Summer Texas Bride

by Katie Lane

  With a newfound determination, she headed over to Ms. Marble’s. The poor woman’s entire kitchen was filled with cooled cakes, and she seemed more than relieved when Summer offered to help. While Ms. Marble frosted, Summer decorated. Piping frosting not only distracted her from her problems, it also soothed her, and she was quite proud of the finished products. She’d covered a bridal shower cake in perfect yellow roses, made a birthday cake that looked just like Elmo, and decorated a baby shower cake with a pink baby carriage on the top and baby bottles along the sides.

  “Those look beautiful, Summer,” Ms. Marble said. “I don’t know why you don’t do this for a living. You have an amazing talent, and you seem to love doing it.”

  “I do love baking and decorating.” She added another rose to the bridal shower cake. “But you can’t make a lot of money in the bakery business.”

  Ms. Marble laughed. “I beg to differ. I’ve been doing quite the business since I started. Too much business for an old woman, I’m afraid.”

  “I wanted to talk to you about that.” Summer set down the piping bag and washed her hands before sitting at the table with Ms. Marble. “I’ve been thinking about ways to help take some of the burden off you. One way is for you to hire more help. But even if you get more help, your business needs to be streamlined. The best way to do that would be to get a commercial kitchen with all the appliances. It would make baking in large volume much easier.”

  The more she talked, the more excited she got. “When I went running this morning, I noticed an empty building next to the museum. It would make a perfect bakery. Not only would you make money filling orders for the people of Bliss, but you’d make money selling to the tourists who come to the museum. You could sell coffee and beverages to go with your cookies, muffins, and cupcakes. I really think it would work.”

  Ms. Marble seemed a little stunned. “Well, that does sound nice, but—”

  Summer cut in before she could continue. “I know. You’re worried about the start-up money. But all you need are some investors. And I know for a fact that Dirk and Gracie would invest. And so would Carly and Zane Arrington. In fact, the entire town would probably—”

  A knock on the back door cut her off. Ms. Marble got up almost too quickly to answer it. “I better get that.” When she walked back into the room a few moments later, she had a big smile on her face.

  “It’s for you, Summer.”

  “Me?” She got up and walked to the back door to find Ryker standing on the porch stoop between Sherlock and Watson. Happiness welled up inside her. The kind of happiness she’d felt as a kid every time her father showed up. Which probably explained why she was a little snappy.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “When you didn’t answer the door I checked around back to see if you were in the garden. I saw Sherlock and Watson sitting here and figured you’d come over to Ms. Marble’s.” He held out a bouquet of wildflowers. “I picked these for you. I would’ve brought you roses, but Bliss doesn’t have a flower shop.” When she just stared at the flowers with surprise, he cleared his throat. “Umm . . . I thought they might make you feel better. But I guess it was a stupid idea. Flowers aren’t going to make things better, are they?” He started to pull them back, but Summer snatched them out of his hand and held them to her nose.

  “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”

  There was an awkward silence before he pulled on a straw cowboy hat that Summer remembered Dirk wearing. The western shirt and jeans were probably her brother’s too. Ryker looked good in suits. He looked really good in western clothes. “I guess I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing,” he said.

  She should’ve let him go. Men in western wear had always been her weakness, and she needed to be strong right now. But she wasn’t that strong.

  “Just give me a minute,” she said. After saying goodbye to Ms. Marble, she came back outside to find Ryker sitting on the swing in Waylon and Spring’s back yard. When she walked over, he got up and offered her the swing.

  She sat down and looked at the wildflowers in her hand. “You don’t have to act like I’m your girlfriend, Ryker. The flowers were sweet, but not necessary.”

  He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Sorry, but I’ve never done this before and I’m feeling a little mixed up about the right way to handle the situation.”

  For some reason, his honesty made her feel much less awkward. “I know what you mean. I’m mixed up myself. I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I heard you didn’t get home until after midnight. Did you go honky-tonking at the Watering Hole?” She had no business asking the question. Especially since she’d just pointed out that they weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend.

  “I wouldn’t call it honky-tonking. I was hoping a stiff drink would calm my nerves.”

  She pushed off with her feet and started to swing. “And did it?”

  “No.” He moved behind her and gave her a push that sent her sailing up toward the canopy of green leaves and clear blue sky.

  A giggle escaped. And she never giggled. He laughed and pushed her higher and higher until she was giggling like a schoolgirl. The tension she’d been holding since last night released—or maybe the tension she’d been holding for two years while she tried to make Seasons a success released. With each push, she felt lighter and more carefree.

  “If you push me any higher, I’m going to end up in the tree. Or sailing through the air.”

  “I’ll catch you,” he said.

  For some reason, she knew that he would.

  “What we need is something to take our minds off the possibility of me being pregnant,” she said.

  He pushed her higher. “Let me guess. You want me to help you set up the new website for Seasons.”

  That was probably a good idea. She could certainly use Ryker’s help—especially if she turned out to be pregnant. But swinging had proven that the best distractions were fun. And working on a website for her retail store didn’t sound like fun.

