by Eileen Green
Since meeting his wife in this very bank, Dale Peters had to hire women that were unattractive because his woman was very jealous.
When they had begun to fool around after hours in various places in the bank when she was eighteen, she had already staked her claim on him. If a pretty woman spoke with him about anything, even something trifle, she pitched a fit, threatened to leave him, and told him never to talk to the woman again.
Dale was aware Peaches was only with him for his money, but high school was when he had peaked. Before he graduated, he noticed his hair was thinning, and not in an even pattern. Working took up so much of his time, he didn’t have to keep up with the gym like when he was in school when he had been a football star.
God forbid Peaches ever found out about Heather or Gwen.
The woman before him was scratching at a spot on her face, a nervous reaction to his questioning. “She doesn’t have an account here, sir. Miss Bowers came in to cash a check that had been written to her by an account holder.”
This questioning was beginning to become irritating. He didn’t like to interrogate his employees, but he knew it needed to be done to protect himself.
“I can’t refuse to cash a check when she had proper identification, and there were enough funds in the account to cover the check.” The teller was terrified, but she wasn’t going to back down. She had moxie.
There wasn’t anything Dale could do, as the teller had been right. He would have to let it go. However, there was one more question.
“Who was the account holder?”
“The account belongs to Siobhan O’Hanlon and Brian Hawthorne. Miss Bowers said it was for the wedding.”
“What wedding?” Dale asked, his irritation building.
“Why Miss O’Hanlon and Mr. Hawthorne.” The teller seemed giddy. “They’re finally getting married.”
The wedding information wasn’t important, but why would Heather be involved? That was the question that would niggle at him until he found out. And he wouldn’t be able to rest until he found out.
* * * *
The bakery was warm and the sweet spicy aromas swirled through the air. The combination reminded Heather that she hadn’t eaten breakfast before coming here. There were Danishes and fruit she could have grabbed at the hotel when she checked out, however, she knew they would be trying cake and she wanted to have room for it all.
Augusta’s Cakery was on the southern end of Kalispell, close to the Tipsy Tavern. The front part of the store had the typical display case with a curved glass partition showing off the donuts, cookies, breads, pies, and other baked goods the bakery sold. There was a wall behind the sales area that had a display area with shelves that held more breads, and a coffee station on the counter.
Bistro tables and chairs sat in the open area between the display case and the plate glass windows. Customers could come in and enjoy their pastries and coffee along with conversations together. Along one wall, farther away from the door opening, sat a larger table with several chairs around it. Heather discovered that was where the brides-to-be would sit to sample cakes.
Today, since there were eight brides, they took up most of the common area. Andrew and Jake, along with Running Wolf, and Ray Hawthorne were in attendance also. The first two had the day off from their grueling schedule as paramedics. Running Wolf and Angela’s baby had a doctor’s appointment he wanted to attend, and Ray, because he had driven Siobhan in and they had to work at the Tipsy Tavern this afternoon and evening. Also, a couple of men came to protect the women.
Coffee cups along with clear plastic water cups sat scattered about the tables as were the eight brides. Heather had ordered chocolate milk for herself as she wasn’t a coffee drinker.
Augusta came from the kitchen area in the back, flour and dried batter dotting her yellow apron. She removed the apron and handed it off to one of her employees before stepping up to Heather.
“Hello, again. Tell me what you are looking for,” she said as she moved around the bistro tables where Heather sat. A notepad and pen were already there, along with several binders with pictures of cakes in them.
The binders got handed out amongst the group and the brides-to-be began looking through them.
“Since the group is pretty close,” began Heather, “they thought they would have one general cake to go along with the winter wonderland theme. Then they wanted individual cakes that would represent each one of them. I wasn’t sure how to do those.”
Augusta had been writing as Heather explained what they were looking for, but then she stopped. The woman, who was a bit plump, leaned back in her chair.
“There seems to be growing trend for cupcakes. We could do a small cake, one that you could keep for your first anniversaries. It would sit on an upper tier, and below it, we could have tiers of cupcakes.”
“Would they be decorated for the wedding?” Angela asked from a few tables down.
“Of course. Whatever you choose for the top cake, we can decorate the cupcakes to match that. It’ll take a bit of creativity, but we’ll get you what you want.” Augusta picked up her pen again and doodled on the notepad she had.
The women were still looking through the books, all chattering amongst themselves.
“So, a cake that’ll fit a winter wonderland? How about something like this for the general cake?” she asked as she turned the pad around so Heather could see the design.
It was a seven-layer cake. The four main layers were all one color, white, assumedly, with glitter around the bottom third of each one. The three other layers were smaller and looked to be more for support than for eating. They were covered in glitter also.
Each layer sported two snowflakes of different sizes and designs, on opposite corners of the previous tier. At the top were three more snowflakes, larger than the ones on the layers.
To Heather the cake looked as if it was going to fit in well with the theme. “What kind of base will this sit on?” she asked curiously.
