Raspberry Kisses (The Bakery Romance Series Book 1) (6 page)

Scents of bread, cinnamon, chocolate, and sugar filled the air as Martin scanned the sea of faces, glad to see that most of the attendees were women who had joined with Linda over a year ago. He only spotted a few long-standing members from his church. Perhaps the long-standing members were still supporting his pastorship.

Maybe this wasn’t a meeting to keep him out of the pulpit. Perhaps Trina had been mistaken? He’d imagined seeing Linda Tucker standing in front of the room, saying all kinds of things against him. But, this meeting looked peaceful…pleasant. He’d heard that some of the women in his congregation had wanted to start a book club, maybe this was a club meeting?

Before he continued with his quest to interrupt, he needed to step back and figure out what was going on. He finally spotted Linda Tucker, coming out of the ladies’ room, pressing her lips together. An empty table with no chairs nestled in front of the group. Linda stood behind the table, as if she were going to use it as a podium. She scrutinized the crowd, stopping when she took note of him. She held a sheaf of papers.

Clearing his throat, he walked toward her. The room seemed to hold its breath as silence descended. The only sounds in the small bakery were the movement of the workers behind the counter and the ding of the cash register. “Linda, are you having a meeting about keeping me out of the pulpit?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Well if you’re having a meeting about the pastorship, I came to defend myself.”

She glared at Martin, still holding her papers. “This is a private meeting, so you shouldn’t even be here.”

“Really? Last I checked, Claudine’s is a
public
place, and, I have every right to be here.”

Female voices rumbled in the fragrant bakery, and Martin stopped and listened to the chatter. From amidst the chatter a few words shattered through his gut: “
Martin’s not a womanizer.”

He took a deep breath, glaring at Linda. “Are you spreading rumors about me?” He needed to talk to his dad about this. If Linda was causing this much trouble in the church, spreading these kinds of lies, then he was sure their bylaws would allow them to kick her out of the church.

“I’m not spreading lies! All I said was there was only one reason why a man of the pulpit would still be single while in his thirties. I never gave the reason. That’s just speculation that somebody else started.”

He studied Linda. As usual, she frowned, her lips puckered. He softened his voice, eyeing the slump of her bony shoulders. Her dress hung from her gaunt frame. “Why does my being in the pulpit make you so miserable? The church is all about Jesus. How do you think He feels about your actions?”

Her mouth dropped open, and she groaned. She then leaned closer, her hot, smelly breath fanning against his skin. “When you were in college, you did some abhorrent things. I know the Lord wouldn’t want somebody like you in His pulpit.”

Martin winced, his heart skipping. How in the world did Linda know about that? She’d spoken in a low voice, but what if others had heard? Or maybe she’d already divulged his past to the others. Before she could say anything else, he pressed his lips together, tried to calm down. Sweat rolled down the side of his face, and he took a few deep breaths. If the others knew about his past, would they vote against keeping him in the pulpit? Should he have told the entire church, including his family, about what had happened during his college years?
You’ve got to help me out here, Lord. I honestly don’t know what to do.

Tell the truth.
The answer came to him, clear and strong. He needed to tell them, but, he…he just couldn’t. Not now. Instead of sharing his past, he turned toward the crowd of ladies. “A few of you have known me since I was a boy. I’ll admit that I’m not perfect—none of us are, but, I care about this church, I love Jesus, and I’m determined to share the gospel with others.” He paused, swallowing, gathering his wits. “Linda has only been in this church for a year, and she doesn’t know me. She doesn’t know my heart.”

Linda stepped forward, facing Martin. She pressed her thin lips together, shaking. She glared, clutching her white handkerchief. “Look—”

“No, I’m not listening to what you have to say. For some reason, you seem to have a lot of influence over the women from your home church. I have no idea why you’re using that influence in an ungodly way.” He paused, looking into the sea of faces. “I want all of you to do me a favor. Think and pray about this. Don’t just listen to what Linda says, think with your head and your heart. The few of you, who have known me a long time, think about my character, and my will to serve God.”

Trina walked forward, standing beside him. “My brother is one of the kindest men I’ve ever known, and I’m not just saying that because we’re related. He loves serving others. Since he’s started the ministry of feeding the homeless, so many people have come to know God through his work. Martin has a good heart. Just remember that whenever anybody says negative things about him.” She turned toward Linda, her voice hardening. “Especially people who have only known him for a year.” 

