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Mara thought about the phone ringing outside cabin seven. About Gabe telling her she could stay behind. About getting into his truck anyway. She hadn’t stopped to weigh it. A friend of Gabe’s was in trouble, and sitting in the cabin waiting for news had not felt like something she could do. When had a bakery in Bear Bluff become her business? She didn’t know. She only knew it hadn’t felt like a choice.

Karina looked at her. “You came.”

Mara smiled a little. “I didn’t do much.”

“That isn’t what I said.” Karina picked up the next tray, then added simply, “You’re one of the people who comes.”

Before she could decide what to say, Gabe appeared in the doorway. “We’ve got room for one more rack.”

Karina immediately turned back to the problem in front of her. “The one by the refrigerator. That has everything I need tonight.”

Mara helped her wheel it across the kitchen.

By the time they were done, Evan had gone home with a promise to return early, and the back of Gabe’s truck held the racks and trays Karina needed for tonight’s bake. The rest had been loaded into Karina’s van.

Gabe secured the last of the equipment in his truck. When he turned around, Mara was already pulling her jacket back on and climbing into the truck.

Karina’s van pulled out ahead of them, its taillights disappearing briefly as the road curved toward Bear Creek.

Gabe started the engine and reached across the console for Mara’s hand. She gave it to him.

Then they followed Karina into the dark.

CHAPTER 14

Gabe

Karina nearly dropped a tray of pastries. Gabe caught one end before it tipped, and Matilda caught the other. For a second Karina stood between them, hands still outstretched, staring at the tray as though she wasn’t entirely sure how it had escaped her.

Gabe set it safely on the counter. “When did you last sleep?”

“I’m fine.”

“That wasn’t what I asked.”

Mara looked up from the boxes she had been sorting at the worktable. “Karina?”

Karina frowned, apparently trying to remember. That was answer enough.

She had still been at Mountain View when Gabe finally took Mara back to the lodge late that night, determined to stay until Bear Bluff’s morning production was organized. When Gabe returned after a short night’s sleep, Karina was still there in the same clothes, her hair hastily retied and another cup of coffee in her hand. Mara had arrived back just as Joel and the rest of the guys were leaving after their usual breakfast visit.

“Go home,” Gabe said.

Her answer was immediate. “I can’t. We’re already behind, the fundraiser is tomorrow, and half my production is sitting in somebody else’s bakery.”

“Which is exactly why you need to sleep.”

Karina started to argue, but Mara came over and leaned against the edge of the worktable. “What are you afraid will happen if you leave?”

Karina looked around the crowded kitchen. “That everything stops.”

“It won’t.” Mara’s voice was gentle. “Gabe knows the bakery. You’ve told us what has to happen today, and I’m very good at keeping too many moving pieces from landing on top of each other. We can keep it going.”

“I don’t like leaving this with you.”

“I know.” Gabe took the coffee from her hand. “But you nearly put a tray on the floor because you’re too tired to hold it. Go home before the next mistake costs you more than a tray.”

Karina closed her eyes. When she opened them again, some of the fight had gone out of her. “I’ll sleep for a few hours.”