The Bakers and Bulldogs Mysteries Collection: 20 Book Box Set

by Rosie Sams

  Kerry tucked the auburn hair desperately trying to escape completely from her hairnet aside, her expression solemn. “I’m sorry, Mel. I’ll try to be more tolerant.

  “Okay, good,” Melody said with a sigh of relief. “Now,” she went on, raising her arms much like a commanding officer. “To your work stations. Go.”

  Melody shook her head, thinking not for the first time that no other boss would put up with such squabbling from her workers. Still, both Kerry and Leslie had been with her since she first opened, and when push came to shove, they were like family. They’d made it through stressful situations at the bakery before, and they would do it again.

  Though she was doubtful that the restored tranquility would last, Melody made a mad dash for her office, intent on being productive during the quiet she was afforded. However, fate had other plans, and the bell at the front door rang before she could retreat to her office, and the looming task of the dummy cake.

  Two women entered the shop. Melody stopped short at the sight of Dorinda, the bride-to-be herself. She didn’t recognize her companion, a young woman with a brunette bob, and a keen interest in the eclair section of the display case, which she immediately began studying with rapt attention. Dorinda and her friend chatted together as they drew near the glass display case to study the wide variety of decadent pastries.

  Melody told herself that she was being ridiculous, lurking in the shadows, hiding from customers in her own shop. However, the fact that she desperately wished she’d made more progress on the cake before the bride’s arrival made her wish to trot right back to her office and tell Kerry or Leslie to help Dorinda.

  You’ll have to talk with her about the cake sometime, so it might as well be now, Melody reminded herself. Besides, you’ve made dozens of wedding cakes in your lifetime. This one is no different.

  Pep-talk completed, Melody pasted on a professional smile in an attempt to hide her nerves and stepped forward. “Well, good afternoon, Dorinda.”

  Dorinda looked up, tossing a lock of her salon-perfect strawberry blond hair over her shoulder as she straightened. Her blue eyes, already alight with the bride-to-be glow, were set off even further by the heavy make-up surrounding them along with the dark red lipstick coating her mouth.

  “Hello, Melody. How are you?”

  “Doing just fine. Is there something I can help you with?”

  “We might get a few things from the case,” Dorinda said with a slight laugh as her friend continued to peruse the sweets. “This is my maid of honor, Laurel.”

  Laurel turned her attention from the baked goods display at the sound of her name and offered Melody a nod. “Hello. I suppose you’re the one whipping up Dorinda’s wedding cake?”

  Melody forced an enthusiastic note into her voice. “Yes, I certainly am. In fact, your timing is perfect.”

  My, you are good at pretending, Melody Marshall.

  “I’m working on my decorating plans now. I would love for you to take a look so I can make sure you like where it’s going.”

  Dorinda’s eyes lit up at the prospect. “I have to admit that is just what I was hoping for. We just came from the make-up artist who is contracted for the wedding and had such a great time.” She clapped her hands together and chirped, “Wasn’t it fun, Laurel?”

  Laurel only nodded, and Melody wondered at her less-than-convincing reaction.

  “Well, right this way,” she said, starting down the hallway with Smudge and the two women on her heels. Melody led the way into the room, turning just in time to see the future bride’s reaction to her first sight of the half-completed dummy cake.

  “Oh, it’s beautiful! The colors are marvelous!” Dorinda exclaimed, moving in to take a closer look.

  Though she came from a highly influential family, Dorinda was just another excited bride like so many Melody had worked with before. She had nearly convinced herself that her previous fears had all been a waste of time when she caught the lackadaisical expression on the maid of honor’s face.

  “I love the flowers, Melody!” Dorinda continued to gush.

  “I’m so happy to hear that,” Melody smiled, relieved.

  Dorinda turned then to Laurel, her face still aglow. “Laurie, what do you think?”

  Before Laurel gave her opinion, Melody announced, “I have some samples of the almond cake we decided on using if you’d like to try it.”

  “Sure, I would love that!” Dorinda said.

