Second Chance at the Sugar Shack (24 page)

Kate fought back the bile rising in her throat as she watched Edna’s backside retreat, her worn red wool coat, and black orthopedic shoes. Then Edna turned and Kate could feel the daggers halfway down the block.

“You ought to be ashamed, Katherine Silverthorne. There are people in this world who’d give anything to have the love that’s been bestowed on you. But you . . . you just toss it away.”

As the old woman turned the corner, Kate’s knees wobbled. For the first time in her life she understood. Edna Price didn’t hate her. Edna Price envied her.

Kate had the one thing that Edna wanted. Love.

Was she really stupid enough to throw it all away?

K
ate stood back as her father stepped through the bakery door and stopped as if he’d hit a wall. His camo gear was dirty and he smelled like a man who’d been out in the woods for a week without a shower. But she’d never wanted to hug him more. She needed to find out if what Edna had said about her mother was true. But first things first.

“Daddy? Are you okay?”

Arms dangling at his sides he nodded while his head turned slowly from left to right as he scanned the interior of the shop. His shoulders lifted and dropped with a sigh. Kate came up beside him. Tears filled his eyes.

She’d failed.

“I’m so sorry, Dad. I thought—” Words clogged her throat as she tried to rush an apology, an explanation. She buried her face in her hands and a huge sob sucked the breath from her lungs.

Her father gathered her in his arms and soon they were crying together. He stroked her hair like he had when she’d been little and had crawled up on his lap to be consoled. It seemed so wrong for her to seek comfort from him when she was at fault.

For everything.

“I didn’t mean to—”

“Oh, Katie girl, it’s . . . beautiful.”

The weight in Kate’s chest lifted. She looked up at her father and the watery smile now spreading across his face. “But . . . I thought . . . you like it?”

“Honey, I love it. Your mother would love it too.”

She wiped the tears from his cheeks. “Then why are you crying?”

He gave a little nod. “The picture.”

Kate swung her gaze across the room to the photo of her parents on their original opening day. She’d had it restored and blown up to poster size and it was now the focal point of the entire shop.

“Your mother was a beautiful woman.”

Her mother’s red hair had been slicked back into a ponytail just like the one Kate now wore. Her smoky green eyes sparkled. And the smile on her face brought life to the entire photo.

“You look just like her,” her father said, hugging her closer. “And you have her heart.”

Wrapped in her father’s arms, Kate knew she’d just been paid the highest compliment she’d ever receive. Even if she didn’t deserve it.

“But, honey, why are you crying?”

“Dad? About mom’s heart.”

O
pening day for the remodeled Sugar Shack and Cindi’s Attic arrived dark and dreary. With thick pewter clouds hanging low in the sky, the sun didn’t stand a chance. As Kate stepped into her Chucks, she tried to focus on getting through the day. Not the weather. Not the pressure being put on her from Josh now that he’d detected blood in the water.

And especially not the ache in her heart.

Her father had sampled the new additions to the menu and gave his stamp of approval. He’d laughed when she’d told him of her designer cakes and made her promise she wouldn’t create anything too risqué. Hard to do when you wouldn’t even be around. And he’d told her of her mother’s heart condition and the promise her mother had made them swear to not tell Kate.

Kate swung her mother’s Winnie-the-Pooh key ring around her finger and whistled to the pup. “Come on, boy. We’ve got a busy day ahead.” He lifted his head from his favorite sleeping spot at the foot of her bed, then jumped to the floor and wagged his tail.

Kate opened the front door. “See you at the Shack, Dad.”

He waved from the kitchen while he poured his coffee into a commuter mug.

There was a hesitant skip to Kate’s heart as she opened the door to the Buick and helped the pup up onto the seat. She’d barely made a left turn onto Whitetail before a whisper of cold air whooshed past her head. Kate pulled to the curb and turned in her seat. Her mother’s glow was a little blue today.

“So now you know.”

The knot in the center of Kate’s chest twisted. “Yes. I know what happened. I just don’t know why you refused to tell me for ten years. Or why daddy or Dean or Kelly didn’t say something.”

