by Linda Style
Tori laughed. “One, your mother is coming for a visit and two, we’ll be gone too long for you to be tied down with someone else’s animals. But it would be great if you wanted to take them out once or twice so they don’t feel totally abandoned.”
“I doubt any animal feels that way with Travis.”
“True.”
“Probably a good idea they’ll be at Travis’s, since my mom is so unpredictable. I forgot she was visiting.” She felt a stab in her gut at the prospect. She laughed. “Or more like I blocked her trip out.”
Serena and Tori both laughed. “You’ll have a great time,” Tori said.
“Maybe. But if she’s true to form, something will ruin it.” Serena smiled, then rushed to say, “But that’s not important. Your trip really sounds wonderful.” She picked up a towel from the table and refolded it. Then she grinned. “So, is this a prewedding honeymoon? Or…an elopement maybe?”
Tori grinned, her wide smile like sunshine beaming happiness in all directions. Serena couldn’t be happier for Tori, but at the same time, she felt a little sad…almost as if she’d lost a friend. Or maybe she felt that way because she was reminded that she might never find her own soul mate.
“No way!” Tori hugged Serena. “I’d never get married without you and Natalia at my side.”
Serena hugged her back. “Never say never.”
Glancing toward Cole’s booth, Tori said, “You’re right. You don’t know what might happen.”
Serena let out an exasperated breath and avoided looking, herself. “No. If there’s one thing I can say never about, that’s it.”
“So, you’re just going to ignore that he’s here? People do change, you realize.”
“What?” Serena pulled back in shock. “Excuse me, but that is a 180-degree switch from everything you’ve ever said about him.”
Tori’s mouth quirked up. “I know. But that was thirteen years ago. Since then, I’ve learned some things about judging other people. Especially when I don’t have the facts.”
Tori was talking about Linc. She and he had overcome some of the most horrific obstacles to be together. But there wasn’t anything even remotely similar in her situation and Serena’s. “Well, in my case, I have the facts, and nothing can change them.” She turned away and quickly scanned the aisle again, for nothing in particular.
“I spotted Ryan earlier with a couple of guys I’ve never seen,” Tori said. “I went to the store around one o’clock and they were hanging out in back of the Blue Moon.”
“Really? I wasn’t aware he was back.”
Her friend’s eyebrows rose and she gave Serena one of those I-told-you-so looks. Then Tori said, “If you need help with anything, give me a shout. Linc and I are available.”
Recently, both Tori and Natalia had told Serena she should get her brother into rehab. But Serena knew exactly what that would accomplish. An intervention would only make Ryan hate her. “I’ll be fine, but thanks anyway,” she said. “If Ryan’s back, he can help, and Peter also said he’d help again if I needed him.” She smiled. “So, I’m covered.”
Before Tori could say anything more, Serena reached for the bag with the coffee Tori had ordered earlier and handed it to her. “Let’s get together before you leave for Paris. Okay?” She hugged her friend.
“Okay.” Tori smiled. “I know when to go. I’ll be in touch.”
After her friend melted into the crowd, Serena looked over at Cole’s booth. Several people were lined up, reviewing the items on his table. Tori was right about some things. Serena had to adjust. They were adults, who could coexist in the same town without bringing up the past. The first chance she had, she’d tell Cole exactly that.
After another hour passed and still no Ryan, Serena finally gave in, called Peter’s cell number and asked him to help load things into her van when she was finished packing up. Then she started chucking all her unsold goods into boxes. For a long time, she’d tried not to depend on Ryan to do anything, because the disappointment she felt when he reneged on a promise was always worse. But since he needed extra money and had pleaded with her, she’d relented. Only this time, she’d stipulated that he had to help her today. Stupidly, she’d thought he might actually do it. Then he’d left town without a word. Maybe Tori was wrong about having seen Ryan. It could easily have been someone else.
