Love Under Construction

by Britney M. Mills

  He took her hand in his and placed his other on her hip. She was used to wrapping both arms around the guy’s neck, so this was different for her, but she put her hand on his shoulder and moved with his guidance. The steps weren’t big or flashy, but she didn’t step on him at all.

  She took in a deep breath, enjoying his woodsy cologne. It reminded her of her father, and she closed her eyes as they kept swaying to the music. By the end of the song, she opened her eyes to see she was laying her head on his chest.

  Taking a step back, she said, “I’m so sorry. But thank you for making this the first dance where people walk away unharmed.”

  Feeling flustered, she turned and took long strides until she made it back to the table. Her skin was on fire where he’d touched her, and she now felt the loss of the heat from his body.

  Why were her emotions going berserk? She hadn’t felt like this even with Peter, the shocks and jolts of electricity, and she couldn’t figure out what made Colton so different. Something she’d have to think about later in the safety of her own home.

  Chapter 16

  Watching Becca walk off the dance floor, Colton felt like a part of him was walking away. He waited a few seconds and then walked back over, hoping not to scare her too much. She’d been through a lot. He’d been so young when his father never returned, but he couldn’t imagine losing his entire family all in one day. And then to have her fiancé just leave without telling her why? That was a lot to overcome.

  He was somewhat surprised the chatty people of the town hadn’t let it slip that she’d almost been married, but then again, she was beautiful and amazing. Why wouldn’t she have dated or had a long-term relationship before he’d waltzed into town a few days before?

  The attraction between them had been almost crackling as they’d talked, and more than ever, he hoped he could figure something out, some way to have a real relationship with the girl he was beginning to love.

  He moved his chair next to her so he was facing the dance floor instead of her, hoping to keep the atmosphere comfortable. He wanted to say something but wasn’t sure what the appropriate response would be. Thanks for dancing with me. You smell amazing. I kind of like you.

  He shook his head, knowing he couldn’t say that last part for sure. With how skittish she’d been with everything else, he didn’t want to chase away what little footing he’d made too soon.

  “Sorry I’m so awkward.” Her words were shaky, and she grimaced.

  Against what his mind kept shouting, he reached over and took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

  “You’re good. Life is awkward for the most part, so I wouldn’t worry about this. In fact, I think our dance was pretty much perfect.”

  She turned to look at him, but he couldn’t meet her eyes without the attraction growing within him. She’d see it, too, and then she’d run, just like she’d run the day of the tour. Or just now after their dance.

  Susie came over, laughing and giggling. “Are you guys having fun?”

  Colton nodded, and even though Becca was a little more hesitant, at least she was smiling.

  “Great. If you don’t mind, I’m going to stay a little longer and hang out with Todd here. He’ll give me a ride back home if you two want to leave.” She waved at them as Todd pulled her back onto the dance floor, dancing and laughing.

  Colton had always envied people who were that carefree, mostly because he wanted to be like them. But there had always been a lot of responsibilities in his life. As fun as it looked, he was just fine sitting on the side, watching. He turned to Becca and said, “I’m ready whenever you are. It’s been a long day.”

  He caught her yawning, which triggered his own yawning, leaving both of them laughing afterward.

  “I think it’s time we head back.” Colton stood and moved his seat out of the way so she could get by, and they walked out of the restaurant and over to his truck. He took a couple strides faster so he could open the door for her, and she gave him a look he couldn’t quite read.

  Once he made it around to his door, he slid in and started the truck, reveling in the sound of the engine.

  “You kind of like this truck, don’t you?” Becca said with a laugh.

  “Maybe.” He grinned at her. “There are a lot of upgrades from my old truck, and I just like that this one starts up every time I try.”

  She nodded. “I can understand that. I’ve had my old Civic since I could drive. My parents bought her off of one of the people in town just a few streets over from my house. There are days when she’s a little more temperamental than I would like, but she’s got a lot of good memories.”

  “My old truck just sits in the driveway now. I drive this just about everywhere, but I just couldn’t part with the other one. Like you said, a lot of my life was spent in that truck, driving from worksite to worksite or from Denver up to Boulder to visit. There’s something about those memories you just can’t give up.”

  Turning onto the main highway, Colton sped up, flipping on his brights for the small distance.

  Becca turned toward him. “You said you started working in construction out of high school. Have you ever wanted to do anything else?”

  Colton's breath hitched, and he took a minute before answering. “I wanted to be a pilot when I was younger, thinking it would keep a piece of my dad with me. But then I realized making some money to help my mom pay the bills was better than taking out a loan to get all the training I needed for it. I haven’t really looked back since.” He paused, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel. “What about you? Did you want to be something other than a flower girl?”

