Baker's Bob (River's End Ranch #16) Read online

  Her mother frowned at her. “Wait? You mean Bob is the man you’re dating? It’s a different Bob than the one you complain about every time we talk, right?”

  Scott dropped the suitcases on the floor in the living room. “There’s a Bob in Miranda’s life?” He looked between his sister and his mother questioningly.

  Miranda blushed. “It’s the same one. He’s…different now.”

  “He’s not still tormenting you because you put twelve chocolate chips per cookie and not fifteen?”

  “What? Is this guy insane?” Scott asked. “I may need to have a talk with him.”

  “No one needs to have a talk with Bob. He was teasing me to show me he liked me. He doesn’t particularly understand women, but he’s not a bad guy.” Miranda sat down on the couch, and her mother sat beside her, while Scott took the chair. “Are you guys okay with them coming over Christmas morning?”

  “Them?” Scott asked.

  “Bob, his sister, and his niece.” Miranda shrugged. “He assumed it would be okay, so I said I’d talk to you about it.” She shook her head. “Clueless sometimes, but truly a good man!”

  Scott and Mom exchanged a quick glance. “It’s fine with me,” Mom finally said. “I want to meet him.”

  “He’ll be at Christmas karaoke at the ranch tonight. You’ll meet him then.” Miranda looked at them. “I need to go. I guess you guys could stay here, but I thought you’d probably rather go.” She yawned behind her hand. “And I need a nap before I go. I’ve been swamped all week, and sleep has been taken where it can be found.”

  Mom nodded, waving a hand. “Sleep! Of course we’ll go tonight. Karaoke is fun.”

  Miranda got up, walking toward the bedroom. “I’ll set an alarm and be up at six to go. Karaoke is in the restaurant, so we’ll eat there if that’s okay with you guys.”

  “Go sleep! If we get hungry, we know where the kitchen is.”

  “Cinnamon’s outside. Don’t make her stay out in the snow too long.” Miranda shut the door behind her, falling into bed. At least she’d be able to sleep in until six on Christmas morning.

  *****

  Bob stayed at the ranch after work to get Annette and Heather to their cabin he’d reserved for them. They’d come in shortly before the café closed for the day, and Kelsi had them wait at the counter, chattering at them the whole time. “Name? My husband and I can’t seem to agree on a name. I’m thinking Widget, but he thinks that’s too silly. He wants to name her Tori.”

  Heather giggled. “Widget? Who would name a baby Widget?”

  Bob looked out and saw Kelsi put her hands on her hips. “I would. I love the name!”

  Bob bit his lip to keep from commenting. He’d learned early on that having an opinion about the names Kelsi liked for the baby was absolutely pointless. He wondered when the sheriff would come to the same conclusion.

  A short while later, Kelsi stuck her head into the kitchen. “You’re done. I’ll make sure the kitchen is cleaned to your specifications. Go on.”

  Bob glanced at his watch. “It’s twenty minutes ‘til close.”

  “I know. I can handle cooking for twenty minutes, whether I like it or not. Go spend time with your family.”

  Bob shrugged and pulled off his apron, going out to the front. He’d called “hi” from the kitchen but hadn’t seen Annette or Heather yet. He walked out into the dining room and leaned on the counter. “Are you ladies ready to see your cabin?”

  Annette nodded, getting to her feet. “It didn’t take us quite as long to get here as I thought it would. We left a little early to avoid the snow that’s supposed to come tonight.”

  “That was probably smart.” Bob looked at Heather. She was six now and getting big. “Stop growing!”

  Heather giggled. “I can’t do that, Uncle Bob.”

  “Why not?” He snatched her off the stool and hugged her tight. “I think you should still be in diapers and sucking your thumb.”

  “Are we staying with you?” Heather asked, obviously thrilled to be held by one of her favorite people.

  “Nope. I got you a cabin here on the ranch. My apartment is about as big as your average postage stamp, and there’s no way a little girl could have fun there! Besides, the ranch is the place to be for Christmas.” He set Heather on the floor and hugged his sister. “Where’s your car?”