  “If you’ll just follow me back up to the front.” Melody and Smudge led the women back down the hallway. The women seated themselves at one of the small round tables situated by the window while Melody acquired the cupcakes from the case.

  “You want to try one, don’t you, Laurie?” Melody heard Dorinda ask her maid of honor as she neared the table.

  Laurel shrugged. “Sure.”

  Laurel’s lack of enthusiasm gave Melody pause. It seemed very strange considering she was supposed to be the bride’s best friend. Melody had never been a maid of honor before but, weren’t they supposed to be a tad more cheerful and overly enthusiastic about every little thing concerning the wedding? “All right, here you go, ladies,” Melody said, distributing forks and cupcakes.

  “Is there a restroom I can use?” Laurel asked, ignoring the cupcake and fork completely.

  “Oh, sure. Just walk straight down the hallway where we just were, past the kitchen, and it will be on your right.” Melody had to admit she was glad to see the maid of honor go so that she could focus on Dorinda, who eagerly tucked into her cupcake.

  “Mmmmm,” Dorinda hummed after the first bite. “It’s delicious! I love the almond taste, and the frosting is perfect. Just the right amount of everything, just like the decorations!”

  “I used Swiss meringue buttercream,” Melody explained. “Not only is it less sweet than other frostings, but it withstands the heat beautifully, which makes it ideal for wedding cakes. We wouldn’t want any of the edible flowers melting.”

  “No, we wouldn’t!” Dorinda agreed, licking the frosting from her spoon. She shut her eyes for a minute, savoring the taste. “Wow, you really know how to do these things. I just know this cake is going to be a huge hit.”

  “I do hope so,” Melody said. “But, in all truth, knowing that you are pleased is what matters most to me.”

  Dorinda smiled, taking another bite of cupcake. “I want everything to be just perfect,” she said, her expression turning dreamy. “And you’re making that possible, Melody.”

  “Being a bride suits you, Dorinda,” Melody remarked. “You’re positively glowing.”

  “I’ve never been so happy before in my entire life.” Dorinda rested her chin in one hand, smiling absently. “I remember the day I met Robin like it was yesterday.”

  “How did you two meet? I haven’t heard the story.”

  Dorinda chuckled, her expression a bit sheepish. “It sounds kind of silly, really,” she said. “We were both in “The Night Owl.” You know, the 24-hour coffee shop? Well, I was working on some work for the travel agency that my boss needed by the next day. I took computer classes in college where I learned how to use Word, Excel, and such, but I was having a terrible time with WordPress.” She shook her head at the memory. “How web developers deal with all of that website stuff, I don’t know. But I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure it out and was getting so frustrated! It was nearly two o’clock in the morning, and I wasn’t even halfway done. I was so worn out and tired from trying to figure it out that I started to cry. I was the only one there, so I figured it wouldn’t bother anyone, and I just couldn’t help myself.

  “I was still crying into my coffee cup when I heard Robin approach my table and clear his throat. I tried to dry my eyes, but he had already noticed I was crying and asked if I was all right. Of course, I said I was fine, and he didn’t believe me. He asked what I was doing out so late, and I said that I was trying to get some work done. That’s when he told me that he had a case of insomnia and had decided to work on s
ome patient charts instead of just lying awake. He asked me if there was anything he could help me with, and I told him about my WordPress troubles. Turns out he’s a genius with that kind of thing and was able to fix what I’d been fiddling with for hours in a matter of minutes! He really is a genius with everything….”

  “Sounds like a fairytale,” Melody chuckled.

  Melody laughed. “Yes, he did rescue me. And when I think about the fact that in a few days… I’ll marry the man I love. The one I want to spend the rest of my life with, I can hardly believe it’s true.”

  “Well, you both have my very best wishes,” Melody said.

  Dorinda’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “Thank you. And thank you for my cake. I’m so excited to see it when it’s finished.”

  Just then, Laurel arrived back, showing no interest in her untouched cupcake. “Are you ready to get going, Dorinda?” she immediately asked.

