Authors: Cerian Hebert
Chapter 19
Jessa and Sadie returned from Maine in time for a nasty ice storm to hit the northeast. Sometime during their first night back, the combination of high winds and ice-laden branches knocked electricity out for most of southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. Despite the fact the barn was run on a generator for these occasions, Rio moved her stuff over to the farmhouse to conserve power.
The storm had left behind a disaster of broken trees and power lines spread over a large portion of the state. Restoring electricity would be a major event involving power companies and tree services from as far north as Canada and south toward Maryland. It also left behind a world cast in crystal ice, as beautiful as it was destructive.
Since Travis needed to be on duty so much with the extra work the storm and its cleanup created, he had Jessa move over to Cobble Creek as well. School had been cancelled indefinitely and he didn’t want Jessa home alone.
To her credit, Jessa put in as much work down at the barn as Rio did, exercising the horses in the indoor ring since putting them in their paddocks wasn’t an option until the dozen or so downed trees and fence line could be cleaned up and repaired.
Despite the conditions and the extra work, Rio had the time of her life. She and Jessa unpacked the Christmas decorations when, on a rare evening he didn’t have to work, Travis brought home a gorgeous Christmas tree. Like a happy family, the four of them decorated it. Then Sadie retreated into the kitchen to make up hot chocolate.
The joy Rio felt was unparalleled. This family had embraced her. Made her one of their own.
“You need this?”
Rio glanced up. She hadn’t heard Jessa approach. The girl held out a tissue.
“Oh man,” Rio mumbled. She didn’t want anyone to see her losing it. “Thanks.”
“It’s okay,” the girl said with a crooked smile. “I guess you’re not used to this family stuff. I forgot how much I missed it too.”
“I’m sad I never had this before. I can’t be any more grateful for it now.”
Jessa smiled and Rio recognized genuine fondness on her expressive face. “And my dad? It’s cool, the two of you.”
Rio’s jaw dropped.
“Like I couldn’t tell, with the way you guys stare at each other when you think I’m not paying attention. Like I said, it’s cool.”
Without waiting for a reply, Jessa walked away to join Sadie, who’d delivered four mugs of hot chocolate and started playing “Jingle Bells” on the piano.
Preferring to be alone right then, Rio picked up a metallic green ball and hung it on a bare branch, studying Jessa as she put her arms around her aunt’s neck and started singing along. Travis stood next to the piano too and sang, but his gaze remained firmly on her, a smile on his lips the entire time.
The effects of the ice storm dragged on for another ten days in some spots. Although the weather warmed enough to melt the beautiful crystal-like ice from the branches of the trees, the damage had been severe enough to keep some people out of power for nearly two weeks.
Cobble Creek and Shadow Oak regained power five days into the ordeal, but Travis still put in masses of overtime until every branch had been cleaned up, and his town was restored to order. By then Christmas was only a week and a half away.
As soon as they had electricity, Sadie had Rio and Jessa in the ring for their daily training routines. She also decided to increase the height of the jumps from two feet to two and a half and then three feet. At the sight of the obstacles in the ring, Rio bit her lip. Three feet sure didn’t seem so high when she was standing on the ground. When she approached the fence on Fleur, cantering toward it, the fence appeared a heck of a lot taller.
Luckily the mare knew what to do, and Sadie’s training and constant instruction had Rio over the fence in a breeze.
“Addicting, isn’t it?” Sadie laughed from the center of the ring. “These are about half a foot shorter than what you’ll face at the show in Connecticut. We’ll get you used to the setup and then we’ll add a few more fences so you can work your way up to the actual fence heights.”
Rio grinned and nodded.
Bring it on
, she thought triumphantly. Nothing gave her a better rush than jumping over the fence.
Well, except for a night in Travis’s arms, which she’d given up for the time being.
Now the ice storm was history, and Travis returned to his regular schedule. He and Jessa made a habit of having dinner with Sadie, and inevitably Rio would be invited as well. She adored the way they accepted her, as if she was one of them. Like they were a family. There’d been no talk of Jessa flying out to visit her mother for the holidays since meeting Laura in the restaurant at the mall, although Rio could see the concern on Travis’s face whenever Christmas was mentioned.
