by Robin Bayne
“You’ll go with her?” She pushed out the bitter words.
Colt sighed. “I don’t have much choice.”
A small child ran by, creating a breeze. Tia stood, pulling her hands from Colt’s. “You just made one.”
“Right.” He shook his head.
Tia dropped her purse, which Colt quickly retrieved. Her hands shook, and the humiliation washed over her. She was so close to begging him, to pleading with him to listen, to trust her. But she wouldn’t do it. Forget her pride−what if she damaged his recovery?
“Will you be OK to drive?” The gentleness of his voice took Tia’s breath away.
She stared down at him. Didn’t he feel the connection when their eyes met?
“Colt!” Cami loomed over them, breathing hard, as if she’d dashed down the long hall to find them.
Tia closed her eyes, briefly wishing her only sibling off to Hades, or Siberia. “What do you think you’re trying to pull here, Cami?” She spun, nearly knocking her sister over.
Cami made fists and narrowed her eyes. “You haven’t been trying to make Colt feel bad again, have you? Putting a guilt trip on him? The doctor said that would hurt his chances for recovery.” Hands on hips, Cami could have been Colt’s mother. “Colt, you have my journal, don’t you?”
The Colt Tia knew would never have tolerated that attitude in his mate. Gritting her teeth, she backed two steps away. “Fine. Take him home with you.” She still didn’t know how Cami had convinced Colt that the two were in love, but she’d find out.
Cami would not get away with this. Fists clenched, Tia backed even farther away, knocking into an older man, then grabbing for an arm to steady him. As she apologized, she watched a scowling intern in white scrubs approach Colt with an empty wheelchair, shaking a scolding finger.
Colt stood, his snarl and size dwarfing the hospital worker who looked up at Colt and then whirled so fast the chair did a wheelie.
If it wasn’t so pathetically sad, Tia would have been laughing.
~*~
“Why the long face?” Colt slapped a package on the table. Pulling out one chair, he slumped in it, his eyes narrowing on Tia.
She shrugged. Darned if she’d tell him the memory she’d just revisited.
“Got more smoke detectors. Extinguishers are on order. Saw Sheryl with your pal Matt, and they looked pretty friendly.” He looked around. “Got any of that good iced tea?”
Tia nodded, watching him start to rise. “I’ll get it,” she said and filled a frosted tumbler with tea. “It’s sun tea. I brew it in a jar on the deck.” Handing him the glass, she let her fingers touch his. They tingled.
Now why did she do that? Couldn’t she just have set the thing down on the table in front of him? Tia, thoroughly disgusted with herself because she did know precisely why she’d touched him, snorted a little and continued to stare. She spent too long remembering last night’s kiss in the doorway, how she’d melted around his lips.
“You sure nothing’s wrong?”
Wrong? The wedding. How could it have slipped her mind already? She’d need Colt’s help. “Well, there is something. The wedding reception that was booked for six weeks from now just got shoved up to next weekend.” She took a breath. “Can I depend on you?”
He gulped the last of his tea. “For what?”
For what? Tia wasn’t sure. She grabbed her own tumbler and filled it, then sat across from Colt. “For starters, if Liz can’t get off of work on such short notice, and I can’t con someone else into helping, I’ll need a waiter.”
“What?”
“You know, to serve appetizers and stuff. I have a bartender lined up who should be OK for this weekend; he’s a medical student. And I think the quartet can be changed.”
“Quartet? You mean a band?”
“No, chamber music. This girl is ready to have a baby, so I purposely didn’t hire a dance band. That’s what her father requested. Remember, the big day was supposed to happen much closer to her due date.”
Colt held up his hands in protest. “Too much information. OK, give me the person’s name to call and I’ll reschedule your quartet.” He shook his head, pushing his empty glass around the table. “I’m just not happy about having to help with a wedding.”
Tia’s head popped up, eyes narrowed. “And why not?”
