Chapter 10

Going through a woman's purse was not something with which Luke had a great deal of experience. Actually, he didn't really want that sort of experience. A mixture of awe and terror had accompanied his perusal of Ellie's massive bag, and he took the camera out as soon as he found it, pulling his hand back as if the mouth of the purse would close like a booby trap.

Maybe the intimidation was from being a southern boy whose mama had either used her purse as a possible weapon or protected it like a holy grail.

But he was certainly glad to find the camera and place the bag safely back beneath the desk in Mrs.Kershaw's office.

He alerted Gordon that he was taking his lunch outside and made the trek down the hill behind the hall, his grin growing with each step. If she'd sent for the camera, it meant she was happy with the surprise. And if she'd sent the girls for the camera, it meant she'd actually climbed the tree.

He wasn't sure why the idea of her taking him up on his little surprise made his steps a bit lighter, but he liked the feeling that the image of her smiling face left behind. He'd pondered and prayed about their conversation, when he hadn't been distracted by kissing thoughts, and had come to an unexpected conclusion.

Since he couldn't predict the future and how plans shifted and changed, then he'd just embrace the now and deal with those consequences as they came. He'd never have predicted Izzy would meet her perfect match on an island across the sea, nor that she'd have the courage to pack up her life and move here. He was sure Matt hadn't expected to find his match in the disgustingly optimistic personality of Luke's sister Penelope and then pack up his whole life and move to America.

That was the thing.

In the beginning of the story, there are a whole lot of impossibilities, like a Death Star or three challenges or the defeat of a revenge-hungry sheriff. None of the characters could have guessed how things would turn out. He paused. In fact, that sounded like a Samwise quote from The Lord of the Rings. Another great example of impossibilities being overcome in unexpected ways.

Why not something as crazy as a woman from Skymar and a man from America?

Ellie had climbed up higher than he thought she'd try, which made him like her even more. Not only was she a little sassy, she was smart, brave, and a little funny. He had a feeling there was more humor beneath all that high-classiness and, of course, the type of person who wanted to do the right thing.

And she was beautiful, which was an added bonus he didn't mind at all.

She had her hair in a long braid over one shoulder of her navy jacket, and her grin welcomed him forward. Once she'd decided to like him a little, he'd lost all sense, but at the moment, he didn't mind.

If nonsensical led to kissing her senseless and having fun conversations, he'd adopt nonsensical as his new MO. And that was saying a lot. He'd steered clear of pursuing any romantic relationships for two years because his last girlfriend kept trying to change him to fit her ideals.

She'd been the high-class, big-money sort.

And there was nothing wrong with that, if they were more like Ellie. Genuine underneath all the high-class.

But Clara hadn't been that way.

Which meant he never would have been good enough for her.

"Well, look who found her way up a tree."

Her smile spread as she looked down at him, golden braid swinging like Rapunzel.

He would have frowned at his thought if her smile hadn't been so pretty.

"I can't believe you did this for me."

He tucked his hands into his pockets, settling into the pleasant feeling of pleasing her. "It's not too hard to find a tree around here."

The way she looked at him had him standing a bit taller. "You know what I mean, Luke."

He liked the sound of his name on her lips. Well, he liked those lips, too, and needed to explore them some more. "Smells like snow's on the way too." He shifted another step closer to get a better view of her through the limbs. "Which means there may be a few other things we can check off your list."

A burst of air escaped from her and she shook her head. "You don't have to help me with my list, you know." Her words were weighted with emotion.

"Well, I'm not a fan of making them, but I'm pretty good at helping out friends with theirs."

Her gaze held his, so filled with warmth and invitation, and he started to have the slightest inkling why someone would leave their entire world for love. He flinched. But this wasn't love. Maybe it could turn into love, because his heart veered really close to falling, but right now it was like. A lot.

A kissing lot.

