Better Than Chocolate (31 page)

“I remember hiking up here when I was a Boy Scout,” Blake said.
“I guess I’ve come full circle.”

“Only without the boys,” Samantha said.

“I like girls better.” And to prove it he drew her to him.

As always, contact with that big, football-player body of his
set off a thousand sparklers inside her.

He smiled down at her. “Have I told you recently how amazing
you are?”

“Oh, you’re only saying that ’cause it’s true,” she
quipped.

“Yeah? How do you know I’m not just saying it to protect my
investment?”

The answer to that was easy. The hungry glint in his eyes
betrayed him.

He touched his lips to hers and threaded his fingers through
her hair and that ended the joking. They got serious.

After a long delay they finally made it to the falls. “Look at
that,” she said. “Gorgeous.”

“I’ll say,” he agreed.

She turned to see he wasn’t admiring the falls at all, and that
glint was back in his eyes, promising another lengthy delay before they started
back down the trail. “Here,” he said, “give me the camera. I’ll take your
picture.”

She handed it over.

“Pretend you’re searching for the lost bride,” he said.

“Oh, that’s B.S.” She’d seen the lost bride and…well, here she
was with Blake. Still.

“Come on, be a sport,” he coaxed.

“Oh, all right.” She turned and shaded her eyes as if she were,
indeed, searching.

And that was when she saw the figure of a woman flitting behind
the waters. The hairs on her neck stood on end and she gasped.

“That’s perfect,” Blake said. “Got it.”

She turned back to him, wide-eyed. “Did you get her?”

“Get who?” he asked, puzzled “Oh, yeah. Ha, ha.”

“No. Really. She’s right there.” Samantha followed the
direction of her pointing finger and saw…nothing. “She was there. I saw her.”
She took the camera and flipped back to the shot. There was only one woman in
it, one crazy woman.

Now Blake was staring at her earnestly. “Did you see her?”

Well, that was the power of suggestion for you. She shook her
head and blew off the legend of the lost bride with a flick of her hand. “Nah.
It must have been a shadow.”

Or a promise of things to come.

Epilogue: Dreams Coming True

T
he much-anticipated episode of
All Things Chocolate
aired on the Food Network the
following week. The Sterlings had a viewing party, squeezing as many friends as
possible into Muriel’s new digs—Pat’s charming little cottage overlooking Ed
York’s vineyard.

“I must say—and I don’t say this very often—these chocolates
are to die for,” said Mimi LeGrande, holding up one of Samantha’s new creations.
“But I think I can guarantee you’ll die with a smile on your face.”

Everyone applauded as she put in a plug for visiting the Sweet
Dreams shop and Icicle Falls.

“You did it, Sammy,” Bailey said. “You saved us.”

“No,” Samantha corrected her. “We all did it.”

“Thank God,” Ed murmured. “And this.” He waved a hand in the
direction of the TV. “This should bring in a ton of orders.”

“And visitors,” Olivia added. “I bet we’ll have twice as many
people at the chocolate festival next year,” she predicted gleefully.

“Let’s not rush our festivals,” Ed told her. “We still have an
Oktoberfest to put together.”

With Mom and Cecily involved, Samantha suspected it would be
spectacular.

Her sister had jumped into community life with both feet when
she moved back, volunteering at the food bank and getting herself (and Mom) on a
committee to plan future festivals—a real benefit to the town. She was also a
benefit to Sweet Dreams and was doing a great job of promoting the company.

In addition to the festival planning, Mom was writing a new
book, a cookbook titled
A Chocolate Lover’s Sweet
Dream,
but that didn’t stop her from coming into the office a couple
of times a week to assist Cecily with marketing.

Curled up on the sofa next to Blake, looking around at all the
people who meant so much to her and thinking about how they’d all helped one
another through a difficult time, Samantha felt almost overwhelmed with
gratitude. Waldo would have loved this party, she thought with a smile.
Everything worked out, Waldo. You’re off the hook.