  “Out front.”

  “Good, you can drive me over. I’ll show you the way.”

  “What are the plans for the weekend?” Annette asked.

  “Tonight is Christmas karaoke in the main restaurant. We’re meeting Miranda and her mom there.”

  Annette stopped next to her car and stared at him. “What? You finally got up the guts to ask that girl out instead of teasing her about her chocolate chips?”

  “Would you believe she didn’t realize I was flirting with her?”

  “Bob, your flirting is like another man’s hatred. I’ve told you a million times just to ask her out. I hope you asked her nicely and didn’t tell her you were going to teach her to make a proper cookie or something.”

  He shrugged. “I kind of grabbed her and kissed her in my boss’s kitchen. That works too, right?”

  “I love you, but sometimes I really, really worry about you.”

  They got into the car, and he gave her directions to the cabin he’d chosen for her. It was a small two-bedroom cabin just on the edge of the lake. “The lake’s pretty solid at the moment, but it’s beautiful to look at.”

  He gave her the keys to the cabin while he grabbed the suitcases from the back of the car. “Go on in while I get this stuff. I think this one will be good for you two. It’s called Lazy Lodge.”

  A minute later, he followed them inside. Heather was running from room to room. “I want this bedroom, Mom! Can I have this one?”

  Annette looked into the room Heather wanted and nodded. “That bunk bed makes it yours. I’ll take the big boring bed in the other room.”

  “Thanks, Mom!” Heather hugged her mother and climbed onto the top bunk.

  Bob grinned at his sister. “I see you’re making some major sacrifices today!”

  “Anything for my baby girl!”

  He laughed. “How would you feel if I crashed on your couch while you two settle in? I brought your suitcases in. I’ve been starting work at three every morning this week, and we’re doing evening activities.”

  Annette shook her head. “No way. You’re going to sleep in my bed. Do you want me to fix supper while you sleep?”

  Bob shook his head emphatically. “Like I’d eat your cooking.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re such a snob, Bob.”

  He shrugged. “I’m not even ashamed of it.” He yawned, covering his mouth. “I’m going to sleep and I’ll be out in a couple of hours. The restaurant is hosting karaoke, so we’re going to eat there tonight. Sorry to be a bad host, but I’ll make it up to you.”

  Annette shrugged. “Go sleep. Heather and I will be fine. We’ll probably go for a walk and check out the place.”

  “Wait ’til tomorrow to go to the Old West town. Then you can get muffins from Miranda.”

  “Never thought I’d see my baby brother so hung up on a girl.”

  “G’night, Nettie.”

  He felt no guilt for falling into bed and going straight to sleep. It was his sister, and she understood.

  *****

  When Miranda got to the restaurant with her mom and Scott, she looked around for Bob. She didn’t see him, so she snagged a table for six, collapsing into a chair. Elf sat down beside her. “You singing tonight?”

  She shook her head. “Nope, but my mom might.”

  Her eyes drifted past Elf to Bob who was scanning the room, obviously looking for her. She lifted her hand, a smile on her lips.

  Elf looked behind him. “Bob, huh? I wish you well.” He got up and wandered away, and Miranda forgot all about him as Bob led his sister and niece to her table.

  Bob sat down next to Miranda, letting hi
s sister and niece take the seats beside him. “Miranda, this is my sister, Annette O’Brien, and her daughter, Heather.”

  Miranda smiled at Annette. “It’s nice to meet you. Bob has said a lot about you.” She nodded to her mother and Scott. “This is my mom, Debbie White, and my brother, Scott.”

  “Hi,” Scott said. “Are you Bob?” His eyes narrowed on the man his sister was dating.

  “I am.”

  “I’ve heard a whole lot about you from Miranda.”

  “None of it good, I’m sure.” Bob squeezed Miranda’s hand under the table, silently laughing with her at the befuddled look on her brother’s face.

  “None of it. You’ve been a pain in her butt.”

  Bob shrugged. “Not anymore. She likes me now.”