“We could form a stand of plexiglass and have…” Augusta stalled there, obviously thinking before she went on. “We could have blue glass beads glued to the plexiglass, and then have lights within the stand. I think it would look beautiful.”
In Heather’s mind, she could see the image Augusta was presenting. “Yes, I think it would look fantastic.”
Of course, there were eight women who had to approve of the design. Looking around the tables, she found all eight women listening. She passed the picture Augusta had drawn and let the women study it. They talked quietly to each other, heads nodding.
“Do any of you ladies have pictures of your dresses?” Augusta asked, looking down at the ladies in question.
Each of the ladies had saved the pictures they had taken of their dresses, but before they pulled them out, they gave the men in the group the evil eye.
There was hesitation in the men before they got up and moved away to tables nearest the door. They gave a disgruntled ‘hrmph’ in a good-hearted manner before they turned to talk amongst themselves.
The ladies, one at a time, showed Augusta the picture of their dresses. The baker flipped through a larger binder one of her workers had brought to her.
It was nearly an hour later by the time the ladies had chosen their individual cakes along with the cupcakes that would go with them. Now, it was time to do some cake tasting. The men returned to the tables and sat next to their women.
Discussions were made on what flavors to have their cakes done in. The general cake was to be a vanilla cake with raspberry filling. The buttercream was going to be white chocolate under the white fondant. The glitter was edible, even though Heather could picture it ending up everywhere.
A pang of jealousy shot through her. These women were getting the beginnings of their happily-ever-after. She had to wonder if she was going to be able to plan her own wedding in the near future.
Watching these ladies talking about their dresses, and cakes, and decorations was a sight to behold. That her mo
ther was in the group was even better. Gwen literally glowed as she spoke, her excitement nearly palpable, as were the other ladies.
Gwen deserved this, as she did the two men she was going to marry. After so many years of putting others first, she was getting happiness.
Looking around at the other women in the group, and knowing what they had gone through to get where they are right now, put a smile on Heather’s face.
Nearly three hours after they had begun, the consultation was complete, and everyone had put in their orders.
Cakes taken care of? Check.
Heather stayed for a few more minutes after the other ladies left to go over timelines and delivery instructions with Augusta. She liked the woman and thought perhaps they could be friends once this was all over.
She looked over the list she had in her purse of what she needed to do next. Flowers and plants were to be discussed with the florist in two weeks.
Her list was long and she had to hope there wasn’t anything she was forgetting.
Deep blue skies with large, puffy white clouds greeted Heather when she stepped out of the house, along with Matthew.
* * * *
The late August day promised to be beautiful for the drive in the countryside Matthew had set up along with stops for shopping, eating, and sightseeing. He knew Heather’s childhood had been less than stellar, her mother providing for both of them with not much to spare. Being able to take her to some of his favorite places was something he had been looking forward to for several days.
He knew she had been confused when he had told her the previous night to pack an overnight bag, yet she stepped out onto the porch with a duffle bag and her purse. He greeted her with a kiss.
“Hiya, babes,” he said softly after pulling out of the kiss. He could smell the vanilla of either her soap or shampoo, and decided that was his favorite scent. Heather and vanilla. His lips still near hers, he added, “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she replied, that blush he loved tinting her cheeks. He didn’t understand why she had such a hard time accepting compliments. “You look nice also.”
“Thanks. You ready to go?”
Matthew was anxious to get the day started because that meant the evening would come quicker. He took her dark blue duffle bag from her and started down the few steps toward his white Ram pickup, however, a masculine throat clearing behind him had him stopping in his tracks.
“Hello, Matthew,” Jake said as Matthew turned around.
The man was wearing a pair of low slung jeans, barely clearing his hips and he was bare above that. His messy hair told Matthew Jake had just gotten out of bed.
“Morning, Jake,” Matthew greeted.
It was always awkward meeting up with Heather’s soon-to-be stepfathers. Matthew always felt as if he was defending himself just being in the same room with her. Of course, if they could read his mind, he’d be in a helluva lot of trouble.
“You’re going to be extra careful with our little girl, aren’t you?” Jake asked, his expression serious.
A groan emanated from Heather. From previous conversations, she had expressed to Matthew how much she hated being called “their little girl” because of the small age difference between the three of them. Matthew took her hand in his.
“Yes, sir. Will protect her with my life if need be,” Matthew answered the way he knew Jake and Andrew would want to be answered. They were just protecting what they considered theirs until the right man came along and took Heather as his own wife.
“Call once you get settled in for the night, please. We just want to make sure you are all right.”
Matthew nodded. “Yes, sir.”
A feminine hand appeared from the darkness behind Jake, grabbed his arm, and yanked him backward. Heather’s mother could be heard reprimanding, “Jake Ramsey, you are embarrassing our daughter, and me! They are adults and they can…”
The door slammed shut before their eyes, surprising both Matthew and Heather, for they both began to laugh. When the door opened again, Gwen stood there with a light green sundress on, her hair disheveled as if she had just gotten out of bed also.
