Hummingbird Lake

THIRTEEN





With the sound of Sarah’s scolding still ringing in her ears, Sage took the long way out to her cottage at Hummingbird Lake. She needed time to process the implications of what she had just witnessed.

Colt was here. Rose was here. Which problem did she want to think about first?

Thinking about Colt felt less threatening, so she concentrated on him. The man had come to Eternity Springs. He hadn’t called or texted or emailed or sent a telegram or a smoke signal that he was on his way. So, what did that tell her? He was done with her? While it’s true they’d spoken on the phone only a handful of times since he left Eternity, between the text messages and emails, they’d actually been in contact quite a bit. Sage had enjoyed the interaction. Based on his response, she believed he had enjoyed it, too. So why wouldn’t he let her know he was visiting?

Was this just a quick visit? Had he thought to get in and out of town without her knowing about it? Surely not. Nothing happened in Eternity Springs that everyone didn’t find out about eventually.

Maybe he’d wanted to surprise her. Maybe he’d planned on showing up with another gift. “Not another dog, I hope,” she murmured. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she added, “While I do think you’d enjoy having a playmate at times, I’m afraid you’re too spoiled to tolerate competing for attention on a regular basis.”

Snowdrop let out a little whimper, and it reminded Sage that it had been a while since their last potty stop. Not a good idea with Snowdrop and her itty-bitty bladder.

She pulled into the parking area for the park at the northern end of the lake and let the dog out to take care of business, knowing it would take some time since Snow had to sniff extensively to find the perfect spot. While Snowdrop sniffed, Sage’s thoughts threatened to drift toward her sister, so she forced them back onto Colt.

He had been the perfect man for her. Sinfully sexy, he had made her laugh. He helped her cry. He had given her such pleasure that sometimes in the teeth of the night she could lie in her bed and remember Colt and hold the nightmares at bay.

Yes, he had been perfect for her. Tall, dark, and temporary.

Safe.

“So what is he doing back in Eternity Springs?”

She could grab her phone and call him and ask. She could send a text or email. Doing that only invited trouble, however. He’d probably repeat his invitation, and she didn’t think she could deal with him—with anyone—tonight.

“Hurry up, Snowdrop,” she said, speaking more sharply than she’d intended and immediately feeling bad because of it.

Snowdrop, who had finally picked her spot and begun to tinkle, looked at her as if saying, Are you kidding me?

Sage smiled at her puppy and said, “Good girl.”

Why was Colt in Eternity Springs? Could business have brought him here? Had an accident of some sort occurred in the area and she’d missed news of it? No. She’d had the radio on part of the way home today. She had listened to news.

So if not his job, then what?

Why do you care? He doesn’t owe you an accounting of his travels. We had a fling. It’s over.

Snowdrop let out a bark. She’d finished and returned to the car, and she was waiting impatiently to be lifted back into her seat.

“You’re right. Let’s go home. Maybe take a nap. It’s been a long day.”

Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into her drive and discovered that her day was about to get longer.

Colt Rafferty waited on her porch, a grocery sack at his side.


Her grimace upon seeing him wasn’t exactly how he’d hoped to begin.

She climbed out of her car moving slowly, tiredly, looking weary and sick at heart. Aw, babe. What’s the matter here?

It didn’t escape his attention that this time she didn’t run to him and bury her head against him and burst into tears. Instead, she said, “What about the word no do you not understand, Rafferty?”

“Oh, come on.” He tried his best smile. “You didn’t mean it.”

She shrugged, retrieved the dog from the car and set her on the ground. Colt squatted down, clapped his hands, and the bichon came running. “Hey there, darling. I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you in your naked skin and not wearing some stupid little costume.”

“Give it a rest, Rafferty. Please? I’m truly not in the mood for it.”

She truly was in a sorry frame of mind. He knew without a doubt that the Snowdrop-in-costume bit had been something she truly enjoyed.

She climbed up the steps and walked right past him, slipping her key into the lock and opening her door. She didn’t attempt to stop him from following—apparently she knew him better than that—but she didn’t make him welcome, either. Colt gathered up the grocery sacks and followed her and the dog inside.

That’s when he noticed the dog’s toenails. “All joking aside, Sage, you painted her toenails?”

“It’s called Paint My Moji-Toes Red.”

“I’m sorry, girl,” he said to the dog.

Sage walked into the kitchen, poured a glass of iced tea, then tossed it back as if it were bourbon. Refilling her glass and one for him, she asked, “What’s for supper?”

