Babycakes

by Mary Manners

  “You’ll have to pick me up at nine-thirty since I volunteer in the nursery for the Sunday school hour before service begins.”

  “Duly noted.” Cade tapped the side of his head. “And filed safely away. I’ll be on your doorstep at nine thirty sharp.”

  “Good. Here’s condition number two—”

  “Two? You said there was one condition.”

  “There’s been an addendum.” Emmy crossed her arms, lifted her chin, and narrowed her gaze. “Take it or leave it.”

  Cade made as if to snatch an object from the air. “I’ll take it.”

  “Good. Then you can help me with the babies tomorrow, since we always seem to be shorthanded in the nursery.”

  “Babies? Wait a minute, I can’t. I don’t—”

  “It’s a non-negotiable term, Cade. The babies need you.”

  “In that case, I’ll try my best.” He sighed, feeling a small prick of fear run the length of his spine. Gracie was as close to baby-care as he’d ever come. He’d never burped a baby, never fed formula from a bottle, or changed a diaper. Oh man…diapers. “But I might need some on-the-job training.”

  “I’d think with Gracie in your care, that you’ve had plenty.”

  “She just came to be in…” He shook his head. “Never mind, there’s no point in getting into it now.”

  “Then I suppose I’ll just have to conduct an interview of my own tomorrow…to learn a little about you.” Emmy’s flash of mischievous grin turned her eyes to sapphires. “Now, here’s condition number three—”

  “Three?” Cade balled his napkin and lobbed it into the ice cream dish. “I’m holding my breath.”

  “If you were really holding your breath, you wouldn’t be able to talk. That, right about now, would be considered a bonus for me.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Forget about condition number three. I’ll tuck that away for later.” Emmy straightened in the chair and speared him with her gaze. How on earth had she turned the tables and gotten the upper hand on him? “All kidding aside…be on time, Cade. I despise being late…especially to church.”

  “I can only imagine.”

  “Here’s my cellphone number…just in case something comes up and you can’t make it…or you change your mind.”

  “Trust me, I’ll be there. I won’t change my mind.”

  “We’ll see.” Emmy snatched the pen from his hand and scribbled a string of digits on a napkin with a flourish. She reached across the table to tuck the crumpled paper into the chest pocket of his button-down shirt. “That’s enough chit-chatting for today, if you don’t mind. I have to get back to work now. I have a business to run.”

  “And a very fine business it is.” Cade stood and reached for her hand. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “Now, I’ll just collect Gracie, and we’ll be on our way. But I’ll be sure to see you tomorrow, Emmy. I’m looking forward to it.”

  5

  Emmy was late to church.

  No, it wasn’t any bit Cade’s fault. He’d somehow singlehandedly managed to dress Gracie in the cutest little yellow sundress with matching baby-blue sweater, tame her curls into a bobbed ponytail punctuated by a pretty polka dot bow, and make her a plateful of smiley-face pancakes (Gracie had described the blueberry confections in graphic detail)…all before he arrived for Emmy a full half an hour early—at nine o’clock sharp.

  No, her tardiness wasn’t at all Cade’s fault. Emmy had managed to sabotage the on-time plans with absolutely no help at all.

  Now, her cavernous belly grumbled from lack of food, and her hair was piled on her head in a not-so-sleek chignon. She found that was the only way to combat the natural frizz that would have most certainly taken her hostage since she didn’t have time to apply the flat iron to her still-damp locks.

  And her dress…she might have done a better job of coaxing the wrinkles from the cotton fabric if she hadn’t heard Cade’s SUV tool up the drive while she still stood over the ironing board wearing only her slip and sandals.

  OK…maybe it was just a tiny bit Cade’s fault that her throat burned hot and dry as a record high day in the Sahara and her eyes itched from lack of sleep. Dreams had failed to come last night as, every time her eyes slipped closed, she’d wrestled with visions of Cade’s magnetic blue eyes and tousled dark chocolate hair. Not to mention the muscles that practically screamed through his button down shirt and the way even the slight brush of his fingers against her shoulder made her feel like she’d just stuck a fork in an electric outlet.

