by Robyn Neeley
“Looks like your date found you.” Brandon pulled back a cornstalk and motioned for her to walk through.
“You should probably get back to your date,” she countered, not correcting his mistake about Adam. Brandon was on a date, so why not let him think she was, too?
“I’ll see you around, Red.” With that, Brandon retrieved his mask, put it on, and disappeared through the cornstalks.
Abby swept her finger across her bottom lip, stunned not by his kisses that still made her whole body tingle, but something else entirely. Something that gave her more hope than any soap opera lip lock would ever do.
He’d just called her “Red.”
Chapter 10
Brandon walked down the cobblestone street, giving a cheery hello to everyone he passed. Last night’s surprise kiss in the corn maze was still on his mind—strike that—the best kiss of his life was still on his mind.
When he had snuck up on Abby, he didn’t expect her to start punching him. However, that surprise attack with her fists didn’t even compare to what she’d done after with her lips. What in God’s name possessed her to kiss him?
His only response to that question: who cares?
The fact was she did it, he responded, and it was freakin’ awesome.
He turned the street corner and smiled at the pink and white building in front of him. He’d reached the Sugar Spoon bakery and intended to see if Abby would be up for a repeat of last night. Maybe not at this exact moment since it was only 9 a.m., but perhaps she’d be interested in coming over to his cottage tonight and letting him grill for her again.
He was also curious to know how serious things were between her and Adam. Brandon liked the guy, but if Abby wasn’t dating Adam maybe he had a shot.
And he was seriously hoping he had one. He knew it was probably wrong to want his business partner, but after that kiss—well, he wanted to do it again and soon.
His breath hitched as he caught sight of the pretty redhead sweeping leaves near the entrance and looking extremely cute and casual in jeans, a black pea coat, and tall black boots. Seeing her caused his heart to pick up speed.
“Morning.” He grinned and pointed to the broom. “Should you be using that for something as mundane as sweeping leaves?”
“Not to worry,” she said, not missing a beat. “My Nimbus 2000 is in my car trunk.”
He laughed at her Harry Potter reference, having seen the movie again recently since it was playing on cable this time of year. “Good to know.”
She opened the door to the bakery, and he followed her in, getting a whiff of her delicious strawberry scent.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, while resting her broom behind the counter and peeling off her coat.
“I had a craving for one of your famous breakfast creations.” Truth be told, he’d had an entirely different craving ever since he walked away from Abby in the corn maze. That kiss they shared stirred up feelings deep inside him that he thought he would never feel again. Certainly not after his ex-wife had broken his heart.
“You’re in luck. I baked a batch of pumpkin spice muffins this morning.”
He watched as she pulled two muffins from a carousel, placed them on a small plate, and set it in front of him. “Enjoy.”
“I know I will.” He flashed her a smile, not exactly sure how he’d bring up last night. Maybe he should start by complimenting her on her baking skills. He reached for the muffin and took a bite, instantly tasting the delicious pumpkin and cinnamon. “Yum. This is delicious,” he said and meant every word of it.
“Would you like some coffee?” Abby moved about the counter. “I just brewed a pot.”
“Sure.” He couldn’t help taking another bite and then another. “Abby, this has to be, hands down, the best muffin I’ve ever tasted.”
“Thanks. I’ve been playing with the recipe. It goes great with this snickerdoodle coffee.”
She turned her back to pour a cup for him and the sight of her long red hair jolted him up. Out of nowhere, he had this hot vision of his moving her gorgeous mane to the side and kissing her exposed neck.
Sending a signal to his lower region to calm down, he finished off his first muffin and reached for the second. “So, about last night?”
She whipped around, nearly spilling the coffee in the mug. “I’m pregnant.”
WHOA! Pregnant? Did he seriously hear her right? “Okay . . . um . . . I mean . . . wow . . .” For once, he didn’t have any words and could only stare back at her with what he was sure was his most dumbfounded look because, well, he was.
Abby’s hand covered her mouth. “Oh God, I didn’t mean to blurt that out.” She set his coffee down. “I’m sorry about last night. It was a mistake because I’m kind of . . .”
“. . . having a baby.” He finished her sentence.
“Yes.” She moved the cream and sugar in front of him.
“Is it Adam’s?” he asked, not really sure why he did. Abby’s bun in the oven was none of his business, but she had opened the door to this uncomfortable conversation by blurting out she was pregnant and then admitting that kissing him was a mistake.
He agreed with her on the latter. There’s no way he’d ever do anything with a woman carrying another man’s baby.
“No, it’s not Adam’s.” He could see from the deep indents now on her forehead how uncomfortable this conversation was for her. “He and I aren’t dating despite what I might have implied in the corn maze.”
Brandon reached for his coffee and took a sip. “Well, I didn’t mean to pry. Congratulations on your pregnancy.”
“Thank you. I am really sorry about last night. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Don’t sweat it. It was my fault for scaring you out of your mind.”
“You did make a rather convincing zombie. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. My hormones have been all out of whack lately. I just got caught up in the moment.”
