Page 1 of Saving His Sunshine

Chapter One

Heidi

“If this recipe isn’t as magical as it smells, I quit,” I swear, my stomach rumbling as I roll another perfect sphere of dough between my palms before setting it aside on the parchment paper.

Fresh air wafts through the open back door, sending the savory aroma of seasoned meat and sweet dough wafting through the air. My stomach rumbles loudly, demanding that I eat.

I ignore it for a moment and reach for another chunk of the dough, refusing to rush.

“Don’t you even think about quitting, Heidi Marsh,” my sister, Adalynn, scolds me over the phone. “You’re way too talented to give up.”

I smile despite myself. My four sisters and our older brother are my biggest cheerleaders. I think they believe in me and my culinary skills more than anyone.

But this recipe has to be flawless for the grand opening ofSassy & Sweetin two weeks. This will be my first ever bakery. I’m not going to blow it because my kolaches are only so-so.

Are you kidding me?

My reputation as a baker in Silver Spoon Falls rests on getting them just right. That’snotan exaggeration. This is Texas. If the South knows anything, it’s food. It’s as ingrained in our DNA as going to church on Sunday morning and hunting season. And okay, maybe I don’t personally do either of those things, but I do know food.

I am not going to get blackballed from town potlucks and ruin my entire bakery by messing up the one thing on the menu that involves meat.

No way, no how.

Besides, someone already has it out for me. They keep leaving little love notes at the bakery, telling me that I’m going to fail. There’s no way I’m going to prove them right. There’s no way I’m telling my sisters and brother about the notes I’ve found over the last two weeks, either. I’ll never have another moment of peace if they ever find out.

“Fine, I probably won’t quit,” I promise Adalynn, trying hard not to think about the creepy notes. “But only because someone has to do something with all those recipes mom gave us, and you guys aren’t ever going to do it.”

I can’t wait to share them with this little corner of the world when the bakery opens. Our adopted mom is an amazing cook. She taught me everything she knew. She tried to teach my sisters and our brother, too, but our sisters never could master more than basic kitchen skills.

“No way,” Adalynn says with a laugh. “The less time I spend in the kitchen, the better. And Gemma and Charlie are lucky they married men who know how to cook. Otherwise, they’d survive on takeout.” She pauses. “Or burn down their kitchens.”

I laugh because she’s right. Our youngest sisters are terrible in the kitchen. They have enthusiasm…but Charlie marches to the beat of her own drum most of the time. I love her to death, but she’s a safety hazard. And Gemma is talented at pretty much everything except cooking.

Leia, our other sister, is better at it, but she doesn’t have the time to dedicate to the kitchen. She’s too busy chasing stories for the local paper and cheering on her hockey-playing husband.

“At least Garrett can cook,” I say, referencing our older brother. Like me, he picked up a lot of mom’s skills.

“Yeah, because there’s no way he’s letting Ciara do it,” Adalynn says with another laugh. “He loves spoiling her.”

“Um, hello? Aren’t you currently living it up in Houston child-free with your husband because he spoils you?” I cry, laughing. Razor, her husband, whisked her away to celebrate their anniversary…which I’m pretty sure is code for making another baby.

All of my siblings are madly in love...and I’ve always been too afraid to even go on a date with a man. I’m not jealous at all. Nope. Not at all.

If I tell myself that often enough, maybe one day I’ll actually believe it. Or grow a pair and actually put myself out there for once instead of hiding behind my dreams as if they can protect my heart.

I never imagined that I’d be the last of my siblings to get married. I want a family of my own so freaking bad, but the thought of giving my heart to someone scares the crap out of me. I blame our bio parents for that.

Frankly, they were a nightmare. They neglected us to the point that we were taken away multiple times. Eventually, they abandoned us entirely, leaving us alone in an apartment with very little food. When Adalynn finally went to the neighbor for help, their rights were terminated completely. We were separated in foster care for a year and a half before our adopted parents got us.

Life got a lot better after that. But I’m still slow to trust most people. I don’t mean to be, but it just kind of happened. The thought of falling in love—of being that vulnerable with someone else—is terrifying. I couldn’t even trust my own parents to protect me and my sisters when we needed them most. We were defenseless little girls, completely dependent on them. How do I trust a complete stranger to protect my heart now?

Somehow, my sisters have figured out the magic formula, but I can’t. It drives me crazy sometimes. I want to be brave like they are and fall headfirst into love. Instead, I hide from even the possibility of it. I’ve never seen a man naked. I’ve never been kissed. Hell, I’ve never even been on a single date.

I’m a bona-fide coward.

“I am in Houston, but I am not spoiled,” Adalynn sniffs, recalling my attention.

“Right.” I roll out the last ball of dough and then wash my hands. “Razor spoils the crap out of you, and you know it.”

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