tiger with a circle and a slash across its face. At the top were the words “Tiger Repellant” in big black letters.
I giggled, and Ren took it from me. After reading the label, he frowned and tossed the can back in the box. Reaching down, he picked up another package.
“This one’s from me.”
His words immediately sobered me. I glanced up quickly to measure Mike and Sarah’s expression. Mike seemed happily ignorant of the tension I felt, but Sarah was more in tune and was considering me carefully. I closed my eyes for a second, praying that whatever was in the box wouldn’t raise a billion questions that I’d have to answer.
I slipped my fingers under the heavy wrapping paper and opened the packaging. Reaching my hand inside the box, I felt smooth, polished wood. The kids helped me yank the carton off. Inside was a hand-carved jewelry box.
Ren leaned toward me. “Open it.”
I ran my hand nervously across the top and carefully tilted open the lid. Rows of tiny drawers were lined with velvet, and inside each little drawer was a coiled-up hair ribbon.
“The segments come out. See?”
He lifted the top section and the next one. There were five sections with about forty ribbons per section.
“Every ribbon is different. No two colors are the same, and there’s at least one from every major country in the world.”
Stunned, I said, “Ren . . . I—”
I looked up. Mike saw nothing wrong at all. He probably thought something like this happened every day. Sarah was looking at Ren with new eyes. Her suspicious and concerned expressions were gone.
With a small approving smile on her face, she said, “Well, Ren. It seems you know Kelsey pretty well. She does love hair ribbons.”
Suddenly, Sarah cleared her throat loudly, stood, and asked us to watch the kids while they went for a quick run. They brought us two mugs of steaming hot chocolate and disappeared upstairs to change into jogging clothes. Though they exercised all the time, they usually took a break on Christmas. Was she trying to give Ren and me some alone time? I wasn’t sure if I should hug her or beg her to stay.
The box was still on my lap, and I was absentmindedly fingering a ribbon when they jogged out the door with a wave.
Ren reached over and touched my hand. “You don’t like it?”
I looked up into his blue eyes and said huskily, “It’s the best present I’ve ever been given.”
He smiled brilliantly, picked up my hand, and pressed a soft kiss on my fingers.
Turning to the kids, he asked, “Now who would like a story?”
Rebecca and Sammy picked out a book and climbed up onto Ren’s lap. He wrapped an arm around each of them.
He read in an animated voice, “I am Sam. Sam I am. Do you like green eggs and ham?”
The only word he got stuck on was “anywhere,” but the kids helped him sound it out, and he got it every time after that. I was impressed. Mr. Kadam must have taught him how to read English.
Ren convinced Sammy to hold the book for him and pulled me closer with his free arm. He tugged me up against his body so that my head rested on his shoulder and then trailed his fingers teasingly up and down my arm.
When Mike and Sarah returned, I bolted up and started gathering my things like a woman with her shoes on fire. Nervously, I glanced at Ren and found him watching me with a slightly amused, steady gaze. Mike and Sarah thanked us and helped me pack my things into my car. Ren said his good-byes too and waited for me outside.
Sarah gave me a look that clearly meant I had some explaining to do. Then she shut the door and left us in the cold December weather. We were finally alone.
Ren slipped off a glove and traced my face with his warm fingertips.
“Go home, Kells. Don’t ask me questions now. This isn’t the right place. We’ll have plenty of time later. I’ll meet you there.”
“But—”
“Later, rajkumari.” He slipped his glove back on and walked over to the Hummer.
When did he learn how to drive? I turned my car around and watched the Hummer in the rearview mirror until I turned onto a side street, and it fell out of view.
Thousands of questions pummeled my brain, and I ran through the list on the drive up the mountain. The road was a little icy. I set aside the