Chapter Five
F rustrated, Becket rubbed out the sketch he’d just started.
After his Saturday chores, he usually spent the rest of the day sketching or getting orders ready to be shipped to his clients.
These he tried to take to Bozeman twice a month.
Room to stack them before he could take them to Bozeman for shipping was fast becoming a problem, though.
He was supposed to go to Bozeman next week, but he’d have to find another reason to go on Monday.
He simply didn’t have the space to keep all the packages here.
The interest from the few sketches he’d initially sold had exponentially grown and lately he had a few hundred to ship every two weeks.
He was struggling to keep up. The ideal would be to have the whole of Saturday afternoon to sketch, but the sun had already set and he’d only now finished packing up the last orders.
The dogs were lying in front of him, as they usually did when he was busy.
The words that were to accompany the new sketch of them and something, about the beauty of summer, were what he had in mind, but the strangest thing was happening.
The moment the pencil touched the paper, his hand had other ideas.
Instead of the cartoon-like figures of his dogs that usually flowed from his pencil, he was sketching outlines of a woman. He’d already erased his last three attempts, but every time the same thing happened. Maybe he should just go with his instinct; it usually knew the way.
Two hours later, he lifted the brush with which he’d painted watercolors over the penciled lines. Dumbfounded, he stared at the four sketches in front of him. All four illustrations were of the same woman—a curly, curvy blonde. He didn’t have to guess who it was. Ellie Campbell.
In one sketch she was on a rickety ladder, surrounded by yarn, in another, she was in a man’s arms. In another one she was sitting on the steps of a white house with a big porch and bright blue shutters, an orange cat in her arms, and in the last one she was holding the same cat but his three dogs were lying at her feet.
He swore so loudly, the dogs jumped up and rushed closer, barking. Harper, as usual, got to him first. She licked his face and stared at him, angling her head. Jack and Sadie put their heads on his knees. Absentmindedly, he rubbed their heads.
“I don’t know how this happened,” he said.
Harper turned her head and looked at the sketches. Before he could stop her, she picked up the nearest one in her mouth and put it on his lap, on top of Jack and Sadie’s heads.
Laughing, he picked it up. “It’s not dry yet, sweetie.” Fortunately, the picture wasn’t damaged. Harper barked her happy bark and, of course, then Jack and Sadie followed.
“Okay, okay!” he laughed. “I’ll post it! I’m not sure what your followers would say, though. These are different. You’re not even in all of them.”
They all started barking again.
At a knock on his door the dogs stopped for a second before they yelped excitedly and charged toward the front door. It must be Cooper; he was the only one who got this kind of welcome.
“Becket?” Cooper called out before he walked into the living room.
Becket quickly put blank pages over the sketches he’d just made. The last thing he wanted was to have anyone see what he’d been sketching.
“Beer?” he asked Cooper as he walked toward the kitchen and opened his fridge. “I haven’t eaten yet.”
“We missed you at lunch and again at dinner tonight,” Cooper said as he took a beer from Becket. “I thought you were out, but then saw the lights were on.”
“I had a few orders to pack up,” Becket said. “I didn’t realize it was this late.” Taking, butter and leftover meat from the fridge, he put it on the kitchen table before grabbing a loaf of bread. “You’re probably still hungry, help yourself.”
As Cooper sat down, the dogs settled at his feet as they usually did when he was around.
“I was wondering if you’ve managed to get Ellie to go on a date with you,” Cooper said as he was making his sandwich.”
Becket took a sip from his beer. “Tried. Got shot down.”
“Really? That was not the vibe I got from her.”
“What do you mean?”
Cooper grinned. “Nah, not saying any more. You’re used to women falling all over themselves to get to you. For Ellie, you’ll have to work harder.”
“So, what do I do?”
“Look, I’m the last one who should be giving out relationship advice, I know; I’m not interested in ever getting married…”
“Neither am I. I like women…”
Cooper chuckled. “I think everyone in town knows that.”
“But I’m not interested in anything more, either.”
