Could've Said Yes

by Tracy March

  Ellie glanced over her shoulder, the brim of her hat shading her face from the early afternoon sun. “We’re almost there.”

  She’d picked a scenic picnic spot, promising it would be a jaw-dropper. A growl from Collin’s stomach reminded him it was definitely time for a pit stop—refueling was a must if they were going to keep this pace.

  They reached the top of the craggy climb, and Ellie led him over a rise, revealing a stunning view. A large turquoise lake shimmered about five hundred feet below with a gorgeous mountain panorama in the background. Above it, vivid white clouds dotted the electric-blue sky.

  Collin stopped, took off his sunglasses, and blinked a couple of times as his eyes adjusted. “Nice work.”

  Ellie smiled, white teeth gleaming, a sheen of sheer gloss on her full lips.

  Man, I need to kiss her.

  Considering his constant state of arousal from hiking behind her all this time, he didn’t expect to hold out much longer. It was time to get things moving with her—despite her protective brother.

  Brian had seemed like a decent guy, from what Collin could tell, and they were on the same wavelength about water pollution from the mines. But it had been obvious from the second they’d locked gazes that he had his guard up when it came to his sister.

  No worries there. This thing with Ellie was going to be a casual in-and-out—all hot and fun, and no hurt feelings. Brother Brian could relax.

  Ellie had walked ahead of him and settled on a flat boulder that formed part of a trail of rocks that wound down the mountain to the lake. He headed over and joined her, taking off the backpack he’d offered to carry and sitting beside her. A crystal-clear stream ran between the winding path of rocks and boulders, wildflowers sprouting between them. A couple of chipmunks scurried a safe distance away, settled in, and stared.

  “They’re hoping for lunch, too.” Ellie reached for the pack and unzipped it. She pulled out a lightweight yellow cloth and spread it on the boulder, then stacked it with all kinds of neatly wrapped items, and two big bottles of water.

  He’d been wondering what was in that pack—all the way up the mountain. Clearly his load would be lighter on the way down. “Looks like there might be enough for all of us.”

  “They’ll have to wait for leftovers.” Ellie handed him a bottle of water and took the other one herself, unscrewing the cap and chugging deeply. She wasn’t shy about it and didn’t hold back.

  Collin wasted no time getting the lid off of his bottle, and downing several huge gulps. Frozen beforehand, with a small chunk of ice still in it, the water was crisp, cold, and right on time.

  “Sandwich.” She handed him a cushiony, square sandwich wrapped in crisp, white paper.

  He furrowed his brow. “These come from a deli?”

  “Nope. Everything’s homemade, down to the chips.” She gestured to a plain white paper bag folded over at the top.

  “I knew you were talented,” he said. “But this takes multitalented to a whole new level. You made all of this?”

  She shook her head. “Sometimes I help, but everything was made by Millicent and Merribelle Montgomery.”

  “Those two little old ladies from the Thistle Bend Farmers Market?”

  Her eyes brightened. “You’ve heard of them?”

  “The local guys up at the site talk about their food all the time. So I went last Sunday and waited in that long line at their booth.”

  “You bought some stuff?

  “The guys had me too curious not to.” He grinned wryly. “But I shouldn’t have withered under their bad influence.”

  She quirked one eyebrow. “So you’re blaming them?”

  He nodded, pretending to be serious. “Total peer pressure. Instant addiction. When I leave here, I’ll need detox from those oatmeal crème cookies and pecan-caramel brownies. And don’t even get me started on the cinnamon rolls.”

  She swept her tongue over her bottom lip. “Melt-in-your-mouth delicious, right?”

  He was pretty certain she would be, and he was dying to confirm it. “For sure.”

  “Everything Milly and Merri make is to die for—one-of-a-kind recipes.” She leaned closer to him and whispered, “And most of them are secret.”

  The rasp of her whisper sent a shot of awareness through him, even though she was talking about recipes. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

  “Milly and Merri are like my fairy godmothers—as crazy as that sounds. I live in a little guesthouse on their property, near Narrowleaf Pass.”

