“No, it’s just me and my mom. I sort of missed out in the sibling department, but that’s what friends are for, right?”
“Yeah. That’s what friends are for.” There was nothing platonic about his attraction to Elisabeth. Ross wanted to sit and talk to her, but the more he talked to her, the more he focused on what else he’d like to do to her. “Thank you for the wine, Elisabeth. I don’t want to take up your whole night.” My ass, I don’t. Although his radar wasn’t picking up on red flags, he didn’t need to open up to a woman just to find out she wasn’t really who she pretended to be. Been there, done that, in college, which was exactly why he was leaving.
“Oh, okay. Well, it’s not like I have anything to do with my night. I’m just working through my aunt’s records to understand how she ran the business, and I hope to figure out how to make my pet business work here.”
He pet Storm. “Pampering and bakery?”
She smiled and nodded.
Damn, he liked that smile. “Good luck with that.” He carried the wine and glasses inside.
“You don’t believe in pampering your pups?” she asked as he set the glasses and wine by the sink. He noticed a box on the floor with a framed photograph of Elisabeth and a man. He had his arm around her waist, and Elisabeth was smiling.
Boyfriend. Time to go.
He turned and nearly knocked her over. She grabbed his arms to keep from stumbling backward. It was one thing to walk away when she was safely ensconced in a chair a foot away, but it took a whole lot more effort when she was holding on to him and gazing into his eyes with an expression so open and pure and the smell of sweet wine on her kissable lips. He wondered if her mouth tasted as sweet as she smelled. His gaze dropped to the pulse at the base of her neck and watched it quicken. Oh yeah, she felt it too. He met her gaze again, and her eyes darkened a smidge.
He’d like to pamper her from head to toe. With my mouth.
Which was exactly why it was time to go.
“I’m all for pampering, just not pups.” His voice was heady with desire. He cleared his throat and glanced down at Storm. “Let’s go.”
Her hands slid from his arms and grazed his fingers.
“Thanks, Ross. It was nice to get to know you.” She walked him to the front door, and damn if he didn’t feel like he was leaving a date and should kiss her goodbye.
Bad idea, he reminded himself. Neighbor. Gossip. Boyfriend.
Aw, hell.
He left before he could do something stupid.
Chapter Three
BEFORE SHE MOVED to Trusty, Saturdays were Elisabeth’s favorite day of the week. They began with yoga and included visiting the homes of four of her favorite pet-pampering clients. She’d listen to her clients go on and on about their lives. Her clients were wealthy, and most were involved with the entertainment industry—producers, directors, actors—or they were married to someone in the business. They’d ask her about her life, and she never had much to share, but she knew they weren’t really interested anyway. They wanted to talk about themselves, which was okay, because she enjoyed hearing their stories, even if she didn’t care about the name-dropping aspect as much as they probably hoped she did. Some people enjoyed people watching. Elisabeth enjoyed sharing time with others. Wealthy actors weren’t interested in someone who wasn’t in the business, so she didn’t have to worry about fending off unwanted advances. The time she spent with them helped fill the gap she’d always felt in her life, but the best part of those afternoons was that those fancy actors’ pets were some of her favorites. While she listened to her clients talk about themselves, she got to spend a few extra minutes loving up her favorite pets. It was a win-win situation.
Moving to the farmette had filled some of those gaps. She was up at dawn feeding animals and cleaning out stalls, and now that she was mostly unpacked, starting this week she’d spend the mornings baking and the afternoons delivering pies. She’d been lucky; her aunt’s clients had agreed to continue with their previous standing orders, and they’d been gracious enough to give her time to get unpacked and settle in before she began baking and delivering the pies on a consistent basis. She found it strange that they’d continue their orders when people weren’t that friendly to her, but maybe they were just that addicted to pie. Or, as Ross had mentioned, maybe they just needed time to get to know her. At least they hadn’t closed that door completely.
