by Jillian Hart
“I’m not the finest of ladies,” she argued breathlessly.
“You are to me.”
Did he know what he was doing to her? How could he torture her with what might-have-been? She tried to step back and break his hold on her but he held on tight, doggedly keeping her waltzing in time with the music and with him.
If she closed her eyes, she could feel time roll back. The girl within her remembered the thrill of being in his arms just like this, so close she could see black threads in his stormy gray eyes. He smelled the same—of leather, wood smoke and hay and it was somehow such a cozy scent, reminding her of laughing with him, of being in his arms in the sunshine, of the joy of simply resting her cheek against his chest.
He came to a stop in the middle of the kitchen, although the sweet strains of the music continued on. “Remember the first time we waltzed under the stars?” he asked.
“It would be better if I could forget.” She tilted her head to meet his gaze. “I don’t want to do this, Gabriel.”
“It was just a waltz, that’s all.”
“No, this is far more. It’s like you want to make peace or you think that I’m too quiet, like I used to be, and you can push me around—”
“Hey, wait, I don’t think that—”
“You do,” she argued. “You can’t act as if everything between us is okay. It isn’t. It never will be. You broke my heart. That might not mean much to you, but it did to me.”
“No, you’ve got it wrong. I never meant to hurt you.” Sincerity shone in his eyes. “Not you.”
“What did you think would happen? I risked everything I loved for you—”
“That’s not the way I remember it.” He looked sorry. So, so sorry. “I shouldn’t have brought up the past. I don’t want to upset you.”
“It’s too late.”
“I see that.” He blew out a frustrated sigh and raked his fingers through his hair. “Maybe we should make a pact.”
“I’m not sure I should make any deals with you. Gabriel, it’s one thing for you to come to your nephew’s wedding, but did you have to buy the house next door to me?”
“Travis Montgomery told me you had put an offer on the house. How could I refuse the chance to make things right with you?”
“Make things right? How are you going to do that?” She whirled away, pain raw in her voice. She walked away from him, leaving him standing like a fool in the middle of the kitchen.
Thankfully no one was around to see the charming way he had with the lady.
She reached the kitchen door and turned to face him. She must have gotten her emotions under control because she was staring at him like an Army general about to sentence an enemy for treason.
“I don’t want to make a pact with you.” She said it like she meant every word. “I don’t want to call a truce. I want you to go back where you came from and stay there. Permanently.”
“Sorry. No.” He slid his hands into his trouser pockets, giving time for his words to sink in. “I’m not going anywhere. My life is over in Ohio. My wife is gone. My sons have moved away. When Leigh marries her beau, I’ll be alone.”
“That’s really not my problem.” Her eyes filled, pain hovering in the form of tears just behind her lashes. “I don’t want you here, Gabe.”
“I’m starting to understand that.”
“Would you stop sounding so reasonable? You’re standing there so logical, like everything is better because decades have passed. But that’s not true.”
“No, Aumaleigh, that’s not—”
“Do you know how hard it is to look at you?” she interrupted. “To know it wasn’t me you loved? It wasn’t me you married, it wasn’t me you raised a family with. It wasn’t me. I’m just so angry at you for that. It’s irrational, I know, and unreasonable. I gave your engagement ring back. I broke off the wedding, and I just—”
She covered her face with her hands. Standing perfectly still, she didn’t move a muscle. It didn’t look as if she was even breathing. The air grew heavy with the depth of her pain.
The back of his throat ached. He swallowed hard, trying to master his emotions. He couldn’t run to her. He couldn’t comfort her. He didn’t have the right to hold her.
Time had rendered them strangers.
“We’re different people than we used to be.” It was the only thing he could offer her. “Life has changed me. I’m not the same young man who was wet behind the ears. Back then I didn’t know much about life and even less about loving a woman.”
“You’ll get no arguments from me.” She lowered her hands. Her mouth curved up in a ghost of a grin, but there was still sadness there. Still pain. “I never should have given you back the ring. I’m sorry I broke your heart.”
