Page 37 of Cowboy’s Christmas Baker

She laughed and shook her head, her eyes twinkling.

“And I was named after my father’s father,” he told her. “My dad always wished he’d been called Harrison after him too, and then I would have been Harrison Law, the third.”

She covered her mouth with her other hand, as if trying not to laugh.

“But maybe you would have thought a guy with that name would already be down at the cemetery,” he teased her.

Giggles escaped from under her hand and he had to smile too.

None of this was really all that funny. It just felt good to relax and chat with someone who was so naturally joyful.

He had begun getting to know her when she was at her lowest, in the early weeks of mourning her mother. Seeing her now, healing and making her own happiness in a simple day-to-day life, he realized how far she had come.

Why can’t I do the same?

“You okay?” she asked.

He realized that his emotions were probably written right on his face. What was it about this girl that made him let down his guard so easily?

Or was it her own compassionate heart that let her see in him what others didn’t?

“It’s just that you’re doing so well,” he said. “I love seeing you shine like this.”

“But?” she said after a second.

“Well, it also makes me wonder why I can’t seem to do the same,” he heard himself say, giving voice to the question that had been in his head for so long.

“What you lost was different,” she said, placing her other hand over his. “You lost the love of your life and your child’s mother. On top of that, you can’t really even focus on healing yourself. You have to put Katie’s loss first.”

“I’m not doing so great at that either,” he admitted.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“You’ve seen Katie,” he sighed. “How reserved she is.”

“Do you want to know what I see?” she asked thoughtfully.

He nodded.

“I see a man giving his daughter time and space to come out of her shell,” she said. “I see a father offering opportunities, instead of commanding her to act a certain way. It can’t be easy to be patient, but that’s your gift to her, Harrison, a gift she’ll always remember.”

Her words landed hard. More so because he hoped with all his heart that they might be true.

He couldn’t even manage to thank her aloud—his throat ached and his eyes burned with unshed tears.

When was the last time I cried?

“It’s true, isn’t it?” she asked softly.

He nodded.

“Well, I think she’s going to be just fine,” she told him. “She’s got a great sense of humor. And baking seems like such a positive way to feel close with her mom.”

“Yeah,” he said. “I guess from where I’m standing it’s hard to see the forest for the trees.”

“Why didn’t you tell me more about Katie when we talked online?” Mallory asked, her voice softer.

“I guess I’m old-fashioned,” he admitted. “But it would have felt like I was sharing her private feelings with a stranger, even though you never really felt like a stranger to me. But now that she knows you and likes you, it doesn’t seem like such a betrayal to tell you that I’m worried.”