The early summer sun sank low on the horizon as Ellie Rogers passed the sign that said 'Bakersfield, population 1094. We welcome you!' Her car made a grumbling noise, and smoke had been coming from under the hood for a good few miles.
"Come on, you piece of crap. Just a little farther."
No such luck. The engine sputtered and the lights went out on the dashboard. She managed to steer the car off the side of the road before it came to a complete stop.
"How ironic. I love the way I can make an entrance!" She stepped from the car and slammed the door with more force than was necessary.
Pulling her suitcases from the back, she tossed them on the ground and sat on the biggest one. Her mind began replaying the past five years, and she grimaced. There wasn't much to be proud of.
Eighteen, carefree, and ready for life, Ellie had hooked up with the bad boy in town. A bit of a prude, she delighted in Cole Lucas corrupting her and taking away her innocence. Honestly though, she figured Cole wouldn't do much by way of making a life for himself. And she wasn't sure he would ever grow up.
So when Matthew Warren breezed into town on his wealthy father's coattails, Ellie found herself charmed and delighted. A real gentleman, Matthew took her to fancy dinners and the country club and showered her with gifts. He blinded her. Ellie broke it off with Cole and decided to go with Matthew to his hometown in California. To a small town Ohio girl, it sounded divine.
Ellie felt tears well up when she thought about the day she broke it off with Cole. They had only been seeing each other for a few weeks, but it was long enough she knew she liked him, and was probably on her way to loving him. But she cut the relationship short, so she would never know what might have been.
Cole stood at her door, asking her to stay. His electric blue eyes bore into hers, and they were so bright with frustration and anger and pain...and love, that she had to look away. Ellie tucked her hair behind her ears in a nervous gesture and informed him that she had made her choice. He didn't want to be tied down anyway.
She could still remember the tightening of his chiseled face, the way his jaw muscle twitched up to his temple. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, and Cole spun abruptly, jogging down the stairs of her grandma's porch. She watched him squeal away and watched as his tail lights faded. Then she sat on the step and cried.
Five years later, she was sitting on her suitcase on the outskirts of town at sunset, crying again. Matthew had ended up being a nightmare. He never worked, he spent her money almost before she made it, and the worst part was, he spent the majority of the time high or drunk or a combination of the two. Their wedding never happened, and his parents cut him off after a particularly unpleasant visit.
Ellie hoarded every dime she could, and it took several months, but she finally had enough for gas money to get home. Now, with fifty-seven bucks in her billfold and a broken down car, she hoped against hope that her parents would let her stay. If not, she wasn't sure what would happen.
Wiping her eyes, she sighed and stood, lifting her suitcases. Turning towards town, she started walking.
"Terrible idea. Oh my God, it is so hot. I hate summer."
A half hour had passed, and with each step she wondered why she didn't just call her parents and have them come get her. But deep in her heart she knew it was because she was scared they wouldn't. At this point though, she was almost into town. So at the traffic light, she stopped and set down her bags and fluffed her hair.
"Ugh." She was drenched in sweat. Grabbing a ponytail holder from her purse, she pulled her auburn tresses high off her neck. Swiping under her eyes, she figured that was as good as it could get. She knew she had raccoon eyes.
"Forget it. I don't care what they think."
She waited for the light to change so she could cross the street, and a tow truck came barreling down the road, making it through the light on yellow. Her car dangled off the back of the truck.
"Hey! Hey! That's my car!" Ellie switched directions and headed off after her vehicle.
The tow truck beat her by a rather large margin, and when she stormed through the door of Byron and Co., she knew she looked like a hot mess. With the aforementioned hair and make-up problem, to add to that, her shirt was now wet with sweat, and her feet were filthy.
She let go of her suitcases in the reception area and stomped to the desk. She was angry, but the air conditioning felt so nice it actually reeled in her temper somewhat.
"Excuse me. My car was just towed here, and I didn't ask for it to be."
"Ellie? Ellie Rogers?"
"Yes, it's me. Hi Carl."
"Well I'll be... I hadn't heard you were back in town."
"That's because it just happened. My piece of crap broke down on me so I just walked in. But Carl, I don't know that I want this car fixed." Ellie's mind whirled. What would they charge her for storing it if they didn't fix it? She didn't have much money.
"Well, sheriff put a call in about an abandoned vehicle, and he makes us get 'em off the road. Sorry Ellie. But we won't touch it 'til you tell us to, deal?"
"Thanks Carl. I really appreciate it."
"Carl, where's the.... Ellie?"
That voice. The last words she heard from that voice had been, "Please, just stay with me. Give us a chance." The voice now was surprised, but already she could hear the edge of irritation creeping in.
Ellie turned. Her stomach jerked as she met those blue eyes again after the handful of years. Cole was still sexy as sin. Her mouth practically watered as she took in the changes time had made. He was bigger, more muscular, and his face had changed. There were harder edges, but it only added to his appeal.
"Hi Cole." She didn't know what else to add.
"Where's your husband?"
Ellie cringed. "I don't have one."
Carl's head whipped back and forth, watching the exchange. It was common knowledge around town that Ellie had picked Matthew over Cole. And Carl wasn't going to miss a second of this.
"Divorced already?"
The snide edge to his voice stoked the flames of her anger.
"No, we never married."
"Living in sin, then?"
Ellie's anger crumpled as quickly as it came. "You have no idea." She glanced at Carl and added, "Please, just don't do anything to the car. I can't afford it. I'll let you know what to do with it when I decide."
Ellie gathered what few shreds of self-respect that remained, picked up her suitcases and headed out the door.
"Just what in the hell was that about?" Cole glared at Carl. He felt his frustration mount.