Brandon rested both hands on his thighs and straightened his back. Never had a woman apologize for kissing him, but he was starting to realize Abby Stevens was a different breed of female. He needed to be sensitive to what she was going through. Plus, they’d be working under the same roof soon enough. The least he could do was show some compassion. “So, does the father know that you’re pregnant?”
She blinked before saying, “Yes. He does now.”
“And is that a good thing?” He pulled out the stool next to him and motioned for her to join him.
“I don’t know.” She sighed and came around to his side of the counter, taking the seat.
“So, you’re not together.”
“No. We’re not. It ended rather abruptly.” She paused and lowered her voice. “There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t regret letting him go.”
Brandon could see tears in her eyes and wondered who the hell this schmuck was who broke Abby’s heart because even he could tell that it was crushed. “Do you need anything?”
She leaped up from the stool, shaking her head. “No, I’ll be okay.”
Clearly not. She was obviously in pain. He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, encouraging her to sit back down. “If there’s anything you need, you let me know.”
“Thank you.”
“We’re business partners.”
“Right. Business partners,” she repeated.
Removing his hand, he glanced down at his watch. “That reminds me, contractors are stopping by the inn this morning. If you would like to come on by maybe this afternoon, we can tour your office and storage space. I’d love your input on what to do with the second floor.” He winked. “And maybe we could explore the third together.”
That got a laugh. “You’re just afraid to go up there alone.”
“Damn straight.” He hopped off the stool and reached down, gently patting her hand. “If I’m going to meet a ghost, I need a cute witch by my side.” He paused. “Or a pregnant lady.”
“Very funny.” She wave
d her hand, and he took that as a good sign that he’d lifted her spirits. “See you later.”
“See you, Red.” Brandon headed toward the door, more than a little disappointed that the more intimate partnership that he hoped for when he first walked in was now completely out of the question.
* * *
“Hi, Brandon.” Emma passed Brandon as he waved a quick good-bye and sprinted out the door.
Abby sighed and pushed off her stool. It was now the second time he’d called her Red. If only he could remember how he would sweep her hair to the side and kiss her neck right before he did it.
“What was that about?” Emma walked up to the counter and took Brandon’s empty stool.
The bakeshop was empty for the moment so Abby couldn’t use the excuse of customers overhearing their conversation to avoid fessing up what she just did—and then didn’t do. “I told him I’m pregnant.”
“Oh, really. How did he take it?”
“He asked if it was Adam’s.”
“No!” Emma shook her head. “What a jerk.”
Abby waved her hand to indicate there was more to the story. “No. He asked because I didn’t tell him it was his.”
“Abby!”
“I know . . . I know.” She hung her head low. “He was about to bring up last night, and I kind of blurted it out.”
“Why would he think that Adam was the father?”
Abby took a few minutes to fill Emma in on all the details in the cornfield she didn’t share last night, including making out with Brandon and Adam interrupting them by calling out her name.
“Wow.” Emma narrowed her eyes. “Please tell me you did not say Adam’s the dad.”
Abby pushed off her stool. “Of course not. I might have done a lot of deceitful things in the last week, but lying about my baby’s father is not one of them.”
Emma’s eyes watered up.
“What?”
“You just said ‘my baby.’” Emma stood and threw her arms around Abby.
Abby couldn’t help but feel happy hugging her cousin back. “I guess I’m going to be a mother.”
Stepping out of the hug, Emma went around the counter. “Let’s have a cupcake.”
“Now? It’s not even lunch.” Abby picked up Brandon’s plate, sighing at the half-eaten second muffin. “Before Brandon went running for the hills, he invited me over to see the second floor today.”
“That’s great.” Filling a mug with coffee, Emma took a sip. “I’m glad we’re doing this. I told Jason last night all about Brandon’s generous offer to let us use his inn’s kitchen, and he thought it was a wonderful idea.” She laughed. “Although, he thinks his best friend has gone off the deep end for purchasing the inn in the first place.”
Abby had to agree with Jason. She had thought Brandon was completely crazy, too, at first, but ever since that day he’d asked her to meet him at the inn, she’d never seen him so excited and so motivated. It was a side that made him even more attractive. “I know you don’t want to keep secrets from Jason. I promise I’ll tell Brandon everything.”
“When? At your child’s high school graduation?”
Abby rolled her eyes, even though she totally deserved that comment. “I’ll tell him before the Halloween party.”
“What party?”
“Brandon’s throwing a Halloween bash at the inn. Not an opening per se, but an announcement that he’s the new owner and the place will officially launch this summer.”
“That sounds fun. It’ll be ready by then?”
“Not everything, but since the kitchen is functioning, it could be fun for us to cater it.” She giggled. “Give people a taste of the magic.”
“Taste the magic . . .” Emma repeated.
“Oh, my God! That’s it,” Abby squealed, slamming her palms on the hot pink countertop. “Taste the Magic Catering. That should totally be the name of our business. What do you think?”