"We're friends now, are we?" Her question came breathlessly, and the look in those eyes confirmed what was going on in his head. Friends... plus. "By the way, I spent the last few nights watching those Hallmark movies you talked about."

"Whoa." His palm came up as if to fend off the very idea. "Why would you go and ruin your brain like that?"

"You do remind me of one of the heroes, Luke." Her lips seemed to wrestle with her grin.

"We can't be friends anymore."

"Only you're much better," she finished, holding his gaze long enough to bring a little heat to his chest. "The only thing you're missing is a dog and a Christmas tree farm."

"I hope I have a bit more sense too," he murmured and then squinted back up at her. "I don't have a farm, but I do have two dogs."

She shifted down a little closer to the trunk, lowering one booted foot to the next branch. "Do you? What are their names?"

"Chewy and Indie." Would she get the references?

She paused and looked back down at him, her braid swishing and her smile growing. "Nice choices. I have a cat named Loki."

"Loki? That's 'bout right." He bent his head and shook it slowly, wondering how in the world she could get any better. Well, being willing to move across the world would probably be a good start. He drew in a breath. "So, friend"—he placed his hands on his hips—"you gonna come down from there, or should I build you a tree house?"

Her mouth dropped wide. "Have you built one before?"

"A couple. My favorite was for my cousin's children."

She began a slow descent. "I asked my father for one once, but he had a small cottage built instead. Not exactly the same thing."

"Gotta give him props for going big, though." He held his palms out as she wavered a bit on one of the branches, ready for a slip. Hadn't he seen a movie where something like this happened? He winced. Oh Lord, help me.

He almost pulled his arms back.

Ellie chuckled. "You could say that, I suppose, but there's something magical about the idea of a tree house, don't you think?" Then she froze. "Oh wait, Luke, a photo! Did you bring the camera?"

He raised the device up for her to see. "But I'm not great at using one."

"That's all right. I just want it for my memory." She posed, looking at him expectantly, so with careful movements, he took a few shots.

And she looked great in all of them.

She thanked him and finished her descent, but just as she neared the lowest limb, she slipped and, like the flannel-wearing Hallmark hero he didn't want to be, he caught her.

Her orange scent slipped around him as her body crashed into his chest.

"Well, it's a good thing you were here... isn't it?" Her words hitched and their gazes locked as he lowered her to the ground, her body pressed against his.

Maybe this hero gig wasn't so bad after all.

There was only a slight pause as he stared down at her and she stared right back, and then... their lips found each other. She seemed to anticipate the kiss as much as he did because her fingers slipped right up his neck to bury in his hair as if she knew exactly what he wanted. Heaven and earth! He pulled her closer, stumbling in the process, but neither broke the kiss. Of course, with the grip she had on him, she was about as interested in stopping as he was. Her back pressed against the tree, their position likely hidden from view with the tree trunk behind them and the limbs hanging low.

One of his palms came up to frame her cheek before it trailed slowly down her neck to hook onto that braid. The silken softness of her hair slipped beneath his rough palm like one of the best feelings in the world.

She made a whimper of a sound and pulled back—or tried—but there was a tree in the way. He'd always liked trees.

"We... we can't keep doing this." Her fingers entwined into his jacket, almost like her brain and her hands wanted two different things. "It doesn't make sense."

"It makes about the best sense of anything I've ever done."

"That is not your brain talking." Her lips tilted into a very kissable smile.

"Even if a man finds a woman kissable and she sees the man in a similar way and they both commence to act accordingly with a great deal of enjoyment?" He raised a brow. "From your nonverbal communication, I'm assuming it was mutual."

She sighed in answer and his grin spread wide. "Makes pretty good sense to me."

Something flickered in her eyes and her smile fell. "Luke, it would be ridiculous to deny that there is a real attraction between the two of us."

"Very ridiculous."

She nodded, her gaze searching his. "And I think you could turn out to be one of the very best men I've ever known."

He tilted his head, studying her, a sudden wariness rising in his chest. "What do you want to say, but aren't?"