“I’m sorry too.”
“Maybe you’ve got your truce after all.” She swallowed hard, trying to get past the emotion lodged in her throat. “But things are never going to be easy between us. It hurts to see you. I don’t think that is ever going to go away.”
“Okay. Good to know.” He bobbed his head once in acknowledgement, studying her as if he was trying to see deeply into her heart. “This isn’t easy for me either.”
“Then why move here?”
“Because I had to.” He said nothing more, leaving her in the silence of the kitchen, feeling more alone than she’d been in a long while.
She wrapped her arms around her middle, maybe for comfort, maybe to try to hold everything still inside her heart. No good could come from letting what he’d said have any effect on her.
“There you are.” Daisy swept in with a rustle of her dress and joy on her face. “We’re ready for the cake. Oh, good. You have the dessert plates ready. Did you and Gabriel have a chance to catch up?”
“In the few moments before I sent him out of the kitchen.” She whisked a high stack of plates off the counter.
It had been supremely easy for Gabriel to have moved on and married someone else. Proof she was never the love of his life.
She set the stack of dishes on the cloth draped table holding the wedding cake. Iris had gone all out on the design. She’d made a horse and sleigh out of cake, decorating it with colorful frosting, depicting Rose’s horse, Wally, and Seth’s jingle-bell sleigh to perfection.
“Did you see Dottie and Lawrence?” Magnolia rushed up, pink-cheeked from her hurry to spread the latest news. “Rose was right. The two of them are adorable. They haven’t stepped away from each other. He’s talking a mile a minute, and she’s actually charmed by him. I didn’t think such a thing was possible.”
“It only goes to prove there’s a perfect match for everyone.” Daisy fussed with the cake server, making sure the silk ribbon on its handle was tied just right. “Everyone deserves to be really loved.”
“Even Lawrence,” Magnolia agreed, watching the young couple with satisfaction.
True love and happy marriages were all around her. Aumaleigh knew better than to let herself get caught up in the dream. Her time for that has passed her by. Besides, she was happy being a great aunt. She laughed as Sally and Hailie pranced by with their imaginary baby dragons.
Chapter Six
Iris McPhee hummed to herself in the sparkling new kitchen of the Bluebell Bakery. She whipped up a bowl of chocolate fudge frosting, listening to the bell over the front door ring through the store and the thump of the oven door as Wynne took loaves of bread from the heat. Life was good. So, so good.
“Maebry is here for Gil’s birthday cake.” Dottie looked professional with her blueberry blue apron over her light blue calico dress, but it was the ear-to-ear grin that was uncharacteristic. She bounced to a stop. “I didn’t know if you wanted to say hi to her. I know you two are family.”
“Yes, she is.” Iris gave the frosting in the bowl another stir before relinquishing her hold on the wooden spoon. “Remember, don’t say a word about her surprise shower.”
“My lips are sealed.” Dottie rocked back on her heels, looking like a woman who
couldn’t contain her happiness. Remembering seeing Dottie and Lawrence in rapt conversation at Rose’s wedding, Iris smiled to herself. She followed Dottie through the swinging doors and into the front of the store.
“Iris!” Maebry looked luminous, sporting a round belly and glowing with happiness. Her blond hair tumbled down from her blue knit hat. She rushed over for a hug. It was a little awkward with her stomach, but Maebry only laughed. “I feel enormous. Gil had to help me with my shoes this morning.”
“It’s getting close now. You must be sewing and knitting up a storm.”
“It’s crazy everything a baby needs, but I think we’re almost there. Gil is making a cradle for our room. It’s just the sweetest thing.” Maebry happily rubbed the curve of her belly. “I can’t wait.”
“Gil must be over the moon.”
“He’s going to be a proud papa. I just never thought this kind of happiness would happen for me.”
“I know just what you mean.” Iris’s chest tightened, remembering how she’d broken things off with Milo. That seemed a lifetime ago, but now her world had changed for the better too. She twisted the beautiful engagement ring on her left hand. “There’s nothing like living your dream.”
