The coffee business continued to be brisk through Saturday afternoon, and most customers wanted a bakery item to go with their brew. The shop ran up some impressive sales numbers. Abigail hoped that success would offset the disorganized state of her records when Luke arrived to delve into them today.

Since their first meeting she’d kept better track. She’d bought some stacking trays and cobbled together a crude filing system for the past two weeks’ worth of receipts. Prior to that, though…

It was only paperwork, right? The important thing was cash flow, and it was flowing faster than an open spigot on the new coffee machine.

A knot of anxiety tightened in her stomach, though. She liked Luke and didn’t want him to think she was an idiot, especially because he liked her back. His kiss on Thursday had left no doubt.

Would he have kissing on his mind this afternoon? Probably not after she brought out that cardboard box bulging from what she’d stuffed in there since last February.

As four o’clock approached, she and Ingrid were the only ones left in the shop. She’d sent Yolanda and Doug home after praising their dedication. While she closed out the register, Ingrid cleaned her new toy in preparation for shutting it down for the weekend.

“I love this darned thing. So do Yolanda and Doug. They’re catching on quick, especially Doug.” She polished the brushed chrome surfaces. “I’m so glad you got it.”

“It’s done a job for us. I had no clue the population of Eagles Nest was so eager for designer coffee.”

“Me, either. Otherwise I would have suggested it. I figured most folks in cowboy country liked their coffee strong and black.”

“Maybe that’s why espressos are outselling lattes. Those rough, tough cowboys discovered the miracle of a double shot.”

“Speaking of cowboys, Luke just drove up.”

She glanced out the front window. “Yep.” And she wasn’t ready to face him alone. “Do you have anywhere you need to be right now?”

“Not really. Why?”

“It’s been a while since we took out the shelves in the display case and cleaned in the corners.”

“I thought Yolanda and Doug did a pretty good job yesterday afternoon.”

“They cleaned the case? Where was I?”

“In your office sorting receipts. And muttering.”

She swallowed. “I’m so nervous about this meeting, Ingrid. My records are a hot mess.”

“He’s a nice guy. He’s not going to yell at you. But I’ll stay if you need me to. I’ll find something to keep me busy.”

“No, don’t stay. I’ll handle this.”

“Sure you will.” Ingrid gave her an encouraging smile. “But if you need backup, text me and I’ll come running.” Her gaze flicked toward the door as it opened. “Hi, Luke! I see you brought your partner along.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He took off his hat and laid it on a nearby table. “She was so excited when she figured out where we were going.”

“That’s nice to hear.” Abigail gave him a quick smile as she walked around the counter. “How’s my favorite doggie?” She buried her fingers in Delilah’s luxurious ruff. The dog wouldn’t care if her paperwork was orderly.

“Can I give her a treat?” Ingrid asked. “Abigail bought dog biscuits.”

“One’s okay.” He put down his laptop case and unhooked the leash from Delilah’s collar. “I was just out at Wild Creek Ranch and Kendra has biscuits for her, too. Don’t want to spoil her.”

“I understand,” Ingrid said. “But that face just makes you want to give her stuff. She’s so cute.”

“Yeah, she is.” Abigail stepped back as Ingrid came over with the biscuit. “And so happy.” Petting Delilah had improved her mood considerably.

“But I want her to be mannerly, too.” He unbuttoned his jacket, took it off and laid it over a chair. “How about if you tell her to sit before you give it to her?”

Ingrid held the biscuit up. “Delilah, sit.”

The dog’s haunches dropped instantly.

“Good dog!” Ingrid gave her the biscuit. “She minds so well, Luke.”

“She does most of the time. But once in a while…let’s just say she’s got a mind of her own.”

Ingrid laughed. “An independent female. I like that. Well, I’m off. Errands to run before the weather changes.” She peered out the window. “Assuming it does. Think it’s gonna snow?”

“Depends on which forecaster you listen to,” Luke said. “Just now on the radio they said it would pass us by.”

“I hope so. See you two later!”

“’Bye, Ingrid!” Abigail turned to Luke. “I take it no other lost dog flyers have shown up?”

“No.” He heaved a sigh and glanced toward the corner where Delilah had curled up the last time he was here. “You put out water for her. Thanks.”

“And bought dog treats. I hope that’s okay.”

“Ah, why not? Like Ingrid said, nobody can resist that face.” He glanced down at the dog. “Okay, girl, go lie down.” He pointed toward the corner with the water dish.

She headed right to it, circled and flopped down.

“Ingrid’s right. She really does mind.”

He chuckled. “Except when she doesn’t want you to leave. And after you did, she refused to play fetch.”

“Really? That surprises me.”

“I think she was mad at me because I let you go.”

“Nah. She was just tired.”

“If she was, that would be a first. There’s no off switch on that dog.” He smiled as he said it.

“You like that about her, don’t you?”

“I do. I can’t imagine anyone feeling down when they’re around Delilah. She’s like a furry bundle of optimism. Listen, before I forget, would you like to go for another ride tomorrow?”

“I’d love to.”

“If that storm hits, we’ll have to cancel, but I’m going with what the guy on the radio said. It’ll pass us by.”

“Then let’s plan on it.” She liked talking about the dog and a potential horseback ride. These were cheerful topics. Non-threatening topics.

“Great.” He rubbed his hands together. “Let’s dive into those records. I’m ready to power through them.”

