Page 60 of Cowboy’s Christmas Baker

He found it easily and gave it a gentle tug.

As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he looked around. A row of labeled bins were lined up along the floored center of the space.

“Here we go,” Mallory said with what sounded almost like a forced brightness to Harrison as she pulled herself up to the attic. “Dad keeps all the outdoor decorations in the garage, but the indoors was all Mom’s, and she kept things super organized and…”

She trailed off, her voice thick with emotion. This was her first Christmas without her mom, and Harrison knew all about how grief could sneak up on you and hit you like a truck when you least expected it.

He didn’t say anything, but just pointed to a large green bin with the word Christmas written on it in loopy letters. When she nodded, Harrison grabbed it and headed for the ladder with the bin balanced on his shoulder.

Mallory scurried down in front of him, and then he eased his way down, trying not to knock the bin into the walls of the hallway as he descended.

“You made that look so easy,” Mallory said.

For some reason that made him smile.

“Come on,” she said, the brightness back in her voice now. “You carry it downstairs, and I’ll put the ladder back.”

But he set down the bin instead, then raised the ladder and closed the hatch himself, knowing it would be much easier for him to reach it.

“So tall,” Mallory said to herself, shaking her head.

He’d heard those words a thousand times, but for some reason, it made him chuckle this time, which earned him a big smile.

She was so beautiful when she smiled—her green eyes crinkled and shone with irresistible warmth.

Harrison stood there, his heart pounding, and watched her turn to head down the stairs to rejoin their family members.

Is it wrong to feel this way about her?

But he wasn’t really asking himself. In his mind, he was asking Penny too.

Before she passed, his wife had told him over and over that she expected him to marry again, that she genuinely wanted him to. But it was one thing to hear the words, and another to face the reality that dating someone else wasn’t just a fun chance to get to know a beautiful woman.

If he was serious about Mallory, then they would have plenty of nights like this one, nights of service to family and the warmth and quiet talk and gentle teasing that he had only ever experienced with Penny.

“Did you get into it without me?” Mallory exclaimed from somewhere downstairs.

Katie’s laughter followed, like a tonic to his heart.

This is what you wanted for her, Penny, for both of us.

He hurried down, setting the bin by the fireplace before he followed the sound of their voices back to the kitchen.

“I can’t believe you’re letting her share this,” Mr. Fisher said to Harrison. “If she were my daughter, I’d keep all her treats to myself.”

Mr. Fisher gave Mallory a wink, and Katie grinned, looking really pleased, then lifted the tin, offering Harrison a piece.

The baklava was in beautifully shaped triangles, just as lovely as the way Penny used to make it. He grabbed a bit and felt the sticky, sweet concoction’s weight.

When he took a bite, the flaky treat practically melted in his mouth, filling his senses with the sweetness of honey and cardamom.

“Do you like it, Dad?” Katie asked worriedly. “Is it as good as Mom’s?”

“It’s perfect,” he told her, bending down to look her right in the eye. “You made it just right.”

Katie moved to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing so hard that it made his heart ache. She usually wasn’t super snuggly anymore. This hug meant something.

He hugged her back, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.