  Becca laughed, the wide smile brightening her features even with the dim light. “I got a degree in interior design, and when I was with Peter, I thought it was perfect. Builder, designer. I thought we could one day start up our own company together. That only lasted a few months after I realized that working for Peter would have ended our relationship. His idea of how things should look was much different than mine. So I started up the flower shop and have been working on jewelry since. I’ve thought about starting a website to sell it since just about every woman in town owns at least three pieces I’ve made.”

  The cab went silent, and Colton glanced over to see Becca’s hands twisting together, the lights of the dash reflecting off her eyes.

  She cleared her throat. “Do you ever wonder what your life would have been like had your father not left?”

  Colton bit the inside of his cheek, debating whether or not to tell her. “Every once in a while I do. After football season my senior year, I had to find a way to help out because my mom wasn’t able to work anymore. I had a scholarship for football and knew, even with government assistance, that she wouldn’t make it four years without something to help. I gave up the scholarship to keep working for Dream Homes—well, Summers Construction back then. So sometimes I wonder what it would’ve been like to play college football.” He glanced over at her, hoping she wouldn’t think he was trying to toot his own horn.

  He was surprised by the touch of her hand on his arm and the concern on her face. “I’m so sorry. As someone who’s lost her parents, I know that doesn’t help much, but I can sympathize somewhat.”

  Turning to her, he gave her a quick nod and a thin-lipped smile. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

  They drove in silence for a few moments, and he finally said, “Like I said, memories. Sometimes they’re good ones, and others I like to remember because they’ve helped me grow.”

  Becca wiped away a tear and turned to him. “I really like that. Not looking at memories as bad, but looking at them for what they changed about you.”

  He smiled, excited that she’d admitted she liked something he’d said. Soon enough came the turn off for Sage Creek.

  As he drove down the street, he said, “Am I taking you home?”

  “Uh, yeah. I’m definitely not a night owl anymore.”

  “Me either. Those days are behind m
e, I think.”

  Pulling into her driveway, the headlights shone over the garage and porch. It was the type of home his mother had always wanted, and Colton still hoped he could fulfill that dream for her before she died. But this house, with the corbels near the peaks and the soft gray color was perfect for Becca, matching her personality better than he’d seen any house match someone.

  As she moved to get out of the truck, he said, “I'm glad you came with us. It would’ve been awkward with— I mean, I’m glad we could get to know a little more about each other.” He rolled his lips in, wishing he could reach out and pull the words back in. He just didn’t want things to get weird.

  She paused and turned to him. “I’m glad I did too. Thank you for everything.” After staring at him a moment longer, she nodded and slid out. She shut the door before running to the side of her house and disappearing.

  As Colton backed out, he wasn’t quite sure what he’d done to help her, but he was glad he’d been there.

  Chapter 17

  On Sunday, Becca met up with a few of the council members at the land for the subdivision, and she found that the arguments she’d formulated in her head weren’t as effective as she’d originally thought. But as she caught sight of Colton loading something into the back of a truck for one of the families near the fountain, she realized the fight she’d held onto for so long about the subdivision was fading.

  Maybe it wouldn’t be awful to have a few more new faces around. And the handsome stranger made her secretly hope the subdivision would go through so he’d be able to stay a little longer and they’d be able to figure out if they would be good together or not.

  But since they’d known each other less than a week, she’d just have to keep those thoughts under wraps.

  That afternoon and into the next day, it rained, pouring buckets and buckets of water around Sage Creek. Becca liked the rain when she didn’t have to leave her house, but getting wet and cold wasn’t her favorite thing to do. She opened the shop a few hours late on Monday and ended up closing early when not many people came by. Most of the town seemed to have the same idea, folding up into their own houses.

  She hadn’t been by the rec center to see how the decorations were turning out, but she hoped Susie would be fine without her help. Or that she’d ask again if she really did need it.

  Locking the door of the flower shop, she pulled out her umbrella, tucking the rain jacket around her for warmth against the cold droplets. She took a couple of steps into the road, and her rain boots sank into what looked like mud. Looking up the street, she saw mud everywhere.

  Her stomach tensed and she froze, panic taking over. Becca wasn’t sure what to do. The town hadn’t had a major flood in over forty years, but with the amount of rain falling, she knew it was inevitable.

  Changing directions, she moved up to Town Hall where the mud was even thicker and wetter. Several people came out of houses, saying their basements were flooding. They gathered in a group, umbrellas shielding the small group as several of them began chatting to each other.

  Running up to Tara Jones’s house, she asked, “What can I do to help?”

  “We need sandbags or something. It’s all coming in through the windows.” The woman was only a few years older than Becca, but her composure at a moment like this was something Becca admired.

  The mayor walked out of Town Hall joining the group just down from the fountain. “We’ve got plenty of supplies for making sandbags over by the recreation building. We can split into two groups, one for making the bags and the other for diverting the water away from homes

  “Give me a shovel, and I can start working on that.” The mayor held out his key ring and Becca accepted it with a nod.