Blake gave her a kiss that promised fireworks when they were
alone, then went to the kitchen counter where the champagne was sitting to
freshen their glasses. That done, he turned and cleared his throat. “While we’re
celebrating, I have a very important question to ask Samantha.”

“Like when am I going to pay back the money?” she joked.

He returned to the couch and held out a champagne glass. “Like
how about making me a silent partner?” At the bottom of the glass something
bright and sparkly winked at her.

“Oh, my gosh, it’s a ring!” Bailey cried.

“I knew you were a match all along,” Cecily crowed.

Samantha was the only one of the sisters who was speechless.
She stared at the glass and the diamond in it. Then she stared at Blake. Her
company was safe, the future was looking good for Icicle Falls once more, and
now the most wonderful man in the world was asking her to marry him.
Great-grandma Rose couldn’t have dreamed up anything better than this.

“I know I can never properly appreciate your chocolate, but I
sure do appreciate you. Samantha Sterling, I’m crazy in love with you. Will you
marry me?”

“Yes!” She kissed him and everyone applauded.

While she fished out the ring and slipped it on her finger, her
mother and sisters circulated among the guests, making sure everyone’s champagne
glass was filled.

Once that was accomplished Ed York raised his glass. “A toast.
Here’s to a sweet future for both of you.”

“I’ll toast to that,” Blake said, and kissed his
bride-to-be.

Samantha closed her eyes and savored the moment. No chocolate
could compare to Blake’s kisses. Like Waldo said, did it get any better than
this?

With the man she’d chosen, she was sure it would.

* * * * *

Recipes from the Sterlings

If you’re ever in Icicle Falls we hope you’ll come visit
Sweet Dreams. Meanwhile, enjoy trying some of our favorite chocolate
recipes.

Samantha Sterling

THE CHOCOLATE ROSE
WHITE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE

(Our friend Sheila Roberts tried to make this and
failed miserably, but her pal Doreen Geidel came through and saved the day.
Doreen, you’re a real chocolatier!)

Yield: 48 candies

Ingredients:

2 14-oz bags of vanilla candy disks,
such as Wilton’s Candy
Melts
(one for your ganache filling,
the other for the outside
coating)
1 cup heavy cream
½–¾ tsp rose water
(Start
conservatively. You can always add more.)

Directions:

For ganache, put one bag of candy disks in a large,
shallow dish. Bring cream slowly to a light boil, then pour over disks and keep
stirring until they all melt. When the ganache is warm, it is very creamy. You
can thicken it by whisking it and then putting it in the refrigerator. This may
take a couple of hours, which gives you time to go do something else (like read
a Sheila Roberts book).
After your ganache is cooled and firm, form
it into small, candy-size balls. Place them on parchment or wax paper. Melt the
second bag of disks in a double boiler, then dip each ball in the melted white
chocolate. Once they’ve set, store them in a cool place.

BAILEY’S CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE TRIFLE

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 regular size (10.75 oz) frozen pound cake
such as Sara
Lee
½ cup raspberry liqueur (Although you can also make this without the
liqueur and it will taste great.)
1 cup raspberry jam
1 package
instant white-chocolate pudding mix
2 cups whole milk
1 pint fresh
raspberries
½ pint heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp sugar
(Optional—use this if you like your whipped cream sweetened.)
1 cup
coarsely chopped dark chocolate truffles

Directions:

Cut pound cake into slices, then cut the slices into
thirds. Line the bottom of a trifle bowl (or any large cut-glass bowl) with half
the slices. Sprinkle with half the liqueur. Next spread on half the jam. Mix the
pudding and milk until thick and layer half of that over the jam. Add half the
raspberries and half the cut-up truffles. Repeat the process, using what’s left
of the ingredients. Add vanilla and sugar to the cream and whip it until stiff,
then frost the top of the trifle.

ICICLE FALLS MOOSE MUNCH

(This one is courtesy of our friend Dee Dee
Giordano.)

