Zane handed the cashier money, waving at her to keep the change as he gathered up the bags of books. Turning to leave and glaring at his brothers as he muscled his way in between them, he informed them, "There isn't going to be a honeymoon. Christ! I just want to help her right now, okay? She went through hell and back. Ellie needs somebody right now."
"Do you want me to take her in for a while?" Blake asked blandly. "I wouldn't mind having her as my guest. I've always liked Ellie, and I have plenty of room at the ranch."
"I wouldn't mind helping either." Marcus echoed his twin's offer. "I'll be around for the holidays."
Zane saw red at the thought of Ellie being with any other man but him, even his brothers. They wouldn't care about her the same way he did. "Hell, no. And if either of you offer, I'll make you regret it," he told them ominously before he made his way around them and promptly exited the bookstore without ever looking back.
The other three Colter brothers gave one another a questioning look.
"He really is screwed," Tate said solemnly. "Shit! I want him to be happy, but he could be looking at a pretty bumpy road. Ellie's confused. She isn't going to know what she wants until she's had some time and counseling."
Blake nodded slowly. "Zane will give her time. He'll do what's best for Ellie."
"Are the two of you blind? She's perfect for him," Marcus drawled. "She always has been. The timing just sucks."
Tate looked at Marcus with surprise. "How do you know she's the one for Zane?"
Marcus rolled his eyes. "Observation. The few times I've seen them together since Zane left Rocky Springs, it's been pretty obvious. I've seen the way they look at each other. I don't doubt that Ellie has genuine feelings for Zane. It's not a bad case of hero worship. She's always liked him. He's always liked her. I'm surprised he's never gone after her before. Maybe it was because she was Chloe's best friend. I don't think he realized just how much he wanted her until she disappeared."
"What if you're wrong?" Blake asked gruffly.
Marcus looked at both of his brothers for a moment before answering with a certainty that came out sounding very much like arrogance. "I'm never wrong."
Tate and Blake watched as Marcus turned and walked toward the exit, his declaration still hanging in the air. The two of them just shook their heads and eventually followed behind him, neither one of them able to think of a single smartass thing to say.
Zane stowed his heavy load of books in the car before he crossed the street in search of Ellie. Not that he was ashamed of what he'd purchased, but it would probably bring up questions that he didn't want to, and couldn't, answer right now.
Gut instinct was driving him to learn about what Ellie had gone through, and he wanted to understand the trauma she'd experienced. He felt so damn hopeless when it came to comforting the beautiful woman who needed reassurance. Problem was, he'd never been a romantic type of guy, and he sure as hell had never had female friends who had been through what Ellie had experienced.
Maybe I should have called Chloe back home.
He shook his head as he walked to the clothing store, knowing his little sister was going to be pissed. But all in all … he agreed with Ellie. Chloe had her own issues to resolve and she deserved her time away. No doubt she would feel guilty about Ellie being in bad shape from the kidnapping. Zane knew that Blake had probably already told Gabe. Blake and Chloe's husband had been best friends for a long time. Obviously, Gabe had felt it was better to wait until Chloe came home or Zane knew his little sister would already be back from her travels. There would have been no way to keep Chloe away from Rocky Springs if she knew that Ellie had been found alive.
Zane respected that Ellie wanted time before she saw Chloe. It really was her decision to make. He'd done enough underhanded things to force her to accept some help. He had to draw the line at directly going against her decision.
Moving a little faster, Zane shoved his hands in the pockets of his down jacket. It was after dark and it was damn cold, a light snow beginning to fall.
He stopped short as he saw Ellie in front of the clothing store, feeling like somebody had nailed him in the gut.
What. The. Hell?
Ellie looked terrified. A mobile camera crew and reporter were right in front of her, light blasting her in the face. She didn't speak. Instead, she just kept shaking her head.
Zane could only see the back of the male reporter, but as his eyes scanned the street, he could see a van with the logo of a local television station.
As he stepped forward, his jaw clenched, he knew he was going to make it physically impossible for this particular reporter to bother Ellie anytime soon.
"Fuck!" he rasped, watching as Ellie pushed her way through the gathering crowd and bolted … straight toward him.
He caught her easily, stepping into her path so her body would come to a stop when she ran into him. Wrapping his arms around her, he kept her imprisoned in his hold.
"Zane," she acknowledged tearfully. "I'm sorry. I can't talk to them right now. I don't want to remember. I don't want to talk about what happened." Her voice was panicked and frightened, a voice he'd never heard from her before.
"You don't have to," he crooned, stroking a hand over her head.
"Ms. Winters," the low, male voice of the reporter said insistently. "Just a couple of questions." The young reporter had made his way over to Ellie, the camera and light following.
"I can't," Ellie sobbed. "I can't do it right now."
Zane felt a rage start to rise, an emotion he'd never experienced before with so much intensity. "Turn off the goddamn camera," he informed the television crew. "No interviews." His voice was more of a growl as he spoke, his instinct to protect Ellie from anything that upset her impossible for him to ignore.
Eying the reporter angrily, Zane demanded, "Leave. Take your ass back to Denver or I'll make sure you can't ever do an interview again. Ellie has been through enough." Jesus, he hated these bloodsuckers. Reporters just kept digging until their victim practically bled out from the wounds.
"It's not like we're on your property," the reporter replied snidely. "We're totally within our rights to report the news."
Zane lost his temper. "You're not fucking reporting news. You're upsetting a victim, a woman who has been through one hell of an ordeal for no reason, through no fault of her own. The perpetrator is dead. You just want this story to entertain the curious who want to know the details." He stopped and took a long breath. "Just get the hell out of Rocky Springs and don't come back."
"You can't make me leave," the newsman responded.
"He appears to have his arms full. But if he can't make you leave, I can," a baritone drawled from behind Zane.
It was Marcus. Although Blake and Marcus sounded very similar, the smooth assurance was all Zane's eldest brother.
"Want me to hold him?" Blake questioned.
"I'll help," Tate offered angrily. "Shit! I thought I'd covered your trail so well that nobody would find her. I'm sorry, Ellie."
Zane desperately wanted to stay so he could slam the insistent reporter against a wall somewhere and shut him up, but Ellie was shivering in his arms. "Let's get you to the car." Turning, he put an arm protectively around Ellie and urged her toward his SUV parked down the street.
"We'll handle this," Marcus said stoically as Zane and Ellie passed him.
Zane nodded at him. "I know. Thanks." His brothers would make sure the media left town, no matter what it took to make that happen.
Ellie lifted her fingers to swipe away her tears aggressively. "I'm sorry. It was silly of me to get so upset over a reporter."
"It's not silly," Zane retorted. "If you're not ready, you don't have to talk about it. If you're never ready, you never have to say anything about it."
Ellie had met with the police, and she'd given a statement. But with the guilty party dead, they'd taken her brief explanation without the details and closed the case. Zane had been relieved even though he knew someday she'd have to chase away her demons by talking about it.
Maybe she'll talk to Chloe.
Zane stared down at her profile as they walked, noting that she looked exhausted. As they arrived at his vehicle, he felt guilty for not taking the bags she held. In his thirst for blood flowing from the reporter who had accosted Ellie, he hadn't noticed them. Not that it looked like she bought much. She only had two small bags.
"I'll take those. Jump in." He took her packages and opened the door for her before he went to the cargo area and stored her stuff.
Sliding into the driver's seat, he closed the door and started the car so it would warm up.