  Apparently taken aback, Dorinda blinked, glancing at Melody and then back at Laurel. For a moment, a frown creased her brow, but she seemed to brush off Laurel’s strange attitude. “Oh, yeah, sure, we can go.”

  Once again, Melody was astounded at the maid of honor’s lack of interest in the wedding preparations. She wondered what their relationship was like because, in her experience, best friends shared in each other’s happiness. The disappointment on Dorinda’s face made her feel exceedingly sorry for the bride-to-be.

  Dorinda, however, pushed through Laurel’s rudeness and stood with a smile. “I suppose that’s it then. I would love to take a whole box full of pastries to go, but I’m afraid that wouldn’t do me much good when it comes to fitting into my dress.”

  The woman’s contagious, airy giggle made Melody laugh. “I’m sure you’re right. After the wedding, perhaps.”

  Dorinda assured her she’d most certainly indulge after the wedding, thanked her again, and left along with a very silent and distant Laurel.

  As Melody gathered up the forks and cupcake liners, thoughts of Dorinda and Laurel’s visit continued to linger in her mind. It had been the strangest wedding cake consultation she’d ever had to date, that was for sure. Still, she couldn’t quite put her finger on what had made it so odd. Perhaps Laurel’s lack of interest was just a part of her personality….?

  “Hey, Melody,” Leslie said, wiping her hands with a dishtowel as she entered the front room.

  Melody glanced up from wiping down the table, brows raised, dubiously. “Don’t tell me you’re coming to get me because you need a referee again.”

  Leslie waved off her boss’ words. “Relax, Kerry and I are getting along just fine.”

  “Glad to hear it.” After what had just transpired, Melody was most certainly not in the mood to break up another argument.

  “How did the consultation go? Does Dorinda like the cake?”

  “She seemed as pleased with it as any bride I’ve ever met,” Melody said. She paused from cleaning the table, thinking. “There was something so strange about her maid of honor, though.”

  Leslie’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean, strange?”

  Melody shook her head. “She just wasn’t excited about anything. Not the decorations, not the cake-tasting… It seems very odd.”

  “That is weird,” Leslie agreed, grabbing a snickerdoodle from the display case. “It seems like the maid of honor is always the crazy one,” she remarked around a mouthful of cookie. “You know, the one who is always going ballistic at the bachelorette party and making a big deal about every detail being perfect and stuff.”

  Melody released a wry chuckle. “My thoughts exactly. I can’t ever imagine Laurel fulfilling that role. She just seemed so...cool. Way too unbothered.”

  “You can’t imagine who fulfilling what role?” Kerry asked as she walked into the room.

  “We’re talking about Dorinda’s maid of honor,” Melody filled her in. “She doesn’t seem very excited about the wedding.”

  Kerry’s brows rose as she scanned the display case, taking down inventory on a notepad. “It’s not as if her bridegroom is a particularly lively one either.”

  “Why do you say that?” Melody asked as she made her way behind the counter. Working on Dorinda’s cake and then watching the bride eat her sample had prepared her taste buds for an almond cupcake.

  “Have you met the doc?” Kerry asked.

  Melody shrugged, grabbing a fork. “Maybe once. He seemed all right.”

  Kerry rolled her eyes. “Yeah, if you like your sweets with no sugar.”

  Leslie laughed at the analogy, licking cinnamon from her fingers as she ate her last bite of cookie. “It’s not like you even know him, Kerry. Who are you to judge?”

  “Well,” Kerry said. “He’s awful … dull. And… I don’t know…. There’s just something else I don’t like about him. Besides, I heard he didn’t even do that well in medical school—that he barely passed. I’ve also heard that he was fired from his last position, and that’s why he moved here. There’s also a rumor that he is a shameless flirt and that his dismissal had something to do with that. The only reason he’s here is because his father knew Dorinda’s dad a long time ago. Sounds like he’s more of a charity case than a doctor if you ask me.”

  “No one’s asking, Kerry,” Melody said, anxious to wrap up this conversation and get back to work on the cake. “Everything you’ve said is hearsay anyway. Dorinda is walking in a state of bliss, and apparently, she’s in love with him, so I wouldn’t worry too much. You’re not the one marrying him.”

