by Jillian Hart
The chimes she’d made trilled overhead when she opened the door. The cool whoosh of air-conditioning bathed her hot face and she sighed. The cheerful sun catchers she’d made that hung along the stretch of windows began to dance as she shut the door.
“Hey stranger.” Ava was on the other side of the display case already pouring two large glasses of strawberry milk. “I saw ya comin’.”
“Bless you.” Something cold was exactly what she needed. It was another long day and not over yet. If she stayed busy enough, then it was easier not to wonder why William hadn’t gotten back to her about their ride. “How’s business today?”
“About the same.” Ava nodded toward the seating area where a dozen bistro tables sat without a single customer. Everything was spotless and lovely but sadly empty. “Except for an early rush for the Monster Muffins and Sunshine Scones, it’s been like this.”
“Okay, so business isn’t exactly booming. That doesn’t mean that it won’t pick up this September. All those college students will be back from summer break, and you’re not too far from campus.”
“Yeah, I know. I got another wedding cake order, so that part of the business will keep me afloat. Hey, I got all of Katherine’s reading group goodies decorated. Want to help me box ’em up?”
“Sure. Did you get her text-message reminder about the final wedding dress fitting?”
“I don’t think so. I haven’t looked at my phone for a while. I’ve misplaced it. Jonas is doing a little better, so that means the wedding is still on?”
“Danielle told her not to cancel it, and it’s Danielle’s call.” Aubrey took a long sip of the cold, sweet milk. It hit the spot. She followed her twin into the kitchen. “What’s the plan with the munchkins today? Are they with Rebecca today?”
“Last-minute change. Dad came in to get Monster Muffins for him and the kids for breakfast. I guess Rebecca was supposed to take them all day, but she has a date with Chris tonight.” Ava donned a little pair of plastic gloves and went back to work at the kitchen’s big table. “So that means we have to take them shopping with us. Dad’s pretty tired, and Dorrie is staying with Danielle.”
“Okay.” See? She had enough to keep her busy between her job and her family. She studied the rows and rows of decorated cookies spread out over the worktable. “You’ve outdone yourself. Katherine is going to love these.”
“I hope so. I was bored of the usual, so I thought, why not make cookies shaped like books for the reading group? It’s been fun. Tomorrow’s your day off from the store. Do you have any plans?”
“Nothing in particular.”
“Aren’t you going to go riding?”
Not so subtle. Aubrey took another sip of milk and headed to the industrial sink to wash her hands. She dropped her bag on the counter next to the sink. The second she turned on the water, the door chime rang.
“It’s probably Rebecca with the munchkins,” Ava said on her way through the swinging door.
Rebecca was seeing Chris. Again. It was another worry for the family, but was she thinking about that?
No. She soaped and rinsed, but was she thinking about her niece and nephew? Her imminent shopping trip and what to buy for Katherine’s upcoming shower?
No. Her mind returned to William. To wondering how he was doing alone on his mountain.
As she reached for the paper towels to dry her dripping hands, two black boots came into her field of vision. Then long, strong legs encased in worn denim.
William. The paper towel slipped from her fingers. She turned toward him, and when their gazes met, everything within her stilled. It was good to see that he was well.
When he spoke, his baritone moved through her as sweetly as a summer wind. “Don’t look so surprised. You said I could come by.”
Did she look surprised? Aubrey fumbled with the fallen paper towel and managed to make her fingers work well enough to pick it up off the counter and toss it into the nearby can. Her voice sounded almost normal when she spoke. “It’s good to see you again, William.”
The hard line of his mouth softened in the corners. “I thought you might say that. Your sister sent me back here to fetch you. She’s looking over the stuff I brought. Come see.”
“Sure.”
So, it was all business. Whew. Aubrey couldn’t exactly pin down why that was such a huge relief, but it sure made it easier to act as if everything was totally normal.
