he’d heard her. “I had a trout dinner in Gunnison, and I all but licked my plate clean. Still, you need to bring it in before it freezes. I hope you had a great workday today and that whatever plans you have for tonight are pleasant ones. Speaking of pleasant plans, I’m gonna go soak in the hot tub and think of you. You’re welcome to join me if you’d like, but I probably should warn you—I won’t be wearing swim trunks.”
Standing in the middle of her living room, staring at the answering machine, Sage swallowed hard. No trunks? Now that was just cruel.
“G’night, Cinnamon,” he continued in a low, intimate tone. “Don’t forget to check your front porch.”
The machine clicked and fell silent. Sage sucked in a deep breath, then hurried to the front of her cottage. She flipped on the porch light and opened the front door.
Spying his offering, she began to laugh. Daisies, sunflowers, spider mums, and greenery emerged from a truly hideous ceramic flower vase that depicted a Taylor River rainbow trout.
Seeing it, Sage fell a little bit in love.
TEN
Sage didn’t see or speak to another soul for days. Her friends gave her the space she’d requested. Wanting to avoid any further confrontation phone calls might bring, she sent emails to Nic and the others apologizing for her outburst and asking them to respect the boundaries she’d drawn out of necessity. The notes they’d sent back remained a bit on the frosty side but did indicate a reluctance to allow the situation to permanently damage their friendship. Grateful, Sage told herself that the situation would improve with a little time, and she tried not to let herself fret about her relationships with her friends.
She also tried not to be too curious about the man next door.
She hadn’t seen or spoken to Colt Rafferty, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t made his presence known. The man kept leaving gifts at her front door. A CD of Irish folk tunes. A butterfly carved from wood. A ridiculous four-foot-tall hot pink teddy bear that she knew had been for sale in one of the tourist shops downtown since she moved to Eternity Springs.
She loved it. She loved all the gifts. Each day she looked forward to opening her door. She found herself peeking through the curtains in an attempt to catch him coming or going. Frankly, she enjoyed the attention.
Sage had gone on a handful of dates since Peter’s death. They’d all been casual, and each time she’d felt awkward and unready to resume that part of life. Not only had she needed time to mourn Peter, she also recognized that dating was an exercise in futility. Relationships required openness and honesty, and that she simply couldn’t give. She couldn’t let anyone in.
Look at the damage her secrets had done to her relationships with friends. Imagine throwing a man—a lover—into the mix. Nope. Wouldn’t work. Couldn’t work. Not unless she was ready to pour out the whole ugly story, and even if she summoned the courage to tell it, there was no guarantee that the person who heard it would understand the enormity of what had occurred.
Words couldn’t explain what had happened that day. Her nightmare paintings couldn’t begin to depict the horror. How could anyone understand her, accept her for who she was, without knowing what had happened that hot African morning?
And if she did try to tell people, then what? Would they blame her? Pity her? Hate her?
Just like she hated herself?
No. She wasn’t ready to go there. She simply couldn’t do it. Not that she had abandoned all hope of working past the problem. She would never forget, but she trusted that eventually she’d learn to live with the memories. After all, she’d been doing pretty well before Nic’s babies came. She had to believe she would claw her way back to mental health. She could do it. She simply needed more time.
In the meantime, due to the fact that Colt Rafferty’s time in town was temporary—now less than a week, she believed—she could enjoy his attentions without worrying about the future because the future wasn’t on the table. He was just a visitor. He lived thousands of miles away. He was safe.
Which was why, on the fifth day of her self-imposed isolation, she picked up her phone and dialed the Landry cabin. Colt answered on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Is this the North Pole?”
He remained silent a beat, but when he spoke, she heard the smile