Buck and some of his friends sat around the pastry counter, laughing at Ezra's newest scheme. The southerner had been saving his dough to buy the pie shoppe. Ezra even planned to rename it — The Standish Boulangerie — but whoever heard of a key lime pie owning a bakery?

Just then, a pretty, young woman stepped into the shop. She walked right up to the display case and smiled at Buck. It was Miss Lucy and Buck was happy to see her; it had been months since they'd last spooned together.

"I've missed you, Buck," she said. Buck wanted to tell her that she didn't look like she'd been missing any meals lately; she wasn't "little Luce" anymore.

Lucy touched her belly then, announcing, "I've got a bun in the oven!"

Buck was speechless.

"Oh, Buck," she exclaimed, "Pa's gonna insist on a wedding!"

Oh, no! Buck thought. I'm not gonna be served up at no wedding! Especially when I ain't responsible for Lucy's weight gain!

Beside Buck, JD's cherry filling was all a-jiggle; he was so excited for them both. Josiah was thanking the Lord for their daily bread. And Ezra ... well, he was just waiting for someone to offer up some toast to the happy couple.

"There are a thousand things to decide," Lucy was saying. "The honeymoon ... where we'll live.... And baby names! I like Pillsbury for a boy, and Stella Dora for a girl."

Buck's chocolate shavings were curling in dismay. There wasn't gonna be a place to live ... there wasn't gonna be a honeymoon ... 'cuz there wasn't gonna be a wedding!

Lucy suddenly looked like a fallen soufflé, but Buck didn't care. This was all a big mistake. There was no way that he, a no-bake chocolate-cream pie, could have anything to do with the bun in Lucy's oven.

Besides, no pastry of his was gonna be named Stella Dora!!

He much preferred Little Debbie.

THE END

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January 2004

Please do NOT repost this recipe anywhere outside of the Blackraptor website and cookbook.

Characters from "The Magnificent Seven," were used without permission and this recipe in no way signifies support of, or affiliation with, The Mirisch Group, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment, CBS Worldwide, Inc., or Betty Crocker. This recipe belongs to the chef and will not be sold for any reason.