All week Abigail braced for the worst, but it never came. If anyone noticed the higher prices, they didn’t mention it. Sales were as brisk as ever. Most of the half-priced items sold, too.

When Luke arrived a little after four, he was not alone. He’d brought Delilah, just as she’d suggested. The dog had a snazzy red collar and a matching leash. She looked proud of both.

Luke seemed a little hesitant about bringing her in the shop, though. “Is this still okay?”

“Of course! Take off her leash so she can walk around. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Abigail came around the counter. “Welcome to Pie in the Sky, Delilah.”

Luke glanced at the empty bakery case. “Sold everything?”

“Most. Put the rest away to be discounted.”

“Any problems? Complaints? Peasants with pitchforks?”

“Amazingly, no.”

“Did business fall off?”

“No. In fact, it picked up.”

He grinned as he unbuttoned his jacket. “Excellent.”

“Is it okay if I get Delilah a bowl of water?”

“She’d love that.” Luke set down his laptop case before unhooking Delilah’s leash and tucking it in his coat pocket.

“But first let me make friends with this beautiful girl.” She crouched in front of the dog and held out her hand, palm down. “How are you doing, Delilah? Has Luke been treating you well since the last time I saw you?”

Tail wagging, Delilah sniffed her hand, her jeans and her boots before sitting and allowing herself to be petted.

“Such a pretty girl.” As she stroked the silky head and buried her fingers in the luxurious ruff, she glanced up at Luke. “I’d forgotten how much I loved being around dogs. We always had them, but Rex was the last one and he died soon after I went to culinary school.”

“Unfortunately, we didn’t have dogs, or cats, either. Gerbils were about the extent of our pet situation.”

“Why was that?”

“The church didn’t strictly forbid pets, but the rules and regs were substantial. It would have caused extra hassle so we just didn’t.”

“So Delilah’s your first.”

“She’s not mine.”

“Not yet, but—”

“Someone could still show up.”

“If they haven’t shown up by now, I doubt they will.” She gave Delilah one last scratch before fetching a water bowl from the kitchen. When she set it down, Delilah started drinking. “She looks really happy to be with you. I think she’s bonding.”

He held her gaze. “If that’s the case, what if someone comes for her?”

“Then you’d better hope she loves those people more than she loves you. Otherwise she won’t go willingly.”

“That could be a mess.” His chest heaved. “I had no clue this would get so complicated.”

She took pity on him. “It’s really not. The chances of someone coming to get her are slim. It’s more likely that you and Delilah will live happily ever after.”

He smiled. “I like that image.”

That smile and his gentle words turned her insides to mush. She wanted to take his face in both hands and kiss that sensuous mouth of his. That wouldn’t be very professional but it sure would be more fun than going over her daily receipts, which was what he’d come here to do.

Evidently he remembered that about the same time that she did. “We should get started. Unfortunately, I have a bit of a time crunch.”

“Why’s that?”

“It has to do with my house.” He shrugged out of his sheepskin jacket and walked over to the coat rack. Delilah followed and stood watching as he hooked his coat and his hat on the rack. She stayed beside him as he returned.

He glanced down at her. “Okay, girl. I have work to do. Go lie down.”

She trotted over to a spot in the corner and plopped to the floor.

“Clearly Delilah acknowledges you as the alpha dog.” Abigail took a seat at the table.

“The what?”

“The alpha, the leader of the pack.”

“What pack? It’s just Delilah and me.”

“Even if only two beings are involved, one has to be in charge. Ideally that would be you.”

“I suppose.” He sat down. “But sometimes she acts like she wants to be in charge. Like over at the ranch she tried to herd me so I’d go stand near Kendra.”

Abigail laughed. “Then maybe she has alpha tendencies. That’ll keep you on your toes. Make sure you don’t allow her to push you around.”

“And I thought all I needed to take care of her was food, a leash, a collar and a dog bed.”

“That’s only the beginning.”

“I see that.” He pulled out his laptop, flipped it open and glanced at the screen. “We have about half an hour before I need to head home. Trevor and Badger are there working.”

“So what’s going on with your house?”

“They’re sanding the living room floor, but they have to go in less than an hour. I told them I’d be back before they took off.”

“Is the floor hardwood, then?”

“Turns out it is. Badger and I pulled up the grungy old living room carpet last night. Then we cut a section out of the carpet in the other rooms. Oak throughout.”

“Awesome. Must be exciting to see it transformed.”

“It is, but I don’t want to shortchange my time with you. If we don’t get finished, I’ll give them a call.”

“I’m sure we can get done. It’s just the receipts, right?”

