Smitten (30 page)

“Wait.” Nick grabbed her arm so that she turned to him. “I’m sorry about what happened last night. I was tired from the drive, and seeing those flowers everywhere, then the wreath—well, it doesn’t matter. None of it matters. I shouldn’t have responded like that, and I’m sorry.”

His comments not only surprised her, they touched her heart. “Thank you, Nick. I’m sorry too. I’ll take the curtains down, and I’ll—”

Nick shook his head. “No. I told you to do what you needed to do to prepare the building for your classes. You leave everything up. When your classes are over, then you can take it all down.”

She was going to ask him about the wreath, but decided that since he didn’t mention it, neither would she. That way she could keep it up a few more days until he absolutely forced her to take it down.

“So we’re good?” he said.

Shelby smiled. “We’re good.” It warmed her to think that her friendship mattered to him. “I hope you don’t mind my asking, but have you squared things with Willow too?”

“Yeah.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Boy, I sure messed that up.”

“From what I hear, all parents make mistakes.” Without a thought, her hand went to her belly.

“Yeah, I guess.” He paused. “How did it go with you and Willow while I was gone?”

“We had a wonderful time. She’s such a great kid, Nick.” Shelby had meant to encourage him, but when his expression sagged, she was sorry she’d said it.

“Yeah, I don’t deserve her.”

“Like I said, all parents make mistakes.”

“I’m just so green at this. I have no idea how to be a full-time father. I mean, I can hold a five-minute conversation on the phone, but I’ve never had to do much beyond that. Even when I went there to spend time with her, she always brought a friend along. We were both uncomfortable, I guess.”

“It just takes time.” Shelby put her hand on his arm and looked him in the eye. “You’ll get there.”

“Maybe I’ll buy a couple of books on parenting. That might help.”

“Great idea.”

He fingered his tool belt. “So when do your classes start?”

She breathed easier at the change of subject. “Tuesday, October second. I normally start a little earlier, but with the fire and all, it couldn’t be helped. I’ll be out of your hair before Thanksgiving. Will that give you enough time for what you need to do?”

“Yeah, that will be fine.”

“Okay, good. And remember we only meet on Tuesday evenings, so we won’t be there every day.”

They stood in silence for a moment.

“Well, I guess I’d better get to work.” He hesitated, then leaned over and hugged her. “Thanks again, Shelby. You’re a good sport.”

Shelby stood and watched as he walked toward her dining room. Maybe she’d open some windows. She suddenly felt very warm.

Shelby finished cutting out the pattern for the shirt she was making for her dad for Christmas. She hoped last year’s sizes still worked. Carefully lifting each piece, she placed them in the order in which she would sew them and threaded her machine. She couldn’t get away from the thought that she should call and check on him. It took great effort to reach out to her dad, but she knew the Lord wanted that of her. Still, her obedience might have more of an impact if she did it with a cheerful heart.

Resentment filled every word she spoke to him, but it seemed the Lord would not let her get away from it. Each time she made excuses and shoved her dad to the back of her mind, God seemed to bring him front and center. She reached for the phone.

“Hi, Dad. I was beginning to think you’d already moved.”

“Nope, not yet. But I plan to in three weeks.”

“Tennessee?”

“Uh, no. Actually, I’m headed up your way.”

Her stomach cramped. “My way?”

“Yeah, about fifty miles north of you.”

“Really?”

“You okay with that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Silence.

“Do you need help moving?”

“No, I don’t have much to bring. I’ll get different furniture. The stuff here is getting old. I’m just gonna sell it lock, stock, and barrel.”

Shelby tried to find the words, but her mind was a blank screen. “So will you let me know when you get moved in?”

“Yeah. Hey, listen, I’ve gotta go. The UPS guy is here.”

He hung up.

Shelby plopped down in her living room chair, and Penelope jumped up in her lap. While her thoughts ran the gamut, she stroked Penelope’s fur. It was one thing to have to call her dad now and then. It was quite another to have him fifty miles away.

But why was she worried? It wasn’t as though he would come to see her. He might be fifty miles away, but she wouldn’t know it any more than if he still lived in Florida. Her dad kept to himself.

Always.

“So did you learn anything, squirt?” Nick asked, ruffling Willow’s hair after Shelby’s first class. Once he had apparently realized he’d have to pick and choose his battles, he’d given in to her pleading to attend.

“Don’t, Daddy.” Willow smoothed her hair down.

Nick shared a glance with Shelby that seemed to say,
What did I do?
She’d have to tell him later that girls didn’t like getting their hair messed up.

“Tell him what you learned, Willow,” Shelby said.

“A lady has good posture, sits and stands properly, and walks gracefully.” Willow demonstrated as she talked, and she and Shelby giggled.

Nick’s jaw dropped. “You mean there’s a right and wrong way to do all that?”

Shelby laughed. “Yes, Nick, there is.”

