memory serves me correctly, there’s a great spot up ahead where I can pull off the road and we can look out over the valley. It’s a pretty view.”
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, and Bri stifled a smile. “That sounds like a nice detour.”
He sighed, obviously with relief. “Good.”
Five minutes later Bri stood beside Devin in the chilly February air looking down on a valley brown with winter’s bare trees. An occasional splotch of green signaled a grove of pines or cedars. “It’s prettier in the summer,” Devin said, almost apologetically.
“It’s pretty enough right now,” Bri assured him, then shivered when a sudden burst of wind exploded over the edge of the cliff and buffeted them. Devin quickly wrapped an arm around her and steadied her.
She turned toward him and gazed up into his face. She knew immediately that he intended to kiss her, and she was more than willing. She had wondered if the thrill of that kiss in the cave would be as overwhelming if it were repeated.
He turned so that his back was toward the cliff, protecting her from the blustery wind, and pulled her into his arms, holding her close against his chest.
She dropped her gaze from his eyes to his lips and then back to his eyes again while tilting her head and leaning toward him.
The kiss began with a tender, tentative touch that sent frissons of warmth spreading throughout Bri. She’d never felt this sort of overwhelming sensation before, and she knew instinctively that Devin hadn’t either. She tightened her hold on him and he deepened the kiss. She placed a hand on the back of his head, intending to pull him closer, then paused when the quiet was shattered by the intrusion of a loud motor as a vehicle approached.
She and Devin released each other, then glanced toward the road. A pickup truck passed them with a quick toot of its horn and a wave from the grinning driver, someone Bri didn’t recognize.
Devin winced. “That was Mr. Price. He lives up the road a piece. He probably remembers me from my high school days.”
Bri laughed out loud. “You must have brought a lot of girls here back in the day.”
“Most of us guys did. You wouldn’t know because you’d moved on by then.”
“And speaking of moving on, I’d better get back to the store. I don’t want to impose so much on my new employee that she decides to quit on me.”
“Okay, but first I wanted to ask if I can take you out to dinner next Tuesday evening in celebration of Valentine’s Day. I know Tuesday is the fifteenth, but I figured you’d be too busy on the fourteenth to get away.”
Bri smiled. “Next Tuesday would be wonderful, and the restaurants won’t be so crowded on the fifteenth.”
“Great.” Devin’s grin seemed filled with relief and joy. “Just one more thing and then I’ll take you back to the bakery.”
“Okay.” Bri couldn’t imagine what might be coming now.
“Kaitlin has issued an invitation for you to stop by the house on your way home Monday afternoon if you’re not too exhausted from filling all those special orders. She wants you to join us for pizza, and she has a special Valentine’s Day surprise planned for you. She will be extremely disappointed if you don’t accept her invitation.”
“Well of course I’ll stop by. Shall I bring dessert from the bakery?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Devin said, his lips twitching. “Dessert will be provided for you.”
“I can’t wait,” Bri said, widening her eyes and cocking her head to one side. “Do I get a clue?”
“Nope,” Devin said. “Now I’d better take you back to work before your employees rebel. Shall we go?”
Bri twisted her lips into a moue of displeasure but Devin only laughed. “Kaitlin would never forgive me if I spoiled her surprise. Let’s go.” And he steered her back to the car and inside before Bri could object any further.
By the time Bri rang Devin’s doorbell the evening of February fourteenth, she was tired but strangely energized too. She and Devin had mana
ged to see each other for a few minutes on Saturday when he and Kaitlin had stopped by the bakery and they’d grabbed a sandwich at a nearby restaurant.
On Sunday, he and Kaitlin had come to Bri’s to take possession of Greybeard and Little Bit. Kaitlin had been beside herself with excitement about the kittens, but she’d also been excited about Bri coming for dinner the following evening, jumping up and down when she assured Bri that she was in for a wonderful surprise.
Bri couldn’t imagine what this surprise would be, but she was looking forward to finding out.
Kaitlin met her at the door. “Guess what, Miss Bri? Greybeard and Little Bit like living here. I can tell because they love to play in the upstairs room where we’re keeping them for a while. And Daddy bought them each a feeding dish but they both want to eat out of the same dish and they try to push each other out of the way, even when I show them they each have a dish, and Daddy got them a litter box that’s covered and also one that cleans itself and we’ve got pizza in the oven warming.”
Devin, standing just behind her, laughed. “Well, Miss Muffin, I think you’ve covered most of our news. Why don’t we get out of the doorway now and let Miss Bri come inside?”
Kaitlin stepped back quickly, then turned and started skipping toward the kitchen. Devin shook his head in mock exasperation and motioned Bri inside. “I hope you aren’t totally exhausted.”
“I’m fine,” Bri said. “Having an extra employee is helping tremendously. And the day went smoothly. Most people who stopped by were looking for our smaller items as opposed to cakes. Our best sellers today were brownies, cookies and, of course, Valentine-themed cupcakes.”
“Of course.” Devin grinned. “I hope you don’t mind eating in the kitchen again.”
“The kitchen’s great,” Bri assured him.
Less than ten minutes later, they were once again gathered around the oak table in front of the fireplace eating pizza and listening to Kaitlin describe the various valentines she’d received from classmates and from her teacher at school that day.
My Cupcake, My Love Page 9