“Not quite. I’d also like a rundown on what you pay everyone. If you can get me a figure for the rent and the latest utility bills, that would be good, too.”

“Um…let me check in my office.” She hoped she could put her hands on those figures. Although she’d written checks for everything he’d mentioned, she didn’t always record them.

She found the checkbook under a pile of papers and flipped through it. The staff was paid every two weeks and the amount fluctuated every month. The rent was a constant, but the utilities fluctuated, too. Some she’d recorded and some she hadn’t.

Luke was making notes on his laptop when she came out of the office. She paused. She’d never had a chance to study him when he wasn’t aware of it. A handsome guy against a background of Valentine decorations certainly inspired some excellent fantasies—romantic walks in the snow, cozy evenings by the fire, a tender kiss…

Enough. This was a business meeting and he was on a tight schedule. Romance was not on the agenda.

She came around the counter and he looked up from his laptop. His brown gaze warmed, rocketing her back to the moment on the dance floor when he’d held her gently yet firmly in his strong arms.

She broke eye contact. Now wasn’t the time. “I found some info for you.”

“Good.” His tone was crisp. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

She handed over the sheet of paper. Didn’t look very official. “I had to estimate on the utilities.”

“For now, I just need a general idea. We can get into specifics later.”

The word specifics made her break out in a cold sweat. She’d operated for the past twelve months on estimates. The estimates had fit into her view of things, which had been soft-focus.

His goal was to sharpen that focus and expose the flaws in her system. The joke was on her that the person who’d make her face the truth about her business was a gorgeous cowboy. She wanted Luke to see her as a competent entrepreneur, not an inept manager of resources.

But it was too late to turn back. Her behavior was under his microscope. Much as she hated that, she needed his evaluation if she expected to keep Pie in the Sky running.

He studied her figures and his eyebrows rose.

She wanted to hide but that wasn’t an option. Taking a deep breath, she returned to her chair opposite him. “What’s the verdict?”

He gazed at her over his laptop. “Based on your current income and the pay scale you’ve set up, you can’t afford three full-time employees. You need to adjust hours to part-time.”

“No.” The word popped out. But once it was there, she stood by it. “I can’t do that. They all need the money.”

His expression gentled. “I understand that you care about them, but if you lose your business, none of them will have a job.”

Her throat tightened. “It can’t be Ingrid. She’s learning to be a baker. It could be a career path for her. Yolanda’s putting herself through pharmacy school and besides, she’s awesome with customers.”

“And the third one?”

“Doug. He’s trying to figure things out. This job anchors him while he does that. I can’t—”

“He’ll still have that, just not as many hours.” His voice was kind, but firm. “He can look for another part-time job to make up the difference.”

“I don’t want to cut anyone’s hours. There has to be another way.”

“All right. Then create a new revenue stream that justifies those hours. It would be even better if it brings people in during your slow times.”

“Like what?”

He massaged the back of his neck. “I’m not sure. Maybe…coffee?”

“I serve coffee.”

“But it’s just regular coffee, no frills. What if you offered specialty coffee? Made Pie in the Sky a destination for a specialty coffee and a pastry? Offer people espressos, lattes, interesting flavors?”

“I don’t know anything about that. And I don’t have the equipment.”

“You can find some basic equipment that won’t cost an arm and a leg. Then train one of your three employees as a barista.”

“How can I train them if I know nothing myself?”

“Go online, put your heads together. I’ll bet you could figure it out.”

“You’re giving me a lot of credit.”

“Because I know you can do it. You may hate paperwork, but you love pleasing customers. Does anyone else in Eagles Nest serve specialty coffee?”

“Not that I know of.” Gradually the concept took hold. He had a point. She’d opened a bakery because the town didn’t have one and the customers had flocked in. If she gave them the kind of coffee they couldn’t get anywhere else, they’d come to her shop for that, too. “All right. Specialty coffee it is. Sure beats cutting Doug’s hours.”

He laughed and shook his head. “I hope this guy appreciates your loyalty.”

“He might not, but I don’t care. He needs the stability of this shop.” Which wasn’t nearly as stable as Doug thought it was.

“All right then.” He closed his laptop. “Getting the coffee thing going will be the goal for this next week. Let me know if you run into any glitches.”

“I will. And you need to get back to your house and see how Trevor and Badger are doing.” Didn’t look as if he planned to ask her out this weekend. Not that she’d expected it. Well, maybe she had. Last Saturday night had been promising.

“I should get going.” But he didn’t leave the table. “Listen, it’s just in the early stages, but would you like to see what we’ve done so far?”

Being coy wasn’t her style. “Great idea. I’ll follow you out there.”