by Caroline Lee
He grabbed a piece of twine and wrapped it around the burlap. “In fact, in the historic sections of the peninsula—Charleston proper, I guess you’d say—there are all sorts of rules about how you have to maintain your house. You can’t change the paint color without petitioning the city, and if your house is damaged in a hurricane or something, you have to go find artisans who can restore it, using original materials and techniques.”
“Wow,” she breathed, impressed.
“Yeah, it’s a huge pain, but it’s also kinda a status symbol, you know?”
“Like, I’m so rich, I not only own this huge house, but it’s also really old, and I have it maintained in the most obscure, difficult way possible?”
“Exactly!” He beamed as he handed her the little bundle. “Here. A souvenir from River’s End Ranch.”
“Aw, thanks!” She took her lumpy nail and slipped it into her pocket. Matt would probably make fun of her for it later, but for now, she was way more interested in hearing about Elf. “So Charleston is sorta predisposed to value wrought-iron artwork?”
Elf smiled as he picked up his pliers again. “You got it. We have the Philip Simmons Blacksmith Guild, and the American College of the Building Arts. I enrolled there in between working other jobs, and learned all sorts of amazing smithing techniques. Dad thought it was a waste of time, but it’s making me more than any other job ever did.”
“Plus, it brought you out here to Idaho.”
She’d meant it as a sort of joke, but the way he smiled told her he didn’t see it that way. In fact, the way he was smiling at her made it seem like he was really thankful to be here at River’s End Ranch right now.
Because of her?
Maybe she was blushing when she groped about for a change of subject. “What’s that?” she blurted, pointing to a random tool on the wall, and just like that they were talking about blacksmithing again.
He kept her giggling with demonstrations and stories, and she even tried her hand at pumping the bellows—hot—and feeding the fire—hotter—and standing beside him as he worked—the hottest of all!
He was definitely a hunk, no denying. But more than that, and more than his flirtatious grins, was the fact that she genuinely enjoyed being around him, and he seemed to really like her too. In fact, he welcomed her to get her hands dirty, and asked her all sorts of questions about her life as well. He wasn’t just spending time with her because of her looks...to her surprise, he didn’t seem to even notice them. Spending time with hunky Elf was a new—wonderful!—experience for her.
It wasn’t until the carolers showed up outside that they remembered they weren’t alone in the world. She stepped aside and let him do his demonstration for the guests. And even though she waved to her family—and Muz and Dink, who were in the crowd too—she had no interest in leaving just yet.
In fact, it wasn’t until after the carolers had moved on to the next shop, and Elf had gone back to joking about the blacksmithing process, and she’d nudged Tootles out of the way to stand beside the warm fire, that she realized something important…she didn’t have any interest in leaving this place at all.
Ever.
CHAPTER FOUR
The smithy was locked when she returned Thursday afternoon, just like it had been that morning. Belle huffed a little in frustration, and put her gaily wrapped Christmas package down beside the door so she could pick up Tootles. Where could Elf be?
In her arms, the pig grunted and seemed to pout, and she had to smile. “Oh hush, you. I wasn’t going to give you away.”
Since her family was all out on the slopes today, she’d just come from the big event barn, where she’d stopped by to check out the ornament-making activity they’d all be going to together later than night. The lady who was running it--Heidi from the General Store—had been there collecting last-minute charitable Christmas gift donations for a family. Belle had jokingly offered Tootles. Heidi had laughed, but Tootles had just looked panicked. Sometimes Belle forgot that he’d been trained to understand human body language…before he’d picked up Aunt Jean’s anxiety and made it his own.
Now, Tootles huffed twice and she scratched behind his ears. “Really, I promise. You’re annoying sometimes, but I love you, Kalua. I’m not going to foist you off on someone else to take care of, I promise.” She felt the little animal’s muscles relax slowly, and wasn’t sure if it was because he understood her words, or just her comfort. Either way, she dropped a kiss on his little, pale, piggy head and squeezed him. “I promise I won’t leave you.”
