Abigail had done it, by God. She had numbers for Luke, impressive numbers. Even she was surprised by the volume of inventory that had gone out the door in the past four days. She stapled the sheaf of papers together and laid them on the counter. He should arrive any minute.

The bell on the front door jangled but it was Roxanne, not Luke. She’d worn a jacket but hadn’t bothered to zip it since she’d only had to brave the cold the short distance from the apartments’ entrance door to this one. “He’s due at four, right?”

“Right.”

“Figured I’d find out if you have any leftovers and time it so I might see this guy who’s got you doing math. I want to make sure he’s good enough for you.”

“For the last time, I’m not dating him.” Ever since Wednesday night, Abigail had been dealing with Ingrid’s and Roxanne’s matchmaking fantasies. Both thought Luke sounded like boyfriend material, someone who could coax her out of the celibate life she’d been leading ever since moving to Eagles Nest.

“You may not be dating him now. But you could be dating him very soon if you play your cards right.”

“I’m not playing any cards. I’m only trying to get a better handle on my business so I can make it more efficient.” And profitable.

“I’m willing to believe that’s your motivation. He, on the other hand, might be thinking you’re really hot.”

“Stop it, Roxanne.”

“All right. Changing subjects. Is everything left in the case up for grabs? And are you available for another movie night after you finish up with Luke?”

“It is and I am. I can sleep in tomorrow.”

“Yay. But if Mister Gorgeous asks you out, you can ditch us. We won’t be offended.”

“He won’t ask me out.”

“You never know.”

“I’ll get you a box.”

“Thanks.” She walked around behind the case and peered in. “There’s a lot still in here. Are you sure you want me to take it all?”

“Sure. In fact, you’ll need two boxes.”

“Yeah, I will. You and Ingrid baked up a storm today.”

“It was wall-to-wall customers at one, so Ingrid stayed a little late to put a few more batches in the oven. I thought the rush might keep up but it didn’t.” Abigail handed her the first box and fit the tabs in the slots of the second one. “Are you guys really planning to eat all this?”

“Oh, hell, no.” Roxanne took the second box, filled it and set it on the counter. “If we ate everything you gave us, we’d balloon up in no time.”

“So you throw it away?”

“Nope. We choose our favorites and the rest goes to the Eagles Nest Food Bank.”

“No kidding? That’s awesome!”

“Evidently that old guy who used to rent my apartment did it and Ingrid followed suit. I’m just keeping up the tradition. Ingrid and I take turns running it over there.”

“What a terrific idea. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it.”

“You have plenty going on without adding a trip to the food bank. We’re happy to be the delivery service.”

“I’m thrilled that you and Ingrid are doing it. Thanks.”

“You’re so welcome. I—” The front door opened and she turned. Without missing a beat, she rounded the counter and held out her hand. “You must be Luke. I’m Roxanne. I live upstairs.”

He took off his Stetson and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, ma’am. I like your artwork on the window. Great job.” He laid his laptop case on the nearest table.

“Thank you. That’s kind of you to say.”

“Abigail mentioned you’re a graphic designer.” He unbuttoned his jacket.

Abigail’s breath caught as he shrugged out of it and hung it over the back of a chair. He was even sexier than she’d remembered.

“Yep. At your service.” Roxanne acted nonchalant.

Abigail wasn’t fooled. Roxanne was enjoying the heck out of this encounter.

“Would that include creating website headers and logos?”

“Absolutely. My cards are upstairs, but—”

“No worries,” Abigail said. “I’ll make sure he has your number and email.”

“Great. Thanks. I’ll get out of here so you two can talk.” As she walked to the counter and picked up the bakery boxes, she gave Abigail a subtle thumbs-up. “Nice meeting you, Luke.” She headed for the door.

“Same here, Roxanne,” he called after her. Then he turned to Abigail and smiled. “How’ve you been?”

“Busy.” His smile played havoc with her poise. “Busy counting.”

“That’s great! Then you have some data for me?”

“I do.” She snatched up the pages and came around the counter. “Here you go. Scads of data.”

He glanced over the first page and flipped to the second. “Excellent. Can I keep these?”

“Of course. Can I get you some coffee?” She hadn’t made him cookies this time. Hadn’t wanted to overdo it. “I’d offer you a pastry but Roxanne took them all.”

“I don’t need coffee right now, thanks. And no problem about the pastries, either. But they’re in the count for today, right?”

“Yes. Listed as unsold leftovers.”

“Must have been quite a few if she needed two boxes to carry them all.” He flipped to the back of the list. “Ah, here they are. That’s a lot of excess inventory.”

“We overbaked today more than usual. I was fooled into thinking the early afternoon rush would last.”

“Hm.” He gestured toward the chair where he’d left his coat. “Let’s sit.”

“Okay.” Adorable as he was to look at, that speculative hm made her nervous. “I hate to run out of stuff.”

“I get that.” He waited until she was seated before taking the opposite chair. “But if it causes you to bake more than you can sell, that’s costing you money.”

“But a big chunk of the extra goes to the food bank.”

His eyebrows rose. “It does? Are you documenting that for tax purposes?”

“Well…no.”

“That would be helpful.”

“I will from now on.”

“Good, but I have a recommendation.”

“All right.” She braced herself.