“Bye, sweetie.” She waved to Heather. “Love you!”
“Love you, too, Mom,” Heather said quickly, before the door closed again, leaving them to begin their day.
“Sorry about that,” she said as she turned toward the truck.
Matthew took her free hand and turned her back toward him. “Don’t ever be sorry for them. Jake and Andrew consider you family, and after what your sperm donor of a father did to you and your mother, then you are so lucky to have two dads who love you. Most kids don’t even get that.”
Tears glistened in her bluish-green eyes at his words. Did he overstep?
“That was beautiful,” Heather said softly. “I know you’re right.”
He leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose, and pulled back with a smile on his lips. “Your mom seems to have them on a tight leash though.”
Heather giggled. “She has to. Those two can be a handful.”
Matthew breathed in deep as he thought about the dynamics in his own house. With Kyle being the dominant of the threesome, there wasn’t as much kidding around as much as what took place in the house he stood before. But then again, Matthew tried not to be home that much.
“Let’s get going,” he said quickly. “Then maybe Jake will stop looking out the living room window.”
“What? You didn’t see Andrew watching from the window up above?” Heather sounded appalled.
Looking up, sure enough, there was Andrew in the window looking down on them. He too wore a pair of jeans and was bare-chested, though he had his arms crossed. A serious expression sat upon his face, as if trying to intimidate.
Stifling the chuckle that threatened to escape, Matthew led Heather to the truck. He opened the door for her and then put her duffle bag in the backseat. Once she was situated, he closed the door for her, hurried around the front end and got in the driver’s seat. Even though he hoped Andrew and Jake were joking, there was a chance they weren’t.
He headed south. In Polson, they stopped in at the diner and had breakfast. While they were finishing up, Glen, the owner and main cook came out to their table. After shaking hands with Matthew, Glen pointed to a chair at the empty table across from them.
“Mind if I sit for a moment?” he asked as if he had something on his mind.
“Sure, what’s on your mind?” Matthew asked, his hand seeking Heather’s across the table.
Glen pulled the chair over and sat. “I was wondering what you were planning on doing for the wedding?”
Heather smiled. “I’ve already got the menu put together and the cater is coming in from Helena. The venue has a full kitchen and they’ll be able to use that.”
Glen was a landmark in this town. He had owned the diner for over twenty years, and yes, he had been unfriendly for a lot of them, but he was still loved by most of the people in the wedding. Not being asked to cater the event seemed to have hurt him by the fallen look on his face.
White hair and a short white beard had him looking like Santa. He had lost a lot of weight in the last couple of years, but he had also fallen in love last year. The mayor of Polson had managed to not only claim his heart, but she was able to get him to play the iconic man in the Christmas parade last year.
Matthew already knew what Heather was going to say to him, but a thought had occurred to Matthew. He would discuss it later with Heather when they were alone. There was the possibility she’d say no, but she would first run it past the brides-to-be before she would give her final answer.
“Glen,” Heather began, her other hand seeking out the older man’s and covering it lovingly. “We didn’t ask you to do anything for the wedding, not because nobody didn’t want you. You are so loved by everyone, and they all wanted you there to share in the festivities, not working during them. I’m sorry that no one thought to explain that to you.”
Relief co
ursed through Glen for his body relaxed at her words. “I hadn’t thought about it that way.”
“I’m sure Gina would have told you, but she’s been busy sewing up a storm for the ladies,” Heather added.
“Yeah, I’m sure she is,” Glen said smiling. “But you better not work her too much. That is my grandchild she is carrying, you know.”
The man had taken Gina Lawton in when she was on the run several years back. She was running from a crime she didn’t commit, and one that wasn’t even a crime. Actually, she had been the victim, shot by her husband in the stomach while she was pregnant. A fire had broken out and she escaped, but her husband hadn’t. She was certain she would be arrested for murder.
When she arrived in town, she got a job with Glen as a waitress, but she wanted to be paid cash. Even Glen didn’t know she had a child until she tried to run away because Connor Lawton and Jared Pierce had eyes for her. She couldn’t let two lawmen take her down.
Not once had Glen turned his back on Gina. When her son needed a prosthetic leg because he had lost his invitro when she had been shot, the older man paid for it. He considered her a daughter. No one in their right mind would do anything to hurt Gina in any way in fear of retaliation from Glen.
“Angela is making sure Gina doesn’t overdo it, as I’m sure her men are also,” Heather said.
As the sunlight poured in from the windows of the restaurant, Matthew watched her as she placated Glen. The light filtered through the strands of her hair, creating a halo of gold around her face. He had to wonder what she would look like as a bride, and then as a mother. Would her hair turn white or gray as she aged?
He knew he was in love with her. The image he had of her as a pregnant woman caused his body to calm. The thought didn’t terrify him.
Matthew had pulled Morgan aside the day before and asked him how he knew he was in love with Lily. What he told Matthew surprised the young man. He said, “When you can picture when she’s pregnant with your child, and then picture her when she is old and gray, that’s when you’ll know.”