Loyally, Luke, page 14
“It’s still impossible, Maeve.” She leaned her head back against the tree. “I need to tell him who I really am before anything serious begins. He needs to know it’s impossible.”
“I know this is premature, but if Luke does turn out to be the man for you, what would have to happen for it to be a possibility?”
She’d tiptoed around the question in her mind, no answer resulting in a happily ever after. “I’d have to renounce my title as a working royal.”
“Which is not something you should have to do, especially after working so hard to get where you are now.”
Ellie sighed. “Find a way for my parents to accept him as my option.”
“Which they’ve done before. Your mother is a prime example.”
“Mother was a very special case of close friends to the royal family.” She looked up at the blue sky. “And if my past had been less tainted at this point, perhaps it would be a more viable option, but when they helped me through all this, my parents strongly encouraged me to find a husband with a widely known good reputation and strong Skymarian ties. I agreed to that.”
“You can change your mind, El.”
“Maeve, after all the ways they’ve supported me, this is all they ask. And it’s a good request for my future as a princess. The people need to see that sort of support for our country. Besides, I already know he wouldn’t choose a royal life, even if we could be together. It’s not him.”
“Sometimes the best people to come into our lives are the ones we least expect. The ones who we can’t see fitting, but they change everything. Even the things they don’t plan to change.”
A noise from the distance drew Ellie away from the conversation to see Luke coming across the field, hair tousling in the breeze, gaze focused on the horizon. Her heart squeezed. He was certainly unexpected. Wonderfully unexpected.
“I’ve got to go, Maeve.” Ellie kept her attention on Luke.
“Is he walking toward you through a field or something?”
Ellie sighed. “Kind of.” And with his flannel shirt casually open, blue T-shirt beneath, and his hands in his pockets, he reminded her of a few of the characters she’d seen in her recent binge-watching of various Hallmark movies.
He was the quintessential small-town hero.
The one she was supposed to end up with if her life really were a movie.
Maeve seemed to read her thoughts.
“It sounds like you need to have an important conversation with Likable Luke.”
But this wasn’t a movie. Ellie’s smile fell and she pinched her eyes closed. “Yes, I do.”
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.
