by Linda West
CHAPTER 17
Elle was galloping faster than she ever had before. The trees and the branches flew by at frightening speed but she didn’t want to stop.
The tears were blinding her by then and she just kept pressing on, forward and forward and forward.
Suddenly a rabbit jumped onto the path and Lightning skittered to a stop, then went straight back on his hind legs.
Elle wasn’t prepared for the change in direction and nearly fell right off his back.
She struggled to entangle her foot that was stuck up in the stirrup.
Lightning bolted back and started running full speed in the other direction. She grabbed the saddle to hold on and reached for the reins but she couldn’t get a hold on them.
Lying off the back of the saddle she attempted to right herself without falling off at quantum speed, her heart racing faster than Lightning’s hooves.
Lightning bolted straight toward the mountain ledge, casting twigs and stones off the path that hit her and blinded her sight.
She struggled to grab the reins as the edge of the cliff came into sight.
“No, Lightning, no!”
Her foot was wrapped around the stirrup strap and she couldn’t free herself.
Suddenly she heard someone yelling her name.
“Elle! Elle!”
Dayton! It was Dayton.
She screamed out to him. “Dayton! Help me!”
Dayton spotted the Lightning through the trees, running wild, with Elle struggling to hold on. He knew he had to stop it.
He kicked Tomico as hard as he could to head Lightning off at the path.
Tomico bolted ahead and Dayton urged him on. “Yes! Let’s do this!”
They met each other at the edge of the cliff and Dayton positioned Tomico as a buttress, squeezing his eyes shut and praying to any God that would listen that all their lives would be spared.
But as he looked over at Lighting, he saw it darted to the side, intent on running straight past the human horse barricade.
Dayton caught the wild look in the horses eyes and without thinking, dove off his horse and barreled into Elle, freeing her leg and sending them both flying onto the ground.
Elle’s head hit the ground hard. The horse stopped just before the edge and then with a wild eyed look darted back toward the barn.
Dayton bent over Elle, feeling shaken up. This wasn’t Afghanistan. Of all the people he had saved he never knew them. Not their heart and soul like he knew Elle. If they had died he would have been sad and disappointed, of course. But if anything happened to Elle he would have been devastated. It would feel like all the hope had been sucked out of the world.
He would have gladly killed himself to stop her from being hurt and going over the edge.
He took a big sigh.
He already was over the edge.
He had fallen in love with Elle.
It was the most afraid he had ever felt.
***
When Elle woke up Dayton was leaning over her, wiping her red hair away from her face.
Her eyes focused on his dark brown ones, full of concern.
She rubbed the bump on her head. “What, what happened?”
“You took a hard fall. I’m sorry I couldn’t think of any other way.”
Elle shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. ‘Lightning..?”
“He’s okay. He didn’t go over. I think he ran back to the barn.”
“Oh my gosh. This is all my fault. I could have killed us both. My Grandpa told me not to ride him.”
Dayton put his arms around her instinctively and tried to calm her. He hugged her close and whispered to her softly, “It’s not your fault, Elle. He’s messed up inside it was bound to happen.”
The fact that she could have been died finally sank in for her. Dayton had saved her life. The man who had been afraid of horses had fearlessly thrown himself at high-speed toward a galloping wild horse.
As he held her crying in his arms he realized he loved her. He wanted to protect her. Take her home and take care of her.
He held her for a long time until her breathing became easy.
She pressed away from him. Shaken. “Thank you. You. You saved my life, Dayton.”
He looked away. The emotions were too much. “It’s time we got back,” he said.
Chapter 18
All night long Elle had gone over the events of that day, as she had done for many previous nights. The horse running crazy. The ravine getting closer. Dayton throwing himself into harms way to save her.
She lay down staring at the ceiling, thinking of his arms around her and how tight he held her as she cried tears of relief and fear and finally safety.
It had been a few days since the event with Lightning and she just couldn’t bring herself to go back to see the horses.