He scratched his jaw. “I suppose I’ve been doing it wrong all these years. How’s this?” He grabbed Shelby’s purse and walked across the room, hand on his hip, with a feminine swing to his strut.

Shelby and Willow laughed, and he swiveled around.

“What? Didn’t I do it right?”

“Oh, you. You’re making fun of us,” Shelby said, gathering her things.

“Just teasing.” He grinned. “How about we go into the house for some hot apple cider?”

“That would be nice,” Shelby said, intensely aware that Nick’s hand was on the small of her back as he escorted her to his house, with Willow walking beside them.

Warmth from the crackling fire greeted her the moment she entered the front door.

“Now before you get any ideas, I started the fire in the fireplace just before I came out to get you guys. I know better than to leave a fire going when we’re out of the house,” Nick said.

“I never doubted it,” Shelby said.

Nick’s house was positively lovely with its rustic charm.

The more she saw it, the more it appealed to her. Normally she preferred the frilly things of life, it was true, yet there was a simple beauty to his log cabin that she hadn’t appreciated before.

The fact that he’d left Willow’s decorations in place touched Shelby.

Spiced cider scented the room, splashing the air with the true aroma of autumn. Michael Bublé’s voice sang softly from the CD player.

“This is nice, Nick. Really nice.”

“Thanks,” he said, pulling down mugs from his cupboard.

“And you didn’t think you were a good dad,” Shelby said, easing onto one of the stools at the counter.

“Good dad?” He looked confused.

“You know, going to all this trouble for Willow. Spiced cider and all that. That’s really sweet and thoughtful.”

“Oh, uh, yeah.”

Shelby wondered at the confusion on his face, but quickly forgot it as she took in the surroundings.

“Here you are,” he said, passing her a mug of steaming hot cider.

“Wait. Are you wearing a new sweater?” Shelby couldn’t believe her eyes. Nick normally wore sweatshirts and T-shirts; she rarely saw him in a nice sweater other than at church.

“You mean my wardrobe is so sparse you notice when I buy a new sweater?”

Shelby took a tiny sip from her mug. “I’m afraid so,” she said with a teasing grin. “It looks nice with your eyes.”

“Really?” He stood taller and batted his lashes. “Guess I’ll have to wear it more often.”

She chuckled. Did she imagine it, or did his eyes linger on her a little longer than necessary?

He coughed, then turned his attention to one of the mugs. “Willow, your cider is ready,” he called out.

Willow settled in the living room and watched something on television while Nick and Shelby stayed at the kitchen table. Nick stared into his mug.

“Something wrong?”

“Oh, just wondering how I can generate some more money. I know the Lord will provide, but with Willow coming up on her teen years, I know life’s about to get expensive.” He took a drink from his mug.

“That’s true.” Shelby thought a moment. “Have you considered adding events to your farm?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, hayrides, hot chocolate with Santa, pumpkin hunts, educational tours to stir up interest, that sort of thing?”

Nick stared at her.

“What?”

“How’d you get so smart?”

Shelby laughed. “Haven’t you heard of such things through the Christmas Tree Farm Association?”

“Yeah, I guess I have. Just didn’t need the hassle of it all.

But with the mill closing, I won’t be selling as much lumber, so I guess I need to consider it. It would bring in more outsiders if I offered those things. You know, people outside of Smitten.”

“And you would be helping to save the town, all at the same time.” She smiled, hoping she hadn’t offended him.

“Yeah. My manly contribution.” He winked.

They talked awhile longer of different ways he could spruce up his farm. Though Shelby always enjoyed spending time with Nick, tonight seemed special somehow. She didn’t want to look at why yet. Maybe later. Taking in the sweet spicy aroma of the cider and soaking in the pleasure of Nick’s company made her wish she didn’t have to go home to an empty house.

Willow stepped into the kitchen, dressed in her pajamas.

“Whoa,” Nick said. “Don’t you think it’s a little rude to put on your pajamas while we have company? That company being the lady of etiquette, no less?”

Shelby laughed. “Oh, come on, I’m not that snooty.”

Willow looked at her dad. “It’s Shelby, Dad. She’s not company. She’s family.”

Shelby nearly dropped her mug. It seemed the whole world paused with Willow’s statement. Nick’s gaze locked with hers.

“I guess she is, at that.”

Were her hands shaking? And she couldn’t swallow. It was as though she had a ball of cotton in her mouth. Was she getting sick?

“If you’ll excuse me, may I use your bathroom?”

“Sure, it’s right in there.” Nick pointed the way.

Shelby eased her way into the room, closing the door behind her. She leaned against the wall a moment to catch her breath. Finally she pulled a handkerchief from her pocketbook, dampened it with water, and wiped the back of her neck.

What was the matter with her? She mentally went over what she had eaten during the day. It couldn’t be lack of food.

Then she remembered the feel of Nick’s hand on her back. The look in his eyes when Willow paid her such a high compliment—well, it unsettled her, that was all. She was reading something into it that wasn’t there.