Page 9

“Aren’t they pretty? There’s a whole bunch of them on the west side of the cabin. Did you even know they were there?” Her teasing grin chases my worry away. She’s not helpless. She knows how to keep herself safe—more or less.

“I’d forgotten. There’s a fall festival in town in a few days and I’ve got a booth. I’ve been busy working. Haven’t paid much attention to anything other than that.”

Her eyes light up. “A festival? That sounds like fun. I’d be happy to help out with your booth.” She takes a step back and a deep breath. “That is, if you’d be okay with that. If nothing else I can just sit there and watch everything if you need to leave for some reason.”

Anger churns in my chest. She doesn’t have to say anything more. I know that at some point, someone convinced her she’s worthless. Made her feel like she has to apologize for everything or direct attention away from herself. That stops now. I take a bite of bacon then point toward the stove with the rest of the strip. “Grab your breakfast and let’s talk.”

Once she’s settled across the narrow table from me, I wait until she drizzles a tiny stream of syrup across her pancakes. I clear my throat and she glances up at me, guilt tensing her expression. Silent, I look at her pancakes, then at the syrup bottle then back to her plate. Catching her gaze, I arch one brow then glance at her plate again. “There’s plenty.”

The tense set of her shoulders eases and she nods, lifting the bottle to add more maple sweetness to her pancakes. “I know. Old habits.”

I’m going to let her get away with that this time. “Having your help at the festival will be great. And it will be nice to have someone to talk to when there’s no visitors at the booth.”

“Thank you. Tell me more about the festival. Please.”

“The first festival was nineteen years ago at a hotel at the edge of town. It was mostly just an excuse for a party. Over the years the focus changed from just a local celebration to an event that brings in a lot of tourists. When new owners upgraded the hotel to more of a high class resort, the festival exploded. It’s still just one day, but the organizers are considering adding days or having it over a few weekends.”

“So there’s crafts and that kind of things?”

“Crafts and fine arts. Some of the local businesses have booths. I’ll introduce you to the owner of the crystal store.”

She drops her fork against the plate with a clatter. “There’s a crystal store in Pine Woods?”

“Yep. I think you’ll like December. Besides loving crystals, the two of you may have a lot in common.”

“Her name is December? Interesting name.”

“Says the woman named Clover.”

“Point taken. What are you selling at the festival? Is there a market for swords there?”

“Not so much. I usually have a couple on display. I’m more likely to take a commission than sell a larger piece. I have smaller items like knives, paperweights, spinning tops.”

“All made of metal?”

I bite back a grin and shrug. “It’s what I do. A hallmark of my work is how I use Damascus steel patterns in every piece.”

She thinks a moment. “That’s when you make a lot of layers of steel then create a design before drawing out the metal to make a blade or whatever. Right?”

“Yep.”

“Told you I watched shows about blacksmithing.”

“Now you know what I do, what’s your life’s work?”

She seems to shrink in on herself again and speaks to the table. “Umm, nothing now. I quit my job to move out here. I shouldn’t have any trouble finding a new job.” She lifts her gaze. “Most of my working life has been in either nursing homes or school kitchens. Or a nursing home kitchen. Nothing earth shattering.”

“I don’t agree. Taking care of others, especially kids and seniors, is important. Honors our past and our future. Never discount your contributions, your caring. I know you care for others. Deeply.” I stop before I beg her to care for me.

How the hell did this happen? I’d been with my ex for ten years and never felt the solid, pure emotion Clover creates in my heart. Less than one day and I’m hers. I’m all in. This is insane. Love doesn’t happen this fast. Attraction and lust, those can slam into you like a freight train. But love?

Setting aside my scrambled emotions, I take our empty plates to the sink. “I’m getting a late start and have a number of pieces I planned to complete today.”

She joins me at the sink. “I’ll let you get to work then. You can show me what you do another time.”

“No. I want you… want you to give me your opinions. We can talk while I work. Besides, we need to see about fixing your obsidian tower.”

“You think we can?”