  The slamming of a screen door had her looking over at Ms. Marble’s house. As she watched Ms. Marble putter around watering the flowers that grew in pots on the porch, a plan took shape in Summer’s mind. A plan that would kill two birds with one stone.

  Or distract two worried birds and give a sweet old bird her bakery.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ryker wasn’t sure what woke him. He glanced at the window of Dirk’s guest room. Late sunshine spilled in through the crack in the curtains. He’d slept longer than he’d intended. Probably because he’d stayed up late the night before working on Summer’s plan for Ms. Marble’s Bake Shop.

  To say that Summer was a whirlwind when she got an idea in her head was an understatement. She was more like a tornado. For the last three days, she had dragged him along while she spoke to almost every person in town about her idea to surprise Ms. Marble with a bakery. Her enthusiasm and determination were contagious. Everyone she talked to wanted to help in some way.

  Zane was going to donate the building; Carly was going to help order the commercial appliances; Joanna Daily had a son who was a contractor in Austin and he was getting people to paint, put in marble counter tops, and redo the flooring; and Old Man Sims had a grandson who was doing the sign that would go over the front window.

  As for investors, Summer had found one.

  Ryker.

  He didn’t mind. The relatively small investment was more than worth it when it made Summer so happy. And he had to admit that he was enjoying himself too. It was exciting to start a new business. That’s what he’d loved so much about helping Dirk start Headhunters. He loved putting all the technical pieces together to get a company up and running.

  Although starting up Headhunters had been much harder than starting up a small bakery. He’d had to design software to match thousands of job searchers with employers. With the bakery, all he had to do was design a small website. But the thrill of making a new business successful was still there. Not to mention how much he l
iked to impress Summer with his tech knowledge.

  He felt bad about leaving Dirk to keep an eye on things in Dallas, but he was also starting to enjoy his forced vacation in Bliss. In the morning he’d stop by the diner before he headed over to Summer’s to work on plans for the bakery. He got a real kick out of the brassy Sanders sisters who squabbled the entire time they cooked. In the afternoon he’d stop by the gas station and play dominos with Emmett and listen to the man complain about how busy his wife was with plans for the Fourth of July parade and celebration. In the evening he had dinner with Summer and Ms. Marble. Ms. Marble reminded him of his grandmother. She was wise, kind, and comforting, and she made the best muffins he’d ever put in his mouth. But after spending time with her, he did have one concern. While she was energetic, she seemed a little too old to be running a bakery by herself.

  “Wy-ka!”

  The yelled name cut through Ryker’s thoughts, and he quickly swiveled his head to the side. Above the edge of the mattress, a mop of blond curls appeared, followed by two big blue eyes.

  “Wy-ka!”

  Ryker glanced around for help, but there was no one else in the room. Just him . . . and Lucinda the Scary. He looked back at her.

  “Wy-ka!”

  She let go of the death grip she had on the bottom sheet and reached two chubby hands toward him. He thought about closing his eyes and playing dead, but before he could, she wobbled and then disappeared. He peeked over the edge of the bed to find her sitting on her butt with her bottom lip quivering. Before she could let out a wail, he sat up and scooped her into his arms. The second he settled her on his lap, she grinned an evil five-toothed grin—another tooth had popped out in the last week.

  “Wy-ka!” She smacked his chest with sticky little fingers that smelled like maple syrup.

  He sighed. “Why me? Why don’t you like someone who’s good with kids?”

  She chortled as if that was the funniest joke she’d ever heard, and then she yanked so hard on his chest hair that his eyes watered.

  “Oww!”

  His yelp of pain got her to release him, and her bottom lip quivered.

  “Shh. Shh. Shh.” He started bouncing her on his lap. “It’s okay. You can pull my hair if you want. Just don’t start crying.” Her lip went in, and she squealed with delight and waved her hands. “Oh, you like that, do you?” He took her hands and bounced her even higher. “Obviously, you’re a daredevil like your Aunt Summer.”

  “I am not a daredevil.” Summer breezed into the room. She was wearing white shorts today that made her legs look three miles long and a flirty little top that molded to her breasts. She stopped when she saw Lucinda. A look crossed her face, but it was gone before he could read it. “I thought you were scared of Lucinda.”

  “I am.” He held out the baby. “Help.”

  Summer hesitated before she got a determined look on her face. She walked over and took Lucinda. “Hi, Sweet Pea. It’s your Auntie Summer.”

  Lucinda’s mouth opened, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream that had the hairs on the back of Ryker’s neck standing on end.

  Summer awkwardly patted her back and paced, but the baby only screamed louder. Finally Ryker couldn’t take it anymore and got up and grabbed his jeans that were lying on the chair. Summer’s gaze narrowed on his boxer briefs.

  “I thought you slept naked. Or were you just trying to be sexy and get me into bed.”

  He laughed. “I do sleep naked, but not when I’m a guest in someone’s home.” He walked over and took the baby from her. Lucinda instantly shut up.

  “Traitor,” Summer said. “I’m family.”

  He lifted his eyebrows. “But I’m Wyka.”

  “Whatever. She just must have a thing for cute guys.”

  He didn’t know why the compliment made him feel so cocky. It wasn’t like she’d called him handsome or irresistible. And yet he’d take cute from Summer any day. “So what brings you here? Let me guess, you have another idea for Ms. Marble’s bakery.”

