Chapter 12

Ellie didn't show up to work the next day, but left a message through Mrs.Kershaw that she was on business in the North Country and would be back the following day.

Maybe it was a good thing to allow Luke the time to focus on work instead of the woolly mammoth in the room when he'd see Ellie again. But the atmosphere sizzled with a new type of tension.

Guards had been posted at the gates of Cambric Hall, requiring Pete and Luke to show identification before entering. Mrs.Kershaw shared that the king had sent them in preparation for any news crew that would likely follow the story of the orphanage and anything associated with the "princess-in-hiding."

Luke had noticed some extra traffic in Crieff as they'd passed through. Could that really be from the media yesterday? He had no idea how people responded to royals in general. His only real experience was his younger sister, and he really hoped she was the exception to the rule. Penelope created an entire "experience" for watching any of the royal weddings and hoped to name one of her children Catherine.

Luke sighed as he helped Gordon, the man he'd become closest to among the workmen, install another cabinet. Having Penelope as his sister even meant that Luke knew exactly who people were talking about when they mentioned Will and Kate by their first names.

"She's been good for this orphanage," Gordon murmured, almost too quiet for Luke to hear, the older man casting a look over his shoulder as if some of the other workers may have overheard him.

Luke didn't have to ask who "she" was.

He knew.

The air simmered with her absence.

"And the North Country," Gordon added, his voice even quieter. His pale gaze rose to Luke's. "I ken she's had her ways in the past, but she's ours and she's proud to be."

Luke may not have understood everything behind Gordon's words, but the meaning was clear. The people who saw Ellie's reform embraced it deeply.

"Dinna believe all you read." He paused, holding Luke's gaze in his steely one before giving a curt nod. "You ken who she is."

It wasn't a question.

And down deep, Luke wondered if Ellie from the last few weeks was much more "real" than Princess Elliana, whatever, of the North Country.

The situation from a few days before gnawed at the back of his mind. He hated unresolved conflict. Even if the situation wasn't going to turn out the way he'd hoped, the idea that it lingered without an answer kept distracting him throughout the morning.

When lunch break came, he retreated to the front lawn of the castle, just to breathe in more space or the quiet or the simple peace of being alone. He took a bite of the sandwich Mrs.Kershaw had offered and looked up at the sky.

He'd always prayed that God would help him make a difference in the small part of the world where God had placed him. Simple things, like helping a neighbor with some house repairs, or giving a stranger a lift to the bus station, or even working with the children's home—a temporary choice that turned into a long-term arrangement.

Even agreeing to travel here for Lewis Gray had been a choice to help, as well as see a little more of the world. But surely God hadn't chosen Luke, of all people, to help a princess heal? And if God had chosen Luke, why hadn't God also taken away the attraction from day one? Because there was no mistaking the two of them shared a mutual attraction.

Could he even offer friendship without wanting to kiss her silly every day?

Seemed like too big a feat for a simple man like him.

And a princess? He raised a brow to the blue sky. Really?

A sudden sniffling sound nearby pulled his thoughts from contemplating God's sense of humor and toward the corner of the front portico. There, sitting on a step, coatless and crying, sat Faye. Her little body shivered with her quiet sobs, and there was nothing else to be done but to take his jacket off and lay it over those little shoulders as he lowered himself to her side.

"Now, what's got you all upset?"

Faye rubbed her fingers into her eyes as if to plug up the tears. "Amara left today."

Luke's chest deflated and he slipped an arm around the little girl's tiny shoulders. "That's hard for sure."

Faye nodded, another tremor quivering through her. "I don't want her to forget me."

"You think she will?"

"She didn't cry very much."

"Well, she had to show she was happy to see her granny too, right?" Luke gave her little shoulders a squeeze. "But I bet she was torn up too. Half happy, half sad."

"I don't want her to be all sad."

"Of course you don't. What friend would?"

Faye looked up at him. "She gave me a little journal with notes from her for thirty days."

"Wow." Luke released a low whistle. "That's a really nice gift. Helps her still feel close for a while, like she's talking to you every day."

"That's true." Faye blinked, tears dangling on her long eyelashes. "For thirty whole days."

