Kate's Kisses (Sweet Treats Bakery)

by Mary Manners

  “Sit with me.” Logan drew her near. “Remember how you liked to lie on your back and gaze up at the sky through the tree branches so you could watch the clouds drift by?”

  “I remember.” She nodded slightly. “You used to keep a list of all the things I saw…or thought I saw.”

  “Uh-huh.” She’d be surprised to know he still had that list…tucked away in his wallet along with a picture of her he’d snapped during their last year of college. “And do you remember the first time you let me kiss you? We were right here, beneath this tree. The sun was warm, like it is today. You wore the same perfume you’re wearing now, and your eyes shimmered like emeralds, just like they are now.”

  “Oh, Logan…”

  “I’d like to…kiss you again, Katie.” He took her hand. “It’s been…way too long. May I?”

  Her lips trembled, but he saw the slight nod and twined his fingers in waves of cinnamon hair. He brushed his lips to hers once, twice, and then sighed as his gut twisted with longing. He simply held her, and wondered if she felt his heart pounding like a jackhammer.

  “I-I think we should walk some more,” Kate whispered.

  He pressed his lips to her hair, and then eased back to a safe distance. “Yes, I think so, too.”

  ****

  Kate couldn’t sleep. She padded into the kitchen and filled the tea kettle with water, then set it to boil. As the pressure in the kettle rose and it began to squeal, she felt the pressure rising in her, as well.

  She shouldn’t have let Logan kiss her…it was only asking for trouble. Yet she’d wanted him to—badly.

  She sighed. I’m only going to get my heart broken again.

  She poured boiling water over the tea bag she’d dropped into a mug and let it steep while she dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She’d drink the tea and then head over to the bakery and get an early start on the day’s orders. A bit of baking would take her mind off things…it always did.

  The morning air held a slight chill and the streets were dark beneath the glow of lights that mimicked gaslights along the boulevard. She heard the nervous bark of a dog in the distance, and a flock of blue jays scrambled from a treetop across the street, startling her. She jammed her hands into the pockets of her windbreaker as she hurried along. It was barely a mile to the shop, and the walking helped to keep her in shape despite all the sampling of new recipes that she indulged in.

  She took the long way across the town square. The library rose up to greet her, its windows like mirrors against the darkness. The outside was finished, and Kate knew all there remained to do was to complete a bit of the interior work—painting and window treatments. It wouldn’t be long before the shelves were stocked and the doors opened for business. The dedication was slated to coincide with Mount Ridge’s Fourth-of-July celebration.

  Then what? Logan would no doubt hop in his car and drive straight back to California following the festivities. There’d be nothing to hold him here. Kate sighed as she remembered what Grace had said weeks ago…change is part of life. Well, like it or not, her life was about to change once again. Whether Logan was a part of that change…only time would tell.

  8

  Logan disconnected the call and tossed his phone onto his desk in the overcrowded work trailer that had been set up at the rear of the construction site. His crew was hard-working and dedicated, and the project was two weeks ahead of schedule as a result. The library would be fully-operational by the dedication.

  And as soon as it was completed, his supervisor wanted him back at his post in California. He’d just phoned to say so, and wanted a definite date for Logan’s arrival. He had a project waiting, and he needed Logan there as soon as possible to get things underway.

  Logan sighed and paced the tiny space between his desk and the door of the trailer. He felt torn between his loyalty to his company and his desire to remain in Mount Ridge a bit longer. He needed to figure things out and get his head on straight. He found it ironic that he’d fought so hard against coming back here…and now that it was time to go, he didn’t want to leave.

  “Logan?” Brent Peterson rapped on the trailer’s door and pulled it open. A warm breeze rushed in, along with the cacophony of hammers and drills. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Come on in.” Logan cleared a space at the cluttered desk, where invoices and purchase orders spilled over the top of the inbox. Paperwork wasn’t his strong suit, and the administrative assistant needed a few days off. She’d have a landslide to sort through when she returned tomorrow. “Pull up a chair.”

  Brent settled in and handed him a binder filled with notes and sketches. “Remember that project we discussed a few weeks ago?”

  “The crisis center?” Logan nodded as he flipped through the book. “Sure, I do. Has something changed?”

  “Yes.” Excitement tinged Brent’s voice. “The funding I was hoping for just came through. We’ve got enough money to get the project under roof…with leads on a good chunk of additional funds.”

  “When are you thinking of breaking ground?”

  “As soon as possible…if you’ll oversee the project.” He glanced up, his gaze hopeful. “Will you?”

  ****

  “What needs to be fixed this time?” Logan asked as he strode through the door of the bakery to find Kate at the top of a ladder. “Don’t lean like that. You’re going to topple over.”

  “Wow, aren’t you in a mood.” Kate glanced down. “The bulb blew. I’m replacing it.”

  “Get down. I’ll do it.” He braced the metal ladder as it wobbled. “You’re not supposed to stand on the top rung. It’s unstable.”

  “Nonsense. You’ve done it a million times.”

  “I’m trained to use a ladder. You’re…not.”

  “I’m perfectly capable of replacing a bulb.” She refused to budge. “I did it before you came back here and I’ll manage after you leave again.”