Colt grabbed her wrist, circling it lightly with his hand and abandoning his tumbler and easygoing manner. “I’ve been engaged to another woman, remember? Sure you do. It’s the same reason you won’t give me a chance now.” He hissed the words out, leaning over the table.
“Oh, really?” Tia straightened, placing her elbows firmly on the table’s smooth surface. “Who pulled away first last night?”
Colt matched her pose, bracing himself, scooting forward on the chair, his legs wide, straddling the seat.
Tia kept her knees locked together as she watched him, seeing a panorama of emotions cross his face. What exactly was he thinking? She stretched one hand out, flat on the table, and slowly lifted her nails into tap position.
Colt reached out and stilled her hand, having anticipated the reaction. “Tia,” he said, just above a whisper, “you were coming down off the rush of panic, from the fire, that’s all. If I had taken advantage of you last night−”
“Oh, and you know me so well you know what I was feeling?” She wanted to punch him in that slightly crooked, oh-so-handsome nose.
“Tia. Listen. You asked me to keep my distance. I’m doing that. I’ll help you with the wedding thing; you’re my partner. But I will expect help managing the outbuildings in return. That’s what partners do.” He sighed, and released her hand. “What partners don’t do is take advantage of each other at a vulnerable moment.”
Tia nodded, and the fight went out of her, leaving her eyes welling with tears. He was absolutely right, and she didn’t want him to see her cry. It had been Tia’s own idea to keep their personal lives to themselves. Colt had told her so much about himself in his efforts to mend his fences with her. She stood and collected their glasses, avoiding his gaze.
“Are we OK, then?”
Tia only nodded, waiting at her sink until he left the room. He’d been acting noble, professional. Everything he said made sense. He hadn’t rejected her, just maintained a distance−at her request. So why on earth had last night left her feeling like she was back in that hospital lobby being dumped all over again?
~*~
Colt pounded the last nail into the beam, securing any structural damage the flames might have caused in the loft. He probably only needed to use a half dozen nails, but by the time he’d smashed the fifteenth head into the wood, he was starting to feel better.
Talking to Tia brought back more memories than he wanted. Or needed. Kissing her last night had been the stupidest thing he’d done in a long time. Trouble was, he still loved her; was ready to start over with her, be a partner in a variety of ways, in front of God and man. But she wasn’t in the same place, she had too much to let go of, at least where he was concerned. He wouldn’t take advantage and wouldn’t get involved just so she could spite her sister. When and if Tia wanted him for real, he’d know.
At least he hoped he’d know.
Starting on a joist, Colt examined it for damage. The wood felt rough and splintered under his fingers. He was relieved that the fire George started hadn’t been too destructive, but he was annoyed that he still smelled burnt wood.
He looked over at the stack of two by fours he’d piled up, waiting for him to create a platform for the bride and groom’s first dance. Tia hadn’t asked for it, but Colt had seen a movie once with the wedding on a wood deck, and a flowered arch over the couple. He figured if he made the deck and arch, Tia would approve and cover it in flowers or leafy green stuff. Girl stuff. With no more emergencies, he might get the thing done in time to surprise Tia and her clients.
Wondering when he’d seen that movie and who he’d been with, Colt struck a dozen more nails into a beam, enjoyin
g the clopping sound that bounced around the carriage house. Blisters formed and stung his hand, and Colt tossed the nails aside, but kept the hammer in position to whack the beam a few more times.
Tim rode by on the lawn tractor, saluting Colt with two fingers to his brow. Colt sighed. He might not know the title, but at least he remembered the movie. That was something. There were other memories pressing him, urging him to find little ways to make up for the past. Abandoning the work for the moment, Colt went to the garage, to the corner that housed his carvings. He had yet another project to start−a very special one.
~*~
Armed with telephone, paper and pencil, Tia situated herself at the kitchen table. The smell of this morning’s bacon still hovered in the humid air, and Tia felt her thighs expand from just inhaling it. Other times, she would not have known where to start, but today she didn’t have that luxury. She had a whole lot to do and suddenly very little time to do it in. After a prayer for patience and efficiency, her right hand jotted notes as her left became her caffeine lifeline.
