The Bear's Bride (Mail-Order Mates #3)(5)

Karen smiled smugly. “That isn’t from Loraine’s. That’s from Frank’s Treats.”

Amy clapped her hands. “A new bakery! Oh, that’s so great. You’re going to have to tell me where it is after you tell me more about this guy.”

“I just did tell you more.” Karen closed the folder and put it in her bag. “You’re not interested, though, so I guess I’ll just go home.”

Karen stood up and Amy jumped out of her seat. “Okay. Okay! Jeez. I want to hear more about this guy. You were right. Is that what you want to hear?”

“That’s good.” Karen sat back down and gave Amy the folder. “He lives less than an hour away. Isn’t that wild? He’s been this close the whole time. I bet we ran into him when we partied at the falls as teenagers.”

“I can’t believe this,” Amy murmured as she read the pages. He was older than she was and owned his own bakery in Sunset Falls. That was only forty minutes north of where she lived. She had heard of the town but had never visited. Why would she? It was a small town and not much happened there. The only thing of interest was the falls themselves. You didn’t need to even drive through the town to get to the falls.

“Olivia drove down on her way to the airport and dropped off the brownie and printout herself. There are directions to his shop on the back too.”

Amy nodded and looked at the picture again. It wasn’t like she had anything to do but write. She could drive down for a day trip and then drive home. If the guy was a total creep she could come home without introducing herself.

“His parents even gave him a name just like you have. Frank Franklin and Amy Alma. Come on, that sounds so perfect. You two are so meant to be.”

Amy licked her lips and finally tore her eyes from Frank’s picture. “Maybe I’ll go get another of these delicious brownies this weekend.”





Three


Amy checked her directions one more time once she got into Sunset Falls. It shouldn’t be hard to find the bakery but she wanted to be sure. It looked just like her hometown, really. There were a lot of ranch houses. The further from the business section and “old town” you got, the newer and bigger the homes got. She’d passed a very nice subdivision coming into town. Sunset Falls was a little better off than her town but not by much. Looking around at the people walking through downtown, she guessed they also catered to older citizens.

It was always an issue in spots like these. The warm climates attracted retirees. Somehow that also meant slightly more expensive homes than the norm. Amy herself couldn’t have afforded a home. Maybe at one time, but after the economy collapsed, home ownership was outside of her reach. She wondered if Frank had a house. He did own his own business.

She found the shop on the main drag and parked two blocks away. She was being paranoid but she didn’t want him to see her car. It would make her easier to follow. She walked the two blocks to the shop, smiling at people as she passed. More than one man looked her up and down as she walked. It helped to put a little pep in her step.

Amy had put on an extra ten pounds over the last year. The downside to being a writer was the sedentary lifestyle. She made sure to get out for walks with Max and Karen and that helped somewhat. The extra weight must not have made much difference if she was still turning men’s heads. She’d worn tight jeans and a V-neck sweater for the occasion. It was just cool enough for a light sweater and this one was one of her favorite items of clothing. The shade of pink set off her dark red hair and green eyes perfectly.

There was a very nice Mercedes parked in front of the shop. She took a minute to admire the vehicle. She wasn’t into cars or anything, but this one was slick. It had dark-tinted windows and was shining like it had just been washed and waxed. Whoever owned it really took care of their vehicle, or they could afford to pay someone to take care of it.

Nerves hit her hard when she put her hand on the door handle. She paused to take a deep breath. He was just a man, she reminded herself. He didn’t even know who she was, so there was no pressure. When she opened the door, the smell of coffee and pastries helped ease her mood. The store was so warm and inviting. There were little tables near the window, and two comfy chairs. The entire front by the cash register was dominated by a dessert case. There were no sandwiches on the menu at Frank’s Treats. This was her favorite kind of pastry shop.

Her mouth watered looking at everything. There were the brownies that Karen had brought her and so much more. According to Frank’s menu, the donuts were his best seller and a customer favorite. She would get a dozen for Karen’s family. The coffee smelled good too. She was glad she had brought her laptop. This was a perfect place to get some editing done. There were only three other customers in the shop. Mother, daughter, and son-in-law, if she had to guess. The two women looked similar, but the guy didn’t really match either of them. He was both too old to be the daughter’s boyfriend and too young for the mother. He also looked like a badass biker while the ladies were both clean-cut.

She rang the bell for service after making up her mind. To her surprise, the man with the women stood up and walked over.

“Made up your mind?” he asked her pleasantly.

It was him. The biker was Frank! She was completely thrown and couldn’t think of anything to say. He looked very different from his picture. Not in a bad way, but it was surprising. In his photo, he had been clean-shaven. Now he was sporting an impressive beard. His eyes and smile were the same, though. And he was big. Huge. Amy was no petite woman, standing 5'9" without heels. But the man behind the counter towered over her. And he was so wide. Her first thought had been biker but her second was Viking.