Only Just Begun

by Vella, Wendy

  “Assholes,” Ted muttered as they all crowed with laughter. “I’d take each of you in an arm wrestle.”

  “Like hell you say?” Buster gave him a look that was a half smile. “You’re on.”

  The last point was forgotten, and a table found from somewhere. Chairs were dragged up to it.

  “Okay, the two strongest in our towns. Bets are on.”

  Ted looked at Dylan after he spoke. “How come you think I’m strongest?”

  Dylan shrugged. “I’ve seen your arms. None of ours are a match.”

  “Besides, you have to be good at something. We’re hoping this is it,” Jack added.

  After sending the middle Trainer a filthy look, he sat. Ethan Gelderman stepped up.

  “I’m judge.”

  “And me,” Joe added. “One from each town.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Jack read out the rules he’d hastily googled, and then they started.

  Ted felt Buster’s strength and thought it was going to be a tough match. Behind them, their friends urged them on. Buster got the better of him; Ted dug it in and got the better to Buster.

  “I have to say, this is impressive,” someone said.

  “It’s called brute strength.”

  Ted felt Buster ease back and knew he was going in for the kill, so he applied pressure and managed to get the win.

  The Ryker boys were ecstatic. Buster smiled and shook Ted’s hand.

  “I’ll be wanting a rematch when I return.”

  “Maybe we can come to you next time. Have a boys’ weekend in Lake Howling?” Ted said before he could stop himself.

  “Deal.” He went in for a shoulder bump with Buster.

  “Hey there, Mandy.”

  Ted spun and saw she was standing a few feet away in that hideous dress. Had she watched the wrestling? Her eyes didn’t give anything away.

  “You brought us some lunch, little girl?” Ethan wandered over and placed a sweaty arm around her shoulders. “Almost makes a man wish he wasn’t married when he sees a lady as beautiful as you.”

  Mandy wouldn’t buy that BS, surely.

  “The thing is, Teddy Bear, women love compliments no matter how much they say otherwise,” Fin said, coming to his side. “Mandy’s like one of those little chicks who have had a rough start by falling out of the nest early in life. They need building up. Compliments go a long way toward that.”

  “She won’t buy into that smooth-talking Texan’s shit.” He watched as color filled her cheeks when Ethan took the basket of food from her.

  “You sure about that?”

  He wasn’t, actually. He watched as she smiled; it was small but genuine.

  “The strong silent type only goes so far, bud. A woman likes to know a man sees her.”

  “Why would I need to see Mandy Robbins?” Ted made himself say. “She’s a friend, and barely that. We’re two different people from two different worlds.”

  “That live in the same town. Go figure.”

  “Friends,” Ted said again, with more force.

  Fin shrugged. “Sure, if you say so.”

  “I do.”

  “Okay then. My bad for thinking otherwise. Nice work on the arm wrestle, by the way. You redeemed yourself after that pathetic display with the basketball.”

  “I’m still learning. Not everyone came out of the womb shooting hoops.”

  “You didn’t?”

  Ted shook his head but didn’t elaborate. How had Fin noticed his interest in Mandy? Did the others see it? Was it really interest, or was he just curious about the woman?

  Curious sounded better, and a lot less threatening.

  “Try one of these, man, they’re awesome.”

  Ted took the roll Luke handed him, and a large bite.

  “They’re good,” he told her. See, I can compliment too.

  She didn’t smile at him like she did the slick Texan, which pissed him off.

  “I’ll see you later then. Enjoy your day.” Mandy raised a hand and left. She didn’t go far, heading to the second court where Piper was waddling up and down the sideline coaching some of the town’s teenagers.

  “She’s sweet. What’s her deal?” Buster said, watching her.

  “Deal?” Jack said with his mouth full of bun.

  “She seems kind of timid. I went into the kitchen before and looked around.”

  “She’s just always been like that.” Luke shrugged.

  “Did you ever ask why?” Ted asked the question. “Does anyone know why?”