He hugged Trina. “Thanks.” He really needed some time alone with Trina so that he could properly thank her for showing her support. He took a deep breath, glanced at the crowd. He’d said all that he could for today.

He approached the door, and opened it, gesturing for Trina to exit. She left the bakery and he exited behind her, the bell over the door tinkling as they left.

She walked beside him on the sidewalk, silent. They neared a Starbucks. Martin opened the door, and Trina entered. He followed her inside. After he’d purchased their coffee, they sat in empty window seats.

“Thanks for coming and showing your support.”

She shrugged, sipping her coffee. “It was the least I could do. I knew once you found out about that meeting, you’d be coming to defend yourself.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong with defending myself? The Lord doesn’t want Linda spreading rumors about me. You know that I’m not a womanizer.”

She didn’t meet his intense gaze, staring into her coffee cup. He groaned, finally figuring everything out. “You were going to come here anyway, weren’t you? You were going to come by yourself and defend me, weren’t you?”

She finally looked up, nodding.

“Trina, I’m a grown man, I can take care of myself.”

She shook her head. “You don’t understand. I just thought that since I’m a woman, and Linda seems to be targeting the females in the congregation, that I’d have more influence defending you.” She paused, staring out the window for a few seconds. “Besides, you can get a bit hot-headed when you defend yourself. I didn’t want you to lose your temper when you spoke to Linda. Linda seems to anger you so easily.”

Trina had a point. Linda didn’t have to do much to make him angry. Whenever he spotted her, he’d felt his blood pressure rise. “I prayed before I went into the meeting, so, that helped me to keep calm.”

She nodded, drinking from her cup. “That’s good. I honestly don’t see how Linda has such a strong influence over the women. It makes no sense.”

“But, to imply that I’m a womanizer? How ludicrous is that?”

Trina licked some of the whipped cream off of the top of her coffee. “I think her agenda has nothing to do with you personally. There’s something wrong with Linda—both spiritually and mentally.” She paused for a few moments. “Linda whispered something to you, and you looked upset. What did she say?”

“It’s not important.” The past was the past, but it puzzled him that Linda knew about his college years. How could she be privy to one of the most awful times in his life? Had she hired a private investigator to look into his past?

Trina touched his hand. “What’s the matter?”

He sighed, staring at his drink. “Just thinking about something.” His family didn’t even know about that time in his life, so how in the world did Linda know?

Wait. Trina mentioned Linda’s agenda. Initially he’d found it hard to believe that her vendetta against him was personal. But after her comment about his college years, he wasn’t too sure what to believe. Why was she acting this way? He balled his hands into fists, tried to calm his racing heart.

He had to get that pastorship. He felt that if he were voted in, then it would be like God finally giving him His seal of approval. He’d messed up his life so much in his younger years, and after his salvation, he’d never felt good enough to lead a church, that is, not until a few years ago. Everything had changed when his father unexpectedly needed his help with preaching to the congregation.

Although he was still haunted by his past, he’d found that he felt better, leading others to Christ instead of focusing on all the turmoil he’d caused during his youth.

She squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry you’re upset.” She leaned back into her seat, stretching her legs in front of her. “I don’t want to talk about Linda anymore. Don’t let your worries about Linda interfere with your studies in divinity school.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Did you meet any women at the retreat?”

“Oh, no, the retreat.” He’d been so caught up with getting to Linda’s meeting, defending himself, that he’d forgotten that he needed to get back on the road. He stood, pulled out his cell phone, checking the time. “If I leave right now, I should make it there in time to speak.”

He raced toward the door and Trina followed him. After they’d left Starbucks he marched toward his car and Trina struggled to keep up with him. “I would slow down so that you can keep up, but, I really need to get going. Why don’t I call you and tell you about the retreat later?”

Trina huffed. “No, just tell me now. My walking with you will help me get some exercise today.”

While they walked to his car, he told her about meeting Rhea at dinner, and spending time with her afterwards.

Her voice softened when they arrived at his vehicle. “You like her.”

“I’m attracted to her, but, I don’t know her very well. Besides, I’m not trying to date right now. It’ll just mess up my life.” Visions of his dream about Rhea played in his mind. Would he dream about her again tonight?

“But—”

“No buts about this. I only went on this retreat because you volunteered my services as a speaker.”

“Martin,” she whined.

