One Hundred Ways: An Aspen Cove Romance

by Collins, Kelly

  As much as he wanted to continue, he couldn’t. They needed to be at the diner. “Can I have a rain check?”

  She moved her body against his, causing the exact reaction she expected, the one he didn’t need if he had to be seen in public.

  “You’d rather go to the diner than to bed?”

  He leaned forward and nipped at her lip. “I’d much rather be in bed with you naked, but something tells me this is important. Thomas has sent me two reminders this morning.”

  She stepped back. “What if they cuff me and take me away?”

  The laugh started low in his stomach and worked its way up until it came out in a thunderous volume.

  “If they were going to take you in, they’d simply come here and knock on the door.”

  He hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until she let it loose and her body deflated in front of him.

  “Okay, then, I’m ready.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  They entered the diner hand in hand.

  Riley’s heart raced like a horse at the Preakness. The beats were so loud, she swore hoofs pounded her ribcage.

  Meg looked up from behind the front counter and rushed forward. “Thought you’d be in jail by now.” She glanced down at their clasped hands and frowned. “Isn’t she a problem for you?” She ignored Riley and looked straight at Luke.

  He shook his head slowly. His hand moved to wrap around Riley’s waist and tug her closer. “She’s a problem, all right. Most men would be thrilled to have someone so difficult.” He leaned over and kissed her.

  “You want a room or a table?”

  Luke looked around and saw his corner booth still open. “We’ll take my normal space.” He led Riley to the booth and had her slide in first.

  The bell above the door rang, and Thomas walked in, looking smug.

  He slid into the booth across from Riley and Luke. “Hey, you two.” He looked straight at Riley. “You look pale.” He leaned in and stared at her. “Maybe with a hint of green.”

  She twisted her hands on top of the table. “I’m nervous.”

  “No need to be. Watch and learn.” He lifted a coffee mug into the air and made eye contact with Meg.

  She arrived several minutes later with a full pot.

  “Hey, Thomas.” She poured with her left hand, keeping her right tucked inside her pocket.

  “Hey, love.” He looked down at her left-handed pour and the mess she made of the table. “Practicing ambidexterity?”

  “I find strength in both hands an asset.” After a suggestive wink, she poured the rest of the table coffee. She ignored Luke and Riley and kept her focus on Thomas. “Do you want or need anything else?”

  He rolled his neck. “I’d die for a cigarette.”

  “You’re easy.”

  Riley’s head went back and forth between the two. She’d seen Meg in action, but today she was in fine form.

  “But I’m not cheap,” Thomas teased.

  “I can hook you up.” She glanced around the diner. “Be right back.”

  As soon as she was out of earshot, Luke chimed in. “What the hell are you doing? You don’t smoke.”

  “I don’t, and neither do you.” He glanced at Riley. “Do you?”

  “Nope.”

  “Pay attention,” he told them both.

  Meg pushed through the swinging doors with her purse in her hand. As if she was invited, she slid into the booth next to him and dug through her purse for a cigarette. “Here you go.”

  Thomas took the cigarette and placed it between his lips. It hung loose while he patted his pants pockets.

  “Damn, forgot my lighter. You got one?” he asked Meg.

  She looked down at her right hand, which sported a bandage on her index finger and thumb. She dug for one in her bag and came up empty-handed.

  “I must have left my lighter at home.”

  Aiden Cooper entered the diner and pulled up a chair, pinning Meg in place.

  “Where are we at in this thing?”

  “This thing?” Meg asked. “What’s this thing?”

  Aiden’s eyes focused on the bandages on Meg’s hand. “You burn yourself?”

  Meg’s lips quivered before they turned up into a smile. “Yes, Riley was here.” She pointed to the counter. “You know the toaster. It’s always on the fritz.”

  Aiden looked at Riley. “Did you see her get burned?”

