Wounded Love (A Rocky Harbor Novel Book 3) Read online

  When she didn’t show, he went into the living room area and heard her at the top of the stairs. “How many for Thanksgiving weekend? Sure, I can reserve three rooms for you. I’ll need your credit card information.” Ellie jogged down the stairs, her phone between her shoulder and ear, and held up one finger to Colton so he’d wait for her while she took down the customer’s information at her little desk in the entryway. “I look forward to your arrival, Mr. Edwards.” She typed in a few more things on her laptop before looking up. “Thanks for waiting.”

  “Sure. Just wanted to let you know it’s all done. You shouldn’t have to replace any trim for a solid fifteen, twenty years.”

  “Thank you so much, Colton.” She stood and hugged him, similar to how Rachael thanked him, yet Ellie’s body felt very different. Not sisterly at all but soft and curvy and tempting. Pulling back abruptly, she blushed and sat back down again. “Give me a minute to write your check.”

  Colton never felt awkward receiving his paycheck from Thomas Fairfield, but getting one from his daughter didn’t seem right. “Ellie,” he started. What? Tell her that he worked like a dog for the past few weeks for free? No, he needed the money and she hired him to do a job, it wasn’t like he was robbing her of anything.

  Yet Jake’s words at the gym the other day resonated with him. Ellie had been in financial trouble and while Colton wasn’t exactly rolling in the dough, he had a solid nest egg he’d saved while overseas and had checks coming in from the military. If what Jake said was true—and by the look of her car, the same Audi her father had given her for her seventeenth birthday, and the simple clothing she wore each day, it was—he couldn’t take from her.

  “Stop.”

  “What?” She handed him the check and stood.

  Colton looked down at the paper that could pay his monthly medical bill. But at what cost? Would Ellie be able to afford her son’s medical care if he took this money?

  “I can’t.” He pushed her hand away and raked his hands through his hair. “I can’t take money from you.”

  “I hired you, Colton. You’re not taking money from me.”

  “Consider it a favor. Among friends.”

  “That’s a pretty big favor.” Ellie crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrow. She had the mother glare down pat. “What exactly do you expect in return?”

  “Nothing. Hence the word, favor.”

  “I don’t get it.” Her face softened again and he resisted the urge to cradle it in his hands.

  “Okay, maybe I’d like one thing in return.”

  “Like what?”

  “Dinner.”

  Ellie’s mouth grew into an enormous grin. “That’s not exactly fair to you. I’m a terrible cook.”

  “It’s not about the food.”

  “What then?”

  “The company.”

  ***

  Ellie

  Colton wanted to have dinner with her as payment for working his tight, muscled, delicious butt off for the past three weeks. It just didn’t seem fair to him. But holy heck, she was sure making out on the deal.

  “I have mastered the art of throwing a roast in the crockpot and opening up one of those seasoning packets.”

  “My stomach is growling.”

  “It’s not something I can whip up today, though.”

  “When?”

  “When?” Wow. So he really did want to have dinner with her. Would this be a date, or just repayment?

  CJ. She wasn’t ready for them to meet, for Colton to see the resemblance. “How about I take you out instead?”

  “I like the idea of you cooking for me.”

  “Chauvinist, are you?” she teased. If they went out she could find a babysitter for CJ, buying her a little more time before telling Colton about his son. The guilt ran deep, but until she was sure Colton was up for the task of being present in her son’s life, she would hold her secret safe.

  “I don’t like crowds.”

  “Well, I do and I need to get out more. I spend twenty-four-seven in this place and would really like a change of scenery.” It was part truth, part lie. She loved being a homebody but it had been so long since she’d been on a date. Not since…not since she and Colton would go out for Italians and ice cream.

  “If that’s what you want.”

  “How about Friday?” That would give her two days to find a sitter and figure out where to eat.

  “I’ll pick you up at six.”

  “Shouldn’t I pick you up, since I’m the one in debt?”