  Logan felt his temper tug as he clutched the ladder and gaped at her. “Who said I’m going to leave again?”

  Kate paused with the hundred-watt bulb nestled in one hand. Behind him, tucked back in the kitchen, he heard Mattie singing softly along with the radio.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Just what I said. Now, come down.”

  She huffed and shook her head, but finally stomped down the rungs and pressed the bulb into his hands. “Have at it.”

  “Thanks.” He waited while she stepped aside, then he scaled the ladder. “Coffee smells good. Is that a new variety?”

  “It’s vanilla bean. One of the customers requested it earlier, so Mattie brewed a pot. Would you like a cup?”

  “With a couple of your cherry kisses.” He nodded. “By the way, what’s my tab look like these days?”

  She laughed. “I’m not going to charge you for coffee and snacks, Logan. You’ve fixed so many things around here. I figure, all told, that I owe you.”

  “You don’t owe me anything, Katie.” He removed the burned-out bulb and handed it down to her before he installed the new one. “But I’d like to talk to you, if you have a bit of time.”

  She switched on the light as he came down the ladder. A soft glow covered the pastry counter. “I’ll make time.”

  “Good. I’ll just put the ladder away.” He knew where it went—propped against the far wall in the storage room off the kitchen. He’d used it enough since his return. “And I’ll meet you back here. Go ahead and pour the coffee.”

  Mattie glanced up and paused her singing as he came through the kitchen. “Hey, Logan.”

  “Hey back.”

  “Did you coax Kate down from the ladder?”

  “You bet.”

  “Thanks. I told her to wait ’til you came by this afternoon, because I knew you wouldn’t mind to take care of things, but you know how stubborn she can be.”

  “Do I ever.”

  “Sometimes it’s just downright exasperating.” She slid a pan of muffins into the oversized oven
built into the wall. “Brent Peterson came by the bakery today with talk of some family crisis center he’s planning to have constructed on the other side of the town square. You know anything about that?”

  “Maybe.” He grinned. “Word sure does travel fast.”

  “He talked to Grace about catering some fundraising events.” Mattie changed the tip on the icing gun and began to add flowers to a cake in front of her. “He had Grace laughing like I haven’t heard in a couple years. It was…good.”

  “I’ll bet.” Logan reached for a cupcake slathered with vanilla icing and thin chocolate shavings. “Do you mind?”

  “Of course not. Dig in.”

  “I’m considering accepting the center project,” he confided. “What do you think, Mattie?”

  “I think I’ve been wondering how long it would take you to come to your senses—you and Kate both.”

  He laughed. “You don’t mince words, do you?”

  She shook her head. “Never have. Just be careful, Logan. Don’t break Kate’s heart again.”

  ****

  As the afternoon sun dipped below the horizon, they ambled through the town square sipping vanilla bean coffee, and ended up at the library again.

  “It’s a beautiful building,” Kate murmured as she gazed up at the windows. Lights glowed inside, and she saw Mrs. McKeever stocking the shelves with books that had been shipped over that morning. “She’ll work all night, you know.”

  “I do. She’s the only one I know who enjoys books more than you do.”

  “They take me away to other places, Logan, and there’s almost always a happy ending.”

  His gaze held hers. “Is that what you want, Katie—a happy ending?”

  “Of course I do. Isn’t that what everyone wants?”

  “I imagine so.” He stroked her hair and brushed his calloused knuckles along her jaw, making her shiver. “What would make a happy ending for you, Katie?”

  She lowered her gaze. “I’m…not sure.”

  “Brent came to see me a few days ago.” His gaze held hers, and he waited a heartbeat before he continued. “He asked me to spearhead another project in Mount Ridge.”

  “He did?” Her breath caught, and her pulse quickened. “What did you say?”

  “I told him I’d think about it.”

  “Oh.” She sighed.

  He drew her to him and his arms sheltered her from the slight evening chill. “What would you like, Katie?”

  “I can’t answer that, Logan. This decision is yours.”

  “But I’m asking…what you think.”

  She shook her head slightly and pulled away from him. “Let’s keep walking, Logan. I think we need to keep walking.”

  “Wait.” He reached for her, and she paused and turned back to face him. “I want to say something to you first—I have to say something.”

  “I’m listening.”

  He took her hand again and twined her slender fingers with his. When he spoke, his voice was gentle and sincere. “I was wrong, Katie, to leave you the way I did. I was impatient and immature and…selfish when you needed me the most. I’m so sorry. I wish I could…go back and do it over again. Maybe things—”

  “But you can’t, Logan. Neither of us can. It is what it is.” She held his smoke-gray eyes with her gaze. “It’s all so blurry now, like a dream. But, for the record, I was wrong, too. I made a promise to you, and I broke it. I was trying to do the right thing, given the circumstances, but maybe I was selfish, as well. I’m sorry, too, Logan. Truly sorry.”

  “You weren’t selfish, Katie. You love your sisters, and you wanted to help. I understand, really I do.”

  “But I loved you, too, and I hurt you. I hurt…us.”

