“Mmmm…” Rylee breathed as she closed her eyes and leaned back into Bryan’s arms. “A fire would be great. The matches are in the kitchen. Top drawer.”
“Got it.”
Rylee walked to the couch and sank down against the blue-and-white striped pillows. Raisin, sleeping on a thick dog bed she had made for him at the last sewing circle, let out a small yip. Her heart pounded as she tucked her legs underneath her and settled back on the couch. When Bryan touched her, she felt herself sing with the pleasure of coming home to a place she only found with him, a place she wanted to last forever. And maybe, she thought, maybe it was possible to stay in this place forever. She loved being a part of the women’s sewing circle and making plans for the holiday vintage market. She enjoyed spending time in Bryan’s kitchen with his Mom and niece, Lauren. It reminded her of being with Grandma and Grandpa. Maybe she could trust Dad had kicked his gambling habit this time and didn’t need her. Maybe.
Bryan kneeled on the floor in front of the fireplace. He carefully tucked newspaper and a few pieces of kindling under the logs and lit a match. The fire smoked, and, as the paper caught, the small sticks smoldered under the heat.
“I think that’ll do it.” He leaned back on his heels. “It should be warm in here in no time.”
Rylee smiled at him as he settled himself on the couch beside her and picked up her hand. He threaded their fingers together and caressed the inside of her wrist with his thumb. She shivered with his touch.
The fire outlined his profile and turning, Rylee ran her hand alongside his face. “Bryan,” she breathed.
Bryan shifted and gathered her in his arms. He lowered his mouth to hers, and she surrendered to the kiss.
* * *
“My Dad used to say his favorite part of a storm was a cozy fire.” Rylee curled deeper into Bryan’s arms. “We don’t get very many stormy days in Vegas. But when it rains, he always liked to build a fire and read his paper.”
“Where is your Dad, Rylee?” Bryan thumbed circles on her lower arm and smoothed a strand of hair from her forehead. Rylee had never talked much about her Dad. He assumed she tired of talking about his baseball days.
Rylee stared straight into the fire. “He lives in Vegas.” Her voice sounded strangled and cold.
“Rylee?” Bryan touched her arm.
Rylee stood and walked to the window overlooking the river. She crossed her arms, as if trying to hold it all inside, and said, “Dad is not who everyone believes him to be. He has a gambling addiction. He has struggled with it since I was a child.”
Raisin shook himself and ambled over to her. He leaned his nose against her leg. She reached down and stroked his back.
Bryan stepped up beside her. “Is that why he never comes back home?” Bryan wanted to gather Rylee into his arms and hold her. He wanted to tell her Dad’s history didn’t matter. What mattered was the love that existed between them.
“Dad spent all the money he made playing his one season in baseball on gambling. Mom supported him until she died. Then I picked up what I could. Grandma and Grandpa sent money sometimes. They tried to keep it from everyone in town. They knew people would be disappointed if they found out what had really happened to their hero.”
“Is that why you never returned to Cranberry Bay?”
Rylee turned around to face Bryan, anguish in her eyes. “The morning after you proposed, I got a call from the Las Vegas Police Department. They’d arrested Dad for fighting. He didn’t have anyone to bail him out. When I got there, he promised he’d stop gambling. He said he just needed to get back on his feet. I believed him, and I believed I was going to come back to Cranberry Bay.”
“But he didn’t get back on his feet?”
“No,” Rylee said, her voice choked with sobs. “He didn’t. At first, everything was fine. I even made reservations for plane tickets to return for the holidays. At Thanksgiving, he started gambling again. After that, it was always the same. He’d win big and promise never to return to the tables. Then a few days later, he’d lose it all and end up sleeping on my couch.”
“And your grandmother gave you the house but not him.”
“After I inherited the house, I felt terrible. Dad wouldn’t talk to me for weeks. He was so angry. I promised Dad we’d share the proceeds, and I’d buy us a place in San Diego. I hoped he would get away from gambling.” She bent her head and studied the floor.
“You can’t stop his gambling, Rylee.” Bryan placed his arms around her and pulled her close. “It’s not your fault he has an addiction. You can’t change that addiction. Only he can change it.”
