Chapter Four
B ecket gritted his teeth. It was fast becoming unbearable to sit this close to the lovely Ellie and keep his body under control. He had no idea what song the band was singing; the roaring of his heated blood through his ears had rendered him deaf to any other sound.
All his senses were focused on her—the flowery scent laced with citrus he’d picked up on Wednesday, the soft curls inches in front of his face, the beautiful line of her neck when she turned her head, her infectious laugh every now and again.
He was aching to touch her, to find out whether her skin was as silky as it looked. Damn, this wasn’t helping.
Trying to focus on his breathing, he willed his body to behave. The band stopped again for a short break and Janice got up. Leaning forward, she touched Ellie’s hand. “Please don’t move, you look so comfortable, but I don’t want to drive back in the dark. Thanks for coming with me.”
Ellie scrambled up quickly. “It’s way past my bedtime too.” She shrugged Becket’s jacket from her shoulders and handed it to him. “Thank you. You must be so cold by now.” She made sure they didn’t make any eye contact. “It was lovely to see all of you.”
Cooper also got up. “Give me your phone,” he asked Ellie.
Ellie frowned. “Why?”
“I need your number so that we can arrange for you to come and meet Marmalade and Duke.”
Ellie took out her phone and gave it to Cooper. “Oh, of course. Thank you. But not right now, only when I have a place.”
“Well, if one of them likes you we can maybe ask Becket if they could stay with him until you’re ready to fetch them. My place is getting a bit crowded. Becket? Do you think Harper, Jack and Sadie will welcome two newcomers?”
“Oh, please don’t worry about it. I’ll give you a call when I’m ready, you really…”
Becket finally felt comfortable enough to stand up. “I don’t think they’ll mind,” he interrupted her. “Harper will have to give her blessing, though,” he joked. “She’s in charge.
“Those are Becket’s dogs.” His mother smiled as she also got up. “I’m also heading home. See you all Sunday?”
“Yes, Mom.” Willow hugged her mom. “We don’t miss Sunday lunch for anything.”
“Janice, you and Ellie are welcome to join us,” his mom invited the two women.
Janice shook her head. “Thanks, but Vivian and Aiden have invited the family for lunch this Sunday.”
“What about you, Ellie?” his mom asked.
“Thanks, but I have a new book and…”
“Nonsense, it will be lovely to see you,” his mom insisted.
“Thanks, Arlene,” Ellie said firmly. “Maybe another time.”
Becket swallowed his grin. His mother wasn’t used to anyone saying no to her. She was looking positively let down.
“Oh, well. You’re welcome any time.”
Ellie hugged his mom. “Thanks, Arlene. Good night.”
Willow patted her arm. “It would’ve been lovely to see you, but I understand. We Westons can be a tad overwhelming. I do have questions about North and South , though. I may come and bother you sometime during the week.”
Ellie hugged his sister. “Of course. Any time.”
“Let me help with that, Janice,” Becket said and took the basket Janice had in her hands.
Janice kept the conversation going all the way to where she’d parked. Ellie didn’t say a word. Becket helped Janice into her car and made sure the doors were locked before he stepped away.
As soon as Janice drove away, Ellie made a beeline for her car. “Thanks, bye!” she called out without looking at him again. With long strides, he followed her. As she unlocked her car he stepped forward and opened the door for her.
“I’m quite capable of opening the door on my own,” she said stiffly, but got into the car.
“Goodnight, Ellie.” He didn’t close the door. “Don’t I get a hug?”
She ignored him and tried to pull the door closed. “Goodnight.”
“My name is Becket.”
“I know.”
“I’m waiting.”
She rolled her eyes. “Goodnight, Becket.”
“See? Not so difficult.”
As he closed the door, she’d already started the car. Knocking on the window, he motioned to her to roll it down. Clearly irritated with him, she opened the window only a few inches. “Yes?”
He bent down, resting his hands on the door of her car. “Still not interested in kissing and making out?”
For the first time that night, her eyes actually met his. And for a nanosecond he could swear he saw something flash in the back of those blue depths. Desire?
“So not interested. Not ever.”
“You sure about that?” He wasn’t quite sure why he was persisting. “I kinda liked the way your body fitted against mine earlier.”
She laughed. Out loud.
Taken aback, he stared at her. What the hell was so funny?
Gulping in some air, she finally stopped. “You must seriously work on your lines, cowboy. I can’t believe any woman would fall for that.”
And stepping on the gas, she pulled away. Her laughter rang in his ears long after the taillights of her car had disappeared.
Perplexed, Becket stared after her. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he had just been shot down. Mercilessly. Not something that had ever happened to him.
Swearing under his breath, he turned on his heel and strode toward his truck. What had he been thinking anyway? She’d made it clear she wasn’t interested. So why was she still on his mind?
He was nearly home when his blood finally settled and he could think again. For someone who wasn’t interested in him, she’d been very comfortable leaning against him, though.
*
The moment Ellie opened the guesthouse door, Annie called from the direction of the kitchen. “Ellie? Is that you?” She appeared in the kitchen doorway. “How about a glass of wine? I’m so excited you finally actually went somewhere besides your shop, I want to hear all about it.”
Laughing, Ellie followed her into the kitchen. “I go out. Sometimes. Okay, not since I’ve been here, but it hasn’t been that long.”
