Preston Pruitt put aside his dreams of becoming a gourmet chef at a high-end restaurant to raise his daughter while her mother was on active duty in Afghanistan. Now Abby is a precocious eight-year-old in love with fairies and princesses, and Preston works at an unimaginative and monotonous job as a short order cook.<br><br>Abby has her quirks, and when she tries to wear a pair of costume wings for her school pictures, her father is called to help talk her out of them. That's when Preston meets Cam Richards, a handsome photographer with his own studio in town. Between Cam's quick smile and flirty manner, Preston is smitten and surprises himself by asking the guy out. Late night phone calls lead to dinner dates, and soon Preston is falling for Cam. It helps that Abby approves of her father's new special friend.<br><br>With Cam’s encouragement, Preston gets the chance to interview for an executive chef position. Now that he has all the ingredients, will he finally fulfill his dream of becoming a top chef and find the perfect recipe for romance?

Recipe for Romance

Mrs. Schroedinger shook her head. “That child is a dear. I’ll be here in the morning, same as usual, I ‘spect?”


“That’d be great, thanks.” Preston pulled the door shut behind them and helped her down the porch steps, then walked her to the end of their walk. There he waited, watching her until she made it to her own stoop. Only after she disappeared into her own home and the light flickered on inside did he head back in and lock up himself.


His first stop upstairs was Abby’s room. Though his daughter prided herself on being a big girl at eight, she still slept with a nightlight, a small round LED bulb that turned on automatically in the dark and cast a cool blue glow beneath her bed. It barely illuminated her sheets, or her slumbering face resting on the pillow, though for some reason, Preston could easily pick out the beady eyes of the stuffed bunny she cuddled with as she slept.


Chapter 29