With This Cake: A Meet Me At The Altar Novel Read online

  “Anything for the best baker in the world! Kisses!”

  And before Lea could respond, Charlene hung up.

  With a long sigh, she tried to go with the flow and change of plans. A small tent was better than no tent and a golf cart thingy was better than having to walk the trays of cakes and cupcakes across the massive property.

  I hope it’s not hard to drive a golf cart…

  Pushing that thought aside, she knew it was time to get to work. The sooner she moved everything inside, the sooner she could get to work on the next round of icing cupcakes.

  But first she made herself a cup of coffee with her new Keurig.

  After a few sips, she stepped outside and made her way over to the van and began the long task of getting everything unloaded and set up in the trailer.

  The extra pans and trays went in first, followed by all of the dry ingredients. Once they were situated and she was happy with their placement, she took a small break to finish her coffee. Moving the baked goods was always a little more time-consuming–especially when she was alone–because she believed in being overly cautious.

  Rubbing her hands together, she stepped back outside and grabbed the tray with several layers of cake. They went right into the walk-in before she went out and repeated it with the second tray. After that, it was time for the cupcakes. She glared at the fifteen trays and knew it meant fifteen more trips from the van to the trailer.

  “I am so going to eat a few of these when I’m done,” she promised herself before wondering if she should have packed herself a lunch or if she should call one of her assistants and ask them to bring something with them. “I’ll decide that when this mess is done.”

  Stepping back into the van, she grabbed the first tray of undecorated cupcakes. Each tray held thirty-five cupcakes and she counted one hundred steps from the van to the refrigerator.

  I better lose some weight after this.

  By the tenth tray, her arms felt a little like limp noodles, but she was determined to finish bringing them all in before allowing herself to take a break. It wasn’t until she got to the last two trays which held the frosted cupcakes that she groaned.

  “You are my Everest,” she grumbled as she carefully backed out of the van with one tray. Her steps were slow, her arms were shaking, and she wished there were a way to bring them both in at the same time.

  Once her feet hit the pavement, she turned and went to walk around the van when something large and hard banged into her. Cupcakes went flying everywhere as she cried out, losing her balance and falling flat on her butt. The momentum kept her going until she banged her head. “No!”

  “Son of a bitch!”

  All of the breath had been knocked out of her and she swore she was seeing stars. There was icing all over her arms and even some on her face and Leanna wanted to cry. She had been so close to having everything done. What the heck had she walked into?

  Suddenly there was a face hovering over her. “Oh, shit! Are you okay?” he was saying and for the life of her, she couldn’t quite focus. Her head was spinning and it took her a minute to get her bearings. “Here, let me help you up.”

  “Um…”

  “Did you hit your head? Please tell me you didn’t hit your head. I really don’t want to call a doctor.”

  Whoever this guy was, he certainly was a little unfeeling.

  Reaching behind her, Leanna felt her head and it hurt a little but she didn’t think she’d banged it too hard. Her butt hurt more than anything and there was no way she was going to share that information with him. He was holding out his hand to her and she had no choice but to take it, but as he pulled her to her feet, she groaned.

  And he cursed.

  Charming.

  “Where are you hurt?” he demanded with very little patience and that simply made her snap.

  “Everywhere, you jerk! Look at me! I’m wearing most of that tray of cupcakes thanks to you!” Looking down at herself, she wanted to cry. There was frosting all over her, she skinned her elbows, and her butt still hurt. She was ready to yell some more when she looked up and…

  He was quite possibly the most attractive man she had ever seen.

  Jet black hair, strong jaw, and eyes so blue they were almost as dark as his hair. Her breath caught and she felt a little dizzy.

  Wow…I never had this kind of reaction to a guy before…

  Then she realized it wasn’t the guy.

  Everything started to spin right before it all went black.

  Brody looked around frantically before scooping her up in his arms.

  Okay, now what?

  Before he could second-guess himself, he stalked toward the back entrance to the house and said a thankful prayer that no one happened to be around. Taking the stairs two at a time, he got up to the third floor and raced into his room where he put her down on his bed before he started to have a full-on panic attack.

  This was the baker–Charlene’s cousin–and he’d somehow managed to knock her out.

  That was a new one–even for him.

  Running to the en suite, he grabbed a couple of washcloths and wet them down before going back to the bed. He wiped the frosting from her face and arms and then placed a cool cloth on her forehead.

  “Um…hey,” he said softly. “Can you hear me?” Then he cursed because he had no idea what to do in this situation. If she didn’t wake up soon, he was definitely going to have to call a doctor and then his whole family would be like an angry mob chasing him off the property because he’d broken the baker and ruined dessert.

  Although…to be fair…he might not have been watching where he was jogging, but she wasn’t paying attention either so…

  Great plan. Blame the unconscious woman…

  She started to move and relief nearly brought him to his knees. One manicured hand slowly reached up to move the washcloth before her eyes opened. Brody stood back and held his breath.

  She looked around in confusion before her gaze rested on him. “Where am I?”

