by Linda West
“Elle!” Todd said, standing outside his room on the landing. He looked overjoyed.
“Todd!” Elle ran up the steps toward him and dove into his arms.
“My little orphan tomboy,” he said, hugging her for a moment. He soon extracted himself from their hug, wrinkling his nose. “You smell like horse.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Elle gabbled. “Well, you know, I didn’t have time to—”
“I missed you, Elle,” he interrupted. “You always made me feel so good.”
He clearly steeled himself before hugging her again. She had guessed she would have been melting into his arms by that point, but instead a nagging feeling tugged at her.
Wait, back up.
Did he just wrinkle his nose like that at her and tell her she was an orphan that smelled of horse? None of what he said sounded like a joke. It sounded like a boatload of disrespect, though.
But before she could say anything, he popped a ring box out of his pocket.
Her heart skipped a beat and she had to catch her breath. The moment she had always been waiting for!
Disrespect? He had only been making jokes. Sweet jokes that only lovers could share. Like when she playfully called him an idiot and punched him on the arm, that sort of thing.
“Oh, Todd!”
Todd got down on one knee and looked her in the eyes.
“Elle, will you marry me?”
And there it was, what she had always wanted! The opportunity to become a part of a family!
Chapter 21
His counselor had told him not to get in a relationship. That the ups and downs might be too much for him as he was adjusting into normal life.
That made sense. But talk to the heart. Guess the heart had its own agenda.
In any case, Dayton cursed himself for being such a fool to open up and hope for love in his life.
Ever since he was a child he had wondered why he wasn’t worthy of love. Why was he so bad that everyone that was supposed to love him never did?
Not that Elle owed him anything. It wasn’t her fault he came and got a mad schoolboy crush on her and expected her to change his life by loving him.
But he had fallen in love with her. And she loved someone else. That was the truth, and there was no avoiding it.
Back in his room at the Lodge, Dayton looked at his pain pills and considered for the first time in a long time, taking too many.
At least not caring was a dull spirit kill but losing the glimmers of true love and a real life was too much for him to take.
He looked at the open suitcase on the bed, and then at the pills again.
War hero growled and there was a knock on the door. He heaved himself off the bed and dragged himself to the go see who it was.
Elle.
“Hey,” she said.
He didn’t have the energy to answer.
She looked past him into the room and saw the suitcase on the bed. War hero was in the corner but for once didn’t growl when she came in.
She held up a little doggie bag. “Fresh turkey breast.” She motioned toward War Hero, who immediately started to growl again. “For the beast.” She offered a small smile, which he did not return.
Dayton took the bag from her hands and then stared at her, waiting for her to say something. Anything.
“I just wanted to make sure we were cool before the wedding tomorrow,” she said, looking down at her feet, then facing him with that smile. “We’re going to be at the same table and all and I just want Jason and Dodi to have the wedding they deserve. So, are we all good right?”
“Yep, good.” His tone was cold as ice.
She gave him the fake smile, the one that didn’t light up her eyes. “It looks like you are packing up. Are you going?”
“I have nothing to stay for.”
She breathed out. “I’m sorry, Dayton. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you.”
He looked at her seriously. He wanted to be angry but it felt more like devastation. He loved her. He had to try. If he let true love get out of his reach then he was a coward.
He summoned all his courage one more time to confess his truth. “I forgive you, Elle. I love you. I wanted to have a family with you. The one neither one of us had.”
Elle stopped him. “Listen Dayton, I know Todd didn’t act like the hero I know he is but… But, he and I belong together. He’s perfect. Perfect family. Perfect hair. When I’m with him I think I might have a chance to be perfect too. Have that fairytale ending. You want that for me, right?”
Dayton mumbled. “He’s no hero.”
Elle continued softly. “That may be. But you and I, Dayton, we would never work. We’re both broken. Two broken parts will never make a perfect whole family.”
Dayton struggled to hold back his emotions.
“I don’t believe that, Elle. And neither do you!”
“Yes, I do,” Elle said firmly.
But Dayton was nowhere near done. “We understand each other. You were more real with me than you could ever be with Mr. Perfect. I see you. All the parts. The broken and the whole and I love all of them. I love all of you.”
She looked back at him, her eyes glazing over with tears.
He knew he would sound desperate but did not care. He had to take that last chance. “Please pick me. I promise I’ll make you happy the rest of your life. I’ll do everything I can.”
She shook her head sadly but let him draw her close into an embrace and didn’t pull away.
She could hear his heart thumping hard in his chest. He felt so good next to her. So safe. Most of all, so sincere. So like home.
Everything he said was what she had always dreamed of hearing. The offer of true love and a real family of her own.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him now, and confusion clouded her thoughts.
The thought of him leaving and not being there to greet her at the stables every morning was unthinkable. He had become part of her ritual. Somehow worked his way into her heart.
But she was engaged to Todd. Her hero.
All she had wanted was for Todd to come back to her and now she felt so conflicted.
