“No, no. Not us.”
“Put too much work into this place,” Bear added.
That was obvious to Wren as she looked around the cabin. The wood trim and fireplace looked original, but the kitchen, open to the living room, was full of new appliances and definitely had a more modern layout.
“Your home is gorgeous,” she told them. “I’d hang on to it, too.”
Ellie was already halfway to the kitchen. Wren, Bear, and Elias followed her.
“Thanks! We have friends who’ve been house hunting.” She pulled a couple of water bottles out of the fridge and handed them to Wren and Elias. “They’re renting now down in Lyons and haven’t seen anything they absolutely love yet.” Ellie grabbed Bear’s hand. “Wouldn’t it be great to have them living nearby? Can you imagine?”
Bear’s eyes twinkled, seeing his wife so excited. He nodded.
“If you don’t mind, I’d love to be the one to bring them to Chase,” Wren said. “I’m trying to build my real estate photo business and bringing potential buyers to an agent would help.”
“Of course.” Ellie nodded happily. “I’ll give Gina your contact info. She and Lachlan are looking for something quiet and kind of out of the way.”
“Well, that’s certainly the neighborhood.”
“Are you totally new to photography?” Ellie topped off Wren’s water glass as she asked.
“No. I used to photograph people. For magazines and newspapers. And online.”
“Oh, like for news articles?”
“More like feature stories. Human interest.”
“Cool. Would I know any of your photos?”
Wren’s cheeks warmed. She always felt weird talking about the details of her career with people she’d just met, hoping they didn’t think she was name-dropping.
“Well, I photographed Barbie a couple months ago for Vogue.”
“I don’t read Vogue, but that’s a big-deal magazine. Is Barbie a model or something?”
“No, not anymore. She’s an actor now. Barbie Gillis? Have you heard of her?”
“Are you kidding? I love her in everything she does. What’s she like in real life? Or did you only meet her the one time?”
“No, actually, she’s my bestie.”
Ellie’s eyes rounded. “Oh, wow.”
“So, she’s nice?” Wren smiled and shrugged. “She’s funny. Very funny person. Which, kinda goes along with someone who does comedy.”
Ellie must have sensed Wren’s discomfort because she didn’t press. “So you wanted to do something different with your photography?”
“I did.” Not that she was totally done photographing people, but she couldn’t talk about her next gig, at least not yet. “It’ll be fun working on your property.” She took a drink of water.
“If you’ve got time now, I’d love to show you around.”
“Absolutely.” She glanced at Elias. “If you’re not in a hurry?”
“Not at all. Bear and I will catch up in here,” he said.
Wren and Eliasended up staying for lunch at Ellie’s insistence. “The least I can do is feed you after dragging you around the entire property.”
They hadn’t actually seen everything—Ellie owned acres of land covered in forest and craggy outcroppings—but what they did explore took Wren’s breath away. So did the story of Ellie’s inheritance and how she almost lost everything. Bear literally saved her life. Wren found herself wiping away a tear at the end of Ellie’s story. Bear might have the size, but Wren knew Ellie was just as strong as the big man in her own way.
