Which pretty much summed up his life. Colton’s future held nothing. He was a broken man with nothing to show for except some impressive battle scars. Great for scaring off kids.
Cursing as he pulled into his yard, Colton slammed his gearshift in Park and wanted to kick his door open. Only his body ached too much.
Leaving the keys in the ignition—because who the hell would come out to an overgrown field with a rusted tin mobile home on it?—Colton gripped his left thigh and swiveled it out. Once he shimmed his ass closer to the edge of his seat, his right leg followed and he hopped down, letting out another line of curses when he hit the ground.
The pain wasn’t as bad as it had been a few months ago, but he’d definitely overdone it the past week and the cold air didn’t help any either. Colton closed the door with his elbow, limped to his trailer, and spent the next hour stretching on his floor, Sadie wagging her tail in encouragement.
If only his buddies could see him now. Downward dog. Tree pose. Warrior. Colton snorted. Warrior. He looked more like a ballerina balancing on one leg with the other stretched out behind him, arms pointing out. But hell, the yoga felt good. And burned.
After doing a series of standing stretches, he lowered himself to the floor and breathed slowly through his next poses. Cat-dog was his favorite. Coddling his leg did a number on his back. Colton hefted himself up off the ground and let Sadie out to do her business, then tossed a corn bag his mother made for him in the microwave and poured himself a glass of water. Two giant gulps and it was gone. Standing in front of the opened fridge, he stared at the empty shelves.
The timer on the microwave dinged and his stomach growled, even though it wasn’t dinner. Taking out the bag, he let Sadie in and made his way to the hand-me-down couch Graham gave him. He settled back on the hot bag, his faithful companion curled in to his side. The intense heat relaxed his lower back and he rested his head, closing his eyes, dreaming of the sexy brunette he wanted to despise.
It wasn’t long before a knock on his tin can followed by Sadie’s quick bark startled him. Rolling his shoulders, Colton sat up, realizing the corn bag was now cold.
“Hey meathead. Can I come in?”
Rachael. And he smelled food. “Door’s open.”
“And I bet your keys are in the truck. Pretty boy like you needs to be careful in this neck of the woods.” His sweet sister stepped into his cramped space, a grocery bag in each hand. Sadie sniffed the goods, licked Rachael’s hand, and begged for a snack.
“Your new boyfriend teach you to be a smartass?”
“And lots of other things too.” Rachael bent down and kissed Sadie’s head, and then made her way to Colton, kissing his cheek. “You need to shave. You’re hairier than your dog. And shower. You two smell alike.”
“Don’t hold back, sis. Anything else?”
She made herself at home unloading groceries, storing some in the fridge and others in one of his two cabinets. “This place is a dump.”
“I’m not trying to impress anyone.”
“I heard you got your degree while you were overseas.”
“I didn’t think Mom had such a big mouth.”
Rachael settled on the couch next to him and put a plate of cheese and crackers on his lap.
“She doesn’t. Blake does.” Rachael fed Sadie a cracker before tossing one in her mouth.
“How the hell did he find out? Little prick needs to mind his own business.” His damn nosey brother. First he bombarded Colton at the hospital when he wanted nothing to do with anyone and now he flapped his gums. Little brothers were such a pain in the ass.
“You’ve always been Blake’s hero. He’s proud of you and wants to help out.”
“Then why the hell isn’t he here?” Damn. Colton didn’t mean to say that. He didn’t need another Riley sibling breathing down his neck. Luke and Graham had their hands full with their wives, and a baby on the way for Graham, so they didn’t bother Colton too much, and Lucy was still virtually a stranger. Blake was still working all over the country building and organizing those crazy-ass obstacle courses. The fact that proceeds from this year’s races went to the Wounded Warrior Fund wasn’t lost on Colton. Shoving a stack of cheese and crackers in his mouth to keep himself from blurting out anything else stupid, he sat and chewed.
Rachael, however, must have been given the short straw and was stuck checking up on him. Which he knew she didn’t mind. She’d always been the nosey little sister. “We all have jobs and can’t drop everything for your sorry butt.”
Colton laughed. “When Blake stalked me in the hospital he said you were a wounded puppy and you needed me to come back to Rocky Harbor to get you through your shit.”
“That was true. But since you weren’t around, I found another big, brooding, pain-in-the-ass messed-up guy to get me through.” Rachael stuck her tongue out at him.
“He’s a good guy.” Colton hadn’t approved of Jake at first, but realizing he’d come out on top after the shit he went through as a punk kid, Colton gave him his approval when Jake asked the family’s permission to marry Rach. The guy loved Rachael and they were good together.
“The best. And so are you.”
No. He wasn’t. Jake climbed out of his hole after serving time and made a good life for himself. He dedicated his time to help women learn self-defense and then starting his own landscaping business. Colton had nothing to show for himself except battle scars.
“Drop the pity party. It so isn’t like you,” Rachael said, reading his thoughts.
“And what do you know about me?” Colton placed his hands next to his thighs and hefted himself off the couch. “I’ve been gone a long time and seen shit you can’t even imagine.”
“True. But that doesn’t change who you are, only what you’ve seen and done.”
