by Tracy March
“No, but I’m sure they’ll always be super-pissed at Noah.” Holly scowled. “Just like everyone else.”
Maybe Ellie had been the only one who hadn’t seen her ex-fiancé for who he truly was. No one else had seemed to be too upset about their breakup. People had been pleased when she’d moved back to town, but they didn’t appear disappointed when they heard that Noah was staying in Phoenix.
“I think I’m officially over him.” Ellie waited for her heart to tug like it always did anytime she thought of Noah.
Nothing.
“I’m starting to see what I was missing…” Ellie let the pause linger. “Especially since Collin stayed over Sunday night.”
“Girl.” Holly stretched out the word with drama. “I figured you were up to something since I didn’t hear from you other than at the pub crawl.” She handed Ellie’s phone to her, Collin’s picture still on the screen. “But I had no idea you were up to something like this.”
“That’s exactly what we were up to. Collin helped me pick out the best shot to paint. We spent most of the night in my studio.”
“Most?” Holly raised her eyebrows.
“And on the patio—we had to eat.”
“What about the bedroom?”
Ellie couldn’t contain her satisfied smile. “We spent a little time in there, too.”
“Because you had to sleep—right?” Clearly Holly knew there’d been more than sleeping going on in Ellie’s bed.
“Yep.”
“You’re practically glowing.”
“It feels like I might be,” Ellie said.
“Yay.” Holly lifted her espresso. “No more sad Ellie.”
“Nope. Too many good things are happening. First, I met Collin. Then Peggy asked me to exhibit in the arts festival.”
“So you’re thinking she might’ve decided to ask you after she saw that picture?”
“That doesn’t make sense, does it?” But still, Ellie wasn’t sure. “I mean, she was really into that picture—even told me to have extras ready for the festival. She guaranteed me they’d sell.”
“Well, yeah. People will be all over them—and not just women either. Guys who are into motorcycles and mountain biking. Might be a whole new demo for you.”
“I’ll take it.” Ellie blinked a few times and shook her head. “Whatever the reason, I can hardly believe they picked me to exhibit.”
“Why not? Your artwork is awesome—and I’m not the only one who’s told you that. It’s time for you to start believing it.”
Ellie was beginning to believe in a lot of things—all of them exciting and good.
The bell on the entry door jingled. Holly glanced over Ellie’s shoulder, and her eyes narrowed. “Hey,” she called. “Look who’s here,” she said to Ellie.
Ellie turned, smiling when she saw Brian and Matt heading over to the booth. But neither of them smiled back.
They could definitely use some coffee.
She’d rarely seen Matt with such a stern set to his jaw, or Brian with such an angry glint in his eyes.
Only after I told them what happened with Noah.
Ellie’s heart stuttered. “What’s going on?”
“There was an accident up at the Big Star site late yesterday,” Brian said.
Ellie drew her head back. “I was up there taking pictures for the newspaper around six-fifteen, and everything was fine then.”
“Must’ve happened right after that,” Matt said. “Backhoe operator breached the plug. Sent a crap ton of toxic sludge shooting into Lupine Creek and down into the Lariat.”
“Three million gallons of acidic wastewater,” Brian said. “Iron. Arsenic. Lead. Cadmium. Mercury.” He held up a finger for each one. “And that’s just one hand.”
Ellie shifted her gaze from one of her brothers to the other. No wonder Collin hadn’t been able to make it last night. Trouble at the site had been an understatement.
Matt scrubbed his hand through his tousled hair. “The water looks like freakin’ mustard. I’m out of business until all that pollution washes downriver—maybe even longer. And it’s not just about me. Other businesses depend on the river—wineries, farms, nurseries. Places like Travis Crenshaw’s fly-fishing operation.” Matt scowled. “It’s peak season.” He set his gaze on Holly. “Even real estate agents. Think people will be amped to buy houses on a toxic river that looks like deli mustard?”
Ellie glanced at Holly as she rolled her lips in and rubbed them together. Holly’s income depended on real estate closings during the big summer sales season, so she might be affected, too.
“A lot of people downstream drink well water,” Brian said. “Those heavy metals can seep into the groundwater and poison their wells.”
Ellie flattened her hand over her mouth and dragged it down her chin. “What a disaster.”
“You haven’t even heard the worst part,” Brian said.
Ellie’s heart clamored.
Had something awful happened to Collin?
Matt leveled his gaze on hers. “Word is that Collin was operating the backhoe that popped the plug.”
Chapter 16
Collin white-knuckled the handgrips as he urged the Ducati faster down the barren stretch between his rental house and Thistle Bend, the headlight cutting a hazy path in the darkness. He concentrated on his breathing, working to clear his mind—to get one damn second of peace.
He’d guessed what kind of hell would break loose after the accident, with everyone converging on the place, but he hadn’t imagined the half of it. Officials were crawling all over—EPA, state, city, county. Even tribal leaders.
Emergency response teams.
And the press.
Collin had been given the gag by the brass. The last thing they wanted the site workers to do was talk to the media. No problem there—Collin didn’t want anything to do with them. Word had leaked locally that he was responsible for the breach, but the EPA was identifying Collin to the press as “an unnamed employee working at the direction of the EPA in consultation with the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety.”