“Jessa’s been talking with her mom more often now,” he confided in Rio one evening. “They seem to be on better terms.”
From the frown on his face, Rio could tell he didn’t like it one bit.
“She could’ve changed. Let me play devil’s advocate here, Travis. Maybe Laura is sorry she’s missed out on having her daughter in her life and genuinely wants to reestablish some kind of connection.”
Travis shrugged and turned his attention to Jessa, who was busy playing checkers with Sadie. “Possibly. Stranger things have happened. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“Heard anything from Daphne?”
He shook his head. “My lawyer has done all he can do for the moment. The ball is in their court.”
“I can’t believe a judge would say she’s better suited to raise Jessa than you. You’re a wonderful father who had to step up to the plate in difficult circumstances. I was the wrench in the works. I’m out of the picture now. They can’t hold me against you.”
Travis pulled her into the kitchen where they wouldn’t be seen by his aunt and daughter. His arms slid around her in the first embrace since their weekend alone. “You are definitely not out of the picture,” he murmured and kissed her hair.
She longed to sink into his strength and warmth. He was too good to be true and she never wanted him to let her go. “It’s not like we can parade our feelings around for the world to see.”
His lips moved their way down her cheek to the corner of her mouth. “Not yet,” he whispered against her skin. “We will. Soon. I love you and that won’t change.”
Rio couldn’t help smiling as his mouth touched hers in a soft yet demanding kiss. It had seemed like an eternity since he kissed her like this and she wanted to make the most of it, running her hands up into his hair and pressing him closer to her. Her tongue danced with his briefly before she eased back.
“We’re going to get caught,” she whispered and stepped away from him.
“At the moment I don’t care,” he replied roughly.
Rio sighed regretfully as she returned to watching Jessa and Sadie. “Any more run-ins with the Bartlett kid?”
Travis draped his arm over her shoulder. She didn’t think anyone would notice. “I had a few words the other day. He came to the house for her. She was at Sadie’s. He took off like a bat out of hell when he saw me. I happened to be on duty at the time and he gave me a reason to pull him over. He admitted he hadn’t seen her in weeks. I’m inclined to believe him. I warned him away from our property again.”
“Well, if Jessa isn’t showing any more interest in him, then hopefully he’ll take the hint and find some other girl to charm.”
“I can dream.” Travis kissed the top of Rio’s head. “Just curious, are you thinking of contacting your brother again?”
Rio chuckled. “Speaking of juvenile delinquents, right?”
“Honey, not at all.” He squeezed her shoulders in a hug. “I wanted to let you know the offer is still open for me to drive you down there. If you can make it on a Sunday, all the better.”
“I’ll work on it.”
An iciness filled her when she thought of making that phone call. She wanted to see Storm more than almost anything, but what if he’d changed? What if he’d ended up more like her mother than Rio would be comfortable with? Approaching him could be very much like walking into a minefield. Yet how could she not meet him? There was no excuse, unless he didn’t want to have anything to do with her.
She made the call after leaving. As the phone rang, she sucked in a deep breath, trying to quell the butterflies careening through her belly at the mere thought of hearing her mother’s voice again.
Thankfully, this time her brother answered.
“Storm, it’s me, Rio.” She kept her voice low, as if her mother could overhear her.
Storm grunted a response she couldn’t make out.
“Can we meet? I can get a ride to Springfield. I want to see you again. Just you.”
There was a pause and Rio wondered if he’d reply. Finally, he did.
“I guess. To see if you’re real.”
“God, I am real. I don’t know where you got the idea I was dead. I’m very much alive. I want to see you again. This Sunday?”
“Where?”
“There’s a diner called Mr. K’s. You know where it is?”
“Yeah, I know it,” Storm replied. His voice still held a cautious note.
“We can meet there. I’ll buy you lunch or something. I need to see you, make sure you’re okay.”
There was a long pause, broken only by her brother taking in a deep breath before releasing it.