  Annette laughed. “I don’t know why. You’re a good woman to put up with his ‘flirting.’ I told him to ask you out months ago.”

  Miranda looked at Bob, who had the good grace to look embarrassed. “Yeah, Bob does things his own way, doesn’t he?” She squeezed his hand, letting him know the teasing was in good fun and not meant to be mean.

  Annette rolled her eyes. “He’s crazy.” She looked at her daughter, whose eyes were wide as she took in the people all around her. “This is going to be kid-friendly, right?”

  “Yes, it will. They do sell alcohol, but no one is allowed to get out of hand.” Miranda nodded at a girl in a security uniform. “Charley will take care of anyone who misbehaves. No one takes her job more seriously than she does.”

  Bob looked at the menu. “Maybe we could do an appetizer sampler to share?”

  Miranda shrugged. “Sounds good.”

  Annette nodded. “Sounds good to me. So what’s on the agenda for the weekend? You two are working tomorrow, right?”

  “Yeah, I work from three ’til one tomorrow.”

  “I’ll go in with her and help for her first hour, and then I work from four ’til one at the restaurant.”

  “Long days,” Annette said. “They work you to the bone around here.”

  Bob shrugged. “Usually there’s downtime. Christmas is our busiest time of the year though, and we’re working hard.”

  Miranda’s mom looked at Annette. “We should join forces tomorrow. I haven’t been to the ranch before, and I’m looking forward to exploring. The idea of the Old West town fascinates me.”

  “I’d love that. Heather and I are looking forward to exploring everything.”

  “Why don’t we meet at eight? That’s when things start moving around here, right?”

  Miranda nodded. “You can have breakfast at the café, and then come over and get a treat from me. There are sleigh rides in the morning if you want to give those a try. I made kolaches today, so make sure you eat before you come.”

  Scott groaned. “You should have saved kolache day for me! You know I’d move heaven and earth for your kolaches.”

  Miranda rolled her eyes. “I can make a small batch for us on Christmas morning.”

  “What’s a kolache?” Annette asked. “I’ve never heard of them.”

  “It’s this light, fluffy, buttery bread with either sausage and cheese or ham and cheese inside. So good!” Scott looked at Miranda. “Ham and cheese.”

  “I’m only making one kind, so everyone vote. I’m sleeping in on Sunday, and they take four hours, so they won’t be ready ’til around eight.”

  “So that’s what time we’re coming over, right?” Bob asked. “At kolache time?” Bob knew he wasn’t being subtle in his request to be included in the special breakfast. He ate her kolaches enough that he should be tired of them, but he never would be.

  Miranda looked at her mother. “The men in my life only love me for my kolaches.”

  Mom smiled. “My daughter the baker. Who’d have guessed?”

  By the time they split up for the night, everyone was comfortable with one another, and they’d settled on a time to meet up on Christmas morning. “If you want, you can make special ornaments for someone. You can do it for a random person, or you can do them for someone you care about and swap them. Like Mom and Scott, you guys could each make one and give it to the other,” Miranda suggested.

  “When do we do that?” Annette asked.

  “Tomorrow night after the Christmas Eve service at our little chapel,” Miranda explained. “It’s a Christmas tradition from the Weston family, who own the ranch. They settled here almost one hundred thirty years ago. Everyone on the ranch is included if they care to be.”

  They all walked to the parking lot together. Bob held Miranda’s hand and kissed her quickly, well aware everyone was watching them. “You’d think a man never kissed his woman before…”

  “G’night, Bob,” Miranda said softly, getting into the backseat of her mother’s car. “I’ll see you at three.”

  He groaned. “Don’t mention three.”

  “Just one more day of the craziness…”

  “We can do one more day, can’t we?”

  Miranda wasn’t sure, but with Bob at her side, anything seemed possible.

  Chapter Ten

  Shortly after Miranda opened the doors to the bakery the following morning, Heidi, who managed the mercantile there in the Old West town, came in with an emergency. She ignored the line that a college student who helped out on the weekends was managing, and went straight to Miranda. “Can I talk to you for a minute, Miranda?”

