Enzo's walking towards the barn to get the trimmer, there's some weeds he needs to take care of before he can hop on the riding lawn mower to cut the grass. When he approaches the structure, he hears Damon's voice. He's about to back away when he catches Elena's name.
"Mikael, this is a family business, everyone in this town likes Miss Gilbert; this could get messy?"
Enzo's curious now, so he moves a little closer.
"Everything about this place will fit your needs, Mikael but...I haven't approached Elena about selling it outright yet. I'm still assessing her willingness, but I really doubt that she'll want to..."
There's a short pause then Damon speaks again. "Yes, obviously you can purchase it without her consent..."
Enzo's hand curls into a fist. He moves forward, stepping on a stick. "Fuck," he mumbles silently before quickly disappearing around the side of the barn to avoid Damon.
Panicked, Damon's head jerks up at the noise. He doesn't immediately see anyone, but he keeps his answers to Mikael vague just in case as he investigates the sound. When he glances around the corner of the barn, he finds the area clear. Probably just an animal, he thinks, but he can't shake the uneasy feeling settling in his gut.
As Damon approaches the house, he notices Elena throwing some things in the back of her truck.
"Good morning," he says, coming to stand next to her.
"Just the man I wanted to see. Get in."
"Okay?" He studies her for a few seconds, shrugs his shoulders, and slides into the passenger seat.
She hops in with a wink, starts the truck, and pulls away from the lodge.
"Where are we going?" Damon asks Elena as she drives her truck down a bumpy dirt road.
"Fishing." She winks at him again, stopping the vehicle near the edge of the bank. The river, in her generous curves, shines blue amid the leafy green of the surrounding forest. The sound of flowing water is the perfect accompaniment to the natural percussion of insects and other wildlife in the overhanging canopy of Lodgepole and Ponderosa pine.
Damon gets out, closing the door behind him and quickly catches up with Elena as she walks down the short dock. Her boots are loud on the wooden planks, but he can hear crickets and the occasional splash coming from the water.
Damon follows Elena onto the boat. He loosens the rope and tosses it aside while she moves to start the engine. She steers them north for a couple of miles before banking them on the shore. Reaching into a small jar, she slides some fish eggs on the hooks and hands him a line. Standing up, she casts her line, landing it several yards ahead of them with barely a splash.
"Do you need me to cast it out for you?" she sets her fishing pole down.
"I'd feel rather embarrassed if you did, but since I'm a novice, go ahead." He laughs self-deprecatingly.
"No need to be embarrassed. Just watch," she says, casting his line in demonstration before reeling it in for him to try.
"Don't laugh" He gives her a doubtful look, then reaches back and tosses out his line. It lands next to the boat.
"Try it again." Elena smiles at him encouragingly.
Damon nods, takes a deep breath, and casts out the line; this time the hook lands several feet away.
"See! It just takes practice."
"Now what?"
"We wait," she says, sitting down. Before long, there's a tug on Damon's line. His mouth drops, and he starts to reel it in, eyes nearly popping out of his head when he pulls a lake trout from the water.
"Congratulations!" Elena removes the hook, and takes Damon's triumphant picture holding his prize. Afterward, she throws the fish back into the water and lets it swim away.
"We go through all that work to let them go?" He arches an incredulous eyebrow.
"Well, yeah." Elena giggles, and the bell-like sound rides the breeze over to him.
"You people are weird!" Damon jests, the corners of his mouth lifting into a grin.
"I could say the same about city people," Elena teases, but even as she says it, her brows draw together in contemplation. She really likes Damon, is attracted to him and enjoys his fun-loving personality, but the reality is they are very different people from very different worlds. Perhaps she shouldn't allow herself to get too attached?
"Touché," Damon says, and it's his turn to wink.
An hour later, Damon is a fishing expert…well, maybe that's overstating, but he's enjoyed himself and is feeling brave enough to pester Elena into letting him take the helm of the boat for their return trip to the dock. He restarts it and steers north until they're well past the bridge. They're surrounded by water for miles when he cuts the engine and tosses the anchor. Taking a look around, he's breathes in the fresh pine scented air. Montana is truly a beautiful place to visit.