“Steak. Baked potatoes. Salad. Since Sarah wasn’t around to bake today, raspberry pinwheels from the Mocha Moose for dessert.”

“I’m going to go take a shower.” She headed for her bedroom, then stopped abruptly. Looking over her shoulder, she announced, “That is not an invitation.”

“I’ll scrub the spuds.”

She stayed in the bathroom a long time. He did the prep work for dinner, then took the ball he’d brought for Snowdrop and let the dog out the back door. They played catch until Sage came outside wearing shorts and a green and gold Colorado University football jersey. Her hair was damp. Her feet were bare.

Colt wanted to cross the lawn and take her in his arms and give her the kiss he’d dreamed about since the day he left. Yet, everything about her, from the way she stood, to the way she moved, to the way she managed to look everywhere else rather than meet his gaze warned him to step carefully. She was fragile. Brittle. On the verge of breaking.

Not because of him, he thought, but because of her sister.

Well, maybe a little bit because of him.

He started with something easy. “Snowdrop has grown.”

“Nic says she’s going to be on the big side for a bichon. Especially a female. I’ve been in the car all day. Would you like to go for a walk?”

“Sounds great.”

She didn’t say anything as she donned her shoes and socks, lifted a dog leash from a hook by the back door, and affixed it to the dog’s collar. The three of them stepped out into the late afternoon sunshine. Colt paused to take a deep breath of mountain air and smiled. He was here in Eternity Springs with Sage. The rightness of his decision settled over him like a song.

They took the path that trailed alongside the lake. He decided to wait for her to start the conversation. If she ever did, that is. She walked with her head down, her manner closed off. Luckily, Colt had the patience to wait.

His patience finally paid off when she asked, “What brings you to town, Rafferty?”

You, he wanted to say, but instincts told him to take it slower. The woman was skittish as could be. “I love this town. I’m happy here. When I went back to work after my trip here in February, I missed it.” Walking beside her, he gave her a sidelong look. “I missed you.”

Was that a hint of a smile on her lips? “You should have let me know you were planning a visit. I might not have been here. I almost stayed in Denver for a few extra days.”

“I didn’t exactly plan a visit.”

“Even with a spur-of-the-moment trip you can spare time for a phone call.”

“I wanted to surprise you. You liked my surprises in the past.”

In a droll tone, she said, “Hey, what girl doesn’t like a new tube of lip balm?”

She let out a long sigh, then said, “Okay, Rafferty, here’s the deal. Under other circumstances I would hold out and teach you a lesson, but frankly, I can use a distraction right now. You assumed a lot by showing up here. I could have had a date tonight.”

He jerked his head around in surprise. “Are you seeing somebody else?”

“I could be. That’s my point. Just because we had a fling a couple months ago doesn’t mean that you can wing back into town and pick up where you left off. You have no hold on me and I have no hold on you.”

“What if I want to change that?”

She took a dozen steps before replying. “Colt, look. I enjoyed the time I spent with you, but that wasn’t real. It was fantasy-land cabin fever, and I’m really not that kind of person. I like being your friend. I enjoy our long-distance communications, but I don’t want to be where you go for vacation sex.”

“Wow, you don’t think very highly of me, do you? You think I came all this way for a booty call?”

“I don’t know why you’ve come here. You haven’t shared that piece of information with the class.”

“I quit my job.”

She stopped abruptly. “Why?” Then almost immediately, she added, “Don’t tell me you got into another fight.”

“I didn’t get into a fight the first time,” he responded. “I quit my job at the CSB because working there didn’t allow me to accomplish the job I went there to do in the first place. I think I can be more effective outside government than inside.”

“How is that? You won’t have the big stick of government regulation in your pocket.”

“I don’t have that now. Unfortunately, I can’t wave a wand and get regulations put on the books and wave it again and get everyone into compliance. However, since I do have that government stick, people tend to spend all their time covering their asses and looking over their shoulders for lawyers instead of listening to what I have to say.”

“All right, that makes sense. But what can you do outside of the CSB?”

“Do you remember the woman who came with me to your show in Fort Worth?” He told her about the chemical spill that had killed Melody Slaughter’s husband and how when they’d spoken, Melody had expressed her regret that Colt hadn’t given his presentation at the plant where the accident occurred. “She said the owners are good people, and that they’d have made the changes if anyone had identified the problem. I’ve seen that myself dozens of times. Owners don’t want to have industrial accidents, but they also don’t want to borrow trouble in the way of citations and fines. I’ve gone into business as a consultant, Sage. I have the paperwork all done.”