She followed all six feet plus of him through the sunny kitchen and into the cheerful dining room. Light slanted through the window and sparkled in the sun catchers, but he was shadow, stalking like a giant panther through the sun’s brightness. He jammed his fists on his hips and stopped short of where Ava stood at the display case, examining two large frames side-by-side.
Aubrey saw the closest photograph first. The visual impact hit her like a punch to the soul, dragging the breath from her lungs. There was a golden eaglet, his downy feathers gleaming like gossamers of gold. He was surrounded by a background of dawn’s gentle colors. Peach, gold, rose and lavender painted the streaks of clouds. The fragile baby eagle was caught perfectly as he hopped from the rim of his nest and seemingly onto a bed of clouds ready to cradle him. Light shimmered in those clouds like a blessing. She forgot to breathe as she stared at the image in wonder.
William broke the silence. “It’s not technically one of my best, but one of my favorites. Maybe because I was rock climbing when I spotted this little guy across the way. I was hanging almost upside down under an outcropping. I nearly dropped my camera trying to get the shot.”
“You rock climb?”
“I’ve been known to do it without falling.” His mouth curved upward to show a hint of a dimple.
Sure, and he had probably leaped buildings in a single bound, too.
The second photograph was even more amazing. It was a winter scene of solemn snow and forest, of hillside and frozen stream at first light, when the world was more gray than bright, more sleepy than awake and tinted in a deep lavender glow. The ribbons of clouds had halted in the sky to admire the rising sun.
It took every bit of Aubrey’s effort not to admire the photographer standing at her side.
Ava broke the silence. “How do you do this? You make the light glow like you’ve put glitter on it.”
“It’s called waiting for the exact moment to take the picture. That, and having a really good filter.”
Aubrey wasn’t fooled. This was more than craft, it was a calling. A calling he’d turned away from. One that had made him a lot of money, she supposed, since she had no idea what these pictures would go for in a gallery. But it had to be a lot. This donation of William’s was substantial. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yeah. It’s for Jonas. And maybe there’s a miracle waiting for him. I hope he gets well.” Sorrow passed across his face, the way a storm fell across the granite face of the mountains.
Aubrey could feel what he didn’t say.
William started to walk away. “I can’t walk out of here without taking a look at your desserts. That was some chocolate cake you sent to me.”
Aubrey’s twin dragged her gaze away from the pics. She beamed at him. “Aubrey told me that you liked it. If you’re in the mood for chocolate, I baked some fudge brownies this morning that are totally to die for. Interested?”
“How about a half dozen?”
“Super-duper. I’ll be right back. It’ll probably take me a while, you know, so Aubrey, why don’t you keep our favorite customer company?” She gave Aubrey a telling look and hurried out of sight.
So, the twin had the wrong idea about them. He waited until he heard the door to the back swing shut and they were safely alone before he focused his full attention on Aubrey.
She was still staring at his pictures. Sunlight dappled her with a green and blue glow from the stained glass, and she looked amazing. What made her so infinitely lovely to him wasn’t only the way she looked. Sure, she had delicate cheekbones and a small sloping nose,
and brilliant violet eyes, but he saw more when he looked at her. Something deeper that shone quietly from inside. She made his guard go down and made him relax. She made him understand how alone he’d become.
“William, you’ve gone beyond anything we could have expected. I’d say thank you, but it’s way too small a word for this.”
“They were just sitting around gathering dust.”
“Oh, sure they were.” She rolled her eyes, not one bit fooled.
She seemed to understand, and he didn’t feel comfortable saying more. He’d looked behind and into the past too many times lately, and he couldn’t stand to keep revealing it. Some things hurt too much, and always would. He knew if anyone could, Aubrey would understand.
He managed to clear most of the emotion from his throat. “It’s the least I can do. It’s all I can do.”
“It matters, believe me. Would you like something cold to drink? We’ve got milk, soda, juice, iced tea.” She circled behind the counter, reaching for glasses as she spoke. “I’d offer you butterscotch candy, but I’m all out.”