Yield: anywhere from 24 to 36, depending on what size
you make them

Ingredients:

2 cups Cap’n Crunch peanut butter cereal
2 cups broken
pretzel sticks
2 cups roasted peanuts
1 bag of vanilla or chocolate
candy disks such as Wilton’s Candy Melts

Directions:

Mix the first three ingredients together. Then melt the
disks in the microwave until completely melted. Pour over the mixed ingredients.
Working fast, so the chocolate doesn’t set up, drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.
If the chocolate sets before you can spoon them all out microwave for several
seconds to reheat chocolate and continue spooning.

WHITE LAVENDER
FUDGE

Yield: 9 to a dozen (You can make more or less,
depending on how big you want your pieces of fudge.)

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated cane sugar
1 cup half-and-half
1 Tbsp
light corn syrup
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter
¾ tsp lavender (You can
add more but try this
small amount first. Like rose water,
lavender
is powerful stuff!)

Directions:

Butter the sides of a heavy 2-quart saucepan. (This
prevents grains of sugar from clinging to the sides of the pan and forming
unwanted crystals when the fudge starts to bubble.) In it combine the sugar,
half-and-half, corn syrup and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly
until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Then cook to
soft-ball stage. Immediately remove from heat and cool to lukewarm without
stirring. Then add butter and lavender and beat vigorously until mixture becomes
very thick and starts to lose its gloss. (Good exercise!) Spread in a buttered 9
x 5 x 3 (or 9 x 9) inch pan. Score into squares while warm. Cut when cool and
firm. Store in a cool place. (If you can keep it long enough to store. Good luck
with that!)

Note: If you cook this for too long and too high you
will wind up with caramels—not a bad thing, either, but we thought we should
warn you.

To extend the life of your fudge you can
store it in the refrigerator. Line an airtight container with wax paper and put
wax paper between the layers of fudge so the pieces won’t stick to the container
or one another. You should be able to store it for up to three weeks this way.
Before serving allow it to remain in the container until it returns to room
temperature.

BEAR DROPPINGS

(This is courtesy of our friend Carol Hostetter.)

Yield: 24

Ingredients:

2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 Tbsp shortening
½ cup
raisins
½ cup slivered almonds
(You can substitute walnuts if you
wish.)

Directions:

In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the
chocolate chips and shortening, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in
raisins and almonds. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Chill until ready
to serve.

Introduction

Christmas. As the song says, it’s
the most wonderful time of the year, and one the women of Icicle Falls
always look forward to. Their small town may not have a ball to drop on New
Year’s Eve as New York City does, but in the town square they have a giant
tree that they light every weekend in December for the tourists. And they’ll
be able to enjoy holiday concerts, winter bonfires, skating in the little
ice rink, cross-country skiing and sleigh rides. And you can bet there’ll be
plenty of Sweet Dreams chocolates on hand. To top it all off, this Christmas
Cass Wilkes’s daughter Danielle is getting married. It should be the perfect
holiday, right?

Wrong. Cass’s ex and his family are coming
to town for the wedding and, with every B and B in town booked, it looks as
if her former husband and his trophy bride will be staying with her, making
her life miserable.

Cass isn’t the only one Santa’s presenting
with a white elephant gift this year. Her friend Charley, who owns Zelda’s
restaurant, is about to come face-to-face with the ghost of Christmas past,
the man who left her for one of her employees and has now returned with a
disturbing proposal. Their friend Ella Swan will find it hard to keep her
mind on decking the halls when she’s sharing the house with her gorgeous ex
while they wait for it to sell. Santa sure has a sick sense of
humor.

Enjoy this first chapter of
MERRY EX-MAS
and get ready to help Cass plan a wedding, save Charley from the ghost of
Christmas past and give Ella romantic advice. They’re going to need all the
help they can get!

MERRY EX-MAS
is coming in
November.

Chapter One

Once in a while, if a woman is really lucky, the
perfect day she envisioned turns out to be just that. This was going to be one
of those days, Cass Wilkes thought as she set the platter of carved turkey on
her dining table.