"And she seemed to like to talk, so I bet those notes will be nice and long."

"They are long. Some are a whole page." Faye wiped another hand over her eyes. "She didn't talk when she first came. I had to do all the talking. She was too afraid."

Luke's grin stretched. "And I bet you did a fine job talking to and for her, didn't you?"

Faye's lips trembled into a little smile. "I did."

"So fine, in fact, that she couldn't help but start talking too."

Faye's smile grew into dimples, and paired with those freckles, it about did him in altogether. "Ms.Faukes said I loved her so well, she couldna help but grow right into talking so we could all get to know who she was on the inside."

Luke nodded, allowing the little girl's simple sentiment to sink in. "Well, I've always heard that love has a way of doing things like that."

Her eyes sparkled, half with tears, half with joy. "Like magic. That's what my gran used to say. Love is like magic. When you pour it out on someone, it makes wonderful things happen."

His smile faltered just a little because that sounded too much like something Penelope would say, but the heart behind it was true. He'd seen it happen over and over again, especially with the boys he'd worked with at the children's home.

Love held power, a truth he knew soul-deep. The earthly sort didn't always prove magical—he had a track record to support a failure here and there—but the heavenly, pure, all-in kind sure did. Luke's experience with real romantic love could be counted on one finger and hadn't proven magical enough to have Clara love him back the same, but he'd begun to realize the problem had more to do with the receiver than the love.

"It's a pretty special thing to know your love is so big that it makes magical things happen." Luke smiled down at her.

She nodded, the tears not as intense as they'd been before, thank the good Lord!

"And I'd imagine it's even big enough to stretch all the way from Skymar to Nigeria. What do you think?"

Her smile dimpled again. "I know it is."

"And hers to you, because she seemed like she loved you a whole lot too. Notes and all."

Luke escorted Faye back into the castle and left her in the capable hands of her teacher, Ms.Faukes, before returning to the kitchen, his head and heart nearly aching with... emotions. He pressed a palm to his forehead and sighed. Nasty things. No wonder he didn't enjoy talking about them.

For some reason he always felt a little nervous when emotion-talk or feelings started pressing in, but how could anyone blame him? He was raised with three sisters. His testosterone levels constantly felt threatened.

Even here, working with mostly men, the little girls found him with their tears and their freckles and... he was sitting on a front porch sipping his coffee and talking about love and magic.

He grimaced.

He needed another large cup of black coffee and a massive hammer.

Nah. The nail gun. Powerful and loud enough to drown out his thoughts for a while.

It was plum disappointing that demo day only came around once a job.

***

Ellie slipped into one of the side doors of Cambric Hall, attempting to time her entry with dinner for the children and the end of a workday for the workmen. Luke and Pete would stay behind, as they did every evening, to make certain everything was "prepped," as Luke called it, for the next day.

In truth, she'd had a meeting with one of the larger timber companies in the North Country to discuss distribution of the natural resource (since the northern part of Skymar provided over 60 percent of timber for the island), reforesting, and a few new ideas she'd gleaned from conversations with Luke on how to salvage some of the unused buildings scattered throughout the North Country for tourism and business.

He had so many ideas, and she'd wanted to pelt him with questions, but she'd kept her curiosity curated to fit the interior designer he'd thought she was before today. Of course, she did have a degree in interior design, so at least she hadn't lied in that respect.

But his compassion and intelligence burst out of him when he spoke of building, farming, protecting nature, and so many other things. It was very possible he didn't realize how much he had to offer to those around him.

The sound of men's voices drew her down the narrow storage hall that opened into the kitchen. Pete and Luke, as she'd suspected. She smoothed her palms down her stomach and drew in a breath.

She had to talk to him.

Seek his forgiveness.

Pray for his understanding.

And release this absurd connection she had with him.

"We should be able to finish up those cabinets tomorrow and install appliances," Luke was saying, gesturing in the various directions as he spoke. "We need to finish up some trim work, too, and work on the pantry and the adjoining room, but it looks like we're ahead of schedule."

"Sounds like a good day to stop in at the Kilted Duck for supper." Pete's voice lilted, almost drawing out Ellie's smile. "Besides, we ate the last of what you cooked yesterday."

