Bad to the Scone

Scottie Ramone is living the life she always dreamed about. She’s back in her wonderful hometown of Ripple Creek. Her bakery business is thriving, and she has a wonderful baker’s assistant, Jack Lucas. To top it all off, she has a marvelous boyfriend, gothic thriller novelist, Cade Rafferty. Admittedly, there is still a touch of awkward tension between Scottie and her longtime crush, Ranger Dalton Braddock, but they’ve worked things out … mostly. The winter snow has melted, spring is in the air and soon a rush of summer tourists will fill the town and gobble up her bakery goodies.

When one of the locals, Roberta Schubert, decides to reopen her mother’s old teahouse and sell what she calls “traditional scones” she boasts that she might just take a bite out of Scottie’s business. Scottie isn’t too worried until Roberta sells her scones at a yard sale and people love them. When Roberta is murdered, Scottie starts a list of possible killers and there are plenty. In the meantime, Ranger Braddock has started his own list, and one of the names on the list is a real stunner …

The evening mountain sky was flecked with silver stars, and it looked so vast you could easily believe that the universe went on forever. The spring night was laced with whispers of fresh pine and perfumy lilac and earthy moss … and the familiar, much-loved scent of Cade's soap. It was earthy and comforting, at least to me, because it always surrounded me whenever I was wrapped in his arms. We'd dragged a blanket, some wine and a board loaded with cheese, crackers, nuts and grapes out to his back deck for a picnic under the stars. After nibbling cheese and sipping wine, I'd settled myself between his legs, so I could use him as both a backrest and a coat. His big arms held me in place, providing me with shelter from the air that had dropped precipitously in temperature once the sun had signed off for the night.

I twisted my face and peered up at him. He had a pensive, contemplative look on his face as he stared up at the night sky.

"What's on your mind, Mr. Rafferty? You look very deep in thought. Contemplating the meaning of your existence in this universe?"

Cade chuckled and tightened his arms around me, and I snuggled closer to his comforting warmth. "Nothing quite so philosophical, I'm afraid. I was thinking about that old song by Jim Croce, the one about 'time in a bottle.' Every once in a while, I land myself in a perfectly amazing situation, like now, with you here in my arms under this incredible sky, and I always have the same thought. How do I capture this moment in a bottle? That way I could put it on a shelf, and when I'm feeling irritated or sad, I could take the bottle down, open it and revisit this moment."

"See, that was far more philosophical than you give yourself credit for. It was also a little Roald Dahl-ish. His character Big Friendly Giant keeps dreams in a jar, then he blows them into the rooms of sleeping children." I took his hands and snugged his arms even tighter around me like I might do with the ends of a shawl. "But your plan is much more romantic." A breeze ruffled the surrounding trees. Even wrapped in his warmth, I shivered. The calendar said it was spring, but it always came a little slower to the higher elevations. Stubborn patches of snow were still piled between tufts of new, green grass and wildflowers in Cade's garden. Cade had inherited a vast estate with tons of land and a mansion built a century before by his great grandfather, Arthur Gramby. By the time the property landed in Cade's hands, Arthur's dream home had lost most of its grandeur and sheen … as well as many windows and shingles. Cade was slowly bringing the home and surrounding gardens back to their former glory.

"I'm thinking we should move this picnic inside," Cade said. "It's getting cold, and I have something—I bought you something," he said, almost shyly, and if there was one thing Cade Rafferty lacked, it was shyness.

I reluctantly left his arms, and we worked together to gather up our picnic supplies. My mind poked around trying to guess what he'd bought me. I was like a kid shaking gifts under the tree (but more sophisticated). We rarely bought each other things, mostly because neither of us needed much. I'd never been the type who needed to be showered with flowers and candy (although candy I never turned down) and Cade liked the simple life. He bought the occasional nice sweater and new pair of hiking boots, but most of his money went into restoring the house.

