Page 47 of Cowboy’s Christmas Baker

Aunt Alice led her off while Harrison opened the box. Inside, the beautiful scones had been cut into thick slices, which he was certain would encourage people to try both kinds.

“Here,” Mal said, heading over with a platter. “Alice wants me to use her Nutcracker tray.”

The large, familiar piece featured a scene from The Nutcracker, with a girl in a pink tutu and the Nutcracker prince leaping toward her. He watched as Mal artfully arranged the scone slices on it.

A moment later, Katie reappeared with a clipboard in her hands.

“Now I can write down what everyone likes best,” she said excitedly.

“Very official,” Mal said, looking impressed.

Katie’s eyes lit up.

“Shall we walk around with the tray?” Mal offered.

“Yes,” Katie said.

The two of them took off and Harrison watched as they started with Hope, offering her samples of each type of scone.

She took them happily, and the three of them chatted and smiled as she enjoyed the treat, bending to give Katie her vote when she was finished.

Harrison realized the job was going to get Katie interacting with everyone here. And the clipboard was a nice touch on Aunt Alice’s part. It gave Katie something to do with her hands if she felt nervous, and something to retreat into if she didn’t want to socialize.

The two of them turned to Cal, who was seated on one of the stools. He hopped down and took samples, even bending to talk with Katie some.

Cal was the local sheriff, and his son Justin was here someplace, running around with the other kids. Angel, his wife, was probably walking baby Mia around. Mia would be just over a year old now. In the photo of the four of them that had been tucked in their family Christmas card, she was completely adorable, with the cutest dimples.

“Hey,” Shane and Natalie’s daughter Rumor yelled to Katie as she dashed into the kitchen. “Did your mom make enough for the kids to do a taste test?”

She thinks Mal is Katie’s mom.

His eyes went to his daughter, his heart breaking for her at the reminder that her mom wasn’t around.

But she had a funny little smile on her face, and she didn’t bother to correct the other little girl. She simply nodded.

“We’ve got enough for everyone,” Mal said, after a moment, seemingly not wanting to correct Rumor if Katie hadn’t. “Come on over and give them a try.”

Rumor beckoned to the back stairwell and a crew of Cassidy kids came pouring down, plenty that Harrison recognized from the family photos that came in Christmas cards and emails, and just as many that he’d never seen before.

Katie held onto her clipboard for dear life. But whenever someone gave her their selection, she made eye contact and noted down their answer.

And Mal glanced down at her here and there, the pride on her face as warm as the gratitude in Harrison’s heart.

When all the samples were gone, and the results tallied up, the kids disappeared upstairs, taking Katie with them.

“She’s fitting right in, isn’t she?” Aunt Alice asked, smiling at Harrison over her coffee mug.

“This place makes people feel at home,” he allowed. “I know I always did.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” she said, her eyes serious. “We expect to see you here for Sunday dinners from now on.”

“Only if you’ll let us know what we can bring,” he said.

“You bring that sweet Mallory Fisher,” Aunt Alice said quietly. “She needs family around her. She took her mother’s loss hard. It’s good to see her smiling.”

“We’re not really… I mean, we aren’t…” he said stupidly, unable to believe that after having had one conversation about this tonight he wasn’t better prepared for a second.

“Well see to it that you are,” his aunt told him firmly. “I can’t believe she wasn’t married years ago. She did carry a torch for the Hawkins boy, but you’re a much better match.”