Page 19 of Cowboy’s Christmas Baker

“Maybe,” Mal said, shrugging.

“Definitely,” Valerie said, nodding to herself and sending her earrings shivering. “If we had men in our lives, it might be different. But we don’t. And that’s fine. Let’s not act like it isn’t.”

“Okay,” Ana said. “So no pressuring each other about the guys that like us?”

She was obviously talking about Rory Dunn. And the hope in her eyes made Mal feel bad for ever bringing him up with her.

“Nope,” Valerie said.

“And no moaning over what-could-have-beens?” Mal offered, with Declan Hawkins on her mind.

“None,” Valerie said.

“And no talking about a possible Mr. Right, or Deputy Right?” Ana asked, her eyes twinkling at the obvious hint at Chad Stransky.

“Absolutely none of that,” Valerie said firmly.

“I don’t actually know if we can hold to this,” Mal admitted, trying to imagine a friendship where they didn’t talk about romance at all.

“We could do it until New Year’s,” Valerie sniffed. “And at least take off all this pressure to pair up for the holidays, when we’re all busy with our shops and the community events.”

“That’s still a long time,” Mal said. “But it does sound kind of nice.”

“What if we had a code?” Ana offered. “We could do a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down.”

“Oh, like How’s your love life?” Mal offered.

Both of her best friends gave her a quick thumbs-down and she had just enough time to add her own before all three of them cracked up.

“Yes,” Valerie said, nodding in a pleased way. “That’s as much as I want to talk about romance this Christmas. It’s my gift to myself. Who’s with me?”

She lifted her teacup of chocolate again and held it out.

After a moment, Ana lifted hers to touch it.

Mal laughed and clinked her own teacup to Ana’s and Valerie’s.

“To a nice, peaceful Christmas,” Ana said.

“Where we focus on our town,” Mal added. “And our shops.”

“And there’s no romance whatsoever,” Valerie declared in a satisfied way.

No romance whatsoever.

Mal definitely wouldn’t have a problem with that.

5

HARRISON

Harrison finished up the morning milking without too many stops and starts. New equipment and animals meant a learning curve, but the session with Brian last night had made a world of difference. Besides, he’d been working with cows his whole life and the Holsteins here were gentle and calm, which let him know they’d been well cared for.

They were producers too. Radcliffe, the former owner, had said as much. But the man seemed more like a city CEO than a farmer, so Harrison hadn’t taken his production numbers to heart. Seeing the operation in person had Harrison running some new calculations in his head now, and feeling hopeful that they might actually be turning a profit right out of the gate.

The first feeding of the day was next, and Harrison enjoyed the happy sounds of the hungry cows as they began their meal. The troughs were filled with sweet water from the natural spring that fed the creek. That spring was a godsend for animals that drank so much. His girls would spend most of their days eating and drinking, so plenty of quality food and water were a must.

When his chores were done for the moment, he headed back up to the house to shower and have a quick cup of coffee before going over to the school.