The Perfect Bride Read Online Free PDF Page A

good-looking she might have thought he was. She’d loved Eric. How would Zack have reacted to being turned down?
    Somehow Jillian suspected she was going to have to find that out herself. She would have to keep an eye on him.
    With a sigh, she turned back to put her bags away. This was such a strange place with an...interesting group of people working here. She could hardly wait to meet the rest of them.
    * * *
    “A ND IF YOU see what I did with the frosting here, it’s another option that Ithink is quite lovely....”
    Jillian had never thought she would get sick of looking at cakes. But then, she’d never seen Rosie Warren’s album of all the cakes she’d made.
    Jillian nodded and made a sound of agreement in her throat to make the woman think she was listening. She really didn’t want to hear any more about cakes. At the moment she couldn’t imagine ever wanting to eat one again.
    Instead, she did her best to study the woman without making it obvious she was doing so. The longtime cook at Sutton Hall, Rosie was a sturdy-looking woman who appeared to be in her late fifties or early sixties, with gray hair and a rounded face and figure that gave her a grandmotherly appearance. She seemed pleasant enough, but Jillian wasn’t getting much of a read on her personality, otherthan that she was exceedingly competent at her job. From the moment she’d sat down at the massive dining room table with Jillian and Meredith, she’d opened the album and talked about nothing but cakes.
    When Rosie started to turn the page, Jillian quickly interjected. “This is all very impressive. You made all of these cakes just to have photographs of them?” She wasn’t exaggerating. The albumcontained photographs of at least four dozen fully decorated cakes, something Jillian couldn’t imagine her having on hand before Sutton Hall had been opened for weddings. For her to go to that much trouble was certainly impressive.
    “Yep. Just like the professionals,” Rosie said with unmistakable pride.
    “Although if you’d feel more comfortable hiring a professional baker, we’d understand,”Meredith said. “I do have the numbers of several in the area who come highly recommended.”
    “I’m perfectly capable of baking and decorating a beautiful wedding cake,” Rosie interjected before Jillian could respond, her voice suddenly tight with anger. “I think my work speaks for itself.”
    “It certainly does,” Jillian said. “I’ll leave the cake in your capable hands. I trust you’re morethan up to it.”
    Rosie nodded firmly. “Thank you. So why don’t you tell me what you have in mind when it comes to flavors, and I can prepare some samples for you to try.”
    Jillian was saved from answering when a door across the table from them suddenly swung open. “Rosie? You around?”
    Moments later, a man stepped through, coming to an abrupt stop as soon as he spotted them. “Oh. Sorryto interrupt.”
    “It’s no trouble,” Meredith said. “Jillian, this is Rosie’s husband, Ed. I’m sure you’ll be seeing him around. He’s our handyman and all-around go-to guy for keeping this place up and running. Ed, this is Jillian Jones. She’s going to be getting married here.”
    Ed Warren was a tall man with a stocky frame and gray hair that was balding on top. Appearing to be roughly thesame age as his wife, he had an open, welcoming face, which quickly eased into a smile. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
    “You, too,” Jillian said. “You take care of this whole house? That’s a big job for one man.”
    His smile deepened. “It keeps me busy,” he acknowledged before turning to his wife. “Rosie? There any coffee?”
    “There should be half a pot,” Rosie said with barely concealedirritation.
    “There’s not,” Ed said patiently.
    “Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Rosie said, shoving away from the table. “I know there was. And of course you can’t make any more yourself.”
    “You know you don’t like anybody messing