I carried the cheese tray and wine inside, and Cade went through to his sitting room to spread out the blanket. The massive stone fireplace was dark tonight, but during the winter months, when snow fell from the sky, we always settled in front of a roaring fire with our mugs of cocoa. The room was lined with tall windows that looked out over the back of the property. Cade's restoration project had focused on the front tiered gardens, the ones leading up to the house from the road, but the back of the property was wild and overgrown and dotted with spruce, pine and ash trees. Cade had decided to leave it like that, natural, so elk, deer and even moose frequently wandered through the property. The big windows provided the perfect lookout, so he could watch the animals in their natural habitat without human interference.

I settled myself back down on the blanket. Cade still had an unusually coy look on his face. "Be right back." He left the room.

And then it hit me—a ring? Was Cade planning to propose? For a second, a thrill went through me, then a whole slew of emotions tangled up into a ball in my chest. Did I want a ring? I loved Cade. There was no question of that, but before I moved back to Ripple Creek, I'd been in a long-term relationship and engagement with Jonathan Rathbone. I'd convinced myself that the apprehension I felt about marrying Jonathan had been wedding jitters, but it took a few big events, like Nana going missing, a murder in town and my childhood crush returning to Ripple Creek, to stir up old feelings and bring me to the brilliant conclusion that I was marrying the wrong man. I'd had no such apprehension with Cade—ever—but leaving Jonathan and becoming an independent woman had allowed me to finally open my dream bakery. I loved my life right now, my business, my wonderful hometown, being back with my beloved grandmother and, of course, my incredibly perfect boyfriend. Would an engagement mess this perfection up? I hated that I wasn't entirely sure I wanted a proposal, and at the same time, I didn't want to lose Cade.

I'd worked myself into quite a mental lather by the time Cade returned, obviously hiding something behind his back. He wore a serious expression, but there was also a hint of a smile, a sweet smile like a young boy about to present a bouquet of freshly picked field daisies to his crush.

"I know we aren't big on giving each other gifts, but I got the advance for my new book last week, and I couldn't resist." He pulled a long velvet box out from behind his back. It was jewelry but not a ring. I was slightly disheartened at how relieved I felt knowing he wasn't about to propose. I was blaming it all on the terrible Rathbones. The breakup and cancellation of an elaborate wedding (the ridiculously expensive wedding I never wanted) had left me scarred and horrified about marriage.

Cade sat on the blanket and tried to tone down his beaming smile. He was always urbane and understated, and that was what I loved about him. "I will warn you, I'm not well-versed on jewelry selection. I had a traumatic experience as a kid."

I laughed. "A traumatic jewelry shopping experience?" I asked. The velvet box sat unopened on the blanket between us.

"I spent all my allowance on this big, colorful beaded necklace for my mom. It had red and yellow and green baubles, and the more I think about it, the more I realize how ugly it was, but, at the time, I really thought it was something grand. I was sure my mom would gush about it and wear it wherever she went, grocery shopping, lunch with her friends, holiday parties. Let's just say her reaction was one of muted amusement. And no, she did not wear it out of the house … ever. And so now you know the sad story of my first jewelry buying experience."

I picked up the green velvet box. "Well, it doesn't look big enough for gaudy baubles, so maybe you've improved." I opened the box. A thin, glittering gold chain was dotted with small, opalescent pearls. It was gorgeous. "Oh, Cade," I said, my throat tightening. Seconds earlier, I worried he was going to propose, and now I was staring at a beautiful gift that already meant a great deal to me, and I hadn't even lifted it out of the box.
I picked up the delicate chain and turned around on my bottom so Cade could put it on. I lifted my hair, and a tremble of delight went through me as his warm breath tickled the back of my bare neck. His fingers grazed my skin as he closed the clasp. I patted the necklace. It was short, almost choker length. "I need to look in a mirror." I got up and walked into the powder room off the entry. The necklace was just what I would have picked for myself. Cade knew me too well.

I returned to the sitting room. Cade was leaned back on his hands with his long legs stretched out in front of him. The low lights in the room highlighted his extraordinary features and hazel eyes. "Well? Do you think you might wear it out of the house? If not, then I'll understand."