  “I have a ton of ideas, but I’ll have to wait to go over them with you until this afternoon.” She looked nervously at Lucinda. “This morning, I volunteered to babysit my nieces while Gracie works at the museum.”

  “Alone?”

  She shot him an annoyed look. “Are you saying you don’t think I can handle my nieces alone?”

  “Yes.”

  Her scowl got deeper as Gracie walked into the room carrying a shipping box. “There you are, you little rascal.” She smiled at her daughter in Ryker’s arms. “I should’ve known you’d head straight for Ryker when I took you out of your high chair.” She set the box on the bed and took Lucinda. “I hope she didn’t wake you up.”

  “I needed to get up anyway.” He glanced at the box and saw his name on the address label. “What’s this?”

  “I don’t know. UPS just dropped it off.” Gracie turned to the door. “I better get back to Luana and Luella. We child-proofed the playroom, but two toddlers can still get into plenty of trouble.” She glanced at Summer. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay watching them for a few hours? Now that they’re walking, they can be quite a handful.”

  Summer got the determined look in her eyes again. “Of course I’ll be okay. You don’t need to worry.” But Gracie looked more than a little worried as she walked out of the room. Once she was gone, Summer glanced at the box on the bed. “Well, aren’t you going to open it?”

  “It’s probably just contracts Dirk sent me to sign.” Although the box looked a little too big for contracts. Curious, he peeled back the packing tape and opened the lid. Inside was another box with a picture of his father riding a bronco and Cord Evan Boots printed across the top.

  “Your father has his own brand of cowboy boots?”

  Ryker stared at the box for a moment before he took off the lid. A pair of brand new brown leather cowboy boots were inside. “It would appear that way.” He didn’t know what irritated him more: The fact that the boots were the first gift from his father in over twenty years or the fact that his father wasn’t just a rodeo bum. He was a businessman too.

  Summer took out a boot and studied it. “These are awesome. I hope they have women’s styles. I would love to sell these at Seasons.”

  “They just look like boots to me,” he said sullenly as he tossed the lid onto the bed.

  She rolled her eyes. “Would you stop being so childish about your father? I get that you don’t want to be best friends with him, but you don’t have to be so mean either.”

  “I’m not being mean.”

  “What would you call completely snubbing him when we see him in town? You act like the man doesn’t exist.”

  “As far as I’m concerned, he doesn’t. If he didn’t want me as his son when I was little, why does he want me as his son now?”

  Summer moved the box of boots out of the way and sat down on the bed. “I don’t know. Maybe he wasn’t ready then. Maybe he was scared. I’m not saying that he should’ve given into that fear. I’m just saying that I now understand how scary it is to become a parent when you’re not ready.”

  Ryker couldn’t argue with that. As much as helping Summer with Ms. Marble’s bakery had distracted him, there was still an underlying fear inside him.

  “Is that why you volunteered to watch the triplets by yourself?” he asked. “You’re facing your fear?”

  She got up. “Something like that. And I’m not watching them all by myself. You’re helping me.”

  Ryker opened his mouth to make up some excuse, but closed it again. “Okay. But if they start to attack, you’re on your own.”

  Two hours later, Ryker sat on the floor of the playroom staring at the chaos that surrounded him and feeling like he had been under attack. Toys, blocks, and books were scattered across the colorful carpet, along with sippy cups, pacifiers, and half-gnawed teething biscuits. The room stunk like poopy diapers, stale milk, and fear.

  The fear was all him.

  He couldn’t do this
. He wasn’t ready to be a parent and today had proved it. He couldn’t change diapers without gagging. He didn’t know Coke was not something you put in a sippy cup. And he didn’t know how to play Peek-a-boo without sending the girls into screaming fits—except Lucinda, who thought he was hilarious.

  “Psst.”

  He glanced over at Summer who was sitting in the rocking chair with Luana draped over her shoulder. Summer looked as exhausted as he felt. Her hair had Cheerios hanging out of it and there was a red mark on her cheek where Luella had pinched her. Still, she looked breathtakingly beautiful. She pointed at the baby. Luana’s eyes were closed, but just when Ryker was about to nod, they popped opened. He shook his head, and Summer released a sigh and kept on rocking.

  For a good fifteen minutes, Luana played sleep-not-asleep until finally she stopped opening her eyes. He gave Summer the thumbs up, and she carefully rose from the chair and carried the baby out of the playroom. When she returned, she flopped down in the rocker.

  “I think that went extremely well for the first time.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Are you kidding me? There was a moment when I thought those three were going to eat us alive.”

  She looked at him, and he expected her to argue or come up with a plan for how she was going to whip her three nieces into shape. But instead, she stared at him for a few seconds before tears welled in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. No sobs. No sound. Just a silent waterfall that broke his heart. She tried to wipe the tears away, but the more she wiped, the more tears fell.

  He was so used to her being strong. But now he realized that even strong people had a breaking point, and Summer had finally reached hers. He got up and pulled her out of the chair and into his arms. She strained away from him for only a second before she melted against his chest and soaked his shirt with her silent tears.