Love Under Construction

by Britney M. Mills

  “Did you like growing up here?” he asked, suddenly curious. He watched her face, wondering if this was going to be another taboo subject.

  She nodded, her eyes on the ground in front of them as they continued walking. “I did. It was eye-opening to leave for school, but it just made me that much more grateful for the childhood I had.” She choked up a little bit and paused a moment before continuing on, putting on the mask he’d seen a few times in the last twenty-four hours.

  “Main Street dead-ends at Town Hall, but you’ve already been there,” she said as they walked up the street. “To the east of it are the police and fire stations. Another restaurant, the post office and newspaper, our gas station, and the grocery stores are back on the south end of town near the hotel you’re—”

  “You have more than one grocery store in a town this small?” he asked, cutting her off.

  She frowned at him. “You act so surprised with all of this. I doubt anyone would have started these businesses and kept them running for several years without doing some research.” She shook her head, letting out a long breath. When she spoke again, her tone had settled somewhat, and Colton couldn’t hide his grin. “There are a lot of smaller farms nearby, and this way, they don’t have to go all the way to the big city to do their shopping.”

  She stopped at the side of the fountain in front of Town Hall, the gurgling of the water catching his attention. “This was put in about ten years ago. There was a bus accident, and several high school students were killed.” Emotion filled her voice on the last few words, and she opened her mouth to say more but shut it, staring into the fountain.

  “Were you related to one of the students?” Colton asked, trying to keep his tone soft.

  Becca’s head swiveled in his direction. She ran a finger under her nose as she sniffed. “No, sorry. Just memories of this place. Let’s keep going.”

  Waiting for him to follow, she walked along the road that wound around behind Town Hall, passing the parking lot he’d parked in the night before. When she walked through the gates of a wrought iron fence, he was confused. Shouldn’t they be heading in the opposite direction back down Main Street to complete the tour?

  “Where are we going?” he finally asked.

  “You’ll see. It’s my favorite part of this town.” She followed a path that led through some pine trees, and for a second, Colton looked back at the town, hoping this wasn’t some plot to get rid of the guy trying to expand their population. He had to laugh at the thought. There’s no way she could pin him down.

  As he walked along, he admired the beauty around them. Several birds flew past, and the pine trees made for a beautiful landscape. He was in fairly good shape from all the manual labor of his job, but the sudden steepness of the incline caused him to take an extra breath here and there. Becca was way up ahead of him now, and once he made it to the crest of one of the hills, he saw her standing, head back, facing the sun.

  By the time he’d caught up with her, he breathed in deeply, trying to regain some of the air he’d lost on the way up. He glanced at the scenery, taking a step back to admire it like a painting. A large pond, more like a lake, sat in the middle of the grove of trees with mountains as a backdrop. He’d never seen anything like it before.

  “This is amazing.”

  “Yes, it is. This is Sage Creek Pond. It’s one of the favorites of the local families, and not many outsiders know about it.” She turned and waved a hand at the trees. “The pines block the view of the town, but it also keeps this as a safe haven.”

  “I’m surprised you showed me if it’s your favorite spot. Since I’m an out-of-towner.” He said it with sarcasm, waiting for her reaction.

  When she finally turned to him, she looked deep into his eyes, a solemnness to her features. Colton worked to not flinch away from her gaze. “I’m hoping that when you see something like this, you’ll realize how important it is to keep our small town small. With large populations come problems and destruction of beauty.”

  “I can see why you think that way, but without allowing growth, your small town won’t survive the next twenty years.”

  Becca pinched her eyebrows together and scrunched her nose. “With a rise in population comes the rise of alcohol abuse and vandalism.” She stepped closer, her height seeming to grow a couple of inches with the passion in her words.

  “But more people can contribute to the overall economy, increasing the standard of living for everyone in the community.” He smiled as she thought about that for a moment. A mixture of pine and lavender filled his nose, and he couldn’t keep his gaze away from her lips. The pinkness of them caused him to lick his own.

  She pointed to something across the lake. “Maybe that’s true, but I still don’t like it.” A blush crept to her cheeks, and the thought crossed his mind to erase the distance between them and see how her lips felt on his. But she took a step back, breaking the current that ran between them.

  Becca motioned to the mountains. “You can take a walk on the path around the lake, or if you like to hike, there are several trails that start just over there. Just make sure someone knows where you went so we can come find you if need be.”

  Colton couldn’t help but grin. “Would you be worried about me?”

  From the look on her face, she knew he was being obnoxious, but something in him just wouldn’t stop. She had to be the world’s best avoider of questions, as there were at least five she hadn’t answered in their time together that day.

  A sly grin appeared, and she said, “It’s too early to tell.”

  Shaking her head, she moved back the direction they’d come, walking down the dirt path. He fell into step with her, studying her features from the corner of his eye.

  “You’re lucky that my mother’s voice is still in my head after all this time,” she said, one corner of her mouth turning up. “I only agreed to give you a tour of the town because that’s what she would have wanted me to do.”