She felt like she had failed. She knew that horse. Knew he was capable of anything but she had urged him on in her own thoughtlessness.
For some reason she hadn’t been able to face Dayton either. She saw him outside the lodge each morning brushing the horses but she just couldn’t bring herself to join him.
Today she watched him out of the corner of her eye from a cozy booth in the restaurant. Earl came up and put his hands on his granddaughter’s shoulders as she drank her coffee, staring out the window.
“Oh, Elle. You can’t change an animal’s temperament, just like you can’t change a leopard’s spots.”
She continued to stare out the window with a heavy heart.
“You learned a tough lesson but you’re not supposed to get stuck on it,” Earl continued. “You’re supposed to learn and move on. So move on.”
She turned to look at her beloved wise Grandpa and gave him a smile. “Darn cell phones, Grandpa.”
He shook his head in agreement. “Darn cell phones.”
*********************************************
Elle finished her coffee and wandered out to the barn. She heard the dog barking and wondered if she should fear for her life. As if on cue, Dayton came around the bend with a smile on his face and a basket in his hand. War Hero was bouncing at his heels.
That crazy dog saw her first and started growling.
Dayton turned to see what was the trouble and saw Elle standing there. He lit up.
“I was hoping you’d miss us,” he said. The dog growled low and ominous at her. “Oh, be quiet War Hero. I meant miss the horses. I knew you couldn’t stay away too long.”
Elle barely recognized his new strong confident voice. She took in his new look.
His hair had been cut shorter and his beard was trimmed to a normal size. She could almost make out a chiseled chin and strong jaw underneath it all, though he still kept a moustache.
The sight of him cheered her up. A warm glow and big smile spread over her as he approached her.
She was surprised at the way her heart leapt at the sight of him. Here she had thought she was safe from feeling anything, but her heartbeat’s rhythm told her otherwise. She was definitely feeling something.
They saddled up Sunshine and Tomico, and then rode for a long while just enjoying the clear day.
She was glad that Dayton wasn’t a jabberwacky that needed to talk all the time.
Todd was always pontificating about this or that and never just enjoying the moment.
It was then Elle realized she hadn’t thought about Todd all morning. She breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she was getting over him.
She looked over at Dayton who shot her a big smile. “Let’s pull over here,” he said. “I have a surprise for you.”
Elle was intrigued. She loved to see Dayton smile. She had only caught that grin on his face a couple times but now it seemed permaplastered on his face. He certainly was in a good mood.
When they stopped, Dayton spread out a red and white checkered cloth on the ground, then pulled out fresh fruit, mini sandwiches and her favorite, kale salad.
Elle was taken aback. “Wow, you brought a
ll this? Where did you get a kale salad from for Pete’s sake!” She couldn’t help but laugh.
She thought she was the only one on Kissing Bridge Mountain who ate anything green!
She always had the gluten free this and the organic that and the rest of the town’s folk thought she was just food crazy.
But he had brought her crazy.
She looked up to see him looking at her for approval. “Do you like it?”
She instinctively reached out and hugged him.
“It’s just what I needed. Thank you.”
The feel of his strong body next to hers made her feel safe. She leaned into his strength and he held her tighter. She realized she didn’t want to let go.
He pulled away and looked at her with love in his eyes. For once she didn’t pull her gaze away from his.
He leaned over and kissed her gently and it felt something close to heaven itself. “I know you could have any guy you want, Elle. But I’d like to put my resume in to be your guy, your hero, your prince.” There was no sense of awkwardness about him anymore, and that surprised her. “I want to be all those things for you, Elle.”
Elle could hear her heart beating all the way up in her temples. What beautiful words! But yet…
“I never thought I would say that to anyone,” he said, and now he sounded shy.
Elle took his hand and looked at him. “Oh, Dayton, that was so nice. Really it was. But I’m not… I’m not sure I’m ready.”
