“Oh, Susie...you’ve got to work on your spice skills. You didn’t give me anything juicy.”
“I’ll remember that in the future.”
“Hey, I almost forgot the real reason I called. One of the teachers I work with is throwing her daughter a sweet sixteen party. I told her about Sweet Susie’s and how fabulous your desserts are. She’s going to call you later today to cater a chocolate party for her.”
“Wow, thanks. That sounds like fun. I can certainly use the extra work.”
“Welcome. Oh, and Suse...it wouldn’t hurt if you invited Casey over for dinner one night. He’s single, you’re single. Who knows?”
“Oh, no. Don’t even go there, Mindy. You’re not matchmaking for me. The last date I went on was a disaster and lasted all of forty-five minutes before I showed him the door.”
“That wasn’t my fault. I didn’t know the guy I set you up with was a-a....”
“I’ll say it. He was a grabby-handed sex addict.”
“I’ve apologized for that a dozen times. Besides, it would be different with Casey. You know him.”
Too well. He’d broken her heart once already. She didn’t want an encore performance. “Not interested.”
Mindy sighed melodramatically. “Most single women would jump at the chance to date a hot guy like Casey, but my friend only gets her jollies from a hot oven.”
Mindy was darn right. And that’s exactly how it was going to stay.
* * *
Casey thought after taming wild broncos half his life, he’d be used to confrontation. But the idea of speaking with Susanna about the sins of the past left a bitter taste in his mouth. Taking his little sister’s vulnerable friend in the living room of his home hadn’t been one of his proudest moments. The guilt weighed heavily on him. They’d never spoken of it. Susanna probably wanted to forget it had ever happened. How could he blame her? That night, Susie had come to his house looking for Audrey and some comfort. She’d been devastated learning of her father’s debilitating disease, knowing his life would be changed forever and death wasn’t far in his future. But she’d found Casey instead, and he’d taken her virginity. Tonight, he had to right the wrong. There was no doubt in his mind.
“Has to be done,” he said, his voice breaking the silence. The pup’s head shot up from his sprawled position on the bedroom floor. His tail wiggled and he rose to stretch his neck. His round chestnut eyes zeroed in on Casey. “Hey, I wish I could take you over there tonight, but I can’t count on that yapper of yours not going off.”
Charger’s head tilted.
“Don’t give me that pathetic look. You’re staying.”
The pup hung his head, walked around in a circle a few times and settled into another sprawl right beside the bed.
Casey smiled. Audrey had been right about one thing: Charger was good company. The grateful pup had greeted him as if he was something special when Casey walked through the front door today. After a long day of meetings, the pup was a welcome sight. Playing with Charger for half an hour in the backyard got his mind off work and off his last meeting of the day...with Susanna.
He tucked his blue plaid shirt into well-worn Wrangler jeans and buckled his belt. A glance in the mirror told him he’d need a haircut soon, but just a trim. He liked the longer style. Call it rebellion from his old rodeo days. There were still traces of the old unbroken Casey in him and he didn’t ever want to lose that part of himself.
He glanced at his wristwatch. Eight-thirty. “Okay, here goes,” he said. “Be good, pup.”
Halfway out the front door, he stopped short, turned and walked into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he stared at the contents. He had to get some food stocked; the fridge was downright depressing. He grabbed two cold beers and shouldered the door shut. “What the heck.”
He didn’t know if Susanna liked beer. He didn’t know much about her at all, really. Not Susanna, the adult. On a deep breath and holding the beers as a peace offering, he exited the house and walked the short distance to his neighbor’s house. Rapping his knuckles lightly on the screen door, he waited.
It took a minute for her to open the door. She stood behind the mesh screen, her eyes focused somewhere between his neck and shoulders. “Hi.” He kept his voice low. “Is Ally sleeping?”
“Yes, I just finished reading to her and she’s out.”
He smiled to himself as the image flashed of Susie sitting next to Ally on her bed, getting cozy and snuggling together. He gestured to the porch. “It’s a nice night. Wanna sit out on the steps?”
Her gaze flew toward the hallway and she listened for a second. “Okay. If I keep the door open, I can listen for Ally in case she wakes up.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
She stepped outside, and quietly closed the screen door. Casey waited for her take a seat. Of course, she hugged the farthest side of the porch steps. Casey took his cue and sat on the opposite end. Three feet separated them. It probably hurt her shoulders to sit so stiffly. She hugged her arms around her middle and focused her attention on the sky, a slice of the moon, the large cottonwood by the sidewalk. Anywhere but at him. “Would you like one?” he asked, lifting a beer her way.
“Oh, uh,” she glanced at the bottle. “Sure.”
She reached for it and his finger brushed hers as they made the exchange. Casey met her eyes in that moment and she shifted her gaze to the ground. “How was your day?” he asked.
“Busy, but good.”
“Get all your deliveries made?”
“Yeah, I did. Worked on the books and made a few more batches of muffins and cupcakes this afternoon.”
“For?”
“I have online orders too. I package them up and send them locally to three other counties. There’s just a handful of customers right now but I’m hoping to...” She shrugged. “Never mind.”
“You’re hoping to expand?” Casey guessed. She was passionate about what she did. Her nerves and whatever anger she held toward him couldn’t disguise her excitement.
“Open my own shop one day.” She raised the beer bottle to her lips and took a big gulp.
He nodded and took a swig too. “I remember you liked cooking. You were always helping your mother in the kitchen, but how did you get into this business?”
“I fell into it really. When Dad’s multiple sclerosis got real bad, I quit college and came back home to help my mother care for him. My mom was working part-time back then and she just couldn’t do it all. I could see the strain on her face and it was getting worse every day. My dad had good days and bad days. MS is like that. Every day was a new experience. On the good days, we’d do whatever he felt like doing, playing checkers, watching movies, occasionally we’d go on an outing. On the bad days, when all he could do was stay in bed, I’d dabble in the kitchen and come up with recipes for cupcakes. When visitors stopped by, I’d offer them one of my creations. Everyone seemed to love them and they began asking me to bake for their children’s birthday parties or special occasions. After Dad died, I—I—uh, sorry,” she choked out.
Her eyes clouded up with tears and she didn’t finish her sentence. One tear fell onto her cheek. Oh, man. Why’d he have to ask her about her business? Audrey had already filled him on some of her story. But was it a sin to try to get her to speak to him? Or even look him straight in the eye? Protective urges warred inside his acid-drenched gut. It was all he could do to keep from reaching for her to give her the comfort she needed.
To