  “Yup,” Kerry responded. “It’s her mistake.”

  Melody retreated to the back as her assistants continued to banter about Dr. Werther. Still, Kerry’s remark lingered in her mind. Between the maid of honor and the bridegroom, something just didn’t seem right.

  The whole affair had taken some of the joy out of creating the cake. After all, if the rumors were true and Robin was a womanizer and no good as a doctor, in the end, what difference would the appearance of the cake make? The thought so thoroughly disturbed Melody that she convinced herself it was best to put it completely out of her mind. With that, she returned to her work.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Melody rolled over, pounding the snooze button on her alarm clock with more force than necessary. She groaned, pulling her covers up closer around her chin. She’d been so absorbed with preparing for Dorinda’s wedding while simultaneously keeping up with the demands of the bakery that sleep had been pushed aside. The effects of her busy schedule were definitely beginning to take a toll.

  The wedding.

  Suddenly, Melody’s mind was fully awake though her body still protested at the thought of rising. She staggered to a sitting position, wiping sleep from her eyes, blinking owlishly as Smudge leaped up onto the bed, tongue out, tail wagging, and ready for a walk.

  “You’re far more ready for this day than I am,” she muttered to her happy pup, rubbing her behind her ears. “This is it.” There was no way she’d be able to go back to sleep now and enjoy it—too much to do. Besides, Smudge made it more than plain that she wasn’t going to wait around any longer for her walk as she bounded off of the bed, racing to the front room and returning with her leash, tail wagging vigorously.

  Once she was up, showered, and outside with Smudge, Melody began to feel better about the day. She and Smudge’s walks down Main street provided her with the exercise she was unable to obtain otherwise due to her busy schedule, and on a day like this, she was more grateful for it than ever.

  The pair walked at a brisk pace for nearly half an hour until Smudge finally slowed a little in order to drink water from a community dog bowl near one of the shops.

  Melody sat down on a nearby bench to rest. She took a deep breath, shutting her eyes both to soak in the sun above her and try to prepare her mind for the day ahead. However, her moment of tranquility was swiftly interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.

  “Excuse me.”

  Melody opened her eyes to find a tall blonde man stan
ding before her. At first glance, he reminded her a little of Fred from Scooby-Doo, a cartoon she’d loved as a kid. But this man appeared to possess none of Fred’s charisma as his face remained decidedly serious as he spoke.

  “Do you know where the Werther-Mitchum wedding is?” he asked.

  “I certainly do,” Melody said, rising. “In fact, I’ll be headed there myself shortly. The ceremony will take place in the event hall at the end of the street. Just head north, and you’ll run right into it. I don’t believe I’ve met you before.”

  The man gave a nod, still not bothering to crack a smile. “Thank you for your help, much obliged.”

  Melody’s brows rose in surprise when he turned on his heels and marched away, both ignoring her question and the laws of common courtesy.

  “Nice to meet you, too,” Melody murmured to herself. Smudge let out a restrained growl. “So, you had the same feeling about him as I did, huh, Smudge?”

  Smudge agreed with a high-pitched bark just as Melody’s cell rang. Alvin Henessy, the town sheriff, popped up on the caller ID. Though she was a bit hesitant to admit it, Melody had been growing steadily more attached to Alvin as of late and dared to hope that he still felt the same. She couldn’t keep her heart from skipping a beat at the sight of his name, a phenomenon that was becoming quite common when it came to the sheriff. It was almost as if she was back in high school with a schoolgirl crush. The thought had her releasing a loud snort before she answered the call.

  “Hey, Al,” Melody greeted.

  “Hi, Mel.”

  Melody could hear a smile in his voice, and it made her smile too.

  “I called to remind you that I’m picking you up in two hours. Need help getting things loaded in your van for the wedding?”

  “That would be greatly appreciated, thanks, Al.”

  “Great. I assume you’re at home now doing all of your primping.”