Most of the booths at the festival remained open until ten or eleven and the bands kept playing until midnight or later, depending on the crowds. In the past, Serena always packed up her things, then returned and enjoyed the evening festivities with friends. Most of the time they just sat on the grass, listening to music, but occasionally, she could get one or two of the guys to dance. Travis Gentry or Quint, who used to work as a handyman around town and had recently become a contractor; or even Brody Romano, one of her former classmates. Brody wasn’t a very good dancer, but she gave him kudos for trying.
Cole had been a good dancer, she remembered. Or maybe she’d been so in love she’d just imagined he was. Mostly, they’d stood in one spot, moving ever so slightly to some slow beat, her arms over his shoulders, his encircling her waist, her head nestled into his neck. The memory was so vivid she could almost smell his scent. Feel his hands low on her back, pulling her closer and closer.
The bang of a drum made her glance up from the box she was packing. Onstage, Roger Feldman, from a local band called The Penguins, was beginning his drum solo. It was something he did every year, and it signaled the end of the festival’s casual ambience of the day and the start of party time for the night. With that one drum solo, anticipation electrified the air around her, as though something important was about to happen, and the anticipation kept building and building. Tonight, for Serena, the feeling was even more intense. As evening descended, so did the locals. They knew the better jazz groups would soon play. Tourists and locals alike made their way along the line of booths like salmon swimming upstream. Families, seniors, old hippie types like her parents, students, bikers…you name it, they were all there. Somewhere around nine o’clock, the grassy areas next to the bandstand would fill with people, and the dancing would begin on the wooden square in front of the stage.
After packing some T-shirts, she remembered Travis having said he wanted one for his fiancée, so she kept out a size small. Travis Gentry, the town vet, was thoughtful that way, and she really liked him. He could be fun, and he was always nice to her, always treated her with respect. Why couldn’t she find someone like that who also made her feel the way she had when she was with—Oh, man. She stopped right there.
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t given anyone else a shot. She had. Brody Romano, for one; they’d dated a few times. Her ex-husband, for another. Brett Hamilton had been a high-school classmate, as well. She’d met him again at ASU, where they’d both attended college. That was probably the most lonely and unstable time in her life, especially when Ryan dropped out and moved in with some girl. She so regretted what she’d put Brett through, even if it was only for three months. Knowing that she’d just given up her newborn child for adoption, he’d married her. In the three months their marriage had lasted, she’d run through the litany of Brett’s positives more times than she could count and always ended with “He was a wonderful person, but…”
In the end, she realized that for him to be married to someone who wasn’t in love with him wasn’t fair. She sighed. Maybe her friends were right. Maybe she did have a commitment problem. No matter who she went out with, there was always something that didn’t jell. Nice guy, but…
Was it wrong to want to feel that special spark in a relationship? Was that shallow? No sooner had she thought it than she heard a male voice. She looked up.
“Hey, there, pretty lady,” Brody Romano said, his smile a mile wide. “Do you need some help?”
“Nope, I’ve got everything under control. But thanks anyway. You’re too nice.”
“I am,” he agreed. “But only to pretty women I want to date.”
She cast him a sidelong
glance.
He raised a hand. “Okay, I know. But you can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“No. And I truly hope you find the woman of your dreams one of these days.”
“Thanks.” He frowned. “I think.” He rubbed a hand across his chin. Brody was dark and ruggedly handsome, a true gentleman cowboy who managed his father’s dude ranch just outside of town. “Well, at least save me a dance later. Okay?”
She smiled as Brody turned to leave. “Sure thing…love to dance.” Loved to dance with Cole. She resisted the urge to look in his direction. The mere thought of his body molded to hers, moving slowly to soft music, thighs rubbing thighs, made her sweat. They’d been well suited. Very well suited.
Thank heaven her phone rang. She turned away and glanced at the ID. Ryan. Finally. “Hey, Ryan. Where the hell are you?”
“I’m at home. I just got back and I’ll be there in a bit to help. All right?”
Ryan lived in a tiny apartment complex outside of town that used to be a motel. His apartment wasn’t fancy, but it was all he could afford. She’d encouraged him to put some of the insurance money from the accident into a fund to keep him afloat, but he’d gone through it fast.
