by Lori Ryan
“Elle?” Tanner prompted.
She raised her head and studied the men who had been so integral to all the successes in her life. If she didn’t have their support she wasn’t sure she could do this.
“I bought it,” she finally blurted out.
Three sets of wide eyes turned to her.
“You did what?” Brody was the first to break the silence.
“I bought it,” she repeated.
“Seriously?” Tanner asked, stepping toward her.
“Seriously.” She studied all three men, their mouths slack.
“When?” Brody asked.
“Six days ago,” she said.
“How long have you been planning this?” her father asked, sweeping his arm across the room. “Buying the studio, I mean.”
She shrugged. “I guess I’ve always thought of it.”
“Do you miss it, miss dancing?” Tanner asked.
Elle watched quietly as her family surveyed the studio, their faces filled with concern. They would always worry about her, she knew that, but her heart said they’d eventually come around and support her dreams, like they had everything else in her life.
“Sometimes,” she said. “I miss teaching the most. I was teaching some classes at Tisch during my graduate studies.”
“I remember.” Her father smiled. “You were a great teacher.”
“You were a great dancer,” Brody added.
“Is a great dancer,” Tanner corrected with a huge smile.
“This is what you want to do, sweetheart?” Her father stepped closer.
“Yes,” she nodded, “I think I do.”
His gaze moved around the area as he rubbed the back of his neck, something he did anytime he was worried.
“I can still work at the resort,” she added quickly. “I’ll do this part-time. Most of the classes will be in the afternoon and evening anyway. I’ve talked to a woman who might want to teach some yoga and barre classes in the mornings.”
“Sweetheart,” her father stroked her arm, pulling her hand into his, “if this is what you want, if this is your dream, you know I won’t stop you, right? We’ll be behind you one hundred percent.”
Tears pricked Elle’s eyes. “I know. Thank you.” She sat Cheeta down on the floor to wipe at her eyes. The dog scurried down the hall.
“Looks like Fido wants to show us the rest of the place,” Brody said, following after Cheeta.
“How many rooms do you have?” Tanner asked, trailing behind Brody.
“This floor needs to be redone soon,” Brody called from one of the studios.
Elle smiled. “I know.” How could she ever have worried her family wouldn’t support her.
“Maybe Shawn can come take a look,” Tanner added. “We can help him with the labor, cut the cost for you.”
And just like that, her brothers accepted her decision.
“I’m proud of you, kiddo.” Her father squeezed her shoulder.
She collapsed into his arms. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner, it’s just…”
“You don’t have to explain, Elle. You’re stretching your wings, you’re ready to fly.” He pulled back. “And I couldn’t be prouder.”
“Thank you.” She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
“You look so happy, it makes my heart ache.” He pushed back a piece of hair from her forehead as if she were a small child. “I’m glad he came back. I’m glad he found you.”
Elle swallowed the lump in her throat, afraid she may actually break down and cry.
“It’s not too late for you either, Dad.”
He shook his head and laughed.
“Emmett and I went to the Kissing Cave,” she admitted.
He cocked a brow. “You did.”
She smiled and nodded.
“Did you carve your initials?”
“Of course.”
He studied her. “That sounds pretty serious.”
“It is, Dad. It is.”
“Good. But the boy needs to come see me first before you make any more life-changing decisions, okay?” He tapped her nose then kissed the end of it.
“Okay,” she said. “I found another set of initials in the cave?”
Her father went stiff and his smile fell.
“It’s not too late for you either, Dad,” she repeated, not letting him ignore her earlier comment.
Her father did the same this time, grasping her arms and moving her aside. “Show me the rest of the studio.”
“I noticed you and Sally’s initials were never crossed through.”
“That was an oversight on Sally’s part I’m sure. She’s so stubborn, if she knew our initials were still there she’d probably march up to the cave and blow it up with dynamite.”
Elle couldn’t help but laugh. “I think you’re wrong, Dad.”
Her father studied her as if she were an alien, her words a foreign language.
“Hey, Elle,” Brody called out, “come here. I think you may have to replace this mirror in studio three.”
“What?” she shrieked.
“Yeah, Tanner just looked at it and cracked the damn thing in two.”
She and her father burst into laughter.
“Screw you,” Tanner said, “you’re the one who looks and acts like a horse’s ass.”
“We better go break those two up,” her father said, smiling down at her.
“Thank you, Dad.”
“For what?” He slipped his arm around her shoulders.
“For always being there for me, even when I wouldn’t let you.”
“Your scan is coming up, right?”
Elle stiffened. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Have you told him yet?”
Elle knew the him her father meant without asking. “Yes. I think he’s going to come with me.”
What she didn’t say was that she’d asked her doctor to tack on some fertility testing while she was in New York. That part, she hadn’t told Emmett either. If she couldn’t give him the family she knew he wanted, they wouldn’t have a future together.
She needed to find that out for sure, see what the extent of the damage was to her reproductive system from the chemo, before her relationship with Emmett went any further.
Her father stopped her and turned Elle to face him. “Good. The only way you’ll worry him is by not being honest. It’s his choice to make. I made that mistake once and so have you.”
