“That’s what your mother gave you to keep us warm?” Taylor was already under the covers of the queen-size bed in room nine, tucked up on the third floor of the inn— “the girl’s tree house”, Laura had called it.
Laura stood at the foot of the bed wearing an emerald-green teddy. Her red hair cascaded to her shoulders and her legs seemed to go on forever. She smiled as she climbed on the end of the bed and then up to sit astride him. “It’s not working, Taylor?” she said with a mock-pout and a flutter of her lashes. “You look a little flushed. Are you sure you’re not too hot?”
“My God, Laura, if that thing was red you could start a fire with it!” He said as he slid his hands down her bare arms to rest lightly on her thighs.
“Wrong color?”
“Perfect color,” he said with some effort as his fingers moved to trace the skin at the edge of the cups holding her breasts.
“I’m so glad you like it,” she whispered as she leaned down to kiss him lightly, her hair curtaining their faces.
“Like doesn’t even begin to cover it…anymore than that begins to cover you. I’m nice and warm now. Want to join me?” He lifted the covers so she could come in.
“You’ll be sorry,” she warned.
“Not a chance.” He twisted his body to slide her off of him and under the heavy quilts and blankets, which he pulled back over them as she cuddled close and ran one foot up his leg.
“You’re freezing, woman. Get away from me!”
“I warned you you’d be sorry.”
“Then I guess I have no choice but to warm you up. Just keep those cold hands to yourself until they warm up a little or you could cause a major crash.”
Laura laughed and moved her hands up to tangle in his hair. “No crashes, darling! Are you sure you’re up to warming me?”
His answer was a deep, slow kiss as they snuggled deeper into the covers. Maria’s gift had definitely heated things up.
* * *
Over breakfast, the best French toast he’d ever had, Taylor told Laura about the offer to continue with the University.
“That’s wonderful! At least I think it is. What about you, Taylor? Are you ready to go back to New York?”
“I could be, but New York isn’t ready for me to come back; at least according to my agent, they’re not. I’ve had a couple of offers I’m not interested in. There are some scattered concert dates and the summer off might allow a small tour. When the right thing comes along, I’ll head back to Broadway. Right now, I’m pretty happy with where we are.”
“You know what my answer is, Taylor. I couldn’t be happier but I worry that you’re not really finding what you need in teaching.”
“Remember what you said to me after we went to that cast party back in Sacramento?”
“I know we had a great time and you were wonderful with the kids.”
“You told me that I would have been a great teacher if New York hadn’t worked out for me.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “You were right. Maybe not the “great” part but I really am enjoying the teaching. And it seems to be the thing I’m meant to be doing right now.”
Laura smiled at him, “Not quite, Taylor. What you’re meant to be doing right now is learning to ski. Quit stalling!”
“Wouldn’t you rather go back and snuggle under the covers?”
“After your lesson and a sauna when we get back, that’s exactly where we’ll be.”
“You’re really not going to let me out of this, are you?”
“Not a chance!”
* * *
An hour later, she introduced him to his ski instructor. Heather looked barely old enough to be in high school let alone capable of teaching someone to ski. “You’ll love it, Mr. Morgan. There’s nothing to compare to it,” she said perkily. “Why don’t you come back in an hour, Mrs. Morgan?”
“I thought I might stay around and watch,” Laura answered directing a wicked grin at Taylor.
“I’m sure that Heather knows what’s best, Laura. Why don’t you go ski on the big kid slopes while I try to figure this out?”
“Shouldn’t I be here to kiss any boo-boos?”
Taylor pulled her close and whispered, “The boo-boo kissing comes later…and I expect to have a lot for you to kiss.”
Laura laughed as she headed over to the chair lift. “Be a good boy, Taylor!”
Taylor shook his head and turned back to Heather. “So, where do we start? About the only thing I know is that these things are called skis and that stuff is snow. Somehow, they’re supposed to go together.”
Heather laughed and began his first lesson.
Chapter 36
Laura stepped out of the bathroom and started over to the bed. She felt wonderful after the exhilarating day on the slopes and the slow, lazy sauna they’d taken when they came back to the Amizette. Taylor had showered and told her he’d wait for her to come kiss the “boo-boos”. He hadn’t made it—the poor boy was sound asleep. Laura wasn’t surprised. He’d tackled his ski lesson full-tilt, as he approached everything, and was actually ready for a run down the beginner’s slope before they headed back to the inn.
Smiling softly, she drew the curtains then slid into bed beside him. He moved closer, pulling her against him as he mumbled something incoherent into her hair before sinking back into a deep sleep. Laura lay there enjoying the quiet sound of his breathing, the warmth of his body next to hers, the weight of his arm around her. He would be hurting when he woke up, she was sure, but the bottle of massage oil warming in the bathroom and the champagne she’d set to chill outside their door would take care of that. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, secure in the joys of her life.
* * *
She woke to the sound of a groan and turned to see Taylor grimacing as he tried to stretch. “My God, woman, you didn’t tell me that all of that was a prelude to torture.”
