Fall for You

by Behon, Susan

  Fall for You

  Madison Falls, Book 1

  Susan Behon

  Published 2015

  ISBN: 978-1-62210-195-5

  Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © Published 2015, Susan Behon. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  Liquid Silver Books

  http://LSbooks.com

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  Blurb

  Sophie Brandon is in a bind.

  After eight years, Reed Sutton is back in town and back on Sophie's radar. Her high school crush is home to stay and hotter than ever. How can she avoid the gorgeous construction manager when she needs work done in her bakery?

  Reed knows he's overqualified for the simple renovation, but when it comes to sweet Sophie, he's the man for the job. Her kitchen heats up when one kiss leads to more and a storeroom mishap throws her right into Reed's arms. Once he catches her, he can't seem to keep his hands off of her…cookies.

  Small town gossip mixed with threats against Sophie are a recipe for disaster. Will history repeat itself or will love conquer all?

  Dedication

  I would like to dedicate this book to my husband, Brian. His love, strength, and support helped me realize my dream of becoming a writer. He never had a doubt that I would get published. Thank you for believing in me.

  He is also the reason I will forever believe in romance and happily ever after. Thank you for the inspiration.

  Acknowledgments

  Many thanks go to my dear friend, Tracy. Her encouragement and honest critiques helped make this book possible

  I also want to thank my daughters for pitching in when they knew Mom was busy writing. I couldn’t ask for better children.

  Chapter 1

  “Damn!”

  Sophie Brandon was in a bind.

  Hiding behind a stack of rye bread might seem odd to the average Joe, but Sophie was a true believer in self-preservation. Considering she absolutely hated the smell of it, her awkward dive behind this particular table was made with good reason.

  With a quick peek around the display, she confirmed that the good reason was still standing over at the bakery counter.

  After eight years in the Navy, Reed Sutton was finally home. While lying low behind the bread, Sophie admired the view from across the aisle. She had to admit, Reed had only gotten better looking with age. The current object of her secret regard was gorgeous, fit, sexy, and…ordering a cake?

  Along with ogling, she could now add eavesdropping to her stalker resume.

  Reed had been back in Madison Falls for more than six months and Sophie had yet to have a conversation with him. Given the opportunity now, she still had no idea what to say. After all, he was the one who got away, or more truthfully, the one she never had.

  Not for lack of trying, of course.

  Back in high school, Sophie wanted Reed with all the passion and hope a girl with a teenage crush could possess. She'd been thrilled when he finally showed a romantic interest in her.

  Or so she thought.

  Sophie's dreams of dating Reed Sutton were dashed the night his mom shot her down.

  It was cruel. It was loud. And it was in public.

  After that humiliating fiasco, Sophie couldn't face Reed. She was too embarrassed to even speak to him again. Those feelings still held true considering she was an adult using rye bread for camouflage.

  Sophie looked down and silently cursed her wardrobe choice.

  Just shoot me now.

  This morning, Sophie thought she would be working alone all day in her bakery. It didn't matter what she wore since no one was supposed to see her. Then, wearing a lime green, threadbare, “I'm a real M.F.'er” T-shirt, a joking nod to Madison Falls, seemed like a good idea.

  Now? Not so much.

  Add in the odd chocolate stain or two, her frayed denim shorts, and her slicked back ponytail, and her fashion disaster was complete. Sophie also had a vague suspicion that there was cookie dough in her hair.

  Maybe she could army crawl to the next aisle over?

  After taking another peek out, she found Elaine Newman blocking her escape route. Elaine was one of the town's biggest gossips. How long did it take a woman to pick out bagels anyway? Sophie mentally urged her to make a choice and go away already.

  In the meantime, she prayed for invisibility. If that old biddy saw her playing hide and seek behind the baked goods, it would be all over town in no time.

  This trip to the Madison Falls Market was supposed to be a quick supply grab, in and out, no problem.