  Dear God, I need a little help here. I need to focus and screw my head—and my heart—back on straight.

  A virtually impossible task with the way Cade continually slanted looks her way, as if she was a mysterious lab specimen that required in-depth analysis.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked as he turned into his driveway and pulled up to the cabin following the service. Letters carved into the wooden sign mounted to a trellis across the walkway leading to the cabin’s front door spelled out a message more telling and blaring than neon.

  “May love find all who enter here…”

  Emmy cringed and wished she might disappear like a forgotten coin beneath the passenger seat. She’d thought she’d found true love once, but she was horribly wrong and now the prospect of ever falling in love—and having the sentiment returned—seemed nothing more than a cruel trick—something others might be good at but at which she had failed miserably. No point in venturing down that romance road again—ever.

  “Earth to Emmy.” Cade tapped her gently on the shoulder. “You were far away there for a minute. Where did you wander off?”

  “Sorry.” She removed her seatbelt and straightened in the passenger seat. “I was just thinking.”

  “Well, you’re liable to blow a cylinder thinking that hard.” He winked. “Are you hungry?”

  “Just a little.” Emmy pressed a hand to her mid-section where a stew of emotions battled with hunger pangs. Had Cade heard her belly yowling like a neglected cat? “I skipped breakfast.”

  “Uncle Cade says skipping breakfast is like driving your car without gas in the tank,” Gracie piped up from the backseat. “You won’t get very far before you stall smack-dab in the middle of the road.”

  “He’s right.” Emmy figured Cade was right about a lot of things. She thought of the way he’d strode into the church nursery that morning and, without missing a beat, took Nancy Kline’s infant daughter from her arms so the new mother could get down the hall to the middle grades Sunday School class she taught.

  “I’ll take good care of her,” Cade promised as he nestled Lissa Kline to his chest, not even batting an eye when the baby’s drool slobbered over the smooth silk fabric of his tie. And he had kept that promise and taken good care of sweet little Lissa…along with a half-dozen other howling, hungry babies. Despite his protests and reservations about co-piloting alongside Emmy in the nursery, the guy proved a natural with diapers and bottles, and the fussy under-two crowd adored him.

  Don’t think about the way Cade rocked precious ten-month-old Jilly Minton to sleep with a throaty rendition of the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” or how he sprawled cross legged on the floor to coax eighteen-month-old Joey Proffitt from a tantrum when the frustrated toddler couldn’t get the wooden blocks to stack more than three-high without tumbling over.

  “Sounds like we’d better get you inside quick.” Cade unlatched the driver’s door and slipped out. Before Emmy had time to protest, he’d rounded to her side, pulled open her door, and took her hand. “That monster in your belly is hitting critical mode, and I have just the thing to tame it.”

  If he only knew these incessant protests are due to more than hunger. Don’t even dare to consider the way he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with you in the sanctuary, sharing a hymnal, and singing “Amazing Grace” in that smooth-as-molasses voice that would surely cause even angels to shed a tear.

  Emmy smoothed her hair with her free hand, snatched her purse from the seat, and
followed Cade up the walk toward the cottage with Gracie skipping along at their heels.

  “I hope you like roast with all the trimmings.” Cade twined his fingers with hers, and she had to admit she liked the sheltering feel of him at her side. She swallowed hard and bade her heart to stay put inside her chest.

  “You cooked a roast?”

  “You say that as if such a task falls into the same category as landing an alien spacecraft in the backyard. My sister gave me a recipe book and taught me how to use a crockpot before…well, just before.” He fumbled through his keys for one to the cabin’s front door. “Now that sort of comfort food cooking—roasts and chili and all sorts of gumbo and soups—is a staple as far as Gracie and I are concerned. You toss meat and veggies into the pot, add a few spices and a cup or two of water, push a button and wait a few hours, and it all comes out ready to be devoured. It’s like some sort of magic trick. Need I say more?”