  The Ryker Falls men all looked blank.

  “All I know is she came here to live with her aunts when she was young,” Joe said. “I remember a painfully shy girl who wouldn’t speak and jumped at her own shadow.”

  “She’s hasn’t changed much then,” Fin added.

  “I remember her, but only because of that time in school when Nigel Backhurst came to school with a black eye. Jack had given it to him for picking on Mandy. You Trainers were a bad lot, but you watched over her,” Dylan said.

  Jack shrugged. “Bullies always go for the ones who can’t defend themselves.”

  “Everyone left her alone after that,” Dylan added. “But take it from someone who’s dealt with people who’ve suffered trauma in their lives—I’d say she’s had one hell of a lot of it at some stage in her childhood.”

  Ted thought about what happened to his family and knew what that trauma had done to them. He didn’t like to think of Mandy going through even a quarter of what he had.

  “Hell, Buster, are these your double chocolate muffins with caramel filling?”

  Jake McBride looked like a small child at Christmas.

  “They are. I baked them with Mandy,” Buster said in that slow, easy way of his.

  “You know I’d turn for you, right?”

  “Heard it many times, boy, and the answer is still no.”

  “You boys want to play a real team?” Piper said from her court.

  “Sure, we can sub heaps, seeing as we’re old,” Dylan called back. “And you need to take a load off, sweetheart.”

  Piper raised two fingers.

  “I love that woman,” he sighed as they all moved to her court. Mandy was still there talking with kids in the team. She looked comfortable around them. Nonthreatening, Ted thought.

  “Yeah, she’s a real peach.” Jack shook his head.

  “Mandy’s going to umpire.”

  “What? No, I’m not.” She looked panicked at Piper’s words.

  Ted intercepted her as she turned to go.

  “You got this, Mandy.” He tapped her forehead. “In here.”

  “Not that strong,” she whispered.

  “Do you know the rules?”

  “My aunts live and breathe basketball. We watch it all the time.” Mandy could have lied, but it wasn’t her way. “They’ve also been dragging me to games since I was a child.”

  “It’s up to you whether you do it. But this is just a friendly, so—”

  “All right, stop bossing me,” she muttered.

  “Not sure how I was doing that? But as your self-development coach, I’d say this is a good thing for you to do.”

  She snorted.

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Okay, you can stop pushing.” She drew her shoulders back. “But I can’t do it for long, I need to get back to the shop.”

  “Me. Push?” Ted placed a hand on his chest and tried to look innocent.

  “You’re pushy, you just wrap it up with words.”

  He wondered if she knew that she was changing. That some kind of switch had flipped inside her the last few days and her backbone was getting stronger. It was slow progress, but he could see it happening.

  Ted wasn’t going to point that out. He watched as she took the whistle from Piper, who was now sitting.

  “You tired, honey?” Dylan dropped down beside her.

  “Yes, and my ankles are swollen,” she snapped. “Pregnancy is not turning out to be anything
like I read in all those books. Best time of your life, my ass.”

  “Right.” Dylan ran a hand over her head before regaining his feet. “Eat one of those muffins, that’ll make you feel better.”

  “I hate you.”

  “Sure you do.” Dylan kissed her forehead. “I’ll rub your feet later.”

  “Really?” Piper’s smile made her husband laugh.

  Ted wondered what that was like. Having someone you loved so much who almost knew you better than you knew yourself.

  “Remember. You’re in charge, so blow that whistle and talk like you mean it. First sign of weakness and they’ll walk all over you.” Ted dragged his eyes away from Piper and Dylan to talk to Mandy.

  “Right. If I wasn’t nervous enough, that’ll do it.”

  “Stop whining, you got this.”

  Mandy then did something he’d never seen her do. She crossed her eyes and poked out her tongue at Ted. He had the urge to grab her and kiss her.

  “Practice blowing the whistle.”

  She did, and it was a pretty pathetic attempt.

