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Checking the drawers and cupboards to make sure she hadn’t missed anything, Ellie decided to take a shower.
It was while she was washing off the dirt and grime of an eventful day, allowing the hot spray to soothe and relax her muscles, that she realized she hadn’t told anyone about Blaze and the foal, so they could keep an eye on them overnight.
Well, there was no way she was going to search any of them out after everything that had occurred that evening.
Sighing and casting a longing eye over at the comfypajamasshe had brought to change into, Ellie realized that she’d have to get dressed and look in on the animals herself. No matter what the provocation, she couldn’t let them suffer for other people’s mistakes; hers included.
She trudged back up to the attic and changed into a clean pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.
The kitchen was silent and empty when she ventured back down the stairs. She didn’t know what they’d done about dinner, but clearly no one had worried unduly about her, since there didn’t appear to be a covered meal or any leftovers in sight. She was glad it helped her resolve, even if her tummy chose that precise moment to grumble its complaint.
She poked aroundinthe fridge and made herself a quick ham and cheese omelet along with an insulated mug of coffee to take with her, before heading out to the stable.
She was pleased to see that both Blaze and her baby seemed to be doing just fine. Not wanting to disturb them, but not wanting to keep going back and forth from the house, either, she perched herself in a little nook between hay bales and feed sacks and must have eventually dropped off to sleep. She awoke from steamy X-rated dreams of stroking hands and passionate kisses, powerful lust and steamy encounters to the sound of heavy footsteps crunching across the concrete floor. She stiffened to begin with, thinking it must be one of the Carson’s, then relaxed when Tono came into sight.
“Hey,” she greeted him quietly, so he wasn’t startled by her presence.
“What are you still doing up, Ellie, girl?” he asked affectionately. “I thought you’d be out for the count by now.”
“I was just checking on Blaze,” she replied noncommittally, hoping she sounded suitably casual. She wasn’t certain she’d pulled it off.
“Well, she looks just fine, so you can get back to your bed now.”
A half-formed idea sprung into her head. “Actually, are you on your way to town? Do you think you could give me a lift back to my car?”
“Tonight?” Tono’s eye’s beetled together in surprise. Ellie just shrugged.
“Well, if it’s not too much trouble, that is.” She dipped her head and avoided his gaze.
“Well, I don’t rightly see why it would be any trouble. Just wondering why you’re cutting out in the middle of the night when everyone’s asleep. You need to get somewhere?”
Ellie glanced at him and shuffled from foot to foot. She felt awkward now.
“Look, it doesn’t matter. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, I just thought…” Her voice trailed off with a slight hitch and she looked away.
She sucked in a bracing breath. “It doesn’t matter,” she said, trying for bright and failing miserably. She started to walk away, but Tono caught hold of her arm and pulled her to a halt.
“What’s going on Ellie?” he asked gruffly, searching her face, and she knew he’d caught the telltale glaze of tears in her eyes even though she blinked them quickly back.
“I…” she sucked in a shuddering breath. “They want me to leave and I don’t think I’ve got it in me to stay until the bus comes past on Monday.”
“Huh! So, they’ve settled on them city girls, have they? And here I thought they had a lick of sense between the three of them.” He scratched behind his ear and shook his head.
“But what’s got you so upset that you’re after leaving in the middle of the night?”
She gave him a tiny, sorrowful smile that didn’t touch her eyes. “It’s all gone to hell in a hand-basket, Tono.”
He gazed at her seriously for a long moment, then gave a single brief nod. “I’ll take you back on one condition, and that’s that you tell me what kind of stupidity has got into those boys’ heads to be cutting loose a gem like you.”
“You know about the wife thing, then.” It wasn’t really a question, more of an observation, but he answered her anyway.
“That I do. Wasn’t sure about the sense of it, but I thought things were looking up when you came along.”
Ellie nodded her agreement. Wasn’t like she’d be telling him anything he didn’t already know then.
It was a scant ten minutes later when Ellie slumped back against the headrest and stared out at the inky night as they bumped along the roadless tracks back towards Libby.
During the trip, she told Tono everything that had happened. She didn’t feel like she was making excuses or telling tales. Hell, he’d seen some of it with his own eyes, and it wasn’t like she needed to convince him of anything. Besides, none of it mattered anymore, did it? This time tomorrow she’d be far away and all of it would fade into a distant memory.