Her shoulders drooped. "We can't keep acting on these feelings."

He shrugged. "Seems a shame to waste 'em, Ellie."

Her smile flickered afresh but she shook her head. "But how will this work out between us? Do you plan to move here?"

No, he didn't. Not at all. The scenery was beautiful and the village was growing on him too, but he knew where home was, and Skymar wasn't it. His parents needed him within driving distance, not so far away it would take two days to get home.

He kept silent.

"And I don't plan to leave." She sighed. "So the best thing would be to accept what we cannot have and, perhaps, embrace the friendship we can for the remainder of your time here."

Her eyes were the most startling shade of blue.

"That would probably be best."

She nodded, some of the fight in her expression dimming as she stared up at him. "And much easier," she whispered.

"That too."

She tugged him right into another kiss, which didn't seem to settle her mind because she pushed away almost immediately. "This isn't working."

"Feels like it's working pretty well to me."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not helping at all." And then a pucker creased her brow as she looked back up at him, almost pleading. "I do care about you, Luke, and if our lives were different, I'd risk about anything to explore what a future between us could hold, but I can't do that. We don't have that sort of choice."

He understood the dilemma. He'd thought about it too, and he wasn't the sort of guy who made plans with a woman half-heartedly, so the fact that he wanted to continue learning more about her, bantering with her, and most definitely kissing her, meant he knew good and well he was putting his heart in danger.

And people always have a choice.

"Ellie, I'm trying to decide what would be worse—being near you and not acting on my feelings for the next two months, or enjoying what we can while we can, then figuring out the rest as we can."

Her golden brow rose. "Almost poetic?"

He growled and pulled her into another kiss.

"No, no." She pushed away again and this time succeeded in creating distance. "We can't do this. I mean it. And you'll understand once I tell you the truth."

His whole body stilled. Truth?

He waited, crossing his arms to have something to do with them now that she'd left them.

She closed her eyes, as if bracing herself, and then looked back at him. "I don't usually have to tell people this, because they usually already know, so... this is new for me." Her voice shook a little and he edged a step closer. "And at first I didn't tell you because I didn't think it mattered since I didn't expect to start really caring for you." She paused and rubbed her palms together in front of her. "But now... it does matter. And I should have told you sooner, as soon as I realized I was beginning to care for you, but I was selfish and didn't want things to change between us. It was wonderful being known as just me for a change."

"I don't follow." He shook his head, a chill slicing through him. "Are you married?"

Her eyes shot wide. "No, though my parents wish I were, particularly from their extensive lists of choices."

"They have a list?" He blinked, trying to piece her reaction and words together. "That sounds like my sister Josephine."

"I think my parents' list may look a bit different than your sister's."

He tilted his head, studying her. "So... I'm not on this list, I'd guess."

"How could you be? They don't even know you." She placed her hand on his arm.

"We can change that." He'd met parents before. Some could be intimidating or downright crazy, but not enough to turn him away from the right woman. "In fact, I'd like to meet your parents."

Her smile took on a desperate sort of look. "I'm bungling this beautifully." She drew in a breath and steadied her shoulders. "Luke, I... I'm..."

He narrowed his eyes, waiting for the blow of whatever left her so flustered, and then... a chime sounded.

A chime?

He stared at her as if she'd explain, and the chime sounded again.

This was not the time when the Hallmark chime sounded.

As if he even knew.

She groaned and offered him an apologetic look. "Perfect timing."

At least they weren't about to kiss when the phone went off.

"That's my father." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "I need to check this."

She turned away from him, sending another grimace of apology his way.

"Hey, Dad."

And then she turned slowly toward Luke, her eyes growing wide as she listened.

"What?"

She held Luke's gaze, her face growing paler and eyes wider.

"In five minutes?"

After saying goodbye, she pulled the phone away from her ear, staring at Luke before sliding it into her pocket.

"The king is coming here to see your progress." She swallowed. "And he'll be here in five minutes."

