by Tracy March
“Sounds juicy,” Ellie said, excited that whatever she was about to hear might get her mind off of Collin.
“It is. And it’s about the arts festival. Turns out that one of the jury-selected artists had to bail, and they’re going to pick an alternate.”
Ellie’s heart did a back flip, and landed in a pool of hope. “No way.”
Being chosen to exhibit in the Thistle Bend Arts Festival—even though she’d been an alternate—would be a giant step in her career, and help get her little gallery on the map.
“Way,” Holly said. “And Peggy Allred is on the jury.”
Peggy Allred was arguably the most accomplished artist in Thistle Bend—and there were more than a few of them in town. She’d won critical acclaim with her watercolor paintings, wrote a column for a popular online art magazine, and was well known around the country as a fair and sought-after juror. Someone with her success was beyond having to enter art shows, but she’d been actively involved with Thistle Bend’s arts festival ever since she and her husband George had moved to town five years ago.
“Right.” Ellie nodded. “She’s always on the jury.”
Before Ellie had left Thistle Bend for Phoenix, Peggy had encouraged her and given her advice about her art, but they hadn’t been in touch since Ellie had returned to town.
Holly raised her hand and crossed her fingers. “I’ve been like this with Peggy and George ever since I found that huge discrepancy in the title insurance charge on their closing documents and saved them thousands of dollars. After five years, George still refers all his real estate clients to me.”
“Like Bryce?” Ellie raised her eyebrows playfully.
Holly went all doe-eyed. For a couple months, she’d been hot and heavy with Bryce Bennett, the adventure hotelier who’d come to Thistle Bend to renovate the abandoned Lodge at Wild Rose Ridge. “Yes, like Bryce. I really owe him for that one.” She blinked several times, as if her thoughts had gotten derailed and she was working to get them back on track. “But this is about you, not me.” She bunched her lips for a moment. “I think I might have some influence with Peggy.” She squeezed Ellie’s forearm. “I could probably nudge her toward picking my super-talented friend Ellie who’s probably already on top of their list of alternates.”
“Aw. That’s really sweet of you to offer.” Ellie wrinkled her nose. “But I don’t know if it’s such a good idea.”
Holly smiled encouragingly. “It couldn’t hurt.”
Ellie lifted her shoulders. “You’re right. The worst I could do is end up still being an alternate…”
“But?”
Ellie sighed. “I’d feel like a double loser if they don’t choose me—twice.” Whatever had just gone down between her and Collin had her confidence a little shaken.
Holly cut her a pointed, lawyerly look. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. But if they don’t select you, you’re going to feel like that anyway, right? At least if I say something to Peggy, you might have a better chance.”
Ellie nodded, her stomach fluttering as she envisioned exhibiting at the festival. “Fine argument, Counselor,” she teased.
Holly clutched her hand. “Then it’s settled.”
If only things were settled between Collin and me.
“I owe you one,” Ellie said.
Holly shook her head. “Just slip me a couple of aces when you deal, and we’ll call it even.” She winked. “Now I’d better get to my post. They’re opening the doors.”
People streamed in as Ellie quickly got to her station ready before the line formed.
Money.
Wristband.
Cards.
Time passed in a blur as she collected more than a thousand dollars, and saw so many familiar faces and friends—Holly’s grandpa Fred and his friend Dean; Travis and Emily Crenshaw; Holly’s smoldering-hot boyfriend, Bryce; and Ginny, the owner of Calypso Coffee. Things had settled down a little, and Collin queued up with Gary Holdren, a local guy who worked with him at the Big Star site.
“Did you leave Maddy at home?” Ellie grinned as she asked about Gary’s wife, who was expecting a baby in the fall.
“Just the opposite,” he said. “She took Kinsey to her ballet lesson.” Lean and sinewy, Gary was about Collin’s age, but his face was more weathered, with a short goatee, his brown hair freshly cut. “Team didn’t have a softball game tonight, so a pub crawl sounded pretty good—support the museum, have a couple beers.” He slapped Collin on the shoulder. “Wish we could get this big guy to come out and play some ball. Then we might win, for a change.” He shifted his gaze between Collin and Ellie. “Pardon my poor manners. Ellie London, this is Collin Cooper from the EPA. Works with me up at the mine.”
