In Always the Baker, Never the Bride , readers fell in love with Emma Rae and Jackson, and they’ve gotten more acquainted with them in the two books that followed. But now it’s time for the diamond to meet the road as Jackson fields an offer to sell The Tanglewood, a move that will uproot this high-flying family act once and for all. Get reacquainted with all of the lovable and quirky characters from the first three books as your favorite diabetic baker figures out if she'll achieve her greatest goal of all: Will Emma, at last, become FINALLY the Bride? Tanglewood turns into a circus as Emma Rae and Jackson head down the aisle . . . maybe. Sandra D. Bricker was an entertainment publicist in Los Angeles for more than 15 years, where she attended school to learn screenwriting and eventually taught the craft for several semesters. She became a best-selling, award-winning author of Live-Out-Loud Fiction for the inspirational market, authored books such as the Jessie Stanton novels, and was best known for her Emma Rae Creation series. Over the years, as an ovarian cancer survivor, she spent time and effort toward raising awareness and funds for research, diagnostics, and a cure. Sandra lived in Toledo, Ohio before her passing in 2016. She is remembered online at SandraDBricker.com. Always the Baker, FINALLY the Bride By Sandra D. Bricker Abingdon Press Copyright © 2013 Sandra D. Bricker All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4267-3227-0 CHAPTER 1 Dude. When you said your family had a summer cottagenear Savannah, I pictured something kind of different. Moregalley kitchen and bunk beds than Great Gatsby and mintjuleps." Emma smiled and yanked the camouflage duffle out of theback of Sherilyn's Explorer, heaving it into Fee's arms. " The Great Gatsby was New York, wasn't it?" Sherilyn askedas she pulled her two floral overnight bags from the back.Leaning on the rear bumper, she wrapped both arms aroundher large pregnant belly and sighed as she gazed at the house."It's been such a long time, Em. Are you glad to be back?" Emma hummed her reply, slinging a burgundy tote overone shoulder and a brown leather bag over the other. She madeher way across the sandy driveway and up the white-railedsteps to the wraparound porch and pressed her grandmother'sbirthdate into the security pad. Once the beep of acceptancesquawked its approval, Emma pushed open the massivedouble doors and turned around to grin at Sherilyn. They sang it together: "Wipe yaw fee-eet ." How many times had they heard those same threewords over years of spring and summer holiday visits! Theyscampered into a quick, animated run-in-place atop the largestraw welcome mat while Fee stood behind them, eyeing themcuriously over the bridge of square black sunglasses. Emma dropped her bags at the foot of the staircase andhurried toward the vistas calling to her from fifty yards beyondthe wall of windows. She unlatched the French doors at thetop, and again at the knobs, and shoved them fully openwith dramatic flair, expectant and eager. The salty sea breezecaressed her face just as she'd imagined, and the distantpurr of the rolling ocean waves brought the perfect music toaccompany the lyric of chattering gulls. Emma approached the porch railing and leaned againstit, mesmerized by the foam-capped dance on the white sandshore. Aunt Sophie had always called it "Atlantic Therapy,"a term that had popped immediately to mind when Sherilynhad suggested they go away somewhere relaxing where Emmacould pull her thoughts together and make some solid weddingplans after months of avoidance. Well. Not avoidance, really. More like ... inertia . A numbsort of wedding paralysis that seemed to set in whenever keydecisions needed to be made. Like the cake. She wiggled the fingers of her left hand, allowing sunbeamsto bounce off her beautiful engagement ring. She wondered forthe hundredth time how Jackson had known that she'd alwayswanted a princess-cut diamond. She would have been pleasedwith a little square solitaire, of course, but the frame of smallerround diamonds that surrounded the stone and worked theirway down to the platinum band caused the ring to catch thatmuch more light. It was an exquisite ring. Perfect in every way. "Sher, I never asked you before," she said as Sherilynstepped up beside her. "Did you tell Jackson I wanted aprincess diamond?" "No, of course not. I was as surprised as you." "Mm." "Why?" "No reason. I've just wondered, and I keep forgetting to askhim how he knew." "Hey," she said after a moment's thought. "What do yousay we unpack? Then we can head into town and get somegroceries." "No need," Emma said, breaking her gaze from the ring andfixing it on the sweeping blue horizon. "I faxed a list to Elmerand Louise. They took care of everything." "Elmer and Louise!" Sherilyn exclaimed. "They still takecare of this place? Are they still alive ?" "Twenty years connected to the Travis clan when theyactually had a choice not to be," Emma summar