Coconut Macaroon Scandal

By Virginia Barlow

When Emma Davis is summoned to her hometown on negligence charges her world turns upside down. She faces losing everything she worked so hard for, her bakery and her inheritance. She's met all the conditions of the will but one--a fiancé. Jilted and mistrustful, Emma cannot face her family alone. When Gran's ghost recommends a particular customer for the job, Emma closes her eyes and proposes.
Sebastian Lewis agrees without hesitation. He's had his eye on this beauty for some time. She has qualities none of the women in his past possess. Determined to make their engagement real, Sebastian follows her home until an emergency calls him away.
Emma's past and insecurities rise as her life and future are threatened.

• Language: Unknown
• Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
• Release date: Nov 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781509237821

Virginia Barlow

I enjoy knitting, crocheting, and quilting. I love roses and the smell of gardenias. I have two large dogs who like to keep me company while I write. Beethoven is an Aussie/ Great Pyrenees mix and Mozart is a Mastiff/Collie mix. I occasionally bake when the mood strikes me. Mostly I consider cooking and baking necessary evils. My husband of forty years is my greatest fan/critic and I don't know what I would do without him. My family is my greatest support and I love every minute I spend with them. Life is a journey and I can't wait to see where it leads me next!

Book preview

I’m going to give you a proper kiss now, he warned, for practice. His gaze searched hers. Most couples know each other intimately by this point in their relationship. Since we are new together, I suggest we kiss and touch as much as possible the next two weeks. This way, we’ll be natural together.

Emma’s knees weakened. She nodded and waited.

Sebastian placed a hand on her waist and drew her forward until their bodies touched. Emma’s stomach twisted. He was a head taller. She stared at the V-neck of his T-shirt trying not to think about how warm he was. His cologne enveloped her. Emma dragged in the scent and closed her eyes. God, he smelled good.

Emma. His deep voice vibrated by her ear.

She opened her eyes when he laced their fingers together. Her body trembled against him. She lifted her chin and met his gaze. His emerald eyes stared into her soul as his lips descended. They were warm, firm, and searching. Desire coiled in her stomach. It had been ages since a man touched her. She pressed against him. He tasted like coffee and cream. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. Emma’s knees gave out at the same moment. God, he felt good. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He stilled. And then his hand was at the back of her head angling her so he could deepen the kiss. His tongue swept inside her mouth and stroked along hers. Emma moaned. Heat spiraled through her. She opened her mouth for more.

Praise for Virginia Barlow

Previous Releases

The Wicked Sister

A Fallacious Seduction

The Witch of Rathborne Castle

Wylder Bachelor

A Fallacious Seduction won Crowned Heart of Excellence from InD’tale Magazine and was nominated for book of the year with N.N. Light’s Book Heaven.

A Fallacious Seduction is a fantastic historical western romance I couldn’t put down…

The romance, characters, and setting are engaging and conveyed to perfection. I highly recommend!

I thoroughly enjoyed this unique take on a classic fairy tale. The villainess was so wicked. The heroine was adorable and admirable, and the hero was dreamy. Some humor and some nice twists thrown in, then a perfect ending, made this unputdownable.

I loved this book! It has been a long time since I sat and read a story this entertaining..

Coconut Macaroon Scandal

by

Virginia Barlow

Christmas Cookies Series

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

Coconut Macaroon Scandal

COPYRIGHT © 2021 by Virginia Barlow

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press, Inc. except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Cover Art by Debbie Taylor

The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

PO Box 708

Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

Publishing History

First Edition, 2021

Digital ISBN 978-1-5092-3782-1

Christmas Cookies Series

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

To Annie for always being there for me!

Chapter One

Santa Ana, California

November 2017

He came at noon when the little bakery was full of customers.

The bell over the door jingled. Emma Davis slipped two sugar cookies into a paper bag and handed them across the counter to Mrs. Talbot.

The newcomer was a blond-haired man of medium height with a scruffy beard. He wore faded jeans, a navy hoodie, black running shoes, and glasses. Nothing about him alerted Emma to the chaos he held in his hand.

Welcome to Emma’s Bakery. I will be right with you. She flashed her business smile as she finished with her customer.

The man gave her a dazzling smile in return. No problem.

Customers milled around the blue-and-white checkered dining area.

The newcomer wandered over to the till and stood in line.

Emma looked up when the doorbell jingled again. She nicknamed this customer the coconut macaroon guy. He came every other Monday and bought the same thing, a large black coffee and one dozen freshly-baked coconut macaroons. She didn’t know his name because he always paid in cash. He wore his usual designer sweatpants, baggy gray T-shirt, and running shoes.

Emma finished her transaction. Thank you, and have a wonderful day.

She turned to the man waiting for her to finish. What can I get for you?

Miss Emma Davis? the man inquired, adjusting his glasses.

Emma frowned. I am Emma Davis.

He slapped a packet of papers down beside the till. You’ve been served. The man glanced at his watch and pulled out a pen. He wrote down the time and spun the paper around. Sign here.

Emma blinked. What is this?

The man smiled, showing teeth. He reminded Emma of a shark. The judge in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, wants a word with you. This is a summons for you to appear.

Emma gripped the counter. Plattsmouth? she asked weakly. Déjà vu, panic, and terror all choked her at once. The room swirled around. Emma dimly scribbled her name on the page, and the man tucked the paper into his hoodie pocket.

Have a nice day. He sneered as he walked away.

Emma couldn’t breathe. Why would the judge in Plattsmouth want to talk to her? She put the past, her family, and the town in her rearview mirror seven years ago, right after Gran’s death. Oh God…Dad, Mom, Candace, and Ethan. Emma put a hand to her head. It was too soon. She wasn’t ready. Blackness dimmed her vision, and the floor rose to meet her.

Suddenly, a hand caught her arm. Easy now. Let’s get you to a chair. A deep male voice rumbled by her ear.

Expensive cologne drifted over her as the darkness closed in. Strong arms cradled her against a masculine chest.

Emma shook her head. Who? A blurry image of windswept black hair and green eyes appeared above her. The coconut macaroon guy held her in his arms.

Emma closed her eyes to slow the spinning of the room.

Do you have somewhere private I can take her? his deep voice asked over her head.

Bring her to the office. There’s a couch, Chrissy’s voice said behind them.

Chrissy was a nineteen-year-old, blonde-haired, blue-eyed package of dynamite. She was five foot two and as sassy as they came. She was one of Emma’s two employees and a hard worker.

Chrissy? Emma asked.

I’m here. Let the nice man carry you. Once we are alone, we can talk.

Emma turned her head as her dusty blue walls floated past. Nausea rose in her throat. Before she knew it, they stood in front of her office door.

Chrissy opened the door.

The man walked over to Emma’s bright pink couch and set her down. Interesting color scheme.

Emma’s office was a hodge-podge of items gathered from secondhand stores. She had a fluorescent green office chair, a pink sofa, a black metal desk, and several colorful pictures of places she planned to visit on the walls.

What can we say? It works, Chrissy answered. Thanks for helping us out.

Emma gazed at her rescuer. He was six foot three and built like a marine with heavy masculine thighs and bulging biceps. He looked solid as a rock.

Thank you, she murmured.

No problem. Feel better. He walked out of the office and closed the door behind him.

Emma ran her damp palms down the side of her jeans. Lord, she was a mess.

Chrissy leaned over her. I’ll be back as soon as the customers are gone. She set the summons beside Emma.

You’re an angel, Chrissy.

"I know. If only I could find a decent man to think the same thing, I’d