Ellie dipped her chin and forced a smile. “We’ve met.”
“I checked out her gallery.” Collin kept his gaze on Gary. “Amazing artwork.”
Ellie’s heart thudded. “Thanks” was all she could manage to say. Why hadn’t he said that they’d met at Stallion Ridge, or that they’d just spent most of the day together? He’d made it sound as if he’d strolled into her gallery, looked around, met her, and left. As if that was the extent of what had happened between them.
“We’re all real proud of her,” Gary said as she handed him and Collin their wristbands. He nodded excitedly as she picked up the deck of cards. “Now hit us with some good ones. Come October, I’ve got another mouth to feed.”
Ellie waved her hand over the deck, as if she was casting a spell. “I’m putting some winning mojo on them.” She tapped the deck and gave the men two cards each; both took furtive looks at theirs.
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about.” Gary grinned, and slid his cards into his shirt pocket.
Collin kept a poker face, and Ellie did the same.
“Guess we’d better let you get to the rest of the folks.” Gary gestured toward the line that had formed behind them, and backed away from the desk.
“Good luck,” Ellie said.
One corner of Collin’s mouth hitched up just slightly. He nodded once, and turned away, easing into the crowd with Gary.
Ellie swallowed hard, heat rising in her face. Within hours, she and Collin had gone from kissing in the rain to nearly strangers.
What changed?
Working in a daze, she helped the next several people, operating on autopilot as the last guy stepped up to the desk.
“Best-looking poker dealer I’ve ever seen,” he said.
Ellie recognized the familiar voice immediately, looked up into the blue eyes of her brother Matt, and somehow felt a little better about everything. “Hey.” The word came out like a song, and she reached up and hugged him tightly, his shoulders nearly as sturdy as Collin’s. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“And I didn’t know you were dealing.” He winked. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
She tugged the twenty from his hand and exchanged it for a wristband.
“But while I’ve got you,” he said. “There’s a glitch in the Splash Cam system. The pictures have been overexposed for the last couple of days, and we’re losing weekend revenue. Can you come take a look at it tomorrow?”
Ellie pressed her lips into a line. She’d planned to be at the gallery all day. But the photo machine that took action pictures of white-water rafters was a good little source of income that she and Matt split. He ran the rafting company down on the Lariat River, and sold the photos. All Ellie had to do was maintain the equipment, manage the system that sent follow-up emails to people who hadn’t bought their pictures on the spot, and fulfill the orders.
“Kristi could use a few extra hours at the gallery,” he said, guessing why Ellie hadn’t said yes immediately. “She’s got a short shift at the pub after she closes up for you tonight, but every little bit will get us closer to buying the Bells’ place when they move to Denver.”
Ellie loved the Bells’ renovated old miner’s cabin. It’d be a perfect home for Matt and Kristi after they got married next yea
r. Her chest tightened.
Stop thinking about love.
Stop thinking about Collin.
She focused her thoughts on the gallery. It would be in good hands with Kristi there. Sales were usually better because Kristi was a more enthusiastic cheerleader for Ellie’s work than Ellie was herself. Besides, she hated to say no to Matt when he needed her. She couldn’t remember a time when he’d said no to her.
“I can get away around noon,” she said. “Will that work?”
Matt gave her that crooked grin that had melted her heart since the second her parents had brought him home from the hospital when she was three. “Sweet.”
She handed him a couple of cards. “Hope you win. Go grab some food quick. They’ll be leaving for the pubs in a few.”
“I’m all over it.”
Matt headed toward the back exhibit hall, his height and shaggy blond hair making it easy to track him as he went. Ellie pulled her phone out of her pocket and texted Kristi, making sure she was available to work at the gallery the next afternoon.