“Trina,” he playfully responded, opening his car door. “Did you need me to drop you off at your car?”

She waved the comment away. “Don’t worry about me. I know you’re in a hurry.”

As he started the ignition, Beethoven’s Fifth Sympathy chimed from his pocket. He removed his phone, looking at the incoming number. Raven, again. He sighed, waving good-bye to Trina while he drove away.

He needed to return her phone calls, but had not felt up to listening to her constant chatter. Since she’d just had a bad car accident, he’d been surprised that she’d called. Shouldn’t she be recuperating? He’d planned to tell her at the retreat that it wasn’t a good idea for them to have coffee after church services anymore. She might have been misreading his kind gesture. She’d claimed she was searching for a way to reach God, making some changes in her life.

When she’d first appeared at his church, she seemed eager to talk about God, the Bible, and salvation. He ministered to her, hoping she would accept Jesus and become saved. She appeared eager to learn, he shared his phone number with her, as a friendly gesture. But the last time he’s seen her, she’d dressed more provocatively, worn a bit more makeup. She’d started developing personal feelings for him and he knew that a relationship between them would never work. She’d openly said she was not saved, but still searching for Jesus. He could not pursue a woman until it was clear that she shared his faith.

Raven appeared confused about religion and was very superficial. He’d simply not been attracted to her and he needed her to understand that.

As soon as the retreat was over, he needed to speak to Raven. The two of them needed to have a long talk.

Chapter Six

Noise droned on in the cafeteria as Martin and Rhea finished up their lunch. She patted her full stomach while peeking at Martin’s brown, muscular legs. He’d arrived late to lunch, seeming haggard and distracted. During breakfast, she’d waited for him outside the cafeteria for thirty minutes. When he didn’t show, she’d eaten breakfast with a chatty group. She never focused on the group’s conversation since she’d been so bothered by Martin’s absence. During lunch, she’d been waiting for him to mention why he’d never shown up for breakfast.

Wait a minute…why should she care if he showed up? It wasn’t like he was her boyfriend or anything like that. But, she did care. That’s why this entire day had been nothing but a mentally exhausting puzzle. She’d been looking forward to their breakfast meeting and it bothered her that he didn’t seem to care. “I didn’t see you at breakfast this morning.”

“I’m sorry.” He reached toward her hand, but, quickly jerked his hand away. Rhea’s heart skipped. Had he been about to hold her hand?

Stifling a groan, she managed to hold back her disappointment. How juvenile she’d been. Martin had been a perfect gentleman during this entire retreat, plus, he was dating Raven. It was wrong for her to fantasize about him, but for some weird reason, she just couldn’t help herself.
Lord, please take away my attraction to Martin.

“I’d meant to meet you for breakfast, but, I had an unexpected errand to run this morning.” He frowned before taking a bite of bread. “I saw you sitting by the bay, but it looked like you were busy and I didn’t want to disturb you.” He frowned, staring at his empty plate.

“What’s the matter?”

He dropped his fork and finished his soda. “There are some things going on at my church.”

“Is somebody sick?”

He folded his arms in front of his chest. “No, nothing like that.”

Studying him, she observed the dark circles underneath his eyes, a sign he may’ve had a sleepless night. Since he didn’t seem to want to share details, she let the matter drop.

They dumped their trays and left the cafeteria. “This evening is free time,” Martin informed her.

Squirrels scampered around the wooded area, and they passed bees hovering around a rose bush.

“Free time?” Rhea hadn’t reviewed the day’s schedule. If there were no activities scheduled for the rest of the day, then maybe she could chat with Martin about her bakery. In between fantasizing about Martin, she’d been trying to think of ways to save her business.

“Yes, they have horseback riding and canoe trips.”

“I’m not in the mood to do any of that right now.”

He chuckled. “I guess you’re not like your sister. Raven told me she enjoys sporty things.”

Rhea rolled her eyes. Raven would say she liked just about anything to catch a man.

“I’m not too crazy about either of those activities either. I had another suggestion. There’s a local Italian restaurant called Diorno’s and they deliver.”

“So you want to order a pizza?” They rounded a corner.

“Sure, if you want. Tonight the cafeteria is closed and dinner is on your own.”

She stopped walking, turned toward Martin. “If the cafeteria is closed, then, where would we eat?” Unless the other person was your spouse, the resort forbade allowing people of the opposite sex in the same cabin. Even if they were allowed to be in the same cabin, Rhea just didn’t trust herself. Being alone with Martin in a private place? She wasn’t worried about his losing control, but, she worried about what she’d do.