Emma nodded and headed around the counter. “I think we have a name for our new venture.” She opened the cupcake carousel and selected two red velvet mini ones. “This calls for a celebration.”
They took a few minutes to enjoy their cupcakes while brainstorming all kinds of fun ways they could brand their new business.
“All of this sounds great,” Emma said. “I definitely think we’ll be ready to launch this spring—maybe even cater one or two holiday parties this year to get our feet wet and name out there.”
“I like that idea. It was really perfect timing when Brandon’s offer fell into our laps.” Abby held up her plastic cup. “To Taste the Magic.”
“To Taste the Magic.” Emma tapped her coffee cup to Abby’s. “So, Abs, speaking of tasting magic, I’ve been thinking more about your predicament. I chatted with my mom last night about possibly reversing the spell you cast on Brandon.”
“Reversing it?” Abby blinked and set down her cup. She hadn’t thought of that. “And . . . what did she say?”
“She said it wasn’t a good idea. If we reverse it, we could do even more damage to his memories.”
Abby certainly didn’t want to do any more harm to Brandon’s internal hardwire than she’d already done. With her luck, any attempt to reverse the spell would cause him to not even recognize her, and that would be very bad for when she finally told him about the baby. Her shoulders hunched over, signaling defeat. “It’s hopeless.”
“Maybe not. We got to talking, and we think we have another suggestion.”
“Really?”
“You already said that he’s starting to flirt with you and that he kissed you back last night.”
“Yeah, but the first time he had to flirt for the camera and the kiss, well, I didn’t give him much choice.” She reached up and touched her lips, now tingling at that memory. “He did call me Red, twice now.”
“And does that have significance?”
“Yes. It was his nickname for me . . . mostly when he was trying to coerce me back to bed.”
Emma snickered but continued. “We think the spell is starting to break. You need to spend more time with him. Make him fall for you all over again. Then when you tell him the truth—which you will—he’ll have the same feelings that he did for you before you cursed him.”
“Don’t say curse.” Abby leaned forward, propping her elbows on the counter. “Do you really think that I could get him to fall for me?”
Emma nodded. “I think my brilliant, witty, and beautiful cousin can get any man to fall under her spell.” She paused, laughing. “Without actually casting a spell.”
Could she? Abby bit her lip, pondering that answer. She wasn’t quite sure.
While Emma went into the kitchen to begin baking today’s pastry specials, Abby tidied the area around the front counter. She’d like nothing more than to spend time with Brandon, and maybe—just maybe—he would start to develop real feelings for her. Feelings that ran deeper than the physical attraction they’d shared their first time around.
Abby frowned, shaking her head. There was just one problem. His date card was completely full for the next ten days, and her name wasn’t on it.
Chapter 11
Brandon headed down the inn’s spiral staircase to the first floor landing, this morning’s surprise announcement still on his mind. Abby’s having a baby?
After he’d left that awkward conversation, he’d driven to the inn for his appointment with the contractors. They agreed on beginning construction on November 3, which worked out perfectly. He could still have his Halloween bash and give folks a sampling of what was to come.
It was kind of silly to have a party before the official open—he knew that—but this place was such a special Buttermilk Falls landmark. He wanted some of the people he’d gotten to know these last few months to have the chance to tour it before he knocked down a couple of walls and installed new fixtures. He’d keep the party contained to the first floor with escorted tours of the second.
He looked up at the ceiling. No one would be allowed
to explore the top floor. He still wasn’t sure what to do with it. He’d put off going up there, but eventually would have to grow a pair and do it.
Not that he believed the rumors that a ghost inhabited it, but who knows what he’d find. He was half joking with Abby that he needed her protection because having a practicing witch by his side when he finally inspected what was up there wasn’t a bad idea.
Speaking of that adorable witch, the bomb she dropped this morning had blown up any chance of their getting together. Why did she blurt out her condition out of nowhere? It was evident that she still had feelings for the father by the way she’d admitted she’d regretted something she’d done that involved him.
He wished he could help. Show that punk what he was missing and the amazing woman Abby was. He smiled, touching his lip. And one who certainly knew what she was doing in the kissing department.
Stepping outside and onto the porch, he inhaled the crisp fall air. The afternoon and evening were his to enjoy since he had the night off from the tavern and wasn’t scheduled to go on a date. The latter was a relief. Both of his first two dates had been sweet women, but he just wasn’t feeling it.
Raking a hand through his hair, he thought about that for a second. Why wasn’t he feeling it? Ever since his divorce, all he wanted was a good time with anything in a miniskirt. This speed dating setup should be right up his ally.
Trouble was he wanted more.
He’d thought about calling Jason’s editor and calling the whole thing off, but he’d made a commitment. He only wished the rules were a little different and he’d been asked to date one woman instead of seven. Wouldn’t the world like to see an honest to goodness Buttermilk Falls couple falling in love?
Brandon spun around and reached for his phone. “That’s it!”
He had a way to end this blind date train and help Abby. He sent her a text, grinning the entire time:
Change of plans. Meet me at the Star Lite for dinner at 5. Shakes included.