“Take everything that’s left over and sell it at a discount the next day. I realize that won’t work on Saturdays, but—”

“You want me to sell stale baked goods?” The idea horrified her.

“I doubt they’re stale if you baked them later in the day because you were running low.”

“I know, but I’m labeling them stale! What will the sign say? Day-old baked goods. That’s code for stale.”

“I don’t see it that way. And you—”

“What about the food bank? I’d be taking muffins from the mouths of disadvantaged people!”

“You could donate whatever doesn’t sell after you put it out the second time.”

“That’s not very nice. Then they get leftover leftovers.”

“Yes, it is. It’s very nice. It’s free food.” His gaze was kind as it met hers. “I’m sure you could wrap everything up well so it stayed fresh.”

“You’re killing me with these suggestions, Luke.”

“You said the money would soon run out. I’m trying to put my finger in the dike.”

She sighed. “Day-old baked goods will ruin my reputation.”

“No, it won’t.”

“I’ve built my business on that right-out-of-the-oven smell. Day-old pastries don’t smell like that.”

“But they’ll be cheaper. Some folks who couldn’t buy them at full price could afford them at half-price.”

She slumped in her chair. “That’s a thought. I’ll cling to it. Anything else? Or is that my assignment for the week?”

“I do have another recommendation.”

She cringed. “I’m afraid to hear what it is.”

“Raise your prices.”

“What?” She slapped the table with both hands. “That’s crazy! Customers will complain. I’ll lose business. Absolutely not. I won’t do it.”

“Five percent. That’s not a huge raise.”

“Any raise is huge. Pastries are a luxury item. Raise the price and customers decide they don’t need that cheese Danish, after all. I’ve seen it happen.”

“Really?”

“Maybe not, but I’ve seen it in my nightmares. I’m not doing it, Luke. Everything I’ve built so far will melt away.”

“I disagree. You’re underpriced.”

She glared at him. “I like giving folks a bargain.”

“You want to be known as a bargain bakery?”

“Of course not, but—”

“If you undervalue your product, eventually people will think it must be inferior.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Believe it. You’ve only been in business for a year, but if you keep prices this low eventually customers will decide that what you offer must be mediocre. Otherwise you’d charge more.”

“No, they wouldn’t think that.”

“Let’s test it. Raise your prices next week. If you get a flood of complaints and business is terrible, you can always switch back to the way it was. Hang onto the old price labels just in case.”

“But if customers get upset—”

“They might buy the day-old items and get their baked goods even cheaper. They could be thrilled with this new plan.”

“Or they might leave and never come back.”

“You’re the only bakery in town. They’ll come back.” He paused. “You’ve admitted things have to change. Give people credit for being willing to pay for superior baked goods like yours.”

“It’ll be a disaster, a week of pain and suffering.”

“Maybe not. If it is, we’ll adjust. I’ll drop by on Friday afternoon and see how you’re doing. Be sure and keep all the receipts and we’ll do a profit and loss statement for those five days. If it’s a disaster, I’ll help you put the old prices back up.”

“What if it’s too late? What if I’ve ticked off all my customers and turned my bakery into an empty shell of a business?”

Luke favored her with another smile. “That isn’t going to happen.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Want to bag the program?”

She did, but unless she changed her methods, Pie in the Sky would fail. That wouldn’t feel so damn good, either. She’d sunk her inheritance into this business, all her parents’ hard-earned money. If that money went down the drain, she’d never forgive herself.

Dragging in a breath, she looked at the tall cowboy sitting in the too-small chair. “I don’t want to bag the program. I want to save my business. But damn, these solutions are depressing.”

“I can see that. Tell you what. Let me take you to dinner at the GG. I don’t know any place more likely to cheer up a person than the GG.”

“You’re asking me out?” She hadn’t anticipated this development. But Roxanne had.

“Yes. I don’t want to leave here with you looking so sad.”

“So this is a pity date?”

“No!” He cleared his throat. “I’d very much like to take you to dinner. I hope you’ll agree to go.”

Her brain was whirling with excitement but she wasn’t so completely distracted that she forgot one important fact. “What about the dog? Do you still have her?”

“The dog. Yes, and thanks for reminding me. Kendra’s watching her. I’ll find out if she can stay at the ranch a little longer.” He stood. “My phone’s in my jacket.”

He left the table, which gave Abigail a chance to collect herself. He’d asked her out, but not necessarily because he thought she was hot. Judging from what he’d said, he might be feeling sorry for her.

She could choose to reject the offer. On the other hand, she hadn’t had dinner with a handsome man in a very long time. She’d accept.

Tucking his phone away, he came back to the table. “Kendra’s willing to keep Delilah for the rest of the evening.”

“Delilah? I thought you weren’t going to name her.”

“I wasn’t. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you at dinner.” Vulnerability flickered for an instant in his eyes. “That’s if you want to go.”

“I’d love to.”

“Good.” He looked relieved. “Is there anything you need to do before we take off?”

“One phone call.”

“Sure thing.”

“Be right back.” She retrieved her phone from behind the counter and walked into her office before calling Roxanne. “He asked me out,” she murmured.

The response was so loud, excited and inappropriate that she laughed and hung up.

Roxanne texted her immediately. Told you so.