by Beth Ciotta
Praise for the Cupcake Lovers series
Fool for Love
“Rich with emotional complexity and a cast of wonderfully rich characters, Fool for Love is an absolute treat.”
—Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author
“Ciotta writes with style, wit and heart. Can’t wait for the next one!”
—Susan Andersen, New York Times bestselling author
“Ciotta is a master of the fun-to-read romance, and this outing is no exception.”
—RT Book Reviews (Hot! 4 stars)
The Trouble With Love
“A great storyline with lots of twists and turns that include heartache, happiness, sadness, love, romance, quite a few secrets, laughter, tears, the small town of Sugar Creek … some mystery and darkness and then wonderful closure.”
—Romance Junkie Reviews
“Hot romance, a little suspense, and a whole lot of charm.”
—RT Book Reviews (Hot! 4 stars)
Anything But Love
“The core group of ladies that form the Cupcake Lovers Club all have a story to tell, and Anything But Love is one of the best so far … Readers can always count on Ciotta’s books to be sexy, fun, witty, and clever.”
—RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
St. Martin’s Paperbacks titles
by Beth Ciotta
Fool for Love
The Trouble with Love
Anything But Love
In the Mood for Love
The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.
To my husband and real-life hero—Steve. My rock, my love, my friend.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Creating, getting to know, and writing about the Cupcake Lovers has been a unique challenge and sincere joy. Their romantic and quirky adventures are forever branded on my heart. A special thank you to my editor, Monique Patterson, for providing me with the opportunity to bring Sugar Creek to life.
I’d also like to acknowledge everyone at St. Martin’s Paperbacks for their support. Most especially, this time around, Alexandra Sehulster and my publicist, Amy Goppert. Your kindness and enthusiasm is endearing and much appreciated.
My undying gratitude to my agent, Amy Moore-Benson—my champion and friend. A huge hug to Cynthia Valero for the most awesome brainstorming session ever, and to Elle J Rossi for critiquing every chapter as I wrote it and for keeping me sane and on track.
I’m blessed with amazing family and friends and I thank you all for your constant support! I’m forever grateful for the support from readers, booksellers, librarians, bloggers, and the wonderful people I’ve met in cyber-land. Thank you for everything! Cheers and Cupcakes!
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Though inspired by a northern region of Vermont, please note that Sugar Creek and the surrounding locations mentioned in this book are fictional. Escape and enjoy!
As an added bonus, in the ongoing celebration of cupcakes and camaraderie, we’ve included a few scrumptious recipes from Honorary Cupcake Lovers. My heartfelt appreciation to the amazing Gina Husta, JoAnn Schailey, Mary Stella, and Dawn Jones for sharing their cupcake-a-licious delights!
CONTENTS
Quotes
Other books by Beth Ciotta
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Epilogue
Cupcake Recipes
About the Author
Copyright
ONE
Marriage is a dinner that begins with dessert.
—Toulouse-Lautrec
The Kelly twins.
Double your pleasure, double your fun.
The lyrics of a gum commercial ran through Sam McCloud’s head alongside several racy thoughts.
Two women at once.
Every man’s dream.
Sam could live out that fantasy. All he had to do was take Krissy up on the offer she’d whispered in his ear. Or was it Katie? He’d never been able to tell them apart. They were in their mid-twenties. Blond, spray-tanned Barbies who dressed alike, talked alike, and even wore their hair and makeup exactly the same. Which struck Sam as odd. Just one of the reasons he’d declined their tempting offer. They also giggled too much and were intellectual pinheads. Not that that had bothered Sam’s cousin Nash Bentley—who walked up to the bar just as Sam sent the girls away.
“You don’t know what you’re missing,” Krissy (or Katie) said to Sam.
“Tell him, Nash,” Katie (or Krissy) said with a wink and a giggle.
“Never kiss and tell,” Nash said as he perched on the stool next to Sam. But he did smile—the smile of a man who’d had the ride of his life. Considering Nash, a charter pilot and hot-air-balloon operator, drank thrills with his morning coffee, a tumble with the Kellys must’ve been a mind-bending rush.
Sam focused on his beer, not wanting to give the twins a reason to double back and double their efforts. If they were seriously on the prowl then pickings were slim. The Sugar Shack, owned by another cousin, Luke Monroe, was sparsely occupied. Not unusual given it was a weeknight and shoulder season for their small tourist town, but unlucky for Sam who wanted to be left alone. “Are they gone?”
“Slipped into the john.” Nash motioned to the new hire, Joelle Jenner—a personable, crackerjack bartender, who didn’t mind the late shift since Luke had mostly switched to days. Joey (as her nametag read) nodded and nabbed a chilled beer while sliding another customer a bowl of mixed nuts. Her counterpart, Decker, who pulled double duty as bouncer, hovered at the opposite end of the bar manning the TV remote and surfing stations. “Swear to God, the dude’s got ADD,” Nash said.