Her father’s eyes bored into her and she wondered just how much he saw. Could he tell she hadn’t told Emmett all of it? Hadn’t told him about her likely issues with getting pregnant?
Elle stared down at the floor but nodded.
The moment was broken when the bell above the front door chimed.
“Elle! You here?”
Emmett.
Her heart sang with surprise and tightened with fear, all at once.
“Down here,” she called out, leaning into the hallway.
“There you are.” Emmett stopped abruptly. “Oh, hey, Mr.—I mean Warner.” Emmett’s eyes shot to her father’s then to hers. She hadn’t told him she was bringing them to her studio.
“Hello, Emmett.” Her father beamed, stepping forward to shake his hand. “Boys!” He called over his shoulder. “We need to get to dinner. Pops will wonder where we are.”
Elle watched as her brothers filed down the hallway, swatting at each other like twelve-year-olds. They halted as they glanced up and saw Emmett.
“Hey Brody,” Emmett said, nodding his head. “Tanner. What do you think of Elle’s new place?”
“I think I would like it a hell of a lot more if she would have told me weeks ago.” Tanner bristled. “I could have toured through the place and given her my opinion on what needed to be done.”
The clicking of Cheeta’s nails echoed in the hall.
“Hey, Killer,” Emmett said, squatting down to scoop Cheeta into his arms.
“Well, I’ll be damned, that rat likes you.” Brody laughed.<
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Elle smiled as Cheeta burrowed down into Emmett’s arms. “What can I say,” Elle glanced up at Emmett as she scooted next to him, sliding her arm into his. “He has a way with the ladies.”
“Oh, God, I think I threw up in my mouth.” Tanner gagged.
Her father swatted his head.
“Did you tell them about the journals?” Emmett asked Elle. “I was thinking we could see if your dad or grandfather know anything about Elsbeth’s photographs.”
Elle shook her head, then quickly summarized the research Emmett was doing for her brothers and father.
Emmett took over when she’d finished. “Some of the documents mentioned that Elsbeth started photography after her break-up with Emmett. It would be great to find some of her photos.”
Elle looked up at him. “Emmett’s going to include some of the details in his next book. Finding the pictures would really bring things to life.”
Brody and her father looked interested. Her father promised to ask Pops if they had any old documents or photographs, but it was Tanner’s reply that surprised Elle.
Her brother looked from Emmett to her and back again. “So, the other Elsbeth and Emmett were kept apart by their families?”
“Yes,” Elle said, “because of the family feud over the mountain.”
Emmett nodded. “Elsbeth wrote in her journal that Emmett’s father, Lazarus Sumner, never forgave her father, Ezra, for making him sell him part of the mountain to satisfy a gambling debt. Since they were friends and had traveled out west together for gold, Lazarus just assumed Ezra Noble would forgive the debt and move on.”
Elle noticed all the men leaned forward to hear more. Emmett was a natural story teller.
Emmett continued. “When Ezra refused and forced Lazarus to give him a quarter of Canyon Creek Mountain to pay off the debt, Lazarus was furious. He told people that Ezra had swindled him out of his part of mountain. I would suspect Ezra Noble was only trying to make sure his friend learned not to gamble.”
“That’s not the way I’ve heard the story told,” Tanner said.
“I know,” Emmett said. “There have been a lot of rumors over the last two hundred years. I’m hoping this new book can clarify things for the town and maybe mend some fences.”
They remained silent, Elle knowing one such person would be Pops.
“When their parents found out about Elsbeth and Emmett’s relationship,” Elle said, “they refused to let them marry. Emmett married someone else, but Elsbeth never married.”
Tanner’s eyes softened as his gaze landed on hers. Elle had a feeling he was beginning to understand the damage that could be done by a feud based on a century-old misunderstanding. The families had been fighting for generations over one man’s gambling debt, and another man’s pride. It was time to let it go.
Tanner turned to Emmett. “I think Great Aunt Vera has some old trunks up in her attic.” Elle noted that the previous begrudging tone of his voice was gone, replaced by genuine interest. “I used to get into them when I was little. She’d shoo me away and tell me the things inside were too fragile for little boy hands to play with. I can ask her if she’ll let you take a look at them.”
Emmett’s face lit up with a huge smile, and Elle wondered if it was only for the excitement of the possible find or if it had something to do with the fact her brother seemed a little more willing to let go of the past now. “That’d be great, Tanner. Thanks.”
Tanner gave a nod and Elle’s father broke the moment. “Let’s go, Brody and Tanner. Pops is waiting.”
“You guys coming to dinner, Elle?” Tanner said.
“No, Emmett has volunteered to do a little more painting with me tonight.”
Brody studied her. “I could have helped.” She thought she heard disappointment in his voice.
“I know, but I didn’t want to bother you. Next time for sure.” She smiled and patted his chest. “I’ll need you for the floors.”
“Sounds good Elly Belly.” Brody bent and kissed her gently on the cheek.
Emmett snorted at the nickname, but Elle glared and pointed a finger. “Don’t you dare say it,” she warned.
Cheeta reached out and licked her finger.
“You either, little girl.”
“Bye, sweetheart.” Her father squeezed her shoulder and kissed her temple. “I’m proud of you. I know you’ll soar.”
