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When they reached Colorado Springs, her curiosity had only gotten worse. She stared out the windows, waiting for any indication they were close to arriving at their destination. When he pulled up in front of a cute little house, she finally turned to look at him in confusion.
Lucas gestured out the window with the biggest grin he’d probably worn since she’d come back to town. “Isn’t it great?”
Ella glanced once more toward the house. It was old, probably built in the late 1800’s. There was a sign out front, but she couldn’t read it from her vantage point. “It’s a beautiful house, Lucas, but I’m not sure why you brought me here.”
“It’s the oldest house in Colorado!” His excitement was adorable, and she couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s a very lovely house.”
“You want to go inside?”
Her eyes widened.
“It’s been turned into a museum. I read all about it online. It was built in 1873 by one of the founding families. Do you like it?”
That’s when it hit her. Lucas had brought her out to see an old building because that’s what they were working on together. Someone could easily get disappointed that he hadn’t chosen a nice restaurant for a date venue, but not her. Lucas had clearly done literal homework to figure out what they could do that she might enjoy.
How could she be disappointed in that?
A smile touched her lips as she glanced toward him. “This is amazing, Lucas. You really outdid yourself.” Then she shot one more look out the window. “But are you sure it’s even open? I’m not seeing anyone here.”
His smile faded.
“If it’s not, I’m sure we can find something else to do. It’s totally fine,” she rushed to assure him.
Lucas pulled out his phone and then paled. The disappointment was written all over his face. “I can’t believe I didn’t check,” he mumbled.
Ella let out a soft laugh. “It’s okay. The thought was more than enough.”
He motioned toward the house with a flick of his hand. “But I read about it. I studied so I would know what to say.”
“Youstudied?”
Lucas coughed and looked away. “It doesn’t matter.”
“No, tell me what you read. I want to hear all about this house.” Ella scooted closer to him. “Be my virtual tour guide.”
He gave her a disbelieving look. She could already sense just how badly he was embarrassed and all she wanted to do was make him feel better. Without giving him a degree of warning, she held his face between both hands and pressed a firm kiss right on his lips.
Lucas’s eyes flew wide at first, but he quickly caught up. He pulled her in to a slow, soft kiss. In a matter of seconds, she was out of breath and her heart beat faster than the wings of a hummingbird.
He released her, though it felt reluctant. His eyes were hooded, and his roguish grin only contributed to her churning stomach. “Okay, but only because you asked so nicely.”
She turned away and then leaned against him. His arm came around her shoulder and she held onto his hand as it hovered before her.
“Back in the late 1800s, the McAllister family built this house out of bricks. There were like 240 people in the area. I think it was called the Fountain Colony. Henry McAllister had an architect design it so it would be more durable because the houses made from timber weren’t doing so great. Some had even been blown over. So Henry made sure to add extra bricks.”
Ella smiled to herself. “What else?”
He cleared his throat. “I think the bricks came on a train. And he has three marble fireplaces.”
“And?” Already she was impressed with what he’d managed to retain. Lucas hadn’t been the best student—well, not as far as she could remember.
Lucas seemed to squirm behind her. “Henry lived here ’til he died in the twenties.”
Ella peered closer at the brick home. The building was cross-gabled and more like a T shape. The sides of the roof were half-hipped, making the structure far more interesting to look at. A small porch area in the front was covered and held up by threecolumns. The brick was an orange-red color, which was standard for the time. It had held up well over the years, no doubt maintained by a historical society of some kind.
She snuggled against him. “It really is something to look at, isn’t it?” she whispered.