  “Blow it like you mean it, woman.”

  She did it again, this time with more force.

  “Nice work.”

  The men were gentle on the teenagers, for all the teenagers tried to maim them. Mandy got the hang of things, and by the end had even raised her voice a few times.

  “Foul!”

  “What?” Ted glared at her. “That was not a foul.”

  “Sure it was, now be quiet.”

  He gave her a mock snarl. When she blew the final whistle, Ted was sweating and Mandy had a wide smile on her face.

  “See, it’s not scary.” Ted joined her.

  “Oh no, it was terrifying, but I did it. Don’t tell anyone or they might ask me to do it again, but I enjoyed it.”

  “A real tough girl now.”

  Ted watched the others talk to her and poked around inside his chest and thought that maybe he needed a bit of space from this woman. She seemed to strike sparks inside him, and he wasn’t sure if that was because she was wounded and he felt like he needed to protect her, or that he just plain wanted her.

  Whatever the reason, it was time to put some distance between himself and Mandy Robbins.

  Chapter 8

  Ted walked out the lodge gates the next morning, enjoying the solitude. He had staff sick with some bug that had spread through their ranks. Today would be a busy one, so he’d decided on a walk after he’d worked out, because he’d still be at his desk or dealing with staff and customers long after the sun had set.

  The sun was rising slowly behind Phil, crawling up his back to reach the sky. Spinning on his heel, he enjoyed the solitude. Most guests were still sleeping, and he had the morning to himself.

  Coming here had saved him. No two ways around that. He’d been on a fast track to burnout when he’d driven into Ryker Falls and fallen in love with the place.

  He studied his lodge. Something heavy always settled in his chest when he looked at what he’d achieved.

  His alone. No other member of the powerful Hosking family could claim even an inch of Falls Lodge.

  It sat nestled in nature like it had always been there, and Ted hadn’t been proud of much in his lifetime, but he was proud of this place.

  Making a mental note to have the trees down the driveway trimmed, he headed into town.

  It wasn’t cold, but crisp. Ted loved this time of the day. His time. He’d get a coffee, eat something from Phil’s that he shouldn’t, and then walk back. It was something he often did, because if he stayed at the lodge, he’d just start work and eat in the restaurant.

  Passing the end of the Trainers’ drive, he saw the lights on in the stables. Jack and Rory would be hard at work.

  The Howling boys were off flying about the countryside today in their helicopters, which left the Ryker boys doing some much needed work.

  He felt relaxed this morning and weirdly at peace with the world, which was odd. Ted was rarely at peace. Usually his mind was consumed with ways to improve the lodge. He liked it that way, because if he was thinking about that he couldn’t think of anything else. Mandy, or his past.

  “Morning.”

  He didn’t turn because he knew that voice.

  “Morning, Mr. Goldhirsh.”

  “Morning, Ted.”

  “Miss Marla, how you doing?”

  They moved to either side of him.

  “Miss Sarah having a sleep in?”

  “She chose yoga this morning over running.”

  Dressed in peach spandex, Miss Marla wore a band around her gray curls and a long-sleeved zip-up jacket.

  “You guys put me to shame.”

  “It’s the truth we do, boy. You should be running with us.”

  Mr. Goldhirsh had to be the fittest human Ted had ever met. Wiry, fit, and intelligent, nothing got past this man.

  “I’m a bit large for jogging. Short workouts suit me, like treadmills.”

  The man made a pfffft sound of disgust.

  “You need fresh air, boy, you don’t get that inside. Exercise was meant to be conducted outside in the fresh air, not watching TV.”

  “I’ll watch nature documentaries, will that help?”

  “Always cheeky, these young ones,” Miss Marla said, swatting him on the backside before she and Mr. Goldhirsh ran off at a ridiculously fast pace.

  Ted turned into Main Street and wandered down the sidewalk looking in shop windows. Some had people inside, and he lifted a hand to those who were starting their day early.

