Kate opened her eyes to stare into space at the constant flow of strangers rushing past, when Lindsay jumped from her seat.
“Colton!” her small voice pitched high as she headed into the crowd.
Pure chaos broke out as Kate grabbed their belongings to take off after her. She stopped short when Colton squatted to gather Lindsay into his arms. Had he always been that handsome? Photographers swarmed. Kate’s own excitement was about to overflow yet she stood back from the crowd, an observer careful to avoid the cameras.
“Half-Pint. You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Colton said.
Lindsay’s small voice was lost in the crowd around the duo. Allison Brant stood front and center in the group of sports reporters catching the day’s hot story.
Members of the Bullets team walked around them in route to their gate. At the beginning of the summer, Kate wouldn’t have recognized a single face. Today she could name at least five skirting the reporters with everything from mild interest to wide smiles to shaking heads. Kate waited for Colton to notice her at the edge of the beehive.
“Our house burned down.” Lindsay’s voice drifted above the crowd. He gave her another hug and whispered in her ear.
Tears pricked at the back of Kate’s eyes when Lindsay wrapped her skinny arms around his neck and gave a tight squeeze. Colton’s face flushed as his eyes found Kate in the crowd. His slight nod went unnoticed by the casual observer. Kate’s pride prevented her from returning the gesture. He took hold of Lindsay’s small shoulders. “I need to go. They’re holding the plane for us. Remember what I said.”
“I will.” Lindsay stripped a wad of Silly Bandz off her arm and pressed them into his hand. Flashbulbs fired from every direction before he stood and headed down the corridor. He glanced over his shoulder and returned Lindsay’s wave with his other fist tight around her gift. Kate’s heart broke into a thousand pieces at her feet. She struggled for composure. His small nod said so much yet so little. Only the hurt in his eyes when Lindsay told him of the fire spoke of a heart not hardened.
Soon, the masses swallowed him and Allison Brant, who seemed to be pressing for answers to the unusual meeting. Allison’s blog would rank high on her morning agenda.
“How nice to run into Colton,” Kate said with cool detachment. Cool was anything but what she felt. “What’d you give him?”
“My Silly Bandz for luck.”
“That was nice. What did he whisper?”
“It’s a secret.” Lindsay busied herself with her Nintendo. Kate’s creative and somewhat sneaky ploys to get her daughter to talk failed to weasel out the information she wanted most. Had he asked anything about her?
The plane boarding process soon derailed her efforts.
****
Colton stared out over the endless sea of clouds, thinking what dumb luck to have run into Kate and Lindsay. He fingered the multi-colored bands tight around his wrist: electric blue, hot pink, yellow, and green. A smile curled his lips. He had found himself scanning the boarding gates, wondering if Trey was returning Lindsay to Tennessee. Once he realized Lindsay would have been returned weeks earlier, he quit looking. No more than ten seconds later the Half-Pint flew out of the crowd.
With her came the smell of strawberry chewing gum and a wrist full of colorful bands he now wore. For good luck, she told him. Luck came quick. As they boarded, Coach said he would start in the next game.
He fingered the bands. Lindsay’s sudden appearance was almost as shocking as seeing Kate’s waiflike form off to the side. She wasn’t eating. Damn. Even now his gut twisted with regret that the situation made it impossible to talk. Pride swelled in his chest. She had been through hell and back yet there she stood. Erect, with her pointy chin in the air. Christ, he still ached to press her small frame into his and say something profound like, “Hi.”
Herculean strength was needed to walk away. Since Kate didn’t moved an inch his direction or acknowledge him, he took her body language to confirm Sasha’s warning, “She wants you out of her life,” and he moved on. Just as well. The press would make a media circus out of the scene. Lindsay was hard enough to explain.
There in the busy terminal Allison Brant pulled his thoughts back to baseball. The woman was a damned locust. Here, in the quiet plane filled with soft murmurs of his teammates, it was he and Kate alone in his thoughts. He would never forget the passion in her green eyes as she gave herself to him the night before he left. He craved to see her beneath him. Over him. Around him. His heart had been bursting in a desire to please her when it had been the other way around.
