Page 59 of Cowboy’s Christmas Baker

Harrison stood where he was, waiting, hoping…

He was about to give up when Katie moved forward, hurrying up the walkway and the porch steps to join Mallory.

He’d been so worried about Katie that he hadn’t given much thought to meeting Mallory’s dad himself until he was up on the porch and the man was sticking out his hand.

“Charles Fisher,” the older man boomed with a smile.

“Harrison Law,” he replied, taking his hand and shaking.

“Now how’s the Jones place treating you?” Mr. Fisher asked as he led the way into the house.

It was small but neat and tidy, with a cozy fireplace, bookcases, and plenty of windows that probably let a good amount of light stream in by day.

“The farm is great,” Harrison said. “They took good care of the place and the cows.”

“Good to hear,” Mr. Fisher said. “I know Jones loved those animals like pets. He had me out a time or two to fix the gates. They always gave him trouble.”

“The cows are very nice,” Katie said, surprising Harrison by joining the conversation. “They like to be patted and scratched.”

“I’ll bet they do, young lady,” Mr. Fisher said with a big smile. “Now who wants to help with the cocoa?”

“I’ll help,” Katie said right away.

“Wonderful,” he replied. “Thanks very much for that.”

“Harrison,” Mallory said quietly. “Want to help me bring down some of the indoor Christmas things from the attic while they do that?”

“You don’t need to do all that,” her dad said with a slight frown.

“It’s no problem, sir,” Harrison said quickly. “We’re happy to.”

“Are we going to decorate for Christmas?” Katie asked Mr. Fisher excitedly. “I love decorating for Christmas.”

Harrison was impressed. He wasn’t sure if Katie was playing up her excitement to make sure Mr. Fisher didn’t say no or if she really felt that way, but he was pretty sure the result would be the same whether she was deliberately encouraging him or not.

“Oh, you do, huh?” Mr. Fisher said, his eyes twinkling in a way that told Harrison he absolutely couldn’t resist a sweet little kid. “In that case, why not?”

Harrison glanced over at Mallory who was wearing a smile even bigger than Katie’s.

“Come on,” she said softly when she caught Harrison looking.

He followed her up the dark staircase and down a narrow hallway to an attic pulldown hatch.

She pulled on the cord and then lifted her hands over her head, as if she expected the ladder to fall down on her.

Without thinking, Harrison stepped in, wrapped his right arm around her and lifted her out of the way, his own left hand raised to catch the ladder.

“Oh,” Mallory said softly.

But the ladder didn’t fall, and suddenly he registered that she was in his arms, her small, soft form tucked against his chest. The teasing scent of vanilla he’d picked up on her hair once or twice overwhelmed his senses now. She gazed up at him, her green eyes hazy, and for the second time, he was sure he would kiss her and even more sure that she wanted him to.

She didn’t say yes, a little voice whispered in the back of his head. She said maybe…

Somehow, he let her go and turned to the hatch, pulling the ladder down and climbing away from her while his resolve held.

Thankfully, he remembered to stay hunched over. The center of the attic was fairly tall, but not tall enough for Harrison.

“There’s a pull string for the light,” Mallory said softly from the ladder. “To your right.”