Page 40 of Cowboy’s Christmas Baker

“You don’t have to bring anything—” Harrison began.

“Scones,” Katie sang out. “There will be a lot of people there, right? They can help you decide which one is best.”

“Katie Law, I just might have to make you my assistant,” Mallory said with a smile.

“How much do I get paid?” Katie asked seriously.

“I can pay you in baked goods,” Mallory said without missing a beat. “All you can eat.”

“That’s a good deal,” Katie said, thrusting out her little hand.

Mallory shook it, and Harrison felt like she was holding his heart in her hand too.

Please don’t let me lose myself over this girl, he prayed inwardly.

But he was starting to think it might be too late.

9

MALLORY

The next afternoon, Mal pulled on her coat with one hand, holding a big bakery box in the other while her best friend questioned her life choices.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Valerie asked in her trademark straightforward way.

“It will be fun,” Mal said, trying not to think about how nervous she’d been feeling all day.

“That’s not an answer,” Valerie pointed out.

“It might not be the best idea,” Mal admitted. “But you only live once.”

She remembered that Annie Williams was right behind the counter, and glanced up to see the college senior observing her with wide eyes.

Annie scrambled under the counter for a rag and began wiping the already clean surface, clearly embarrassed for being caught listening in.

Mal could hardly blame her. The bakery wasn’t exactly a hotbed of juicy gossip. Annie had to take what she could get.

Mal turned back to Valerie, who wore a pinched expression.

There was a time when Mal would have felt judged by the look of disapproval on her friend’s face. But she had known Valerie long enough now to know that the look wasn’t about Mal herself. Her friend simply disapproved of a world where Mal might get hurt.

She tried not to feel too insulted by Valerie’s protective instincts. Normally, the two of them worried about Ana, who would probably give a stranger the clothes right off her back without a second thought.

Am I really so vulnerable? Mal asked herself.

But she knew the answer. This had been a hard year. Her friend was only looking out for her.

“What about you?” Mal asked Valerie. “What are you up to tonight?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Valerie grumbled, a funny look on her face.

“Okayyyy,” Mal murmured a bit suspiciously.

“Have fun,” Valerie said. “But don’t fall for that guy. He’s too handsome.”

“That’s not his fault,” Mal said automatically. Maybe she should have argued the point, but trying to argue that Harrison Law wasn’t handsome would be like trying to tell Valerie that sugar wasn’t sweet. “Besides, we aren’t supposed to talk about guys until next year.”

“And I thought you said he wasn’t a guy,” Valerie said knowingly. “Just a friend.”