  Her words drifted on the breeze and were lost in the darkness. Funny how a few simple letters—the tense of a word—could change everything. She had loved him. She was certain of that. But did she love him now? Each morning she told herself she didn’t, but each day she felt that was more and more like a lie.

  “I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket. She waited as he pressed two cool squares of plastic into her hands. “I asked Mrs. Mckeever to issue them early, especially for you and Adam, since I know how much you like to take him to check out books.”

  “Oh, Logan.” Tears filled Kate’s eyes. “New library cards.”

  “Wear them out, OK?”

  “We will.” She brushed tears from her cheeks and sniffled. “Oh, we will.”

  9

  The morning of the library’s dedication dawned warm and sunny. Kate almost wished it would rain, her heart felt so heavy. Logan had mentioned no more about the crisis center project, and she knew that meant he’d most likely declined and would return to California as soon as the dedication was over.

  Normally the bakery was closed on holidays, but she had a special order to fill for the dedication. Kate pulled on a sleeveless flowered sundress and low-heeled sandals and combed her hair into a neat ponytail to ward off the heat. It was going to be a long day.

  The walk to the bakery cleared her head. She had a few hours to gather everything Logan had ordered for the celebration and to prepare a fresh batch of her cherry kisses. Mattie would drive over soon with the delivery van, and then all four sisters would load up and deliver the goods.

  She unlocked the shop and was greeted by the rich aroma of hazelnut coffee…and Logan.

  “Good morning, Katie.” He handed her a cup of coffee. “Wow, you look amazing.”

  She smoothed the fabric of her dress and brushed stray hair from her eyes. “Logan, what are you doing here?”

  He slouched against the counter. “You didn’t think I’d ask you to work on the Fourth of July and not help, did you?”

  “But it’s…barely six o’clock.” She sipped the coffee, felt the familiar caffeine jolt. “I…don’t know what to say.”

  “No need to say anything.” He smiled. “The delivery van’s parked out back. Mattie gave me the keys last night and I drove it over to give you a head start.” He slipped an apron over his head and tied it around his waist. “Just tell me what to do.”

  Kate laughed. “Can you boil chocolate?”

  He shook his head. “But I’m a fast learner.”

  “Strike that…” She remembered the time Tessa had tried to warm chocolate and scorched it instead. The repulsive odor lingered for days. “You can slice the bread and box up the pastries…and fix anything that might break around here in the meantime.”

  ****

  They made a good team, he and Kate. Logan watched her dip the cherries into sweet cream and then the gently-bubbling chocolate and smiled. She had a knack around food—that was for sure. Thoughts rolled through his head, and he fought to keep them from dampening the mood. Change was imminent…one way or another.

  “I wonder where Mattie is…and Grace.” She glanced up to smile at him, and he brushed a smudge of chocolate from one cheek. “I figured Tessa would come romping in just as all the work was finished—she’s definitely not an early riser—but the others, no.”

  “When I picked up the keys from Mattie yesterday I might have mentioned I’d drop by to help…and for them to take their time this morning.”

  “Why?”

  “Don’t you know?” He grinned and shook his head. “I wanted to spend a little time alone with you.”

  “I appreciate the help…and the alone time.” Kate stirred the chocolate. “But a walk together would have been a lot less work for you.”

  “And a lot more work for you. Besides, this is fun and it offers appealing fringe benefits.” He popped one of the cherries she’d just prepared into his mouth. “Mmm…delicious.” He reached for another.

  “No more sampling.” She gave his hand a gentle tap. “Save some for the dedication.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You can box up the cupcakes while I finish these, then maybe Mattie and Grace will arrive to help load the van.”

  ****

  �
��Your kisses are a hit.” Logan loped over to the oversized party tent that sheltered a buffet of food from the sun. “Look, they’re almost gone.”

  Kate glanced at the table, and then busied herself straightening the platters. “I hope we made enough to last the whole event.”

  “It’s almost over. You did fine.” He took her hand. “Leave that, and come with me. The fireworks are about to start. Your sisters have reserved a place on the lawn.”

  “OK, I’ll be right there.”

  She glanced up to see Grace chatting with Brent Peterson in front of the library. Adam ran in circles around their legs until Brent reached for him and hoisted him onto his shoulders. Adam whooped and tugged at his tie, then held on as they started down the walk toward Mattie and Tessa, who’d spread blankets and lawn chairs over the grass.

  Kate sighed. Lights inside the library glowed like beacons, illuminating neat rows of books. She could hardly wait to take Adam there and curl up in the children’s section to read. It would fill the time after Logan left tomorrow. Kate’s heart ached with the thought.

  Logan…he motioned her over as he settled in among her sisters, and then pointed to the sky. Darkness enveloped them, revealing a velvet canvas that would soon be filled with brilliant displays of color in honor of Independence Day.

  She strode across the square to join him.

  “Sit with me, Katie.” He patted the blanket. She settled beside him and crossed her legs as Adam crawled into her lap to snuggle.

  “Can we go to the library tomorrow, Auntie Kate?” Adam murmured.

  “Sure, sweetie. I’ll take you after I finish at the bakery, OK?”

  “OK.” He covered his ears as the first explosion of fireworks illuminated the sky. “Thanks, Auntie Kate.”