Kate's Kisses (Sweet Treats Bakery) (6 page)

“I won’t need anything.” Tessa reached for a clean apron to cover her white cotton blouse and faded jeans. Kate thought maybe Tessa had taken to heart what she’d said the afternoon they’d gone dress shopping for graduation—the collection of micro miniskirts had been tucked into a drawer—for now at least, and Tessa hadn’t worn one since. “So you can turn off your cell phone.” She waited, one hand propped on her hip, while Kate pulled her phone out of the pocket of her slacks and jabbed a button. A short, happy tune signaled the power had been turned off. “Now, scoot.”

****

“It’s just like I remember,” Logan said as the massive oak tree came into view over the crest of the hill. An expanse of pasture, cross-fenced, seemed to go on forever. “Like I never left. The mountains are beautiful.”

“Hmmm…they are.” Kate walked beside him, carrying the pastry box filled with goodies in one hand and a water bottle in the other. The soft scent of her perfume mingled with wildflowers scattered through the grass. “I never get tired of looking at the Smokies.”

“They’re different than the mountains out in California—rounder and smoother somehow,” Logan said. “It almost seems like you can reach out and touch them.”

“You can, if you go hiking.”

Logan laughed. “We should. It would be fun…just like old times.”

“Yeah…and just like old times, you’d find some cliff to jump off of or a waterfall to climb…always the daredevil.”

He nodded. “You’ve got me pegged.”

“Do you miss it, Logan?”

“Old times?”

It was Kate’s turn to laugh. “No. I mean do you miss California? You haven’t been back there for almost two months now.”

“No.” He shook his head slowly. “I don’t miss it at all.”

“Not the big skyscrapers, the bridges and the challenge of building huge, tall things in small places?”

“Uh-uh.” The fact that he didn’t was a wake-up call. “I’m happy right here, with you.”

“But your job…”

He pressed a finger to her lips. “Let’s not talk about that now.”

“When should we talk about it, then?”

“Later.” He dropped a blanket onto the ground and spread it over the grass before he took the pastry box and water bottle from her and set them on the blanket.

“Look what I found.” He ran his hand over the tree’s trunk and the bark scraped his fingers…until he felt a familiar, smooth indentation. “It’s still here.”

Kate pressed her fingers over his. “Oh, Logan, it is.”

He heard the catch in her voice and saw the way her mouth rounded in delight. “So many years…”

“Not
that
many. We were what—eighteen?”

“It was a lifetime ago.” Her gaze drifted out over the mountains and he knew she was remembering the day they’d done the carving, same as he was. They’d been so naïve and innocent, with no idea the magnitude of the curveballs life sometimes pitched. “How did we wander so far from the plans we made that day?”

 “Sit with me.” Logan drew her near. “Remember how you liked to lie on your back and gaze up at the sky through the tree branches so you could watch the clouds drift by?”

“I remember.” She nodded slightly. “You used to keep a list of all the things I saw…or thought I saw.”

“Uh-huh.” She’d be surprised to know he still had that list…tucked away in his wallet along with a picture of her he’d snapped during their last year of college. “And do you remember the first time you let me kiss you? We were right here, beneath this tree. The sun was warm, like it is today. You wore the same perfume you’re wearing now, and your eyes shimmered like emeralds, just like they are now.”

“Oh, Logan…”

“I’d like to…kiss you again, Katie.” He took her hand. “It’s been…way too long. May I?”

Her lips trembled, but he saw the slight nod and twined his fingers in waves of cinnamon hair. He brushed his lips to hers once, twice, and then sighed as his gut twisted with longing. He simply held her, and wondered if she felt his heart pounding like a jackhammer.

“I-I think we should walk some more,” Kate whispered.

He pressed his lips to her hair, and then eased back to a safe distance. “Yes, I think so, too.”

****

Kate couldn’t sleep. She padded into the kitchen and filled the tea kettle with water, then set it to boil. As the pressure in the kettle rose and it began to squeal, she felt the pressure rising in her, as well.

She shouldn’t have let Logan kiss her…it was only asking for trouble. Yet she’d wanted him to—badly.

She sighed.
I’m only going to get my heart broken again
.

She poured boiling water over the tea bag she’d dropped into a mug and let it steep while she dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She’d drink the tea and then head over to the bakery and get an early start on the day’s orders. A bit of baking would take her mind off things…it always did.

The morning air held a slight chill and the streets were dark beneath the glow of lights that mimicked gaslights along the boulevard. She heard the nervous bark of a dog in the distance, and a flock of blue jays scrambled from a treetop across the street, startling her. She jammed her hands into the pockets of her windbreaker as she hurried along. It was barely a mile to the shop, and the walking helped to keep her in shape despite all the sampling of new recipes that she indulged in.

She took the long way across the town square. The library rose up to greet her, its windows like mirrors against the darkness. The outside was finished, and Kate knew all there remained to do was to complete a bit of the interior work—painting and window treatments. It wouldn’t be long before the shelves were stocked and the doors opened for business. The dedication was slated to coincide with Mount Ridge’s Fourth-of-July celebration.

Then what? Logan would no doubt hop in his car and drive straight back to California following the festivities. There’d be nothing to hold him here. Kate sighed as she remembered what Grace had said weeks ago…change is part of life. Well, like it or not, her life was about to change once again. Whether Logan was a part of that change…only time would tell.

8

Logan disconnected the call and tossed his phone onto his desk in the overcrowded work trailer that had been set up at the rear of the construction site. His crew was hard-working and dedicated, and the project was two weeks ahead of schedule as a result. The library would be fully-operational by the dedication.