  Sophie wondered what universal law stated that you always ran into someone you knew when you looked like crap. If she were dressed to the nines, sporting the best hair day ever, the aisles would be completely empty.

  Today wasn't that day.

  Of course, Reed looked wonderful. His broad shoulders were perfectly encased in a form fitting slate gray T-shirt. That lucky fabric hugged his well-defined muscles all the way down to his narrow waist. His dark jeans were loose but in no way baggy. The back pockets cupped his butt in a way that made her palms twitchy with a desire to do the same.

  He seemed confounded by the options offered by the sullen teenager working the counter. Reed folded his tanned arms over his chest and asked, “White cake or yellow cake? What’s the difference?” Before the girl could answer, he explained, “I’m supposed to get the one with strawberry filling.”

  Hearing mostly his side of the conversation, Sophie tried to make herself nonexistent. After what sounded like a few mumbles from the teen, Reed gave her an adorable smile and told her to pick a cake for him.

  Meanwhile, Sophie hunkered down, trying to avert her face while pretending to tie her shoe. The fact that she was wearing sandals didn’t help her ruse much. She closed her eyes and mentally repeated the mantra, “be one with the rye,” and prayed he would take the cake and move along.

  Nothing to see here, folks.

  Sophie never was one for luck. A shadow fell over her in the form of Reed.

  A deep, melodic voice drifted down to her from above.

  “Sophie? Sophie Brandon?” Looking up, she saw Reed peering over the table at her. His curious expression held a hint of amusement. “What are you doing down there?”

  Giving up any pretense of stealth, she rose to her not-so-stellar height of five feet two and a half inches, and faced him.

  Oh. My.

  Reed really was a beautiful man. He had thick, mocha brown hair cut close to his scalp. It wasn't quite military short since there seemed to be just enough to run her fingers through. His jaw was chiseled and slight dimples creased his cheeks. She imagined he smiled often. Thick slightly angled eyebrows drew attention to his mischievous, gingerbread brown eyes.

  Sophie tried to remember what she'd had for lunch. Her need for food was starting to affect her adjectives. Either that or it was the scents from the bakery clouding her brain.

  While she dreamily waxed poetic over the cookie color of his eyes, Reed cleared his throat and looked down at her in expectation. He was just a few inches shy of being six feet tall. It may have seemed on the shorter side for most men, but it was plenty tall for Sophie. She still had to tilt her head back to look up at him.

  Plastering on her “I meant t
o do that” smile, Sophie blurted, “Hi, Reed! I’m looking at bread.”

  She mentally facepalmed. I'm looking at bread? How inane was that? She might as well have said, “I carried a watermelon.”

  Lips quirked in a half smile, Reed asked, “Bread, huh? How’s that going for you?”

  “Fine. Just fine, thanks,” she replied, hoping to jump-start her brain. Sophie needed to add more syllables and seem somewhat interesting, or at least coherent. Normally, she was perfectly capable of carrying on her side of a conversation.

  Of course, normally, she wasn't talking to Reed.

  Sophie pulled it together and rallied. “Actually, I ran out of chocolate chips so I’m here on an emergency trip for supplies.”

  “You bake?" Reed grinned at the possibility.

  Sophie smiled in return. “Yes, I do. I'm the proud owner of The Cookie Jar.”

  His eyes lit up. “You own The Cookie Jar? I love your chocolate chip cookies!”

  Reed checked out her grocery basket as if hoping she had some with her. “My dad brings a box of them to the guys every Friday. I can't tell you how much I look forward to it.”

  “The guys?”

  “The crew at Sutton Construction. I took over management since Dad retired.”

  * * * *

  Sophie Brandon.

  After all these years, she was still right here in Madison Falls. With the size of the town, Reed couldn't believe he hadn't run into her sooner. Seeing Sophie now, it took some effort not to stare at her like an idiot.