Try to fit that on a name tag.
As he was leaving the Emergency Response Headquarters, he’d passed an impromptu press conference in the parking lot. Reporters pummeled officials with questions, their backs to Collin as he walked by, head down.
Was the worker who breached the plug licensed to operate the backhoe involved in the accident?
Was he aware that he was digging near the existing plug?
Has he been banned from the Big Star site?
The media showed no mercy, but some local and state officials had taken a softer line when they made statements to the press.
“Anyone involved up there could possibly trigger an accident—a mine owner, a state or federal agency, even a county official just looking around,” one of them had said.
Even so, Collin’s career was in the crapper. No way would he get that promotion he’d been working toward after this fiasco. He’d be lucky if they let him ride a worn-out desk somewhere in a corner of the basement. Clenching his teeth, he twisted the throttle, tearing through the night.
Sleep last night had consisted of a fitful nap on a cot at the Emergency Response Headquarters. He was exhausted down to the bone. But not too tired to see Ellie. He could use a bright spot in this godforsaken experience, and there was nothing brighter than Ellie right now.
Her sense of humor.
Her musical laugh.
Her arms around me.
That’s what he needed more than anything else.
Rain check tonight?
He’d hesitated to text her. She had to have heard the rumors by now. Would she even want to see him? He’d buried his face in his hands, imagining how Brian and Matt had reacted to the news. His gut twisted, thinking of all the people affected by the spill. All the nature.
I’m still in.
His heart clenched when he’d read Ellie’s text.
He couldn’t get to
her fast enough.
You’ve got everything I need right here, he’d told her.
And she did. Except for the box of condoms he had in his pocket. Heat rushed through him as he longed for sweet relief—to bury his cock inside her and forget about everything else.
Ever since he’d laid eyes on her, he’d wanted her.
So.
Damn.
Bad.
Because of her long-term relationship with Noah from such a young age, Collin had guessed she might be kind of inexperienced in the bedroom, and possibly a little naïve. In other words, a total turn-on. But she’d taken somewhat innocent and spiked it with sensuous and uninhibited, leaving him blindsided in the most amazing way.
Of course he wanted her.
But tonight he needed her.
And not just physically. He could be himself with her, and he didn’t have the energy to pretend right now.
As he blazed up the road toward Narrowleaf Pass, Collin cautioned himself not to get in too deep. Both of them were freshly bruised from broken engagements, and he was soon to be known as the worst villain in Thistle Bend. The name-calling had already started.
Collin laid off the throttle just before he hit the gravel driveway, taking it a little slower all the way to Ellie’s place. He parked the bike and headed for the door, the weight in his chest already a little lighter.
His hiking boots barely made a sound as he walked up the cobblestone sidewalk and onto the covered wooden porch. Nearby, a planter of colorful trailing flowers sat between two white rocking chairs.
If only life was that simple.
Collin stepped up to the screen door, the main door wide open behind it. A hint of a lemongrass-tinged breeze wafted out of the house, and he inhaled deeply as he knocked.
Ellie came to the door and opened it, looking sexy in a clingy yellow T-shirt and worn jeans. Her soft, concerned smile made his heart hitch.
“Hey there,” she said, her blue eyes shimmering.
Collin swallowed hard and took her in his arms, cradling her head against his chest. “Hey, yourself,” he murmured into her hair, and kissed her head. He held her there for as long as he could without it becoming awkward, then gripped her shoulders and stepped back.
“You okay?” she asked.
“No.”
“Want a beer?”
“Definitely.” Collin took off his jacket and tossed it over the arm of the couch while Ellie got a couple of beers from the fridge. He sank down onto the soft cushions, leaned his head back, and sighed.
Ellie sat next to him and handed him an ice-cold longneck. “Want to talk about it?”
He took a long slug of beer, leaned forward, and propped his elbows on his knees. Best not to have to look at her during this conversation. “It was an accident. An awful accident.” He shook his head. “It’s going to have incredibly negative effects.”
That will last for years, if not decades.
But there was no need to say that. Ellie already knew.
Collin massaged his forehead. “The lead levels were twelve thousand times higher than normal in a water sample they tested today. I’m sure Brian went ballistic, with all that pollution poisoning everything. And Matt. He’s a good guy just trying to make a living. Now he’s shut down for God knows how long.”
Ellie gently traced circles on his back. “I’m not going to pretend that they’re okay with what’s happened. But like you said, it was an accident. The governor’s issued an emergency fund to help businesses that are affected, and there might be some local compensation for Matt, too.”
Collin got the feeling she was sugarcoating things, but he wasn’t going to push. “I’m glad to hear that, but people are still pissed.” He took another slug of his beer. “And I totally get it.” He squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head, wishing he could rewind to early Monday morning when he’d woken up with Ellie in his arms. “I’m so sorry it happened.”
Ellie continued lightly stroking circles on his back, lulling him into relaxing as much as he could. Thankfully she saved her questions—if she had them—and let him tell what he was comfortable sharing.