  A tightened look appeared across Colton’s face and disappeared as quickly as it came. “My ma would have my hide if I let a woman pick me up and pay for dinner.”

  “Well then. I guess I’ll see you at six.”

  Colton nodded and flashed her that wicked grin again before backing away.

  Be still my heart. The man had manners and loved his mother. Could he be any more perfect? She looked down at the check she’d budgeted for and nearly wept. Saving this money meant she could pay for the next round of tests CJ needed.

  Chapter Eight

  Ellie

  The sound of big tires on her dirt parking lot brought tingles to her belly. Ellie glanced at the clock before peeking out the front room’s window. Right on time. Colton sat in his truck, his cell phone to his ear and a disgruntled expression on his face.

  Ellie hustled to the kitchen to say goodbye.

  “You be good for Miss Rachael, okay CJ?”

  “Mom,” he whined. “I’m not a baby, you know.”

  Smiling over the top of his head, she winked at Rachael. “I know, big guy. But Rachael doesn’t have much experience babysit—I mean hanging out with cool boys, so go easy on her, okay?”

  Ellie crouched and hugged her son tight. He smelled like pizza and maple syrup and life’s most precious gift. “Don’t forget to put your clothes in the laundry basket tonight. You still smell like breakfast. And take a shower before be—”

  “I know. I know.”

  “Love you.” She squeezed him one more time before standing and listening nervously for the front door. For the past month she’d managed to keep Colton away from CJ and the last thing she needed was a confrontation with the man tonight. While it wasn’t a real date, it was the closest thing to one that she’d had in a long, long time. “Thanks again, Rachael. I owe you. Again.”

  “You’re putting a smile on my brother’s face. I’d say I owe you.”

  “I don’t know about that.” The opening of the front door had her scurrying. “Gotta go.” Ellie ruffled CJ’s head and prayed he’d stay in the kitchen with Rachael. She rounded the corner and bumped into the solid wall of Colton Riley. “I’m ready. Let’s go.” Not waiting for a response, she grabbed his forearm and hustled him out of the house.

  She’d caught a glimpse of his arms a few weeks ago when the temperature rose to sixty. Colton had shucked his long sleeved shirt and wore a tight-fitting white tee, his muscles stretching the thin cotton so it became nearly transparent. His forearms were so big and solid and she could see the markings of a tattoo peeking from the hem of his sleeve. She nearly trembled at the thought of what the rest of him might feel like, look like.

  When they reached his truck he stopped her hand before it could open the passenger door. Instead, he stepped in front of her and opened the door for her. Ellie looked at him for the first time, past the guarded veil that covered his gorgeous eyes. They were brighter than they’d been last month when he first showed up on her doorstep.

  Crinkles formed around them when he smiled, which she’d like to see again. And warm lips she hoped to feel pressed to hers. The beard was gone, his face smooth, and a thin scar in the shape of a half-moon ran from his left cheek to his ear.

  “You shaved.” She resisted the temptation to reach up and touch his face, biting her lip instead.

  He stood rigid, clad in dark jeans and a thick, black winter coat, his face expressionless as always, and she wished she knew how to cr
ack the stone façade.

  “Okay then,” she said nervously as she turned and climbed into his truck. When he closed the door and rounded the hood she fanned herself quickly and tucked her hair behind her ears.

  “Where to?” he asked once he’d slid behind the wheel and buckled himself in.

  “How about Home on the Range?”

  “Seriously?”

  “We can go somewhere else if you’d rather.”

  “No, I mean, that’s a restaurant? It sounds like a…range.”

  “You’ve never been?” Mentally smacking herself for being so ignorant, she turned back around to face forward. Of course he hadn’t been. According to Rachael, who’d been a wealth of information lately, Colton had been overseas for the past ten years and before that he was a pool boy for her family.