Colt had been so sweet, offering to take over part of her list. Of course, making his favorite breakfast had very literally buttered him up. She’d have to eat her words and help him with something for the stable, much as she disliked the entire idea of a ranch setup.
The strange part was that she actually had started to look forward to doing things with Colt. When she’d thought of him just a few months ago, her tummy had dipped and she’d wanted him to see how well she’d turned out, how thin she still was, how accomplished she’d become. It sounded so petty now, wanting to rub his nose in it. Now she’d rather imagine his nose rubbing in her hair.
She’d wanted him to really regret all those lost years.
And instead, more than ever, Tia regretted losing Colt for so long. Either she’d grown up a little, or she was falling back in love with Colt. Neither choice much appealed to her.
~*~
“You’re a doll,” Colt said, squeezing the portable phone between ear and shoulder while he rubbed a hunk of wood with sandpaper.
“I know. And hey, what I offered the other day, I meant,” Liz said, her voice clear through the lines. “I think you guys belong together. Always have.”
Colt flipped his wood and scrubbed harder. “Yeah, well that makes two of us.”
“Have you put any moves on her?”
His hand slipped and the rough paper prickled his skin. “Geez, you don’t mince words, do you? You saw how she is. Won’t come near me.” He remembered the embrace in the hall, but decided not to mention it.
“Really? I got the impression she was softening up. Her pride’s not that big, she just needs to work through it all. Keep at her, she loves you.”
Colt chuckled. “I take it this means we have your blessing?”
“As long as you keep your head from hitting sharp objects, and above water, well, then, yeah. I approve.”
“Should I have Jake come over?”
Liz hesitated before replying. “Yeah, he’s a cutie. Heard from Matt?”
“Spoken for.”
“Sheryl?”
“Yeah.”
“Serious?”
“I saw them together shopping housewares.”
“Well, that says it all, doesn’t it?” Humor bounced through the line, and Colt smiled at her reaction. Hanging up the phone, Colt sighed with relief.
Liz could be here to help Tia with the party. This would save him from searching for a waiter or doing the job himself. Not that he didn’t want to help out; he just wanted to surprise Tia with something else.
The platform and arch he’d planned for the dance should certainly do the trick, but he’d have to hustle to have it ready in time.
Tia might not realize that he still loved her, had always loved her, despite a few years of insanity, but at least she would know he meant to support her career, even if the Crane and Cardinal was no match for the fancy places she’d worked before.
Since he’d offered to order the flowers, he’d add what he needed for the arch to Tia’s list. Then he’d call Jake, and ask him to bring a few buddies to help shore up the pier. It needed to be safe, and Colt wasn’t about to go near the lake. Then he’d see if Jake was into seeing Liz again.
After the wedding stuff was built, Colt still had that project he was working on−one a bit more personal.
~*~
“What are you doing?” Tia asked. She sipped the sweet tea she’d brought to the courtyard. The day had flown by, filled with phone calls and a trip to town, but she felt confident the reception was well under control. She stepped near Colt’s position on the concrete deck, where he sat sliding a sliver of metal into a similar tube.
Overhead dozens of stars shimmered, promising another beautiful day tomorrow.
“Don’t you remember this?” He turned a hesitant smile up to her.
Tia shivered. She did remember the old telescope and how close she’d stood by Colt to gaze through the lens, how she’d turned slightly to press her body against his. “It was your father’s, right?”
“His father’s, actually. I found it in the garage and took it apart to clean it. The trick is putting it back together without having pieces left over.”
She knelt beside him, pulling her long, loose skirt under her knees to protect them. “Guess there’s no instruction manual?” Tia caught Colt’s gaze and smiled, loving the feeling of teasing him again.
He never read instructions or asked directions.