Sam was still thinking about the Kellys. “Don’t you think it’s strange that the twins do everything together?”
“Chicks always go to the head in packs.”
“Not that.”
“Oh.”
“It didn’t bother you?”
Nash grinned. “Oh, I was bothered.”
“I mean that they’re sisters.”
“Twins.”
“Which is—”
“Hot?”
“Inappropriate.”
“Like you’ve never fantasized.”
Sam didn’t answer.
Nash took a pull off his longneck then laughed when he caught Sam glancing toward the ladies�
� facility. “Having second thoughts?”
“Smutty thoughts.”
“So much for being a monk.”
“Who said—”
“Laura Payne. Two dates and you didn’t kiss her once.”
“That makes me chaste?”
“You didn’t make a move on Alana Foster or Kady Bridges, either.”
Sam glanced at Joey who was mixing a drink and suppressing a smile while stealing looks over the thick black frames of her glasses. The twenty-something heartland transplant was also the newest member of the Cupcake Lovers, the town’s longtime social and baking club. A club devoted to supporting soldiers and various charities. Sam, who enjoyed baking as well as the camaraderie, was also a member of that club. He didn’t know Joey well enough to know if she was a gossip, but he wasn’t keen on this convo getting back to the CLs … or anyone else for that matter. He nabbed his mug then nudged Nash. “I see an empty table.”
There were lots of empty tables. Sam chose one by the cobblestone hearth, far from the action of pool sharks or barflies or bartending eavesdroppers. Sugar Creek, Vermont, thrived on gossip. As a widowed father of two young children, Sam flew under the radar as best he could. Another reason he’d turned down a dose of double delight. Like he needed that kind of news getting back to his kids. Explaining the meaning of threesome or ménage à trois to Ben and Mina was not on his agenda anytime soon. Never suited even better.
Toting three cold ones, Nash set a bottle in front of Sam then settled in with the other two. “Women talk, cuz.”
As someone who juggled female friends the way Sam juggled playdates for his daughter, Nash had no doubt gotten an earful from the eligible women Sam had crossed off his “wife” list. “What are they saying?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Sam countered with one of his death stares. Most people crumbled after five seconds. Nash broke after one sip.
“There’s a pool,” he said, while picking at the bottle’s label.
“A betting pool?” There’d been a lot of those lately. The biggest being based on the gender and birthdate of another cousin’s first baby.
Nash nodded.
“Go on.”
“When you ask a woman out she assumes you’re attracted. Sexually,” Nash emphasized as if Sam needed clarification. “Touching. Kissing. Trying to get in her pants. Granted, not every woman’s going to tweak your pole, but you’ve been out with how many women in the past month and a half?”
Thanks to Sam’s matchmaking family and friends, and especially the Cupcake Lovers, a lot.
“And how many have you seduced?” Nash asked even though Sam hadn’t answered his first question. His Casanova cousin curled his fingers in the shape of a zero. “At first Laura blamed herself, questioning her weight, but then she got talking to Kady, who’d already spoken to Alana, who’d overheard, well, you get the picture. I heard it from Viv Underwood.”
Sam’s most disastrous date.
“So now the general consensus is, it’s not them, it’s you.”
Sam couldn’t argue. He’d said as much when any of his mismatched dates had noted his distant manner.
“There’s speculation,” Nash said.
“Hence the betting pool.” Sam glanced at his watch. “Speed it up, flyboy. Only booked the sitter till eleven.”
Looking uncomfortable now, Nash leaned forward and lowered his voice. “For what it’s worth, no one thinks you’re gay. Given your history, the kids…” He cleared his throat. “Some of the girls are betting you can’t get it up. A war injury.”
Sam arched a brow.
“Others think you’re crippled emotionally because of Paula.”
Not long ago, that conjecture would have been dead on. Sam’s heart had iced over after losing his beloved wife to cancer, but then last year he’d met Rae, who was now Luke’s wife. Though Rae had never returned Sam’s tender regard, she had sparked his numb spirit back to life. A few months after, he’d met Harper Day, a self-absorbed celebrity publicist who’d torched his senses with a sporadic, kinky affair. No one knew about that affair, so of course everyone assumed Sam hadn’t been laid in close to three years. All Sam had to do was tell Nash about Harper and all bets would be off—his reputation as a sane, virile man intact.
But Sam didn’t screw and tell, either.
“You asked,” Nash said, mistaking Sam’s silence for anger.
Sam wasn’t pissed. He was restless.
Just then the Brody brothers—Adam and Kane—strolled in. Adam was a freelance sports instructor. Kane, a local logger. Both single. Both fixtures at the Shack. Instead of taking their usual seats at the bar, they joined Sam and Nash.