Chucking the corn bag on the counter, he yanked open the fridge and nearly smiled at the six pack of Shipyard beer. Taking a bottle from the shelf, he twisted the top and held himself back from guzzling the bottle. “Want one?”
“No, thank you.”
“Thanks for the beer.” He leaned against the counter and crossed his right leg over his prosthetic. “And the food.” There were four containers which he knew held comfort dinners, a bag of apples, and a gallon of milk in the fridge. A bunch of bananas and a box of Frosted Flakes sat on the counter. “You remembered.”
Each week when Mom went grocery shopping she made one of the kids go with her. Cooking, household chores and shopping, she’d said, were important skills men and women needed to have. Mom always added three healthy cereals to the cart and whoever went with her that week got to pick out the one sugary cereal, which didn’t even last a day. When Colton went he always picked Tony the Tiger.
“Of course I do. Just because you were gone doesn’t mean we forgot about you. Is that what you thought?” Rachael rose and stood across from him, leaning against the fridge. Their toes nearly touched, the small space not offering much room for two people.
Colton shrugged.
“Seriously? You thought we forgot about you? You’re the one who took off and rarely visited.”
“I didn’t get much vacation time.”
“I know, but even when you did you didn’t always come home. Did you have a girlfriend somewhere? We would have loved to meet her.”
As if. He’d spent the first few years so angry he scared off any woman who came within ten feet of him. Over time he’d learned to hide his anger better and only sought out women for release.
“And there you go again. Ellie said you had a tendency to stare off into space. She asked about your limp.”
Of course she did. He looked like a fool. “She freak out?”
“No. I didn’t tell her about your leg. That’s your business.”
“What did you say?” Great. Now he sounded like a pubescent boy.
“War injuries. She’s concerned she’s asking you to do too much and doesn’t want to hurt you.”
Too late for that. “I�
�m fine.”
“Is there something going on that I should know about? You both react the same way when I…No.” Rachael leaned forward and focused her laser sharp blues on him. Colton lifted his beer to his lips and took a few healthy swallows before adverting his gaze. “She’s the girl from that summer.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh. My. God. I can’t believe I didn’t put two and two together.” Rachael smacked his arm and paced the living room, which consisted of two steps forward and two steps back.
“What do you know about that summer anyway?” Colton never talked about Ellie with his brothers or sister, wanting to keep their relationship private.
“We all knew you had a girlfriend. You smiled more and snuck off at night.”
“I didn’t sneak off.”
“You’d shower after work, slap on cologne, and then take off on your bike.”
“I sweated at work. Of course I was going to shower. And I don’t wear cologne.”
“Even Luke and Graham teased you. Blake said he heard rumors you were dating some rich summer girl. It was Ellie. Wasn’t it? That’s why you two are so weird with each other.”
Colton finished his beer and warmed at the memory. He knew his brothers would tool on him for having a girlfriend. Especially someone as opposite to him as Ellie was.
Is.
They had nothing in common back then and they sure as hell had nothing in common now. She made it pretty clear she was embarrassed to have him lurking around her fancy inn. Their bodies may react to one another, but that was all. Setting his bottle on the counter, he gestured for Rachael to move out of his way. She kept her gaze locked on his while she opened the fridge behind her and handed him another beer.
“You’re blushing.”
“I don’t blush. Besides, I have a beard. You can’t see jack.”
“It’s cute.”
“I don’t do cute.” Colton twisted the cap off the beer Rachael offered him and chugged nearly half of it down. His stomach churned in protest, needing to be filled with something more substantial than crackers. “What did you bring me to eat?”
“Typical male changing the subject. There’s meatloaf, chicken, and pork chops. Try not to eat them all in one meal. They’re supposed to last you a few days.”
“Dessert?”
“Of course. Pumpkin cheesecake.”
“A whole one?” Colton wiggled his eyebrows.
“Half. You don’t want to get fat in your old age.”
“Who got the other half?” He pouted.
“Jake. Now, back to the good stuff. So you and Ellie dated back in the day.”
“Like you said, I stink. Toss those chops in the microwave while I shower. Thanks again for the food.” He kissed the top of her head before limping down the short hall to wash off the memories of what he once had. He’d finish the job Ellie hired him to do and then he’d figure out what to do with the rest of his life.
Chapter Three
Ellie
“I don’t feel well.” The dreaded words a mom never likes hearing from her baby, words Ellie had heard nearly every month for the past year. CJ curled up in a ball and pulled his Star Wars comforter around his body.
“Is it your tummy?” Ellie put her hand on CJ’s forehead and frowned. “You feel warm. Mommy will get the thermometer. I’ll be right back.” When he was a baby and came down with a cold or ear infection Ellie would have to scramble to find another waitress to cover her shift. And it meant lost revenue. While she had a trust fund, she could only withdraw a limited amount each year, and she wanted to save the bulk of the money for CJ’s college tuition.
Now, with the Inn she wouldn’t have to take time off work. At least that was the plan. CJ’s constant illnesses worried her more than the slew of pediatricians they went through in Pennsylvania. She’d already brought CJ in to his new doctor three times in the three months they’d been in Maine and she feared Dr. Canon would see her as an overprotective mother. She knew something was going on with her son that was more than a weak immune system. Thankfully Dr. Canon took her seriously and had ordered a round of blood tests last month.