  Riley cocked her head. “Yes.” She shook her head. “No, I saw her yelp and then rush for the water but not the actual injury.” Her eyes grew wide. “Oh my God.” Riley covered her mouth with her hand. “Why?”

  “Why what?” Meg asked, her face turning white.

  Thomas let the cigarette drop to the table and reached into his pocket to pull out what was left of a lighter.

  “Found this on the floor of Riley’s studio.” The plastic was melted into a puddle, except for the faint outline of a pinup girl. “Don’t you have one like this, Meg?”

  “I did, but…”

  Aiden pulled his cuffs from his belt loop. “If you can produce yours, I’ll let you go. If you can’t, I’ll have to take you in for questioning.”

  Meg’s shoulders slumped forward. “Are you going to arrest me here in front of everyone?”

  “Are you confessing to the crime?”

  She looked around the table.

  Riley asked the same question again. “Why?”

  “Because you came into town and took everything away from me. I figured if you were gone, I had a chance of getting it back.”

  Luke fisted his hands until Riley set hers gently on top of his. “She took nothing away from you. You still had your job.”

  A tear slipped from Meg’s face. “I didn’t have you.”

  Luke moved out of the booth. “You never had me. You never would have. I’d been waiting for Riley all my life.” He held out his hand. “You ready, sweetheart?”

  She shook her head. “If she’s leaving, I’ll have to pull her shift.”

  Sheriff Cooper moved the cuffs to the table.

  Riley scooted over and placed her hand on his forearm. “I know what it’s like to be publicly humiliated. Can you spare her the embarrassment? If she gets up and walks out, can you arrest her outside?”

  “Why do you care?” Thomas asked.

  She shrugged. “Because I can’t help it.”

  “You ready?” Sheriff Cooper asked. “We're going to get up and walk out the back.”

  Meg held back her tears and nodded. She rose from the booth and walked through the swinging doors.

  “You’re going to work her shift?”

  She gave him a quick kiss. “Not for her, but for Aunt Maisey. I’ll be home in a few hours.”

  “Home?”

  She walked to the counter and pulled an apron from the shelf below. “Is that offer to move in still on the table?”

  He looked around the diner before he sidled up next to her. “Are you saying yes?”

  “Are you asking?”

  He dropped down to his knees. “Riley Black, I love you, and I want you with me always. Will you come home to me?”

  “Yes. I’ll come home to you.”

  He swept her in his arms and swung her around. “She said yes.”

  “To shacking up,” Doc said from his table. He rose and tossed a bill next to his empty plate. “You’re worth more,” Doc said to Riley before he shuffled toward the door.

  “Don’t you worry, Doc,” Luke called after him. “She gets my heart first. The rest is a formality.”

  Doc waved them off before he left.

  “You coming back to the station?” Thomas added. “We’ve got a report to write.”

  “Be right there.” He rubbed noses with her. “You coming home right away?”

  She pulled her lower lip between her teeth. “I’ve got something to take care of first.”

  He kissed her and stepped away. “See you soon, baby.”

  “Yes, you will,” she whispered in h
is ear. “Will you be naked and in bed?”

  “You’re killing me.”

  “Yep, one stroke at a time.”

  * * *

  Aunt Maisey rushed through the door and pulled Riley in for a hug. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

  “No need to be sorry. In the end, it all worked out.”

  Maisey tied her apron around her waist. “I hear you have a man waiting for you at home.”

  Riley laughed. “Are there no secrets?”

  “Honey, you live in a small town. Gossip travels faster than the wind here.” She cupped her face and gave her a motherly kiss. “Go to your man. Make peace. Make love. Make a life.”

  “I’ve got something to do first.”

  Aunt Maisey narrowed her eyes. “Something more important than finding your future?”

  Riley smiled. “Yep, I’ll never truly have a future if I can’t let go of my past.”

  She picked up her purse and walked out the door. It was hard to believe yesterday she had packed up her belongings with the intent to run again. Hadn’t her stepmother told her she was running from her past?

