Page 13 of Big Forbidden Blacksmith

I should be happy. I should be grateful that my best friend found me, right? Instead, my heart has fallen to my toes.

Looks like I have to make a decision about staying with Knox sooner than I anticipated.

Chapter 6

Knox

“Such a nice boy, and such skillful work! Robb would be proud of you.”

I nod at Mrs. Gilbert as her husband examines the tools he ordered. The couple were loyal customers to my father and they didn’t bat an eye when I took over his place. They trust that I can deliver just as well as my father did.

“The man sure would be proud,” Mr. Gilbert says, turning around to face me. “These are good son. Better than your old man used to make them.”

I nod politely at his words but all I can think about is getting home to Lara. I have been away from her long enough as it is.

“Here is your pay.” The older man hands me an envelope. I don’t even bother to check that he’s given me the correct amount. I trust him; he’s never short-changed me in the time I have worked for him.

“I’ll be off now, ma’am, sir,” I say, tipping my cap at them before starting for my car. Before I can take a further step, a hand grabbing my sleeve stops me.

“What’s the rush? You should stay for dinner. Miriam made a roast and I have to tell you, she makes the best roast in the state.”

Of that, I have no doubt. Mrs. Gilbert’s cooking is the stuff of legend, but I can’t let that distract me. I flash the sweet elderly couple a smile, which seems to surprise them. “I really appreciate the invite, but I need to head back.”

“You don’t have someone waiting for you, now do you?” Mrs. Gilbert teases. Her eyes widen when I don’t hurry to correct her. Suddenly, she looks at me slyly. “You do? Oh, honey, that’s wonderful, isn’t that wonderful, Dan?”

Mr. Gilbert’s mouth is hanging open with shock. To be honest, I’m still as shocked as he is. I never thought I’d be lucky enough to findanyonelike the passionate little thing I have back at my house, let alone share what I have with her. She’s almost too good to be true. As I’ve made my deliveries, I’ve had to remind myself that she’s real and that this isn’t something I made up in a fit of loneliness.

Fuck, I need to get back to her. I need to hold her myself, just to make sure this isn’t some dream.

“I’d love to, but I need to go,” I say, a little more urgently. “Maybe next time, Mrs. Gilbert.”

The couple smile as they wave me off and I rush to my car. Times like this make me want what they have. A quiet life spent living together out here, where no one can interrupt us unless we want them to. A space where we can grow old together.

Does Lara want something like that?

Would she … would she want something like that with me?

As I make my way back home, I resolve to tell her how I feel. We have a connection, that much is clear, but I want to make sure she knows I’m serious. Things elsewhere move faster than they do here. People don’t always say what they mean. She might not realize that I’m serious when I say she’s mine.

I have to tell her that I’m hers if she’ll have me. And something tells me that she feels the same way.

As I finally pull up my driveway, something about the house seems off. As I approach the front door to my house, I realize that it’s because there are no lights on even though the sun’s starting to set.

Fuck.

I burst through the house, ignoring Bear’s plaintive meows for attention. Lara is nowhere to be seen. Her things are gone, the bed has been made, the kitchen is clean. When I run out to my workshop, I see that it’s just as we left it earlier today, but for the fact that her paining tools and the canvas are gone.

It’s almost like she was never here.

An impulsive thought crosses my mind as I stalk back into the house: was she ever here? Was she even real?

No, she was real. I remember the taste of her lips and skin, the smell of her hair, the weight of her in my arms. So then, was what we had real? That intense heat between us?

When I sit at the kitchen table, just to let myself think, I notice a piece of paper and a pen that wasn’t there before. I lean over to read it. My eyes quickly scan the neat scrawl, left behind by Lara to inform me that her friend tracked her down and that she left with her. She regrets that she couldn’t thank me in person but hopes that fate will help us meet again.

Every muscle in my body tenses as I read the note over and over.

Hell. How the fuck is a man like me going to run into her like that? Am I supposed to walk up to in her home city, pretend my heart isn’t breaking right now? Like I’m not dead inside without her? Am I supposed to wait for her car to break down on a back road again and swing in to rescue her?

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