And as soon as it was completed, his supervisor wanted him back at his post in California. He’d just phoned to say so, and wanted a definite date for Logan’s arrival. He had a project waiting, and he needed Logan there as soon as possible to get things underway.

Logan sighed and paced the tiny space between his desk and the door of the trailer. He felt torn between his loyalty to his company and his desire to remain in Mount Ridge a bit longer. He needed to figure things out and get his head on straight. He found it ironic that he’d fought so hard against coming back here…and now that it was time to go, he didn’t want to leave.

“Logan?” Brent Peterson rapped on the trailer’s door and pulled it open. A warm breeze rushed in, along with the cacophony of hammers and drills. “Do you have a minute?”

“Come on in.” Logan cleared a space at the cluttered desk, where invoices and purchase orders spilled over the top of the inbox. Paperwork wasn’t his strong suit, and the administrative assistant needed a few days off. She’d have a landslide to sort through when she returned tomorrow. “Pull up a chair.”

Brent settled in and handed him a binder filled with notes and sketches. “Remember that project we discussed a few weeks ago?”

“The crisis center?” Logan nodded as he flipped through the book. “Sure, I do. Has something changed?”

“Yes.” Excitement tinged Brent’s voice. “The funding I was hoping for just came through. We’ve got enough money to get the project under roof…with leads on a good chunk of additional funds.”

“When are you thinking of breaking ground?”

“As soon as possible…if you’ll oversee the project.” He glanced up, his gaze hopeful. “Will you?”

****

“What needs to be fixed this time?” Logan asked as he strode through the door of the bakery to find Kate at the top of a ladder. “Don’t lean like that. You’re going to topple over.”

“Wow, aren’t you in a mood.” Kate glanced down. “The bulb blew. I’m replacing it.”

“Get down. I’ll do it.” He braced the metal ladder as it wobbled. “You’re not supposed to stand on the top rung. It’s unstable.”

“Nonsense. You’ve done it a million times.”

“I’m trained to use a ladder. You’re…not.”

“I’m perfectly capable of replacing a bulb.” She refused to budge. “I did it before you came back here and I’ll manage after you leave again.”

Logan felt his temper tug as he clutched the ladder and gaped at her. “Who said I’m going to leave again?”

Kate paused with the hundred-watt bulb nestled in one hand. Behind him, tucked back in the kitchen, he heard Mattie singing softly along with the radio.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just what I said. Now, come down.”

She huffed and shook her head, but finally stomped down the rungs and pressed the bulb into his hands. “Have at it.”

“Thanks.” He waited while she stepped aside, then he scaled the ladder. “Coffee smells good. Is that a new variety?”

“It’s vanilla bean. One of the customers requested it earlier, so Mattie brewed a pot. Would you like a cup?”

“With a couple of your cherry kisses.” He nodded. “By the way, what’s my tab look like these days?”

She laughed. “I’m not going to charge you for coffee and snacks, Logan. You’ve fixed so many things around here. I figure, all told, that I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Katie.” He removed the burned-out bulb and handed it down to her before he installed the new one. “But I’d like to talk to you, if you have a bit of time.”

She switched on the light as he came down the ladder. A soft glow covered the pastry counter. “I’ll make time.”

“Good. I’ll just put the ladder away.” He knew where it went—propped against the far wall in the storage room off the kitchen. He’d used it enough since his return. “And I’ll meet you back here. Go ahead and pour the coffee.”

Mattie glanced up and paused her singing as he came through the kitchen. “Hey, Logan.”

“Hey back.”

“Did you coax Kate down from the ladder?”

“You bet.”

“Thanks. I told her to wait ’til you came by this afternoon, because I knew you wouldn’t mind to take care of things, but you know how stubborn she can be.”

“Do I ever.”

“Sometimes it’s just downright exasperating.” She slid a pan of muffins into the oversized oven built into the wall. “Brent Peterson came by the bakery today with talk of some family crisis center he’s planning to have constructed on the other side of the town square. You know anything about that?”

“Maybe.” He grinned. “Word sure does travel fast.”

“He talked to Grace about catering some fundraising events.” Mattie changed the tip on the icing gun and began to add flowers to a cake in front of her. “He had Grace laughing like I haven’t heard in a couple years. It was…good.”

“I’ll bet.” Logan reached for a cupcake slathered with vanilla icing and thin chocolate shavings. “Do you mind?”

“Of course not. Dig in.”

“I’m considering accepting the center project,” he confided. “What do you think, Mattie?”

“I think I’ve been wondering how long it would take you to come to your senses—you and Kate both.”

He laughed. “You don’t mince words, do you?”

She shook her head. “Never have. Just be careful, Logan. Don’t break Kate’s heart again.”

****

As the afternoon sun dipped below the horizon, they ambled through the town square sipping vanilla bean coffee, and ended up at the library again.

“It’s a beautiful building,” Kate murmured as she gazed up at the windows. Lights glowed inside, and she saw Mrs. McKeever stocking the shelves with books that had been shipped over that morning. “She’ll work all night, you know.”

“I do. She’s the only one I know who enjoys books more than you do.”

“They take me away to other places, Logan, and there’s almost always a happy ending.”

His gaze held hers. “Is that what you want, Katie—a happy ending?”

“Of course I do. Isn’t that what everyone wants?”

“I imagine so.” He stroked her hair and brushed his calloused knuckles along her jaw, making her shiver. “What would make a happy ending for you, Katie?”

She lowered her gaze. “I’m…not sure.”

“Brent came to see me a few days ago.” His gaze held hers, and he waited a heartbeat before he continued. “He asked me to spearhead another project in Mount Ridge.”