“Come on Old Man Number Two,” Tanner clapped her father on the back. “Old Man Number One is going to be pissed if we don’t get home soon. Pops said something about getting to bingo.”
Elle swallowed back a giggle, trying to suppress the memory of her grandpa and Ms. Parker making out. She had a feeling she knew what bingo would entail for those two.
“What’s so funny, brat?” Tanner asked.
“Nothing.” She smirked.
Elle watched as her brothers and her father said their good-byes to Emmett and made their way out the door.
“So,” Emmett slid next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist, “you going to tell me what that smirk was all about?”
Elle turned her attention from the door to Emmett’s eyes. “Nope.” She shook her head, smiling wide as she walked around the counter. Her calendar lay open next to the laptop and her smile fell when she remembered her upcoming doctors’ appointments.
“Elle, what’s wrong?”
Her heart screamed to talk to him about the infertility, but she was scared. What if he didn’t want her if she couldn’t have children? He already had to deal with the fact her cancer might come back. What would be the tipping point where he decided it was too much and walked away? No, she couldn’t, not until it was a real concern.
“Nothing, why?”
His hands slipped around her shoulders and he squeezed. God, it felt good. “You were smiling two seconds ago and now you’re frowning. And your shoulders are hard as stone.”
She pulled away. “I guess I’m just stressed and nervous about the opening and worried about everything I still have to do.”
“That’s why I’m here.” Emmett grinned. He studied her intently, his gaze going right through her. “You okay? You’re not feeling sick, are you?”
Actually, Elle had been tired lately, exhausting easily when performing her normal chores. Her stamina seemed to be slipping, too. Not that she’d tell Emmett. She knew it was likely just because of the double workload she was carrying. Once the studio opened and she cut back at the resort she’d be fine. She hoped.
“Elle?”
His smile faltered and she hated that. He was her super hero. But he couldn’t save her, not if the scan showed her cancer had returned. She placed her hands on Emmett’s strong chest. “I’m just tired tonight. Can we skip out on painting and maybe go back to my place?”
Emmett kissed her head. “I can make that happen.”
She slipped her hand into his and followed him to the door. She needed to meet with the fertility specialist, find out if she could give him a family. She needed to get through the tests and her scans, and then she could talk to Emmett, about everything.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Why am I taking you to the vet’s office?” Max asked as he drove the winding road down Canyon Creek Mountain.
“Because Elle’s dog had dental surgery and she’s stuck at her dance studio. I told her I’d pick up Cheeta.”
Max cocked his head and shot Emmett a look that said he’d lost his mind. “Good, God, where do I start? The name of the mutt or the fact he actually had dental surgery?”
“First of all, the he is a she.”
“Jesus H.—” Max broke off, shaking his head, before starting up again. “You’ve gone over to the dark side. You’re a complete pussy, you know that, right?”
Emmett remained quiet. He didn’t feel the need to defend himself.
“Dental surgery? On a dog?” Max groaned. “Are you shitting me, man?
“I know,” Emmett shrugged, “I didn’t know it was a thing either.”
; “Does that little rat of hers even have teeth?” He snorted.
“Yes, I’ve seen them. They’re terrifying.”
Max hit the steering wheel with his palm, a bark of laughter filling the car. “Oh, my God, you’re killing me with this shit, Em.”
Emmett could admit he’d fallen hard for Elle and would do anything to make her happy. Even if it involved dental surgery for a dog. “Plus, the vet clinic is in town and a storm is coming. I didn’t want her to drive back to the mountain alone.”
“You know she’s been doing this shit for years, right? Driving in the rain, the snow, all kinds of weather, way before you got back to town.”
Emmett shot him a look. “Yes, I’m well aware of that, asshole. But I’m here now and I want to make sure she’s safe.”
“You just want to make sure you get a piece of ass tonight so you’re taking care of her dog.” Max nodded. “I get it.”
“I don’t need to pick up her dog from the vet to ensure a ‘piece of ass’ will be had tonight.” Emmett used air quotes. “You may have to lure women into your bed with favors, but trust me, I don’t.”
Max wiggled his hips behind the steering wheel. “Are you shitting me? Not with the size of my dick. It’s legendary.”
Emmett was the one to laugh now. “Yeah right, legendary because they can’t find it, not even with both hands.”
“Whatever, asshole.” Max shook his head as he pulled into a parking space in front of the Canyon Creek Veterinary Clinic.
Dr. Kayleigh Montgomery had been the local veterinarian for the tri-county area for almost three years. Elle, Maggie, and their cousin Lily were good friends with Kayleigh, and Emmett had hung out with her several times.
“Look, I’m happy for you,” Max said. “That you and Elle have reconnected I mean, but I have to ask you something.”
“What?” Emmett asked, fearing Max’s question.
Max shoved the car into park and sat back in his seat. “Are you worried?”
“About what?” Emmett knew exactly what Max was asking.
“The cancer. Are you worried about it coming back?”
“Of course, I am,” Emmett said with surprising ease. He didn’t know when he’d come to grips with the fear that Elle’s cancer might someday return. “Who wouldn’t be.”