Interest lit her gorgeous green eyes. “So you’ll, what, inspect factories like an OSHA guy?”

“I’ll do inspections, but instead of giving them governmental grief, I’ll give presentations like I did in Fort Worth. I have some pretty horrific stories I can tell. They tend to get people’s attention.”

“People are ghouls,” she snapped. Then she closed her eyes and gave her head a little shake. “So you’ll travel all around the country?”

Now he hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “I will do some traveling. Based on the research I did prior to making this decision, I could go every week if that was what I wanted. But that much traveling would get old fast, so I decided to do something else, too. I’m going to return to teaching.”

“Really? Are you returning to Georgia Tech?”

“No. I’m going to teach science classes. I’m pretty excited about it. I’ll be sort of a roving teacher for everyone from kindergarten through high school. It’ll give me a nice balance between travel and staying put.”

“You have a Ph.D. You’re going to teach first graders?”

“They have inquisitive minds. That appeals to me.”

“I’ll give you that.” She nodded. “But what about middle school? Do you really want to attempt to teach thirteen-year-old boys?”

He grimaced. “Well, no job is perfect.”

She laughed, then asked, “So, what school district is lucky enough to get your services, Dr. Rafferty?”

Well, here goes. Judging by her reaction so far, he suspected she might not throw herself into his arms out of joy when he told her. Hope her response is warmer than the water in Hummingbird Lake. “This one. Starting in September, I’ll be teaching at Eternity Springs Community School.”

Sage halted abruptly. “Excuse me? What did you say?”

“I’m moving to Eternity Springs. Actually, I have moved here already.”

The expression on her face was a discouraging mixture of alarm and shocked dismay as she repeated, “You moved here?”

“Yes.”

“Permanently?” Her voice squeaked.

“Barring the unforseen, yes.”

She closed her eyes. “Can this day get any more worse?”

She’s making Hummingbird Lake look tepid. “You know, that’s downright insulting. I thought we were friends.”

“We are friends. We’re long-distance friends. You can’t come here. This is my town.”

Now she was getting under his skin. He folded his arms and said, “To quote your sister, it’s a free country.”

“Oh no.” Her eyes rounded with concern and she took a step away from him. “Don’t tell me Rose has moved here, too.”

“I don’t know anything about your sister.” Colt reached out and took hold of her arm. “I’m not concerned about her. I’m concerned about us. What’s going on here? Why are you so threatened by this?”

Her chin came up. “I’m not threatened.”

“Yes, you are.” Their walk had taken them to the small camping area south of Reflection Point, and Colt tugged her along toward a picnic bench beside the water. There he sat her down and said, “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on in that gorgeous head of yours. We were good together, Sage. I missed you when I left, and every time I received an email or a text or a call from you, I got a little charge. You must have enjoyed it, too, or you wouldn’t have played the game. Am I wrong about that?”

Begrudgingly she said, “No.”

“So then, why the panic? Why the cold shoulder?”

Rather than respond to his questions, she asked one of her own. “What do you want from me, Rafferty? Did you come here expecting to pick up where we left off? Did you think I’ve been pining away for you and all you’d have to do is say ‘Honey, I’m home’ and I’d throw myself into your arms and then drag you back into my bed?”

Well, a guy can always hope. “No, not at all. We had a fling. It was great, but that’s not what I want with you now.”

“Oh?”

Was that hope he heard in her voice? Wow. This woman was doing a number on his ego. Colt took a moment to debate his options. He could sound the retreat and regroup. That might be the most intelligent way to go about this. But in the past few weeks, he had adopted a more go-for-broke, lay-your-cards-on-the-table attitude, and so far it was working for him. He saw no reason to change that now. “No, I’m not looking for any more flings. I want a relationship. Long term. I’m tired of flings.”

“Define relationship,” she said, a bit of a wild look in her eyes.

“I’m thirty-four years old, Sage. I’m ready for a home of my own complete with all that entails—a wife, children, a yard for the dogs.”

With a horrified gasp, she said, “You are not asking me to marry you!”

Inwardly Colt sighed. “No. We don’t know each other well enough for that yet.”

“Exactly!”

“But I want to know you that well, Sage. You are a fascinating woman and you’ve intrigued me from the very first. I want to know everything about you. I think I might be falling in love with you.”

“Oh, God.” She dropped Snowdrop’s leash, put her elbows on her knees, and buried her face in her hands. “This is a catastrophe.”