“You’ll get better. You need to get up and move around a bit. We’ll eat and then I’ll help work those kinks out of you.”
“Kinks? Try knots the size of basketballs! It will be a long time before I have any kinky thoughts.”
“Get up, Taylor. Go take a hot shower.” She smothered her laugh as he moved gingerly to the bathroom. She was sore, too, but it was a pleasant soreness after a day of exertion. Poor Taylor was never going to believe that he would be a new man once he hit the slopes tomorrow.
* * *
All too soon, the semester started and the year began rushing by. The older girls were back in their respective schools, Laura and Taylor at work. But when April came, they all were together again to mark a milestone.
“Happy birthday, dear Annie, happy birthday to you!” Annie clapped her hands and laughed at her grownups. But when Rosina set a tiny cake in front of her with one candle, her eyes grew round and she whispered, “Hot!”
Laura, beside her, took her hand. “You’re right, Annie, the candle is hot. But wait until you see what happens. Can you pretend you’re blowing up a balloon like we do at story hour?” Annie puffed her cheeks out. “Beautiful! Now what do you do?” Annie stopped holding her breath and blew out, right in the direction of the candle, just hard enough to make it go out. Everyone clapped and Annie looked bewildered. “Gone, Mama?”
“The ‘hot’ is gone, Annie. Now you get to eat your pretty cake.” Laura pulled the candle out and pushed the cake toward Annie. She looked at it and touched it tentatively. “No. Pretty!”
“It is pretty, Annie. Rosina made it just for you.”
“Sì, Bambina, the cake is for eating…for you.”
Annie’s lip quivered and her beautiful turquoise eyes filled with tears. “Pretty, Mama. Pretty.”
Taylor stepped in. Annie’s tears could get around him every time. “It is pretty, Annie. Let’s save it for bedtime so you’ll have pretty dreams.” Annie flashed a beautiful smile at her father and nodded. “Besides, Miss Annie, you have presents to open and we’re going to go someplace special. Cake can wait!”
Taylor handed her the first package. She’d been a little young at Christmas but had quickly gotten hold of the idea of opening packages. Now, a young lady of one year, she knew all about presents and launched herself into tearing into the wrapping paper. Laura shook her head. “The father in shining armor rescues the princess once again from her evil ogre of a mother.”
“Somebody’s got to do it, Ogress,” he answered with a totally unrepentant smile. “I’ll see to your punishment later.”
* * *
It took two cars to get them all down to the Albuquerque Botanical Park. It would be Annie’s first trip and there were so many cameras amongst them that not a moment would miss documentation. They took her stroller for later but Taylor perched her up on his shoulders. First stop was the Children’s Fantasy Garden with its oversized plants and a golden dragon guarding the entrance. Annie fell in love with the dragon and wanted to take the concrete beast home.
“No, Annie, that dragon has to stay here. Custard is waiting for you at home and he might be afraid of such a large dragon.” Taylor carried her away, reciting Ogden Nash’s “Tale of Custard the Dragon” as they headed for the Butterfly Pavilion. On the way they stopped to watch the model trains. Annie was so delighted when the train came out of the tunnel that the operator backed the train up then brought it through the tunnel again just for the joy of watching her smile.
As they approached the Butterfly Pavilion, Annie pointed at the bright windsocks that flanked the entrance. “Burfly, Daddy, Burfly!” She began bouncing up and down on his shoulders. “Mommy! Mommy! Burfly!”
Laura laughed as she lifted Annie down from her father’s shoulders. “Calm down, little one. We’re going to see lots of butterflies.” The others said they’d wait outside and take turns coming in. It was a small butterfly house and they didn’t want to crowd it.
Taylor opened the first door and then closed it carefully behind them. Even though they knew Annie wasn’t capable of understanding much of it, they made a point of explaining that the second doorway was to help keep the butterflies from flying away. As they entered the beautiful garden, Laura put her down and they each took a tiny hand.
Annie’s eyes were enormous. To her, it must have appeared that they’d entered one of the stories that Mommy read to her each night. As they came to the fence that surrounded the center area and the garden below, a yellow swallowtail swooped across in front of them and settled on a branch where Annie could take a good look. She stood very still and quiet, mesmerized by the beautiful creature leisurely sunning its wings in front of her. Then suddenly, up it flew and skimmed across Annie’s nose to land on Laura’s bright hair. Annie began to laugh. “Silly burfly. Mommy not flower!” Laura stood very still while Annie laughed and Taylor lifted her to see the butterfly in her mother’s hair. “I think it’s a smart butterfly, Annie. Mommy is pretty enough to be a flower.” Then, as quickly as it had come, it flew away. Annie’s eyes clouded until Taylor pointed out Zebra striped butterflies, a whole flock of them, hanging in the tree in front of her. Annie’s love affair with butterflies had begun.
Chapter 37
Taylor watched from the wings as the curtain rang down on the final performance of his final year of teaching. What had been planned as a one-year stint had stretched to four. In this group, as in the others, a couple of them would be heading off to New York to give it a try after graduation. Taylor thought they had a good chance.