"Come here." He spreads out in the bottom of the boat. Elena feels her joints loosen as she relaxes against him. "I'll have to go back to Chicago soon."
Damon tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, and the feel of his touch makes her shiver. It's so quiet, she can hear every breath he takes, feels it vibrate through him in the cramped bottom of the boat.
"Let's enjoy every moment together until it's our last."
"But that moment isn't today," she points out; she wants to be with him until she can't. It's really that simple.
His hand smooths the length of her hair as he gazes into her eyes. His expression is tender and full of longing. "No. It's not."
His fingers trail down her cheek to her lips, outlining the shape of her mouth. He bends down, his lips against her cheek, brushing it lightly. Shivers run through her whole body, making her tremble. He brushes his mouth against the hollow of her temple then traces the line of her jawbone.
The aching anticipation for his kiss is suddenly too much, and Elena reaches, pulling his mouth to hers. He kisses her gently, carefully, but it isn't gentleness she wants, not when their time is fleeting. She knots her fists in his shirt, and pulls him even closer. He groans softly, low in his throat, and then his arms circle her, gathering her against him as the boat rocks beneath them. The small possibility of falling into the water vanishes as soon as it occurs to her.
All that exists is Damon. His warmth burns through his clothes and hers. She runs her fingers along his arm—soft skin over lean muscle, a scar like a thin wire on his biceps. It's an imperfection that makes him seem even more perfect. He fumbles as he pushes her hair aside to kiss her ear.
She trails her nose across his jaw, inhaling the clean smell of the summer countryside, of him. He releases a pent-up breath, the sound like music. Her pulse taps a fast beat and her breath quickens with it. She strokes his cheek and kisses every inch of his neck until he moans again. They seem to share each breath and heartbeat. It feels to her as if the universe disappears around them and all that remains is the two of them, holding each other close.
Damon kisses her nose, then traces the line of her cheek with his fingertip, a dreamlike intensity in his gaze. "This is incredible, being here with you."
And Elena never wants it to end. She feels feverishly alive, every nerve ending jangling as they watch the sky, enjoying the private moment.
"I agree," she says on a sigh, nestling against his side. "I wish we could stay like this forever." When he toys with her earlobe, she tries, unsuccessfully, to settle her heart back in her body.
"Me, too," he says softly in her ear, then captures her lips in a kiss so fierce and full of longing that it feels like a love song.
Elena's in the kitchen with Sheila, pounding some stew meat for this evening's meal. She looks up when the door cracks open.
"There's fresh coffee in the pot," Sheila says nodding at it.
"Later," Enzo replies as he comes fully through the door. He looks at Elena with uncharacteristic seriousness.
Something about the intensity of his stare leads her to know something's up.
"I need to talk..." he pauses when Bonnie appears, her smile radiant as she approaches him.
"What's wrong, Enzo?" Elena prods, shooting him a pensive look of her own.
"It's about Damon..."
"How could he do that?! Why would he do that?!" Elena's both crushed and furious.
"Elena, calm down!" Sheila tries to placate her.
"I will not calm down," she growls, her fist tightening around the mallet.
"Elena," Bonnie enters the fray, her voice calm and even. "Enzo only heard one side of the conversation."
"I'm not defending him, but Damon did say that buying up this property could get messy," Enzo admits.
"He seems like he really likes you and that's hard to fake," Bonnie adds.
"Bullshit," Elena spits out.
"You care about him," Bonnie continues, drawing Elena's attention back to her. "I know you're pissed. You have every right to be but what are we going to do now?"
"Pissed? You have no idea," Elena slams the mallet onto a piece of steak.
"I know that but you need to calm down so we can come up with some sort of a plan," Bonnie replies, taking a cautious step closer.
Elena exhales heavily, and sets the meat tenderizer down. "Maybe if I can come up with the money to pay a couple months mortgage, it'll be out of arrears?"
"And how are you going to do that? It's not like we can take up a collection?" Sheila looks at her.
"Well for now, I'm going to avoid him. If you'll excuse me, I need to be alone," Elena gives Sheila a quick hug then walks out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.