This was the first time she’d been attracted to a man since Stan died. Maybe once the retreat was over, she’d forget about Martin. Perhaps her attraction to Martin was God’s indication that it was time for her to stop grieving and move on.

“When I returned from running my errand, I stopped at the front desk. There’s a meeting room in the lobby. We can close the door for privacy, but, the room has windows, so anybody walking by can see us.”

They continued walking. “So, we’re eating dinner in this private meeting room?”

“Yes-”

She stumbled on a tree root, falling into Martin’s arms. The brief touch of his muscled arms around her waist caused a delicious, tingling feeling to flow through her. His well-defined mouth was just inches away from her lips. Good gracious, was he going to kiss her? He pulled his arms away, taking a few steps back. “Are you okay?”

She smelled his intoxicating cologne, leaning against a nearby tree. “I’m fine.” For an insane moment, she actually wanted to stay in Martin’s arms. This was crazy! She needed to stop this silly, juvenile infatuation and focus. First, she needed to speak with Martin about saving her bakery. Maybe he knew some tips that might help her since he’d worked in the food industry. Second, she needed to speak with him about Raven. Did he have feelings for her sister? Chances were, if he did have feelings for Raven, they were superficial because he had not been returning Raven’s phone calls and he’d barely mentioned her during this retreat.

But, who was she to judge how Martin felt? He may have feelings for her sister and just didn’t want to talk about them with her. Or, if he didn’t have deep feelings for Raven now, it’s possible that his feelings could grow as he got to know Raven better.

The song “Silver Bells” buzzed from her phone. Seeing it was Candy, she answered it. “Hi, Candy. Is everything okay?” She continued to lean against the tree, her mind still spinning.

“No, everything is not okay. The mixer stopped working.”

She gripped the receiver. “Are you sure?” Perhaps Candy forgot to plug it in. This would not have been the first time she’d forgotten to do a simple task.

“No, I’m not kidding. It smelled bad, like the motor was burning or something.”

Rhea closed her eyes. The mixer was industrial-sized, and she’d need to call a repair man to fix it, which she didn’t have the money for right now. After she got her loan from Raven, perhaps she’d have enough extra to repair the mixer. “Do you have enough goods to sell for the rest of the day?”

“Yes, but after today we need to get this fixed.”

She clutched her phone. What should she do? “I need some time to figure out what to do. I’ll call you back.” She had to skip the next event and go back to her cabin. Once Raven loaned her the money, she still needed to decide how she’d keep her business afloat. She should take the rest of the day to map out a plan for survival. She disconnected the call. Groaning, she jammed the phone back into her pocket and kicked the tree trunk.

Martin approached. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, balling her hands into fists. “I’m mad. That was my assistant. Our industrial-sized mixer just broke and I have to get it fixed. I’m hoping…” she stopped, realizing Martin had no idea about Raven loaning her the funds to keep her business afloat.

“You’re hoping…what?”

“It’s not important. I need to think about how to save my business and my mixer breaking is just another problem that I have to resolve.” She folded her arms in front of her chest, glaring at the nearby trees. “I don’t need this right now.”

He squeezed her shoulder. “Just calm down. I’ll help you. I can come to your bakery next week and take a look.”

“Take a look?”

“Yes, I might be able to repair your mixer. I’m pretty good at fixing things…sometimes. If I can’t repair it, my cousin’s a handyman and he owes me a favor. He might be able to fix it.”

Rhea’s awful day brightened. She raised her eyebrows, staring into Martin’s chocolate brown eyes. “You really think you can help?”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

If he fixed her mixer, that’d be wonderful. So kind of him to offer when he didn’t even know her very well. Martin seemed like a busy man – yet, he was taking time out of his schedule to help her. Was he offering because he was just a nice guy, or, was he helping simply because she was Raven’s twin? Either way, his kind gesture just proved another reason why Raven may have fallen for Martin. Raven usually dated men who had a wild streak, but, Martin appeared tame, kind, and caring. Maybe her sister’s taste in men was changing and she was getting more mature in her relationships.

He looked at his watch. “Since I’m speaking at the next session, I can’t be late. Come and hear me preach--”

She frowned. “Preach?”

He nodded. “Yes. What’s the matter?”

