21. Lincoln
21
LINCOLN
Fury coursed through me in rippling waves so cold it was a miracle I wasn’t spitting ice. That was the thing about me when I got angry. I didn’t erupt. Didn’t rage. I got ruthless. Because if you harmed someone I cared about, there was no going back.
The smarmy bastard turned in my direction, holding up both hands in mock surrender. “My apologies, I didn’t know the lady was spoken for.”
“I’m not,” Arden ground out, purple fire blazing in those hypnotizing eyes. “But that doesn’t mean I want to go to dinner.”
The man chuckled, but I didn’t miss the bite to it. Or the way his eyes narrowed on Arden in a manner that said he didn’t care for her rejection. “A challenge. I can respect that.”
“Not a challenge. A final answer,” Arden corrected, squaring her shoulders, fingers fluttering at her side.
A smile stretched across my lips because I knew she was debating pulling her blade. God, I wanted her to. Wanted to watch this stunning woman put that bastard on his ass .
The man simply made a humming noise.
“Enjoy your tour,” Arden muttered, turning away from him in a clear dismissal.
Damn, she was a show all on her own. The most entertaining one I’d ever encountered.
The man’s eyes flashed in anger, but Denver stepped in to coddle him. The gallery manager gestured toward the hallway. “I’d love to show you the studio space and the pieces we have stored for the auction.”
For a second, I thought the man wouldn’t go. Thought I might have to step in and remove him. But he finally followed Denver, the two disappearing down the dark hallway. I glared after them until clapping started.
I glanced over at my sister, who was grinning as she gave Arden a standing ovation.
“You are a thing of beauty,” Ellie said.
Arden turned back to face us, wisps of hair falling from the bun piled atop her head. “Not a fan of creeps.” Then she glanced at me. “What are you doing here?”
There was a wariness in the question, a challenge. She wanted to know if I was checking up on her. I wouldn’t cross the line she’d drawn, not when I knew how much Arden’s freedom meant to her. “Ellie wanted to see the gallery and some of your work.”
Arden’s shoulders relaxed a fraction, but I could tell she was still on edge. The urge to go to her and pull her into my arms was almost too strong for me to bear.
Isaiah shot a grin in my sister’s direction. “Ellie, is it? I could give you a tour. I’m the true artist of this bunch.”
She let out a soft giggle but flashed her hand with the ring on it. “I’m afraid I might make your tour more boring than you typically like.”
Isaiah sighed. “It’s just a day of rejection all around. I guess I’ll have to settle for best friend status. Looking between you and Mr. Chiseled Jaw, I’ll Break You If You Look At Arden Wrong, I’m guessing you’re related? ”
“He’s my big brother,” Ellie said with a grin.
“Well, welcome to Sparrow Falls and The Collective.” Isaiah moved in, offering Ellie his arm. She took it, and he began leading her around the room, talking about each piece on display.
The fair redhead glanced at Arden. “Are you okay?”
Arden sent her a reassuring smile. “I’m good.”
The woman studied her for a moment as if making sure, then nodded. “I’m going to take another stab at my painting. Just holler if you need me.” And then she was gone.
Arden stared at me for a long moment. “No assassins. Only douchebags.”
I wanted to smile, to give her that, but I couldn’t. “No one should be pushing you for something you don’t want to give. Making you feel uncomfortable in your place of work. Thinking they can buy you.”
And as I spoke, I realized that’s what Arden had thought I was trying to do that day in her art studio. The knowledge made me sick.
As if she’d read my mind, Arden crossed the space in four long strides. “You are nothing like him. Never were. I just—he’s not the first person who has thought their money could buy more than my art.”
I bit down on the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted blood. But it was the only option I had. If I didn’t, I’d be demanding to know the name of every bastard who’d suggested as much. And coming up with some very creative ways to ruin them.
“Breathe, Cowboy,” Arden whispered. She reached out, her fingers sliding through mine and squeezing. “I’m just fine. And I have flipped someone on their ass for crossing the line. You don’t need to worry about me.”
My free hand lifted, ghosting over the side of her face. “Just because I don’t need to worry about you doesn’t mean I won’t.”
Ellie leaned into the buckskin, pressing her forehead to Whiskey’s and breathing deeply. My little sister shouldn’t look like she belonged in the mountains of Oregon, on a property that looked more ranch than anything else, but she did. And more than that, she looked more at peace than I’d seen her in years.
That knowledge had a grinding sensation picking up in my sternum. I wanted that peace for Ellie, not just for a few fleeting moments but always. She pulled back from the horse but scratched beneath Whiskey’s chin.
“Okay, after the full Sparrow Falls experience, I get it. I can see why you love it here.” There was a wistfulness in Ellie’s voice that only had the grinding sensation intensifying.
“You could stay,” I offered.
Ellie’s brows rose. “There’s too much to do for the wedding, and Bradley needs me for some business dinners.”
I couldn’t help the scowl that twisted my mouth.
“ConCon,” Ellie whispered, a pleading note in her voice.
I met my sister’s gaze and finally asked her the question I’d wanted to since the moment they’d gotten engaged. “Do you love him?”
“Yes,” she said instantly. But there was no joy in the word. So, I asked another question. Possibly the most important one.
“Are you happy?”
Ellie’s gaze shifted away from me and back to Whiskey. “I don’t think anyone’s happy all the time.”
“That’s fair. Are you happy most of the time? Is your life what you want it to be?”
Ellie’s pale green eyes glittered as tears filled them. “I don’t know.”
“El Bell.” I moved into her then, wrapping her in a hug like I’d done countless times before. “You deserve to have the life you want. Whatever that is.”
She sniffed, trying to rein in the tears. “I don’t know what I want. And it feels like I hurt someone with every direction I move.”
I gripped her tighter. “Ignore everyone but yourself, just for a minute. What would make you happy?”
Ellie pulled back. “I can’t just ignore them. Their happiness is linked to mine. And whatever steps I take could mean some of those people aren’t in my life anymore.”
“If you’re this uncertain, do you really think you should be getting married in a few months?” I asked, keeping my voice as gentle as I could.
Ellie’s spine straightened. “It’s just cold feet. This is a big life change. It’s understandable that I’m nervous.”
“Sure, it’s natural to be nervous, but I want to make sure you aren’t doing this just because Dad wants you to. This is your life.” And God, I didn’t want her to waste it on anyone who didn’t deserve her.
Ellie brushed some dirt off her pants, evidence that perhaps this wasn’t her world. “It is my life. And it’s important to me not to lose my dad when I already don’t have a mom. And it’s important to me not to lose you.”
I saw it then, what this trip really was. Ellie wanted to know that she wouldn’t lose me when she submerged herself in the life I’d run from. She was doing whatever she could to hold on to everyone, even at great cost to herself.
“Told you, El Bell. You’ll never lose me. Never. I promise.”
Her shoulders sagged in relief. “Thanks, ConCon.”
Ellie’s relief was an ice pick to the chest. Just like it would be when she walked away tomorrow and headed back to that vipers’ den. And all I would be able to do was pray that her path didn’t take the same route as our mother’s.