He burrowed deeper into her armpit, and she had to smile. An anxiety pig with anxiety, who was terrified of being left alone. Maybe her joke hadn’t been that funny. “Sorry,” she offered Tootles in the vague hope that he’d understand.
“Sorry for what?”
She gasped and spun around to see Elf climbing up the steps of the boardwalk, holding a set of keys. “You’re not talking to your pig again, are you?”
“So what if I am?” She lifted her chin and hid her grin. “Mental disorders run in my family, apparently.”
He just shrugged and reached for the door to unlock it. “I’m the last one to disparage talking to animals. Dink made me hold her hedgehog, Hagrid, for the entire ride into Spokane two weeks ago. He and I had a great conversation.”
“Hedgehogs make noise?”
He flashed a grin over his shoulder. “Mostly they sleep. I didn’t say it wasn’t a one-sided conversation.” The door cracked open, but before he pushed it further open, he reached down to pick up the green-and-silver wrapped present. “What’s this?”
“Oh.” Belle blushed, and hugged Tootles a little tighter. “Um. Actually, that’s why I’m here. I was hoping, uh….”
Letting the door swing closed again, Elf gave her his full attention, hugging the large package across his chest in a mimic of the way she was holding the pig. Slowly, he raised one brow. “Well, now I’m intrigued.”
“I wanted to bring that present to Jaclyn. But I was kinda hoping you’d go with me.”
Please please please don’t ask why. Confident her hand was hidden under the pig’s bottom, Belle crossed her fingers. Now that she’d worked up the guts to come and ask him, she didn’t want to have to explain why. Because, “I’m desperate to spend time with you” was going to sound really stupid coming out of her mouth.
A former Miss Idaho did not get desperate to spend time with men. Men were desperate to spend time with her.
At least, that’s what Mom always said.
Instead of asking why—thank goodness!—Elf just shrugged. “Sure. When are you going?”
“Um. Now? I stopped by earlier, but you weren’t here.”
“Oh, I’m never here in the mornings. And then I take my lunch. I guess I could push my lunch a little longer and go visit Jaclyn for a while. I wonder if she’s got any snickerdoodles made?”
He juggled the large package to one arm and re-locked the door with the other. Belle couldn’t help smiling, knowing she’d get to spend another half-hour with him—maybe longer, depending on how much Jaclyn felt like talking! “It’s been my experience that if Jaclyn knows you’re coming, she’s made snickerdoodles.”
“Yeah, but how she knows you’re coming, that’s the weird part.” Elf gestured for her to precede him down the boardwalk.
“The fairies, of course!”
He rolled his eyes as he caught up with her. “Don’t tell me you believe in those things too?”
She giggled. “No, but I believe in Jaclyn, and that’s what matters.”
“I guess so.”
“So, where are you in the mornings? Is there another blacksmith shop on the ranch somewhere?” she teased.
“No. I’m in the fleet garage in the mornings. I’m the ranch’s part-time mechanic.”
“You are?” That would explain how he knew so much about snowmobiles. “But you never talk about it!”
He shrugged. “Working with cars has always paid my bills, but blacksmi
thing is like my art. I love it, and it makes me feel whole, you know? I love the…the process of it.”
When he spoke about blacksmithing, his voice held a real passion. She’d noticed it before, when he’d helped her make that nail.
She could listen to him talk about it forever. “What about it?”
“Well, I love that you can start with just a lump of metal—Actually, if you’re really hardcore, you can start with a bunch of rocks and smelt the ore out and everything. You apply heat and force and—bam!—you’ve got a gate or a knife or a rose or anything you can imagine. You’re only limited by your imagination and the strength of your arms. It’s a primitive feeling. There’s a lot of passion in blacksmithing.”
Wow.
Belle realized her mouth was hanging open, and snapped it shut. There was a lot of passion floating around, just from listening to him talk!
“Anyway, how about you?”
Belle shook herself mentally. “What about me?”
“I mean, what’s your passion?”
Elvis Presley. Hawaii. Listening to you talk about blacksmithing. But all of those were stupid answers, so she just shrugged. “I dunno.”