Her mother’s eyelids lowered, then she looked away all together. “Because I made them promise not to. Because it had nothing to do with you and everything to do with cream puffs and watching too many reruns of
Law & Order
. I should have eaten a salad now and then or walked to the bakery once in a while instead of riding in this heap. Life happens, Katherine. You’d made your decision.” Her mother’s gaze met hers again. “And despite myself, I was proud that you’d even had the nerve to get up and go. When I’d been the exact same age as you, I’d toyed with the idea of getting out. But I never had the courage. So while I was afraid to let you go . . . I was a little envious. I didn’t want to do anything to screw up your chances.

“So what if I had a little heart issue. I was sure it wouldn’t slow me down. And for ten years, it didn’t.”

“But, Mom—”

“It was
not
your fault, Katherine. Okay?”

Kate wiped away her tears and nodded.

“I’m so proud of you, honey. Whatever you decide to do with your life, wherever you decide to live, I just want you to be happy.”

A warm flutter eased the knot in Kate’s chest. Before she’d come back to Deer Lick, she would never have believed she’d ever hear those words. How could she? Kate knew she’d been given a gift. Another chance to make amends.

“Thank you, Mom. I’m really sorry for all the things I thought. All the things I said. Especially for calling you a big butthead.”

“Shoot, if that’s the worst you ever called me I’d be surprised.”

They laughed and her mother’s glow brightened from blue to lavender.

“Sweetheart, before I go, I want you to reach under the seat. There’s something there that belongs to you.”

“To me? What is it?”

“Just a little reminder in case you ever feel lost.”

Kate turned but once again, her mother had Houdinied out of there. Kate looked down at the pup. He looked up at her and with a flop of his ears, sneezed.

“If I reach under there and lose a finger to a rat trap, I’m blaming you.” She reached beneath her seat, grabbed hold of something, and pulled out a scrapbook. She lifted the cover and slowly flipped through the pages. Kelly had been right. Her mother had kept a memory book.

There were photos of her growing up, some with her alone, some with Dean and Kelly. There were blue, red, and white ribbons she’d won at the county fair for her 4-H projects, articles about her from fashion magazines and a few pages from entertainment rags where she’d been photographed on the red carpet in stunning gowns.

A photo of her entire family, their arms around each other in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle in the happiest place in the world, eased the sting in her heart. She remembered that day so well. The enticing smells, the shrieks of laughter, and the complete and utter joy of being with her family.

The last photo was a slightly faded shot of her on graduation day. She wore her black gown and cap with the gold tassel. Matt held her in his arms. Her held was tilted back, her feet were kicked up in the air. And Matt was looking down at her.

She could see it now on his face. The love. The happiness.

The ache knotted in her chest lifted as she remembered back to that day. To being in his arms and loving him with every inch of her young heart.

Why had she ever wanted to leave that?

And what had she found after she’d left?

She shook her head to keep the tears at bay and turned to the back of the book. The very last page displayed a hand-embroidered handkerchief that read—
If you ever need to find your heart’s desire, look in your own backyard.

T
he photo of her and Matt sat like a time capsule in the pocket of Kate’s apron. Several times during the day she’d taken it out and looked at it. She loved him. Period. Paragraph. Hopefully not the end of the story.

At noon she sent Chelsea over to Cindi’s Attic with a tray of shortbread cookies to keep the flock of teenage girls nourished while they oohed and aahed over the array of celebrity gowns. Chelsea had informed Kate that the first to be reserved for the autumn formal was a silver sparkler donated by Taylor Swift. And while Kate couldn’t be happier they’d received their first customer, she had other troubles on her mind. Like the overflow of orders for Kate’s Red Carpet Cakes and how she could fill them all. By herself. And still sleep.

Maybe she could use this as an opportunity to bring Chelsea in under her wing and teach her to be a cake decorator. At least the PG-rated cakes. The business would grow and they would need the help. Might as well be someone enthusiastic.

The bell over the door chimed and Kate looked up to see James Harley strolling in. She put on a smile.

“Hello, Deputy Harley.”

He glanced around and nodded. “The place looks good.”

“Thank you.” She proudly accepted the compliment. While he walked the length of the display case, she wiped her hands down the front of her apron and went to the new lunch counter to take his order. “Let me guess . . . two tuna subs, no tomato, and two iced teas.

