Chapter Fourteen

Snow

The Christmas music was cranking on the radio and filled the kitchen with the sounds of the season as I carefully piped the last bit of frosting onto a tray of decorated cookies. The sweet smell of sugar and vanilla was intoxicating. I was already two trays in, and my fingers were covered in icing and powdered sugar, but the momentum was good. The cookies were turning out better than I’d hoped.

I had managed to go to sleep relatively early, despite the whirlwind of a day I’d had. Being as busy as I was, it helped that my mind was too tired to stay awake. Maybe it was the exhaustion that gave me a good night’s sleep, or maybe it was something else. I wasn’t going to admit it, but my dreams had been filled with a certain biker. That rough, magnetic energy of his had stayed with me even when I wasn’t awake, and I couldn’t help but smile a little at the thought.

When I woke up this morning, the sun had been barely peeking over the horizon. I was already up and moving, ready to rock out twenty-five dozen cookies. Nothing would slow me down today.

A knock sounded at the door and pulled me out of my little cookie world. I wiped my hands on a towel and made my way over to the door. When I opened it, there stood Bones, holding two cups of steaming coffee in his hands and a slight grin on his face.

I couldn’t help the flutter in my chest when I saw him. His presence had a way of filling the space and making it feel like everything in my world was suddenly a little more solid. “You’re up bright and early,” I chirped as I tried to keep it casual, though my heart was racing.

Bones peered around me as his gaze swept over the kitchen. “Doesn’t look as early as you, Sugar,” he chuckled and took a step closer. “Did you actually go to sleep last night?”

I stepped aside to let him in. “Well, um, I was up around six,” I replied. I glanced down at the coffee in his hands, and my stomach growled in response. “I think I actually got a full eight hours of sleep last night.” I didn’t want to admit that it had been the best sleep I’d gotten in a while, mostly because it was probably a direct result of Bones.

Bones handed me one of the coffee cups, and I eagerly accepted it. The heat from the cup seeped into my cold fingers, and I couldn’t help but take a deep breath to savor the rich aroma. “Thanks,” I murmured as I took a sip.

He walked over to the tray of cookies I had already decorated. “God damn, Sugar. These are like little works of art. I don’t know if the motley crew I assembled for you will be able to help you with these.” He took a long look at the rows of cookies lined up like little festive masterpieces.

I walked over next to him, admiring my work. I’d been trying to get them perfect and tried to make sure every detail was just right. The cookies were decorated as colorful stockings, their little icing embellishments and bright, candy-colored accents almost too pretty to eat.

“Well, I think Nut will be able to help me with these,” I said, motioning to the cookies. “He can at least help with the flooding.”

Bones raised an eyebrow at me. “Flooding?” he repeated, and a teasing smirk tugged at his lips. “You’re getting all technical on me, Sugar.”

I grinned. “It’s what we call it when we ice the cookies with a thin layer of royal icing after piping a dam around the edge. It’s a technique that requires a steady hand and a little patience. But I think Nut is up for the job.”

Bones chuckled. “I’m sure he’ll manage. What else do you need done?”

I put the finished tray of cookies on the rack and grabbed another tray of cookies. “Well, Bonnie can work on the muffins, bear claws, croissants, and cupcakes for the coffee shop, then start on more sugar cookie dough,” I explained and grabbed a piping bag to start on the next round of decorating. These ones were going to be Christmas trees. “I’ve got a couple of other orders that will need delivering tomorrow, too. Just a couple of coffee cakes.”

Bones gave me a look of mock disbelief. “You need more sugar cookies?” He laughed. “You’re a glutton for punishment, Snow.”

I shrugged and bit back a smile. “Yup. But they’re easy peasy. Once we get these twenty-five dozen out of the way, everything should be smooth sailing. I’ve got a plan. I’ve got everything scheduled, and I’m not going to let it overwhelm me.” I nodded to my coffee cup. “And that magical bean juice is going to help me.”

Bones stood there for a moment, just taking it all in. His gaze flicked from me to the trays of cookies and over to the kitchen counter stacked with every possible baking supply I’d need to pull off this massive cookie haul. He shifted his weight, and I could almost see the gears turning in his head as he took it all in.

“What are you thinking about, Bones?” I sing-songed and tried not to laugh at his serious expression.

He ran a hand over his jaw, then finally said, “Just that I’m pretty useless to you. Unless you’ve got something that doesn’t involve baking that I could do.” He flashed a sheepish grin. “I mean, I’m a gearhead. I fix things, Sugar. Baking... not so much my style.”

I laughed and tilted my head, considering. “Well, it probably won’t take you long, but you could start putting together the boxes for all of these cookies. There’s a stack of them over on the packing table,” I suggested.

Bones looked visibly relieved. “That’s something I can handle,” he replied, moving to the packing area like a man on a mission.

I finished up the last details on the tray of Christmas tree cookies, piping on tiny details, when Bones spoke up again from across the room.

“Is there a reason why your living room looks like it’s decorated for the Fourth of July?” he asked and glanced over at the red, white, and blue decorations I hadn’t had a chance to take down yet.

I chuckled and wiped my hands on my apron. “That would be because I haven’t had a single free moment to do anything except bake since the Fourth of July. Normally, I’d have the house decked out for Christmas by now, but I just haven’t had the time. I did manage to bring up the decorations, though; they’re still sitting in boxes over there in the corner. I don’t think I’ll be making it out to the tree farm to get a tree this year, either.”

Bones nodded, and a small smile tugged at his lips. “Business must be booming for you.”

“It really has been,” I agreed. “Especially this past half of the year. Orders just keep rolling in.”

“Can’t complain about that,” he said with a grin and set another finished box aside.

I nodded just as a loud honk blared outside, breaking the morning’s peace. Bones didn’t even need to look to know who it was.

“Only Wick would honk his horn at this hour on a Saturday morning,” Bones chuckled. “He probably figures since he’s awake, everyone else should be too.”

A moment later, Wick, Nut, and Bonnie strolled in and looked half-awake.

“No Guns today?” Bones asked as he scanned the group.

Bonnie shook her head and took her coat off. “He had some stuff to take care of back at the clubhouse. He said he might swing by later with Mickey.”

Nut sidled over to the rack of finished cookies and peered at them with raised brows. “Well, I knew you were a fancy one,” he laughed and eyed my handiwork. “I watched a few YouTube videos about royal icing last night. I think I can manage the flooding part, but all this fancy shit? That’s on you.”

I grinned and shot Bones a look with a playful glint in my eye as if to say, See? Told you so . “That’s exactly what I was hoping you’d help with,” I replied to Nut, who looked both relieved and wary. I then turned to Bonnie. “And I was hoping you could get started on the other baked goods for the coffee shop orders.”

Bonnie didn’t hesitate and grabbed a clean apron from the hook by the door. “Just hand me the recipes and point me to the mixer,” she said as she tied the apron around her waist.

Wick, looking left out, cleared his throat and lifted his hand. “And what about me?”

Bones waved him over. “You can help me with the boxes, and then there’s something else I’ll need your help with once we’re done.”

Wick gave me a questioning look.

I shrugged. “Sounds good to me,” I said with a grin. “If Bones has something else for you to do, go for it.”

Everyone nodded, happy with their assignments, then scattered to their tasks. The kitchen bustled as everyone set to work, the holiday spirit weaving its way through the air along with the scent of freshly baked cookies.

This was perfect.