Elena gets into her truck. Gripping the steering wheel, she stares at nothing for several minutes. She's confused and hurt.
Was any of it real?
Her head snaps to the side when she hears a rap on the window.
Damon.
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she rolls the window down.
"Morning beautiful," he leans forward as if to kiss her but she turns causing his mouth to brush across her cheek.
"I really need to go," she starts the engine for emphasis.
"Do you want some company?"
"No, not today. Bye Damon," she forces a smile, then drives away, leaving him in a cloud of dust.
The sun remains high in the sky, and there's not a hint of cloud on the horizon, Elena is thoroughly enjoying her peaceful drive when she notices Caroline's car. Although she's not really hungry, she could use a dose of her friend's optimism.
Sliding out of the truck, she pockets her keys. She's about to open the door when she hears a familiar voice.
"Elena, hi."
"Tobias, how are you?"
"Good. I'm glad I ran into you. Saves me a trip to the ranch. Do you have a couple of minutes?"
"Sure," Elena says, nodding, already knowing what's coming.
"I have a bidder who wants to buy your notes, so as fiduciary of the bank..."
"Stop," Elena says, shaking her head. "If I can come up with the cash for 2 months, then I'm no longer in arrears, right?"
"Yes, that's true."
"Okay, I'll have a check on your desk next week. Aren't you going to be on vacation soon? I mean, that's what Olivia said?"
"Yes, Elena, but that doesn't mean you can't bring in a check while I'm gone."
"I'll bring it in next week. Now, I really have to get going." She gives him a perfunctory smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes before darting into the café. If she'd lingered longer, the tears pricking her eyes would have spilled over, and she couldn't have that.
Elena's known Tobias for years, he used to give her lollipops when she'd go into the bank with her parents, even set up her first savings account, one she still has today. Realistically, she knows he's not a bad guy and that he has a job to do...
"Elena, hey!" Caroline waves.
"I'm so happy to see you, Care." Elena plops down, dropping her elbows on the table and her face into her palms.
"What's the matter?"
"You remember Damon from last week?"
"That hot guy?" Caroline sets her fork down.
"That's the one." Elena nods when the waitress appears with a pot of coffee.
"Well? What happened?"
"I thought he was here to invest in the ranch...I found out his real purpose is to buy it out from under me. He works for Mikaelson Holdings in Chicago."
Caroline picks up her phone and types into her search engine. "Says here that it's a privately held company owned by Mikael Mikaelson. He specializes in buying boutique properties and turning them into upscale resorts."
"So, he'd turn it into a place that only rich people can afford. I can't let him buy my place. I just can't! I need money," Elena laments, exhaling heavily.
"How much do you need? I can ask Tyler."
"No," Elena answers firmly. "I'm not going to take your money. I need a miracle."
"Stranger things have happened." Caroline reaches for her hand and gives it squeeze.
"Thanks, Care. I knew talking to you would help." Elena sniffs, really smiling for the first time today.
It's been a couple of days, and Elena's been noticeably absent. Damon actually misses her. This whole trip has been so unexpected. In his job capacity, he's traveled to many places, spent time in a lot of little towns, but he's never felt like this before.
Like he could stay here!?
In part to escape his thoughts of Elena and in part to indulge his new fantasy of living the rugged life, Damon takes the afternoon to drive around and explore all that Gallatin has to offer. He was hoping to find something negative, something to dissuade the crazy idea building inside him, but he's had no such luck. He's found only wonders and some exceptionally cool places he can't wait to pester Elena about. If anything, he's even more in love with the idea of leaving his city-slicker life behind. That, or he's just going crazy. Either way, he's extremely thirsty by the time he comes across the local pub…
He's been driving this afternoon in and around Gallatin. Feeling thirsty, he pulls up in front of one of the local pubs and goes inside to have a drink. Noticing Enzo sitting at the bar, he shrugs his shoulders and slides onto the seat beside him.
"Do you mind if I join you?"
"Nope." Enzo signals the bartender. "Give the man a drink."
"Bourbon."
The bartender nods, pours some in a tumbler, and slides it in front of him Damon. (Be careful of pronoun confusion.)
