And she was in so much trouble....
“Look!” Michael, waving a piece of paper, bypassed her and tumbled into Cole’s arms. “I gotta plane.”
“Michael picked out that page to color,” Zoey murmured. “And I told him that Cole flew planes.”
He also saved lives and folded towels and could turn a woman’s heart upside down with one smile.
“I would
kill
Alex,” she muttered, “if I knew it wouldn’t upset Kate.”
“Don’t blame him. The vote was unanimous.” Zoey grinned. “Alex was the only person we figured could get away with it.”
The vote?
“I’m moving to New York City. Where no one knows me.”
“Not until you have a piece of cake. Which reminds me, I better help Kate and Abby finish setting up.” Zoey laughed and scooted away.
Cole didn’t talk to Sissy Perkins or Marty Sullivan. He talked to Michael. Rocked Hannah to sleep. Brought Grace a piece of white cake when all the other women around the table were eating chocolate.
People drifted over to say hello while they ate and Grace braced herself for the curious looks. The questions. But no one seemed the least bit surprised that she and Cole were together.
Grace found that a little disturbing.
The fresh air and sunshine worked its magic and Hannah began to fuss a little.
Cole leaned over and his breath whispered against her ear.
“Time to go home?”
Grace managed a nod, her only way of communicating because she’d suddenly lost the ability to speak. Again.
Cole wasn’t part of her life. He couldn’t be.
Every time hope began to stir, Grace extinguished them with the words she’d heard him say.
My days of raising children are over.
And hers were just beginning.
Chapter Twenty-Two
T
he bells above the door jingled as Cole walked into the Grapevine café Monday morning.
Kate waved to him behind the counter.
“I got your message. You wanted to talk to me?”
“Not me.” Kate flashed a wide smile. “Him.”
Cole turned around and saw Alex Porter sitting in a corner booth.
“Why do I get the feeling I’ve been set up?”
“Because you’re an intelligent man.” Kate handed him a cup of coffee. “Now go.”
Cole slid into the vinyl bench opposite Alex.
“You didn’t tell me about Michael,” he said without preamble.
“I was out of town on business.” Porter shrugged. “The last time I talked to Kate, Grace only had one. Does it matter?”
It was a question Cole had asked himself a hundred times since he’d knocked on Grace’s door Saturday night. And he kept coming up with the same answer.
“No.”
Alex’s expression didn’t change, but Cole had the impression he’d said the right thing. “Did you know that Kate was Logan and Tori Gardner’s foster mom before Jenna arrived in Mirror Lake?”
“Grace didn’t mentioned that.”
“It doesn’t happen very often, but Kate takes in children in emergency situations. Something I found out when we managed Abby’s inn last summer.” Alex paused, his faint smile obviously triggered by a memory. “The kids moved in with her while Grace tried to locate Jenna, their only living relative. I knew if they didn’t find her, Kate would have moved mountains to make sure Logan and Tori ended up with her permanently.”
“Did you have second thoughts about pursuing a relationship with Kate?”
“Not for a minute. By that time, I knew without a doubt that God had brought Kate into my life. And that meant whatever came along with her...a town with fifteen-hundred people...two annoying cats, foster children...I figured those things were part of God’s plan for me, too.”
Cole felt a new respect for Porter. And suddenly he understood how the guy had managed to win Kate’s heart.
“I care about Grace,” Cole said. “I want to be part of her life, but I’m not sure she wants me anymore.” He hadn’t realized how hard it would be to admit.
“Maybe this isn’t about what she wants,” Alex said. “What does she think
you
want?”
“To expand Painted Skies.” Cole didn’t hesitate. It was all he’d talked about. The reason he’d wanted to sell a piece of property that had been in his family for over a hundred years.
“And where would a family fit into that plan?” Alex asked. “Because Grace is part of a package deal now.”
“I don’t think you fit a family into your plan. They become the plan and everything else fits around...”
“Them,” Alex finished.
Bits and pieces of the conversation he’d had with Grace at the fireworks began to come back to him.
For the first time I can concentrate on Painted Skies...there were things I couldn’t do while I split my time and attention between my family and the business.