  “I go that way to get to the mine site.”

  “Then you know exactly where we are.” Ellie opened the bag of chips, set it on the cloth, and unwrapped some pickle spears. “You’d never know such a place was up there if you’re just passing by on the main road, but one turn takes you to someplace amazing and totally unexpected.”

  “What’s amazing and unexpected about it?” he asked.

  “It’s like something out of a storybook.” Her eyes shimmered. “They have this huge Victorian house—fish-scale siding, with a bunch of gables and a Rapunzel turret. Sprawling gardens overflowing with colorful vegetables and sweet-smelling herbs. And a massive greenhouse where they grow ingredients for their recipes year-round.”

  Collin couldn’t imagine it, considering how stark the area looked when he passed it twice a day, but she’d painted a vivid picture with her words. He peeled back the wrapper on his sandwich and took a bite—pimento cheese and bacon on Texas Toast. Covering his mouth with his hand, he murmured, “This is decadent.”

  “Milly and Merri make things with a special kind of magic,” she said, deadpan, as if she really believed it. She hadn’t struck him as the hocus-pocus type, but he had to give some cred to her claim. The guys at the site were crazy about everything they’d bought from those little old ladies—and so was he.

  “And you live in their guesthouse.”

  “Yep. I actually hitched a ride into town with them this morning so I could check on things at the gallery, and meet you there.” She cast a sidelong glance his way. “I figured you could drop me off at home on the way back, if you don’t mind. It’s only about a mile from the trailhead.”

  “Sure.” He nodded, liking the sound of going to her place. Who knew what might happen once they got there?

  “When I moved back to Thistle Bend in June, I worked for Milly and Merri for a while—until I opened the gallery last month.” A brief flash of panic lit her eyes, as if she’d said something she wished she hadn’t.

  Collin finished crunching a mouthful of salt-and-vinegar chips, and swallowed. “For some reason, I thought you’d lived here for years—and that the gallery had been there for longer than a month.” He took another bite of his sandwich.

  “I grew up here, went to college close by, and came back for a while afterward. Then my ex-fiancé and I moved to Phoenix for a couple of years.” She shrugged, although it seemed more forced than casual.

  Collin’s heart lurched, and he stopped chewing. What were the odds that she had recently been through a broken engagement, too?

  Wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

  “Ex-fiancé?” he asked, before he could stop himself.

  Pick up women.

  Don’t get involved.

  The only part of Ellie’s story he needed to know was the ex part. The rest shouldn’t matter. But curiosity, envy, and testosterone had him willing her to tell him more. “Sounds messy.”

  And he would know.

  Her vulnerable gaze tempted him to take her in his arms. He fully understood the pain a breakup like that could cause. If you’re engaged, you’re in. Getting out before “I do” meant major drama and heartbreak, at least it had for him. From the looks of things, it had for her, too.

  Ellie nodded slowly. “You could say that. But it’s in the past. I’m better off being single right now.”

  He wasn’t sure she meant that, but did it really matter? All he needed to know was that she was single right now. He had no problem being t
he quickie rebound guy—not with a girl like her. And once he got her in the bedroom, he guaranteed the last thing she’d be thinking about was her ex.

  “Some guy was crazy enough to let you get away?” Collin asked sincerely. He didn’t know a lot about her, but from what he’d seen so far, there was nothing to complain about. Just the opposite.

  Ellie shook her head. “Or I was crazy to fall for him.” She turned her hand palm up. “But in my defense, he changed after we moved to Phoenix.”

  “How long were you together before that?” Collin asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

  She tore a piece of crust off her sandwich and ate it. “Noah and I met during senior year in college. One of those opposites-attract things—business major, art major—but it worked. He moved to Thistle Bend after graduation and we dated for a few years. When he got a job offer in Phoenix, he proposed. So I moved there with him, expecting we’d get married after we settled in and made plans.”

  Collin calculated the years she and Noah had spent together—way more than him and Megan.