Todd had never said those things to her.
Todd had left her once already.
She tore her gaze away from Dayton and looked down at the sparkling ring on her finger.
Dayton followed her gaze. Todd’s engagement ring.
Elle saw him stiffen. He drew back and sucked in a deep breath.
She pulled her hand back instinctively but the damage had been done.
His warm eyes were cold and glassed over now. Dismissing her. “You’d better go. You’re engaged, Elle. You have what you wanted. Your husband your family, I’m happy for you.”
Then he closed the door on Elle forever.
CHAPTER 22
Jason opened the door at the Anderson house.
He didn’t have a smile for Elle that day.
Elle swallowed hard.
He was obviously upset and she had never seen Jason upset. She bet it had something to do with Dayton.
That guy was always screwing up everything, she told herself. Just a big screw up. He was a loose bolt rattling around her life. He had almost screwed up her and Todd. She wondered how Jason and he had ever even ended up friends.
Elle took a deep breath and forced a smile. “I’m here to meet Dodi and Summer, but by the look of your face I guess there is something you’re not happy about.”
Jason stared at Elle hard. Then he straightened up and sucked in his breath.
“I don’t expect anyone to love someone they don’t. But you don’t know Dayton like I do. He’s one of the greatest men I know and I just… well, I hope you will just leave him alone now if you don’t want to be with him.”
Elle was angry now. She had been nice to Dayton. She had taught him how to ride and embrace life again, and yes, possibly love too.
But it wasn’t her fault if he had fallen for her. She had just been being nice. Nothing
more.
She remembered the picnic they shared and how her heart had leapt to hear her dreams echoed in his words.
She had felt something.
When he kissed her she wasn’t thinking about Todd, she was…
No, she could not afford to think about that now. She looked down at the rock on her finger and straightened up.
“Sure, Jason. I was just being friendly. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
Jason nodded.
Dodi appeared in the doorway with Summer in tow, ready to go. Dodi looked at their faces.
“Is everything okay?”
Elle nodded. “Just those darn cell phones.”
Dodi arched a brow and figured she’d get the whole story later on the way out of town.
Dodi drove the 4x4 through the mountains and chattered on happy, as could be. It was the day before her wedding and she was positively bubbling with excitement.
On the other hand, Elle was quiet most of the way. So many thoughts were warring in her head.
“So I thought we might all get manicures and pedicures before the wedding as a treat from me to my bridesmaids!” Dodi said.
Summer squealed and Elle forced herself to squeal right along, though her heart felt like a stone.
They ended up at a lovely town just outside Burlington at a place called Tips and Toes.
Elle tried to rouse some excitement as she got out of the vehicle. After all, her new manicure would show off her gorgeous ring. The ring that had all the promise of family and happily ever after.
She usually kept them short and unpainted because she worked with the horses. But after an hour of pampering and painting in ‘Tips and Toes’ she was looking like a real lady.
Elle looked down at her red painted nails and her engagement ring and sighed. They didn’t even look like her hands. Perfect. Coifed. Just the way Todd liked her, just the way she wasn’t.
The ladies were just paying for their services when in walked a stunning blonde pastel laden prep girl.
Elle gasped beneath her breath. It was Buffy Adams, the girl Todd had left her for.
Elle felt like someone had hit her in the stomach just at the sight of her and the pain of the loss she had felt. This was one more thing she didn’t want to deal with.
Elle put on her sunglass and attempted to sneak by Buffy unnoticed. But to no avail. Eagle-eyed Buffy caught site of her immediately, and in all fairness Elle was with Summer Landers who was a famous super model and hard to not notice!
Buffy made a beeline straight to Elle and her eyes glazed over when she took in the large two-carat diamond on her newly manicured hand.
Elle steeled herself for the confrontation. She should be mad at Buffy but she couldn’t blame everything on her. Todd had made a choice. But in the end he had chose her.
She wasn’t sure how Buffy was feeling about it but she was pretty sure she was about to find out.
“Well, look at you, Elle. You finally got the ring?’
Elle looked around uncomfortably.
Buffy didn’t seem upset at all about breaking up with Todd and his giving her a ring!
She didn’t know what to expect but she hadn’t expected this.
“Ahh thanks Buffy. I wasn’t sure you would be upset…”
“Why would I ever be upset, darling?” She laughed, a tinkling irritating sound. “I’m here to get ready for the biggest event of my life. My father’s VIP connection event. It’s the best one yet, with people flying in from all over. Daddy says he’s going to seal some important deals that will send my great great great great grandchildren to college.” She laughed again.
“That’s great,” said Elle.
“And the most handsome man in the area is going to be hanging off my arm,” Buffy said. She looked directly at Elle then. “So glad we worked all of this out.”
Elle had no idea what she was talking about, but was in no hurry to find out. “Yeah, me too. So glad.”
