Haunting Ellie (21 page)

He felt her hands slide up his chest and wrap around his neck, her gloved fingers weaving through his hair. She pulled him down, closer, closer, and returned the kiss. Lightly, tenderly. Slowly, oh so slowly
. He could feel the heavy beat of his heart drumming rapidly in his chest.

A snowflake hit his cheek. And another. And another. Hesitantly, he pulled away. “Still hungry?” he asked.

“Yes.” She nodded. “Starved, but not for food.” That deep, throaty lilt returned to her voice, and
Jon had half a mind to pick her up right then and there and carry her off to his turret, lay her down on the chaise, and do a whole hell of a lot more with her body than sculpt its form.

“That
kind of sustenance,” he managed to croak out, “will have to wait till you’ve put something a little more substantial inside you.”

The smile on her face widened to a grin. Had he said something funny? He didn’t think so, yet she continued to smile, and her amber eyes turned to burning embers.

Snow began to fall more heavily as they stood at the edge of the street, the white flakes dropping like confetti into Elizabeth’s hair. God, how he wanted her—more and more with each passing moment. What had begun as a desire to capture her beauty in bronze had now become a raging desire to capture her heart and soul and make them part of his.

“Come on,” he finally said, slipping an arm around her waist and holding her steady as he led her across the road.
“
I asked Libby to prepare something special.”

Jon pushed open the door of the Tin Cup Cafe and guided Elizabeth inside. He watched her eyes glow even brighter when she saw the “Welcome” sign hanging above the kitchen’s aluminum counter and half the population of Sapphire gathered inside the cafe.

Leaning over, Jon whispered in her ear. “I was mean and insufferable when you arrived a few weeks ago. I’ve been that way a time or two since. But you deserve more than that, Ellie. You deserve the friendship of everyone in town.”

He squeezed her fingers as the gathering of people moved in close. He felt hers tighten, too, and she looked at him and smiled. “I’ll thank you for this later,” she said, and his imagination kicked into gear once again, wondering what
later
would bring.

Harry was the first to greet her, wrapping her in a heartfelt bear hug. Andy came next, shaking her hand and introducing her to the entire Andrews clan—his wife, his seven kids, and his elderly mother and father. Libby took Elizabeth’s coat and gloves, her husband, Jack, placed a glass of wine in her hand, and people laughed and smiled as one after another they made their way toward Elizabeth.

When the introductions subsided, Jon cleared his throat, and standing at the far end of the room, which seemed nearly a million miles from Elizabeth at the other, he raised his mug of beer. “To Elizabeth Fitzgerald,” he began, “the prettiest newcomer to ever set foot in Sapphire. May you find peace, prosperity, and contentment in our community.”

Jon watched her l
ips move, saying a silent thank you. “May you find everything your heart desires here, too, Elizabeth, and a home you’ll never want to leave.”

Applause reverberated against the walls, and someone turned on a stereo. Music filled the room, something slow and soulful, and Jon crossed the floor. He took Elizabeth’s hands and placed them on his shoulders,
then slid his hands around her waist. He moved in close, closer, feeling her fingers glide
over his neck, and he didn’t even care if the entire room was watching.

“This feels so good, I think I could dance all night,” Jon said, moving easily with the music. “How about you?”

“As long as you’re the one holding me.”

H
e pulled her even closer, planning on being that way for a good long while.

Others joined them on the dance floor, but as far as Jon was concerned, they were the only two in the room. He held her tightly, soaking up her warmth and spirit and her generous smile.

A heavy hand slapped down on his back. “Mind if I cut in, Mayor?” Jon hesitantly released Elizabeth to Harry, who wasted no time at all taking his place.

Some of the warmth left her body when Jon stepped away. She turned her head and followed him with her eyes. He joined Andy and Jack and a few other men whose names she couldn’t quite remember, but he turned his gaze toward her and smiled.