He nudged her with his shoulder as they left the Old West town behind, and his touch just felt natural. Like it had felt to wrap her arms around him on that snowmobile. Or joke with him and his family. Or share a mug of hot cider after caroling.
“Come on, Beauty. What’s your passion?”
The nickname was jarring. “What’d you call me?”
Where some men might’ve been flustered to be called out like that, Elf just smiled charmingly. “Belle means ‘beauty,’ doesn’t it? Aptly named, I figure.”
Numbly, she just nodded. Her name did mean ‘beauty’. In fact, her last name meant ‘royal’ in Hawaiian, and it was her mother’s not-very-funny joke that she’d been destined to become a beauty queen from birth. It was actually one of the excuses she’d given Belle when they’d moved to Idaho and she’d pushed the little girl into the beauty pageant circuit.
But what had given her pause, was Elf’s casual use of the nickname. It had reminded her of the way Hunk called her “Queenie” online, and that thought made her feel…guilty. She hadn’t been online since Monday…hadn’t even thought about him. He was her friend and she’d just totally dropped him, as focused as she was on Elf.
What kind of friend did that make her? After six months of chatting with Hunk almost every night, she'd gone days without even thinking of him. Belle frowned and vowed that she’d check in on the forums that evening after the ornament-making.
“Hey, I’m sorry.” He nudged her again. “I didn’t mean to make you frown.”
“What? Oh, no. It wasn’t you.” Although, it kinda was. “I was just thinking about something else.”
“Okaaaay.” Wisely, he changed the subject away from passions and beauty. “So what’s in the package?”
Belle forced a smile. “Just something I thought Jaclyn would like. She’s a sweetheart and has been like a grandmother to us when we’ve visited. I was seven when I first started coming here. But my brother and sister were so young, they don’t even remember not celebrating Christmas at River’s End Ranch.” They also didn’t remember Hawaii, which Belle thought was really sad.
“Hey, I heard that Faith and Matt are training for the Olympics. Is that true?” Elf asked as he waved to someone he knew in the distance. They crossed the road towards the RV Park and the little house near the entrance.
“Yep. Both of them are doing the moguls. Matt thinks he has a chance at the jumps too, but Mom told me—behind his back, of course—that she thought it was a long shot.”
“That’s cool. I have a friend whose sister—maybe her brother too?—is trying for the US Olympic team soon. I don’t remember which event though. Something snowy.”
Belle chuckled along with him. “It is the winter Olympics. That doesn’t narrow it down.”
“Still, Team USA, right?”
“It would be cool if they make it, but I’ll still cheer on the ski team no matter what.”
“If they do make it, I want to come hang out with your family to watch the events.”
Belle laughed, part pleasure and part awkwardness. “If they make it, I want to come hang out with you. Your family’s much more fun.”
They’d reached the little gate, which Elf held open for her to slip through. She gave a little mental greeting to the new gnome she didn’t recognize, who stood sentinel among the snow. She didn’t want Elf to think she was the sort who talked to garden gnomes…it was just that these were like old friends she only got to see once a year. She could remember Christmas afternoons as a child, spent with Faith in Jaclyn’s garden, quizzing each other on the gnomes’ names.
“I dunno. Your dad seems pretty cool.”
“Yeah, he’s way more laid-back than Mom. I’m more like him.” Daddy was native Hawaiian and she’d inherited his eyes, his gorgeous skin tone, and his laid-back attitude. “Faith is a good mix, but Matt is all Mom, all the time. They’re both so uptight.” She rolled her eyes as they climbed the steps to Jaclyn’s door. “He’s been moping lately because his mogul times aren’t his all-time best, and the girl he’s been interested in turned him down.”
“Someone at the ranch?”
“Yeah, the girl at the bakery. Miranda?”
“Oh yeah! I actually just met her, and I’ve gotta go back to pick up some cookies from her tomorrow. Word is, she’s got a thing going with Bob from the café though.”