That almost made him laugh. “Wouldn’t mind some tea. If you’re out of butterscotch, does that mean you’ve been riding?”
“No. Life has been too intense. I board Annie at an equestrian stable just out of town. It’s just easier. I think this is the first time since our mom left—I was seven—that I’ve missed so many days of riding in a row.” She deftly grabbed a pitcher out of the case behind her and headed his way, balancing two plastic tumblers and a pitcher full of iced tea and lemon wedges. “Annie’s always taken care of, regardless if I show or not, but she’s my bud. We’ve been together a long time.”
“I understand. You miss her if she’s not around.”
“I do.”
It was strange how he already knew the slightly off rhythm cadence of her gait and the whisper of her movements as she set the glasses on the table in front of him and poured—his glass first. As he watched the golden liquid spill in a perfect waterfall from spout to glass, he wanted to believe that he’d come here to deliver his donation and be done with it.
But it wouldn’t be the truth.
“You couldn’t live in a more perfect place to trail ride.” Her voice shone with wistfulness as she filled the second cup.
Wistfulness. Maybe that’s what he was feeling, too. His gaze froze on the line her arm and wrist made holding the pitcher in midair. The tiny, delicate gold chain at her wrist was so airy and elegant, it seemed exactly right for her. He studied the perfect contrast that airy strand of gold made shimmering against the slender, feminine curve of her wrist and hand. Light caught on the glass of the pitcher and transformed the scene.
William itched to have his camera, but he didn’t carry a camera with him. He gritted his teeth, frustrated and helpless. He wanted to capture the moment. With the way the slanted sun cut through the catchers, painting separate rays of light in vibrant, royal colors as a backdrop, it made the simple act of a woman pouring a glass of tea ethereal, touched by grace, sheer heavenly innocence.
He forced his attention away, took a sip of the tea and tasted regret.
She set down the pitcher and slipped into the chair across the small table from him. “One day, I want to find my own place out of town so Annie and I can be together. I stayed at one of the rental houses on my gran’s property when I was in college, and it was great having Annie so close. She used to poke her head in the windows during the summer. It was fun. And there were a lot of trails to ride.”
“A few weeks ago, Jet and I were up in the mountains behind my house and I saw the very fresh tracks of a grizzly bear along a stream. I turned Jet around and put some distance between me and the creek.”
“I’m glad you two got away uneaten.”
“Me, too.” William took another swallow of the sweet tea, unable to stop noticing her. It was his artist’s eye, of course. She made a lovely picture. The way she swept at a few escaped strands of her light blond hair was pure grace. Surrounded by sunlight, she looked like goodness itself. The kind of goodness even a man as lost as he was could believe in.
Behind her, the row of sun catchers winked and twinkled. He recognized the whimsical, intricate scenes from Aubrey’s Web site. There was a tiny hummingbird hovering above a honeysuckle bloom. A shaft of sunlight through clouds. The first bloom of a single wild rose.
Those scenes—for some unfathomable reason—reminded him of Aubrey, lovely and simple. Honest. Emotions he would not allow himself to name rolled through his chest.
“The mountain meadows are just starting to bloom with wild roses.” He said it without thinking. “When’s your day off? Jet and I’ll show you.”
She narrowed her eyes and studied him, and it was hard to tell what she was really thinking. “I suppose Annie would like that. How long of a ride are we talking about? I have a few hours free tomorrow. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait until Friday rolls around.”
“This’ll take more than a few hours. Jet likes to take his time when we’re on the trail. Friday, then, around ten?”
“Sure, but only if Jonas is doing better.”
“I understand.”
“Tell Jet I’m looking forward to seeing him again. I’ll make sure I pick up plenty of butterscotch candy at the store.”
“Tell Annie we’re looking forward to it, too.” He got up. He couldn’t help feeling awkward. It was a lot easier blaming all of this on Jet. William didn’t want to think about what was really behind the invitation. He wasn’t sure he knew.