  Of course, that was damn near impossible considering she was absolutely stunning. Time hadn't changed a thing.

  How could he not get caught up in looking at her? Her big green eyes were as beautiful as ever. She was so short and cute that she reminded him of an anime character. Reed didn't know if Sophie would like the comparison, but he always thought she was sexy as hell.

  Her sandy blonde hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. It was longer than she wore it back in school. Reed found himself imagining what it would feel like if she had it down and wrapped around his fingers. Stunned by that thought, he yanked himself back into the conversation.

  “…Fourth of July holiday so my usual supplier was closed. I've been so swamped with the extra orders that I didn't notice I was running low on ingredients.” Sophie was explaining her trip to the store.

  Reed got back on track. “My folks are having a cookout and I was assigned dessert duty. Mom wanted a cake with strawberry filling, so,” with a wave toward the cake box, “here I am.”

  Sophie's smile slipped and she began to inch backward. What did he say wrong? Reed scrambled for a different conversation topic.

  “Hey, you’re a baker.” She knows that, doofus! He winced slightly. “So, anyway, I have a baking question. What’s the difference between white cake and yellow cake?”

  It was her turn to look amused.

  “You mean besides the color?”

  Before he could feel like a complete ass, she threw him a bone.

  “Tell you what, cakes really aren't my specialty but I’m sure Tracy would know. You remember Tracy King? She's pretty much a cake guru now. I can ask her for you.”

  Tracy had been Sophie's best friend since fifth grade. She was also owner of King’s Cake in a Cup, her gourmet cupcakery.

  Reed wasn't that into the nuances of cake color but figured it was a good excuse to see Sophie again. “Great. Maybe I'll stop by your shop sometime and you can fill me in on this mystery of the universe.”

  “That sounds good." Sophie gave him a sweet smile. "I might even give you a complimentary cookie.”

  Reed leaned in and lowered his voice. “In that case, count on seeing me soon.”

  For Sophie’s part, she was in full retreat. She mumbled, “Okay, then. See you around,” before high-tailing it to the baking supply aisle.

  Reed let out a soft huff as he watched her go.

  Sophie. What were the odds?

  He headed for the nearest checkout lane and started planning how soon he could see her again.

  * * * *

  A few hours later, Sophie gave a tired sigh. She'd been baking since five o’clock that morning and it was already well into the afternoon. She filled what seemed to be a ton of cookie orders for a dozen parties and picnics, not to mention three family reunions and one birthday party.

  Sophie specialized in a variety of cookies, from peppermint fudge bars to orange creamsicle drops. Even with the wide choice of flavors, ordinary chocolate chip seemed to be the most popular. Considering how many times she'd followed the recipe, Sophie enjoyed the motions of mixing and stirring while letting her thoughts drift. They drifted toward Reed again.

  He didn't know it, but she'd seen him in town before actually talking to him today. Sophie smiled when she thought about the night she heard him sing at Sarah's Suds and Spuds, their town's local bar and grill.

  Her sister owned the place, so she and Tracy got drinks half price and appetizers for free. They made a routine of coming in to enjoy karaoke night once a month.

  On one of those nights, they were just getting settled at their table when she saw Reed on the other side of the crowded room. Sophie was so startled, she almost dropped her drink in her lap. He sat with his brother and another familiar looking, dark haired man. They talked animatedly to each other, and after a swig from his beer, Reed left his seat and went to the microphone.

  The spotlight was on him so he couldn't see her in the crowd. It was a free opportunity to gaze at him and she took it. The man was delectable. To her surprise, he was also an amazingly good singer.

  Interrupting her musings, Tracy came in through the back door. Their shops shared the ovens in the kitchen and were only separated by different color schemes up front.

  Tracy King was considerably taller than Sophie by a good six inches. Her shoulder length, chocolate brown hair, which was normally beautifully wavy, was frizzed up in a cloud surrounding her face.

