Page 17 of Cowboy’s Christmas Baker

“How’s Theo?” she asked Ana as they finished placing the brie circles on trays and began fanning out small slices of Swiss cheese.

“He’s amazing,” Ana said, her sunny smile saying as much as her words. “I can’t believe he’ll be four soon. Speaking of, when you have a minute, my mom and I want to order a cake.”

“I’d be honored,” Mal told her friend.

Ana’s cousin in Chicago had passed away last winter and Ana had taken custody of her son. With her mother’s help, they were raising the little boy with so much love and care. They made it look easy, but Mal knew it had to be tough to adjust so quickly to a whole new set of responsibilities.

“How’s the car, Ana?” Valerie asked, ever practical.

“Still misbehaving,” Ana said. “I know I need a new one, but we can’t really afford it.”

“Who could afford a new car?” Valerie said, shaking her head.

“Well, a new used one,” Ana amended. “If Mom and I didn’t bring in so many supplies from the city, I wouldn’t even bother with a car. Theo’s preschool is so close by, and even the elementary school is an easy walk when he’s ready for that.”

“Maybe you just need a friend with a motorcycle,” Valerie said lightly, winking at Mal.

Ana pretended to ignore the remark, but her cheeks darkened.

Mal was pretty sure Ana knew that Rory Dunn had a thing for her. The hunky young man with the big motorcycle had moved to town last year after his sister fell madly in love with Grayson Ward and decided to stay in Trinity Falls for good. Rory and Evangeline were super close siblings, and it was honestly really nice to see such friendly new faces in town.

Whenever they all got together for a party or a town event, it was hard not to notice that Rory seemed to hang on Ana’s every word. And since both of them were so quick to pitch in whenever help was needed, it kind of made sense that they got thrown together a lot.

But Ana never, ever wanted to talk about Rory.

“Any luck with the missing bracelet?” Mal asked Valerie.

Ana gave her a grateful look, clearly relieved about the change of subject.

“No,” Valerie said, a furrow in her brow as she slapped down slices of Swiss with a little more force than was necessary. “And I can’t even figure out why anyone would take it.”

“It’s really not worth much?” Ana asked.

“It’s a tiny copper pinecone charm on a waxed cord,” Valerie said. “The materials are hardly worth anything at all. And it didn’t take long to make.”

“Was it easier to access than your other stuff?” Mal asked. Most of Valerie’s jewelry was displayed in beautiful glass cases.

“It was out on the spinning display,” Valerie said. “Along with my turquoise, jade, and lapis pendants, all of which are actually worth something.”

“That’s so strange,” Ana said, shaking her head.

Trinity Falls didn’t really have much crime to speak of, and Mal couldn’t picture any of her neighbors actually stealing something. She was sure Valerie would get to the bottom of whatever was going on, but it sure was a mystery.

“How’s business otherwise?” Mal asked, passing down dishes of Stilton infused with fruit and honey.

“You guys know I had that one weird year,” Valerie said, “where the pipe burst and then the deer smashed through the front window. It took me two years to come back from that loss, and I thought this Christmas I’d finally get ahead and pay down the mortgage on the building a little.”

“Well, one missing bracelet isn’t such a bad thing,” Ana said gently. “Especially if it wasn’t worth much.”

“One missing bracelet is where it starts,” Valerie said darkly. “Just like one drop of water.”

“Let’s hope not,” Mal said, passing down sleeves of gourmet crackers.

“Did you report it?” Ana asked Valerie.

Mal tried to hide her smile as she arranged crackers on one of the trays. They all knew exactly what would happen if Valerie called the Trinity Falls Police Station.

Sweet Chad Stransky, with his golden hair and laid-back smile would rush over to the jewelry store to check on his favorite person in Trinity Falls.