  The sound of someone singing had him slowing. Searching for the owner of that sweet voice, he found Mandy.

  She was looking in the window of the shop next to Tea Total. Earbuds were in her ears and she was singing softly and doing a little side-to-side move with her feet. Kind of like a shuffle. Her voice was nice, husky and yet in tune. Ted’s was always the opposite.

  The sight did nothing to ease the awareness he already felt for this woman. Especially as today she wasn’t hiding her body behind clothes that were too big.

  She wore those exercise leggings again, and a fitted T-shirt. Damn, she was fine. His eyes followed the curves of her body down to her trim ankles. Realizing what he was doing, he cleared his throat. She didn’t hear him.

  He clapped his hands loudly.

  Nothing.

  He didn’t want to frighten her. He should walk away; instead he moved closer and tapped her shoulder.

  She jumped and shrieked.

  “Sorry.” Ted steadied her, gripping her arm. Her skin was warm, which told him she’d been exercising.

  “Ted, you scared me.” She pulled the buds out of her ears.

  “I know, sorry again. You been walking?”

  She nodded.

  “Really getting into the exercise then?”

  “I feel better when I do some, I’ve realized.”

  “You have a nice voice, Mandy.”

  “Not really.”

  “Yes, really. You sing in the school choir or something?”

  She shook her head.

  “How come? You’re obviously good enough.” Ted wasn’t sure why he was persisting when she clearly didn’t want to discuss this further, but it was just something else he didn’t know about her and wanted to.

  The woman had more closed pages in her book than most people…, even him.

  “Well?”

  “Well what?” She looked in the shop window again.

  “Did you sing in the school choir?”

  “No.”

  “You’ve got a great voice, why not?”

  “Is there a reason you’re asking me these questions?” He heard the frustration in her voice.

  “I’ve met people in my life who don’t like sharing personal stuff, me included, but you’re the best at it. Stop hiding. Remember,” he tapped her head, “you’re strong in here.”

  “What does my not singing in the choir have to do with that?” She kept her eyes on th
e window.

  Hell if he knew.

  “It’s part of changing who you are. You need to open up a bit more.”

  “Like you do?”

  Good point.

  “We’re talking about you.”

  “Okay, I’ll try.”

  “I doubt that, but points for saying it,” he muttered, fishing into his pocket. “This is for you, by the way. It’s the key to my gym.”

  She held out her hand, and he dropped it into her palm.

  “I’m very grateful to you for allowing me to do this. I don’t know why, but I would like to use it.”

  “I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want you in there, Mandy. If you come tomorrow, I’ll run you through a basic program.”

  “Really?” She smiled, and it was always such a shock for Ted, as he saw it so rarely.

  “Really.”

  She looked at the key.

  “My father was an entertainer. I got my voice from him.” She said the words in that tight, controlled voice she used sometimes.

  “Yeah? Was he famous?”

  “No. He just used to sing in a nightclub.”

  “So you never got to listen to him. That’s rough.”

  She turned back to look in the window again. “I used to go with him. It was just him and me, so he couldn’t leave me at home.”

  “You went with him at night?”

  “Yes.”

  He knew she’d come to Ryker when she was young, nine or ten from memory. A nightclub was no place for a young girl, surely. He filed this small piece of information away, but didn’t push her for anything more.

  “Why are you looking inside Timms’s Books window? They have something new in that you want?”

  “Not really.”

  “Not really?”

  “I’m just looking,” she said, her eyes still on the window.

  “At what? Chances are you know that place as well as you know yours. It’s next door, and from memory always has been.”

  It was then Ted saw the sign on the door. Taking two steps back, he read it.

  “Shop for lease, apply within.” He read the words out loud.

  Mandy didn’t look his way.

  “This place is bigger than yours, right? Has an upstairs area too, by the looks of it.”

  “It is bigger,” Mandy agreed. “Mr. Timms has been here as long as us. Upstairs is an apartment he rents out.”