EllaElla curled her fingers into a ball, holding them tight in front of her in a way that she hoped looked demure and repentant. Her fingernails dug into her palms. She tried her best to remain calm as the woman in front of her continued the nasty tirade.“The guests are reporting that the rooms are unsatisfactory.” Delores's hand came down hard on the big oak desk, shaking the smiling pictures of Delores and her biological daughter with various celebrities. Her green eyes blazed at Ella as if the failings of the entire inn and resort were all Ella's fault. “They say that the air conditioning isn't working correctly and no one is doing anything about it.”“I'll have maintenance look into the air conditioning,” Ella replied slowly, once she was sure she was supposed to reply at all. She kept her tone calm and respectful. Delores was her stepmother and her boss, after all. “We need new ones. These should have been replaced last year.”“New ones?” Delores squawked, holding a hand to her
EllaElla hurried out of the stuffy office. She grabbed the door, finding that it had once again swung open on it’s own again. Not much, just a couple of inches. The latch needed to be reset. Ella put it on her mental list of things to fix. Once outside and down the hallway, Ella took in a deep, relaxing breath.Hopefully, Delores would be busy with schmoozing her wealthy patrons for the next few hours and wouldn't find ways to make Ella's life more of a living hell.Not that even a billionaire and his sister would be able to stop her, Ella thought bitterly. She shook her head as she walked quickly past the main entrance with the marble entryway that Delores had insisted on and the inn was still paying for. She nearly ran into a man in a black suit with a thin black tie. Ella assumed he was part of the billionaire's security team and simply apologized and kept walking.As soon as Ella turned twenty-two, her father's will stipulated that the inn would go to Ella as long as she had work
Ella“I’m sorry, please-” the man moved slightly and she nearly lost her nerve. He was gorgeous. Perhaps the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. He had defined cheekbones, dark flowing hair, and blue-green eyes that reminded her of the ocean on a calm day. And that was just his face.“You can't be in here, sir,” she amended, remembering that he was probably one of the billionaire's guests and that she should at least be a little polite. He was wearing a very nice, pale blue dress shirt and slacks that probably cost more than she saved in a year.“Please, don't make me leave.” The man's beautiful eyes darted toward the open barn door and he crouched a little lower behind the stall. “I just need five minutes.”“For what?” The words came out sharper than she intended, especially if he was one of the billionaire wedding guests. She couldn't take her frustration with Delores out on them, so she crossed her arms, hoping that the man didn't have some sort of strange horse fetish.The man blu
EllaA soft giggle from the dark on the path outside the barn caught her attention. Jace and Ella froze, their lips so close Ella could feel his breath. The soft sound of high-heels on rock steps brought her down from the happy high she was on. The giggles grew louder along with a “let’s check that barn again.”Speak of the devil.They stopped, a breath away from what promised to be an amazing kiss.The magic spell that wove them together evaporated like mist on the wind. Suddenly, they were just two strangers standing a little too close.“They're back,” Jace said, his shoulders creeping up and his eyes darkening. He released her, but kept his hands on her waist as he stepped back, moving closer to the shadowed corner of the stall. “I wish they would just leave me alone.”His voice was calm and even, but Ella could sense the desperation seeping into his words. She didn't know how she knew it- from the outside he looked perfectly calm and collected, yet somehow she knew.“You really do
EllaShe hurried back over to the Captain’s stall, holding onto the big white horse like a lifeline to sanity. Jace was the Jason getting married the day after tomorrow. No wonder he was so perfect. He was someone else’s.Ella shook her head, trying to keep her heart beat steady and her stomach from flinging its contents all over the barn. He must think her a complete idiot. He hadn't tried to kiss her, he was just catching her from falling. She was the one doing all the kissing. She was a terrible person. She was no better than those vicious trollops hunting for him outside. He was supposed to be getting married!“You okay?” Jace asked after a moment. She was frozen, the brush paused in mid-air. She looked over and her heart sunk just a little bit more. His eyes were still far too blue for her to look at, especially now that she knew they weren't meant for her. He was probably just being nice to her for letting him stay in the barn and hide from the overzealous party guests.“Yeah, I
EllaJace was the only thing on Ella’s mind.She didn't want him to be, but like a splinter that she couldn't quite remove, he was in her thoughts. All night, her imagination had revolved around him. She could smell the soft woodsy scent of his skin, the way the light reflected blue and green at the same time in his eyes, and the soft curve of his lips as he bent to kiss her.Except he had never actually bent to kiss her. That was all in her mind. It had to be. The man was supposed to be getting married tomorrow. Yet, as much as she tried to push him out of her head, he just stayed firmly put.With a determined breath, Ella focused on her day's work. The odds of running into him were low and if she just avoided the barn, she would get everything prepped for this wedding and life would go back to the way it was. Just, hopefully with more customers.The lobby was full of people that Ella had never met, yet she recognized most of them. A-list actors, sports personas, and at least three m
Ella“What happened?” Ella whispered, her hand going to her mouth as she stepped forward to inspect the rags. The dress was completely ruined. Even if it hadn’t been ripped in over a dozen places, there were black stains that would never come out of the once cream-colored fabric.“They lost my dress on the runway. The plane ran over it.” The woman's voice was surprisingly steady, as if she still didn't quite believe it herself. She let out a half-hearted chuckle. “So much for the billionaire service, right?”Ella admired the woman's attempt at humor, even as the chuckle twisted into a sob.“They tried to tell me that it wasn't a big deal, but...” She picked up a corner of the blackened dress and a piece of lace fluttered to the ground. Her hand shook and for a moment Ella was afraid that the woman was going to completely break down. Ella certainly knew that she would collapse in this situation.Ella quickly put her hand on the woman's shoulder and turned her away from the dress. “We'l
JaceJace walked along the lake shore with quick, long strides. He was used to walking fast. In the business world, there was always someone to catch up to and someone to outrun. Life was a competition and only the strong and the fast survived.He sighed. He needed to find a way to stop thinking like that. Madelyn was always telling him that he was becoming more and more like his father. He hated that. His father was a workaholic with no time for his wife or family. A brilliant businessman, but not a good parent and a terrible husband. Jace wanted to be better than his father. It was part of why he was going all out for Madelyn's wedding. The fact that he was putting in so much effort annoyed his father to no end.He paused on the path, glancing around at the carefully manicured lawn and trees surrounding the lake. He hoped he hadn't missed it. He was looking for the small gazebo, the one Ella had mentioned last night. She had said the path was near the main gazebo, but so far he hadn