I walked over and knelt next to him on the blanket. "It's perfect. It's a hundred-percent Scottie Ramone." I leaned over and kissed him.

"Oh, I almost forgot the bonus that came with the necklace." He left the room and returned seconds later with a plastic clamshell box filled with chocolate covered strawberries. "The jewelry store was giving them out with a purchase."

"Yum, well done, jewelry store." We spent the next few minutes eating chocolate covered strawberries. "You're right. We need one of those time-catching bottles. This night is a keeper."

Cade nodded as he took a bite of strawberry. A chunk of chocolate fell on his shirt. I snatched it and ate it before he could get it. I shrugged. "Finders, keepers." I touched the necklace again. "Thank you, Cade. I really love it."

"Figured it was time for nice jewelry." His gaze landed softly on me. "I'm glad the way things turned out between us, Scottie."

"I am, too." Our friendship had teetered on the edge of something more for months, but I'd been trapped in a muddle about my feelings for Dalton Braddock, the boy I'd always loved growing up. After some time and reflection, I realized that while I'd always have feelings for Dalton, they weren't the same intense, edge-of-heartbreak kind that I'd had growing up. And then Cade walked into my life, and he was nothing short of spectacular. We'd formed an almost instant bond, and after a rift, which ended with him leaving for a long book tour, I realized he was the one I wanted. Now he'd moved things to a new level with the necklace, which spurred a new thought in my mind. It was time to reveal my secret. It wasn't a secret that would harm our relationship, but it was one significant enough that I didn't want to keep it from him anymore.

"Cade, I need to tell you something." I hadn't said it with an ominous tone, but he took it that way.

"You've been secretly married to Braddock all this time," he said half-jokingly and half-not jokingly. To say that Cade and Dalton were enemies was an understatement.

I raised my brows in shock. "Seriously?"

"Sorry. Old scars and all that." Cade had suffered no small amount of hurt and dismay about my erratic feelings for Dalton.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue. His suggestion had upset me.

Cade reached for my hand. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that. I guess the evening was just going too well, so I needed to put an end to that. It's something I'm well-known for."

I tugged his hand. "Stop. I'm rich. That's what I wanted to tell you."

His misstep had ruined my entire speech.

Cade blinked at me, confused. "As in rich with life experiences?"

I shook my head. "Nope. The other kind of rich. The one where the bank sends me free calendars and pens almost constantly." I sighed. "Jeez, this went so much smoother in my head. You know that my parents died when I was young, and I was their only child, so I inherited everything. Well, they had a lot of money. They were, by every measure, extremely wealthy. Aside from their personal successes, my dad came from money, big money, old money. Then his mother, Grandmother Katherine died. My dad was her only child and—"

"You were his only child, so the whole pot of gold came to you," Cade finished for me.
"Right." I waited for more of a response but didn't get one. "Are you all right?" I asked because clearly this whole thing hadn't landed well.

"Why the secret? Why didn't you think you could tell me?"

"Honestly, because my money just never came up. I don't think about it much. I have everything I need regardless of my bank account."

"Was it a trust issue?" he asked.

"What? No, of course not." My phone beeped with a text. I never ignored my phone in case Nana needed me. I glanced at it. It was a text from Nana. "I ned U." Nana wasn't a great texter, but this was odd even for her. I showed it to Cade. "What do you think this means?"

"I ned U," he read, then his eyes rounded. "I need you."

My heart rate sped up, and I called Nana. She answered. I knew instantly something was wrong. Her voice was weak and thready. "Button, I fell."

"I'm on my way." I hung up and turned to Cade. "Nana fell. I've got to go."

"Do you want me to come?" His tone was dry. He was still processing my secret, the secret that for some reason had put him on defense. It was a spectacularly bad ending to an otherwise spectacular night.

"No, I'll be fine." I grabbed my purse and hurried out the door without saying goodbye.