James looked at her and the brown of his eyes deepened. “Just one order today.”

She cocked her head. “Just one?”

He nodded, averting his gaze.

She stood there for a minute taking in what that meant. “Why?”

“Shit. I told him you’d get upset.”

“You told
who
?”

“Ryan. He’s . . . uh . . .”

“Taken his business elsewhere?”

His silence verified what the chill in her spine already knew.

James raised his hands. “Look, Kate, I don’t get into his personal business. Well, not much. He didn’t say why. I didn’t ask.”

“Uh-huh.” She glanced over his shoulder and through the front window to the patrol car parked at the curb. The steam puffs coming from the tailpipe told her two things—it was cold outside and the car was idling. For a quick getaway no doubt.

“Is he out there?” she asked with a tilt of her head.

James looked over his shoulder. “Yep.”

Matt could be as stubborn as he wanted, but she would not let him make the bakery suffer for her actions. She gritted her teeth and forced a smile to her lips. “Will you excuse me for a moment?”

A flash of humor lit up James’s handsome face as Kate pushed open the bakery door. She stormed to the driver’s side window, and folded her arms.

Matt looked up in mid-bite of a greasy cheeseburger from the Grizzly Claw Tavern. Surprise widened his icy eyes. Kate leaned her weight on one hip, determined not to move an inch until he rolled down the window.

Fortunately his cop skills made him good at reading body language and the window motor whirred as the glass slid down into the door.

“What?” he said.

She held her hand out, palm up.

He looked at her hand then looked into her eyes. She swiped the burger from his grasp and marched away.

“Hey! That’s my lunch.”

“And a heart attack waiting to happen. If you want a decent lunch, Deputy Ryan, you will get your stubborn ass out of that patrol car and get inside that bakery. Stop behaving like a child. Avoiding me will solve nothing.” She turned on the heel of her Chucks and stormed back through the bakery door.

As she returned to her place behind the counter, she threw the burger in the trash and gave James’s startled face a smile. “Would you like to have a seat at one of our new tables, Deputy Harley? It’s much nicer than sitting in a smelly old patrol car.”

He chuckled. “Sure.”

“Good. I’ll have your order ready in just a few minutes.” While she prepared two tuna subs, no tomato, the front door opened and Matt walked in. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his fleece-lined uniform jacket and a scowl darkened his face. He looked nothing like the boy in the photo in her pocket and everything like the man who lit her up like she was some freaking pyrotechnic. He said nothing as he joined James at one of her tiled bistro sets.

She completed their order, added a square of cheesecake for each of them, and carried the meals to their table on a tray. She set the plates in front of them.

“Dessert is on me, gentlemen.” She looked at James. “If you enjoy it, I’d appreciate it if you could spread the word.”

With her heart aching to kiss him until he couldn’t breathe, she looked at Matt. If he truly thought they weren’t meant to be together, she had to prove him wrong.

She turned her smile flirtatious and went in for the kill. “I chose the blackberry especially for you, Deputy Ryan, because I know how much you like it. The way you moaned the other night . . .” She smoothed her hand across his wide shoulder. “. . . was a dead giveaway.”

He gaped like a big fish as she sauntered away. The heat of his eyes burned a hole in her backside.

Good.

If Matt Ryan wanted a war, he was messing with the wrong girl.

A
n occasional crackle from the scanner broke the silence in the patrol car and the sky spit wet heavy snow against the windshield as Matt ran the lake to lookout patrol. When the flames in his fireplace had become an image of Kate writhing naked on his sheets, he called the station and volunteered for the patrol no one wanted on a night like this. He needed to get Kate off his mind and out of his heart. Nothing better than driving in a white-out to regain his focus.

Wind gusts bent the tips of the pines and the moon couldn’t break through the thick layer of clouds. Matt was having a hell of a time keeping the SUV straight. Halloween hadn’t yet arrived and they’d already been doused with a blanket of white that wouldn’t melt until the daffodils pushed up in the spring. By then the special election upon Sheriff Washburn’s retirement would have been held. Before then he had plenty of work to do. He gripped the wheel and eased the SUV around a treacherous curve. There were speeches to write. Promises to make. Babies to kiss. Ex-girlfriends to forget.