  “No. I just didn’t expect…”

  “You’ll learn that I’m full of surprises.”

  “That’s what frightens me.”

  “I frighten you?” Cade found the key he was looking for and let the others fall aside. “Why?”

  Emmy shrugged. How could she explain the state of her heart and her unwillingness to trust him—especially after merely one-day’s-time—without looking like a total fool?

  Cade let go of the discussion long enough to insert the key into the lock, turn it, and give the door a shove to open it. Gracie wove her way through and scampered inside, leaving them alone on the porch. Carrots and potatoes roasting in the juice of succulent beef drifted like a song and danced around Emmy as if mocking her with the proof of Cade’s prowess in the kitchen—at least as far as crockpots were concerned.

  Emmy took a step forward, but Cade drew her back to him. He turned her to face him as his gaze searched hers.

  “I’m not your enemy, Emmy.” He took both her hands in his and held on so she had no choice but to acknowledge. “I’m not.”

  “And just what—or who—do you think is my enemy?”

  “I’m still trying to figure that out, but I promise you,” he paused and let go of one of her hands just long enough to cross a finger over his heart. “Scout’s honor, it’s not me, sweetheart. It will never be me.”

  Emmy’s pulse took off at a gallop as a breeze kissed her cheeks. Sunlight fingered through the trees to wash over her, warming her to the core.

  Guard your heart…guard your secret.

  She drew a deep breath.

  “Time will tell if we’re on the same team.” Emmy nodded slightly and then tugged both her hands from his. She turned away to step over the threshold and into the living room. “Yes, Cade…time will tell.”

  ****

  “Wow…your grandmother must have been a pretty special person.” Cade pushed his empty plate aside and leaned back in the chair at the dining table. He propped one foot over the opposite knee.

  “Oh, she was.” Emmy sipped iced tea as sunlight filtering through the dining area window turned her hair to burnished gold. Cade was powerless to tear his gaze from her as she finished her last bite of roast with an appreciative sigh. “I wouldn’t have even considered opening a business like Babycakes if not for her generosity. I want to be like her.”

  “And how is that?”

  “Grandma June was brave, adventurous, and full of boundless love for family. She was never too busy to dry a tear or listen to a worry or help solve a problem.”

  “It seems that you fit the bill. You work with infants and toddlers, sport pink attire at your serving counter, and don mouse ears and a wiry length of a tail for story time at Saturday Sprinkles. Add to that the fact that you not only launched but also operate a business of your own.” He whistled softly through his teeth. “You took the time to welcome Gracie into story hour and make her feel at home by encouraging her to help you. That’s definitely the full package, as far as I can see. So, tell me about your family.”

  “My mom passed away last year—”

  “Oh, Emmy…I’m so sorry.”

  “Thanks. She had a heart defect that went undiagnosed until one day she collapsed at work. The doctors said it was a ruptured aorta. There was nothing they could do; she died on the way to the hospital.”

  “That’s awful.” Cade reached across the dinner table and took her hand in his. “Losing someone you love is never easy. My sister and her husband died six months ago in a single-engine plane crash. That’s how Gracie came to live with me.”

  “How terrible for Gracie—and for you, as well, to lose both of them so suddenly. I had no idea.”

  “How could you? I’m the first to admit it was heartbreaking, and times were about as tough as they come those first few months following the crash. But Gracie and I have managed to settle in as well as might be expected.”

  “And your parents?”

  “Gone, too…both of them.”

  “Oh, Cade…”

  “I miss them, all of them, but there’s no point in dwelling on what cannot be changed. No choice except to go on. Every day, every step, the journey becomes a little easier. I’m sure you understand that.”

  “I…yes, I do.”

  “So, your dad…?”

  “He lives just outside of Dallas. We visit as often as we can, but it never seems to be enough. And I’m not fond of returning to the city. I prefer the quaint, slow-paced setting of Angel Falls.”

  “I get that.” Cade nodded. “I’m already adjusting to things here. Angel Falls is beginning to feel like home.”

  “It’s certainly home for me, too.”