“This won’t change anything that’s gone down here,” he said, “but there’s no way I’ll receive the promotion I’ve been busting my ass to get. It sucks, but maybe that’ll make people feel better. I won’t just be going back to my life like it was.”
Even before the accident, he couldn’t have done that. Meeting Ellie had changed him—made him see that he didn’t need his ridiculous rules from the road to move beyond his past with Megan. At least he had that, no matter what else happened in Thistle Bend.
Or with Ellie.
She stopped tracing the circles on his back. “I can’t speak for anyone else, but knowing you’re not getting a promotion you deserve doesn’t make me feel any better. And it won’t make Brian or Matt feel better either. I was up there yesterday taking pictures for the newspaper just before it happened, evidently.”
Collin’s eyes went wide. “You were?”
Ellie nodded. “Everyone was busting their butts, even that late in the day. And any one of you guys could’ve caused the accident—there’ve been people all over the news saying so.”
“But they’re not the one who did.” Collin chugged the rest of his beer and set the bottle on the coffee table.
“Want to talk more about it?” she asked. “I’m happy to listen.”
“There’s not much else to say right now.” He sucked in a deep breath, leaned back, and blew it out with a hiss. “Just—” He smoothed his fingers down a lock of her hair. “Tell me something good.”
Ellie angled her body toward his and tipped her head, as if she was searching for the right thing to say. “You might just win our bet.”
He nodded and tried to smile but couldn’t muster it. “Heading into the wilderness sounds like a pretty good idea right about now.”
“There’s a lady who lives in Thistle Bend—Peggy Allred,” Ellie said. “She’s a nationally known artist, and a juror for the Thistle Bend Arts Festival.”
“The one that’s coming up?”
“Yep. She stopped by the gallery yesterday and totally freaked over the picture of you.”
This time he managed half of a grin. “Totally freaked good, right?”
“So good she asked me to exhibit in the festival.” Ellie’s eyes brightened. He could tell she was excited, but she was trying to tamp it down for his sake.
“Just like that? Is that how it works?”
“Hardly. It’s one of the top fifty arts festivals in the nation. There’s a big application process that happened months ago. About a thousand artists apply, but only a hundred and seventy get in. A certain amount in each category—photography, mixed media, jewelry design, and so on. They like to keep things balanced.” She glanced away from him and bit her bottom lip. “I didn’t get selected.” She lifted one shoulder. “Wait-listed as an alternate.”
“That’s great,” he said. “Out of a thousand applications, and limited slots in each category.”
“I didn’t think so, until Peggy came in and asked if I’d take a spot that opened because someone dropped out.” She bowed her head, and her hair fell around her face. “Exhibiting in that festival has been a dream of mine for years.” Her voice hitched.
Collin swept her hair behind her shoulder and lifted her chin until she met his gaze, her eyes glimmering with tears. He braced himself. Tears streaming down her freckled cheeks would absolutely destroy him.
“Sorry.” She blinked a few times and managed to keep them from spilling over. “All the highs and lows have got me kind of emotional.”
“I get it,” he said, although his were lows, except for Ellie. “I’m glad they finally came to their senses and picked you.”
“Not only that, Peggy told me to paint some extras of your pictures and display them at the festival. She guaranteed me they’d sell.”
Collin loved the idea of winning the bet, but he was even more
relieved that he might not have to get in front of her camera again.
“You going to do that?”
“I’m already on it,” she said. “I processed a couple of the same one we picked, and a few others, too.”
He winced.
“What?” Ellie started the circles again, this time on his thigh.
“You’re going to be so sick of looking at me by the time that festival rolls around.”
“No way.” She stood, set her beer on the coffee table, and gracefully straddled him, just like she’d done the other night. There were way too many clothes between them this time, but he’d take her on top of him any way he could get her there.
His cock stirred with the friction of her jeans against his. “You’re giving me flashbacks.” He gripped her waist with both hands, anchoring her to him.
Ellie cupped his face in her hands. “I want to give you plenty to remember.”
As if I could ever forget.
Collin lightly brushed the pad of his thumb across her lips. “Thanks for the rain check.”
She kissed him tenderly. “Like I said…” She trailed kisses to his ear and whispered, “I’m in.”
Heat pulsed through him with every heartbeat. “That makes two of us.”
Ellie leaned back and gazed at him. “You look beat.”
He nodded. Every part of him was bone tired…except his cock. There was no going to sleep with Ellie on his lap.
“Ready for bed?” she asked.
Collin reached over to the arm of the couch, tugged his jacket toward them, dug into the pocket, and pulled out the box of condoms. “Yes.”
She bunched her lips in a smile, and shifted her hips, giving him a sweet shot of sensation. “You remembered.”
“How could I forget?”
“I figured with everything going on…”
Collin drew her to him until the firm curves of her breasts met his pecs. He pressed his lips to hers, and parted them, kissing her deeply. Every stroke of her velvety tongue swept him further away from reality, and closer to that bright white place she’d taken him to before.
“The only thing going on right now,” he murmured, “is you and me.”