Colt’s mouth twisted in a grim smile. This was the closest he’d come in years to saying the L-word to a woman and she called it a catastrophe. Pretty humbling moment, he had to admit.

He took a seat beside her on the bench. Snowdrop sat looking at them both, tilting her head from left to right then back to left again, wordlessly asking, What is wrong with you people?

“Careful there, Sage. You’ll give me a big head from all the praise.”

“Stop it. I am not responsible for your feelings. If I was the least little part of your decision to make this move, then you should have been smart enough to talk to me about it before you jumped off and did it. You would think a man with a Ph.D. would be smarter than that.”

“Okay, then. Just for the grins, what would you have said if I told you that I thought you might be the one for me and I wanted time with you to explore the possibility?”

“I’d have told you don’t waste your time. I’m not available, Colt.”

“Why? Are you married to someone else? Involved with someone else? In love with someone else?”

“No, but—”

“So there is nothing tangible standing in my way,” he interrupted.

“There’s me,” she said, her tone just a shade softer. “I can’t have a relationship with you. I won’t have a relationship with you.”

“I’ll change your mind.”

“You are so infuriating.”

“I’m determined. It may turn out that I’m wrong, that you are not the woman I’m meant to love, to live with, to make a home and family with. But I do know that if I don’t give this, give us, the old college try, I’ll regret it the rest of my life. Sorry, Sage, but I’m not taking no for an answer on this one.”

“You have to. You can’t force me to fall in love with you. You can’t even force me to date you. This isn’t Russia, Danny.”

Colt looked down at Snowdrop. “What man can resist a woman who quotes Caddyshack during an argument?”

“Neither is it medieval England,” Sage added.

That distracted Colt for a moment as he once again pictured her as the subject of one of Edmund Blair Leighton’s paintings, only this time he pictured her naked. “Okay, you lost me on that one. How did medieval England get into this conversation?”

She waved a hand. “I was reading a historical romance last night.”

“My mom loves those books.” Colt scooped Snowdrop up into his arms and scratched her behind her ears, then stood. “So, are you about ready to head back? I’m getting hungry. The Trading Post had some excellent-looking steaks and Alton Davis swore by the bottle of cabernet I bought from him. It’s a new-to-me label, but I told him I’d be back to hound him if he led me wrong. Besides, I can’t be too late because I promised Beth Myers I’d pick up Shadow by eight o’clock.”

“Your Lab. I forgot about your dog. You left him with the Myerses?”

“Yes. Beth and her dog were out in their yard when Shadow and I walked by on our way to the store earlier. Shadow and her mutt had a great time playing together, so Beth begged her mom to let her puppysit.”

“You know what, Rafferty? I think it’s time you learn what the word no really means. I’m not having dinner with you. I’m not letting you into my house. In fact, I don’t think I’m going to let you hold my dog anymore.” She stood and plucked Snowdrop out of his arms. “Go home, Colt. Wherever that is, just go.”

“You have to eat.”

“Yes, but I don’t have to eat with you.”

“Tell me why you won’t.”

“Won’t what? Eat dinner with you? Date you? Sleep with you?”

“All of the above.”

“No. N-O. No.”

He grinned and those damned dimples winked. “I’ll change your mind.”

Aargh! “Why would you even want to? I’m a mess. You know that.”

In that knee-bending, toe-curling, sexy low rumble of his he said, “I want you. I’m here and I’m staying and I’m not giving up. Hide behind your walls if you want, Princess, but I’m giving you official notice. You are under siege.”

She couldn’t help but be a little secretly thrilled. “Go away, Rafferty.”

“You need to relax. Drink a glass of wine.”

“Maybe so, but I’ll do it by myself.” Then she drew a deep breath and exhaled with a sigh. “Please, Colt? I still need to deal with my sister, and frankly, I don’t have the energy to argue with you anymore right now.”

She got to him with the sister argument. There was a story there, but she wasn’t in any mood to tell it. And the sister had run off like she was being chased by a hellhound, so yeah, there was definitely drama there. Fine. At some point Sage would spill and he’d be there ready to listen. For now, he figured he’d given her enough to think about. “C’mon, I’ll walk you back.”

“You go on. I think I’m going to sit out on the public pier and think for a little bit.”

“All right. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, then.” He bent down and kissed her cheek, then started back the way they’d come.

He distinctly heard her murmur, “Not if I can help it.”

He winced and kept on walking. All in all, that hadn’t gone so terribly. It hadn’t gone so great, but he had time. He’d given her his terms. He wanted her and he’d get her. Eventually.

He was now a permanent resident of Eternity Springs.