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Authors: Trish Milburn

Elly: Cowgirl Bride (13 page)

BOOK: Elly: Cowgirl Bride
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Chapter Thirteen

“Dinner was wonderful, Mom,” Will said as he scraped what little was left on his plate into the garbage.

“Thank you. But I think I’m going to be eating turkey for a month.”

“You shouldn’t have cooked so much for just the three of us.”

“It’s the Food Network. I get to watching Paula Deen and the other chefs, and I come up with too many things I want to try.”

“I’ll make a note to cancel it from your cable package.”

His mother swatted him with a towel. “Don’t you dare.”

“Well, since you asked so nicely.”

“Maybe one of these years we’ll have a nice full table.”

He knew she wasn’t talking about food. “Mom.”

His mom stopped washing plates and faced him. “What happened with Elly? I heard you two were seeing each other, something I should have heard from you, I might add.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“But why did you break up? You’re so gorgeous together. You’d have beautiful children.”

Will placed his hands on his mother’s shoulders and leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead. “Thanks again for dinner. I’ve got to go do some work.”

“On Thanksgiving?”

“The law doesn’t take a holiday.” And evidently his desire to see Elly never did either.

He headed home but found himself driving past his place. The last thing he wanted to do tonight was go home to a house that now harbored memories of her.

Instead, he kept driving and pulled into the parking area next to his office. Maybe he would work some, see if today was any different from all the others when work couldn’t keep his thoughts from straying to the woman he’d loved and lost.

Will trudged through the quiet night, imagining all the families in the surrounding houses kicking back to watch football or movies after stuffing themselves on too much holiday fare. For a moment, he stopped in the shadow of his office and imagined himself, Elly and a bunch of little blond children who looked like Elly sit ting around a table filled to bursting with a Thanksgiving meal.

For a while, he’d thought such a scenario could be possible. After years of daydreaming about being with her, having been with her and then losing her was even worse. At least before he hadn’t truly known what he didn’t have. Now he knew every scent, every taste, every touch he might never experience again.

With a sigh, he went inside, flipping on lights as he went. He sank behind his desk and stared at the papers covering it. Determined to focus on something besides speculation about what Elly was doing right that moment, if she might be regretting what she’d said to him, he opened a file on a new case and started reading. He made notes and a to-do list, looked up additional information online. But thoughts of Elly still tugged at him from the periphery of his mind.

How had her Thanksgiving gone? Had it been tense? Stressful? Had she spoken to her father yet, or was she still giving him a wide berth?

He eyed the phone, even placed his hand on it, but he was afraid to call her. The idea of her hanging up on him or not taking his call in the first place left him with an awful aching in his chest. The part of him that felt wronged urged him to wait until she came to him.

The sound of a key in the door lock grabbed his attention. He tensed until he saw Delia stroll in.

She stopped in his doorway and crossed her arms. “Do
not
tell me you’re sitting in here working on Thanksgiving.”

“Okay, I won’t.”

She strode forward, closed the file atop his desk and motioned for him to follow her. “Come on.”

“I’m busy, Delia.”

“No, you’re not. You’re sitting in here wishing you were with Elly.”

He wanted to be mad at her but couldn’t. After all, she was right. “Do you annoy everyone like you do me?”

“Nah. You’re special.”

He smiled despite his better judgment. It would only encourage her.

“See. Already I’m better company than these four walls.”

“Why aren’t you with your family?”

“Been there, done that. Plus, you’ve met my family, right? They make me seem meek and mild.”

Will leaned back in his chair, not ready to concede quite yet. “So, what do you have in mind?”

“The Lodgepole Café and a mega cup of coffee.”

He sat for a moment then decided the Lodgepole did sound better than hiding in his office.

“Fine. But no delving into my personal life.”

“I make no promises,” Delia said as she headed for the door.

Even though he knew what was in store for him in a booth at the Lodgepole, he followed her anyway. The being alone thing just wasn’t working, especially not tonight.

And by the looks of how many people were at the open 24/7/365 Lodgepole Café, he wasn’t the only one feeling that way.