  She climbed into her old car and started the engine. It purred to life on the first turn of the key. She had no idea where she was going. All she knew was, she needed a quiet place to think before she called Kathy.

  She found herself at the old cemetery. As she meandered the path between the gravestones, she admired how beautiful and serene the grounds were.

  A sparkle caught her eye. On the tombstone in front of her sat a tiny frame of a father, mother and a child. Her fingers traced the photo while her eyes scanned the names of the people buried there. Bill, Bea, and Brandy Bennett.

  Over to the right sat a tall oak tree, its canopy spreading like a protective umbrella. Riley took a seat on the ground and pulled her phone from her bag. She stared at the screen. Could she confront the wounds of her past? Could she not? She raised and lowered her cell phone as she found the courage and lost it between breaths.

  It seemed fitting to bury her past in a graveyard. She inhaled deeply and tapped out the numbers of the woman who raised her. On the third ring, Kathy answered.

  “Riley? Is that you?”

  “Hi.” She’d always called her mom, but it didn’t feel right at the moment.

  “Are you okay?”

  She leaned against the bark of the tree, letting the rough surface bite into her skin. “Yes, I’m great, but I’m calling to ask you why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why did you hate me so much?”

  She heard a shuffle and pictured Kathy pulling out her favorite skirted chair from the table. “I never hated you.”

  She gritted her teeth. It was hard not to lash out. Worse not to cry.

  “What mother tells her daughter, even a stepdaughter, that she’d be pretty if she lost ten pounds, that her pursuits wouldn’t garner anything but self-loathing and misery?”

  There was a long pause before Kathy began. “I never hated you. I hated myself. I didn’t want you to turn out like me. I married your dad so I’d have a place to be. I stayed with him because I had no options. I wanted you to have options. I rode your ass for a lifetime so you’d grow up to be independent.”

  “You broke me.”

  “No, I didn’t. Look at you. Once your father was gone, you sprouted wings and flew.”

  Rage burned inside her. “I didn’t sprout wings. You tossed me out. I had no choice.”

  “Exactly. Have you starved? Are you homeless? What’s your life look like now?”

  Riley considered her question. She wasn’t homeless. She had a job. Money in her pocket. A man who loved her. She didn’t need him, but she wanted him.

  “You could have been nicer.”

  A sigh filled the void. “Yes, I could have been nicer. I could have been smarter. I could have been a lot of things. One thing I was, was honest. You were prettier once you lost the weight. While metal craft is a great hobby, it won’t pay the bills. All I wanted was for you to be independent. When I look at you and Baxter, I was a success as a mother.”

  There were a million litmus tests for success. Kathy’s wasn’t one Riley would have used, but she hadn’t considered her objective. Hadn’t considered Kathy’s skill set or lack of one. Hell, Riley’s own mother had bailed on twins shortly after they were born. All in all, she’d taken on a huge responsibility to secure her future. Maybe Kathy didn’t need her resentment, but her gratitude, because in the end, she was proud of who she had become.

  “I’ve never said this, but thank you.”

  Riley was certain the world stopped spinning, the birds ceased to sing, and the wind went still. The world was silent as Kathy wept.

  “I’ve always loved you, Riley. I was never good at showing it.”

  She stared at the Bennetts' grave. It was evident Bea loved her family. It showed in the way her hand sat lovingly on her husband’s shoulder and the look she had in her eyes as she stared at her daughter. There were lots of ways to love. Kathy’s was tough. The lesson for Riley was she got to choose how she loved people, and she decided right then to love them completely.

  “I love you too, Mom.”

  When she left the cemetery, Riley felt empty. Not in the way that left her destitute, but in the way that left her hungry for more.

  She drove directly to Luke’s. When she walked inside, she found him naked and waiting for her.

  Chapter Thirty

  After a passion-filled night and a pancake-filled breakfast, they picked up her meager belongings and went back home.

