Kathi S Barton - [Aaron's Kiss 04] by Karen Fuller

me that, fang-boy, and somebody will have to be doing a search for your body parts very soon.” Aaron needed to rest for the day soon, and knew now that he had someone working with him on Tucker’s problem, he would rest easier. And the laughter of the morning, along with the hugs, was going to go a long way to helping him too. And having the best would certainly make them quicker as well.

    ~CHAPTER EIGHT~

    Sam woke up about ten o’clock that morning. She had missed enough work and needed to go in today. The other women who worked for her could help when needed, but Sam didn’t have recipes. And she did all the decorating herself. She was not only faster, but much better at it from all the years of practice. Plus, she was reasonably sure that neither woman who worked for her could cook. And if they could, they’d eat everything they did.
    Sam rolled to her side. Instead of being alone in the big bed, she was lying next to Tucker. She took a few minutes to look at him. He was handsome with his bold features and hard muscles. Reaching out, she ran her hand up his arm and over his bicep. The muscles there jumped and moved beneath her touch. Then as her fingers continued their journey, she slowly traced the contours of his mouth, first his lower lip, then over the full upper one, pausing slightly when she felt his breath puff slightly from them.
    Lying back on the bed, she realized that if she didn’t leave soon, she wouldn’t. He was too much of a distraction as it was. Dressing quickly, she was in the kitchen in a few minutes and in a cab out front in less than thirty. The only person she saw was Penny, the cook.
    Her shop was nearly empty of foodstuffs, so Sam began working right away. She always made the things that took the longest to make first, mixing the batter for bread and setting it to rest after ten minutes of hard kneading. Next came the dreaded pie crusts. She hated filled pies of any kind, much preferring baking the crust then filling it.
    Or her favorites were pudding based or custards, they always looked so pretty when finished. While the crusts were cooling, she began baking the cookies, hundreds of dozens of cookies, chocolate coconut, hazelnut fudge, and orange thumbprints. The iced ones were her favorite, especially when she had the time to draw on them. At any given holiday, she would spend hours just having fun putting all sorts of scenes on the cookies, Christmas being her favorite.
    She was just taking the last of the blueberry buckle out of the oven when Sally came back to give her a message. The two women had the shop open when she had arrived and had been taking orders.
    “A Mrs. MacManus said she’d like to come by and talk to you tonight ifin you ain’t busy. Said she was bringing the kids and a shade of something. We was kinda busy, so I didn’t get that too good. Also, wanted to know ifin you got any plain old chocolate chip cookies? Told her we don’t make those too much, but I’d ask ya. Got any? Chocolate chip I mean?”
    “Yes, I just took ten dozen out for that wedding order. I think there should be about two or so dozen left over. What time did she say she was coming by?” Sam was hot and didn’t want to have to deal with Sara again. She needed to get a lot done before the weekend weddings. And her head hurt. The cut wasn’t bleeding, but no amount of pain reliever was cutting though the pounding.
    “Well…like I said, we was kinda busy, so she’s out there now. Her and some other woman what was here the other day? And a bunch of kiddies.” Sally’s language was terrible and it got worse by the end of the day. Sam wondered some days how the customers could understand her enough to know what they were getting. Sally laid the message down and started to walk away. Sam glanced up at the clock. It was just after six o’clock, closing time.
    “Shit, Sally! A phone message is much more effective if I can get it when it comes in.” She stood up to take off her apron and