Catching her breath, Ellie scanned the crowd, spotting locals she knew, like petite Stella Crenshaw from the museum’s board of directors—practically royalty in Thistle Bend. She chatted with stout Tansy Karlsson who, for Ellie’s entire life, had worn her long gray hair in a bun that looked like a bagel on top of her head. Her skinny husband, Oscar, stood at her side. They owned The Canary restaurant, a local favorite that had managed to stay in business for a century even though fried chicken was the only entrée on the menu. Stella, Tansy, and Oscar happily talking was a sight Ellie never thought she’d see, considering the bitter feud that had gone on between their families for generations. But there they were, standing in a huddle, right next to the exhibit displaying the documents that had resolved the conflict that had prompted their feud, ending it after more than a hundred years.
The volunteer leaders wrangled their groups, and headed out to the pubs. Ellie reconciled the money she’d collected with the wristbands she’d given out. Better to focus her attention on that than risk catching Collin’s flat gaze as he left.
After nearly everyone was gone, Lindsey joined Ellie at the desk. “How’d we do?” she asked, her tone rife with nervous excitement.
Ellie gave her a thumbs-up. “Seventy-one players. Fourteen hundred and twenty dollars.”
Lindsey clutched Ellie’s shoulders, beaming. “You’re the best dealer ever. I knew no one would be able to resist you.”
Except Collin, apparently.
Ellie forced a smile. “I think we just have a bunch of gamblers in this town.”
Lindsey nodded. “You brought a little of Milly and Merri’s magic with you.”
“Could be.”
“This is going to turn out great.” Lindsey perched on the edge of the desk, her green eyes glimmering. “The museum will get the proceeds from the admission tickets, plus seven hundred and ten dollars from the poker pot. A total win for everyone.”
Ellie admired Lindsey’s enthusiasm, but after what had happened with Collin, it wasn’t a win for her.
Chapter 10
The intense Sunday afternoon sun pricked Collin’s bare shoulders like hundreds of pins and needles. He stood on the shore of the Lariat River, staring at the frothy rapids that settled into still pools so clear he could see straight to the rocky bottom. Sucking in a deep breath, he clenched his jaw. He’d made things pretty rocky for himself, right about now.
Spending time with Ellie had convinced him that he was thoroughly over Megan. But there was no way he was going to get his emotions tied up again so soon. And that meant staying away from Ellie. He’d avoided going to the farmers market this morning, or anywhere near her gallery. He’d woken up—alone—wishing that he and his crew were working at the site through the weekends. They could just knock out the job, certify the stellar work, and he’d take a long ride back to Durham and his promotion.
But they weren’t working weekends, and the day had stretched out ahead of him. He could ride some trails, catch some views. But every time he stopped at an overlook, it would remind him of Ellie.
Give it a couple of days, man.
Then maybe he’d be ready to get back to his rules.
Ride some trails.
Pick up women…
But what woman was going to measure up to Ellie?
Collin kicked a loose rock into the river.
It would just be a hookup, right?
Get in.
Get off.
Get out.
What did it matter if the women he picked up didn’t do it for him like Ellie had? Easier to walk away before the sun even came up. And maybe he shouldn’t wait. Maybe he should hit one of the bars tonight and see if the fish were biting. Easier to forget about Ellie if he was in someone else’s bed.
Collin walked up the trail to the timber-sided, tin-roofed cabin, Rapid Riders painted in weathered white on the side. Last night at one of the pubs, Gary had introduced him to a guy named Matt, who drank a beer with them and insisted that Collin come “do the rapids, man.” Sounded cool, and the place seemed far enough out of Thistle Bend to be safe.
Just beyond the cabin, a group of people gathered around a guide, checking their gear and listening to the safety speech. Collin’s hiking boots echoed on the hollow wooden stairs as he climbed them. He strode across the covered porch, opened the screen door, and stepped inside.