“Hey, man,” Denton Hayes, the Bullets’ catcher, gave him an elbow. “You’re far away. Those that kid’s Silly Bandz? My daughter wears them. The damned things pop up all over the house.”
“Silly Bandz,” Colton repeated the name and took a bright pink band from his wrist. “Look. This one’s a train. Col. Train. Get it? They’re in a bunch of different shapes.”
“That’s why they’re called Silly Bandz,” he said with an amused twinkle in his eye. “You didn’t say who the kid was.”
“I met her in Tennessee while rehabbing. Nice kid.”
“Good PR too.”
“Yeah. Good PR.”
****
Life settled into a new rhythm for Kate: drop Lindsay off at school, work mid-morning through lunch-hour rush at a local Starbucks, then pick up Lindsay from school. If there were spare daytime hours, she joined Trace in his home studio.
Trace’s decision to take a career risk and record Kate’s ballad meant the song would hit the air-waves this weekend. It would be a teaser for his new album due to release for the holidays.
Since Lindsay had Monday off from school, she planned to head home for a visit. Beulah was throwing a record launch celebration for Kate in the restaurant’s overflow room.
It seemed a bit over-the-top to Kate, but she decided to celebrate the song’s release with an open mind of success. One hit song didn’t guarantee another, but it did give her a fifty-fifty chance. Better she celebrate a positive outlook than the mine-field of destruction that lay behind her.
Bobby was grazing the buffet table when she arrived with her parents and Lindsay in the unimpressive room. Aromas of good food and the laughter of long-time friends mingled there.
“Losing You was Everything” played on a CD player. Trace had captured the pain she’d felt while writing the song. The fire and unfathomable loss was melded with Colton’s leaving in such a cruel manner. Sudden embarrassment made her want to escape. What would people think? Surely, her hometown folks would figure out Colton revolved at the center of the song. Although Trace’s high-profile breakup with a pop star seemed a good fit for the lyrics.
She jumped when a hand rested gentle on her shoulder. Judge Lowell chuckled. “Scared you, didn’t I? Just wanted to say, that’s one heartfelt song. Sorry about the fire, Kate, but you twisted your loss into a fine song. I always knew you were a top-notch songwriter. It’s a hit for sure.”
“Thank you.” She patted his hand. “The fire stripped my emotions down to a whole new dimension I’d never felt before. Glad you like it.”
The judge turned away for a moment to talk to a friend. Oh, how she hoped everyone would think the same as the judge. To a large degree, the fire did enter the equation. And love ballads were a country tradition. Everyone knew she hardly drank yet she had written Trace the drinking man’s song for his Sinners album. Any writer worth their salt made an attempt at a love ballad that would grab an emotion you couldn’t define and make you sing along with the radio.
The judge turned back to her. “What was I saying? Can’t remember.” His chest shook with a soft chuckle. “By the way, remember that Colton Gray who stayed out at your place before the fire?”
“Of course. He was my one and only renter. And then disaster.” She shrugged with a grin.
The judge gave her a sad smile. “Glad you can joke about it, Kate. That’s healthy. Real healthy. Did you know his mother’s
been in town over at Rose’s Bed-’n-Breakfast? She’s become a regular in town.”
“Really.”
“Nice woman. Widow.”
Kate bit her lip. Judge Lowell was a widower. After Kate’s short meeting with Colton’s mother atop Cutter Mountain, she could see why the judge would find her attractive.
“There she is now.” The judge’s bushy eyebrows came together. “Hope you don’t mind I invited her.”
“Of course not.”
Heart in her throat, Kate searched the space behind the tall, sophisticated woman the judge was beaming a smile toward. Had this been Colton’s secret to Lindsay? Was Colton behind his mother? Nope. Beulah stood there holding a pan of steaming Grecian chicken. Had Colton been around he would have been on Beulah’s heels sweet-talking her into first dibs.
“Marian. You look lovely.” Judge Lowell’s face lit up.
“Thank you. You look quite dapper yourself, George.”