She could almost see Luke's sigh as she stood in the shadow of the door. His back was to her, his broad shoulders slightly bent. Oh dear, she'd been surrounded by those arms before. A glorious feeling.

She closed her eyes to calm the sudden rush of butterflies in her stomach. Silly woman. You are not a girl.

Her gaze flashed to him, her body in full revolt.

Losh!

"Sounds like a plan." He waved Pete toward the door. "I'll check the back to make sure it's locked."

Ellie steadied her shoulders and stepped from the hall. "Excuse me."

Luke flinched. Pete cried out.

"I apologize for startling you." She shifted her attention from Pete back to Luke, searching his unreadable expression. "Would you mind if we talked before you left?"

Luke stared at her a second and then turned his focus to Pete, whose gaze shot between the two before his grin tightened. "Right. How 'bout I pop on down to the pub and you join me when you're all finished here?"

"I'll meet you there in a bit." Luke nodded toward Pete before walking past her to the back door of the kitchen.

Pete offered a dip of his head and half a wave before he fled backward through the double doors of the main entrance to the kitchen.

Nothing but the sound of Luke's movements as he walked to the door filled the silence. The lock clicked into place. When he turned, he took a few steps forward, his attention fixed on her, and with a gentle motion, he leaned a hip against the nearest newly installed cupboard. "I don't—"

She raised a palm. "Please, let me go first."

He paused, nodded, and then folded his arms across his chest, his expression not as foreboding as she'd expected. Serious and intense, but not... lost to her?

Why did that fact bring a sudden tightness to her throat? He should be furious. Maybe even hate her, but she didn't sense any such response from him.

Her eyes stung and she looked away to gather her thoughts before meeting his eyes again. "I'm sorry, Luke. I'm sorry that I wasn't forthright with you from the beginning. At first, I didn't think it was important because it was merely work, but then..." She swallowed and gathered another breath of courage. "But then it wasn't merely work anymore. It was real and fun and I could live in this little fantasy where I was just me and you were just you." Her vision blurred and she looked toward the window. "I don't ever have that opportunity. There are always expectations of my... position. And caution for what another person's motives might be." Her gaze found his again. "But you are so... likable and you made me believe I could be just Ellie, the woman, instead of Elliana, the princess. And we fit like people do in those silly movies. Simple and sweet and... real." She shook her head. "I didn't want to give it up, you see? I liked who I was when I was with you. Because I didn't have to be anyone else. And that seemed to be all right with you."

He tilted his head ever so slightly, studying her, his attention unmoving, focused, warming her skin. She moved a step closer. "Please forgive me. When you've made such poor decisions in the past, it's easy to doubt that when all the glitz and glamour and prestige are stripped away, you will still be worthy of someone's affections just as you are. And you've shown me such tenderness and understanding. I never wanted to hurt you. And I never expected to care for you as I am beginning to do. You've been so authentic and genuine with me, and I didn't reciprocate with similar honesty. I'm sorry."

He studied her a moment longer, his gaze gentling, his lips almost smiling. And then he cleared his throat and drew in a breath, standing to his full height. "I just want to know if you're gonna use this princess thing as an excuse to stop working. Because if you want to keep this job, I don't plan on pampering you."

Air burst from her lungs. "What?"

"You may have used the princess gig to get out of real work before, but don't expect it with me, all right, Ellie?" He grimaced. "Or do I have to start calling you Princess now?"

Her mouth dropped open as she stared at him, replaying his words and attempting to sort him out. "You... you're not angry?"

"It took me a bit to work through it." His expression sobered. "I googled you."

She winced.

He shrugged a shoulder. "I still don't like it, but it made sense, why you didn't tell me." His brow rose. "No more mysteries, though, all right?"

"How can you be so... fine about it all?"

"Well, I'm not exactly fine." He ran a hand over his chin, his gaze slipping down and then back to her face. "I can't see our relationship moving in the direction I'd hoped, so that part of acceptance is tough to swallow." He gave his head a firm shake. "Downright disappointing, to be completely honest, but your past? The reason you didn't tell me who you were? That made sense."

"Did it?"