“Okay,” she said, pleased that he was actually going to do what he’d promised for once. And she was even happier that she didn’t have to deal with anything else right now. She wanted to meet her friends and have a night of fun. That was it. She needed more fun in her life.
She went on with the packing. By the time she was halfway through, Ryan still wasn’t there. She called Peter, and the two of them finished up. She took an armful to load into the van while Peter packed up the small trucking cart she used for the bigger things. On her way back, she was surprised to see Dan Fletcher at the booth next to Cole’s, his hands clenched into fists. Cole was standing in front of his booth, doing something, but his back was to her. She saw Dan turn, his eyes narrowed.
Her heartbeat quickened.
In one sudden step, Dan was at Cole’s side. As Cole pivoted, Dan shoved him. Cole staggered; then, righting himself, he brushed off the front of his shirt and squared his shoulders. Oh, God. Cole had never accepted any guff from anyone, and she fully expected him to respond swinging. But he didn’t. He just stood there.
Dan shoved Cole again, only this time harder, slamming Cole back against the table. Serena gasped. Dan hovered over Cole, his face contorted with rage. Cole drew his arm back, and just as he swung, the table collapsed and the two men crashed to the ground with it.
Serena quickly tried to spot Ellen. If Dan hadn’t taken out his temper on his wife already, he surely would now. But she didn’t notice Ellen anywhere. Serena rushed over, unsure what she could do, but it seemed she should do something.
As Dan rose, he glimpsed her and pointed. “You. This is your fault.”
Serena glanced around, not realizing he was talking to her.
“She’s gone, and it’s your fault. Both of you.”
Cole was on his feet and instantly positioned himself between Serena and Dan. “You better take a walk and cool down,” he said to Dan.
“Maybe I should haul y’all in,” another voice boomed from somewhere nearby.
They looked to the left and saw Sheriff Masterson walking over.
Dan bolted, gone in a flash. Serena smoothed her hair and glanced at Cole, but she wasn’t about to gaze into his eyes. Then she felt his hand on hers. She couldn’t think…couldn’t move. Her heart thudded in her ears like thunder. She forced herself to pull away, and then she bolted, too.
Back to her booth. Back to safety.
CHAPTER FOUR
ON HER FINAL TRIP to the van, someone called out, “Serena.”
A female voice. Serena stopped, looked up. Natalia, still at her booth, raised her hands, palms up, as if to ask what was going on. Serena shrugged. As she started for the parking lot again, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She swung around.
“Hey, sis. I made it.”
She could barely contain the annoyance she felt. “For what? I’m all done now.” She glanced around to see if anyone was in earshot just in case Ryan went off on her as he could sometimes. Mrs. Gentry, the town matriarch, and a few of her cohorts were standing nearby, wearing their ever-ready judgmental faces.
Her brother tossed her a look of indignation. “Well, I could’ve not come at all.”
“Right. You could’ve. So why did you?”
“Well, pardon me for not meeting your schedule for my life.”
She stared at him, incredulous that he could in any way, shape or form make this statement about her. Keeping her voice low, she said, “Ryan, you took my money and promised you’d be here to help me as a way to earn it. You knew what time you had to be here, and now you want to make this about me? I don’t think so.”
Ryan huffed. “You don’t get it, do you? I’m not a kid you have to watch over anymore. Tell me where to be and when.”
If only that were true. Serena took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. “God, this is ridiculous. Are you forgetting—” She glanced to where Mrs. Gentry stood, then back to Ryan, her expression beseeching him to keep his voice down. That was when she saw his eyes were bloodshot, his pupils dilated.
“Dammit, Ry,” she said under her breath. “Look at you. Maybe I should’ve just let you do whatever and be done with it. Then I could start visiting you in jail the way we did Dad all those years.”
He stood there staring at her for a moment, then waved a hand and tromped off, muttering, “I’m not taking this crap any longer. I’m outta here.”
As he mumbled the words, Tori and Linc walked up with a load of Tori’s paintings, heading to the parking lot, as well. “Hey, are you okay?” Tori asked.