Was the judge blushing? Kate was glad the introduction required a smile. “Marian Gray, this is Bear Creek’s pride and joy, Kate Crockett.”
Heat flooded Kate’s cheeks as she stuck out her hand and look into honey-colored eyes a shade lighter than Colton’s. “We meet again. You’re the woman I met at Cutter Outlook.” Before the fire. After he left me. “Thank you for coming to our celebration.”
“My pleasure. Is that your song playing in the background?” Marian tipped her head to listen. The strains of music floated above a building crescendo of voices. She swayed to the beat. “It has a wonderful lilting sentimental feel. It’s lovely.”
“Thank you,” Kate said careful not to drop her gaze to the judge’s fingers entwining Marian’s. “Trace was the right singer for the ballad.”
“Before I forget.” Marian broke hold of the judge’s hand to open her purse. “Colton asked that I give you these. They’re tickets to the Bullets’ season closer. Unfortunately, the Bullets won’t be going to the playoffs this year.”
“There’s a plane ticket here. Two plane tickets.” Kate’s eyes widened. “I can’t accept this.”
“Nonsense. Colton said he promised Lindsay.”
“But I can’t. I have a job.” A part-time Barista Queen at Starbucks hardly constituted a job. People quit for lesser reasons than the tickets she held in her hand.
Colton’s secret shared with Lindsay came to mind. Why that weasel! He’d used Lindsay to trap her into coming to one of his games when she couldn’t even bear to watch on TV. He wanted to torture her while she watched him pitch when a minute of his time to say hello at LAX was asking too much. He just stood there staring her down as if she had been in the wrong, when it was he who wrote the damning note.
“It’s set. You can’t refuse.” Marian’s eyes lit up as she spied Lindsay. “Oh, there’s your daughter helping Beulah. I must go meet her. Colton thinks the world of her. Calls her the Half-Pint. Isn’t that cute?”
The townspeople began to descend upon her from every direction with good wishes. Once the flurry died down, Bobby moseyed her way with a plate of food in his hand. Cleaned up with scrubbed fingernails, he was surprisingly handsome.
“Do you know about this?” She held up the tickets.
“What’s that?” He bit into a fluffy white biscuit.
“Plane and game tickets. From you know who.”
“So? Take ’em. It’s probably a thank-you for lettin’ him stay out at your place. Like he gave me tickets for driving Bessie to Chicago.”
“I can’t take them.”
“Why not?” He stopped chewing to level her with that stupefied look he reserved specially for her.
Kate growled and made a quick scan of the room. “Are they going to play that song over and over and over? It’s driving me nuts.”
“I don’t see why yer gittin’ yerself fussed up over tickets. Colton’s the friendly sort. He does nice things for people.”
Kate’s face crumpled into a frown. “Bobby McAllen. I don’t want to hear another word out of you for the rest of the evening.” Kate set out to find the CD player.
“What did I do?”
****
Back at her parent’s house, Lindsay slept sound in the twin bed next to her. She had been over the moon with excitement and glad she didn’t have to keep the secret of the trip to Chicago any longer. Kate marveled at her ability to keep it to herself so long, but they had been nonstop busy from the moment they got back to Nashville.
With stealth movements, Kate eased back the covers and slipped out of bed. She lifted the plane tickets and her cell phone from the dresser. It had been a fixture there for as long as she could remember.
Once she tiptoed downstairs, she settled into a padded chaise. The small enclosed porch running off the kitchen was a cozy, private spot to scrutinize the tickets. Her heart beat faster as excitement flashed through her veins.
They would fly into Chicago early Saturday morning and back out Sunday evening. No missed school for Lindsay. And Kate didn’t work weekends at Starbucks no matter what she’d told Marian Gray. There was no choice. Aside from avoiding the pain it would cause her to see him, she needed to refuse for one very good reason. He’d used Lindsay.