His smile warmed her more than she ever could have imagined. And his kiss. She wished she was back in the middle of the road, reliving that first moment their lips had touched. Fire had shot through her. Her toes had tingled, her stomach had quivered, and those lips that had seemed so unremarkable at first didn’t seem that way any longer. They were firm and warm and... and she couldn’t wait to kiss them again.

Harry lumbered around the floor, smiling at her every time he stepped on the toe of her boot. “Not much of a dancer, am I?”

“It’s the company that matters, not the quality of your dancing,”

Harry laughed, twirled her around a time or two, and stepped on her toes three more times.

“Jon took me out to Schoolmarm Gulch today,” she said, when Harry slowed down a little and became more conscious of his feet.

“Yeah, he told me while we were setting up for this little get-together.” She felt Harry’s hand tighten around hers, and she could see anger in the frowning set of his eyes. “Good thing you didn’t go yesterday.”

“Why?”

“I found the cub. She must have come back looking for her mom, or the den. She’d been killed, just like the others.”

Elizabeth felt her throat tighten. “We didn’t see anything when we were there. No traces at all of the cub. We thought she might still be alive.”

“Guess last night’s snow covered up the spot where we found her.” He stepped on Elizabeth’s toes again, the pain not as noticeable as the hurt she felt inside for the cub. “I’ve been in this business a long time,” he said, “but I still can’t get used to the slaughter.”

“Can’t you get more help?”

“I’ve asked, but it’s a big country and there’s a lot of poaching. I’m too well known around here to go undercover, and that’s about the only way we can catch illegal hunters.”

“Mind if I cut back in?” Jon interrupted, sliding a hand around Elizabeth’s arm. “You two are looking a little too serious.”

“Only if you promise not to step on her toes.” Harry laughed. “I’ve done enough of that already.”
He nodded and smiled. “Thanks for the dance, Elizabeth.”

“Thank you, Harry.”

“Harry looked a little serious,” Jon said, when he pulled her close to his chest.

“He told me about the cub.”

A touch of sorrow filled his face, but only for a moment, and then he masked it with a smile. “Hell of a thing to talk about when you’re dancing. What do you say we change the subject?”

“Any ideas?”

“What are you going to do if the hotel doesn’t succeed?”

“It will. I know you don’t want it to...”

He stilled her protests with a gentle finger over her lips. “Pretend I want it to succeed just as much as you. Okay?”

Elizabeth smiled. The stubborn man she was beginning to really, really like was trying his hardest to see her side of things, and she knew it couldn’t be easy. “I don’t know what I’ll do if things don’t work out,” she said. “I’ve got money to fix up the place and to tide me over for a year or two. But if things don’t work out, I’ll have to go somewhere else. There’s no other work in Sapphire, and I don’t think people around here are interested in hiring me for fashion photography.”

Jon’s hand slid into the hair at the nape of her neck. “There’s a big market for wildlife photography.”

“I know my way around a camera, Jon.” She laughed. “But I’d be useless out in the wild.”

“I wouldn’t let you go alone. I could show you places few people have ever been. I know where
wild horses graze, where eagles nest and grizzlies fish.” He leaned over and softly kissed the hollow beneath her ear. “I’ll take you to all those places,” he whispered.

“You trust me, then?” she asked.

He lifted his head and their eyes met. “I should have trusted you all along.”

Yes, he should have, but she wasn’t about to argue the point. He trusted her, that’s all that mattered now. She rested her head against his shoulder as they danced, happy to be in Jon’s arms. Around and around they turned, circling the room time and time again as the evening passed by. They drank wine, ate potluck, and danced some more.

The cafe door opened and Matt stepped inside, bringing the cold and the snow with him. Most people looked his direction and turned away, but not Elizabeth. Jon didn’t look away, either, especially when Francesca Lyon walked in right behind Matt.