The place was unexpectedly bright—all blond wood, and natural light coming from the huge picture window facing the river. And speaking of blond, there was a shapely one standing at the counter talking to Matt, treating Collin to a fine rear view.
Long, slender legs all the way up to her sexy Daisy Dukes. Narrow shoulders, with a lacy tank clinging to her trim body, the strings of a blue bikini top tied at the nape of her neck. A messy ponytail stuck out of the back of her denim baseball cap.
“Dude.” Matt smiled. “You made it.”
The blond turned around, and Collin’s heart skidded to a screeching stop. “Ellie?”
She gazed at him wide-eyed, looking a little horrified, as if she was just as shocked as he was. Definitely a different look than the one she’d given him last night at the final stop on the pub crawl.
Ellie had caught up to his group, carrying a deck of cards and hitting all the players with two more, Collin and Gary last. “Remember to come back to the museum after this—see if you’ve got the best hand.” She’d focused her gaze on Gary. “Winner gets seven hundred and ten dollars.”
Gary pulled his cards from his pocket, fanned them out, and frowned. Deep lines formed at the sides of his mouth. “I got nothing.”
Collin frowned, too, but didn’t show his cards. He had three jacks. But was it worth going back to the museum to see if his was the winning hand? If he ended the night anywhere near Ellie, his buzz might threaten his resolve to cool things between them. He shook his head. “Got a bunch of bricks here, too.”
Gary shook his head. “Might as well stick around here, and drown my sorrows in another beer.” He slapped Collin on the shoulder. “You with me, man?”
“Sounds like a plan.” Collin didn’t dare look Ellie in the eyes. A white-haired lady tugged on Ellie’s sleeve, eager for her cards. While Ellie talked with her, he and Gary headed to the bar.
That was the last Collin had seen of Ellie.
Matt shifted his amused gaze from Ellie to Collin. “You know my sister?”
Son of a…
Ellie was Matt’s sister?
“He came into the gallery.” Ellie threw his words back at him like daggers, giving Matt the same whitewashed story that Collin had told Gary last night.
Matt bobbed his head. “Amazing what she does, isn’t it?”
“Definitely,” Collin said.
Matt flicked his index finger between himself and Collin. “We met at the pub crawl last night. I had a couple beers with him and Gary Holdren.”
Ellie nodded, but stayed silent.
Collin had t
o leave—now. “Looks like you’ve got a group heading out.” He glanced through the window, and hitched his chin in their direction. “Am I in time to catch up with them?”
Matt turned his hands palms up. “Full raft. Got another group going in an hour, if you’re willing to wait around.”
Hell no.
Collin exhaled. “Maybe another day, then.”
“Tell you what,” Matt said. “Pete’s coming in to do the desk gig while me and Ellie take a raft out to fix the Splash Cam.” He scrubbed his hand through his hair—the same color as Ellie’s. Eyes, too. “Beastly rapids on that route. Want in?”
Ellie stared at the worn, wide-plank floor.
“Ride’s on me,” Matt said.
Collin’s chest tightened as too many seconds ticked past. “How can I say no to that?”
Even though I wish I could.
Ellie rolled her lips in, and rubbed them together.
“Sweet.” Matt gave Collin a wily grin as he came around the counter. “Time of your life, I promise.”
—
As the raft pitched over the steep run of rapids and sluiced to the bottom, Collin’s body went weightless, his head light. Plumes of frothy water sprayed into the air, soaking him, Ellie, and Matt as they splashed at the base, sheer faces of rock towering along the riverbanks, blue sky blazing.
On the other side of the raft, Ellie hollered out, then raised her face to the spray, her eyes squeezed shut, her helmet tipped on her head.
Collin remembered her saying that she wished he’d driven the motorcycle even faster during their ride to RMBL. Clearly she hadn’t been jacking around. She was into adventure, plain and simple—which made her even hotter.
“That was a smoker.” Matt called out from his position at the back of the raft. If it hadn’t been for his navigation skills, the three of them might’ve drowned more than once by now. “That hairy enough for you, man?” he asked Collin.
