Always the Baker, Never the Bride
Read Always the Baker, Never the Bride Online
Authors: Sandra D. Bricker
Always the Baker, Never the Bride
Put on a bib and let the drooling begin!
Always the Baker, Never the Bride
is full of sweet treats, fun recipes, and a surprise ending that will leave you smiling long after the book is finished.
—RHONDA GIBSON, author of
What’s in Your Closet?
Not for dieters,
Always the Baker, Never the Bride
by Sandra D. Bricker attacks the taste buds and heart, and doesn’t let go. Close your eyes, and you just might taste the award-winning creme brulee wedding cake that almost becomes one of the characters in the story. Bricker has created an ensemble cast, each character so unique and interesting that you’ll want to crawl right into the book and be part of every laugh-out-loud scene.
—DEBBY MAYNE, author of
Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida
and
Sweet Baklava
(coming March 2011)
Sandra D. Bricker’s
Always the Baker, Never the Bride
is like a high-end wedding cake—multiple satisfying layers. Unexpected filigree swirls distinguish this novel as one of both culinary and storytelling artistry. Bricker fills the pages with charming characters, an imaginative plot, and a reason to keep reading. My compliments to the baker!
—CYNTHIA RUCHTI, author of
They Almost Always Come Home
(Abingdon Press) and president of American Christian Fiction Writers
Always the Baker, Never the Bride
sparkles like a fine champagne. Sandra D. Bricker has truly hit her stride with this romantic comedy with warm, witty characters and a unique wedding destination hotel setting. I give this book 5 of 5 stars!
—BARBARA CAMERON, author of
A Time to Love
, first book in the Quilts of Lancaster County series (Abingdon Press, September 2010)
With a cast of zany characters, Bricker serves up another rollicking read in
Always the Baker, Never the Bride
. She’s a master at weaving humor and romance into some of the most unlikely characters you’ll ever fall in love with.
—ANE MULLIGAN, editor, Novel Journey
A delightful blend of humor and drama combined with recipe tips,
Always the Baker, Never the Bride
is a fabulous story that will add just the right touch of happiness to readers everywhere.
—ANDREA BOESHAAR, author of
Unwilling Warrior
(Realms Fiction)
Always the Baker, Never the Bride
Copyright © 2010 by Sandra D. Bricker
ISBN-13: 978-1-4267-0762-9
Published by Abingdon Press, P.O. Box 801, Nashville, TN 37202
www.abingdonpress.com
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, posted on any website, or transmitted in any form or by any means—digital, electronic, scanning, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations in printed reviews and articles.
The persons and events portrayed in this work of fiction are the creations of the author, and any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Published in association with Hartline Literary Agency.
Cover design by Anderson Design Group, Nashville, TN
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bricker, Sandra D., 1958-
Always the baker, Never the bride / Sandra D. Bricker
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-4267-0762-9 (alk. paper)
1. Confectioners—Fiction. 2. Women cooks—Fiction. 3. Diabetics—Fiction. 4. Hotelkeepers—Fiction. 5. Weddings—Fiction. 6. Atlanta (Ga.)—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3602.R53A49 2010
813’.54—dc22
2010009940
Printed in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 / 15 14 13 12 11 10
Special thanks to the voice in my head.
Barbara Scott,
you’re my editor/champion, friend, and sister-in-Christ.
DEDICATION
To the Girl Power in my life. By now, you chicks know who you are. And Rachelle, you’re the icing on the cake (pun intended). Thank you so much for
getting me
the way you do.
And to that little dash of Boy SuperPower. Thanks, D.
And to Candy, my personal assistant. Bouncing around my house with the ear buds in, she suggested I might like to listen to her latest CD. Michael Bublé, your
Crazy Love
album inspired so much of the spirit of this book. And when Hollywood comes calling to put it on film, there’s a part here for you, sugar.
All recipes contained herein have come from the massive card file of the late Jess Bricker. As sweet as the cakes, pies, cookies, and rolls she baked, my mother truly made me what I am today: a diabetic with a weight problem.
Contents
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Prologue
S
he just went over like a lopsided sack o’ corn. I tell ya, I never saw nothin’ like it.”
“Emma Rae? Can you hear me, honey? Emma Rae?”
Emma’s eyes fluttered as she struggled to open them. Her mother’s face came into focus just inches from hers, and she jumped.
“Here she comes, Gavin. She’s coming around.”
When Emma tried to speak, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, and it made a sound like paper peeling away from plastic as she wiggled it.
“What … happened?”
“You fainted, Princess.” Her father’s pale face moved closer into view, and he took her hand. Emma realized she’d never seen him so obviously worried.
“I fainted?”
“How do you feel now?” After she had spoken, he looked somewhat relieved. “Still a little woozy?”
“A little.”
She blinked a couple of times before she recognized the denim-clad form who peered over her father’s shoulder. The way it stood on end, Danny Mahoney’s wavy blond hair looked like a halo gone slightly berserk. His perfect square jaw clenched as he peered at her with those crystal blue eyes. Danny was the boyfriend Emma had dreamed about since the sixth grade. He was handsome and cool and just dangerous enough to make her parents worry and her girlfriends green with envy.
“Hi, baby. Whatcha need, huh?”
Gavin glared at Danny and separated him from Emma by repositioning himself. “Avery, why don’t you and
The Boy
,” which Emma’s father had insisted on calling Danny since their first date in sophomore year, “go and check on that doctor, huh? I’ll stay with Emmy.”
Just then an older man with a face like a bunched-up fist appeared from behind the yellowish curtain. His white coat and clipboard made him look a little like a butcher taking an order, but the stethoscope hanging around his neck provided the clarity Emma needed.
“How are you feeling now, young lady? Better?”
Emma tilted her shoulders into a shrug. “I guess.”
“Do you remember what happened?”
“Not really. Daddy says I fainted.”
“She went down like a sack o’ corn,” Danny repeated, and then he snickered and looked around for acknowledgment. The only hint of it came from her father’s menacing stare.
“What did you have to eat this morning?” the doctor asked.
Emma thought it over. “Nothing. I don’t know. Except some cake. And a candy bar after second period.”
“No breakfast? Any protein?”
“No.”
“Well, that appears to be the problem. Do you know what it means to be
di-a-bet-ic
?” He said the word in a slow monotone, like Mrs. Prentiss presenting a new vocabulary word to her class.