Elizabeth looked up. What could Jon possibly be thinking? He’d said Francesca was an old friend; surely it must hurt to see her with Matt. “Jon,” she said, touching his cheek and turning him to face her. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he said through gritted teeth. “She was asking me about Matt when we were together the other night.” He smiled slowly. “Guess she solved her boyfriend problem.”

“Are you upset?” Elizabeth asked.

“What you really mean is, am I jealous. Right?”

“Well—”

“I told you before, Ellie. Francesca’s a friend—nothing more.” He pulled her to his chest, his hand
pressing against her back, holding her close. He leaned over and rested his cheek against hers. “I’m only interested in you. No one else.”

Those were the words she wanted to hear, and she totally forgot about Matt and Francesca.

Hours passed, the dancing continued, and Francesca and Matt departed without saying a word. Jon and Elizabeth nibbled on pies and cakes and cookies, and Harry and Andy poured beer and wine. They line-danced, stood in small groups and talked about inconsequential things, and as the evening drew to a close, Elizabeth watched Jon sitting in a corner with two children on each knee, telling some of the yarns his grandfather had told him long, long ago.

“That
man’s a real catch for the right woman,” Libby said, sidling up close to Elizabeth. “It’s about time he settled down, got married, and had a few youngsters of his own.”

“Are you sure that’s what he wants out of life?” Elizabeth asked.

“It’s what most men want. Some just don’t see it quite as clearly as others.”

“Guess I’ve never seen that life too clearly for myself, either.”

“Well, dear, most of the townspeople don’t have blinders on. We placed bets earlier tonight on when we’ll be holding the wedding reception.” Libby squeezed Elizabeth’s fingers. “I bet late April, and I sure don’t like to lose.”

Elizabeth laughed. A husband? A family? She’d never considered either. But she tucked the thought away. It was something she might consider later.

The evening wore to a close just a little before midnight. Elizabeth insisted on staying behind to
help Libby and Jack deal with the mess, but Libby wouldn’t hear of such nonsense. “It can wait till tomorrow,” she said, and locked the mayor and guest of honor out in the cold.

Snow fell lightly as Elizabeth and Jon stepped out from under the covered boardwalk and onto the street. “Nice night for dancing,” he said, taking Elizabeth into his arms right smack in the middle of the road.

Placing his hands low on her back, he pulled her hips close and danced slow and easy, with her cheek resting on his shoulder. He felt so good, so right, so near.

“Come home with me,” he whispered softly into her ear.

Elizabeth didn’t want to waste time going home—his or hers. She wanted him here and now. But that wasn’t any good. They’d freeze in spite of the heat he was generating in her body. Maybe they could just run across the street and into the hotel, to her room, to...

Oh, Lord. She couldn’t take him there, not with Alexander in residence. Not when Alexander liked to watch. Why hadn’t she just given in and gone immediately to Dalton House?

She made the mistake of looking over Jon’s shoulder at the old Victorian, and high up in her bedroom window, she saw the curtains flutter and noticed a slender-faced figure peering through the glass.

“I take it you don’t like my suggestion,” Jon said, his slow, easy movements coming to a halt.

“I liked the suggestion a lot.” She kissed him quickly and drew away. “It’s just that something’s
come up.” She glanced up at the empty window, at the fluttering curtains, then looked back at Jon. She was torn. But she’d promised Alexander they'd talk tonight. Heavens! Why had she made that promise not to break promises?

She pulled away slowly. “I need to go. I made a promise to someone, Jon. If I don’t go home now...”

He crossed his arms and grinned. “Suit yourself.”

“If I wanted to suit myself, I’d go home with you. But—I can’t.”

His grin widened, and he quieted her words with a kiss. “I have some business to take care of tomorrow, but why don’t we get together after? Four o’clock. My place.”

Her eyes
narrowed. “I usually prefer a little more spontaneity.”

“I was thinking an early dinner—not sex.” He laughed. “Although we could take our chances and see how things progress.”