  Ellie hadn’t been out to the steak house since she was a teenager. It had been her favorite place to go when visiting Maine. “Mr. and Mrs. Marley retired from generations of ranching in Texas and moved to Maine back in the nineties. They bought a bunch of land and didn’t feel at home without some cattle roaming around. They’re just for show, though. Mrs. Marley was used to cooking for her hands as she called them, and got bored only making meals for herself and her husband, so they opened a restaurant. It’s small and rustic and they serve awesome home cooked meals.”

  She had some good memories with her family. Thomas and Ginnie hadn’t been terrible parents, just busy with career and political life. When they wanted to be, they were fun to be with. That was before she was pregnant. In the years since, they’d been less than stellar or supportive.

  “Tell me where to go.”

  Ellie rattled off directions and kept conversation light, mostly about the restaurant. It wasn’t far, about twenty minutes away, just enough to give them some distance from the Inn and possible crowds.

  Once they pulled into the half-full lot and Colton shut off the engine, Ellie reached for the door.

  “Wait,” Colton said before putting the keys in his coat pocket and sliding out of the truck, favoring his left leg. No one else would notice, but she had a penchant for staring at his butt, which just so happened to be attached to his leg.

  She watched him round the hood, limping for the first few steps and then walking more smoothly by the time he got to her door. He opened it and offered her his hand to help her out of the truck.

  “Thank you.” She swooned. The man may be of few words, yet he knew how to treat a lady. He kept his hand on the small of her back, and even through her navy pea coat she could feel the light pressure of his fingertips.

  Reaching in front of her, he pulled open the door and guided her in. The restaurant hadn’t changed much over the years. The log cabin structure and wide-planked flooring looked the same, as did the giant stone fireplace on the far end of dining room. The antler chandeliers and deer and moose mounts used to freak her out as a teenager, but this evening they made her feel rustic. Home.

  “Two tonight?” the hostess asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Would you like to sit by the fire or a window?” she asked Colton.

  He looked around the dining room, once again his thoughts unreadable, and then returned his gaze to Ellie. He raised an eyebrow, deferring to her.

  “The fire, please,” Ellie responded. He seemed pleased with her decision, or rather, he didn’t seem disappointed. They followed the hostess to their table, Colton pulling out her chair before sitting across from her.

  “Can I get you something to drink while you’re waiting for your waitress?”

  It had been a long time since she’d had an adult beverage with a man. She’d enjoyed a few glasses of wine and a margarita or two with Rachael, Mackenize, and Maggie since moving to Rocky Harbor and went on a date or two during the past few years, but nothing ever progressed further than a quick meal. “I’ll have a glass of your house red, please.”

  “I’ll have a beer. Whatever pale ale you have on tap,” Colton said, his gaze still taking in his surroundings.

  The hostess reappeared a moment later, drinks in hand. Tonight, with the cozy atmosphere, warm fire on her cheeks, sexy man sitting across from her, and glass of red wine, well, it didn’t get much better than this.

  “What do you think?” Colton hadn’t said much since they left the Inn. Heck, since they kissed a few days ago, not that he was a man of many words. Although back when they were kids they’d talk each others’ ears off, laughing, singing along with the radio, making plans for their future.

  “It’s not what I was expecting.”

  “What were you expecting?” Ellie brought her glass to her lips and drank up the sight in front of her. Colton had removed his coat and never had a gray Henley looked so delicious.

  He shrugged his large shoulders and sipped his beer. “Tablecloths. Candles. Fancy shi—stuff.”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not the high maintenance, pretentious woman you have me pegged for. I barely make ends meet, have a son who needs better medical care, and never get a moment’s rest.” Ellie snagged one of the rolls the hostess had left when delivering their drinks and ripped off a chunk before shoving it in her mouth.

  She thought they’d moved past his ridiculous insecurities. One look at her plain clothes, hair that was two years overdue for a trim, and a car older than her son, would reveal something other than the makings of a spoiled princess he accused her of being.

  Colton rested his elbows on the table and rubbed his hands across his face. His shoulders that seemed so broad and strong a few minutes ago sagged towards his center. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Really? Then what exactly did you mean?”

  “Hi guys. I’m Carrie, your waitress. How are ya’ll doing tonight?”