“Nothing against Joey and Decker,” Adam said as he dropped into a chair, “but they’re not Luke.”
“Luke’s not Luke,” Kane said. “Not as we knew him. Not that I’m jealous of the time he spends with his wife—”
“Yes you are,” Adam said. “Rae gained a husband and the Shack lost its greatest host. Even when Luke’s here his mind is somewhere else.”
Adam and Kane, especially Adam, went way back with Luke. Sam didn’t take offense to their comments. But he did feel compelled to defend his younger cousin. Something he might not have done six months ago when they’d been at war regarding Rae. “Luke didn’t desert the Shack. He stepped up his game. New wife. Soon-to-be dad. Coaching the kids at Rae’s school.”
“As for the slump,” Nash put in, “business is down everywhere.”
“Luke’s late-night presence wouldn’t ensure bigger crowds,” Sam said.
“Yeah. But we’d have more fun,” Kane said. “Decker messes with our feng shui.”
“Don’t ask,” Adam said.
“Speaking of out of place,” Kane said. “Surprised to see you hanging at the Shack on a weeknight, McCloud.”
“Hanging” at any bar hadn’t meshed with Sam’s lifestyle in years. He spent most of his nights at home with the kids. That’s not to say he was a hermit. His carpentry work kept him out and about, and he spent plenty of time with the Cupcake Lovers. The club gathered every Thursday and participated in several annual events. They’d recently published a recipe book that had led to even more activity. Sam was tired of the growing attention and they had Harper to thank for the budding media frenzy. Not that Sam had seen the bicoastal publicist in weeks.
“Wait a minute,” Nash said. “Why are you here?” He angled his head, frowned. “Tell me you had a date tonight and blew her off.”
Sam shrugged. “We had dinner.”
“Who was the girl?” Kane asked.
Sam polished off his beer, bracing for the men’s reaction. After all, tonight’s match-up had been with one of Sugar Creek’s hottest and smartest women. “Jane Dunlap.”
Adam whistled low. “And you’re here drinking suds with Bentley instead of playing doctor with Nurse Dunlap?”
“If you think that’s something,” Nash said, “guess who else he shot down tonight? The Kelly twins.”
“Oh, man.” Adam dragged a hand down his face, stifling a laugh.
“Damn, McCloud,” Kane said, looking half shocked, half amused. “You do know they’re selective, right? And you passed? No wonder there’s a bet—”
Adam nudged his brother.
“Sam knows about the pool,” Nash said.
“Not that we’re part of it,” Kane said. “Although maybe the twins are.”
Adam shifted. “If you want my advice—”
“Pass.” Sam straightened as Willa, the only waitress on duty tonight, approached their table. She smiled. He tensed. He knew that look and he wasn’t interested. She was pretty and sweet, but he didn’t feel a flicker of heat. Instead, he had a vision of Harper, posing in a red silk bra and panties, seductively sucking cupcake icing from her thumb.
Damn.
Quick on the uptake, Willa flushed and turned her attention to Adam and Kane. “The usual?”
“As usual,” Adam said, returning the smile S
am had withheld.
“Do you miss Luke?” Kane asked, stealing Willa’s attention.
“I do. Then again, I mostly work nights and he mostly works days. He comes in awfully early,” she said, “and he pores over the books and inventory, plus tending bar and hosting happy hour. Luke may have cut back on his overall hours but he works even harder than before. All for his wife and baby.” Willa hugged her order pad to her chest and heaved a dreamy sigh. “Oh, to be in love.”
Everyone at the table liked Willa so they bit their tongues. Everyone at the table liked Rae and had been friends with Luke forever. Wisecracks were definitely out. Luke, the town’s former number one Romeo, was a lucky son of a bitch and they all knew it.
“Could we get an order of Nachos Grande with those beers?” Kane asked.
“Sure thing,” Willa said with a bright smile. “Four plates?”
“Not for me,” Sam said.
Nash flashed three fingers.
Willa peeled away and Kane leaned in. “What is it with this town lately? It’s like everyone’s been shot by cupid and bitten by the baby bug.”
Nash nodded. “Dev and Chloe, Luke and Rae, Jayce and Rocky … although Rocky isn’t pregnant. Yet.”
“Yeah, but Monica and Leo are having twins,” Kane said. “All I can say is, I’ll be doubling up on condoms.”
“That’s if you ever get laid again,” Adam said with a ribbing glance toward Sam. “Now that he’s back in the game, all the women have their sights set on McCloud.”
“And he’s casting them off like flies,” Kane said. “All I need to do is stick close and pick up the broken pieces of their pretty shattered hearts.”
Sam gave him the finger.
Nash laughed.
Adam glanced at the plasmas hanging over the bar. “If Luke were here, we’d be watching ESPN.”
“At least it’s not a shopping network,” Kane said. “Although what is it?”