  Miranda looked up from the cookies she was decorating for the tree lighting ceremony that evening. “If you don’t mind if I keep working while you talk.”

  “Of course not!” Heidi took a deep breath. “One of the families here on the ranch lost their house to a fire a few days ago. All of their presents are gone. They decided to stay on the ranch, rather than go home to nothing. I’m trying to get everyone to donate a present or two to the family.”

  Miranda frowned. “That’s terrible! I have a couple of pies they could have. Are there children? Any little girls?”

  “There is a little girl. Why?”

  “I made a Minnie Mouse quilt for Kelsi’s baby, but I have more than enough time to make another. It’s already wrapped and in my car. Would that help?”

  “That would be wonderful. Are you sure?”

  “Positive. That and the pies? I can throw in any Christmas cookies that are left.”

  “Pies and the quilt are more than enough. Thank you!”

  Miranda dug in her pocket for her keys. “I’m sure I have the only Beetle in the parking lot.”

  “That blue Beetle is yours?” Heidi asked, grinning. “I’ll bring the keys right back.”

  “Sounds good.” As Heidi hurried off, Miranda smiled. It was nice to be able to do something special for a stranger on Christmas.

  *****

  After a very long day at work, Miranda and her family met up with Bob, Annette, and Heather at the church the following evening. Pastor Kevin and Bridget had spent the day getting the church ready, and it was beautiful. The service was held by candlelight in the small chapel that was a replica of the chapel that the first members of the Weston family who had lived on the ranch had married in.

  Pastor Kevin had done a great deal of research on the Weston family, and Kaya had promised her next book would be about the first Weston couple to live on the ranch.

  Each of them was given a candle as they filed into the church, and Pastor Kevin welcomed everyone individually. It was strange to have her mother on one side and Bob on the other for such an important service, but she was pleased to have him there.

  They sat in silence as Pastor Kevin took the pulpit and invited a small group of people to sing for them. They sang “Away in a Manger,” followed by “Silent Night.” When they were finished, Bridget went to the front corner of the church with a lit candle and encouraged everyone to light the candle of the person beside them. Bob held his candle to light Miranda’s, and Miranda turned to light her mother’s. Once all the candles were lit, Pastor Kevin gave a brief sermon on the meaning of Christma
s.

  After two more songs that everyone sang together, Pastor Kevin announced they were going to pass out the Christmas ornaments. All six of the Weston siblings hurried around passing out wrapped packages. Every person in the church got at least one ornament.

  Miranda smiled as Kelsi handed her one, which was wrapped the same as all of her Secret Santa gifts had been. She held it in her lap with one hand, while she held the candle in the other.

  Once all the gifts had been passed out, Pastor Kevin made an announcement. “We’re all going to traipse out to the Christmas tree now. The tree we’ll hang our ornaments on is the tree that the original Weston settlers decided they would not chop down, because they wanted future generations to enjoy it. There are six trash cans surrounding the tree that we will be putting our trash into instead of littering the beautiful ranch. If you want to take your ornament you receive, the Westons ask that you do that tomorrow after the feast the guests will prepare for the staff. Everyone here is welcome to attend the feast.” He looked at Wade. “Am I forgetting anything?”

  “I think that’s good! Thanks for making the announcements for me, Pastor!” Wade smiled at him. “Follow me!” Wade headed to the back door of the church and waited as everyone stood and followed him.

  Miranda was fascinated by the tradition of the tree lighting at River’s End Ranch. She’d attended the year before, and it had been beautiful, but last year she’d felt like an outsider peeking in at someone else’s Christmas tradition. This year, she felt like it was her tradition.

  At the tree, Bob held Miranda’s candle as she unwrapped her gift, a smile on her face. She knew it was from Bob, and she had no idea what to expect, because Bob had proven himself the most unpredictable person she’d ever met.

  When it was open, a smile spread across her face. They had made each other basically the same ornament. She carefully counted the number of chocolate chips on the cookie shaped ornament he’d given her, and laughed softly at the number. “Fifteen? It had to be fifteen!”