Love and Joy- North Pole Anthology 3 by Noelle Fox

Author:Noelle Fox
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Noelle Fox

They ate at The Figgy Pudding. The restaurant was packed with tourists anxious to sample the bison steaks or the bear stew. They got the last free table next to the cold stone fireplace. In the winter this was probably the best seat in the house. Tonight it was fine, though the scent of ashes drifted to Ford every so often. He didn’t mind.

“I suppose you eat elk and moose all the time so it’s not exotic to you.” Paige stared at her menu with a wrinkled nose.

“Why would I?” Ford considered the Alaskan salmon. Bear stew in the summer did not appeal to him. Actually, bear stew would never appeal to him. Ditto the elk and moose steaks.

“You don’t hunt?”

“No.” He owned a rifle. Living where he did, he needed to. What if a bear came barreling after Regina? She’d be a small mouthful before the beast came after Ford. However, he hadn’t fired the thing except at cans. He hoped he never had to.

“I thought most people who lived in the bush hunted.”

Ford shrugged. He wasn’t like most people in any way. She was going to find that out soon enough. He should probably explain a few things but he wasn’t sure how. He never had before. To anyone.

Her forehead crinkled. He forgot what he’d been thinking. He wanted to kiss the wrinkle away.

“What looks good? ” she asked.

Ford pulled his gaze back to the menu. Country fried . . . venison. Damn. He’d been hoping for that Fourth of July staple, country fried chicken. No such luck.

“Would you like a cocktail?” A young woman with unfortunate blue hair and a lip piercing stood at their table. Her nametag read Bethany.

“Just water please.” Paige smiled.

Bethany sighed.

Ford nearly ordered another beer so she wouldn’t roll her eyes at him. But he’d rather she was disappointed in him than Paige was.

“Water,” he agreed.

Another sigh. “Are you ready to order?”

“I’ll have the country fried venison,” Paige said.

Well, there was no point in both of them having the same thing. Maybe she’d give him a taste.

Ford’s gaze went to her mouth. He really, really wanted a taste of that.

“Sir?” Bethany said the word with the weariness of twenty-three going on eighty-three. She’d seen it all, and she wasn’t impressed.

“Salmon.” He closed the menu.

Bethany took it and walked away.

“I couldn’t decide between the salmon or the venison,” Paige said.

“You want to share?”

Her eyes, more gray than blue, flicked to his. “I do.”

“Me, too.”

Something passed between them; he was sure of it.

Then silence settled over the table and his nervousness came back. He searched for a topic of conversation. Couldn’t think of a single one.

His eyes met hers, flicked away.

She sighed.

This was awkward.

“Do you fish?” Paige asked.

Ford shook his head.

“Never?”

“When I was a kid, in the summer. I wasn’t good at it. I’m a little ADD. I couldn’t focus long enough to sit on a riverbank or in a boat for hours and hours, waiting, hoping, praying for a bite.”

“Understandable.”

It was? His dad had never thought so.

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