  Luke placed the last of Riley’s clothes in his closet. “It’s official, you’re mine.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re crazy.”

  “Crazy for you.”

  She pulled back and stared at him. “Would you have let me leave?”

  “Yes, but I would have searched to the ends of the Earth to find you.”

  “I’m pretty fast, you know. It’s all that clean eating.”

  “Baby, you may be fast, but I’ll always catch you. A man can’t live without his heart, and I’ve already given you mine.”

  “Are you seducing me, Mr. Mosier?” She ran her hands down her body to rest on her hips.

  He looked at the bed and wondered if he had enough time to make love to her before the concert began. He took two stalking steps toward her before the doorbell rang and ended that thought.

  Luke pulled her with him to the door.

  In front of them stood Thomas, and in the back of his truck bed were the two sculptures she’d made for the concert.

  “How? I saw them myself. They needed a power wash and minor repair.”

  Thomas smiled. “You’re not the only welder in town. Turns out Bobby Williams had some equipment in his garage. He spent all week cleaning the pieces. Told me to tell you he’s impressed with your skills. Despite the high heat of the fire, your welds stayed together."

  Riley turned to Luke. “Did you know?”

  “He set it all up,” Thomas replied. “That damn love bug hit him like a hammer to the head.”

  Riley giggled. “I hear it’s contagious.”

  Thomas held up his hand, giving her a five finger stop sign. “I’m inoculated.”

  “Someday, someone will worm their way into your heart.”

  He cuffed her chin. “I’m not an apple.” He thumped his fist against his chest. “Heart of stone in a cell of steel.”

  Riley rose on her tiptoes and kissed Thomas’s cheek. “Tell Samantha Luke will be late.” As soon as the door closed, she pulled him into the bedroom and showed her appreciation.

  That night at the concert, Luke set the fireworks alight and watched Riley’s eyes grow wide as her artwork sparked to life. Later, she took him back to bed and set his body on fire. “You’re a damn firebug.”

  “Are we back to that again?” She laughed as she lowered her heat onto his length.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  A Month Later
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  Riley killed the flame to the welding gun and answered her phone.

  “Hey Samantha, you back in town?”

  “Yes. We did it. I can’t believe we got away with it.”

  Sam had left with Dalton. Everyone thought they were going on a quiet getaway until Maisey let it slip they were heading to Vegas to finally tie the knot.

  Everyone in town zipped their lips, which was quite a feat for Aspen Cove.

  Maisey snuck away with Ben the night of the event to witness it with Sam’s mother and brought back the photos of a drive-thru chapel wedding. They didn’t dare stop for long, or they would have been mobbed by paparazzi and fans. They left Vegas and headed to Turks and Caicos, where they honeymooned the rest of the month.

  “Do you feel different now you’re married?” Riley always wondered if somehow saying "I do" changed the way a woman felt about herself, her life, her future.

  “Yes, I feel at peace. Dalton is a catch; glad to take him off the market.”

  “Once he met you, he was never on the market.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. You know, when I met him, he thought I was an arsonist.”

  Riley laughed so hard, she had to hold her stomach. “What’s with the men of this town and fire?”

  “I have no idea. Anyway, I was hoping you could come to the Guild Creative Center.”

  “Let me clean up, and I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

  Riley hung up and looked around the garage. She’d been working there since the fire.

  The Lockharts were almost finished with the repairs, and she couldn’t wait to get back inside her studio. Samantha’s insurance had replaced her equipment, and she was itching to make something new. Maybe a fireman with a long hose?

  She put everything away because she was a safety girl. Never again did she want anyone to accuse her of being an idiot or irresponsible.

  She pulled into the parking lot and saw her brother’s truck. With winter coming, the Lockharts doubled the crew on the Guild Creative Center and their new lake house. The projects provided an opening for her brother Baxter, who now lived above the bakery in her old apartment.