“Oh,” he said. “Well, I should have never said anything, but—”
“No, it’s okay,” she interrupted. “I’m just, not really over my ex. But don’t give up on me. Please. Maybe I’ll get there soon.”
“Okay.” There was a twinge of disappointment in his voice but he was evidently trying to sound brave. That alone did something to her soul.
When he looked deeply into her eyes, Elle knew without a doubt that this man would never leave her. He loved her just the way she was. Broken nails, tangled hair and the smell of horses.
It felt so, so good to be seen. Intoxicating, even. To be loved for just being her. To not have to try to be something she was never meant to be. But… what about Todd? Instead of tying herself up in knots, she decided to drop that thought and try to savor the moment. That rare moment of being completely and utterly accepted for who she was.
As they walked their horses back toward the stables, Elle felt a wonderful calm inside. “It’s pizza and wings night at the Inn. Want to come?”
“If you’re there, I’m coming.”
Elle beamed at him. “You’ll have to catch me first.” And with that, she and Tomico dashed inside the stables.
CHAPTER 19
They were both out of breath and laughing like kids when they came racing into the barn area.
Suddenly Elle looked like she saw a ghost. The smile fell off Dayton’s face as he followed her gaze.
Todd. At the gate. With flowers.
Todd looked back and forth between the two of them suspiciously but managed a big grin. “Hi.”
Elle could barely talk. “Todd. What are you doing here?”
Todd cleared his throat and thrust the flowers toward her. “These are for you. I was hoping we could talk.”
Elle was in shock. She looked at Dayton for strength.
Todd.
Back.
He knew how hard this must be for her.
Dayton jumped off Sunshine and grabbed hold of Elle’s horse, then led them both back toward the barn.
“Alone, Elle,” Todd said, a bit louder.
Dayton turned back to him with a look of disgust. “Don’t yell at her. You left her, man. You don’t get a second chance. If a girl like Elle loved me I would never leave her.”
Todd rolls his eyes. “You’re kidding me, right? Who is this guy and why is he acting like an authority on you, Elle?”
Dayton’s voice was hot with indignation. “Because I lov—”
“We are just friends,” Elle interrupted quickly. She tried not to notice Dayton wincing in the corner of her eye.
Todd folded his arms across his chest and stuck his chin up. “Well, if you’re friends, then tell your friend to shut the heck up and stay out of out business.”
Dayton threw down the reins of the horses and walked toward Todd, manly and in charge. “Listen, buddy. You don’t deserve her. You never deserved her and you don’t get to get her back just because you come waltzing back into her life.”
Todd backed up, pretending to be scared, and yelled to Elle, “Get your rabid dog away from me, Elle!”
Elle ran toward the arguing men. “Stop it! Just stop it!”
By the time she got to them they both had their fists raised, ready to fight. Dayton watched her, and dropped his fists.
Elle stared at Todd, waiting for him to do the same, but instead, he lunged forward with a massive swinging sucker punch.
But Dayton was ready. He surprised Todd by catching his punch mid swing.
Elle was afraid Dayton would hit him back, and she couldn’t stand when people fought, but Dayton instead held Todd’s arm firm. Todd tried to wriggle away but his strength was no match for Dayton. Dayton’s eyes were like steel.
Finally Todd seemed to give up the struggle. That was when Dayton tossed his arm away.
“You don’t deserve her,” Dayton spat out.
Todd nursed his sore wrist and shot Elle a dirty look. “I’m outta here.”
With that he ran out of the stables. The sound of his car roaring away sounded far too loud in Elle’s ears.
She threw up her hands. “What the heck was that?!”
“I was trying to help!”
Elle felt like the ground was opening up beneath her. All her hope of a family, of the family she and Todd would build together, of the big family he had that had welcomed her, seemed to be falling into some dark, chasmic hole, never to see the light of day again. “I don’t need your help!”