Other than showing CJ as anemic, the tests were inconclusive. Still, the doctor had asked if she could take a few more blood samples. She said she didn’t want to worry Ellie with her theories until she knew for sure what was wrong with CJ.
The waiting, the worrying, the weakening in CJ’s body and spirits had taken a toll on both of them. Things were better, though, since being in Maine.
With her new job, Ellie could pop in and out of CJ’s room in between loads of laundry and making sure her guests were taken care of. She had planned to head out to the local farm stands to buy corn stalks, hay, and pumpkins to decorate the front porch, but that would have to wait another day.
Besides, the hay wouldn’t fit in the back of her Audi and she’d need to borrow someone’s truck. The only people she knew who had one were Jake and Colton. Ellie found the thermometer in the bathroom closet and startled at her reflection in the mirror.
The woman looking back at her wasn’t the same one who fell so easily and naively in love at the age of seventeen. Gone were the days of frivolous spending, romantic adventures, and big dreams. Reality crashed hard and fast and she had the lines, stretch marks and battle scars to prove it.
Flicking off the bathroom light, she sighed as her tired feet trekked down the hall to CJ’s room. He was fast asleep but the thermometer was a digital device that measured his temperature through his ear. She took his temperature and sighed again.
One hundred one. Not a cause for alarm, but he definitely couldn’t go to school today. Probably not tomorrow either. Ellie stroked his dark blond hair and caressed his soft cheeks. So sweet. CJ may not have been planned, but he was the most important person in her life and she’d do anything for him. He brought more meaning to her world than any other human being possibly could.
Including Colton. They’d spent one summer together, which could not compare to the love she shared with her son.
A teenage crush filled with copious amounts of unbridled lust. And an incredible night of passion when she gave her virginity to a sweet boy who’d stolen her heart.
End of story.
The lines on her pregnancy test may have disagreed, but that’s where one chapter of her life ended and another began. Kissing CJ on the cheek, she gave his body one more squeeze before slipping away, leaving his door ajar.
The smells from the kitchen added another five pounds to her waistline, but she followed them anyway. “Tuesday is your day off. Why the fancy breakfast?”
“You had a full inn this weekend. I figured I’d send off your guests with some pumpkin bread and apple spice muffins with a friendly reminder to tell their friends about their stay.”
“You’re too good for me. I should hire you as my marketing rep as well.”
“I haven’t seen CJ yet. Did he already have breakfast?” Rachael picked up a pair of hot mitts and pulled two muffin trays from the oven.
“Wow, that smells good.” Ellie breathed in deep and relaxed her shoulders. “CJ’s not feeling well. I’m keeping him home from school today and tomorrow.”
“Poor kid. Anything I can make for him? Some soup?”
“I’m not sure what he’ll want to eat today, but thank you. Go enjoy your day off.”
“I’ll be out of your way after this last batch is done. Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
Ellie had so much to do this week between decorating, weather-proofing, and making CJ’s Halloween costume. She had promised him a trip to the thrift store after school this week, per their annual tradition, but with him not feeling well, she’d have to put that off until later. Hopefully they’d find something he’d like.
It was much easier when he was a toddler wearing whatever costumes she created for them. Ellie enjoyed dressing up just as much as he did and always made matching costumes. A cowboy and cowgirl, pirates, B
atman and Batgirl. Now that he was nine he was a little more particular, wanting to be Darth Vader this year. He found a costume at Walmart he really wanted but she liked making theirs from scratch. Not only for the cost effective side of it, but because of the special memories.
Growing up, her parents had Ellie and Max’s costumes special ordered. Well, Theresa, their maid, did. She and her brother would tell Theresa what they wanted to be and she would find them and take the siblings trick-or-treating while Thomas and Ginnie stayed home to greet the neighborhood kids. Better PR that way.
Ellie enjoyed making memories and traditions with CJ but she could see him starting to grow out of some of them. Moving to Maine this summer was hard on him. He had a nice circle of friends in Pennsylvania on his soccer and baseball teams and in school. The boys were wild and crazy playing Legos, superheroes, and tag all day long. Ellie never had to entertain CJ much; he had an active imagination and was well liked by the boys in his class and on his teams.
The summer months were the hardest for CJ. It wasn’t until soccer season began toward the end of August that he met some boys his age, and once school was back in session he fit right in as if he’d been going to Rocky Harbor elementary his whole life. She thought they’d be done with the constant trips to the doctor’s office and pharmacy. If he wasn’t better by tomorrow afternoon she’d call the doctor. Again.
“You okay?” Rachael asked after putting another tray of muffins in the oven.
“Yeah. A lot on my mind.”
Rachael tossed her oven mitts on the counter and pulled out a barstool. “My brother said the same thing.”
Ellie’s face grew warm. She could only imagine what was on his mind. Probably thinking of an excuse to get away from her. No. Colton didn’t do excuses, he just left.
“Same blush too.”
Wounded Love (A Rocky Harbor Novel Book 3) Page 3