  Putting on her innkeeper manners, Ellie flipped her scowl into a friendly smile and turned her eyes to the newcomer. “Fine, thank you. I’ll have the steak salad, ranch dressing on the side, please.”

  “How would you like your steak?”

  “Medium, please.”

  “Sure thing. And for you, sir?”

  Colton lifted his head and looked past the waitress, clenching his jaw and staring into the fire. After a long uncomfortable moment the waitress stuck her notepad in her pocket.

  “I can give you another minute if you’d like.”

  Ellie was embarrassed for Colton. For the waitress. For herself. If she knew him better she’d speak up and order for him.

  Colton removed his elbows from the table and swallowed deeply, his Adam’s apple moving up and down his throat in a slow motion. “I’ll have the rib eye. Medium rare. Baked potato. Loaded. Salad. Ranch dressing.” He rotated his shoulders as if easing the tension around his neck and added as if it pained him, “Please.”

  He’d never even picked up the menu but had ordered something every steak house would serve.

  “No problem. Let me know if you need another beverage.” She slipped away, leaving Colton and Ellie alone in their uncomfortable silence.

  Ellie toyed with the stem of her wine glass, spinning it around as she stared into the fire, wishing the meal would hurry up so they could end this night. What was she thinking bringing Colton out to dinner? They had nothing in common, except a son he didn’t know belonged to him, and couldn’t carry a conversation longer than five minutes without arguing.

  Or kissing.

  The kissing would be a welcome change right now.

  ***

  Colton

  He’d done it again. Colton rarely said much and every time he opened his mouth he sounded either stupid, ignorant, or like an asshole. He hadn’t meant to offend Ellie only the ambiance of the restaurant didn’t fit her image. Then again, neither did scrubbing toilets and doing the laundry of strangers.

  Every minute he spent with her made it more and more clear that the Ellie from ten years ago and the Ellie today were two very different women. Hell, he could say the same thing for himself.

  “I’m sorry,” he b
lurted out. Ellie’s head swiveled, the reflection of the fire dancing in her big blue eyes. “When I said…I implied…” Unsure how to apologize, he tried a different route. “I admire you. The woman you’ve become.” Jake’s words rushed through his head again. How she’d been struggling financially, her son sick and her family not around to support her. There were stories and layers of Ellie Fairfield that were foreign to him, and that made him…sad.

  He’d written her off years ago and worked hard to push her from the forefront of his mind where he often found her.

  “I seem to piss you off quite often. If that’s what people you admire do to you, well, you’re messed up.” She gasped and, biting her lip, lifted her hand from her lap and put it on top of his, her fingers curling around his. “I didn’t mean that. You’re not messed up, Colton. I’m a mess. Everything. Nothing. CJ. The doctors.”

  Tears and words came pouring out of her. She wiped her cheeks on her shoulder, leaving a trail of black makeup and a wet puddle on the light green fabric of her shirt. Or blouse. Whatever it was, it was damn sexy. The thin fabric cupped her breasts perfectly and molded to her sides, showing off her thin waist and the slight curve of her hips. He’d spent too much time lately thinking about putting his hands around her waist and pulling her close to his body.

  Ellie continued to babble and he did his best to listen with his ears instead of his groin. “Thomas and Ginnie are back and then Max and Rachael and Jake and I can’t thank you enough for your time and work, Colton. That check.” She hiccupped back another tear, her chest shaking from holding in what were probably a series of sobs.

  He’d witnessed his fair share of his sister’s crying fits in high school after she’d been dumped or cheated on or had some drama fest with a girlfriend. The Riley boys knew better than to ask questions or offer comments while a woman was crying. Let them speak in fragments and make incomprehensible statements and just sit there and accept the hug or squeeze or kick or tears on your shirt. In the end the woman felt better and you were saved from having to pay attention to the tirade. Doreen and Keith had taught them that it wasn’t about making sense of it all, but a woman needed to get things off her chest in her own way and it was the man’s job to let her.