“She thinks she and Michael will get in the way of what I want,” Cole said.
“Knowing Grace, that would be my guess.”
“So how am I supposed to convince Grace that
she’s
what I want?”
“I have no idea.”
“Now you’re telling me you don’t have all the answers?” Cole was only half joking.
“Yes, but don’t let that get around.” Alex didn’t crack a smile. “I made some stupid mistakes and almost lost Kate because of them.”
“What did you do to win her back?”
“Dived into a nest of hornets, went into anaphylactic shock and ended up in the hospital. Canceled a dinner party behind her back and then showed up at her apartment with an engagement ring. But I wouldn’t recommend that route.” Alex’s lips twisted in a smile. “It’s not for amateurs.”
Under different circumstances, Cole would have been tempted to smile back.
“I think Grace is afraid I’ll change my mind about us and walk away.”
“That’s it, then.”
Cole decided he must have missed something. “What’s it?”
“If she’s worried you’re going to leave...then stay.”
The door of the café swung open and a tall, fair-haired man wearing plaid golf pants and a bright yellow polo strode toward them.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“You should be,” Alex growled. “Cole, this is Jeff Gaines. He owns a resort and condominiums north of town. Most of his guests are businessmen who need a place to unwind for the weekend.”
Cole nodded politely, anxious to get back to his conversation with Alex.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Cole.” Gaines slid into the booth. “Let’s get to it, okay? The senator and I tee off at eleven.”
Cole glanced at Alex. “Get down to what?”
Porter smiled.
“Expanding your business.”
* * *
Grace heard the sound of an engine and when she peeked out the window, she saw Cole on a riding lawn mower, carving a path through the grass near the horse pen.
“What is he doing?” she muttered.
Michael pattered over to the window and pressed his palms against the glass.
“Cole!”
In response to his enthusiastic shout, Hannah kicked her chubby legs and gurgled.
Grace was outnumbered.
It was Wednesday morning and Cole was still in Mirror Lake. On Monday, he’d brought Michael a tricycle and then showed him how to ride it while she’d put the baby down for her nap. On Tuesday, he’d talked her into going on a short walk. To the place they’d met. Grace sat on the hammock-shaped rock with Hannah cradled in her arms and watched Cole and Michael wade up to their ankles, chasing silver minnows through the shallow water.
Every morning, Grace told herself that Cole wouldn’t show up at the door. But she hoped he would. Every moment she spent with Cole made her want one more. And another. Until all those moments added up to forever.
“Can I go outside and play now?”
“After your nap, we’ll walk down to the barn and give B.C. some apple slices.” Grace turned away from the window, glad for the distraction.
“I’m not—” he yawned “—sleepy.”
“I’ll read you a story after I put Hannah in her crib,” Grace said, knowing Michael would be sound asleep by the time she reached the end of the book.
Half an hour later, she backed out of Michael’s bedroom and closed the door, then checked on Hannah. Over the past few days, they’d slipped into a routine. Grace worked part-time from home in the evenings, an answer to prayer because she didn’t want to leave Michael and Hannah with a sitter during the day.
If only she knew what to do about Cole.
A breeze carried the scent of freshly mowed grass through the open window and Grace realized she hadn’t heard the sound of the lawn mower in a while.
She peeked out the window and saw Cole standing by the round pen, having what looked to be a serious conversation with B.C.
The mare butted his arm, a gesture of affection reserved only for close friends and family.
Now, Grace thought wryly, it was three against one. Cole had won everyone over.
His head suddenly swiveled in her direction and Grace didn’t have time to duck behind the curtain.
The next thing she knew, he was walking up to the house with that easy, confident stride that made it look as if he belonged in her yard. In her life.
Grace met him on the porch, hands planted on her hips.
“Why are you still here?”
Cole tucked his hands in his front pockets. “You want me to leave?”
“No...
yes
.”
Laughter danced in the cedar-green eyes. “I’m glad you cleared that up.”
“You’re neglecting your business.”
“No, I’m not.”
“How can you say that?” she snapped. “You’re in Mirror Lake. Your business is in Madison.”
