Page 1 of Cowboy’s Christmas Baker

COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS BAKER

1

MALLORY

Mallory Fisher gazed out the bakery window, watching flurries drift down over Trinity Falls. The tiny snowflakes melted as they touched the sandstone sidewalks, but clung to the knit hats and brightly colored coats of the people who bustled through town holding their shopping bags with big smiles on their faces.

In spite of Mal’s aching heart, Trinity Falls kept right on going, as picture-perfect as any vision of Christmas you might find inside a snow globe.

Even the bakery smelled incredible today, a mixture of the warm cinnamon rolls she’d just taken out of the oven, yeast from the morning’s fresh bread, and a waft of chocolate from today’s attempt at a signature holiday treat.

And of course there was the rich aroma of fresh coffee, its steam swirling from the three stoneware mugs sitting on the table. One was pale with milk, another had a dash of cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg, and the third was black as night.

“I’m so sorry, Mal,” Ana said softly from across the table, her dark eyes filled with sympathy.

“He’s a colossal jerk,” Valerie announced from beside Mal. Her no-nonsense tone made Mal feel a little silly for not being over Declan by now.

As much as she’d had to fight not to feel sorry for herself this year, Mal also knew she should be deeply grateful. Bad things happened—they were a part of life. But she was incredibly lucky that her two best friends had her back. Between Ana’s kindness and Valerie’s fearless honesty, Mal was always anchored, in spite of the storm around her.

And she knew the real reason she was feeling so low had a lot more to do with losing her mom earlier this year than it did with her pining over some unrequited crush.

Although finding out just this morning that the guy she’d had a thing for since elementary school was marrying someone else had certainly shaken her up a bit.

“He’s not a jerk,” Mal said carefully. “He just wasn’t into me like that. And Julie Rodman is a perfectly nice person.”

Valerie only rolled her eyes in response. Mal could hardly blame her. She didn’t love defending Declan and his new bride-to-be, but she was determined not to let herself be a bitter person.

“Anyone would think he was interested in you,” Ana said. “I mean, why else was he in here all the time?”

“This is the only shop with coffee on this side of the street,” Mal pointed out, gesturing to her espresso machine. “And we grew up together. Why shouldn’t he come in and say hello? It’s not his fault I had a crush on him.”

“You probably could have said something to him about it,” Valerie pointed out. “But ultimately, it’s his loss. You can do better.”

Mal bit her lip and nodded. There was no point arguing, even if she was pretty sure she wasn’t going to do any better than Declan Hawkins. Declan was her brother Dean’s best friend and she had known him long enough to know he was smart, funny, and kind.

Her fingers slipped into her apron pocket of their own accord, searching for her cell phone. There was one other person she wanted to talk to about all of this, but Mal couldn’t stop everything just to message her online buddy right now.

It was funny how often she wanted to do exactly that lately. Harrison had a knack for understanding her feelings, and he always knew exactly what to say to cheer her up.

“You should let us set you up with someone,” Ana, always the matchmaker, offered kindly.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Valerie practically growled.

Mal looked up in surprise. Valerie could be sharp-tongued at times, but her disdain was never directed at her friends.

But Valerie wasn’t talking to Ana. Her eyes were fixed on the door.

No, Mal thought to herself when she spotted the customer.

She was struck by a sudden urge to disappear into the back, but the door was already opening, sending the bells hanging over it jingling. The merry sound was pretty far from her current mood.

“Hey, Mal,” Julie Rodman said, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks pink. The woman looked like she was on top of the world.

And why wouldn’t she be?

“Hi, Julie,” Mal said, rising and heading for the counter.

Do not stare at the ring, she told herself sternly as she wondered what in the world the woman was doing in her shop.