  “And…” Cade coaxed. He sensed Emmy’s desire—and hesitation—to share something with him. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I sense there’s another reason you don’t enjoy returning to Dallas.”

  “Well…” Emmy paused as if weighing all sides of the issue. Finally, she murmured, “There is the tiny detail that Derek still works along the top rung of Dad’s corporate ladder, and I have no desire to run into him ever again.”

  “Derek?”

  “Forget it.” She waggled her fingers as if brushing away a dust mote. “I shouldn’t have mentioned him. We’ve had such a lovely day, and I don’t want to ruin it by dredging up muck from the past.”

  “He hurt you badly, didn’t he?”

  “You could say that.” Emmy nodded, her voice steely with resolve. “Yes, he hurt me.”

  “And now you’re scared you’ll be hurt again?”

  “I’m not scared. I’m simply…cautious.”

  “I see.” Cade struggled to delve deeper, yet sensed his interrogation would simply serve to drive her away. So he fought against the impulse and switched gears instead. “And your Grandma June was your father’s mother?”

  “That’s right.” Emmy drew a deep breath as light danced back into her eyes. Clearly, remembering her grandmother brought a great measure of joy. “And, just like Dad, Gran found pleasure in the smallest things. She loved a good story, whether written or gleaned from her childhood memories. I can’t begin to count the number of tales—some taller than others—that she shared with me over the span of our lives together.”

  “Hence your love of books.”

  “I like to think so.”

  Cade glanced out the window, struggling to force thoughts of the heel named Derek from his mind. He’d hurt Emmy, and that burned Cade to his core. He wanted to know more, needed to know more.

  All in good time.

  The whisper brought a measure of calm. Through the windowpane, sunlight filtered along majestic longleaf pines that flanked a walking trail at the outskirts of the Heart’s Haven community. Beyond the trail, Angelina National Forest fanned out beneath a carpet of clear, cornflower-blue sky. Gracie’s gleeful shouts rang out as she chased a pair of robins through the grass.

  “She seems to like it here,” Emmy murmured, her gaze fixed on the child. “What about y
ou?”

  “I don’t know…” His grin smoldered. “Like I said…it’s growing on me.”

  You’re growing on me, too.

  Emmy topped off the tea in Cade’s glass as she asked, “When do you dive into work at the Trumpet?”

  “I’ll check in tomorrow and start to get my feet wet, but work doesn’t officially begin until next Monday. I’d sure like to have a few story ideas under my belt before I hit the keyboard—yours included.”

  “I can help with that.”

  “Yes, you can.” Cade reached across the tabletop to gently squeeze her hand. “Would you like to head outside for some fresh air? We can talk while we walk, and Gracie can ride her bike alongside us.”

  “I’d like that.” Emmy left their tea on the table but gathered her empty plate and then took his, as well. She set them both in the sink before turning back to Cade with a smile. “You know, you hit a home run with the roast and all those fixings. I’m going to have to brush up on my cooking skills to keep up with you.”

  “I’m glad to offer my services as a guinea pig to your cooking. Let’s say we share a meal again one night this week?”

  “I suppose I can manage that.” Emmy nodded and turned on the faucet to rinse the plate. “Yes, I suppose I can manage that just fine.”

  But her tone didn’t convince Cade. No, it didn’t convince him at all. She was still running scared, if only in the proverbial manner.

  What can I do, Lord, to assure Emmy that her heart is safe with me? And why do I care so deeply, after only one day?

  And where, exactly, do we go from here?

  6

  Cade swung by Babycakes on his way to his office at the Angel Falls Trumpet. First day work jitters had his gut twisted into a barrel roll. It wasn’t like he hadn’t yet set foot into the building; he’d been to the office on-and-off throughout last week. It’s just that this was his official start date. His position on the Trumpet staff was simply a case of sink or swim from this point on, and he cringed at the thought of failure. He’d dragged Gracie from the edge of the continent, and if things didn’t work out here, well, he just couldn’t fathom packing the poor kid and her belongings into the car and hauling them all off yet again.