“Exactly.” Maebry blinked the emotion from her eyes. “What about you and Milo? Any word on a date yet?”
Iris stared down at the beautiful amethyst sparkling on her left ring finger, surrounded by diamonds. The girls had picked it out for her with Milo’s help. “What are you and Gil doing anything next weekend?”
“What? So soon? Oh, we’ll be there. Absolutely. Iris, this is so exciting. How can you stand there looking so calm?”
“I’m jumping for joy inside.” That was the truth. She couldn’t believe it either. She was going to be a wife and mother, and one day she would be expecting a baby of her own. Sadie and Sally needed a little brother or sister, right?
“Here’s your cake, Maebry.” Dottie slid a bakery box across the counter. “On second thought, it’ll probably be pretty awkward for you to carry. Let me do it for you, when you’re ready to go.”
“Thanks, Dottie. That’s really nice of you.” Maebry smiled. “Say, you look happy. You have something exciting going on in your life.”
“I do!” Dottie bent over the ledger, adding Maebry’s purchase to her account. “I finally have my own place. I’m so excited. I don’t have to take advantage of the McPhee sisters anymore—”
“You aren’t taking advantage,” Iris interrupted her, because no way did she want Dottie to feel like that.
“But staying with you and your sisters was only temporary. I’ve rented rooms that are close to the bakery. I can walk over, which is good because I don’t have a horse.”
“I wasn’t talking about that news.” Maebry waggled her eyebrows. “I meant something much more romantic. I saw you spending some time with Lawrence. You two seemed to be getting along.”
“Oh, yes! We talked for nearly an hour, and then he had to go and take care of his baby lambs.” Dottie set down the pencil and closed the account book. “But I don’t think it was romantic. I mean, Lawrence was just being nice to me. You’ve probably noticed I’m kind of homely, and it’s not like a handsome man like him would be interested.”
Iris bit her lip at the word handsome. Beauty truly was in the eye of the beholder. “So, you like Lawrence?”
“Who wouldn’t?” Dottie’s dark eyes lit up. “I mean, he’s so thoughtful and courteous. That’s hard to find in a man these days. And I’ve always liked a man with a handlebar mustache.”
“We’ve all known Lawrence for quite a while.” Maebry smiled, looking genuinely happy for Dottie. “He’s a good, honest and hardworking man and I think he would treat a lady right.”
“I do too.” Iris was sure about that. Could there be a happy ending in the future for Dottie too? That was something to hope for. “Lawrence comes in now and then for a loaf of bread. Maybe you’ll get a chance to treat him to a cup of coffee and talk with him for a bit.”
“Really? I mean, I wouldn’t if it were busy or something.” Dottie brightened, giving her lopsided, adorable smile. “Okay, I’ll do it. I mean, not because he likes me or anything, but maybe we could at least be friends.”
“Dottie, I think he likes you.” Iris studied the younger woman who was so sweet, she felt like a little sister. Someone you would always want to know. “I don’t want to hear you call yourself homely ever again. Got it? You are adorable, and Lawrence would be lucky to have someone like you.”
“I know you’re just saying that, but thanks.” Dottie’s lower lip trembled. “Thanks a lot.”
The bell on the door chimed merrily as Magnolia tromped in. Sunshine spilled in the door with her as she bounded to a stop, slammed the door and unbuttoned her spring coat. “Ooh, I’m so mad. Just spitting, hitting mad.”
“Not again.” Iris rolled her eyes. “What is it this time? Not more wedding stuff?”
“No, Travis’s mother has stopped talking to me and says she isn’t coming to the wedding, which is actually a relief. That’s not why I’m, ooh, I’m just furious. Just ready to grab my snake stick and just—oh, I don’t know what I’d do with it, but something! You know the building that’s being renovated just down the block and across the street?”
“Yes, we’ve all been wondering what business is coming to town.” Iris went straight to the window to take a peek. A wagon was parked out front, if she squinted she could just make out a newly hung sign, but the angle was wrong and she was too far away. “I can’t read it.”