  “But Phoenix is nothing like Thistle Bend,” she said. “The young professional scene in the big city got Noah all starry-eyed. To his credit, it didn’t take long for him to become known as an up-and-comer in the financial services industry.” She took a sip of water, a wistful look in her eyes. “And it didn’t take long for this seemingly satisfied, down-to-earth guy to decide he was going to ‘be someone.’ You know, seen in the right places with the right people where he’d say the right things—and money would rain down. But we couldn’t really afford that ‘out every night’ lifestyle, or the luxury living he started to demand.”

  Collin could hardly believe the similarities of Ellie’s story to his experience with Megan. “What about you?”

  “I was working to build a name for myself in a gallery where I had a small, rented space, but Noah insisted that I get a real job and contribute more. So I pretty much put my artwork on hold, and started teaching alternative photography at a high school.”

  “A teacher, huh?” Collin only wished he’d had teachers that looked like her when he’d been in high school.

  “Imagine how well I fit in with the swanky young professionals at happy hour.” Ellie bunched her lips. “After I told people I taught photography to high school kids, they usually ran to the bar for another drink and never came back.” She shook her head. “Let’s just say they weren’t rushing to add me on their LinkedIn, whether I was engaged to Noah or not.”

  Collin could envision Megan right in the middle of that “climber” crowd in Phoenix. But he couldn’t see Ellie there for a second. “I’m sure they thought you were charming.”

  She smiled ruefully. “Charming wasn’t nearly enough for them. Turns out it wasn’t enough for Noah either.”

  Collin finished his sandwich, taking bites or grabbing a chip when she paused, hoping his silence would keep her talking. Listening to her story was like watching a train wreck. Something awful was coming, but, for some reason, he had to hear it.

  Ellie lifted one shoulder. “He found a newly minted lawyer who was eager to ‘contribute’ in more ways than one.”

  Collin’s chest tightened with an unexpected rush of anger. “The guy cheated on you?” He was all for hookups, but not while he was in a committed relationship. Guys who did that were scum, and they made things harder for the men who could be trusted.

  Ellie winced and nodded ruefully. “We had a scheduled half day at school, and I had told Noah about it. His car was in the garage when I got home, so I figured he’d taken off work early to surprise me. I went in the house, and smelled the candles we burned in the bedroom, and heard the music we liked to play…”

  Collin’s gut twisted. He barely knew Ellie, but he didn’t want to imagine her and her ex in their bed with candles and music. And as glad as he was that she was single, he didn’t want to think about the shameless guy cheating on her either.

  He’d rather imagine her with him.

  “I thought Noah had everything set up for me,” she said quietly. “For us. So I went to the bedroom doorway, smiling.” She sank her teeth into her bottom lip. “Then I saw them—and heard them. He was saying the same things to her that he always said to me, calling her name instead of mine. I just stood there, staring, while my life fell apart.”

  Collin pinched his eyes closed for a second. No wonder Ellie’s brother gave off such a protective vibe. Dude probably wanted to kill that Noah clown.

  He reached for her hand and lightly skimmed the pad of his thumb across her knuckles. “Sucks that happened to you. I’m sure it doesn’t help, but I bet your ex regrets what he did.”

  “Doesn’t matter now,” she said. “It’s been four months. Things get better as time goes by.” She took a long swallow of water and put the cap back on the bottle. “What’s your story?” she asked, her steady gaze on his.

  Collin took a chip from the bag and bit into it, chewing deliberately, hoping she’d look away. But she didn’t.

  “I’m single right now, too,” he said after the silence had stretched too long. He sucked in a deep breath and blew it out with a hiss. “But I was engaged during the same time you were.”

  Chapter 6

  Ellie shifted her gaze to the clouds gathering beyond the mountains in the distance, and blinked several times. Collin had been engaged, too?

  She hadn’t intended to spill her story to him, but he’d seemed sincerely interested. Telling him about her experience with Noah had dredged up some painful memories, but it had been easier since there was nothing really at stake between her and Collin. It seemed like each time she told the story, it took away more of its sting.