  “I’m telling you, Sophie, if I have to hear one more time that it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity, I’m going to go medieval on someone’s ass!”

  Tracy had a way with words.

  She blew some fluffy strands off of her forehead and took a seat next to Sophie.

  Sophie began boxing up cookies and glanced over at her friend.

  “Hey Trace, I have a question…”

  “Yes, they're real.” Her friend was wearing a purple T-shirt that said, “Wanna Touch My Cupcakes?” She hadn't planned on leaving the bakery today either.

  “Not about those…” Sophie finished by waving toward her friend’s voluptuous figure. Next to Tracy's curves, her meager A cups had her looking like a twelve-year-old boy.

  “Anyway,” she continued, “what’s the difference between white cake and yellow cake?”

  “You mean besides the color?” Tracy offered.

  “Yes, besides that.”

  “Well, there isn't that much of a difference. Yellow cake uses whole eggs and is normally vanilla while white cake uses egg whites and can be vanilla or almond flavored. Sometimes the color has nothing to do with the flavor. Why?”

  “I ran into Reed Sutton at the grocery store and he wanted to know.” Sophie tried to sound blasé but wasn’t sure if she pulled it off.

  “Reed?” She raised her eyebrows at Sophie. “Your Reed? Did you two catch up on old times and such?”

  Sophie gave a little groan. “Sort of, but I looked awful so I tried to hide from him.”

  Tracy frowned. “Why?”

  “Did you miss the part where I looked awful? I imagined that when we finally ran into each other again, I would at least look human.”

  “Sophie, you always look good.” Tracy eyed her and noted the chocolate stains. “Is that cookie dough in your hair?”

  Sophie's hand flew up to her ponytail to check. “Are you serious?”

  Tracy shrugged a shoulder. “Okay, so you're not at your best now, but you're still cute. No more hiding!” />
  “It doesn't matter since he found me anyway.”

  Nudging her, Tracy asked, “Did he have Ben with him?”

  “Ben?”

  Tracy took her own stab at nonchalance. “I haven't mentioned Ben? Oh, well, he moved here not long after Reed. They work together. He comes in once a week to try my new cupcakes. He doesn't say much, but I'm working on him.” She laughed. “I might get an actual conversation out of him before Christmas.”

  That explained why the dark haired guy at Reed's table looked so familiar. Tracy tapped the table to cut off that line of conversation.

  “Enough about that. Let's hear it. Reed found you and…?”

  “And…he told me he runs Sutton Construction now. He might stop by sometime soon to get the cake answer.” She grinned. “And I might have offered him a free cookie.”

  Tracy rolled her eyes. “I'm sure he's hoping for more than a free cookie.”

  “You think so?”

  Tracy gave her shoulders a gentle shake. “Sophie, think about it. Why the hell would Reed Sutton care about cake?”

  Sophie wondered the same thing. “I don’t know. Maybe for future reference? Did I mention he was getting a cake for his mom?”

  Tracy made a sound. “Pffft. Butter wouldn’t melt in that woman’s mouth.”

  Admittedly, Dot Sutton had a reputation for being somewhat of a dragon lady. At least that's what the nice people called her. She led the Madison Falls Ladies Improvement Committee with an iron fist. Sophie was surprised she hadn't taken over the mayor's office yet.

  She had no idea how the woman birthed such easygoing and down to earth sons.

  Reed and Keith, his younger brother, looked a lot alike except for their coloring. Reed took after his dad, while in contrast, Keith was blond and blue-eyed like his mother.

  Not that it mattered. Those handsome Sutton brothers could make more than one woman in town swoon with only a smile or a wink.

  Sophie thought they got their personalities from their father.

  Since he retired, Jack Sutton spent all of his time fishing. More than likely, he kept his good mood by staying out on the lake. Of course, stopping by once a week for a few dozen cookies and cupcakes might sweeten his disposition too. She liked Jack. He was friendly and quick with a smile. Just like Reed.