  “Well, it sounds like she was a great woman.” Colton stuffed his hands into his pants pockets, trying to come up with something more to talk about. He liked the variety of expressions she used as she spoke, and he’d hoped to avoid more silence from her.

  Becca stopped at the bottom of the path, turning to him with her eyes boring into his. “What do you get out of the subdivision?”

  Colton leaned back on his heels, surprised by the bluntness of the question. “What do you mean? It’s my job to secure this build job.”

  “So you won’t be getting any special awards if it goes through?” Becca’s arms crossed over her chest, the action giving off the intimidating factor she was probably going for.

  With a quick shrug, Colton moved his boot back and forth over the dirt. “I go from being the grunt man to directing the work on projects. It’s a step up, but it’s not like the company is giving me millions of dollars for it.” Glancing up, he asked, “Why does that matter?”

  “It just seems like you’re trying really hard to get me to like you. I’d like to be optimistic and hope that it’s because you’re a nice guy and you actually care about learning about the town. But there’s a part of me that thinks it’s to sway my vote. I’m not the kind to fall easily, Colton Maxfield, so if that’s your intention, don’t waste your time.”

  Colton opened his mouth to say something, finding nothing coherent connecting from his brain to his mouth. Was he really that predictable? “Whoa! I wasn’t expecting that when I asked for a tour. Obviously, being new to Sage Creek, I don’t know that many people, especially ones that are close to our age. I just thought it would be fun to pass the time learning about the town.”

  Becca’s eyes narrowed, searching his face for several seconds. She didn’t seem to find anything because her features softened. “Sorry, there have been people who take advantage of this town, and I just don’t want to see it all ruined.” She turned and walked down the rest of the path.

  He caught up to her and, wanting to keep their conversation going
a bit longer, said, “Who took advantage of you? Was it in college?”

  For a moment, she looked vulnerable, like a memory had resurfaced, and her eyes filled with tears.

  Colton took a few tentative steps toward Becca and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in. She didn’t resist, leaning her head against his chest. For several seconds, he just breathed, feeling like his nerves were on fire and everything was right in the world.

  Then, without warning, her whole body stiffened, and she paused. Without a word, she pulled away and ran off around the town building and out of sight.

  “Way to go, Colton. There goes your chance of being a project manager.”

  Chapter 7

  Not ready to head back to his hotel room, Colton sat on the bench next to the water fountain, looking down Main Street. He kept replaying all that had happened during the tour, how drawn he was to Becca, especially up near the pond when they’d embraced. He’d never had a girlfriend long enough to fall in love, and as he thought about it, the last one he had was just a couple years after high school. But had it been so long ago that the crackling chemistry between he and Becca was so foreign?

  He could still feel her in his arms, like a puzzle piece he hadn’t realized he’d been missing. She tried to be so strong, but under the mask she put on, there had to be a lot of hurt. He just hoped he could avoid hurting her. Even though his mother rarely talked about his father, he knew how much it hurt her that he’d just up and left all those years ago.

  In the middle of that thought, his phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket. Adam preferred to call by video chat, and Colton wasn’t sure he was in the mood for that right now. But if he didn’t pick up, his boss would keep calling until he did.

  Swiping on the screen, he said, “Hey, Adam. How’s it going?”

  “Great, man. What’s the scoop over there in the country?” Adam looked like he was in his office and kept checking himself out on the screen, combing his hair in the right direction.

  “Not much. I went to the town council meeting last night and delivered the plans. They’re going to take this week to look them over and come to a decision next Tuesday.”

  Adam bobbed his head up and down. “Okay, that’s not a bad thing. What’s the overall feeling you get from the people?”

  Colton hesitated a moment, trying to decide how to say it. “I don’t have a really good count since they didn’t actually vote. I know the mayor is all for us building, but there are for sure two holdouts.”

  “Do what you’ve got to do, then,” Adam said, pointing his finger at the camera as if trying to poke Colton. “We need this project to go through so we don’t look like commercial giants anymore. I really want our residential department to take off.”

  With a frown, Colton said, “What are you talking about? Our residential building has been doing well for years. It’s only increased since I started working for you.”

  “But we’ve got to amp it up, and the perfect way to do that is by starting with a charming small town. What are you doing until the vote?”

  Colton swallowed, feeling guilty. “I’ve just been trying to get to know some of the people in town, hoping it will help when it comes time to vote. But I can come back and work on something if you need.”

  “No, man. That sounds like a good use of your time. Just lock it up for us, Colt.” With that, Adam hung up.

  Looking around, Colton suddenly felt self-conscious. There weren’t many people out and about right now, but he hoped no one had overheard anything. Not that there was anything shocking in their conversation, but he didn’t like it when Adam talked so cavalierly about things.

  Adam had taken over for his father the year before, and while Colton still enjoyed working for Dream Homes, he missed the simplicity of working with Adam’s dad. Marcus Summers had built Summers Construction off of several commercial buildings over the years. When Colton joined on, he’d started as the gopher just out of high school and then helped Marcus create Dream Homes three years ago. The smaller entity was thriving more and more every year, but with Adam’s appointment as head of the division six months ago, promising rash changes and nearly doubling the amount of buildings being thrown up, Colton just hoped the company could sustain the growth.