  She plodded through the mud and water down the block to open the shed, a couple of the townspeople following her. A slew of shovels, rakes, and other tools had been shoved into the corner, and she pulled out a few, hoping to recruit people along the way.

  She carried three shovels and walked as fast as she could, moving back toward Town Hall. From there, she followed the water trails, moving up through the thick pines. The water got faster and faster, making it difficult to move up the trail. Even with all the pine trees blocking some of the landslide, there was so much water that they couldn’t hold it all back.

  “Where you going?” a deep voice said behind her.

  Becca turned her head and said, “I’m going to see what I can do about the water. People’s homes are flooding, and if we can divert the water somehow, we might be able to save the other buildings nearby.”

  Droplets were streaming down Colton’s face, and his hair was plastered to his head. He walked right next to her, reaching out to take two of the shovels.

  Arriving at the crest of the hill, she found the trail surrounding the pond was completely covered in water. She moved to investigate and found that the water was starting to creep up to her knees.

  “Don’t go any farther,” Colton warned, grabbing her arm. “The floodwater might pull you under.” He led her back from the rushing water.

  Releasing her arm once she was safe, he turned to look at the damage, rubbing his arms against the cold. “There’s a bunch of water coming down the mountain. That’s filling up the pond, which is flooding the town.”

  “Okay, so what do we do?”

  “We’re going to have to dig some trenches or build a blockade to cause the water to change course. The only problem is, it’s filling up so fast in the pond that it will make it hard to make any changes down here below.”

  “Is there a way to fix it up higher?”

  He frowned but nodded. “Yeah, but it’s not the best idea in my opinion. The water is much faster than what’s emptying out from the pond.”

  “Do we go down and sandbag, then?” Becca searched the landscape, hoping a solution would pop into her head.

  “I think if we get the sandbags up here, we’ll have a better chance of saving the buildings below from a lot of flooding, maybe even all the water.”

  He turned and walked down the trail back to the city building, Becca almost skipping to keep up with his long strides. Several more people milled about now, and as Colton passed them, he motioned them all to follow him. Becca couldn’t help but smile as the confidence he exuded helped lead the people over to the shed where Becca had found the tools.

  “Okay, we’ve got to work together and fast. I need four volunteers to fill sandbags from that large pile of sand we have just around the corner of the shed.” He nodded as four people stepped forward, and he gave out the shovels in his hand.

  After opening the shed, he spoke again. “We have two wheelbarrows which we’ll use to drive the sandbags to the bottom of the trail, and then we’ll use a human chain to get the sandbags up to the top and in place. If you know of anyone else who can help out, go grab them and come right back. We have several houses already getting water, and we want to prevent as much damage as possible.”

  There was a slight pause after he finished speaking, as if the crowd was waiting for more instructions. And then they broke apart, several of them running to other homes and buildings, directing people to the trail as they went.

  “Where do you want me?” Becca asked Colton, surprised that the person the town was turning to was the stranger. But it felt more right than anything.

  One side of his mouth quirked up, and he said, “You can either join the line up the hill or come with me to set the sandbags around the pond.” The tone of his voice sounded hopeful toward the end, and she nodded.

  “I can help set them.”

  She waited as Colton made sure the people filling sandbags had everything they needed and then grabbed two extra shovels, taking them once again to the trail.

  They’d almost made it to the top of the hill when Becca slipped in the mud, falling forward. Colton ended up sliding next to her as he tried to get a grip on the trail.

  “What a mess!” Becca said, standing up and shaking off the chunks of mud that ha
d stuck to her hand.

  Colton reached for her, and together they leaned against the pine trees, finally making it to the flat path on top. He took his shovel and started hitting it against a branch near them.

  “What are you doing?” Becca asked, a bit horrified that he would be destroying one of the beautiful trees around the pond.

  “That’s a big patch of mud, and if we don’t have some kind of traction for the people holding on to the sandbags, we won’t be able to even get them up here. I thought I’d try a few branches and see if that will make it less slippery.”

  Where was this guy from? The fact that he could think of solutions with the little they had up there was something Becca admired. And it showed how much he’d come to care about the town, which was something Peter had never done before.

  She raised her shovel and did the best she could, hitting the tip of it into the side of a low-hanging branch. It was going to be a long day, but it was worth it to save their little town.

  Chapter 18

  Becca was grateful when the rain stopped. The mud had slowed and then stopped after they’d been able to block the water from the pond and divert any runoff, keeping the damage lower than it could have been. They’d been working for the past eighteen hours, filling sandbags and digging trenches, all in the hopes of saving their town.

  What Becca loved the most was that everyone was there, pitching in, helping one another with this or that. It was how a small town should be, and she hoped it would stay that way forever.

  But as they worked, she realized the disparity in ages. Folks with white hair outnumbered the ones without, and the younger kids were fewer than she’d remembered. In the early twenties to the mid-forties range, there were only about fifty or sixty of them, and as the older people tired quickly, the younger ones had to keep working through the long night hours.