by Mary Manners
Logan took her hand. “Do you have any other plans tomorrow?”
She lowered her gaze as tears filled her eyes at the thought of letting him go, and slowly shook her head.
****
Logan heard the jingle of the doorbell and knew Kate had entered the bakery. Lights flooded the sales room as she hit the switch beside the entrance, and then her sandals tapped across the tile floor to the coffee machine. He heard her sharp intake of breath, sensed the hesitation when she noticed hazelnut coffee was already brewed.
“Mattie…Grace?” she called.
“Logan…in the kitchen,” he called back.
She rushed to the doorway, her shoes clacking like gunshots. She leaned in, breathless. “But I thought you…left.”
He offered her a cup of coffee, but she shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“I baked you something. Come see.”
She entered the kitchen and then stopped short, staring at the box of cake mix and tub of frosting strewn across the pastry table along with egg shells, a bottle of cooking oil, and a variety of soiled mixing bowls and rubber spatulas. She glanced from him to the platter of cupcakes that he’d decorated.
“Cupcakes? You made cupcakes? Why?”
“I know they’re not as pretty as the ones you make, and they came from a mix—in a box.” He shrugged. “And I don’t think I mixed the batter enough, because it was kind of lumpy. But maybe you’ll like what you see anyway.”
Slowly she sidled up to him. “Isn’t it a little too early in the morning for cupcakes?”
“If they were vanilla…maybe.” He shook his head. “But it’s never too early for chocolate.”
“Logan…”
He nudged her gently toward the platter and held his breath, his gut twisted into a nervous knot. He had frosted each cupcake, and nestled a plastic ring in the center of each…except for one. And he knew the exact moment she noticed the difference.
“Oh, Logan.” A hand flew to her mouth, and her eyes filled with tears. “Oh!”
“I couldn’t leave without asking…without knowing.” He lifted the cupcake and took the diamond from its center, then offered it to her, frosting and all, as he dropped to one knee.
“Katie, will you marry me…and live here, in Mount Ridge, with our families and all the people we love? Brent and I have talked, and after the crisis center project, he has several other things planned. So there’s plenty of work…for both of us…right here.”
“You did? There is?” Kate’s eyes grew huge as her head bobbed up and down. “I-I…yes, Logan. Oh, yes!”
He slipped the ring on her finger and stood to draw her into his arms, then kissed her gently. “It’s a second chance, Katie, for us. I’m so thankful…and so in love with you. I don’t ever want to leave your side again.”
A tap on the glass startled them, and they turned to find Mattie, Grace, and Tessa with their noses pressed to the shop front window. Kate held up her hand to waggle her fingers. The diamond captured the sunrise and refracted into a rainbow of color that danced over the pastry case and across the walls.
Squeals shook the building as the door flew open and the women rushed in to surround them.
“Put on more coffee,” Tessa laughed as she threw her arms around Kate. “We have a wedding to plan.”
Don’t miss the other
Sweet Treats Bakery stories
COMING SOON!
Grace’s Gold
Tessa’s Teacakes
Mattie’s Meltaways
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Where Faith is the Cornerstone of Love™
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May God’s glory shine through
this inspirational work of fiction.
AMDG