  Please don’t be amnesia…please don’t be amnesia…

  “Um…you fainted outside so I brought you in here,” he explained. “I’m Brody, by the way.”

  Slowly, she tried to sit up and he immediately rested his hand on her back to help her. “Thank you,” she whispered as she continued to look around.

  Clearing his throat, he asked, “And you are…?”

  “Oh, right. I’m Leanna Baker.”

  He frowned because there was no way he heard her right. “You’re Leanna the baker?”

  Nodding, she let out a soft laugh. “Yup, and also Leanna Baker as in…that’s my last name.”

  With a curt nod, he said, “It’s nice to meet you.” Then he kept staring at her, waiting to see how injured she was.

  “You know, I don’t think you’re supposed to move someone with a head injury.”

  Brody knew his eyes went wide and he suddenly felt like the world’s biggest idiot. Of course you’re not supposed to move someone with a head injury! What the hell was he thinking? “Shit! I didn’t even think of that!” Moving closer, he knelt next to the bed. “I should call a doctor.” Another muttered curse. “This is all my fault and everyone’s going to kill me, but I still should have called a doctor.”

  Standing, he began to pace, the entire time mumbling to himself about what an inconsiderate ass he was and how he might as well start packing because any minute now, he was going to get thrown out of the house.

  Leanna’s hand on his shoulder made him jump. “Holy crap! You scared me!”

  She laughed and it was a soft, lyrical sound. If he wasn’t so annoyed and freaked out right now, he might actually appreciate it.

  “You’re kind of worrying me,” she said, staring hard at him. “I’m the one that’s hurt but it sounds like you need more help than I do.”

  Was this woman for real? “I do not need help. Maybe you hit your head harder than you thought.”

  She flinched slightly as she reached up an
d rubbed the back of her head and he felt like a big bully.

  “Hey,” he said, softer this time. “I’m sorry.” Leading her back over to the bed, he helped her sit. “Do you want some ice or some ibuprofen or would you like me to call a doctor? Whatever it is you need, just let me know.”

  The look she gave him told him she didn’t quite trust him, but she gave him a weak smile. “Honestly, the ice and ibuprofen would be great, but I really need to get back down to my van and the cupcakes. I’m down a tray now and I’m supposed to have them ready for the event team to set them up by three this afternoon. I was just getting set up and have to jump right in or they won’t be ready in time.”

  When she stood back up, Brody wasn’t sure if he should let her or demand she rest a little longer.

  “How about this,” he suggested when she went to walk away. “You go down to the trailer and I’ll go grab you the other stuff you need.”

  “Um…”

  “And then I’ll help you clean everything up and make more cupcakes,” he blurted out and had no idea where that came from.

  Now it was Leanna’s eyes going wide. “That’s really not necessary, Brady.”

  “It’s Brody, and yes, it is.”

  Indecision was written all over her face. “What I really need is to wash up before I go and deal with all that cake, but I hate leaving it all out there for this long.” Then she paused. “How long was I out for?”

  “Just a few minutes,” he assured her.

  “Oh. Okay.” She reached up and fussed with her hair which was in a messy bun and Brody wasn’t sure if it looked like that before she fell or as a result of it.

  “You’re more than welcome to use my bathroom to freshen up,” he offered. “Take your time and I’ll meet you downstairs, okay?”

  She hesitated and bit her lip before she gave him a shy smile. “This house is so darn big and I have no idea where we are in it. Would you mind just waiting with me while I wash up? Please?”

  “Sure. No problem.” Then he showed her where to go and closed the door behind him to give her some privacy. And while she was doing that, he quickly changed out of his jogging clothes and into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He would have loved to take a shower but he needed to make things right with Leanna to avoid the entire King family hunting him down.

  His shower could wait.

  Looking over a couple of business reports could wait.

  And going anywhere near the party preparation side of the property could wait.

  Well, with the exception of helping Leanna.

  Which hopefully wouldn’t take too long.

  Five minutes later, she emerged and smiled at him. “Thank you so much. I feel a lot better already.”

  “Still want the ice and ibuprofen?”

  She nodded. “Just to play it safe.” Pausing, she looked around his room. “Are we in the main house or is this some other part of the estate?”

  Laughing softly, he led her from the bedroom, through his living room, and then out into the hall–thankful again that no one was around.

  “It’s all part of the main house and I think my mother mentioned you’re going to be staying here too.”

  She nodded again as they started down the stairs. “No one told me where I would be staying, but my bags are in the van and I guess I’ll bring them in later.”

  Brody made a mental note to bring them in for her because there was only one other set of rooms in his wing on the third floor, so he knew that’s where she would be staying.

  And hopefully she’d stay out of his way because after this nightmare of a meeting, he didn’t want any reminders of it for the rest of the weekend.

  When they finally reached the main floor, Leanna stopped and put her hand over her chest. “Oh, my goodness. That is quite the walk and that was going down! I don’t even want to think about climbing up at the end of the day. Or when I have to bring in my luggage!” She was smiling as she said it, but he imagined it wasn’t exactly an ideal situation for her.