“Kidding, right?” His smile was warm, real, and he looked at her in a way she remembered well. As they stared pieces separated and metal clanked to the cement. Colt grunted, his hair curtaining his eyes as he bent over the project.
Tia winced at the noise, which momentarily hushed the crickets, watching him intently for several minutes as he refitted the pieces, silently willing the tripod to click in place. She thought about thanking him for helping her with the reception work that day, considered reaching out to push aside the hair on his forehead. But she didn’t want to distract him yet again; the telescope was too ancient to survive many falls.
It was as fragile as their new relationship, one Tia had insisted be “work only.” Watching him now, and thinking how great he’d been today, Tia wondered if she’d made the right choice. Could she still have feelings for him after everything that had happened?
He never complained. He was strong, despite his own worries that the amnesia was a weakness. Colt was on his feet now, tilting the tube into place, checking the little dials and clamps. Gazing up from the ground, she admired his body, his strength, the shape that strength was packaged in. Even the mosquitoes seemed to know to leave him alone. She didn’t want anyone else enjoying him. Maybe they should−
“Tia, could you open the case real slow and hand me the soft cloth inside? Watch the latch; I think Cami broke it years ago.”
Slapped in the face with the reminder, Tia found the cloth and latched her feelings deep inside her heart.
~*~
Tia waved as her last guest checked out on Tuesday morning. The family had taken a very long weekend and spent time at the beach in the artsy area called Province Town. Then they spent Monday milling through the outlet malls. After feeding them this morning, Tia could concentrate on the reception. She would miss Meg, though; the little girl had a way of making her smile.
She picked up the phone and called Liz, unable to stand the suspense any longer. “It’s me,” she said when Liz answered on the second ring.
“Oh, hi, sweetie. Before you ask−yes, I’ll be there on Friday.”
“I knew you could pull it off,” Tia said, smiling at the phone. “I just miss having you around.”
“I’ll bet. How’s the Coltster?”
“Umm, he’s OK. Do you remember that old telescope? He found it and set it up last night in the courtyard.”
“Bring back memories?”
‘Yeah.” Tia sighed. “I do still have feelings for him. You’re right, as u
sual. Trouble is, I don’t know what I want to do about them.”
“You don’t say.”
She explained how the moment had shattered with the mention of Cami’s name, innocent as it was. Instead of offering sympathy, Liz clucked her tongue.
“What?” Tia demanded.
“The man loves you, Tia. If he mentioned his ex, it’s only a piece of the past he’s talking about. We all have them. A memory. After all he’s been through, would you deny him any memory? Get over it. Give the guy a chance. A real chance. Then, if you don’t feel the same, let him know. Get on your knees some more with God. Now, I have to get some work done here so I can get there to help you. OK?”
Tia was speechless for a few seconds.
“I said, OK?”
“Yes! Thanks Liz. You’ve always been honest to a fault. I’ll see you soon.”
“Tia, do me a favor? I want you to kiss him tonight. Nothing more than that, just kiss him. And see what kind of memories that stirs up. If either one of you thinks about your sister, I’ll eat Jake’s hat.”
9
Still considering her friend’s dare, Tia watched as Jake backed a boat trailer toward the lake. Four men swarmed on the ruins of the wood pier and began work to stabilize it. Another pickup truck arrived with rails of wood, which they would use to shore up the existing pier.
Colt was in town, probably unaware of the work happening here.
Tia made her way toward the men, her sandals flip-flopping through the grass. Afternoon sun beat down on them steadily, and she made a mental note to bring down cold drinks for everyone after she spoke with Jake.
His sleeveless T-shirt was wet with sweat as he waited for her. “Hey,” he said, “Liz said you needed this fixed up for a shindig this weekend.”
She nodded.
Jake started walking, gesturing for her to follow, and they moved around the lake’s edge. “Yes, but I didn’t mean for her to ask you guys to come do it all. Colt’s not even here to help.”
“I know.” Jake grinned. “That’s why we picked right now to get started.”