“I know.” Tears streamed down Rylee’s face. “But he’s the only family I have left. I can’t just leave him. He needs me. What will he do without me? Live on the street?”
Rylee slipped out of Bryan’s arms. She pulled on her jacket and called Raisin to her side. Quickly, she opened the door and stepped into the rainy night.
Anguished, Bryan tossed a small bucket of water onto the dying flames in the fireplace. She’d trusted him enough to tell him why she couldn’t stay in Cranberry Bay, but it didn’t change anything. Rylee believed her Dad needed her. She believed she could save her Dad from himself. She would leave again, taking his heart with her, and there was nothing he could do to stop her.
Rylee’s scream cut through the silent night. He raced to the door and threw it open to find the river overflowing its banks.
Chapter Twelve
Rylee lifted one wet foot from the pool of water. Her car tires were submerged in at least a foot of water that had risen to within a few feet of the cottage. She hadn’t meant to scream, but she’d been so surprised to find herself wading in the thick and muddy river water, she couldn’t help it.
“Rylee!” Bryan stood in the lit doorframe. “Don’t move. I’ll be right there.” His deep voice boomed across the courtyard.
“I’m fine.” Rylee spoke above the rain, which poured down in buckets. “But my car is flooded.”
Bryan slipped back into the cottage, and Rylee stared at the muddy water covering the courtyard. The croquet set floated beside the barbecue. The flowerpots floated beside the picnic table. It would take days to bring the gravel paths and grassy yard back to where the cottages could be shown with some confidence of attracting a buyer. Rylee wiped rain away from her eyes. At the rate of this storm, it looked like the river hadn’t even begun its damage yet.
Bryan splashed across the flooded yard. “We’ll take my truck. The wheels sit higher than your car.” He held out his hand to her. She easily slipped hers into his warm one.
He squeezed her palm. “Ready?”
Rylee nodded. She held onto Raisin’s leash and guided the dog to Ryan’s truck. He stepped beside her and unlocked the passenger-side door.
Bryan looked into her eyes. “I’m glad we were together for the storm.”
Rylee’s heart turned over as she gazed into his blue eyes. She reached up and ran her hand along his cheek. “I am too.”
Bryan took her hand from his cheek. He wrapped his fingers with hers and placed them both next to his heart. For a minute, neither of them said a word.
Raisin nosed his body in between the two of them, and Rylee pulled away.
Bryan turned and unlocked the backdoor. Raisin jumped into the backseat while Rylee slipped into the passenger side. She reached over to unlock Bryan’s door. Bryan slipped into the driver’s side and reached into the middle console to pull out his cell phone. “I’ll get a couple people to help sandbag. The river hasn’t flooded like this in over two decades.”
“I’ll help you.” Rylee reached into her bag for her cell phone. She scrolled through the numbers until she found Ivy’s home number.
In minutes, both Rylee and Bryan had secured a handful of people to help with the sandbags. Ivy promised to call Sasha, Gracie, and Katie, while Cole pledged to pick up Mitch and Josh on his way to pick up the sandbags at City Hall. Bryan turned on his windshield wipers and pulled his truck out of the gravel lot.
He turned toward the buildings on Main Street.
“Cole will have the back of City Hall opened. He was working late tonight and said he’d been watching the river levels all day. I’ll check on the flood stage with him, but the cottages should be okay as long as we can get them sandbagged tonight.”
Rylee bit her lower lip as Bryan’s tires squealed on the pavement, and he made a sharp right into the back parking lot of a small brick building. A black SUV was parked alongside the building. A tall man hefted sandbags into the back.
“Cole!” Bryan turned off his ignition, opened the door, and stepped out into the rain.
Rylee slipped out of her seatbelt and followed Bryan. She vaguely remembered Cole as one of the boys Bryan hung out with as a teen. Now a tall, full-fledged man, he wore jeans and a dark rain jacket with a blue baseball cap. Cole greeted her and continued his work.
A small red four-door car pulled in behind the black SUV, and Sasha hoped out. “I came as soon as I could.” Her curly hair bounced in a ponytail on top of her head. She stepped over and embraced Rylee in a large hug. “Don’t worry. It’ll all work out.”