"Thanks," Damon says gratefully, taking takes a swallow. "That's smooth." He feels the light burn going down. "So, are you from this area originally?" He asks, turning his attention to Enzo.
"I am." Enzo's free hand curls into a fist. Since Elena doesn't want Damon to know they're onto him, he forces himself to continues the conversation in a friendly manner. "After college, I moved to Phoenix. Spent a couple years down there. I was feeling unsatisfied, so I decided to move back home."
"I'm sensing that Bonnie had something to do with that?" Damon smirks.
"No, not really, we didn't get together till after I got back," Enzo empties his glass and crooks his finger at the bartender for another then notices a far off look on Damon's face. "What?"
"Sorry, I'm just trying to imagine what it's like staying in one place all the time."
"It's nice to have somewhere to call home. What about you?"
"I love being able to travel," Damon admits.
"Bonnie and I travel during the off season, and in the meantime, we get to live in this little slice of paradise. Whispering Pines is pretty vacant during the winter months although we do open for the holidays. The lodge is incredible at Christmas time," Enzo mentions, and throws back what's left in his glass.
"Have you and Elena known each other for a long time?" Damon asks, taking another swallow of his drink.
"All my life. We spent a lot of time together growing up. My dad died when I was a kid, so her dad kind of took me under his wing. He taught me how to use tools, taught me how to drive, all the and things that dads do."
Damon offers a distracted, "That's nice." His thoughts are whirling, something's niggling at his brain, but he can't quite figure out what it is. "Listen," he says to Enzo, "I have to run. Let me get this." Damon throws some bills on the bar top and leaves abruptly, his thoughts weighing heavily on his mind.
Enzo stares after him, incredulous. What a tool, he thinks.
Damon's sitting alone in the cafe with Elena's file spread out on the table. Sighing, he closes his eyes for a moment.
"So, what are you doing holed up here with a pile of papers? And isn't my cooking good enough?" Sheila asks, "May I?"
"Your cooking is the best. I just needed some privacy, away from the ranch and actually, Sheila, I'm trying to find the proverbial needle in the haystack to save Elena from her worst nightmare."
"And that is?"
"Me."
"That's not true," she says, and lays her hand on his.
"Yeah, it is, in many ways it is, my old self anyway..."
"You're a different person now?" Sheila likes this young man.
"I don't know," he takes a bite of his pie to dispel his discomfort.
"Do you know who first looked for a needle in the haystack?"
"No idea..."
"Don Quixote."
"You must kill at trivia games," Damon arches an eyebrow playfully.
"Yeah...that's actually true," Sheila replies, picks up his spoon and helps herself to a bite of his pie.
"Don Quixote...that didn't end well," he muses.
"You're right, it didn't, so, Damon, what you need to do is rewrite the story," Sheila swipes his napkin to wipe her mouth and stands up.
"You're a very smart woman, Sheila Bennett," he looks up to meet her eyes.
"And don't you forget it," she winks and leaves him with a lot to think about.
Elena's been doing a great job of avoiding Damon, but she can't stay away forever. She has guests to attend to and duties to perform. When she comes downstairs to help prep the bonfire, there he is, standing less than ten feet away. Despite herself, she stares into those cooling blue eyes. A blue as deep as the ocean floor.
"Elena, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about." He takes a small step closer.
Elena takes a step back.
"I think you're avoiding me."
"What was your first clue?" she shoots him a scathing look.
"Well, I think you heard or maybe read something?" He takes another step towards her.
"I know why you're here, and it's not to help me. You have to understand this is my home. It's all I have left of my parents. I'm not going to let your company turn it into a swanky, opulent place that no one around here can afford!"
"I don't want to change anything."
Rage boils through her. "You're lying!" She throws her hand forward as hard as she can, whipping it across his cheek. The crack of skin echoes. Her palm is bright red, matching his face. "Tobias told me you made a bid."
"Son of a bitch!" he curses and rubs his cheek. "That's true, but if you'd just listen..."
"I have been listening. That's the problem, Damon. I actually thought that- I thought that we had something special happening here?"
"There was- there is."
