Page 76 of Wrecked for Love
Annette’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Exactly! See, you get it. Stick with the good. The sordid stuff will just drag you down.”
For her, I agreed. But deep down, I wasn’t sure if we could afford to stick with the good, not with Armand and Lucien still out there.
Suddenly, a cramp coiled in my belly, sharp and unexpected. I winced, my hand instinctively going to my midriff.
“Hey, you okay?” Annette asked, noticing right away. She moved to my side, her eyes filled with concern.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I brushed it off, though I wasn’t convinced myself.
“You look…kinda pale,” she said carefully, like she didn’t want to worry me, but I could tell from her expression that I must’ve looked worse than I felt.
“Go home, Claire,” she urged, her tone more insistent this time.
I hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah, maybe I will.”
I cut my day short and headed back to The Lazy Moose. As soon as I arrived, the sound of rhythmic thuds caught my attention. It didn’t take long to figure out it was Elia—boxing. That was unusual. I walked toward the barn and found him going at the punching bag like it had personally wronged him.
“Since when did this become a thing?” I queried, stepping closer.
Elia wiped the sweat from his brow, throwing me a quick grin. “Bag’s been collecting dust. Figured it was time to put it to use. Gotta stay fit through winter.”
“Are you kidding?” I ran my hand along the hard line of his biceps, my fingers trailing down to his solid abs. “You’re more than fit.”
He chuckled and caught my wrist before I could distract him any further. “You’re home early.”
“Uh, yeah,” I replied, thinking fast. “Short shift. Deliveries got pushed to tomorrow.” The lie slipped out easily. In truth, the cramping had vanished as quickly as it came.
He headed inside to get changed, and that’s when I noticed the huge bruise around his ankle.
“Elia! What the hell?”
He froze, clearly not expecting me to catch sight of those nasty injuries.
“It’s nothing.”
“Those are not nothing!”
He sighed, his words reluctant. “Saddle came loose. I fell.”
“Jesus, Elia! Let me see! What else?—”
He cut me off with a shush and showed me the rest of his body. No other injuries—thank heaven.
“Hey, come on. I’ve fallen off a horse more times than you’ve said ‘Central Park.’”
I couldn’t help but laugh, though I tried to stay annoyed. “I’m not sure I’m loving this version of Elia.”
“Oh yeah?” He pinched my ass.
“Mmhmm. Cheesy! Like New York sausages,” I remarked. “What were you even doing on horseback? Isn’t it time to stay put? It’s fifteen degrees out there.”
“Ranchers don’t stay put, Chili,” he said, shaking his head. “Had to check the fence. The east ridge has seen some dodgy visitors lately. And I don’t think a little snow’s gonna stop them from trying their luck.”
Before I could get another word out—likely a warning for him to be careful—he hoisted me over his shoulder, and I giggled all the way to the house. Hank and the boys, including the newbie, Fritzy, grumbled something as we passed. They were either used to our antics or downright sick of them by now.
Elia settled me on the couch and sat beside me. “Rough day at the store? You look a bit worn out.”
I brushed his concern away with a touch to his cheek. He wasn’t wrong, but my tiredness wasn’t bothering me at themoment. A thought bubbled up. I wasn’t sure where it came from, but the need to share it with Elia was undeniable.