“Dobson’s Bakery!” Magnolia fisted her hands. “That woman, that Fanny Dobson, is opening up a store right here in town to compete with us. Can you believe it?”
“Oh, I hate her.” Dottie circled the counter and marched up to the window. “She’s coming after your business. What are we going to do?”
“I’ll never order a cake from there.” Maebry’s chin went up. “I don’t know this Fanny Dobson, but she doesn’t sound like a very nice businesswoman.”
“She’s not,” Dottie assured everyone. “I know it for a fact. What do you think, Iris? You’re very quiet.”
“I’m just shocked.” Iris bit her bottom lip, thinking. “This town can’t support two bakeries. There just isn’t enough business for both of us.”
The front door swung open and Rhoda marched in, hugging a bag of sugar. “Everyone is talking about it over at the mercantile. You’re going to stay open, aren’t you, Iris? Are we going to fight this?”
All eyes turned to her. She read the need in Dottie’s and the desperation in Rhoda’s. Magnolia arched her brows in a silent question, likely thinking the same thing she was. This bakery had always been her dream, back in their Chicago days when she’d been working hard hours for little pay. Her sisters had taken on her vision as their own and they’d built this business together. But now that she’d found Milo, she had a different future than they’d all imagined back then.
What were they going to do with the bakery?
“We didn’t come this far just to close up shop.” She knew it was the right decision the instant she spoke the words. They just felt right. “Fanny Dobson can do what she wants. It’s a free country. But we are going to stay right here and bake the best cakes and cookies in the territory. We aren’t going anywhere.”
Dottie blew out a relieved sigh. Rhoda mouthed a silent thank you. They weren’t the only two employees who needed their jobs. Iris remembered what that was like. She would never forget. A familiar Stetson caught her attention, and joy moved through her, silent and deep. Milo. He spotted her and lifted a gloved hand in recognition. She waved back, watching as he ambled out of sight.
Her impossible dreams were coming true. It was time to help someone else with theirs. Dottie’s dream of independence from her parents. Rhoda’s dream of supporting her children, Oscar and Clint Redmond’s dreams of being self-sufficient again. Leaving gift boxes of day old bread and cookies on the doorsteps of the needy
families in town. That’s what this bakery was going to be all about from this moment on. Fannie Dobson didn’t stand a chance.
Aumaleigh pulled Buttons to a stop in the middle of the road, staring at the sign swinging above the boardwalk. Dobson’s Bakery. She had to blink twice to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. This wasn’t a good development. Not good at all.
“Howdy there, Aumaleigh.” Clint Redmond drew the bakery’s horse and delivery wagon to a stop on the opposite side of the street. “Guess you’re thinkin’ the same thing I am. Maybe you don’t know all the businesses Dobson’s has closed down over in Deer Springs.”
“I’ve heard rumors about it. I can’t say I’m pleased to see them here.” Aumaleigh squinted against the spring sunshine. Clint looked much improved these days, now that he was working for the girls. He had an easy smile and a relaxed manner. It was nice to see, since his family had a long struggle with hardship. “On the other hand, I don’t doubt my nieces will rise to the challenge.”
“Good to hear. I like my job.” Clint’s deep voice cracked and he gave his reins a shake. “Good day to you, Aumaleigh.”
“Take care, Clint.” Aumaleigh did the same, guiding Buttons down the street. Town was quiet, almost empty feeling. This time of year so many farmers were busy with planting their fields or tending their herds of new cow/calf pairs. Women all over the country were out working in their gardens on a day like this. Which is what she was going to do once she finished this very important meeting.
Buttons stopped obediently in front of the hitching post, and Aumaleigh hopped down. The past few days had been uneventful, and she hadn’t come across Gabriel once. But that didn’t stop her from glancing up and down the boardwalk before climbing onto it and tapping up the steps to the mercantile.
“Aumaleigh!” Gemma Gunderson looked up from the front counter. She was such a dear with her dark locks and ready smile. “Welcome. How are you today?”