  Hopefully the same would happen for Collin when he told her about his ex-fiancée. He’d admitted being engaged, but only after that long silence between them. She couldn’t blame him for being hesitant to share his story, and she wouldn’t push. But she wanted to make him feel comfortable enough to tell it.

  “There’s dessert.” She reached into the backpack and pulled out a square, glossy red box.

  He raised his eyebrows. “All this, and dessert, too?”

  Ellie nodded.

  “In such a little box?” He sounded more curious than disappointed.

  Ellie lifted his hand, turned it over, and set the box on his palm. “See for yourself.”

  Collin grasped the lid with his long fingers, lifted it, and revealed four truffles—rich dark brown beneath a snowy powdered topping.

  Ellie’s stomach clenched. Milly and Merri had given her the wrong truffles. She’d asked for the cookie dough truffles with mini semisweet morsels on top—and these definitely weren’t those.

  “Whoa,” he said. “Those look delicious. What kind are they?”

  She swallowed hard. “Dark chocolate cherry pine nut truffles.” She decided not to tell him that they were better known as Cupid’s Arrow truffles. Milly and Merri believed in the powers of food, and combining three aphrodisiac ingredients into one mouthwatering truffle had proven to be sheer genius. The Cupid’s Arrow truffles were bestsellers in their Internet store—especially around Valentine’s Day—and got plenty of rave reviews. No doubt Milly and Merri had substituted these truffles on purpose. And Ellie was stuck. It would be too weird not to eat them now that she’d brought them out.

  “Mmm.” The moan rumbled low in Collin’s throat.

  He pinched one of the truffles between his fingers, took a long look at it, and brought it to her mouth. Her heart stuttered, then sped ahead in fast-forward.

  Casual, fun, and friendly.

  Collin’s gaze never left her as she opened her mouth and gently bit into the soft, rich chocolate. She closed her lips around the tips of his fingers and he left them there a beat before withdrawing them.

  Creamy chocolate. A hint of tart cherry. The buttery sweetness of pine nuts.

  My kind of magic.

  Collin pulled the other half of the truffle away, and popped it into his mouth. He che
wed slowly, eyes narrowed, the sun highlighting his strong jaw beneath the brim of his hat.

  “Delicious,” he said, sounding pleased.

  Ellie lifted another one from the box and ate it, hoping he’d take a lesson and feed himself next time. She had to keep the temptation to a minimum.

  Thankfully, he followed her lead and ate another truffle. One of the chipmunks that had been staring from a distance got brave and crept up onto the boulder. He stood on his hind legs near the edge, his striped head cocked, an eager look on his furry face.

  “Don’t even think about it, man.” Collin licked his lips, attracting Ellie’s full attention. “No way are you getting the last one.”

  She grinned. “He knows a good thing when he sees it.”

  Collin leaned in close, and whispered, “So do I.” He lightly brushed his lips against hers.

  Ellie’s heart thundered as he reached up and slowly traced the pad of his thumb across her lips. He smoothed his fingers along the side of her neck, and clutched it at the nape.

  “I’ve been dying to kiss you,” he said in a low drawl. He skimmed his lips over hers again, gently teasing before he pressed them to hers.

  Ellie’s breath hitched. She cupped his face in her hands as she yielded to the sensuous sweep of his tongue, tasting chocolate and cherries.

  Decadent.

  Collin kissed her as if he suspected she was hesitant, and he was doing an impressive job of convincing her that she shouldn’t be.

  Slow and sweet and sexy.

  A pang of disappointment shot through her as Collin eased off, ending their kiss with a feathery brush of his lips that had goose bumps rising on her arms.

  “Hell of a first kiss,” he said with a hint of a grin.

  Ellie nodded slowly, meeting his gaze. Of course she’d thought about kissing him—it was impossible not to. But she hadn’t intended to actually do it. Now that she had, her mind swirled as she did a split-second analysis of the situation. From what she could tell so far, Collin was not the kind of guy she could kiss and walk away from. He was the kind of guy she would fall for—seemingly different from Noah in every way. She couldn’t afford to risk another heartbreak when she’d only officially gotten over Noah moments ago…