“Fine. I’ll be there at twelve-thirty.”
Rio’s heart pounded hard in her chest. She fisted a hand against it to slow it down. Suddenly she felt more scared than she had in years. “Okay, thank you. I’ll be there. Bye, Storm.”
He mumbled his goodbyes and then hung up. Rio set the phone slowly in its cradle.
There.
It was done. Now she had to tell Travis so he could drive her down.
Rio glanced out the window again. Travis’s truck remained in the parking lot, out of sight. He wouldn’t go far, and although she wanted him close by, she wasn’t sure if she wanted him near enough to witness her reunion with Storm.
She took a seat at a table in the front corner of the diner by the window. Travis could keep an eye on her, but with enough privacy from other people in the room.
After fifteen minutes she wondered if Storm had stood her up. Every young man who walked in seemed not to notice her. She didn’t know what he would look like anyway, after all these years.
As a boy his hair had been too long and unkempt and black like hers. Instead of green eyes, his had been a dark brown, almost black.
She was nearly ready to call it quits, almost relieved he wasn’t going to show, when a lanky young man came through the door, his hands shoved into an old blue and red ski jacket. He wore his hair in a crew cut. A silver earring glittered in one ear. Even before he looked at her, Rio knew it was him. She didn’t have to see those dark eyes to be certain.
Rio’s heart leapt against her chest in a mixture of joy and fear. Nothing of the boy she remembered remained. There was a twist to his mouth, an expression of boredom and indifference. When his gaze fell on her, he bit his bottom lip and drew his brows together like he used to do when he was a child.
A warm rush of tears cascaded down her cheeks and blindly, Rio grabbed a napkin to swipe them away, then pushed herself to her feet as he slowly made his way toward her.
“Storm,” she said, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Damn, he’d gotten so tall. And thin. When his arms slid around her waist, she could feel sinewy muscles under his old jacket.
He was quick to let her go, and although she didn’t want to break the contact, she backed away. His dark eyes studied her warily, as if he were ready to run at the slightest urge.
“Sit down.” Rio motioned for him to take the chair across from hers. Slowly, her attention glued onto him, she lowered herself to her own seat. Storm ran a hand through his short hair and eyed the chair. Blood ran cold through her veins.
Maybe he didn’t want to sit. He might regret coming. Trouble lurked inside him, in the way his lips tightened into a thin, pale line. Indecision bristled from him. After a long moment, he pulled the chair out and sat.
Before they could say anything more, the waitress came to take their order.
“Coffee,” Storm said quietly.
“Do you want some time to look at the menu?”
Storm shifted in his seat, hunched awkwardly. He stared hard at the table. “No. Coffee.”
With a nod, Rio pulled her gaze away from her brother and glanced at the waitress. “I’ll have a cola. And a BLT, please. French fries.”
As soon as the waitress left, Rio gave her full attention to Storm. He didn’t meet her gaze. That was okay. She had to drink him in. He was handsome, if a little thin, a bit too hollow in the cheeks.
“I can’t believe I’m actually sitting with you.” Her voice came out breathless and eager. “I’ve never stopped thinking about you, worrying about you.”
Storm didn’t reply. He lifted a shoulder in an indifferent shrug. His eyes darted from his hands to the other diners. Anywhere but on Rio.
“I’m so sorry, Storm. You don’t know how sorry I am. If it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t have been in trouble, and all I did was bail on you.”
“Nothing you could have done to help me,” he muttered, staring down at the table.
“I could have tried to stop you from killing him. We could have found a better way.”
Finally, Storm met her gaze and it nearly broke Rio’s heart. Years and years of pain, suffering, heartache in his distrustful regard. She wanted to smooth it away, but she knew he wouldn’t let her touch him again. “It wasn’t your fault. I didn’t have to do what I did. Stop blaming yourself.”
Rio nodded, though she didn’t believe that for a second. She didn’t want to spend this reunion arguing with him. She dropped her hands on her lap and squeezed them together. Nervous energy coursed through her and she had to make a conscious effort not to fidget.