“You just said you wanted me to hear you preach. You say that like you’re a pastor or something.”

He raised his thick eyebrows. “Yes, I am. Didn’t your sister tell you? That’s why they invited me to this retreat. I thought you knew.”

She took a deep breath. Whoa, how could she not know about that? Thoughts of the retreat filtered through her mind – Martin’s kind, gentle ways, how he’d failed to come to breakfast because of church problems. Was his church as problematic as Stan’s? Was most of Martin’s time spent ministering to his flock? Now it made sense why she’d been so attracted to Martin – he reminded her of Stan.

Now that she knew his profession, her attraction to Martin was sure to fizzle quicker than bubbles escaping from soda pop. After her preacher husband was killed almost two years ago, she’d vowed to never get involved with another minister.

*

Martin paused, staring at her for a few seconds. What was he thinking? He gestured down the wooded path. “Come on, I have to be on time to speak.” He walked quickly and Rhea struggled to keep up with his long-legged stride. “Slow down.”

He slowed his pace, giving her a chance to catch up. “Sorry. I can’t be late.” He continued walking. “If it’s okay with you, after my sermon, let’s go to the meeting room in the hotel lobby to start talking about your bakery.”

“That’s fine.” The previous day, he’d mentioned his strict study schedule. Hopefully, spending time discussing her bakery would not cut into his study time very much. She spotted the large meeting cabin in the distance. Martin glanced at his watch. “Good, we’re here.” Soothing relief filled his voice, making her insides warm. When they entered, Rhea saw that the cabin was half-full of attendees. Zora glared at Rhea.

Now, the truth slammed into her with the speed of a freight train. Zora was probably attracted to Martin because he was a pastor! Her crazy behavior made a bit of sense, in a weird, haphazard way.

While she’d dated Stan, she saw, firsthand, how some women seemed to idolize pastors. Why? Rhea had never been able to figure it out. But, as soon as some women heard that a pastor was single, they’d go crazy, wanting to get to know the pastor better, spend time with him.

She’d often wondered if the women dreamed about becoming first lady, and that was their incentive for capturing the interest of a pastor. Or, if there was some sort of wonderful feeling, being with a man who led a congregation?

She’d encountered determined women, like Zora, who wanted to be with a pastor so badly, that they made it their mission. Most weren’t as emotionally-distraught as Zora. However, she could imagine, if she were to ever date Martin, that they’d encounter other women, like Zora, who would be steadfast in pursuing a preacher.

Was Zora upset because Rhea had entered the cabin with Martin? Ignoring Zora, Rhea found a seat near the back of the room.

Mrs. Barnes, the conference director, stepped up to the microphone. “I’d like to introduce Pastor Martin Lane as our guest speaker this afternoon. If you want to know more about him, be sure to read the write-up in the brochure.” Smiling, Martin walked up to the podium as Mrs. Barnes went to her chair.

His eyes swept the room, making eye contact with every attendee. Rhea swallowed as Martin looked directly at her. Her heart thudded, memories of Stan gripping her. Stan used to start his sermons just like this—complete silence for a few seconds as he scanned the room with his eyes, making sure he connected with every person.
“Rhea, I want to make eye contact with everybody, let them know I care about their soul,”
he used to say.

Martin smiled at her and her face heated.

“Let’s pray.” He bowed his head. “Dear Lord, thank you for this beautiful day. Thank you so much for this opportunity to speak at this retreat. Lord, help us to open our hearts and listen to your word, Father. I want to pray for all the needs for everybody in this room right now. In Jesus’s name, Amen.”

Rhea opened her eyes and spotted Zora a few rows in front of her, turning to glare at her. She glared back and Zora quickly focused on Martin again.

“I find that many single people feel unfulfilled and incomplete since they’re not married. I’ve never been married, but just from being the assistant pastor of my church, I can tell you that marriage can bring a whole set of problems. When you pray for a mate, be sure you know you’re praying for another whole set of problems that goes with marriage.”

Martin continued his sermon, using verses cited from Corinthians, about singleness. Rhea listened to every word, mesmerized. Martin’s voice, his caring nature, the way he delivered his sermon made it seem like he really cared about every person in the room. 

If Martin were married, what kind of husband would he be? Would he always place his congregation’s needs above the needs of his family? What kind of father would he be? What would it be like to see Martin every day, spending quiet time together talking?