Rylee swallowed the lump in her throat at Sasha’s warmth. “Thanks.”
“I’ve grabbed a tray of cookies from the bakery. We’re going to need sustenance for this job, and I’ve got a whole set of colorful cut-out turkeys that are just begging to be eaten. Tyler helped me frost them. I thought he did a really good job, and I might have some competition for my job someday.”
“But those are for Thanksgiving.” Rylee protested.
Sasha shrugged and smiled at her. “I don’t think we’ll be very busy with this kind of storm. I’d rather give everyone a treat now than let them go to waste.”
“Where is Tyler?” Rylee looked around for Sasha’s eight-year-old son.
“He’s with my sister.” Sasha’s voice darkened. “Her family always rents a large house at the beach for the holidays. He wanted to spend the night with his cousins. It’s not something I can ever give him, and I try to let it bother me. But,” she swallowed, “sometimes it does.”
Rylee reached out to hug Sasha. “I bet he loves it. You’re a good Mom.” For a minute her heart constricted. Would she ever get to experience the love of being a mother like Sasha?
“Come on,” Sasha said gruffly. “Let’s get these cars and trucks loaded up with the sandbags. The guys don’t get all the fun around here.”
Ten minutes later, all three cars were loaded with sandbags, and they made a caravan down Main Street toward the cottages. Three more cars parked up the hill from the cottages waited in the dark night. Bryan’s headlights swept across the water-filled parking lot and yard.
“Everyone came to help. I didn’t expect…” The words died in Rylee’s throat.
Bryan reached over and palmed her thigh. “This is how we work in Cranberry Bay. We all pitch in.”
Rylee nodded. She was afraid if she said anything the tears would start. It was what she’d always heard from her grandparents about the storms in the small town: Stories of residents banding together to overcome days without power in high windstorms. Stories of how everyone pitched in to help with meals, food, and childcare. It wasn’t the same as when the power went out in Vegas due to a loss in the grid system. She always huddled in the dark, by herself, hoping that the emergency battery to the security system in her condo had kicked in. In Cranberry Bay, everyone showed up to help out.
Rylee slipped out of the truck as Katie stepped toward her. She placed a blue blanket around her shoulders. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Rylee fingered the blanket around her shoulders. “This is one of your quilts from the shop.”
Katie looked into her eyes and smiled. “It’s okay. What better way to use a quilt than to help out a good friend? I’m sorry this is the way your romantic evening ended.”
“How did you know?” Rylee asked, wide-eyed and surprised at Katie’s words.
“How did I not know?” Katie said, the smile evident in her voice. “The two of you have been grinning like teenagers every time you are around each other. Your secret is safe with me, unless…” she paused, “the two of you don’t want it to be.”
“I don’t know how to feel right now,” Rylee said. “There are things I have to work out.”
“I’m sure you can work it out,” Ivy said as she stepped up beside them. She clapped her gloved hands together and nodded toward Bryan. “I’ve never seen him as happy as he’s been the last few weeks. He can’t stop talking about you.”
Rylee flushed at the compliment.
“Grab a sandbag.” Cole stood on the bed of Bryan’s truck. “We’ve got work to do.”
The women set up a line and passed the sandbags to each other until a small, stacked row lay beside every cottage and along the riverside.
“That should hold it.” Josh wiped his forehead. He peered down the street to the pub. “I hope they’ve got their sandbags out. They’ll be flooded just like the cottages.”
“Wait a minute.” Sasha ducked into her car and called over her shoulder. “I’ve got something for everyone.” She returned quickly and passed out the colorful decorated turkey cookies. “It won’t hold you for long, but it’s the best I could do at such a short notice.”
“These are great,” Josh said, biting off the head of one of the sugar cookies. “Great icing.”
“That’s Tyler’s work,” Sasha said, her voice echoed with pride. “This was his first job. He’ll be disappointed customers didn’t buy them.”
“He’s a good kid,” Josh said. He swallowed the last of his cookie and wiped his hands on his dark-blue jeans. “I’m sorry Greg didn’t stick around.”
Startled at the mention of Tyler’s Dad, Rylee turned to face Sasha. She had never talked about the father of her son in the sewing circle.