Shaking her head, Annie brought a bottle of wine and two glasses to the kitchen table. “It’s been four months! You’re such a special person, I just want to see you happy.”
“I am happy, I promise you. I’ve told you this is just a temporary stop, anyway.”
Glancing at her, Annie poured wine into the glasses.
“I’m prying, but why don’t you date?” She handed Ellie her glass.
“It’s none of my business, I know, but I like to think we’ve become friends over these last few months you’ve been staying with us.
You know, getting married was the very last thing on my mind when we moved to Marietta.
Weeks before my wedding I was dumped by my then fiancé—the best thing that could’ve happened to me, I realized later.
That was one of the reasons Mitch, Vivian and I decided to move to another town.
We picked Marietta because we remembered it from childhood holidays and well, here we are, all happily married. ”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that and I’m really so happy for all of you,” Ellie said, and she meant it. Annie and her siblings were some of her favorite people. “It’s clear to anyone who watches you how truly happy you all are. But happy endings are not for everyone, Annie.”
Ellie looked down into her wine. “I’ve tried very hard to put the past behind me and I don’t like to talk about it.
I was engaged. I met Marcus through friends.
He was a nice guy, or so I thought. At first he was charming and sweet.
As long as he got his way, I soon discovered.
He moved from being frequently irritated to being angry with me all the time.
I didn’t look the way he wanted, I didn’t do what he wanted, the criticism never stopped.
I was frightened by his behavior. The first time he shoved me against the fridge, though, I walked away.
Up until my fifth birthday, when I went to live with my grandma, I saw what abuse did to my mom. It’s not the life I want for myself.”
Her eyes swimming with tears, Annie reached across the table and took Ellie’s hands in hers. “Oh, Ellie. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. But you’ve walked away, you’re building a new life for yourself. You’ve survived. You’re strong, you’re brave, you’re beautiful—I hope you know that.”
Swallowing against the lump in her throat, Ellie tried to smile. “I don’t know about that, but now you know why I don’t date. How do you know the man you fall in love with won’t hurt you?”
“I can understand that you are wary, but not all men are like that, Ellie, trust me. Both Vivian and I were lucky enough to find husbands who truly love us deeply, are comfortable in their own skin, and only have our best interests at heart. And Mitch has always just been a big teddy bear.”
“Knowing that and really believing it are two different things. But I’ve made peace with the fact that I’m single and I’m truly happy, really. I’m even going to get a cat, like a real spinster.” Ellie grinned.
Annie’s eyes widened. “Oh, but…”
Ellie laughed. “Sorry, not before I’ve found my own place, don’t worry!”
“I was hoping you won’t find a place too soon. You do know we love having you here?”
“I know, thank you. As I’ve told you, it’s time I found my own place. I’m still not quite sure how long I’ll be staying in Marietta, but at the moment the yarn shop is doing well, I have great friends, so I’m happy to settle down for a while.”
“I’ll be on the lookout for a cat for you.” Annie smiled.
“I may already have one. The… um… Westons were also at the concert tonight and Cooper, the younger brother, says he has an orange cat named Marmalade and a dog named Duke. But apparently, they will have to decide if they like me.”
“Cooper Weston and his animals are legendary in Marietta. An animal whisperer, I believe.”
Ellie nodded. “About a place to rent—Janice told me Gloria Morris’s house is up for sale. I’m of course hoping I could rent it for a while; I’ll have to find out.”
“I’ll ask Vivian if Gloria would mind you stopping by to have a look at the place.”
“That would be so kind, thanks, Annie.” Ellie got up from the table. “Thank you for everything. I’m really going to miss you when I leave. And I don’t even want to talk about your breakfasts!”
“Did you see the newlyweds as well?” Annie asked as she pushed her chair back. “Laura and Hayden?”
“No, they weren’t there. According to Arlene, they’re still on their honeymoon. I’m so happy for Laura, she doesn’t stop smiling.”
“So just Cooper was there with his mom?”
Ellie turned away quickly. “No, Willow and… um… well, Becket were there, too.”
“Ah. Bad boy Becket.” Annie chuckled. “I’ve heard he was in your shop on Wednesday. And that he held you in his arms. Depending on who is telling the story, the length of time you’ve spent up close and personal differs. Anything from five to ten minutes.”
Stunned, Ellie swiveled back. “How…?” Shaking her head, she groaned out loud. “This town and gossip. I had a rickety ladder, he…” she motioned with her hands, “caught me as I was falling. It all happened within seconds.”
“Marietta’s bad boy catches you in his arms and you don’t tell me?” Annie laughed.
“There’s nothing to tell! He was in my shop for probably two minutes, tops. Anyway, Craig has brought me a much sturdier ladder from Janice, so I won’t be falling off any stepladder again.”
“Mmm, those Weston boys are very handsome, don’t you think?”
Laughing, Ellie rubbed her face. “Okay, yes, he’s attractive and sexy and hot, but he’s way too arrogant and sure of himself for my taste.”
Annie was grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Attractive, sexy, hot—you certainly noticed him!” she laughed.
“It’s not that I noticed him, he was… just there!”
Ellie hurried away. Annie’s laughter followed her all the way to her room.