Joe added his condolences to the judge’s and then perked up. “Do you like dogs?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Good. You can help us find him. Come along now.” Joe waved Ryder to the stairs. “He doesn’t like me and the judge. Hightailed it out of here as soon as Ellie left. We haven’t seen hide nor hair of him since.”
“Do you have any dog biscuits for him? He might come if you bribe him with a treat,” Ryder suggested. He’d said more in the last few minutes than he’d said to Nate the entire time they were in the barbershop.
“That’s a grand idea. Ellie, that’s my granddaughter,” Joe explained to Ryder, “she went to Penelope’s Pet Emporium and came home loaded down with five bags. There must have been treats in one of them. Do you remember where she put everything, Judge?”
“She left the food in the kitchen and the toys and dog bed in her room.”
“Righto. Off we go.” Joe pulled Ryder along with him. The kid shot Nate a wide-eyed glance over his shoulder but went along with Joe without protesting.
This might not be a bad idea after all, Nate thought, watching them head for the kitchen together. The older men might be a good influence on the kid. At least they’d help keep him busy.
“Where’s Ellie?” Nate asked the judge.
“Up on the roof.” He looked at the ceiling. “I haven’t heard her hammering for a while now.”
Stubborn woman, Nate thought, ignoring the surge of admiration rising up inside him. It seemed there wasn’t anything Ellie couldn’t handle on her own.
“I’ll go give her a hand.” He left his helmet and duffel bag on the chair by the stairs and headed for the door.
“See that’s all that you do, Mr. Black. I’ll be keeping a close eye on you,” the judge called after him.
Nate smiled. The judge might just be his favorite person in Highland Falls. “Trust me, I don’t have romantic designs on Ellie. We’re just friends. And it’s Nate.”
As he rounded the side of the inn, he spotted the ladder. He made sure it was well secured before climbing up. She weighed a lot less than he did. “Ellie?” She was lying on the roof with her eyes closed.
She turned her head, shielding her eyes with her hand. “Hi.” She smiled. “Nice haircut.”
He ran his hand over his military-short hair as he walked over, stretching out beside her. “You don’t seem surprised to see me. Mrs. M let you know I was on my way?”
“She did, and the twenty other people who’ve called me in the last hour also shared the news. I hear you’ve got Ryder with you.”
He nodded. “And I hear you’ve got yourself a dog.” He didn’t tell her the dog was missing. He figured Ryder would find him. She didn’t need something else to worry about.
“Bri brought him this morning and asked if we could keep him.” Ellie filled him in on her conversation with her sister and on her concerns that Richard had hurt the dog. She’d taken him to the vet before she went to the pet shop. “The vet said nothing was broken or cracked, just badly bruised.” She shook her head. “And I let my sister go back to Richard. I should have forced her to stay.”
“You did what you could. You let her know you were here for her. It sucks, but there’s not much more you can do for her, Ellie. It’s up to Bri.”
“My brother said the same thing. He’s an ER doctor and has treated a number of abused women. He’s going to talk to someone who specializes in abuse. Hopefully they can give us some advice.”
“Does your brother know what your mother’s up to?”
She nodded. “He’s been through a lot the last year and a half, and I didn’t want to unload on him. But he knew I was keeping something from him and wouldn’t let it go until I told him. He’s going to talk to my mother. If anyone can get through to her, it’s Jace. He’s her favorite.” She turned her head to look at him. “Okay. Your turn. What’s going on with Ryder?”
He told her as much as Gina had told him. “So obviously it’s worse than she led me to believe if foster care is on the table.”
“The poor kid. It has to be tough losing a parent at his age, and the way he lost his father must make it so much worse.” She touched his arm. “I’m sorry. I know it’s hard for you to talk about Brodie. This has to be tough for you too.”
“It is. Gina blindsided me. I’m supposed to be out there getting the guy who orchestrated Brodie’s murder, and I’m stuck here babysitting his son.” He held up his hand. “That was a crappy thing to say. I love the kid, but do I really look like a guy you leave your fifteen-year-old with?”
“You probably don’t want to hear this, but I think you’re exactly who Ryder needs right now, and Gina must have thought so too.”
“Time will tell, I guess.” He looked around. “So what are you doing up here?”
“I fixed the roof.” She sat up, leaning forward to pick up a hammer several inches from her feet. It caught on a tile and pulled it up. “Sort of fixed the roof, and now I’m hiding.”
He grinned. There was something about her that made him smile, which was an impressive feat considering how he’d been feeling. “Who are you hiding from?”
“Life. Sadie, Abby, Granny, and the Sisterhood.”
“They’re not all on the matchmaking bandwagon, are they?”
“No. Just Granny. But that’s only because Happy Ever After Entertainment announced the three finalists for most romantic town in America, and Highland Falls is one of them.”
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” he asked, sensing she wasn’t happy about it.
“Yes. It’s awesome. But it would be even more awesome if Abby, Sadie, and the Sisterhood hadn’t come up with the brilliant idea that I redo the guest rooms. They want the redesign to reflect romantic literary couples, and I have nine days to get it done. That’s when the executives from the production company arrive to make their decision.”
“Do you want to reno the rooms? I’m sure they’d understand that with everything going on, it’s a big ask.”
“I know they’d understand if I bowed out. But it’s a good idea. The inn could use a face-lift.”
“Okay then, I’ll make you a deal. You help me with Ryder, and I’ll help you with the renos.” He held out his hand.
“Deal. But on one condition. You don’t pay for the room while you’re here. That way I won’t feel guilty when I crack the whip.”
He swallowed as an image of Ellie in black leather and carrying a whip came to mind. So much for keeping her in the friend zone. At least in his mind.
Chapter Eight
Ellie sealed their deal with a handshake. Nate had great hands, big and strong and a little rough. She looked from his hand to his face and smiled. As dangerously sexy as he’d been with his long hair and beard, she preferred this clean-cut version of him. This was the man she’d spent the night dancing and laughing with at the wedding. The man who’d made her heart beat faster and made butterflies dance in her stomach.