Elana cocked her head. “Is that when you met Grandfather?”
Her grandmother rolled her eyes. “John Taylor was a couple of years older than me. When he found out I was single, he came to the house to ask my father if he could court me.” A slight smirked played on her lips. “I believe you young people call that dating.”
Elana snorted. “I’ve heard the term.”
Grandma Cecilia drew in a deep breath and blew it out. “After that, things moved quickly. John asked for my hand in marriage, and my father gave his permission.”
Elana bristled. “What about you? What did you want?”
Her grandmother turned her tired eyes on her. “I didn’t want to get married, not after Ronald left. But my parents were poor and desperate for money. They saw dollar signs when John Taylor entered the picture. I didn’t put up much of a fight. I was too heartbroken over Ronald. I barely remember the wedding.”
Elana shifted in her seat. “Were you okay? I mean, he didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Her grandmother shook her head. “John didn’t hurt me. He was too caught up in trying to invest his money in the latest idea. My parents passed away thinking we were rich. But the truth was John had wasted his inheritance and gotten us deep in debt. When he passed away, it was kind of a blessing.” She cut her eyes at Elana. “I guess you think that’s a horrible thing to say.”
Elana shrugged. “I have no right to comment. I wasn’t in your shoes.”
Her grandmother relaxed. “Anyway, after he passed, I put all my focus into making the business successful. And I did just that.”
Elana studied her grandmother. “So now you’re starting to think about the past, and you’re getting sentimental about the romance you missed out on. And you find someone on the internet.” She nodded her head. “Grandma Cecilia, that all makes sense. It’s hard to lose the one person you thought you would end up marrying. But finding someone on the internet is dangerous. I mean, you don’t even know this guy.”
Her grandmother stood and looked at her. “Elana, I’m not going to waste the rest of my life not following my heart. I’m dead set on this, and there is no changing my mind.”
CHAPTER21
Elana felt like she’d been hit by a two-by-four. She leaned closer to her grandmother. “What about your home? Your business? Your family? It’s all in South Carolina, and this guy is in Montana. How is this ever going to work?”
Grandma Cecilia shrugged. “It always works out in the end, Elana.”
Elana shook her head. She couldn’t believe what her grandmother was saying. Her hardworking, honorable, salt-of-the-earth grandmother was now tossing everything to the wind for some stranger she didn’t know.
Elana couldn’t listen to any more of this foolishness. She stood up and stormed away.
The cold night air sent a shiver through her body, and she snuggled down deep in her coat.
She stopped at a large oak tree. Something brushed against her jean-clad leg, and she looked down.
Jack had followed her and nuzzled his face against her to comfort her.
She smiled and knelt to give the dog some pets.
“Hey, Jack.”
The dog nuzzled her face with his snout. She pulled him into a hug.
She eased to the ground, and Jack, as if sensing she needed comfort, crawled into her lap and rested his head on her shoulder.
They sat there like that for what seemed like an eternity. And that was okay with Elana.
* * *
Jack sensedthe emotions rolling through Elana, like waves on the ocean. Jack liked the ocean. The old man had taken him there once on one of their travels.
That was when he was young. Now that he was old, he wasn’t so sure the dampness of the beach wouldn’t soak into his tired bones.
The ocean was quite different from the mountains. The mountains always made him feel alive with the crisp air and sharp scents.
He wished he’d lived in the mountains forever.
