The Blizzard Bluff Series

Chapter 1

Merry

"Merry, can you please make sure Beckett gets this?" Glancing down at the counter, I see a ten-dollar bill extending toward me from ninety-if-she-isn't-a-day Mrs. Anthony. I've waited on her for over five years and made cupcakes for her grandchildren at the very last minute, and she's never given me a tip.

"Will do, Mrs. Anthony. Thank you for coming in today."

She gives me a sly grin. "As long as you have him in here, I'll come by every day."

I keep the smile plastered on my face as she walks out. She's the last customer of the morning.

"Rush done?" Beckett asks, coming out from the back. "It was a crazy few hours."

Rolling my eyes and shaking my head, I give him a glare. "It's crazy because of you. Before you showed up, it was easily manageable. Now, we've got a line as soon as we open and it doesn't slow down until about now." I look up at the clock. It's going on eleven.

"Would it be easier if I stayed in the back all day?" He hitches his thumb behind him. "I don't want to make things more difficult for you. I mean, you're letting me work here while construction is slow for the winter. I appreciate it."

"No." I shake my head. "It's a good thing you're here. My profits have quadrupled since you showed up in your flannel shirt rolled up to your forearms and worn jeans. Keep that five o'clock shadow on your face, and I might be able to afford my new ovens before you go back to Lucas in the spring."

He chuckles, wiping his hands on a towel. "I'm going to head over to the diner. Do you want anything?"

"Turkey sandwich with extra mayo on wheat, please. Here, let me get you some money." I rush toward the back to get my purse.

"It's on me." He waves his hand, holding up the ten-dollar bill. "After all, I'm the one getting tips."

"I hate to admit that irritates the s**t outta me." I laugh.

"Which is why I don't mind sharing it with you. You might think I don't hear it, but you put up with a lot from the people you wait on."

The unexpected compliment from him sits in my chest, making my heart pound extra hard. "Thanks, I appreciate you noticing."

"Be back soon." He waves before heading out the door.

I wait for the bell to ring, signaling his departure, before I allow my eyes to follow his jean-covered ass walking away from me. It's not like I'm blind. I know why everyone is coming into the bakery. It's not as if I can't see the way Beckett looks. He's hot in that blue-collar kind of way. If you're stranded on the side of the road with a flat, he can get you changed and ready to go in less than fifteen minutes. While I wish I were the type of woman who doesn't find those things attractive, I can't lie. They are.

The last guy I dated was a businessman from Boulder who thought money was everything. He was never willing to get his hands covered in flour to help me when I desperately needed it, always as if he were too good. It was the resentment that sent me running from him. It was the fact I wouldn't move from Blizzard Bluff for him. I love it here and can't see myself living anywhere else. In the end, both of those things were deal-breakers for us.

I haven't dated anyone since we broke up. For the longest time, I convinced myself I didn't need anyone, but working around Beckett for the last month has proven to me just how wrong I am.

The bell over the door rings again, and in walks Holly Fortner, carrying her almost-year-old son, Frankie. "Hey." I wave at them. She's become one of my best friends since she moved to town.

"Hey." She waves back. "He had his one-year pictures, and I promised we would come in for either a cookie or a cupcake."

"I have the perfect thing." I reach into the case, pulling out a cookies-and-cream cupcake. It's his favorite, and the reason I have these today is because I've just fulfilled her order for tomorrow. "This is just for you, Frankie."

The smile on his face is thank you enough for me.

"Do you have our order?" Holly sits him on the counter before pulling her wallet out of her purse.

"I do. Let me go grab it for you. Do you want to look at it to make sure it's what you want?"

She grins. "No, you sent me plenty of pictures when you were making it. It's exactly what we want. I can't wait for him to see it." She ducks her head toward Frankie.

"You'll have to take a video for me. I have to be at my grandparents' tomorrow for our extended family Christmas."

"I know. This is going to be the hardest thing about him being born when he was. Although we're having the party the week before Christmas, everyone is still so busy." She worries her bottom lip between her teeth.

"He'll learn to love it," I assure her. "Christmas is a special time to have your birthday. After all, you're sharing it with Jesus."

She raises an eyebrow. "Somehow, I don't think he's going to think it's as cool as you're trying to make it out to be."

I shrug, grinning. "I'm doing my best."

"It's a valiant effort." She looks around. "How's it going with Beckett?" She whispers.

"I can't thank you enough for recommending him to me. It's so weird that someone with such big hands and calluses on his fingers can do the type of work I need him to do."

"I tend to watch what the men who work for my husband do. He does a lot of the intricate woodwork. I knew he would be just right for you." She winks.

"He's a great worker," I remind her. "I'm not looking for anything else."

"Yeah." She giggles. "Neither was I when I came home. I thought I had everything in Boston. Little did I know Luke would turn my world upside down within twenty-four hours."

I'm well aware of the story surrounding Luke and Holly's marriage. I think nothing like that will ever happen for me. "Some of us are lucky and some of us aren't."

She wipes at Frankie's chin as Beckett comes back into the bakery. "And some of us are just too scared to take the chance. He won't be here forever, Merry. Might as well take advantage while you can. He'll be back working with my husband when the weather breaks."

"Hey Holly," he greets her, leaning down to hug her before chucking Frankie under the chin. "How's it going?"

"Luke is chomping at the bit to get back to work." She shakes her head. "I'm surprised I convinced him to do a seasonal layoff this year but, after the spring, summer, and fall y'all had, all of you needed it."

He nods, seeming to agree. "At first I was worried about it, but you're right. We did need it. Our bodies were taking a beating and the long hours were mentally wearing me out."

"See, sometimes I know what I'm talking about." She grins. "Thanks for the order, Merry. I'll send you the video tomorrow."

"Please do."

"Here's your sandwich." Beckett hands me a wrapped package. "I already ate mine on the way over."

Before I can say anything to him, he nods toward Holly. "Let me help you take that to your SUV."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

As they leave, I have to bite my tongue. If there's one thing hotter than a blue-collar man, it's one with manners. This one, he has it all in spades.