Despite both having had big meals with their families, he and Delia each ordered slices of pie—chocolate for her, lemon for him. Once the slices of pie, along with their three inches of meringue, arrived with steaming cups of coffee, Delia didn’t waste time getting right to the heart of things.

“So, why are you moping about Elly instead of doing something about it?”

“What am I supposed to do? She’s made it clear she doesn’t want to see me—on two occasions.” He’d told Delia about running into Elly outside the gallery.

“And you just walked away without a fight?”

“I’m supposed to fight with Elly?”

“More like not take no for an answer.”

“You women are so confusing. I thought you all didn’t like that kind of brutish behavior.”

“I’m not saying throw her over your shoulder and grunt all the way back to your cave. Just make it known that you’re not getting set aside that easily. You love her, and that’s that.”

He choked on the coffee he was sipping.

“Why does the word
love
always cause guys to choke or spasm or run?”

He didn’t answer.

“You do love her, don’t you? Guys usually don’t mope or care what a woman says about them unless they’re in love and things aren’t going well.”

He sat staring at the bite of pie on the end of his fork. He’d always loved Elly, but was it even more now?

Deeper? A man so in love with a woman he couldn’t imagine living without her no matter what hurdles they had to get past?

“If you do, then convince her you’re supposed to be together. Go after her. Don’t let that Cody armor stand in your way.”

The longer he sat listening to the hum of conversations around him, to the clink of silverware, the more Delia’s words sank into him. He wasn’t the boy he used to be, so why was he stepping away so easily? Yes, he’d made a mistake, but he didn’t think it was an unforgivable one. Neither were her words, which he knew she didn’t really mean deep down. It wasn’t worth throwing away whatever the future could have in store for them.

It was time Elly Cody realized that she wasn’t going to find anyone better than him. No one would love her the way he did.

Will met Delia’s eyes. “Thank you.”

She smiled. “Thank me with a nice, fat Christmas bonus.”

“I might be able to arrange that.”

“And how about putting a nice guy like you under my Christmas tree? I promise, I’ve been very good this year.”

Will laughed. “Sorry, you’re on your own there.”

Delia pouted. “Some girls have all the luck.”

Will knew he’d be the lucky one if Elly and he could mend the rift between them and she took him back.

 

E
LLY DECIDED NOT TO
fly to Denver. The open road and uninterrupted hours to think sounded really appealing. But because she was driving, she had to hit the highway the morning after Thanksgiving—something she decided while sitting out beneath the stars the night before.

She hefted her saddle and placed it in its designated spot in the trailer. When she stepped back outside, her mother stood between her and the tack room in the barn.

“Mom.”

“Good morning, dear. I hear you’re driving to Denver.”

Elly headed toward the barn. “Yeah. Feel like a good road trip.”

“Mind some company?”

Yes, she minded. Still, she asked, “Who?”

“Me.”

Elly stopped and stared at her mother. “You want to go to Denver?”

“Yes. Is that so surprising? After all, it’s a big event for you and Jesse.”

Elly didn’t point out that her mother could much more easily ride on the plane with the rest of the family. Or that she didn’t go to that many of the out-of-state rodeos anymore, preferring to stay at home and work with the mares. Something told her that her mother needed those miles of open road just as much as she did. That things remained strained at the main house. Perhaps her mom couldn’t face being trapped with the tension that would no doubt permeate the plane.

Even though Elly really needed the alone time, she nodded. “Okay, but I’d planned to leave in a couple of hours.”

“I’m already packed.”

Elly laughed. “Confident of my answer, huh?”

“Seriously, would you say no to your mother?” A cheeky smile tugged at the edges of Anne’s mouth.

“Not if I want to be kept in delicious, waist-obliterating desserts.”

Anne rolled her eyes and headed back to her house to get her luggage.

The fact her mother had smiled for the first time in days lifted Elly’s heart despite how much it still ached, wanting to be near Will again.

She wondered if that particular ache would ever go away.

She’d heard Kate had left town almost immediately after Elly had seen her with Will. She couldn’t help wondering why. Or worrying that the longer she and Will didn’t talk, the more likely it was that he’d go back to Denver.