Belle chuckled again. “Yep. And Matt has some trouble when it comes to being second best. So things have been…strained in the Copper Cabin.”
“Not the most Christmas-y time, I guess?”
Belle just shook her head. It wasn’t until Tootles grunted that she realized how tense she was and loosened her grip on the poor thing.
She exhaled and reached for Jaclyn’s door knocker, but his next words stopped her.
“Well, hey. I’ve got an idea. For a little Christmas spirit, I mean.” Elf grinned that charming grin of his. “I was thinking about taking all of tomorrow off. I’ve got some family stuff, but I thought it might be nice if you joined me for lunch.” He shrugged good-naturedly. “If you want to, I mean. I usually eat at Kelsey’s Kafé, but we could go someplace else.”
He was asking her on a date? A real date! He was asking her on a date!
Belle smiled hugely. “I love Kelsey’s Kafé! I’ve only been once on this trip, but I promised myself I’d go back, since Bob’s new menu is really good. So I’ve heard anyhow.”
“Good! And then…” He shifted his weight, and for the first time looked a little unsure of himself. “Tomorrow evening at the restaurant they’re doing karaoke. Christmas-themed. I was going to go, and I was wondering…uh. I mean, I know it’s Christmas week, and you’ve been going to all of the events with your family, but maybe tomorrow you’d like to go with me to karaoke?”
Karaoke? Belle had never done karaoke before, but she’d heard all about it from her friend, Hunk. It sounded like fun. “I’ve never tried, but—“
The door whooshed open, right beside them, and Jaclyn stood there, looking irritated. “For goodness’ sakes, are you two just going to stand out here in the cold without knocking, or are you—Oh.” She blinked and looked between the two. “You just asked her out, didn’t you? It’s about time.” She didn’t give Elf a chance to respond. “Well, go ahead, then. Continue.”
And she slammed the door closed again.
Belle and Elf stood dumbfounded, staring at the door. After a few moments, they turned to one another, blinking in confusion. Belle wasn’t sure if she should respond to the odd interruption, or to his invitation.
She licked her lips, and took a chance. “Yes?”
The foil crinkled as his grip tightened on the package. “Yes? Yes what?”
“Yes.” She grinned. “I’d love to have lunch with you tomorrow. And karaoke tomorrow night. I love my family, but I
can only take so much of them. It’ll be nice to spend some time” —with just you. Alone “—without them.”
His face split into a slow smile, the white of his teeth bright against his cropped dark beard. She loved the way he smiled—as if he had all the time in the world to appreciate her.
“You done yet?” The voice came through the now slightly open door, and didn’t give them a chance to respond. “Good.” The door opened all the way, and there stood Jaclyn once more.
The old woman put on the most unconvincing surprised face ever. “Why, Belle Kalani, isn’t it?” She even slapped her hand to her cheek, like she couldn’t believe they were there. “I would’ve never guessed.” She even sounded fake. “Totally surprised, that’s me. And with that boy from the blacksmith’s shop, the one with the nice arms. Gnome Somebody-or-other, right?”
“Elf Redfern, ma’am.”
“That’s what I said. Elf, gnome, same difference. Now come in before you let all my heat and bunnies out.” Then she squealed, “Tootles!” and snatched the pig from Belle’s arms. “You were hiding!”
She spun around and headed for her living room, and Belle got the impression that she didn’t care if they followed or not, now that she was cooing happily at the excited pig. Belle exchanged a shrug with Elf, and they stepped inside the cozy house. As they unwrapped their scarves and gloves, Belle tried to keep a straight face because, apparently, Elf was irresistible to Jaclyn’s bunnies. They clustered around his feet, trying to trip him, and followed him into the living room where Jaclyn was tickling Tootles.
“Who’s a cute piggy-wiggy? Who missed his friend, Jaclyn? Who wanted to come visit me ages ago, but has been stuck following a lost lady around?”
Belle was still smiling when she sunk to the couch beside Elf. “I’m sorry it took me so long to come visit, Jaclyn. But I’m not lost, I’m just—”