She surveyed her handiwork with a smile. Everything was “Martha
Stewart lovely,” from the china and crystal to the Thanksgiving centerpiece
she’d bought at Lupine Floral, and her old Victorian was filled with the aroma
of herbs and spices. The dining-room window framed a greeting-card-worthy winter
scene: her front lawn with its trees and shrubs draped in frosty white and the
snow-capped mountains looming beyond.

The snow had done what good snow should do; it had stopped in
plenty of time for road crews to clear the way for travelers. Unlike this time
last year, the town of Icicle Falls was humming with visitors looking for a
holiday getaway. Good for business, especially when you owned a bakery. This
weekend, gingerbread boys and girls would march out the door of Gingerbread Haus
in droves and money would march right into Cass’s bank account—a good thing,
since she suspected she was going to have a wedding to pay for in a year or
so.

A whoop of male excitement came from the living room, followed
by cheers. The football game on TV was nearing its end and obviously the favored
team had scored a touchdown.

“Okay, that’s everything from the kitchen,” said Dot Morrison,
Cass’s mentor and former boss, as she placed on the table a serving bowl heaped
with stuffing, along with another full of mashed potatoes. Normally Dot would
have been celebrating with her daughter, but Tilda was on patrol, keeping Icicle
Falls safe from…who knew? Their town wasn’t exactly a hotbed of crime.

Dot had dressed for the occasion, wearing jeans and a white
sweatshirt decorated with a turkey holding a sign that said, “Think outside the
box. Serve ham.” Dot, owner of the Breakfast Haus, had encouraged Cass to think
outside the box years ago, even lent her money to start her bakery. Cass owed
her Thanksgiving dinners for life.

“Get those clowns in here,” Dot said. “There’s nothing worse
than cold food.”

Cass could think of a few things—taxes, yeast infections,
exes.

Oh, no, she wasn’t going to ruin a perfectly good holiday with
even a hint of a thought about her ex-husband. That man, that self-centered,
undeserving rat who’d tried to lure the kids away this weekend with a trip to
Vail, who… No, no. No thoughts about Mason. It was Thanksgiving, after all, a
time to count her blessings.

Three of those blessings were sitting out there in the living
room—her kids, Danielle, Willie and Amber. Dani’s boyfriend, Mike, was there,
too, tucked beside her in an overstuffed easy chair built for one and perfect
for lovers.

Twenty-year-old Dani was Cass’s oldest and her right-hand woman
at the bakery. She’d inherited Cass’s passion for creating in the kitchen, and
after a year of community college had opted to work full-time at the bakery. “I
can learn more from you than I can from any college professor,” she’d told Cass.
When it came to baking, well, what could Cass say? Dani was right.

Amber, fifteen going on twenty, sat curled up on one end of the
worn leather couch, texting. A few months earlier she’d been adding to Cass’s
gray-hair collection, hanging out with the kind of kids no mother wanted her
child to be with or, worse, become. Thank God (and possibly Cass’s pal Samantha
Sterling) Amber had changed direction and found some new and improved
friends.

Willie, Cass’s high school jock, was sprawled on the floor,
holding the favored stuffed animal of high school boys everywhere—a football.
The only trouble she had with Willie was keeping him full. The boy was a
two-legged locust.

Then there was her younger brother, Drew, who’d come over from
Seattle. Recently divorced (was this tendency toward divorce something in their
genes?), he’d been more than happy to spend the weekend. He’d never had kids of
his own, so she’d shared. He’d made a great uncle and a better father figure
than her ex.
No, no, no. Not giving him so much as a
thought today.

Cass stood in the archway like a lady butler and announced,
“Dinner, guys.”

Of course, no one was listening. Another touchdown happened in
TV Land. “Yay!” whooped Mike.

“My team sucks,” Willie muttered, giving his football an
irritable bounce.

“My dinner’s going to suck if you don’t get out here and eat it
right now,” Cass warned.

“The game’s as good as over anyway,” Mike said, demonstrating
good boyfriend etiquette. He stood, pulling Dani up with him. He was a big boy,
a former football star and her son’s new hero. Mike was currently employed at
the local hardware store, which, as far as Cass was concerned, was perfect. Once
he popped the question, he and Dani would get married and live in Icicle falls,
near family and friends, a win-win for everyone.