Cole smiled. “One of them is.”
Grace paced the length of the porch. “You shouldn’t be here. The house is sold and—”
“Who told you that?” Cole interrupted.
Grace stopped pacing. “The For Sale sign is gone.”
“That’s because I took it off the market.”
* * *
Grace’s eyes widened in shock and Cole couldn’t prevent a smile.
Thank You, Lord.
He’d been praying for an opportunity to talk to her and it looked like this was it.
“Why don’t you sit down?” he suggested.
Grace sat.
Cole dropped into the wicker chair opposite hers and pulled in a slow breath, searching for the right words.
“When I told you about my family the night we went to the fireworks, I left something out.
“When my mom shut down, Sean and Travis started acting up at school. Honestly, I thought they were going to get kicked out of first grade.” Cole shook his head at the memory. “Bettina cried a lot. I kept telling myself that Mom would feel better in a few days. But then a few days went by...and then a few months.”
It was difficult to revisit the past, but Cole pressed on because he knew the future—their future—was at stake.
“On graduation day, I called the florist and ordered a dozen roses. For you, Grace. I was going to drive to Mirror Lake and surprise you. I know it sounds crazy. I hadn’t written or called you for months. But my feelings for you hadn’t changed...and I was hoping, praying, that yours hadn’t, either.
“But then Sean fell off the monkey bars that morning and needed stitches. Because of what happened to Dad, Mom couldn’t deal with the emergency room, so I loaded up Bettina and the boys and took them to the hospital. When we got home, Mom was gone. I finally found her, three hours later, sitting on a bench in the park. And I knew my family needed me. I was in this for the long haul and it wouldn’t be fair to pull you into it.”
“I still think you should have told me,” Grace whispered. “You should have given me the opportunity to decide.”
Cole released a slow breath and sent up a silent prayer that he was doing the right thing.
“You didn’t.”
Grace stiffened. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m guessing you decided I should have my freedom after spending the last twelve years taking care of my family. That’s why you broke our date and told me that you didn’t want to see me anymore. It wasn’t because you didn’t have feelings for me. You assumed that when I found out you wanted to adopt a baby, I’d walk away.”
“No.” Grace finally met his gaze. “It was because I was afraid you
wouldn’t.
You’re a good man, Cole. I knew you’d want to help with Hannah. And I was right. You’re here, changing diapers and mowing the lawn and playing with Michael when you should be putting in the hours at Painted Skies. I can’t ask you to give up something you’ve worked so hard for. Something that means so much to you.”
“When I found out about Sloan’s will, I thought God had opened a door. Blessed the work of my hands. Later, I thought He wanted me to make peace with the past. But now I know He was giving me another chance at a future. With
you.
Because I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d rather be.”
“But you said your days of raising children were over. I heard you.”
The telephone conversation he’d had with Bettina instantly downloaded in his mind, and Cole groaned.
“I was
teasing
her, Grace.”
She didn’t look convinced.
“I’ve been talking to Alex the past few days. He and his friend, Jeff Gaines, want me to operate another branch of Painted Skies north of Mirror Lake. Most of Gaines’s clients are businessmen who would rather charter a plane than spend six hours in the car to come up here for a weekend of golf or fishing. And Alex claims he can spend more time with Kate if he can make the trip to Chicago and back in a day.
“I already talked to Virgil and Iola. They’re willing to run the flight school and they gave me the name of a pilot who might be interested in making the longer trips.” Cole was still reeling from the phone call he’d gotten from his former boss the night before. He’d never imagined Cap would find retirement boring, but he was anxious to get back in the cockpit again.
“That’s why you stayed in Mirror Lake?” Grace looked stunned. “You were planning all this?”
“Not exactly.” He grinned when her eyes darkened with confusion. “I’ve been pursuing
you
.”
“Pursuing me?” she repeated.
“Trying to get you to fall madly in love with me.” Cole leaned forward. “The way I love you. Now the only question I have for you is...is it working?”
“No.”
Cole’s heart dropped to his feet. “No?”
She leaned forward until they were inches apart. Smiled.
“You accomplished that twelve years ago.”