She’d circle back and care for the animals again at night. Most days, she’d been able to fit in her daily yoga before taking on the chores, but some days she’d had to put it off until evening. She preferred doing yoga in the morning and promised herself that once she began baking and delivering the pies, she’d wake early enough to do it before the chores. All in all, she’d found Trusty to be a nice change of pace—and exactly what she’d hoped for, as far as the property and her lifestyle went. It was the people and the larger animals she was trying to figure out.
And Ross. Definitely Ross.
After taking care of the deliveries and everything else she had on her plate, Elisabeth stopped at the library and picked up a funny, sexy read, at least according to the nice librarian. She could use a little of both at the moment. She went to the park in the center of town and set out a blanket beneath the afternoon sun.
When the sun began to set, she closed the book feeling rejuvenated. There was nothing like the escape of reading a good book. She bundled her blanket under her arm and headed back to her car thinking of the chores that awaited her. At the far end of the park, she noticed a couple walking arm in arm along a narrow path. Elisabeth sighed. She stopped walking and watched as the woman leaned her head against the man’s shoulder. Elisabeth’s insides warmed. She loved love, and more than that, she believed in it.
One day…
Back at home, she went to the kitchen where the last cardboard box sat against the wall. The side of the box read, PERSONAL STUFF. The flaps were open and bent to the sides. She’d been putting off going through this box because she didn’t want to face the contents—or the memories. But she’d seen Ross’s eyes linger on it, and it was enough to kick her into motion. She lowered herself to the floor and stared at the box for a long time.
She picked up the framed photograph and ran her fingers over Robbie’s face. She smiled, remembering when the picture had been taken. They were at an outdoor music festival with stars and celebrities all around them. She’d felt out of place among them, but Robbie had been happy as a clam. When his brother took the picture, Elisabeth was laughing at a couple behind him who were doing a sixties-style dance. She set the frame aside and withdrew a folded cotton shirt. It was one of Robbie’s. She used to sleep in it. She brought it to her nose and inhaled deeply. It smelled like a shirt. Nothing more. She couldn’t imagine how she’d thought it had smelled like him for so many weeks after they broke up. It had been more than a year since the night they’d broken up. She didn’t even want to think about that night. She was over him. Over them.
She set aside the shirt and took out a thick stack of envelopes fastened with a thick rubber band and read the return address: 17 Staynor Way, Trusty, Colorado, written in her aunt’s handwriting. She’d saved them all. She held the stack of letters against her chest and peered into the box, thinking of her aunt. Cora had talked to her about coming back to Trusty several times over the past few years, but she’d never pushed her. You’ll know when the time is right, Cora had told her. Elisabeth had wanted to come back sooner, but after college she’d started her business while she was deciding when she should come back, and that decision had gotten lost in the chaos when her business took off faster than she’d ever imagined. And when Aunt Cora’s attorney told her that Cora had left the property to her, she didn’t care what it cost. She knew it was time to escape LA and return to Trusty to see if she’d made a big mistake by holding out hope for something more, or if believing in fate and all things love related was the best thing she ever did. She’d been excited to take the risk, and on some level, Aunt Cora must have thought it was the right thing for her, too. She drew in a deep breath and shifted her thoughts back to the box.
There were more pictures of her aunt, her mother, and several of the pets she used to care for. She was in a good mood. She’d had a nice evening getting to know Ross and a lovely day in the sun. Seeing the picture of Robbie sent her back to an unhappy place, and the letters and pictures of Aunt Cora would only make her sad.
I don’t need to do this now.
Ross was sending someone named Tate to pick up the van. That was enough cleaning out of memories for now. She’d deal with this box another time. She stuffed the shirt back in the box, along with the letters and the picture, and blew out a breath. Then she pushed to her feet and headed for the door. She had animals to care for.
She brought Chip and Dale into the barn for the evening, fed the animals, and went in search of Dolly. She called for her and walked into the pasture, but Dolly was nowhere in sight. There was a lot of ground to cover, and the sun was descending quickly. She jogged back to the shed and climbed onto her aunt’s old silver bicycle. She grabbed the black rubber grips on the straight handlebars and glanced at the old pink bike leaning cockeyed against the shed wall. She’d ridden it as a child, and she couldn’t believe her aunt had kept it all these years. She couldn’t believe her aunt was gone.