But now it was over. The theatre department had lost funding for his class this year. Truth was, Taylor had been restless for the last few months, ready to move on to something else. He just wasn’t sure what.
This had been a perfect job for him at this stage of his life. He’d been able to spend time with Laura and Annie. Unless it had been a performance night, Taylor had been home to tuck Annie in every night, often leaving rehearsal long enough to do it. He would rush home and sing her Stephen Foster’s Slumber My Darling, the lullaby he’d sung to her before she was born and countless nights since. It was hard to believe she would be four years old this week! He’d promised her a trip to the Butterfly Pavilion. It had been their favorite father-daughter get-away since the first time he’d taken her there.
Laura’s part-time job at the Albuquerque Herald had allowed her to be home with their daughter every night and she’d somehow found time to finish a second novel. There were times he was addressed as Mr. Collins at one of her book signings and they both found it funny that no one really knew who he was. One of the joys of these four years had been coming home to a wife who was still awake and the chance to go to bed together—time for loving and sharing they’d not had while he was in a show.
Sean and Maria were a major part of Annie’s life. She now spoke Spanish as easily as she spoke English and adored her “Abbo” and “Abby”. It was mutual. Her grandparents spent a lot of time with her and Taylor was glad she’d had a chance to be part of their lives.
Matteo had his garden. Annie helped him plant it this year and delighted in eating the carrots and lettuce she had helped to grow. And Rosina was happy devoting her time to caring for the bambina.
The truth was, all of their lives revolved around Annie. Taylor still sometimes found it hard to believe that this bright and beautiful child was his. Surely she was a changeling from the wee folk. No human child could be so enchanting.
Suddenly, he was drawn back to the present as he became aware of the cast and audience chanting, “Taylor! Taylor! Taylor!” The leading lady drew him out onto the stage to tumultuous applause and yet another goodbye speech in a career filled with them. Kris Straub, head of the theatre department, presented him with specially commissioned comedy and tragedy masks made from Nambe silver.
* * *
Laura joined him backstage as he said goodbye to the life he’d led for the past four years. She knew him well enough to know that, while he was disappointed in the loss of funding for his program, he had been ready to move on for some time now. She was fairly sure they would be going back to New York soon. During their years in Albuquerque he’d turned down several offers to return to the stage but she knew he missed it. When the right offer came, he’d be back there again—and she’d be beside him.
Chapter 38
Two weeks later, Taylor came into the quiet house. Annie was spending the morning with her grandmother while Laura did some work on her Sunday front page feature. Trying not to disturb Laura, he opened the door to the shaded patio that always seemed to stay cool despite the summer’s heat. In a few minutes, she opened the door and came to join him.
As they sat on the glider, Taylor put his arm around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. They sat in silence for a while watching the hummingbirds flocking to the wisteria that surrounded the porch. Finally Laura broke the silence.
“Your agent called while you were gone. He wanted to know if you got the fax he sent.”
Taylor sighed. “I suppose he told you what was in the fax.”
“Something about a new show being offered to you,” she said as she moved to one end of the glider so that she was facing him.
“I didn’t want to upset you when you needed to work.”
“He was pretty excited about the offer, Taylor.”
“Remember the show that was my first break? They’re doing a revival this year on Broadway and they want me to take the other male role—the older husband this time instead of the young lover,” he said with a rueful smile.
Laura laughed at the chagrin in his eyes. “It’s all right, Taylor. In real life you’re still the young lover.”
“I’m glad you still think so! Anyway, the husband has always been the more challenging role. He has to be the heavy without losing the sympathy of the audience.”
“Do you want to take it?”
“I don’t know, Laura. There’s you and Annie to think about. This is the only home Annie’s ever known. I hate the thought of uprooting her. Your parents will be heartbroken and you…”
&nbs
p; Laura reached out and took his hand. “I’ll be fine, Taylor, as long as I’m with you.”
“It will mean moving back to New York.”
“How much time will we have? We’ll have to give the apartment tenants notice.”
“They want an answer as soon as possible—by the end of next week at the latest. Then rehearsals will start in August with the opening set for mid-October.”
“What do you want to do, Taylor? I can write anywhere as long as I have my computer.”
Taylor was silent. They’d made a home here. These last few years had been a lot less hectic than the theatre life had been. Except for rehearsals, he’d been home most nights in time to tuck Annie into bed. His teaching schedule had left time for a normal life with Laura. Sean and Maria had been an active part of their lives, especially Annie’s.
Still, a new show. As soon as he’d read the fax this morning he’d known that he wanted to take it. He had felt the excitement of new possibilities, a chance to return to the stage, a chance to be back where he belonged.
“We don’t know that the show would be a success, Laura. We might be uprooting everyone for something that could close the first week.”
“With Taylor Morgan starring in it? Not a chance!” She smiled as she reached out to push an errant curl from his brow. “You really want to do this, Taylor. I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice.”
“I do, Laura.”
“Then we move.”
“As simple as that?”
“As simple as that, Taylor. Wherever you are is where Annie and I belong.”
In the Fullness of Time Page 14