Vinia put her arm around Ellie's shoulders. "Well, come on in, and we'll get you settled. Cole, grab her bags."
Ellie accepted a mug of coffee and gazed around the kitchen. "This is a pretty amazing place." The kitchen had a rustic look with the large timbers and the dark countertops.
"Wait until you see your room," Vinia preened. "I picked the prettiest one for you, before I even knew it was you."
"I'm staying here?" Ellie's eyes widened. "No, I can't stay here. I'm sure the room is amazing, but I can't stay in it. Not right here."
Vinia glanced at Colton before she spoke. "Where did you think you were going to stay?"
"I don't know. Somewhere off the grid. Somewhere that all those crazies can't sit with their zoom lenses and photograph every move I make." She had no desire to be within range of a sharpshooter. Maybe that was being dramatic, but they had blown up her car, so it wasn't that farfetched.
Colton narrowed his eyes on her. "If you're worried about those reporter types, don't. They won't dare cross me again."
"You don't understand." Ellie struggled to find a way to explain without giving away too much. She didn't want to scare them, and she had no idea how they would react if they knew why she was really there. "They will hound me, day and night. You might think they're scared of you, but they'll just find a way to regroup and try something else. They have no morals or ethics, and they don't care."
Vinia looked at Colton. "The cabin?"
"I don't know if she's ready for that much rusticity."
"What cabin?" Ellie played with her long hair as she asked.
"It's an old hunt cabin up on the mountain." He held up his hand as she tried to accept. "But before you go thinking it's a great idea, there is no electricity, no indoor facilities, no internet. Literally, it's a cabin with an outhouse. That's it."
"It's perfect." Ellie could see the questions in his eyes, but she gave him credit that he didn't ask.
"You like roughing it? Just like that?"
She nodded. "I want to be so far off the grid that everyone forgets who I am."
He shook his head. "Must be a movie star thing, because it's going to be cold up there."
"You don't know how to start a fire?"
Vinia snorted and tried to cough to cover her laughter. Colton folded his arms and stared at her. "You ride horses?"
She didn't, but she wasn't about to let that little detail stop her. "Not for some time, but I can handle it." She crossed her fingers behind her back as she told the little white lie.
"Why didn't you stay at the new-fangled resort? You passed it to get here."
"Colton," Vinia warned.
"It's a legit question, Mama."
Ellie had seen it on the trip in, but Nita had already told her that it was too full of people who very well might know her, and she would have no privacy. "When you live my life, you suddenly find yourself wanting alone time. I wouldn't have gotten that down there."
"If I'm with you up at the cabin, you won't be getting it here either."
As long as her stalker couldn't find her, Curtis, if she had to guess, Ellie didn't care what she had to sacrifice. "You're not paparazzi." She met his gaze and refused to turn away first. "And besides. I can get pampered whenever I want. I don't have to go to a resort to do that."
Colton threw up his hands. "Fine. Cabin it is. You want to leave now?"
"Right now. I am ready." She was actually hungry, but escaping was more important.
Vinia pointed to the stove. "Chili first. It's close enough to lunch time. You two can eat, and then head out."
Colton pulled out her chair. "Let's eat."
Chapter Nine: Up the Mountain
