Zane fished into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “They’re in the Bahamas. Their last stop. This weekend we can go home. She’ll be back at Gabe’s place by then. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more warning. Gabe said they were both getting homesick and were ready to go back to the ranch.”
He brought up Chloe’s latest text message with a picture. Ellie smiled broadly as she saw her friend with Gabe, a man Ellie only knew very casually. She’d met him a few times, but every time she saw a picture of Gabe with Chloe, she liked him even more. It was clear that Gabe made Chloe happy, and for that alone, Ellie adored him already.
Both of them were smiling at the camera, holding their fancy drinks up as though they were toasting the world. Chloe’s lips were turned up in a large, genuine smile that made her eyes glow with joy. Gabe had his arm around her shoulders, grinning like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Ellie traced the outline of the couple lightly. “You can tell how much they love each other.”
“It’s even more obvious in person, believe me,” Zane answered, sounding amused.
“I can’t believe I’m finally going to see her again. It seems like it’s been forever. So much has happened.”
“Hey, you’re not nervous, are you?” Zane tilted her chin to look at her face.
“A little. I don’t want to spoil her happiness now.”
“God, Ellie. You won’t. Don’t you know how damn much she loves you? Seeing you will put the last piece of the puzzle back together again. It will make Chloe complete. She misses you so much, and she’s been mourning you even though you’re still alive. If anybody is scared, it should be me. She’s going to kill me for not telling her the truth. Gabe is probably going to be in trouble, too.”
“He knows?” Ellie asked curiously.
“Blake is his best friend. I have no doubt he knows, but he must have decided not to say anything. Chloe pesters me every day about you. I’m glad she’s coming home. I hate brushing her off and pretending like I’m accepting the fact that you aren’t coming back. Hell, I hate lying to her.”
Just the thought of seeing Chloe again after so long made Ellie’s eyes moisten with unshed tears. “I’ll warn you right now that I’m going to cry, but they’ll be happy tears.”
“I was pretty sure you would,” Zane said unhappily. “But don’t do it right now. We have plans,” he answered wickedly, plucking his cell from her hand as he stood up and pulled her to her feet.
“Yeah, I need to pack.” She turned to go back to her workshop.
Zane snagged her around the waist before she could get very far and picked her up and put her over his shoulder. “I’ll do it in the morning.”
Ellie found herself hanging upside down in a very undignified position over his shoulder.
“Put me down. You have to climb the stairs,” she squealed with both delight and just a little fear of him hurting himself.
He sprinted up the steps effortlessly, ignoring her feeble attempts to pound him on the back to let her loose.
Ellie gave up her struggles as they reached the bedroom, her body already craving his touch.
True to his word, Zane got up early and packed her orders, loading them into the back cargo area of his vehicle so he could drop them off before he went to work.
Ellie wasn’t surprised. She’d learned that Zane never uttered anything lightly. For a guy who proclaimed that he wasn’t romantic, he was pretty damn thoughtful. For Ellie, the fact that he thought about her needs was pretty heady, and really, Zane’s actions were just about the most romantic thing she could ever imagine.
Spring had come to the Colorado mountains, which really meant that a person never knew whether they were going to need a heavy jacket or shorts.
On this particular day in Rocky Springs, Gabe Walker was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, his veterinarian wife dressed similarly as she sat on the ground beside him as they watched the water in a small creek that ran through his property trickle along the rocks and continue to move downstream.
“It’s so good to be back,” Chloe said wistfully. “Traveling was amazing, but I missed my family and our home.”
Gabe was pretty sure she missed the horses a lot, too, but he didn’t mention it. He had too much on his mind, and he was terrified of putting a wall between him and the woman he loved more than anything or anyone else in the world.
Chloe had healed from most of the emotional pain James had put her through, but her wounds had been deep, and the last thing Gabe wanted was to tear any of them open again.
Maybe I should have told her.