Page 82 of Loyally, Luke
“That’s right.”
She pressed the trigger and the nail drove into the wood.
“Perfect,” he murmured, reluctant to move from his spot, but the longer he stayed in position, the greater the temptation to lower his nose to nuzzle her neck, so he shifted away and cleared his throat. “Try the next one.”
The second time worked as well as the first, and she grinned at him. “I believe this scene is a replay of some rom-com or another. The telltale moment when the hero touches hands with the heroine to guide her along on some task?”
“What?” He shook his head, trying to keep his smile in check. “Don’t bring up such things and ruin a perfectly fine day.”
Her smile dimmed a little, but she kept the glint in her eyes. “Would you prefer I recount all the ways a nail gun could protect us from a possible assault by a sociopathic hit man?”
He stared hard at her. “Are you referencing the movie I think you’re referencing?”
“I’ve always had a small crush on Denzel Washington.”
She had just referencedThe Equalizerand Luke wanted to kiss her silly for it. “So have I.”
Her laugh burst out. “It’s nice to know you have good taste.”
And she went back to working the nail gun, leaving him to reconsider what he thought about royals and futures and happily ever afters. He gave his head a shake. It was a good thing the orphanage would be finished in less than two weeks, because he needed distance from her to get on with his life.
Because every time he tried to think about the future, her face kept popping into his head.
“Oh, I like this tool,” she said as she came to the end of that particular stretch of baseboard and stood. “Efficient and powerful.”
He raised a brow. “Just wait until I let you use my chainsaw.”
Her grin tipped and she handed him the tool. “I don’t know if I’m quite ready for that amount of power.”
“I’d say, Princess, the fact you’re in line for a real throne means you’re definitely ready for some chainsaw-like power.”
“Princess, is it?” She folded her arms across her chest.
“Never had a nickname fit quite so well.”
A sudden commotion resounded from the next room and caught his attention. The teen boys stood by one of the windows with Pete leaning over to see as well. Luke sent Ellie a shrug and stepped around the loose baseboard on the floor to take his own peek out the nearest window.
With a tilt of his head, he studied Ellie’s face as he said, “Looks like we can mark another thing off your list.”
Ellie’s forehead wrinkled as she moved to stand beside him at the window, comprehension dawning.
The window framed a world of white.
Large flakes of snow fell like feathers covering an already dusted ground. The blurry horizon promised that this was only the beginning of the snow. Gentle. Soft. And if Luke judged correctly by the looks of things, the perfect weather for sledding.
***
Snow wasn’t uncommon in the North Country, even all the way through May during colder winters, but the boyish grin on Luke’s face proved an entirely unfamiliar attraction.
One Ellie wanted to get used to.
Without breaking eye contact with her, Luke called to the other room, “Pete, I think we are more than prepared for this occasion.”
Pete stepped up to the threshold of the room and sighed against the doorframe. “Aye, we are.”
Luke sent her a wink, which inspired her own grin, and then walked into the kitchen. “Team, we’re well ahead of schedule on this project and it looks like the weather’s taking a turn. If you need to leave for the day, you’re welcome to do so. Otherwise”—he grinned over at the teen boys who basically followed Luke around like disciples—“do you know what a sledding party is?”
All three boys’ smiles swelled to Grinch-like proportions. “Aye,” they said, almost in unison, already moving toward the hallway for, most likely, their winter wear.
