Page 54 of Cowboy’s Christmas Baker

She reached into the bag and pulled out one of the soft treats. Amazingly, it was still warm.

“These are fresh,” she told Harrison as she handed it over.

“It’s big,” he said.

He wasn’t wrong, traditional Philadelphia soft pretzels came in cardboard flats and you had to peel them apart. But the Amish made a classic looking, individual rounded pretzel.

“That’s really good,” Harrison said, sounding surprised.

“The Pennsylvania Dutch know their way around a pretzel,” Mal agreed. “And it’s a little less salty than the Philly kind. Though I like the weight of a Philly pretzel.”

She peeled off a piece of her own pretzel and hummed around it.

“Here comes the snow,” Harrison said.

Sure enough, big flakes started drifting down and melting against the windshield.

“This will be so pretty if it sticks,” Mal said, watching the snow begin to slant down a little harder.

They drove on until the forests grew fewer and the fields grew larger. Too soon, Harrison turned onto Ambler Road.

“Today was nice,” he said gruffly.

“It was,” she agreed, keeping her eyes on the window so he wouldn’t notice that her cheeks were heating.

“Look, I know you’re getting over… that guy,” he said, his voice even deeper and growlier than ever. “But I’d like to take you out to dinner sometime. When you’re ready. If you want.”

Mal was so surprised that she was completely speechless for a moment. She looked over to him, but he was obviously serious. His own eyes were on the road, but his jaw was clenched tightly and his knuckles were white where he gripped the steering wheel, like it had taken some effort for him to ask.

This was what she had been hoping he would say last night. This kind of honesty was what she had come to expect from the man she had gotten to know. She opened her mouth to say yes.

But suddenly she wasn’t so sure. What if they went out once and it didn’t work out? Would she be humiliated all over again?

And what about Katie? The friendship they were developing was something special, something that meant a lot to Mal.

“Can I think about it?” she heard herself ask instead.

He nodded and they said nothing more all the way back to town.

But it wasn’t an unfriendly silence. Whenever Mal glanced over, she couldn’t help noticing the corner of Harrison’s mouth tugging upward, like he considered her maybe a victory.

Harrison was out of the truck in a heartbeat once he parked, almost like he didn’t trust himself to be alone with her too long.

Once again, he opened her door for her, and then went to the back to grab the sacks of broken candy canes.

Mal hurried to push open the door to the bakery, sending the bells ringing.

A few people sat sipping coffee and Annie Williams was at the counter, looking calm and ready for more customers.

“Hey, Mal,” Annie said with a smile.

But her eyes moved from Mal to the doorway immediately as Harrison carried two big sacks of candy through.

Mal tried not to let her eyes linger on his tall form, or his big muscles. But the ladies by the window certainly didn’t hold back their obvious admiration. And she had to admit it was very nice to have someone to carry stuff for her. Last year, she’d barely made it in the door with just one sack.

Don’t get ahead of yourself, she tried to warn her foolish heart.

But it quickened its pace in her chest anyway.