Page 30 of Country Winds (King Creek Cowboys #9)
E llie and Tucker strolled through the city center of Potsdam, Germany, around the Old Market Square. She leaned her head against his shoulder. “Our honeymoon has gone way too fast. Thank you for remembering how much I wanted to visit Germany since it’s a part of my heritage.”
“I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it so much. I sure have.” He kissed the top of her head. “We have a lot more adventures to share in the future.”
She breathed in the cool fall air as she looked ahead to the busy and beautiful place, where St. Nicholas Church was huge and lovely at one end.
“What was your favorite place here in Potsdam?” She tilted her head to look at him, “Mine was Sanssouci Palace. It’s amazing that King Frederick the Great built seventeen palaces in Potsdam.”
“I’m partial to Cecilienhof Palace.” Tucker veered toward a store window. “The WWII history was fascinating.”
“But not very romantic,” she teased. “But, yes, I found the whole experience very interesting.”
He brought her to a stop in front of a store window filled with wooden figurines and ornaments. “Hand carvings like these say Germany to me.”
She bent and peered closer at a group of figurines in an interesting little village made up of market stalls instead of houses or stores. “How cool.” She tugged on his hand. “Let’s go in.”
They investigated the hand-carved figurines that had caught their attention. The figures were two to three inches tall, and each market stall was about five inches.
Ellie gestured to the market vendors. “There’s a bratwurst stall, another for pottery, one for Christmas decorations, and several more.
” She squinted to read a sign. “They’re created by the third generation of the Romy Thiel Volkskunstwerkstatt.
” She looked up at Tucker. “Volkskunstwerkstatt means Folk Art Workshop.”
Tucker smiled down at her. “Why don’t we get the whole village and ship it home?”
“Our own Christmas village.” She beamed at him. “Let’s do it.”
She communicated with the shopkeeper in German. It had been fun using her fluency in the language throughout their trip in Germany. It didn’t take long before they were out the door and walking along the cobblestone street again.
The scent of rain was in the air, and Ellie noticed dark clouds had formed above them. “I think it’s going to rain.”
Tucker checked out the sky, too. “I think you’re right.”
They paused near a red canopy that was above tables and chairs in front of a small café. “Are you hungry? I could go for a bratwurst. If it does rain, we’ll have shelter here.”
Tucker put his arm around her shoulders. “Now you’ve got me wanting a bratwurst.”
They seated themselves at the only available covered table outside the café. A server arrived shortly and left them with menus after they ordered two Tchibo filter coffees. It wasn’t long before he returned with the coffees and took their order.
Tucker and Ellie watched the passersby, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the city. Ellie sipped her hot beverage, appreciating the moment of quiet amid the lively surroundings. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee mixed with the scent of rain in the air.
Raindrops started to fall gently at first, pattering on the canopy above them and splattering the cobblestone street. Umbrellas began to fill the area as those prepared for the weather took shelter beneath them.
The drizzle turned into a downpour, now drumming against the canopy, and Ellie was grateful for the shelter and the fact that she wore a jacket, which helped chase away some of the growing chill. They ordered more coffee to help warm them up.
After the server left, Tucker relaxed back in his chair. “What was your favorite thing about Hamburg?”
“The sailboat cruise on Lake Alster.” She smiled at the memory. “It was so romantic and my first time in a sailboat.” She brightened. “Oh, and Chocoversum, the chocolate museum.”
“Considering how much you love chocolate, I’m not surprised.” He looked at her with amusement. “The sailboat cruise was my favorite as well.”
She folded her arms on the tabletop. “How about Frankfurt?”
“The architecture.” He moved his arm aside as the waiter returned with their hot beverages, and Ellie settled back in her chair, giving the server room to put her coffee on the table, too. Tucker continued. “Every place we’ve visited has been like walking back in time.”
Ellie wrapped her hands around her mug, warming her fingers. “Yes. Especially when visiting the castles.”
She enjoyed going over their trip as they sat in the cool, rainy afternoon. They also chatted about their time in Munich and their visit to Berlin.
When Ellie started to reminisce about yet another castle, Neuschwanstein, which was one of their day trips from Munich, Tucker stopped her in mid-sentence.
“Ellie.” He leaned in closer, took her hands in his, and looked into her eyes. “You have made me the happiest man on earth.”
An overwhelming sense of joy filled her heart. “Ich liebe dich, Tucker.”
He held her gaze and smiled. “I love you, too, Ellie.”