He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and tossed a twenty on the table. Aubrey was gazing up at him wide-eyed, ready to protest his paying for his drink, but she didn’t have a choice. He cleared his throat. “You’ll keep me updated on Jonas?”
She nodded, but any answer she may have been getting ready to say was cut off as her twin popped into the room with a small pink bakery box in hand.
“With our thanks,” the other sister said as she slid the box onto the table. “I still can’t believe what you’re donating to our cause. It’s totally super-duper. Jonas will be awed by this when he wakes up, of course.”
William could hardly nod in acknowledgment. He heard the women’s words, but he wasn’t capable of ripping his gaze from Aubrey. While the woman were identical in looks, he saw the difference. The one wearing the apron bubbled like a mountain creek, while Aubrey was a quiet stream, running slow and deep. She drew him like the stars to the heavens, and, if he was going to reach out to improve his life, there could be no one better to trust.
She didn’t appear to be as captivated by him, thank the heavens. Maybe that’s why he felt comfortable with her. Calm. At peace. She was getting ready to argue about the twenty, but he stopped her.
“I’ve got to get back before the storm hits.” It was the truth, but a convenient excuse, too. He took the box and headed for the door. “I’ll see you and Annie Friday.”
“Yes, but—”
“Unless you’ve changed your mind about riding with us?”
Aubrey couldn’t seem to get the right words out. She didn’t want him to seriously overpay for the brownies—or to pay at all. “Uh, no, a twenty’s too much—”
“Then I’ll take one of these, too.” He stopped short of the door, where the sun catchers glinted and swayed. He lifted one neatly off its hook.
“I’ll see ya around,” he said on his way out the door. The bell chimed, and he was gone.
Aubrey blinked. She knew her mouth was still hanging open—out of surprise or disbelief, she wasn’t sure which. She could only stare at the sight of William making his way across the sun-bright parking lot. Dressed in black, he was an odd contrast to the lively green of the trees lining the lot. He paused in the shade beside a top-of-the-line charcoal-gray truck. He drew a set of keys from his pocket and opened the door.
There it was, that raw hurt in her heart, not one of sadness or pain, but because she felt too much. No, correct that. William made her feel too much.
She was hardly aware of Ava at her side until her twin spoke. “He’s definitely wow. A twenty on a scale of ten. A real Mr. Wish Come True.”
Yeah, she’d noticed and she was starting to wish a little, too. That was walking on dangerous ground, so she forced down all the quiet new wishes within her heart until they were silent. It was best to be practical.
“Ava, I think you have marriage on the brain. It must come from decorating so many wedding cakes. It’s warping your sense of reality.” She said it gently, to tease, to hide the more serious things taking root in her heart. Plus, it made her sister laugh.
“Sure. Right. That’s me. But I have weddings on the brain because I’m happily engaged. You know how misery loves company?”
Aubrey nodded, watching as William backed his truck out of the spot.
Ava kept right on chattering. “Well, it’s like that but the opposite. Happiness loves company, too, and I want you to be happy.”
Me, too. Aubrey felt the power of that wish with all of her soul. William’s truck zipped away and turned out of sight. She was a realist, she wasn’t the kind of girl who wished on first stars of the night. She had to be real about this, too. She whipped around and started clearing the table. “What time was Rebecca going to drop off the munchkins?”
“Any second. So, how does it feel to have a date with William?”
“Date? I don’t think so. He’s lonely. I don’t have a trail-riding partner. You know September and I used to ride together, but she moved. That’s all there is to it.”
Aubrey refused to wonder why William had bought one of her sun catchers. She refused to let Ava’s hopes divert her from what she knew to be true. “William is alone. He’s gone through a lot of hardship all by himself without the blessings of family and friends and the support that we have around us. That’s all this is. You’re making too much of it. Really. He needs someone to reach out to him.”