Her fingers tightened around her cell phone. Colton’s number had been added to her contacts list shortly after his landing on her doorstep. Offended at her not trusting him enough to take a check, he’d grabbed it from her one night and added his private cell. The number no one except his family, agent, and lawyer were privy to use. At the time, it made her feel special until she realized Sasha would have the same number. She took one cleansing breath and punched the call button before she lost her nerve.
“Hello,” he said after one ring.
“Colton, this is Kate.”
“Get the tickets?”
“That’s why I’m calling. I can’t accept them.”
He groaned. “Why not?”
“Because you used Lindsay.”
“I promised her tickets. Now you’ll swallow your pride and bring her to a game. Sasha told me you wanted me out of your life. I don’t blame you. But set those emotions aside long enough to give this trip to Lindsay.”
Sasha. There was a name that made her blood boil. “You made it into a secret to trap me.”
“I made it into a secret because I didn’t want you squashing the kid’s fun because you’re mad.”
“I’m not mad. I’m Lindsay’s mother, and we can’t come. I was calling to tell you in person.”
“You were calling because you miss me.” Colton hoped her silence meant this was true. He had gone out on a limb, bringing Lindsay into his spur-of-the-moment plan at LAX. The deep frown she blazed his direction from the crowd hadn’t spoke of missing him one iota. And to be honest, he didn’t blame her for writing him off after the cold note he left. Not a day went by when he didn’t regret the affront to their incredible night. “Admit it. You miss me.”
“Colton Gray, I swear, you are the most egotistic man I’ve ever met.”
“Self-confidence is not ego.” That self-confidence did sound a whole lot like ego, and it made him swallow hard. He softened his voice to a plea. “Come to the game. I want Lindsay to see me pitch. I’m not sure there’ll be another season. Please. Come.”
“Now you’re going to play on my sympathy? You are a total jerk. Did you know that?”
“Yes. You’ve told me often. Come because I want Lindsay there. I promised. I don’t like breaking my word, especially to Lindsay. She needs kid fun after the fire. So do you. I can’t tell you how sorry I am you lost everything.”
“Me too, but I really wish you wouldn’t have done this behind my back.”
“You wouldn’t have come.”
“Why? Because you left me naked in bed with nothing but a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am note to make me feel good come morning light?”
“That’s not how the night went and you know it.”
“I know nothing.”
Awkward silence beat between them.<
br />
“If I could pull the note back I would. I’m sorry. I didn’t want you having expectations I couldn’t give.”
“My only expectation was giving you a good breakfast before you left.”
Colton growled. “I heard your song today. It would have been harder and you know it.”
“There’s that ego again. For your information, the fire inspired the song not you. And...and Trace’s breakup. You said dig up his song but I wrote him a ballad instead.” Kate tried to slow her erratic breathing, surprised he had no comeback. Of course he didn’t. His non-committal heart was with Sasha. The silence beat on too long. It made her uncomfortable when he had no problem telling Trey off in no uncertain terms. She changed the subject, not wanting to hang up when he didn’t reply. “Since when did you start listening to country?”
“I’ve always liked it.”
“Right. I forgot. You’re a cowboy at heart.”
“The song has lots of...depth.”
“The fire,” she repeated. “Losing everything but the clothes on your back means you don’t have to dig too deep. The pain pulsed right at the surface. I decided to turn it into a love ballad. Country folk love a good unrequited love song.”
“Whatever helped you write again, I’m glad. It’s a good song.”
“That actually sounded sincere. Thank you.”
“Come to Chicago, please.”
She sighed. “I don’t want to come to the game but you’ve cornered me. Or is it corralled me?”
“How about I make it up with a limo pick-up instead of a posse? You can stay at the house here with my mom.”
“See. You’re exactly like Trey.”
“I’m nothing like Trey. It’s easier on game day. It will ease my mind to know you are taken care of without a hassle.”
“Not necessary. I’ll rent a car. They give out free maps.”
“Then stay at my house with my mom. I’d like time with you and Lindsay.”
“If you want Lindsay at the game, it will be on my terms. I’ll rent a car and get my own room. We’ll come to the game, find our seats—”
“Skybox.”
Cutter Mountain Rendezvous Page 20