  “There’s an elevator you can use.” Pausing, he watched as her mouth dropped open. “Yeah, um…if you follow this hallway around the back here, you’ll see the double doors that open to it.”

  “Thank God!” Laughing, she started to walk again and he followed her back out of the house and over to her van. No one had come around because it was the same mess they left earlier. And he watched as she immediately went to work picking up ruined cupcakes and placing them in the tray they had fallen from.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said as he turned to go back inside, but felt mildly guilty leaving her at all. It was a no-win situation and he knew the sooner he got what she needed, the sooner he could help her.

  “Brody!” his mother called. “What are you up to, darling?”

  He didn’t slow down as he grabbed a plastic sandwich bag and filled it with ice and then went in search for the pain killers. “Hey, Mom! Just going out to help the baker with some stuff.”

  She arched one perfectly shaped brow at him. “Really?” Then her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

  Dammit…

  “I saw her moving a bunch of stuff by herself and offered to give her a hand. She mentioned having a bit of a headache so I told her I’d grab her some…” He shook the bottle of pills at her.

  “That’s very sweet of you. I should probably go out and say hello and let her know where she’ll be staying…”

  Brody stepped in front of her before she could go more than two feet. “She’s staying up in the rooms next to mine, right?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “I’ll let her know and I’ll help her with her bags,” he said quickly. “I’m sure you have a million things to do, so I’ll handle Leanna.”

  A slow smile played at her lips. “Oh, you will, will you?”

  He nodded.

  She hummed as she reached up and cupped his cheek. “It’s nice to see you getting so involved, Brody. It means a lot to me. To all of us.”

  Again, all he could do was nod because he really needed to get back outside.

  “Go help Leanna and I’ll see you later.”

  He kissed her on the cheek and watched her walk away before turning and running from the kitchen and back out to Leanna and the mess.

  But when he stepped outside, all remnants of the cupcake carnage were gone. He walked around the back of the van and saw it was empty. Then he made his way over to the trailer and stepped inside and saw Leanna standing in the far corner. Her back was to him and if he didn’t know any better, he’d swear she was crying.

  Guilt washed over him as he made his way over to her; as he got closer, he confirmed she was crying.

  “Hey,” he said cautiously. “Everything okay?”

  She didn’t turn around but she shook her head. Her hands covered her face briefly and she quickly wiped away her tears. “Sorry,” she murmured. “I think it all just hit me and I needed to get that out so I can move forward.”

  When she still didn’t turn around, he placed the ice and bottle of ibuprofen on the stainless-steel counter and gently grasped her shoulders to turn her around. Her eyes were red, her skin was a bit splotchy, and he quickly realized two things.

  First, she was almost as tall as he was.

  Okay, she wasn’t six feet tall, but she was definitely taller than most women he knew.

  And second, she was actually very pretty.

  Splotchy skin and all.

  Slowly–and with eyes never leaving hers–he pulled her in close and loosely held her because she looked like she needed it.

  They stood like that for several minutes and Brody hated the silence. “Um…I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do or say here…”

  Her face was pressed against his shoulder as she let out a shuddery sigh. “I’m so embarrassed. This is beyond unprofessional.” When she went to move away, his arms tightened around her and she didn’t even fight it. He heard her let out a few long breaths before she looked up at him. “Thanks. I
think I’m okay now.”

  Unable to help himself, he reached up and gently felt the back of her head. Her soft hiss told him he found where she was hurt and he reached around with his free hand and grabbed the bag of ice and carefully placed it over the small lump.

  “It’s really not so bad,” she said, her voice no more than a whisper. “I didn’t land on my head initially, so…I think it’s okay.”

  Normally he would agree, but…he didn’t want to take any chances.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  He nodded.

  “You were really upset earlier. I’d like to think it wasn’t personal, but…”

  There was no point in lying to her; he already knew she had been filled in on what had happened between him and his family last weekend.

  “Let’s just say I’ve been warned about not doing anything to mess up this party in any way, shape, or form. So ruining a batch of cupcakes and knocking the baker unconscious…”

  It was her turn to nod. “Ah. Gotcha.” She offered him another weak smile. “Sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “For upsetting you like that. I’m sure the last thing you need right now is more stress. It seems to me like your family is already putting enough of that on you.”

  All Brody could do was stare. Was she serious?

  “Leanna, I was the one who wasn’t looking where I was going. I was jogging and looking at my watch reading an email and ran into you. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

  Dammit! He hadn’t meant to admit to that.

  Her smile grew a little. “Do you often jog around knocking people over?”

  She was teasing him? Really?

  Her hand reached back to secure the bag of ice and Brody lowered his arm so it was around her waist again. “Listen, um…I meant what I said before. I’m going to help you with the cupcakes. Just tell me what I need to do and I’ll do it.”

  She was about to answer when someone opened the trailer door and stepped in.

  His mother.

  Brody hung his head and groaned.

  “Well,” she sang with a knowing grin. “You two look cozy! I’m not interrupting, am I?”

  Chapter 3