***

Ellie barely got the words out, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that her father was on his way to Cambric Hall.

Her father never just showed up places.

Any official call he made, he informed people well in advance.

She tried to catch her breath. Unless he planned for this visit to be unofficial?

Her gaze met Luke's. He stood staring back at her, waiting for an explanation.

And she had to tell him now.

"Let's get back to the hall to alert the workers so they'll know." She bypassed Luke, gesturing with her chin for him to follow.

"We don't have to do anything special because the king is coming, do we?" He fell into step with her. "I mean, I reckon we won't start back to work until he leaves?"

She kept her face forward, working up her courage. "Probably not. He'll likely want to ask questions about your plans and progress."

Luke nodded. "I worked on a vacation cabin for a governor once and he was a down-to-earth sort. Didn't have any trouble speaking with him at all."

Ellie held back a whimper. They topped the hill and the hall came into sight. A few of the workers stood on the veranda finishing up their lunch.

"Luke, the king is a good sort. The best, in my opinion." Her throat tightened. "And he appreciates honest and creative people, so I'm certain he will appreciate you." She refused to look his way. "And I know he's going to like you."

"Why do I feel a ‘but' coming?"

They made it to the path to the back door of the hall and Ellie sent him a look from her periphery. "There's no ‘but.'" She breathed out the fight. "Only the fact that I'm his daughter."

She reached for the back door, but he placed his palm over the handle so she couldn't grip it. "Wait a minute."

She looked up at him then.

He shook his head as if to clear it. "Did you just say the king of Skymar is your father?"

She bit her bottom lip and stood to her full height. "He is."

Luke stared at her a long time, eyes narrowing by slow degrees. "Wouldn't that make you a princess?"

She attempted a smile. "Yes, in fact, it would."

The only thing that moved on his face were his eyelids as he blinked a few times. However, he did loosen his hold on the door handle, so Ellie, being the complete coward she was, took the opportunity to move forward.

He stumbled behind her. "You're a princess?"

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"A real princess?"

"I didn't want you to see me differently." She raced down the hallway, keeping her voice low. "You were so genuine and I felt like I could just be me."

"I... I kissed a princess?"

Her feet slid to a stop and she turned around to face him. He stood with his hand on his head and a grimace on his face, staring at her as if she'd grown a horn from her forehead.

Or maybe he was envisioning a crown.

"I tried to end things back there under the tree, don't you see? For your own good, because my life is not my own and you didn't step into my world knowingly." She breathed out a sigh. "And I didn't want to hurt you."

He looked away, exhaling audibly, before turning back to look at her again. "When were you planning on telling me? Or were you just gonna keep dancing around the topic until I was contemplating marriage?"

"I was planning to tell you back there. Under the tree." She waved toward the way they'd come. "If you'll recall, I was trying to end things and you kept kissing me."

He moved close, those dark eyes on fire. "If I recall, the kissing was mutual. I never pretended to be anything other than what I am, and I certainly never pretended to care more than I did."

"I wasn't pretending to care for you either," she shot back. "I do care for you, which is the whole reason I was trying to end—"

"Ellie!" came Mrs.Kershaw's frantic cry from the top of the stairs. "The royal entourage just drove up to Cambric Hall. Would you mind shedding some light on this, please?"

She held his gaze. "I'm so sorry, Luke." And to keep from seeing more of the disappointment in his eyes, she dashed up the stairs.

Mrs.Kershaw stood wringing her hands, the only visible sign of her mental state.

"It's not an official visit, Mrs.Kershaw. I believe he's only popping in to support me and Cambric Hall."

"Support you?"

"Since this is one of the first larger solo projects he's entrusted to me in a very long time, he's heard a great many good things and wishes to see for himself."

The woman raised her chin, a hint of pride in her eyes. "Well, I prefer a bit more notice when presenting Cambric Hall and its children to His Majesty, but we will make the best of it. Yes, we will."