“You’re right,” Drew agreed. He shut off the TV and led the
parade to the dining-room table.

Unlike Cass, who only had to look at a cookie to gain five
pounds, Drew was tall and reedy, and well-dressed. Her brother had always been a
better dresser. And better-looking. But he couldn’t cook, and when he came to
town he was her best customer. He was also her best friend and her biggest
fan.

The only ones missing as everyone settled around the table were
Cass’s mother and stepfather, who were with his family in Florida. But Mom and
Fred planned to come out for Christmas, and if Cass had to choose she’d rather
have her mother with them for that holiday.

Drew reached for the turkey and Cass rapped his hand with a
serving spoon. “Grace first, you heathen.”

Willie snickered, which earned him the privilege of offering
thanks. He barely had
amen
out of his mouth before
he was into the dressing, piling it high on his plate.

Any other day she’d remind him that other people might actually
want some, too, but not today. Thanksgiving was for feasting and she’d made
plenty. Besides, she planned on taking an extra serving herself.

For a while conversation consisted of comments like, “Pass the
rolls,” and “Where’d the olives end up?” As plates and then stomachs filled, new
topics arose: whose fantasy football team was going to win, how well Cass and
Dani’s new gingerbread necklaces were selling, Dot’s upcoming bunion
surgery.

Then it was time for pie. In spite of how crazy-busy Cass had
been with work, she’d managed to bake pumpkin, pecan and her brother’s favorite,
wild huckleberry. “This will be enough for me,” he joked, grabbing the whole
pie.

With dessert came another tradition, one Cass had started when
the kids were small.

“Okay,” she said, “it’s gratitude time. Who wants to
start?”

Gratitude.
Sometimes the challenge
to be grateful had been as big as the word. Often she’d been a world-class
hypocrite, encouraging her children to look on the bright side while she
indulged in resentment.

It seemed as if she’d spent most of her married life in that
particular mental state. She’d resented Mason’s decision to join the navy when
they were engaged and she was pregnant. They’d barely set up housekeeping when
he shipped out the first time. He’d missed his daughter’s birth; her childbirth
partner had been her mother. Better her mother than his, she’d told herself.
That was something to be grateful for. And she’d been grateful when he got out
of the navy. Not so much when he went back to school and neglected his family
for his studies. Not so much when he carved out a career that seemed to keep him
gone more than it kept him home. Mason had been determined to find the path to
success, but that path left little room for his family. She was the one who’d
always been there to soothe every heartbreak, puzzle over every math problem,
cheer at every ball game. And what had
he
done?

Gratitude, remember?
Okay, she had
something to be grateful for. She wasn’t with him anymore.

“I’m grateful for something,” Dani said. She reached into her
jeans pocket, pulled out a diamond ring and slid it onto her finger.

“Oh, my gosh, you’re engaged!” cried Amber.

Cass set down her fork and gaped. Of course she’d known this
was coming, but she was a little shocked that her daughter hadn’t told her
before everyone else. “When did this happen?” she asked.

Dani was beaming now, her brown eyes sparkling with excitement.
She looked at Mike and they shared the smiles reserved for a man and woman in
possession of newly minted love. “Last night. We wanted to wait and surprise
everyone.”

Well, they had.

“Don’t know how surprised anyone is,” Dot said, “but I think
you made your mother’s day.”

Of course she had. Why was Cass sitting there like a turkey on
a platter? She jumped up and went to hug her daughter and her future son-in-law.
“This is wonderful. You two are going to be so happy.”

How could they help but be? Unlike her mother at that age,
Danielle had been wise and thoughtful when selecting a mate. She hadn’t rushed
into a relationship with her hormones on fire and her brain dead from smoke
inhalation. She’d held out for the man who would be perfect for her. They even
looked
perfect together, Mike with his dark hair
and eyes and that big frame, her with her lighter coloring and sandy hair and
perfect willowy figure. In their wedding garb they’d look fit for the top of a
wedding cake.

