Need You Now (Love in Unknown) (33 page)

"Savory, I think." She leaned over to study the contents. "Do you make all of these?"

"Most of 'em." He reached in and pulled out a mild sausage kolache, quickly wrapping it up. "We have a few assistant bakers, but all the recipes are mine, so I like to try and do most of the work. Here you go."

Cady opened the thin bakery bag he handed her, sniffing appreciatively. "What is this?"

"You've never seen a kolache before?" He raised an eyebrow. He already suspected from her accent that she wasn't a native Texan, but her question just confirmed it.

She shook her head, dark curls dancing around her slender neck. "Nope."

"A kolache is basically a sausage roll made with a slightly sweet bread and cheese. I make my own sausage and add just a little kick to them." Putting twists on the bakery staples gave him an outlet for the creativity he didn't get to use much anymore. He had trained in New York City at the Culinary Institute of America and had worked his way up through New York's best kitchens until his mom got sick last year.

"Smells wonderful." Cady sighed. "How much do I owe you?"

"Mom'll take care of you at the register." He gestured over to where his mom sat on her stool, manning the slightly outdated cash register at the end of the counter.

"Thanks."

He leaned against the counter, watching her walk towards his mother. It worried him that he couldn't remember the last time he'd had more than a passing interest in a woman. In New York, he'd dated a few models and fellow chefs, but he'd never met anyone quite like his runaway bride.

"Pretty girl, isn't she?" The familiar drawl startled him out of his perusal.

Gage Maddox, chief of police and his best friend, must have snuck in while he was distracted by Cady. He sat at the table closest to the counter with his brother Caine, who also happened to be Micah's brother-in-law. The three of them had been best friends since Caine and Micah started kindergarten together. And where Caine was, Mel wouldn't be far behind. If he wasn't so happy for his sister, he'd be disgusted by how lovey-dovey the newlyweds were. You rarely saw one without the other these days. They'd been bad enough before the scare with Caine's ex last year. He knew Caine still worried if he and Mel were separated for too long. Not that Micah blamed him. He’d been scared shitless when he knew someone wanted to hurt his baby sister. He could only imagine what it’d been like for Caine, who’d just got her back.

Both of his oldest friends were chuckling at him into their coffee cups. "Nice too," Caine added. "Shame she's working for Finn McBride. That old codger doesn't deserve to have someone like that around."

"Finn's not so bad," Cady said, coming to stand beside the Maddox brothers' table. The men guiltily looked down at their cups. "He just isn't very good at opening up to people."

Gage snorted. "He's as friendly as a cactus and not half as nice to look at. Why do you think no one wants to go into that store of his?"

"Well, I plan to change that." Cady sashayed over to the open table beside Caine. "I spent all weekend coming up with ideas I've seen work in other small town stores. There are going to be some changes coming in the near future."

Gage raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You think you can just bat those eyelashes and get Finn McBride to do something to bring people into his store?"

"I'm not that naive." Cady laughed. "But I think I can convince him to give it a shot. I doubt he'll argue with it as long as he doesn't have to have anything to do with it. I'm sorry, gentlemen, but I think you have the advantage over me. I'm Cady Saunders."

Micah jumped in. "Cady, this knucklehead is Gage Maddox, chief of police, and his older brother, Caine. He claims to be mayor around here, but I've yet to see him do any sort of real work."

Cady shook hands with his friends. "You're Mel's husband, aren't you?"

"Only when I acknowledge him," Mel said, coming in the front door, her medical bag slung over her shoulder. From the dark circles under her eyes, Micah guessed his sister caught the late shift at the ER. Without a word, he poured some coffee and brought it to her. It didn't hurt that the gesture also brought him closer to Cady.

"Thanks for the help with Jax the other day," he said, when Cady turned her attention to him. "It's a rush to bedtime every night so I can read him his 'adventure book'."

Excitement lit the pretty blue eyes. "That's great. I love when kids find books that just click with them. There's more in that series if he wants more adventure books."

"Micah, you should show this lovely young lady around town," Mel said. "Lord knows Finn hasn't point out anything to the poor girl. It takes a local's touch. Micah here can show you all the good places to eat and tell you about town events."

His sister and his mom were thicker than the cannoli cream he piped earlier this morning, so he knew they plotted something with just a few looks between them. Unrepentant matchmakers, every month or so Mel or Emma found a new woman to herd in his direction. He’d secretly hoped they’d focus on Gage, but they just kept sending women to him instead. Most he politely steered clear of, but maybe he would give this one a chance. He'd been alone for almost a year now, even before Jax showed up. It might be nice to have an adult to talk to in a casual, friendly sort of way.

"You could go Saturday after the baseball game," his mom chimed in. "It's an afternoon game, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." He studied Cady, trying to gage her reaction to this small town interfering. He hesitated. Opening this door could lead to something great. Or he could find himself in the middle of another disaster zone. "What do you say? I coach the game at five. You're welcome to come along or I can pick you up from Finn's place afterwards."

Uncertainty lingered on her face, but she nodded. "Yeah, that would be good. It'll be nice to have a friend show me around. Finn is a borderline hermit most of the time. With the shop so empty, I'm actually beginning to miss conversation."

Micah didn't miss the slight emphasis she put on the word "friend." He didn't blame her. Whatever her story was, he knew she ended a serious relationship little more than a week ago. It wasn't likely that she would want to jump straight into anything. She might be just the type of woman he needed right now. Sweet, funny, pretty and not looking to be tied down anymore than he was.

About the Author

Taylor is a hopeless romantic who spends her days working for a great company and her nights/weekends doing the job of her heart. A devout follower of the Jane Austen school of thought, she’ll put her characters through a little trouble, but they’ll eventually have their happily ever after. She’s still searching for her prince charming, but she knows he’s out there, so she’ll content herself with fictional ones for now.

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