Page 55 of A Whiskey River Princess

Gabriella looked again and found the huge tin bowl, looking at Dirk expectantly. “This one?”

“Yes, that’s it. Set it over there on the counter.”

Gabriella did as he asked, while Dirk turned his attention back to the kernels popping frantically against the tin lid.

Gabriella took a step back, her eyes wide with wonder.

“You haven’t cooked popcorn before?” Dirk asked as the noise grew louder.

Gabriella shook her head.

Soon, the popping slowed and became muffled. When it had nearly stopped, Dirk pulled it off the stove, took off the lid, and poured the contents of yellow and white popcorn into the huge bowl. A few more kernels popped out, causing Gabriella to take another step back.

“Don’t worry. It’s finished,” Dirk coaxed, picking up the bowl. “Why don’t you go get a needle and some thread? There’s a sewing kit in your room.” Dirk cringed internally at having called it her room, wondering how she was going to react, afraid it would scare her off. But she seemed unfazed.

“I’ll be right back.” Gabriella disappeared into the bedroom. When she came out, she was carrying dark green, black, and white thread, along with a few needles. “What are we going to do with them?”

Dirk smiled at the innocent look on her face. “String popcorn, of course. Didn’t you ever do this back home?”

Gabriella shook her head but didn’t say anything more.

Dirk took the popcorn into the living room and sat down on the sofa and Gabriella sat down beside him. “First, you measure off some thread. We’ll use the dark green, so it blends in with the tree.” Dirk reached for the thread, measured some off, and threaded it through one of the needles.

Gabriella’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You know how to thread a needle?”

Dirk chuckled. “If I didn’t learn, no one would do it for me.”

Gabriella’s smile faded for a moment, but all was forgotten when she became engrossed in watching Dirk.

“Now, you tie a knot at the bottom, and carefully thread the popcorn onto the string.” He pushed the needle through a puff of popcorn and slid it down the thread.

Gabriella’s eyes widened in surprise. “What are you going to do with it when it’s finished?”

Dirk smiled at her innocent look. “We’ll drape it along the branches of the Christmas tree. I have some ornaments, but we can make more, if you like.”

“Yes, please.” Gabriella reached for the threaded popcorn string that Dirk was holding. “May I try?”

A smile spread across his lips. “Here you go.” He handed her the string and watched. Her eyes widened when she pushed the popcorn through, but it broke. “Here. Like this.” He reached for a piece of popcorn and gently pushed the needle through it. “You have to push it gently through the center.” He held it out for her and watched as she gently pushed the needle through another piece, their heads close together. This time, it didn’t break.

Gabriella giggled. When she looked up into Dirk’s eyes, their faces were only an inch apart.

Dirk cleared his throat as he sat back, trying to be a gentleman. “Why don’t you work on that one and I’ll start another?”

Gabriella sat back, the spell of the moment broken. “Yes, of course.” Dirk watched her eyes fill with wonder when she strung another puff onto the string.

Dirk threaded another needle with the dark green thread and began another string of popcorn garland. But while he was working, he found himself watching Gabriella more than what he was doing and accidentally stabbed himself. “Ow!”

Gabriella immediately put down her popcorn string. “Here. Let me look at it.” She took his hand into hers and inspected it. “I’ll be right back.” In one fluid motion, she gracefully rose from her seat and hurried to the kitchen.

“It’s all right,” Dirk called after her, feeling foolish. “No need to make a fuss.”

“Nonsense!” she replied as she walked back into the room, carrying a clean dish towel. “Let me see it.”

Feeling like a child, he held out his big hand and she inspected it. Then she dabbed at it with the towel and then held it on the wound for a bit to stop the bleeding. It no longer hurt, but he enjoyed watching her make a bit of a fuss over him. It had been a while since a woman had cared for him.

“There.” Gabriella pulled away, smiling. The bleeding had stopped. “Better?”

He smiled, tilting his head to the side. “Thank you.”

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