  Standing, Colton walked past the fountain and down Main Street, stopping on Fourth Street as he glanced at the flower shop and the house next door. Should he go apologize for whatever he’d done to upset Becca? Or was it better that she be alone for the night?

  He’d never had to worry about a girl’s feelings, as his last girlfriend had never cried in front of him. Being the only child, the one person he’d always worried about was his mother. But something about Becca made him want to comfort her, help her through whatever it was she was going through.

  Running a hand through his hair, he shook his head, ready to walk back to the hotel. This was crazy. He’d known the girl two of the three days he’d been in town, and he suddenly felt like he needed to protect her? He searched through the emotions surging through him while he thought of her, trying to find some tie to the subdivision. Nothing.

  He’d just have to do his best to keep things professional. That meant reaching out and giving her a hug, or touching her at all, was off limits from then on.

  “Colton!”

  He turned at the voice and smiled when he saw the mayor coming toward him.

  “How are things this afternoon?” the man asked, putting a hand on Colton’s shoulder.

  “Going all right, sir. What are you up to?”

  Mayor Watkins raised his eyebrows and then the side of his mouth. “Well, I was wondering if you had plans for dinner. Dorothy made more than normal, and she wanted me to invite you over.”

  Shaking his head, Colton said, “I don’t have anything planned. Honestly, a home-cooked meal sounds amazing right now.”

  “Well, I’m headed that way now. Let’s get going. I can smell the garlic bread from here.”

  Chapter 8

  Becca ran all the way back to her small house and slammed the door behind her. She skipped several stairs on her way to her bedroom, where she threw herself across the queen bed that barely fit in her old room. She’d run so hard and fast that she hadn’t been able to think about the pain spreading through her as memories of college graduation and then her failed wedding took over.

  She’d been standing in a large group with her fellow graduates, ready to walk down to the stadium and receive her diploma. She was graduating magna cum laude and hadn’t told her parents about it, wanting to see their faces when it was announced.

  Someone had called out over the crowd, “Rebecca Taylor!” and she’d waved to signal it was her. She’d had to push through the other graduates to get to one of the professors on the side of the crowd.

  He handed her his phone, and she’d put it to her ear, listening as the highway patrolman told her about being called to the scene of an accident and finding her parents and brother at the bottom of a ravine.

  Every time she thought about that memory, she felt the same numbness take over, like her world was crumbling to dust and she could only stand on the sidelines and watch it destruct. Dani kept telling her she needed to talk to someone, to find a way to get past it, but that would feel like a betrayal of their memory.

  It had been over five years. Why hadn’t she been able to cope with the pain? It was the same loop of emotions every time, the excitement of getting out of Sage Creek and exploring the world, and then the accident bringing about a deep sadness, one she couldn’t get out of no matter how much she tried to. If she’d only stuck around here and helped her mom open the shop, maybe her family wouldn’t have been on the road that day.

  Her sadness turned to anger as she thought of Colton, riding in with all his questions. Why did he care? He’d end up with a signed document allowing his company to build, even though she’d valiantly fight for the subdivision to be denied, and then he would leave, just like all the other people she’d loved.r />
  Not that she loved Colton by any means. Not even close. But she’d felt sparks between them, and the way he’d tenderly held her near the pond had sent her heart racing. The smell of the pine trees mixed with an almond scent was stuck in her nose now, long after she’d run off and left him there.

  As she thought more about his queries, she could picture the softness in his features. She wanted to tell herself he was just here for the job, that he was only here to sweet-talk her into agreeing to the subdivision plans, but she’d be lying to herself. There was something about him, something earnest and kind, those qualities only enhancing the attraction she felt toward him.

  She pushed those thoughts away. Alone and heartbroken were things she could survive once—okay, twice since Peter’s betrayal. But falling for Colton only to have him leave would crush her.

  A ball of fur hopped onto the couch and settled in next to Becca, meowing as she ran her fingers along its back. She’d gotten the animal the day after her supposed wedding, naming her for her black and white spots.

  “I’m going to keep my distance, Oreo. I’ll make sure the city council has all the information they need and keep my feelings professional.”

  The cat yawned, and Becca chuckled.

  You’re lonely. Not everything has to end with a happily ever after.

  The words were from Danielle, from a conversation shortly after her parents had died. One of the men in town had been asking Becca out at least once a week, and every time Becca had turned him down, he seemed to grow even more courage. She’d finally given the guy one date, which opened the door for when Peter came to town. He’d been contracted to build several homes in the next town over, and at the time, Becca hadn’t locked herself down into a no-change type of attitude.

  Sure, she was lonely sometimes, and that’s when she’d reflect on the past. Peter would usually make an appearance in those memories, and she’d always feel like an idiot as she now saw the signs of his leaving in hindsight. She’d lived in the moment until his departure had caused her to live in the past.