“Right! But wouldn’t you like some coffee, first? I’m not going to mess up Ingrid’s precious machine, but the old model still works.”

“Maybe later, after we’ve made some progress.”

“Okay, some cookies, then. I held back some oatmeal raisin ones just for this occasion.” Ha. Bribes R Us.

“That sounds great, but let’s get some work done and then take a break.”

“All right.” The knot in her stomach was back. “I thought we’d start with the past two weeks. Those are better organized than—”

“I’d rather see it all at once. That way I can get a better idea of what we’re looking at. Is everything in your office?”

“It’s…um…yes.”

“Would you rather work in there or out here?”

“Out here. We’d be crowded in that small office. I’ll bring the box out here where there’s more room to spread out.”

He brightened. “A file box?”

“Not quite. I got a shipment of napkins in it.”

“Oh.” He started toward the office. “I’ll bring it out. It’s probably heavy.”

“Not really, and I’m familiar with it.” She hurried to get in front of him and backed toward the office. “Better let me get it. The bottom’s…we had a small leak…never mind. I’ll be right back.” She made a shooing motion. “You can go sit down.”

“Thanks, but I’ll stay here.” He crossed his arms.

“Okay.” The box was on the floor. She’d thrown a holiday tablecloth over it so she didn’t have to look at it every day. But knowing what was under there was about as bad as staring at the contents.

Whipping off the tablecloth decorated with poinsettias, she crouched down and shoved her hands under the box. Still a little damp. A pipe in the wall had sprung a leak in December.

Luckily when she lifted the box, it held together. But it was heavier than she remembered and she staggered a little. Once she was balanced, she walked out of the office.

Luke’s eyes widened. “That’s…that’s…”

“My paperwork. Except for the last couple of weeks.” She carried it through the kitchen. The bottom started to give way as she rounded the counter. Moving faster, she made it to one of the bistro tables, set the box down with a thud and turned around.

Luke stood several feet away, his gaze alternating between her and the box. “I’m…a little surprised.”

Heat rose in her cheeks. “I knew you wouldn’t like it.”

“It’s not a matter of liking or not liking. But sorting through all that could take hours. Or days.”

“How much do you charge per hour? It occurs to me we should have discussed that before I—”

“We didn’t talk about it because I decided early on you couldn’t afford my hourly charge.”

“You’re not doing it for free. I won’t accept that.”

“I’m not doing it for free. But there’s no point in pretending you’re the same as every other client.”

His gaze strayed to the box again and she bristled. “Then what are you going to charge me? I need to know.”

“Nothing until your business is out of the woods.”

“And when it is? Then what?”

“We’ll decide together what my services were worth to you. Then we’ll set up a payment plan that’s not too arduous.”

“I’ve never heard of anyone doing that.”

“I don’t plan to make it a habit, but setting my own fee structure is one of the benefits of being self-employed.” He glanced at the box again. “Is there any order to what’s in there?”

“Of course! The oldest stuff is on the bottom.” Yeah, she was defensive. Not good.

He massaged the back of his neck. “Judging from the water line on that box, the items on the bottom might not be viable anymore.”

“I thought of that. I decided letting it sit and dry on its own was the best plan. If I tried taking things out, I might make it worse.”

“Really?”

“No, not really.” She hated this. Hated it with the heat of a supernova. “I knew that once I started digging into that box, I’d have to do something with all of it.”

“Like what?”

She waved a hand in the air. “Organize it. File it. Computerize it.” Douse it with lighter fluid and throw a match on it.

“Why didn’t you?”

“I meant to. Each month I’d promise myself I’d take a Sunday afternoon and sort through everything. Then I’d come to the last Sunday of the month and put it off again.”

“I see.”

“Look, if this is too big a challenge for you, don’t feel you have to—”

“I’m not intimidated.”

“Well I am!”

“I can see that. But I can help you. We’ll develop a system to get your paperwork under control.”

“But you said it would take hours, maybe days. I can’t put that kind of demand on your time. It’s not fair.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Look, you’re not demanding anything, okay? Just the opposite. You’re trying to get rid of me.”

“Only because—”

“You’re embarrassed.”

“Am not.” But the heat in her cheeks contradicted her.

“It’s okay, Abigail. You’re not the first person to get overwhelmed by paperwork. Let me help. We can do this.”

“How? If it could take days, you probably need a place to leave stacks of paper. This isn’t it.”

“True. What about your apartment? Would that work?”

“Uh, maybe.” Her apartment? That would bring the chaos up close and personal. She’d hoped to avoid that. It would also bring him into her private space. “If we use my apartment, we’d have to get that box up a steep flight of stairs and the bottom’s compromised.”

“I hate when that happens.”

She glanced at him. He was smiling. “You find this amusing?”

“Yes, ma’am, I do.”

“Well, I don’t.” She looked at the sagging napkin carton. She hadn’t paid quarterly taxes, either. If, on top of that, she sent in a return made up of guestimates, she could get audited. “What would happen if I took that box to the Feds? Would they be amused?”

Laughter sparkled in his eyes. “I can’t say. But you’d have to reinforce it first.”

“Definitely.” She met his gaze. “I’m thinking some of that fancy duct tape. The kind with peacock feathers on it.”

“I’d go with the sock monkey design, but that’s just me.”

She laughed. Couldn’t help it. “You’re right. This is effing hilarious.”

“Told you.” He reached for his jacket and put it on. “Let’s get this disreputable box up to your apartment.”