"No." She shakes her head. "You've been using me the entire time, 'Assessing the owner's willingness'." She air quotes the words.
"Elena, I came here for one reason, but that's not why I'm still here."
"I'm never selling my property, ever," she storms out of the room, leaving him dumbstruck behind her.
Damon stands back for a moment, noticing the smile on Elena's face. Her ever vigilant Gus is laying at her feet. Enzo, Bonnie, Sheila, her friend from the bar, Caroline, along with all of their guests are sitting around a campfire on downed logs, arranged in a circle around the fire pit.
Enzo jumps to his feet and tosses some more logs on the dwindling flames. As soon as he does, the dry withered pieces begin to hiss and pop, filling the air with the intoxicating scent of musky smoke and pine needles.
Determined to talk to Elena, Damon risks approaching her, going slowly as if approaching a skittish kitten. He says saying hi close to her ear when she doesn't acknowledge his presence.
"I'd like you to leave. Pretty soon we won't be able to do this anymore so I'm asking you to let us have tonight."
"Elena, just please give me a few minutes?"
She hadn't realized that blue could be such a hot fire until she looks into his eyes. Elena finds herself agreeing despite herself. Sighing, she pulls him aside.
"Open it." Damon hands her an envelope.
"What's this?"
"Elena, your parents bought a life insurance wrapper for their mortgage on the lodge. Do you know what that means?"
"I've never seen this before."
"Tobias Fell said the same thing. He had no idea it existed. I asked for all of the documents related to the lodge. It was buried in the file. I spoke to a lawyer- it's valid."
"It says it should've paid off the mortgage after my parents died?"
"That's right, Elena."
"But I kept making payments…at least I tried." Elena looks up at Damon dumbfounded.
"You're going to receive a check for all that money plus interest. Mr. Fell doesn't want trouble."
"I can't believe this," Elena near-whimpers, flames reflecting off her shimmering, tear-filled eyes. Damon thinks she's never looked more beautiful.
"Your parents, they made sure you would be taken care of if anything ever happened to them."
"So, the ranch, it's mine. The bank can't sell it out from under me?"
"It's all yours, free and clear. Plus, you're going to have a nice little nest egg to fix things up. And that's not all. Sheila showed me your wine cellar."
"What about it? It's old stuff that my parents bought. Once in a while we share a bottle but not very often."
"Some of those bottles sell today for hundreds of dollars, Elena. Not that you need to, but you could auction off half of that wine...fix up the place. And with the bank's check, you shouldn't have to worry about money, at least not for a while."
"I can't believe you did all of this for me, Damon."
"I didn't do anything, Elena other than bringing it to your attention."
"But your job…isn't your boss going to be upset?"
"I'll find him a lodge on another mountain." Damon winks at her.
"It's not that simple." She wipes her eyes on her shirt sleeve.
"Whatever happens, thanks to you, I have finally found where I belong... If I don't lose my job, maybe during the off season you'd consider traveling with me?"
"You want to show me the world?" Her hand lifts to his face; the warmth flows through her fingers.
"Absolutely." Damon lowers his chin so his lips can sink down on hers; his fingers grip her hips, pulling her into him. He parts her lips with his tongue and as he slips it into her mouth, she raises her other hand to cradle his face so she can hold him tight.
Heat settles low in her belly; goosebumps pebble her flesh despite the heat from the campfire.
His palms settle against her back. They're splayed low, his fingertips grazing her skin above the waistband of her shorts. When his tongue flicks against hers, all of her thoughts cease...
"Get a room," Enzo calls out followed by loud whistles, applause and a chorus of "ewws" from young mouths.
Then suddenly, Damon pulls his mouth from hers, taking all of the air from her lungs with him. His eyes are dark, his smirk in position, as he runs his thumb over his bottom lip.
"What was that?" Elena asks, as a rosy blush sears through her body at all the attention focused on them.
"A thank you." He brushes the back of his fingers against one of her hot cheeks. "Plus, I couldn't resist..."
Thank you all so much. One chapter left.
Chapter title: 'I Want to Know What Love Is' by Foreigner.
Massive thanks to jmfangs for helping to fine tune this story for Eva.
Have an amazing day.