“I’m fine. Same old, same old,” she said, debating whether to go after Ryan.
Intuiting what Serena was thinking and aware what had happened in the past, Tori said, “Let him go. He’ll cool off and be fine.”
She sighed. “I wish I could be that certain. His behavior is so…different lately.”
“Maybe it’s because of him.” Tori tipped her head in Cole’s direction.
“Cole? He’s helping Ryan. Ryan should be grateful, not having problems.”
Linc raised an eyebrow. “‘Pride cometh before the fall,’” he said.
If Linc only knew. Pride hadn’t stopped Ryan from anything else; she couldn’t imagine it would now. Her brother loved Cole, much to her chagrin. But Tori’s fiancé hadn’t been around all that long and wasn’t well acquainted with her brother. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said. “You could be right.”
“We’re going to take this stuff home,” Tori said. “But we’ll be back later. You can buy me a beer.” She smiled wide as only Tori could. Beautiful, talented beyond compare, with personality to spare, and really smart, Tori was everything Serena wished she could be.
“You’re on,” Serena said. A small sense of relief rippled through her—until she looked up and saw the sheriff standing with Mrs. Gentry and pointing toward Cole’s booth. The skin on her nape prickled. “I’ll get a group together,” she said absently as Tori and Linc left.
She quickly drew her gaze away. Why she felt any sympathy for Cole was beyond her. The last thing he would ever want or need was sympathy.
After she finished up, Serena ambled over to the food section and decided not to wait for any of her friends to order. “Number four, Joe.” A basket of baby-back riblets and fries.
“You want a beer, too?” inquired Joe, whose voice was as full-bodied as the rest of him.
“Sounds great!” The sad truth was, she’d need a lot more than one to have the fun she was determined to have tonight.
COLE STROKED HIS CHIN AND watched Ryan stalk off in one direction while Serena went in another. Dan’s swipe at him hadn’t connected, and then he’d been stunned by Serena’s sudden appearance. In fact, he’d been so stunned he’d been unable to get a word out. And then she was gone.
H
e turned to see if the table was damaged. One of the legs had folded under his weight, but apparently no harm had been done. He snapped the leg back in place and began picking up the Native American artifacts and brochures that he’d placed on his table to interest those who passed by. As he reached down for the arrowheads that had spilled from the box, he glimpsed the toe of a snakeskin cowboy boot.
“What’s goin’ on, Cole?”
He recognized Ed Torberg’s voice and rose to face him. “Not much. I leaned on the table and it collapsed, that’s all.”
“That’s not what I heard.” Ed frowned. “People around here talk. You know that.”
Cole steeled his resolve. “I do.” So what was the big deal to Ed, anyway?
“Someone said you started a fight with Dan Fletcher.” Ed glanced at the table leg, crossed his arms and shifted from one foot to another. Under his breath, he said, “I don’t know how I got this damn job in the first place, but now that I have it, I gotta make sure nothing goes wrong.”
Anger coiled in Cole’s belly. He clenched his hands, an attempt to quell the volcanic action ready to erupt from within. He forced a smile. “Everything’s just fine with me, Ed.” As far as Cole was concerned, it was. “But someone might want to keep on eye on Ellen Fletcher.”
Ed frowned and shook his head, as if that suggestion was something he didn’t want to hear. “I stay out of other people’s business,” he said, then his voice switched low, his tone now sympathetic. “Just so you know, I had a hard time getting your application approved, so I don’t want to be proven wrong about doing it.”
Cole straightened. “I appreciate it, Ed. I really do.” He could tell it wouldn’t do any good to explain he hadn’t said or done anything to start the skirmish. Apparently, no one wanted to acknowledge spousal abuse.
At that moment, Travis Gentry’s grandmother, who’d been a widow since Cole was old enough to remember, walked by, eyeing him as she had when he was a kid. She owned the bank and a hell of a lot of property in Spirit Creek, and she ruled the huge Gentry family, her last will and testament clenched in her fist.
