Page 3 of Cinnamon Baker Bear

“Is Gabe the owner?” Mara asked as her mouth watered at the thought of a freshly baked croissant.

“Yes. He’s been there for years. You won’t have any trouble finding the place. Main Street isn’t very big.” Curtis opened his eyes and let out his breath. “And if the wind is blowing the right way, you’ll probably smell the cinnamon before you see the sign.”

“Now you’re making me hungry.” Mara placed her hand on her stomach. Lunch had been a quick bite hours ago, when she stopped for gas.

“Wait until you try one of his cinnamon bears.” Curtis sighed.

“Cinnamon bears?”

“Bear-shaped cinnamon pastries,” he explained. “One of Gabe’s specialties.”

“That seems appropriate for Bear Creek.”

“It is.” Curtis began moving slowly toward the door. “He does a lot of fall baking too. Apples, pumpkin, all the usual things. It gets busier once we get closer to the Fall Festival.”

“I wish I could stay for the Fall Festival, but I have to leave before then.” Mara clenched her jaw. Originally, she’d planned this vacation around the festival. But Scott had a meeting he couldn’t miss that week. So she’d changed her plans. Now it didn’t matter. Scott’s plans were no longer her plans.

“Well, there’s still plenty going on.” Curtis paused. “There’s a charity bake over in Bear Bluff later this week too. Gabe takes part every year.”

“Bear Bluff? That’s the next town over, isn’t it?” She’d made a note of it, as the nearest hospital was there. Not that she planned to need a hospital. But it was one of those things she made a habit of when she was planning an event. Because accidents inevitably happened.

“Yes, it’s the neighboring town. About twenty minutes away. The bake sale raises money for a local project every fall. Karina, who owns the bakery in Bear Bluff, organizes it. A few other bakeries contribute, along with plenty of home bakers, and people come in from the surrounding towns. It started off fairly small, but it’s grown over the years. There are stalls, a Ferris wheel…”

“That sounds lovely.”

“It is. It’s a good day.” Curtis smiled. “And it’s about the only time Gabe and Karina put their baking rivalry aside and work together.”

“Baking rivalry?”

“As I said, Karina owns the bakery in Bear Bluff. She and Gabe have known each other for a long time. They’re good friends, really. But they’ve also been competing over one baked thing or another since they were kids.”

“Seriously?” Mara laughed softly.

“Oh, yes. Neither one of them enjoys losing. To anyone. But especially to each other.” There was so much affection in Curtis’s voice that Mara found herself smiling too.

“What do they compete over at the Fall Festival?” she asked.

“Pumpkin pie.”

“Pumpkin pie?”

Curtis nodded. “Apparently there’s a great deal more to pumpkin pie than most of us realize.”

“Whose is better?”

Curtis was quiet for a moment. “I’ve learned not to answer that.”

Mara laughed. “That sounds as though there’s a story.”

“Last year I told Gabe they were both very good,” Curtis said, lowering his voice. “I thought I was being fair.”

“And he didn’t?” Mara asked.

“Oh, no.” Curtis laughed and shook his head. “It’s a mistake I do not plan to make again. I don’t know what offended him more, me saying they were very good, or me saying they were both very good.”

Mara could picture the conversation despite never having met Gabe. “What happened?”

“I told him I had work to do and took my pie and got out of there fast,” Curtis said, his eyes sparkling with humor.