Sasha shifted away from Josh and crumpled a bakery bag. “I better get back. I’m whipping up the pies for my sister’s celebration tomorrow at her beach place.”
In a flurry of good-byes and hugs, Sasha said her goodnights and hopped into her car and pulled out of her space.
“You know not to talk about Greg.” Katie frowned at Josh after Sasha’s car pulled away. “And right before the holidays too.”
“Sorry,” Josh said. “I just feel so bad every time I see that kid without his Dad. It didn’t have to be this way.”
For a minute, Rylee wondered if Josh had feelings for Sasha and that was why he never noticed Ivy.
“Come on.” Katie grabbed napkins from the group clustered around the truck. “I’ll give you a ride home, Rylee. It’s on my way.”
“I’m giving her a ride.” Bryan stepped up beside her. He dropped his arm over her shoulder and squeezed. “Raisin is in the car waiting.” He nodded toward his truck where Raisin peered out the window at them with his nose pressed against the glass.
“Okay.” Katie hugged her. “But call us and let us know if you need anything.” She placed her hands on her hips. “I hope this is the last of it, and nothing happens to those cottages before Colleen can write her article.”
Colleen. In the middle of her evening with Bryan and with the flooding, Rylee had forgotten the interview Colleen was doing with her the day after Thanksgiving. She looked around the dark yard. It’d be a muddy mess for the pictures. Her shoulders tensed. She thought of how everything would look in the daylight. Mud on every surface, pools of water, and the stench of the river everywhere. There wasn’t time to get everything cleaned up.
“Don’t worry.” Bryan drew her closer. “She can take pictures of all the work you did inside the cottage. That’s what counts.”
“I hope you’re right.” Rylee bit down on her lower lip sharply.
“Let me get you home.” Bryan opened the passenger door. Drops of water dripped from Bryan’s broad shoulders, and he shivered. Rylee leaned over and wiped water from his right arm. Her fingers trailed down to his forearms. She removed the blanket from around her body and placed it over
his shoulders. “You’re freezing.”
Bryan reached out and picked up her hand. He squeezed lightly and smiled at her. “It’s okay,” he said, still smiling. “Nothing a good hot shower won’t cure.”
Rain pounded on the roof, and Bryan placed his key into the ignition. “We better get out of here before the storm gets worse.” He glanced in the rearview mirror and backed the car up.
In minutes, they pulled up in front of Rylee’s dark home. Rylee shifted to face him. She wanted to say something about the way she’d left the cottage earlier in the evening. “Bryan I…”
“It’s okay.” Bryan leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips. “It’s been a long night. We don’t have to talk about this now. You’re still coming to Mom’s for Thanksgiving tomorrow afternoon?”
“Yes,” Rylee said, looking up at him. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Good.” Bryan kissed her again. His lips soft with tenderness. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Chapter Thirteen
Rylee entered the dark living room and walked to the hall table. She flicked on the stained-glass table lamp. It’d been a wedding anniversary gift. That summer, Grandma insisted she didn’t need anything. But Grandpa wouldn’t let a moment pass to declare his love for Grandma. Grandpa had asked Rylee to join him on a trip over the mountains to Portland. Rylee enjoyed combing the shops with Grandpa, and both had known the stained-glass lamp was perfect, for Grandma loved all things glass. Grandma had cried when she opened the gift and promised to always leave the light on as a visual display of their everlasting love. Rylee had kept the tradition going and loved seeing the glowing lamp. The light reminded her of the love between her grandparents and of their ever-present spirit.
Rylee followed Raisin into the kitchen. She filled his bowl with a cup of dry food and placed it before him. As Raisin gulped his food, she opened a kitchen cabinet and pulled out Grandma’s old cookbooks. She had planned to donate them to the local library book sale, but hadn’t found the heart to do so yet. Now she flipped open the yellowed and fragile pages. She smiled at her grandmother’s familiar handwriting. Grandma’s notes marked a variation in ingredients or she had scrawled, “Good recipe,” in the margins. Rylee’s heart warmed. It was as if Grandma sat with her and instructed her.
Sweetheart Cottage (Cranberry Bay #1) Page 12