A collective gasp from down the hall pulled Ellie toward the crowd of children who were crowded around a few of the front windows, peering out. Ellie turned to find Luke hovering near the hallway, his hands in his pockets and his attention focused on her.

She couldn't read his thoughts.

And maybe she didn't want to, because the look in those eyes shone with something like disappointment and... hurt.

Mrs.Kershaw opened the door to reveal Ellie's father with several of his advisors behind him. Brandon, Marks, Tristan? Why had they come? Even Cameron hovered in the background.

And to confirm her thoughts that this was an unofficial visit, her father had worn slacks and an open-collared shirt beneath his sport jacket. The appearance always gave him a more youthful look, though her father was barely in his midfifties.

"Thank you, Mrs.Kershaw, for your generosity in welcoming us with such short notice. I've brought some books for the school's library that I think the children will enjoy." Her father's gracious entrance and specific gift clearly curbed any of Mrs.Kershaw's previous ire. "But I hope you'll see this more as a friendly visit to check in on the progress of my daughter's hard work, rather than anything else."

"Of course, Your Majesty." Mrs.Kershaw gave a slight curtsy. "You are most welcome."

In her father's usual fashion, he took his time getting to the point of the trip by greeting others. The nearest children, some of the teachers—he even leaned down to pet Clootie. Ellie never grew tired of watching his tenderness defuse a room, a gift she'd not appreciated when she was younger, but she now hoped she carried at least a little of it within her.

Father enlisted Tristan to take a few photos, and then when her father finally finished his extensive greetings, his small entourage following along behind, he turned to Ellie, his eyes alight with expectation.

"Wish to take me on a little tour of the progress, Elliana?" He leaned close and lowered his voice. "I should like to meet this American of yours."

Ack! That certain phraseology did nothing to help her frayed emotions at present for two reasons: one, he wasn't hers, though she wouldn't mind figuring out if he could be, and two, he couldn't be.

"If he's here, he'd likely be with the team. They've just finished lunch."

Had he eaten lunch at all? Pain stung anew at the thought of his little surprise and her perfect way of ruining everything. Even when she'd done so much to turn her life around, she still had a way of messing things up. Perhaps she should continue to stay very well hidden in the background, like the Quasimodo of the royal family.

The large room, now even larger from opening up one wall, stood in disarray with the old cabinets and appliances removed, leaving the walls bare but highlighting the new glossy wooden floors. Well, what parts of the floor could be seen.

Luke had placed cardboard down for the workers to walk on so that as they put in the new cabinets and details, they'd keep the floors safe.

Luke kneeled near Gordon on the far side of the room as they installed a new set of doors from the new wall into the small staff dining area. Ellie had chosen beautiful oak doors to go with the sage-green paint color waiting to add soft vibrancy to the plain white walls.

At the noise from their entrance, all the workmen came to a stop and stood to attention. The Skymarian men dipped their heads in reverence to their sovereign. Luke removed his cap.

And now there were three boys from the orphanage helping. Justin had joined. And was Kimberly keeping to the shadows of the room? Had she started helping too?

Ellie almost smiled. Did Luke have a tendency to enlist followers? With his easy personality and subtle wit, she imagined so.

"You must be Luke Edgewood, the project leader." Father stepped forward, his smile wide in greeting. "Elliana sings your praises."

Luke's attention flicked to hers, wary. The hurt stung afresh through her.

"I haven't heard much about you, sir." He grimaced and then squinted as if in pain. "Your... Majesty."

Father glanced to Ellie, a question in his expression before he continued, "Ah, well, I believe we should become better acquainted, especially from the high report I've received. Not from Ellie alone, but Holton and even Marshall, who has worked on other projects for the Crown."

Luke looked over at the burly Scottish man, who dipped his head in acknowledgment. "I appreciate that, sir... um... Your Majesty."