“So, what do you want with Ellie? She’s not the type of woman you date a few times and then ghost; surely you know that?”
Fed up, Becket looked at his brother. He knew that, damn it. It didn’t seem to keep her from being constantly on his mind. “You have a thing for Ellie?”
Cooper shrugged. “I like her, sure, but not in the way you’re suggesting. She’s been hurt and she’s wary of men. My advice is, if you’re not thinking long term, stay away.”
“You heard what she said. She’s only here temporarily, remember?”
When they had finished their sandwiches and beer, Cooper got up. “I know what she said. What I can tell you is that she could be persuaded to stay, but she’d need a good reason.”
“Another beer? Or coffee?” Becket asked. “A good reason like…?”
“Yes to coffee, thanks. A good reason like someone who would make her want to stay. Someone who would love her the way she needs to be loved.”
Frowning, Becket turned away to make the coffee while Cooper cleaned the table. Love? Nobody was talking about love, why was Coop raising it?
When Becket turned around with the mugs, Cooper was standing at his desk, one of the illustrations Becket had finished earlier in his hands. With his heart in his throat, Becket waited.
Cooper looked at him. “These are good.”
“Thanks.”
“They’re not about the dogs.”
“The dogs are there.”
“But it’s not about them,” Cooper said, picking up another sketch. “These are all about a blonde. The cartoon figure is unmistakably Ellie, isn’t it?. Are you going to put them up on Instagram?”
Becket chuckled. “I didn’t even know you knew about Instagram.”
“Just because I’m not on social media, doesn’t mean I don’t know about it. Willow mentioned in passing that was where you’re posting your sketches, so I had to check it out. Why don’t you talk about it?”
Becket shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”
“It is a big deal, bro. You should tell Hayden. And use your own name. You should be so proud of what you’re doing.” He put the sketches down. “And maybe you should rethink your ideas on getting married.”
For a moment Becket considered telling his brother that the guilt he felt about Walker’s death would never allow him to be happy, but then he grinned, because they’d become way too serious for his piece of mind. “With so many pretty girls around?”
Shaking his head, Cooper headed for the front door. “For a moment there, I had a conversation with the real Becket Weston. See you tomorrow at lunch. Willow’s driving, if you want a lift to Mom’s.”
Long after the sound of his brother’s truck had faded into the night, Becket was still standing where Cooper had left him.
The real Becket. Shaking his head, he rubbed his neck.
He wasn’t sure he even knew who that was any more.
He had to be so many versions of himself, for so many different scenarios, he was afraid he’d lost his real self somewhere along the way.
*
Heavenly smells greeted Ellie when she entered the guesthouse on Sunday morning.
For the last few nights she’d been struggling to fall asleep.
Even during those times she’d managed to drift off, she’d have such vivid, erotic dreams about Becket Weston, that she’d wake up time and time again, all hot and bothered.
At this point she was so irritated with herself, and with him, that she could scream.
That was why she’d just been for a long walk all around the outskirts of Marietta. She wasn’t really one for exercise, but she enjoyed walking. Hopefully, her head was now cleared of all things Becket Weston.
Out of breath, she walked toward the kitchen, where Annie’s excited voice could be heard.
“What is that divine smell?” Ellie asked as she entered the kitchen.
“It’s a new frittata recipe I’ve used for breakfast for our Italian guests. Would you like some? There is more than enough. On the house…”
“You’re spoiling me as it is.” Ellie said.
Annie motioned toward a chair. “By this time, you’ve become family. Just pull up a chair here at the kitchen table.”
“It looks wonderful, thanks.”
“Before I forget,” Annie said as she put a plate in front of Ellie, “Vivian phoned and you’re also invited to lunch at their place today…”
“Oh, no, I don’t…”
Annie wasn’t paying her any heed, though. “…and afterward, we’ll all go and have a look at Gloria Morris’s house. She’s away for the weekend, but Vivian has the key and Gloria has agreed that you can have a look at the house.” Out of breath, Annie finally stopped talking.
Ellie laughed. “Yes, to looking at the house, but I’m not intruding on a family lunch.”
