The Baker Read Online Free PDF Page A

figured he could make use of his ancestry to sell more bread and cakes than his competitors. Rumor has it he needed a reliable way to make money so he could feed his suddenly expanding family.”
    “Oh, I like it! Do I detect the signs of a shotgun wedding?” Cameron leaned forward.
    “Absolutely.” Ian laughed. “Nobody in the family will admit it, but I did some research and found out my grandfather was born only four months after the wedding.”
    “Perfect. A family scandal to go with the family tradition. Tell me more.” Cameron waved his fork in a “do continue” gesture before getting back to eating. He kept his eyes mostly on Ian as he ate, clearly fascinated.
    “Well, his focus on being Scottish and slightly different did help the business survive the Great Depression, and when my grandfather took over in the fifties, it was one of the most well-known bakeries in a Casper about half the size it is today. When my father took over in the late eighties, when Casper was in decline, he needed some sort of a gimmick to keep the bakery afloat.” Ian smiled ruefully. “He’d never admit it was a gimmick, of course. Whatever the reason it started, the secret ingredient thing has become a bit of a trademark for us. Only for my father, it’s way more serious than that.”
    “What do you mean?” Cameron had finished his meal and sat back a little, keeping eye contact.
    “Well, he has elevated the secret ingredients to a level that rivals the Coca-Cola Company’s brouhaha around their secret recipe for Coke. To the point where nobody but him knows the actual recipes for the bakery’s biggest sellers like shortbread, oatcakes, and even basic bread.” Ian couldn’t keep the scowl off his face. “It’s not exactly a safe business practice to handle things this way. What if something happens to him? And he’s not getting any younger. Not that’s he’s senile or anything, but I worry, you know?”
    “I see what you mean.” Cameron nodded slowly. “But you have your own recipes, right?”
    “I do.” Ian nodded. “It’s mostly the cakes and cookies, both savory and sweet, those are my specialty. But the big sellers, the ones that make a lot of turnover, are all his. They’re what the bakery is known for. Take this upcoming Tartan Day event, for example.”
    “Tartan Day event?” Cameron raised his eyebrows. “Never heard of it.”
    “I only found out about it yesterday. Apparently, it’s a celebration of Scottish heritage on April 6. A friend of mine told me the mayor is planning to bring it to Casper so he has another event to attract tourists.” Ian shrugged. “Whatever the reason, the mayor wants the Scottish Bakehouse to participate in the competition.”
    “But that’s great.” Cameron smiled. “It’ll be perfect advertising for you.”
    “That’s what I thought. But there’s a catch.” Ian swallowed. He still hadn’t managed to talk to his father about it. Damn!
    “Oh?” Cameron raised one eyebrow, making him look even sexier.
    “Yeah. The mayor wants only the youngest generation in each business to compete, independent of who is the official owner. Something about showing future potential.” Ian paused to finish his last bite of food.
    “And?” Cameron frowned, but then his face lit up. “Oh!”
    “Exactly.” Ian sighed and leaned back, feeling pleasantly full. “For the marketing to have real effect, my father would need to let me have his secret ingredients.”
    “And he won’t?” Cameron looked shocked.
    “I… um… I haven’t even asked him yet.” Ian shrank a little in his seat. It sounded even worse out loud than it had in his head.
    “You’re expecting him to say no.” Cameron nodded. “Makes sense. From what you’ve told me, that’s probably how he would react. Thing is, you won’t know for sure until you ask him, right?”
    “Right.” Ian nodded. At least Cameron hadn’t accused him of being a coward. It was certainly how he felt sometimes. But