She didn’t know what was happening. The air seemed to sizzle between them, and she was overly aware of how close his large body was to hers. All these feelings were new. It was unnerving, exciting, and overwhelming, all at the same time. As she looked into his face, something flashed across his gold-flecked hazel eyes, and they visibly darkened a little, but not in a bad way. Her insides melted.
Madelaine’s mouth felt dry as desert sand. She licked her lips, and his gaze immediately fell to her mouth.
Something was happening here that much was clear, but she didn’t know how to react, so she did the only thing she couldthink of. She grabbed her reins and turned Tinsel around, with a curt nod.
“Perfect. That’s settled then,” she simply said. Luke’s face looked perturbed when she kicked Tinsel’s flanks. The white mare took off at lightning speed, leaving Luke behind in a cloud of snow.
Chapter Twenty
Stevensville Fairgrounds
Ten days before Christmas
The Stevensville Christmas Fair took place every year for one whole week leading up to the big day, and if Luke didn’t know better, he’d say the entire town had assembled here. And then some.
Despite the early hour, the air was abuzz with calls and chatter from different builders, organizers, and vendors, some of whom had come from neighboring towns and settlements. Everybody was working hard to get everything ready because there were only three days left before the grand opening ceremony. It was a good thing that the weather was cooperating; the sky was mostly clear.
Hundreds of townsfolk were rushing around in all different directions. Banners were hung across several pathways, which had been cleared of the snow and reinforced with nailed-together sheets of wooden planks, so that the visitors wouldn’t have to walk through mud and more snow. They had built a podium for the presentation of this year’s Santa Claus, and right at that moment, ten strong men were trying to pull up a rather large specimen of a beautiful fir tree, which would become Stevensville’s tenth official Christmas tree.
Crafty handymen and carpenters were working hard to erect all the different stands, which would be filled with all kinds of Christmas goods and wares. A few would offer delicious foods and rare treats, such as roasted peanuts and chestnuts, as well as mulled wine and eggnog. The air was filled with the sweet scents of sugary caramel and vanilla, as things were being prepared for the big opening day. Others would offer arts and crafts, such as paintings and wood carvings or toys.
The excitement was palpable, and knowing that he would take Madelaine to the Christmas Fair Dance a few days from now made Luke very happy indeed. Truthfully, he was thrilled. He couldn’t hide the smile when he thought about his encounter with Madelaine two days ago, and how close he’d come to kissing her again. He’d wanted to. More than he should.
But she was an evasive little creature, and the way she seemed to want him near but at the same time wouldn’t let him come too close to her only left him more determined. It was an entirely new game of cat and mouse, and he’d be lying if he pretended it wasn’t fun to chase after her a little bit. He actually enjoyed it very much.
“What are you grinning about?” Caleb looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “We need to keep our eyes open. Pay attention!” he said with a knowing smirk. Luke had told him that he’d taken his words in the saloon to heart, and that he had apologized to Madelaine. Since that day, the atmosphere on the ranch had improved so significantly he didn’t even have to tellCaleb anything right now. It was clear what had happened, and Evelyn and Caleb seemed just as pleased about it as he was.
“You’re right,” Luke said, as he schooled his face to a more professional, stern expression. “Let’s go to the horse barn to check out the traders.”
Caleb nodded, and they made their way through the chaos toward the largest building to the right. There were several stalls on the inside, as well as some makeshift ones lining the outside wall, and beyond that were numerous paddocks and tents set up. Those who could afford the spots indoors were the lucky ones, as everybody else was forced to set up camp outside in the elements. Luckily, today wasn’t such a bad day.
The horse show and auction would take place the day before Christmas Eve, and it was one of the highlights of the Christmas Fair. It was usually the busiest day of the whole week when traders mingled with buyers, visitors, and vendors. Seeing how busy this place was already, Luke could see they had their work cut out if they wanted to monitor them all.
Wandering around the area, Luke kept his eyes open for any irregularities. Due to the rise in crime over these last few years—horse theft in particular—the town had recently begun to issue specific documents to monitor the legitimacy of all the people and animals involved, and everybody showing or selling horses at the fair was required to have these papers ready.
“How about I take this row, and you start asking those folks over there?” Luke suggested as he pointed to the two most prominent rows of stalls inside the huge barn. “If we split up, we’ll get it done quicker, and maybe find out more, faster.”
“Good idea. I’ll see you on the other side.” Caleb tapped his finger against the rim of his Stetson and walked off in the other direction.
Luke did the same thing, making his way to the first stall on the left. Two very young men immediately straightened their postures when they saw Luke approach them.
“Hello. How’s everything going over here?” he asked in a friendly but authoritative voice. One of the boys immediately pushed himself off the fence he was leaning up against, pulled the piece of straw he’d been chewing on out of his mouth, and threw it onto the ground before he smiled sheepishly.
“All well, Sheriff Cross! Is anything amiss, sir?” the other one asked with a nervous look on his face.
“Not yet,” Luke said, smiling. “Do you happen to have the ownership documents and the fair application for the show or auction handy?” he asked. The one who’d previously been chewing on the straw lifted his finger and nodded.
“Ah! Yes, we do! It’s right here!” he said enthusiastically as he stepped back toward their leather bags, which were hung on the outside of the stall. He pulled out a whole bunch of papers before he handed Luke three of them. “Are these in order, sir?”
Luke took them and looked through each document as he thoroughly scanned the information. “Ownership… Fairground registration… Application… Breeder information… Yup! You did good! It’s all there!” Luke checked all the relevant information on the papers and verified that they were indeed correct, so he handed them back to them with a nod. The two boys seemed relieved.
“Enjoy your stay at the fair and good luck at the show,” Luke finally said, moving on to the next stall, where he proceeded much the same. The locals all knew him and were happy to chat with him. Any newcomers or out-of-towners were very respectful and most presented their paperwork without any problems. Glancing over to Caleb every now and again, he didn’t seem to have any problems either. They met on the other side of the barn in front of the open back door, where the outside stalls began, and decided to proceed the same way as before.
As soon as Luke stepped outside, the atmosphere immediately changed, but it wasn’t just the cold and the fact that everyone was out in the elements. Some of these people were horse traders, used to living in the rough countryside, and it showed in the rough way they’d set up their stalls and camps. Most of them were compliant, having all the necessary documentation at the ready, but there were the odd ones whoeither needed to register—which was still possible until later today—or whose paperwork needed to be properly completed.
It was here that Luke recognized a particular group of people hanging out in a paddock furthest away from the horse barn. This time, there were more of them, not just the three trappers he’d encountered in the saloon the other night when they’d been asking questions about Madelaine and the children.
Luke was instantly on high alert, but at the same time, he was curious to find out what these men were up to here, since this setting was an entirely different one than before. When he approached their stand, his reception wasn’t all that friendly, which was immediately noticeable after having visited all the nice folk previously.