Ellie tried not to cringe at Luke's clear discomfort. Another failure for her. If she'd prepared him a little better, he wouldn't have had to face this embarrassing moment. When Luke looked her way again, she attempted to infuse as much of an apology into her expression as she could.

"Ellie and Holton mentioned that you've saved the orphanage a great deal of money with your plans."

"The more we can keep to use for the children, the better." He pushed his hands in his pockets. "Most of the time, it's pretty simple to just do the right thing."

Ellie wasn't certain if that barb was meant for her, but she felt it. To her heart.

"Would you mind explaining to me some of the things you've done?"

And with that one question, some of the tension dissipated. Luke took the lead then, taking his time explaining about repairing the floor joists and replacing the floor, sharing how this type of flooring was a good fit for the kitchen. He freely gave credit to the workers, including Pete, who'd made his job easier by their ready willingness to work hard.

"And... are these some of your added helpers?" Father greeted the boys, who all stood with faces down as if embarrassed. Kimberly made no move to leave her hiding spot.

"They were keen to learn, and as some of them don't seem interested in university, I thought helping them learn a few practical skills would do them good."

Father turned a sharp eye to Luke. "Yes, of course it would."

Luke drew in a breath like he might say something else but stopped.

"What is it?" Ellie interjected, maybe only to have him look her way again. He'd clearly been avoiding doing that as much as possible. "I'm sure your ideas would be worth hearing."

His jaw tightened and he returned his attention to her father. "Crieff is a great village with lots of different shops. Mostly skilled labor shops, like seamstresses and butchers, welders, woodworkers. There's even a blacksmith." He shook his head. "And I met a real shepherd. Never done that before." His lips twitched just a little, then he sobered. "From what I can tell, they're good people and I wonder if the townsfolk would be willing to apprentice some of these kids."

"Apprentice them?"

"It would take matching the kids to the people and skill, but I've seen it work before and it's a great way to give back to the community and build a stronger connection. Even if the kids later decide to go to college, they'll have learned some solid skills along the way."

Ellie stared at him, her smile growing. He may not be much of a talker, but what he did have to say was worth hearing.

"So you've had experience with this sort of project?" This from Father, who'd drawn closer to Luke. One of his advisors stood nearby, scribbling away on his iPad, likely taking notes.

"As a matter of fact, I volunteered at a children's home back in Virginia where we set up an apprentice program with local businesses." He gestured toward the boys with a nod. "Saw a huge turnaround in how the kids made better choices for the future and found some real support within the community there."

"A volunteer?" Father had that look about him, the one that meant he was already plotting something. "How did you volunteer?"

Luke's lips quirked a little, as if he may have seen the spark in Father's eyes too. "I was one of what they called Buddies. I'd take a few of the boys under my wing and spend time with them and teach them some of my skills. Still in contact with most of them."

"That is an excellent idea with great impact, I should think."

"I agree." His expression sobered. "Most of those kids have had hurts like I can't imagine, Your Majesty. So we created a careful selection process of trustworthy people, and not only did it end up helping the kids with job skills, but the connections they made with the families and the community helped heal some of the pain they carried with them."

"Would you be interested in talking this idea over with me in further detail?"

"Yes, sir." He grimaced. "Your Majesty."

"Excellent." Father waved toward Tristan. "Please collect Mr.Edgewood's contact information." Father turned his attention back to Luke. "I look forward to more dialogue with you, Mr.Edgewood."

He turned to her. "Ellie, I have some things I need to discuss with you."

Ellie pulled her attention from Luke and back to her father. "Yes?"

"Let's go into Crieff and visit some of these businesses Mr. Edgewood celebrated, and then we can talk over dinner."

She looked back at Luke as she followed her father from the room and found him watching her. Sadness hovered in those eyes. Disappointment. She'd praised him for his honesty, but she hadn't reciprocated with the same authenticity.

And he valued authenticity.

Something in her heart shuddered.

Why did it feel as if she'd lost something she wasn't even supposed to want?