"Izzy, my cousin, told me a quote once—I think it was by Oscar Wilde—that says, ‘Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.' You sift through anybody's backstory long enough and you'll find messes we're all trying to heal from, cover up, or forget." He sighed, his dark gaze roaming her face as if he cared. And he did. She felt it like the hug she craved from him. "Yours just happened to be strewn across the internet. If someone did that to all my sins, I'd want to duck and hide forever too." His grin widened. "But you're not staying there. Which means you're strong... and brave. And on the right side of your brokenness and heart struggles."

She wasn't too certain about that, since her heart felt a little too fragile to be steady at the moment. His words reached out to her in some magical way, soothing her insecurities like a balm.

"And if anyone looks at you like you're still living in that past life, then they're the ones with the heart problem. Not you."

Warmth infused her inner being. She'd heard similar comfort from her parents, siblings, and closest friends, but to hear it put so gently and directly from this man, for whom she was beginning to care, touched her soul like nothing else—as if his large, rough craftsman's hands had reached into all the vulnerable places of her heart and strengthened the weak spots.

She stepped closer, wanting those powerful arms to capture her in a hug. "I wish I could offer you... something more."

"I suspect you're planning on remaining a princess?"

She nodded. "And you have no interest or desire for a royal life or to leave your family."

"No." His gaze held hers, his smile sad. "I'm not meant for a life like yours."

The declaration hit like a barb, even though she knew the truth before he spoke it. "Then what are we to do? Act as if nothing has happened between us? We're still working together every day." She shook her head with a little fierceness. "And... and I don't want to go back to being strangers."

"I've thought about that too." He leaned back against the counter again. "I mean, I did promise my friend Ellie that I'd help her mark off some things from her list, and I like to stay true to my word."

"I'd never hold you to that." She couldn't help but smile. "But I adore you for still wanting to help me. And be my friend." She nibbled at her bottom lip and then addressed the massive elephant family in the room. "Do you think being friends is a possibility? Please say it is."

His eyes creased at the corners with his smile and she wanted to hear his laugh again. "Well, if I can work really hard to keep thoughts of kissing you out of my head, I think it's a real possibility."

She shouldn't agree to this. She should distance herself from him as much as she could until he returned to the U.S., but the very idea of him being in the same country and her not spending time with him hurt nearly as much as the thought of hurting him. "You're not the only one who'll have to fight those thoughts, I assure you. I was just having an internal monologue about how wonderful it would feel to be in your arms."

His jaw tightened and his stare intensified. "Yep. Sounds like we both need to turn our thoughts in a more friendly direction." He gave his head a shake. "Or less friendly direction?"

"I'll take friendship, if it's a choice between that and nothing at all." She stared up at him, now a step closer. "I know it's horrible. If things were different, it wouldn't be a problem. I just can't change my life."

"And I'm not asking you to."

"I know." Which endeared him to her even more. "But if all I have is two more months with you in my life on a regular basis, then I'd rather have you as my friend than nothing at all."

"All right then." He drew in a breath as if preparing himself for his answer. "If we're going to be friends after kissing like we have, then I think we need to set some ground rules."

"Ah, yes. Very good idea." Ellie clasped her hands together, hating the idea but pushing up a smile because the right thing and the preferable thing didn't always go hand in hand. "No more dates?"

"I don't know if we've officially dated anyway." Amusement lit his eyes. "Though that would have been my next question if—"

"I wasn't a princess." She sighed.

"It does put a damper on our relationship."

"Touché." She rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "Another Princess Bride quote?"

"It fit too well not to use it."

She stared at him too long. Too heartachingly long. And then she looked away with a shrug. "I suppose it would be best if we weren't left alone for long periods of time."

"It would certainly help keep temptation at bay."

"Two months, Luke." Her gaze moved back to his, her breath shallow as she stretched her hand out toward him. "Can we be friends for two months and then go on with our lives?"

Dangerous. Impossible. She held his attention. But she didn't want to let go.

He took her hand into his, the rough edges smoothed with fresh familiarity against her skin. "But just so you know, Princess"—his smile brimmed in his eyes—"I still expect you to work as hard as you did before."

"Deal." She raised a brow, though a voice in the back of her mind told her that the hardest work—to not fall in love with Luke Edgewood—had only begun.