“This calls for more pie,” Drew said with a grin, and helped
himself to another piece.

“I’m going to be a bridesmaid, right?” Amber asked her
sister.

“Of course,” Dani said.

“You’d better dig out your Armani,” Cass said to Drew. “Dani’s
going to need you to walk her down the aisle.”

Dani’s face lost some of its bride-to-be glow and she bit her
lip.

“Hey, I’m fine sitting in the front row with your mom,” Drew
said quickly. “I don’t have to be the one.”

Oh, yes, he did. Who else was going to? Oh, no. Surely not…

“Actually, I was hoping Daddy would walk me down the aisle,”
Dani said.

The undeserving absent father? The man who had been M.I.A. for
most of Dani’s life? Cass fell back against her chair and stared across the
table at her daughter.

Dani’s cheeks bloomed with a guilty flush and she studiously
avoided her mother’s gaze.

“Daddy?” Cass echoed. It came out frosted with scorn.
Way to be mature and poison your daughter’s happy
moment,
she scolded herself.

With her sunny disposition and eagerness to please, Danielle
was normally easy to get along with, but now her chin jutted out at a pugnacious
angle. “I know he’ll want to.”

Oh, he always
wanted
to be there,
but he never had been.

Until lately. Now that their children were practically grown.
He and his thirty-two-year-old trophy wife, Babette, seemed to think they could
lure the kids over to Seattle any time he swooped in from searching the globe
for oil for Exxon and buy their affection with shopping trips and Seahawks
tickets.

Obviously it was working, and that made Cass want to break the
wishbone she’d been saving into a thousand pieces. This wasn’t right. How to
make Dani see that, though?

She cleared her throat. “You know he travels a lot.”

“I know,” Dani said, “but we want a Christmas wedding and he’ll
be here for Christmas.”

“Christmas Day?” Willie made a face.

Dani looked at him in disgust. “What, are you afraid Santa
won’t come?” To the others she said, “Actually, we thought the weekend
before.”

“That’s not much time to plan a wedding,” Dot pointed out.
“What’s the rush?”

Now Mike was beaming like a man with a big announcement.

“Because Mike got a job as assistant manager at a hardware
store in Spokane,” Dani announced for him, “and when he moves for his new job I
want to go with him.”

Everyone at the table got busy offering Mike
congratulations.

Except Cass, who was truly in shock. They’d be moving away. Her
daughter would be moving away practically the moment after she got married. The
vision of Dani raising her family here in Icicle Falls, of someday taking over
the bakery, went up in smoke. It was all Cass could do not to cry. She pushed
away the plate with her half-finished pumpkin pie and hoped nobody asked her
what she was thankful for.

“Anyway, we just want a small wedding,” Mike said. “Nothing
fancy.”

Nothing fancy? Dani had always wanted a big church wedding.
What happened to that?

“And I know Daddy can come that weekend,” Dani said.

“You already talked to your father?”
Before you even shared the news with me?

Hurt welled up in Cass, giving her the worst case of heartburn
she’d ever had.

“Just to see if he was going to be around,” Dani said quickly.
“I thought maybe everyone could come up and stay for Christmas.”

“Here?” Cass squeaked.

“Whoo boy,” Drew said under his breath.

“There’s no room,” Cass said firmly. No room at the inn.

“You could probably put them up at Olivia’s,” Dot said.

Thank you, Dot. Remind me never to invite
you over for Thanksgiving dinner again.

“Dani, you know how crazy it gets this time of year,” Cass
said. “I’m sure most of the B and Bs are already booked solid with people coming
up for the Christmas festival that week.”

“Olivia still has a couple of rooms,” Dani said.

“You already talked to her?” She’d told Olivia, too?

“This morning. I just called to ask if she had any rooms
left.”

“Well, then, I guess that settles it,” Cass said stiffly.

“You’ll help me plan it, won’t you?” Dani asked her in a small
voice.

Cass was hurt and she was mad, but she wasn’t insane. “Of
course I will. And I’ll make the cake.”