“What?” Dayton said. “I was trying to protect you from that jerk. To help you! He doesn’t love you, Elle.”
“What do you know about love!?”
He stopped, like Elle had slapped him. Her words seemed to reverberate around them. All his indignation faded away. When he spoke again his voice was heavy with depression.
“Nothing,” he said.
“Right, nothing!” Elle replied. “I won’t let you ruin my relationship!” She burst into tears and sunk down onto a hay bale. Dayton’s declaration of love, and the wonderful way she had felt about it, now seemed so utterly ridiculous. “You don’t know even me, Dayton! What gives you the right to get involved in my life?”
Dayton stared at her, and when she looked up at him angrily it seemed his dark eyes blazed into her very core. He looked more serious and fierce than she’d ever seen him before.
She stared back at him through her tears.
“I do know you, Elle,” he said. “We’re just alike, you and me.”
“No, we’re not.”
“Yes, we are,” he said, with a lot of force in his voice. “We both need a real love. I love you just like you are.”
She stared at him, dumbfounded.
Love?
How had this happened?
Why had Todd come here?
Why now?
Dayton saying he loved her?
Had the world gone crazy?
Those darn cell phones.
Elle’s eyes clouded over. “I don’t want to hear that. Just leave me alone! I never want to see you again!” Elle picked up her purse and ran away from him up to the lodge, but he followed her.
“Please, Elle!”
She stopped and turned to him, her chest heaving up and down with the emotion of it all. “I’m going to marry Todd. I’m sorry.”
Dayton watched her beautiful red hair flowing out behind her as her image got smaller and smaller.
CHAPTER 20
The Vanderling mansion had never looked so imposing, but Elle was on a mission. She w
as going to get her fairy tale reunion. She was going to reinstate herself into that wonderful big family, and cement her place in it by having Todd’s children. Then she would live happily ever after, she was sure of it.
It wasn’t until she got to the massive mahogany entrance doors that she remembered what she looked like. Her hair was everywhere, having been whipped by the winds out on the mountain. Her nails were dirty from looking after the horses. Even she could take the smell of the stables on her clothing. She was far from the elegant vision she knew Todd wanted her to be, but she’d been in such a hurry there had been no time to change.
She turned to Earl in the car and waved. “Wish me luck, Grandpa,” she whispered, before she knocked on the door. Even though she knew he couldn’t hear her, it was comforting just to say the words.
It was one of the housekeeping staff who opened the door, Rosie.
“Hey, Rosie,” Elle said urgently. She’d met her many times. “Is Todd here?”
“Sure, Elle,” Rosie said, though she looked wary. “I’m not sure… I don’t know if he’ll want to see you.”
Elle felt like her heart were breaking right there and then on the polished marble step. “I know. But I really need to speak to him. I have great news.”
“Okay,” Rosie said, and let Elle in. “I’ll just buzz him on the intercom.”
She leaned over to the control panel in the wall and pressed a button. Soon it crackled into life with Todd’s irritated voice. “Yes?”
“Elle is here to see you and she says she has good news,” Rosie said. “Shall I–”
“Send her up,” Todd interrupted.
Rosie gave Elle a thumbs up, and Elle grinned back nervously. Then she began to mount the huge grand staircase as quickly as she could, feeling so out of place amongst the luxury finishes and soft gold lighting.
Todd’s bedroom, or rather his set of rooms, as he had his own study, living room, huge bathroom and dining area, was up two flights of stairs. It was like a hotel suite, and with the housekeeping staff there to cater to his every need, he never had to lift a finger.
As Elle ran up the second flight of stairs she tried to hand comb her hair into submission. At least if she’d had a hairband she could have made a bun or a pony, but her wrists were bare. She smoothed the top and tugged it into a tight braid, hoping it wouldn’t unravel itself. There was nothing she could do about her clothes or her nails or her smell. But if he truly loved her, as she knew he did, he would be able to overlook those things for just one day.