Buffy then turned to the nail staff. “Now, I know this is a little bit embarrassing, so you’re going to have to be sensitive. My boyfriend, he usually gets his grooming done at home, but since we were out for lunch I told him to come with me. You’ll take him straight in a back room, right, and do it all in private?”
“Oh, sure, sure, of course,” one the nail staff said.
“Perfect,” Buffy said, “just a minute while I go get him.” She giggled. “He’s hiding in the limo right now.”
Dodi stepped up to the counter to pay. She was beaming from ear to ear, her French tips gleaming in the sparkling lights of the salon.
Summer rolled her eyes at Elle. “Wonder which idiot has fallen under her curse now.”
When the door opened and Buffy strode in with her beau, Elle’s mouth fell open.
It was Todd.
As soon as he saw Elle, he turned to leave, his face stripped of color, but Buffy huffed, grabbed his arm and dragged him inside. “He’s so shy. Honestly, babe, there’s no shame in this. All decent men get groomed properly these days.”
Elle looked down at her ring, then up at them both, too stunned to speak. Summer and Dodi both stared at Elle in shock.
After Buffy had finished jabbering away to the nail staff about the treatments she wanted for Todd, she turned to them. “What are you all staring at?”
Then Elle found her voice. “Todd, what’s going on?”
“Huh?” Buffy said. “I don’t see what business it is of yours. You’ve got your own fiancé now. Leave us alone.”
Elle crossed her arms and stared at Todd.
She put on a tough exterior but inside it felt the whole world was closing in on her.
Her voice started out as a squeak until she toughened it up.
“Todd, tell us. What is going on?”
Todd didn’t have a whole lot to say it seemed.
He just stood there looking rather stupid with his mouth hanging open.
Buffy was getting angry now. “I told you—”
But Summer was angrier. “Is your name Todd?!”
Buffy screwed her lips up and said nothing.
“All right,” Elle said shakily. “Since you’re not going to say anything, I’ll just tell Buffy.”
She thrust her hand out, to show the ring. “This is what Todd gave me a couple nights ago when he asked me to marry him.”
Buffy gasped, then looked at Todd. He could not meet her eyes. “Liar,” she said, though Elle could tell she was panicking.
“It’s true,” Elle said.
Buffy stared at Todd. “Please tell me this isn’t true. Please.”
Then Todd did something totally unexpected. He walked up to Elle and took her hands in his. She did not pull away.
“Please, babe,” he said. “You gotta understand. I was going to break up with her after her father’s VIP event.”
“You what?” Buffy said.
But Todd ignored her. He looked deep into Elle’s eyes. “I choose you, Elle. I choose you. And I want us to be a family together.”
Wow. It was the first time he’d ever spoken such tender words to her. She had waited so long for that moment, that precious moment when he’d gaze deeply into her soul and utter just how much they were meant to be together. How they were made for each other. How their family was written in the stars.
“Please, Elle. I needed the connections from the party. That was all.”
Elle believed what he said about Buffy. She truly did. Behind his shoulder she saw a single tear slide down Buffy’s cheek, and she pushed it away violently with a perfectly manicured nail.
Though she had never guessed it would happen, she found herself in Buffy’s corner. “So you’d just humiliate Buffy like that? Make her think there’s a future between you two when there isn’t one?”
Todd drew up his lips and furrowed his brow, disbelief all over his face. “What do you care?”
“Don’t you care?”
He shrugged, and then took on a romantic expression as he looked down at he
r nails, at her neat hairstyle. “By the way, you look more beautiful than I’ve ever seen you before.”
Elle followed his gaze to her hand. Her perfectly done nails and her ring.
She realized that she barely recognized her own hands. She looked at Todd and in that instant she knew it was over
She wanted more. Not just a ring and promise of a family, but a real love. A man capable of loving her with all her horse smells and her tangled hair and unpainted nails.
She looked at Buffy’s sad face and the crowd of onlookers at the salon taking in the scene. She wondered how long Todd would have kept them both on the line lying to them both to get what he needed?
Elle felt disgusted, and she had thought him her hero. It became crystal clear to Elle that God had sent her in to get a manicure the one time she needed it most.
She simply took off the engagement ring Todd had given her and handed it to Buffy.
“I don’t know what Todd is thinking, Buffy, but if you’re willing to give him another chance you should have this.”
Buffy took the ring, looking confused.
“But I wouldn’t, if I were you,” Elle added. “I think you can do a lot better.”
Summer looked at Todd and opened her mouth as if to say something. Instead she took Elle’s shivering perfectly manicured, now ring less hand, and led her out the door.
“I’m so sorry,” Summer whispered on their way to the car.
Elle shook her head. “It’s over. I’m glad I found out the truth.”
The loss wore heavy on their shoulders as the ladies got in the car to drive back home. They rode in silence for a long time because sometimes loss just needs to be quiet.
CHAPTER 23
The wedding was upon them before anyone knew what was happening. Jason and Dayton both stood in their marine uniforms in front of the blue and white stripe gazebo. They were both dressed in their service whites for the ceremony.