But she didn’t let herself call him. She needed him to be the one to come to her, to apologize, to convince her that it would never happen again. She needed to be able to believe him without a single doubt.

As she finished loading her gear and luggage and finally guided Pepper and Summer Gal, her backup horse, into the trailer, she tried not to focus on the fact that she was the one who’d pushed Will away. She didn’t want to blame herself, not when he was the one who’d made a mistake.

Still, she couldn’t stop the irrational hurt that he hadn’t called, that he hadn’t tried harder to win her back, that he hadn’t raced out to the ranch insisting that they were meant for each other like some knight in shining armor.

Elly scoffed at the idea as she closed the trailer behind the horses. There were no knights in shining armor—especially not ones wearing business suits and keeping secrets.

 

W
ILL EASED OFF THE ACCELERATOR.
He wouldn’t be able to proclaim his love to Elly if he careened off a cliff into a ravine, would he? But it proved difficult not to speed up again. He’d already wasted too much time trying to figure out what he was going to say and how, and he still hadn’t nailed down a plan. He’d fumble his way through it, if necessary.

But it all came down to three little words. Maybe he’d just utter those and take it from there.

The entrance road to the Cottonwood Ranch seemed to stretch twice as long as normal, torturing him. He fantasized about Elly running to him as soon as she saw him, like some cheesy ending to a chick flick. But he knew the likelihood of that scenario was next to nil. He would have to work much harder to win her back—and that was okay. She was worth it.

The reality was he parked, got out of his vehicle and didn’t see her anywhere. Maybe she was out in the practice facility, but he decided to check the house first. When he knocked, it wasn’t Elly who opened the door. Instead, Jesse stared out at him as if he couldn’t comprehend why Will was there—at least at first. A switch seemed to flip on inside him, signaling recognition.

“Elly isn’t here.”

“When will she be back?”

“She’s on her way to Denver.”

“Already?”

“She drove this time.” Jesse eyed him as if he might be considering drawing and quartering. “What happened with you two?”

“That’s between us.”

Will wondered if the thought of beating the information out of him entered Jesse’s mind. It if did, it didn’t stay long because Jesse stepped back and motioned Will inside. “Want some coffee?”

The last thing he needed was something to jack up his anxiety even more, but being on big brother’s good side wasn’t a bad idea. So, instead of chasing after Elly as he wanted to, he followed Jesse inside.

“I shouldn’t have brought you into this,” Jesse said.

Will’s muscles tightened, ready to go toe-to-toe with the other man, to tell him he was worthy of Elly even if he didn’t come from money or ride the rodeo circuit.

“I should have gotten someone we didn’t know, someone it wouldn’t have mattered if Elly hated when he brought the proof of our father’s adultery.”

Elly hated him? His heart weighed heavy as a cold stone in his chest.

Damn, he should have stayed in Colorado. At least then, the loss of her was that of a first crush and had dimmed with time.

Now? It was like someone was using a carving knife on his insides.

It took Will a moment to realize Jesse was holding a cup of coffee out to him. He took the steaming cup but didn’t raise it to his lips.

“Whatever happened, Elly hasn’t been happy the past few days. I don’t pretend to know how women’s minds work, but I think she misses you.”

Hope flared in Will. Maybe he hadn’t ruined his only chance. Maybe she had lashed out only because she was hurting so much. He met Jesse’s gaze. “I love your sister.”

Jesse nodded. “I expected as much. But I’m not the one you need to tell. If she makes the Finals, she’ll start for Vegas immediately. It’ll be a couple of weeks at least before she’s home.”

An idea began forming in Will’s mind. He placed his untouched coffee on the kitchen table. “I don’t think I can wait that long.” He headed toward the door, making plans with each step.

“Will.”

He stopped and looked back at Jesse.

“She’s not too happy with men in general right now.”

“I can be persuasive.” He’d waited a long time for Elly, even when he hadn’t realized that was what he was doing. He didn’t intend to wait any longer. And unlike his younger self, he wasn’t going to sit meekly by. This time, he’d fight for what he wanted—and convince Elly it was what she wanted, too.

BOOK: Elly: Cowgirl Bride
7.78Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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