“You’re not intruding, you’ve been invited. Okay, great, that’s settled then. We’ll leave around half past eleven. We’ll just walk from here, if you don’t mind. It’s such a beautiful day.”
Chuckling, Ellie threw her hands in the air.
“Okay, thanks to lunch as well. It seems I don’t really have a choice, do I?
” She hadn’t accepted any invitation from Annie or her family before, as she didn’t want them to feel obliged to include her in every activity, but just this once wouldn’t be a problem.
If everything worked out, she’d soon be living on her own.
Back in her room after breakfast, she had a long shower before she dressed for lunch.
Looking at her meager summer wardrobe, she grimaced.
At some point she’d have to drive to Bozeman to buy new clothes.
It had been winter when she arrived in Marietta and she’d left most of her summer clothes in storage back in Phoenix.
She’d only been to Bozeman once, when Arlene and Willow had taken Laura to try on wedding dresses.
In the end, Arlene had somehow managed to talk them all into trying on wedding dresses.
Ellie sighed. She still remembered the beautiful pale blue one with a skirt of layers and layers of tulle she’d tried on. It had fitted perfectly.
Irritated with herself, she decided on cool blue palazzo pants. Why was she thinking of wedding dresses, for goodness’s sake? Getting married was not part of her future, she’d been the one who had decided that.
Quickly she slipped into the pants and put on the boxy white top she usually wore with it. It was short and just reached the top of the pants, but no skin showed. A pair of long dangling earrings and flat sandals completed the outfit.
Maybe she could close the shop for the afternoon tomorrow so she could go to Bozeman; Monday afternoons were usually quiet.
Or maybe she could ask Arlene… But as soon as the idea entered her mind, she shook her head.
Oh, no, it would be way too weird to ask the mother of the man she was having hot and steamy dreams about to look after her shop.
Gulping in a breath, she groaned out loud. Just thinking about the man had her all hot and bothered again. This had to stop right now.
It was still too early for lunch, so there was time to read a few pages before they left. Picking up her book, she curled into the big chair in front of the window. She’d have to get herself one exactly like this one—it was the perfect reading chair.
Minutes later, she threw the book down. She couldn’t concentrate and that never happened! Taking deep breaths, she opened her phone. Maybe a dose of cuteness would help. Where was her favorite ET Beck page with the lovely dogs? She quickly searched his name and clicked on the page.
Frowning, she stared. Whoever ET Beck was, he or she posted every day. Every single day. Since the day before, though, no new pictures had been posted. Frowning, she refreshed the page, but still nothing new loaded.
Fed up, she got up. She would go and help Annie. Hopefully if she was busy, her mind would be able to focus on something other than Becket Weston.
*
Harper’s bark stopped Becket in his tracks. With his hand on the front door, he turned around and looked at his Labrador. Harper knew. Heaven only knew how she did it, but she knew he hadn’t yet posted anything today.
Jack and Sadie, the two Golden Retrievers got up and joined Harper. Now he had three pairs of reproachful eyes staring at him. Cussing softly, he got out his phone and texted Willow to let her know he’d be late, and he’d drive into town on his own.
Those three pairs of eyes followed him until he sat down behind his desk. Only when he picked up the illustrations he’d made the previous night, did they relax and settle at his feet.
“Geez, you three are worse than a conscience,” he grumbled.
Harper got up and put her head on his leg. Laughing, he scratched her behind the ears. “You know I love you; I’m just blowing off steam. I’m doing it. See?”
Fifteen minutes later, he still hadn’t finished, though. All three dogs were again sitting up and staring at him.
“I don’t know what to say, okay? It’s easy when I write about you guys. You, I get. Her… I don’t know.”
Harper barked and Jack and Sadie turned their backs on him. Harper came closer, not taking her eyes off him.
“You haven’t even met her. Maybe you won’t like her. She wants a cat, did you know that?”
But not even the word ‘cat’ would budge the dogs. He’d have to finish posting this, words and all, or he’d have sulking dogs for days.