Page 27 of Cowboy Stolen Kiss for Christmas

It was a puzzle that was going to take some good old-fashioned detective work to solve. It was going to take time. It wasn’t going to happen tonight.

Dean Skelton thanked the forensics experts for their assistance. Grimacing, he dialed the mayor next.

Though it was closing time, the shop owners on Main Street lingered in their doorways and on the sidewalks outside, wearing troubled expressions as they tried to come to grips with what had happened.

Laura and her parents couldn’t help overhearing some of their conversations as they locked the front doors of Santa’s Toy Factory. Lucy had pulled the Jeep around front and was waiting for them at the curb with the motor idling.

One boutique owner gave a soulful sigh. “It sure won’t look the same with bars on all the shop windows in town.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” another woman soothed. “Lots for us to pray about, that’s for sure.”

The drive home was punctuated by somber silence. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts.

Laura waited until Lucy pulled into their lower-level garage before announcing, “I think I’m going to head to Castellano’s this evening.” After Ames’ one and only text this morning, she hadn’t heard anything else from him, not even a response to her thank you text for the espresso he’d had delivered to her and Lucy. His silence felt out of character. Maybe she was reading too much into things. Maybe she was simply allowing the unfortunate events at the jewelry store to affect her mood. Regardless, she wanted to go see for herself that things were still okay between her and Ames.

“I’ll go with you,” Lucy offered.

“Please do.” Their father gave a decided nod as he climbed out of the Jeep. “It would be safest to stick together after everything that’s happened today.”

“I agree.” Their mother reached for the hand he was holding out to her to assist her from the Jeep. She continued clinging to his hand as they made their way up the stairs to start dinner.

“Mom, we’ll wait and eat at Castellano’s,” Laura called after them. There was no point in eating before heading to a dinner theater.

“Enjoy yourselves,” Ayaka Lee called back, sounding a little more cheerful. She and her husband loved piddling in the kitchen together. They were forever stirring up dishes from their childhood days in Japan — katsu chicken, sushi rolls, and crab rice with edamame.

Lucy took her time strapping her crossbody purse around her and reaching back inside the Jeep to retrieve her insulated coffee mug from the console. It wasn’t until the door shut behind their parents that she asked, “Why the sudden need to pay a visit to Castellano’s?”

Laura shrugged, not sure how to voice her latest string of uncertainties. “I just want to make sure Ames is okay.”

Lucy fiddled with the strap on her purse. “Why wouldn’t he be?”

“I don’t know.” Laura really hoped she was imagining the pulling away vibes she was getting from him. “He’s been really quiet today.”

“He had your favorite coffee delivered,” her sister reminded, pushing the button on the wall panel to shut the garage door.

“I know, but he hasn’t responded to my thank you for it, and that was hours ago.” Because of the robbery, it felt like days ago. Laura met her sister’s questioning gaze, wondering if she even had the right to be worried. She’d made it painfully clear that she and Ames were just friends. To him. To her sister. To everyone.

Lucy studied her soberly. “Can I say something without getting my head bitten off?”

Laura’s lips parted in surprise. “You mean you finally found a filter?” What was the world coming to?

Lucy rolled her eyes. “I’ll take that as a yes. Listen.” She grimaced and seemed to be searching for the right words. “I know Brex hurt you in ways I may never understand, but that’s not Ames’ fault. And you’ve been stringing that poor cowboy along for months and months and months.”

“No!” Laura’s agonized protest filled the garage. “There was no stringing. I didn’t even realize he felt that way until—” She bit her lip, wishing she hadn’t said so much.

Her sister didn’t hesitate to pounce on the revelation. “So you two have talked about getting together,” she crowed in an aha voice.

“He wants to,” Laura admitted. “I, um…sort of just found out he’s been feeling that way for a while.”

Lucy shook her head in disgust. “And they say guys are dumb!”

“I know. It’s just all happening so fast, and now Brex is in town, and I’m a wreck all over again.” Laura blinked rapidly to hold back the sting of tears. “It wouldn’t be fair to Ames to try to get something going with him right now.”

Lucy snorted. “Somehow, I don’t think the timing would matter to him. He’s got it for you so bad I almost feel sorry for him.” She spun in Laura’s direction. “If we leave right now, you can probably catch him before the show.”

“In our elf costumes?” Laura stared in dismay down at her red felt dress and the upturned toes of her elf boots.

Lucy gaped at her. “I’m not even going to grace that question with a response.” She stomped toward the stairs.

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