She watched as Bradley glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
“Um, well, when we first met with the mud disaster after the presentation, I noticed that you were limping a little bit.”
“Limping? I don’t limp,” she said, her cheeks prickling.
“Oh, okay. Well, favoring one of your ankles, how about that.”
Tamlyn laughed. “Okay, that sounds better. I must sound silly.”
“No, not at all,” he said as he rolled down his window a bit, letting the warm, sweet air swirl around the car. “I asked my sister what might be helpful with something like that—she’s my go-to for that sort of thing. I deal with some injuries on the field, but the middle school kids don’t exactly want to smell like peppermint or lavender. Not the jocks, anyway.”
“I’m sure they don’t,” Tamlyn said as she screwed the cap back on and put the peppermint oil back in the bag. “That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you.”
She rolled down her own window a little bit and watched as the pine trees whizzed by, white puffy clouds swirling overhead. She closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the sun on her face. It was a beautiful day, and she was happy to be outside.
Bradley cleared his throat, and Tamlyn looked over at his expectant face.
“What?” she asked as she pushed back her hair that had blown free of her ponytail in the wind.
“I guess I’m curious as to how you came to favor your left ankle. Did you hurt yourself?”
“Oh,” Tamlyn said. It was really no big deal. It hadn’t occurred to her that he might want to know.
For some reason, her palms had begun to sweat. She rubbed her hands on her thighs.
“A few months ago, I was in a car accident. At the supermarket.” She turned to look out the window again as they passed the lake next to the ranch. The wind rippled the water and although she knew the water was cold, it beckoned her to swim.
“And?”
She jerked her head back toward Bradley.
“Oh, well, I was hit by another driver, and my ankle was broken. I had a concussion, too.”
“Oh, no.”
“Yeah. I was in a cast for two months, and everything seemed to have healed up all right. Just recently, it’s kind of been bothering me a bit. Especially if I’m on my feet all day.”
Bradley turned off the main road, onto a smaller, paved one and began to climb a hill. He snapped his fingers and turned to her.
“I think I read about that. A drunk driver? Was that you?”
Tamlyn sighed. Apparently it was a big deal to everyone else, even the newspaper. And radio.
“Yes, that was me. Yes, he was drunk.”
“And very drunk, from what I hear. Isn’t his trial coming up?”
Tamlyn felt a little light-headed as Bradley maneuvered his Jeep through the twists and turns of the mountain road. She struggled for breath and held on to the grip bar above the glove compartment.
“Are you okay?” Bradley asked as he pulled to the side of the road next to a sign that said, “Scenic View.”
“Sure, sure, I’m fine,” Tamlyn said as she breathed as deeply as she could.
“Are you afraid of heights?”
“No, not at all,” she replied. She really wasn’t. Or at least never had been.
He circled around the car to open her door, raising his hand to help her out.
She slid out onto the dirt and held onto the door and Bradley’s hand to get her balance.
She looked up into his deep, brown eyes that were filled with concern.
“I’m sorry. I’m fine, really.”
He helped her over to a boulder and sat her down. He went back to the jeep and returned with two thermoses of cold water, screwing off the cap and pouring some for her.
She took it with both hands and smiled at him gratefully.
“It was awfully upsetting, then?” he asked softly as he sat down beside her.
“No, no, not at all. Didn’t bother me in the slightest. I healed up fine. He got the worse end of the deal and had to have surgery.”
She sipped her water and didn’t realize for a moment that he was staring at her.
“What?”
“Didn’t bother you in the slightest?
“No. Car accidents happen all the time. I’ve been on so many road trips with my aunt that nothing like that is going to slow me down.”
“Uh-huh,” Bradley said slowly as he poured more water into her cup.
“Really. It’s not a problem. He’s got bigger problems than me, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, I heard his sentencing is next week.”
Her heart began to pound and she bounced her feet.
“Yes, so I’ve heard. None of my business. I already talked to him.”
“You did?” Bradley asked, standing and pacing in front of the magnificent mountain view that neither one of them had noticed.
“I did. The next day, I went in to tell him that I forgive him.”
Bradley stopped pacing and turned toward her.
“What did he say? Did he apologize?”
Tamlyn felt her cheeks flush as she finished her water and her breath slowed.
“You know, I don’t remember. I was on pain meds and he was just out of surgery. I think he just stared at me.”
“Well, that’s rich,” Bradley said with an edge to his tone. “He is drunk in the morning, gets behind the wheel of a lethal weapon, virtually, and hurts you and he doesn’t apologize?”
Tamlyn squirmed on the boulder and looked up at Bradley.
“I figured he has bigger problems than me. He didn’t need me on his conscience.”
“I don’t know, Tamlyn. Maybe that’s exactly what he needs.”
Tamlyn watched as Bradley started pacing again. She picked up the water bottles and stood, stretching.
“Well, this is lovely. What do you say we keep going?”
Bradley stopped and looked at her for a moment.
“Okay, sure.”
When they got back in the Jeep, Bradley said, “I’m sorry if that was uncomfortable for you. I was just curious. I didn’t mean to open a can of worms. It’s just that—”
Tamlyn held up her hands and interrupted him.
“Nope, it’s fine. I’m fine with it.”
She stuck her head out the window as they turned back onto the road.
“So, you grew up here, right? Tell me about this. All of this. This valley, everything.”
She listened with rapt attention as Bradley sighed, then started to tell her about the history of the valley, of Idaho in general, and they both got lost in the road trip.
Chapter 11
“Well, here we are,” Bradley said after they’d crossed a very long bridge—Bradley had said it was two miles long and this was the third version of it.
“Where is here?” she asked as she hopped out of the jeep and breathed in the cool, clean air and did a full turn, looking out at the lake and the gorgeous mountains beyond.
“Sandpoint.”
“Oh, the one you’ve been telling me about. Where the Kalispel Indians used to live, right?”
Bradley laughed and reached out for her hand.
“One and the same. Looks like you were listening after all. I thought I heard you snoring.”
She knocked him on the shoulder.
“Of course I wasn’t snoring.”
She walked over to a cement wall to the side of the lake and wished she could stand on it. With her ankle the way it was, she just looked at it wistfully.
“Want a better view?” he asked, and when she nodded, he swept her up in a second and set up on top of the wall, hopping up beside her.
Tamlyn closed her eyes and faced the sun. The breeze was delicious and the sun warmed her cheeks. She took in a deep breath and opened her eyes to find Bradley staring at her with a smile.
“Beautiful,” he said.
The lake was much bigger than the lake at River’s End Ranch, and she nodded. “Yes, t
he view is beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
She wasn’t sure she heard him right as he’d turned to walk along the river wall, but it sounded like he said, “That’s not what I meant.”
She followed, grateful that the wall was very wide and she was unlikely to lose her balance. He stopped a couple of times to point things out, and once pointed north, in the direction of big mountains in the distance.
“If you stand on your tippy-toes to see over the mountains, you could see Canada,” he said.
“Really? I’ve always wanted to go to Canada,” she said, shielding her eyes and standing on her toes.
Bradley laughed.
“Yeah, I’m supposed to be there even as we speak. Had my trip all planned. Then drama club happened.”
“Oh, you must have been so disappointed,” Tamlyn said, knowing she would have been.
“All for a good cause. I can always go another time, and I plan to,” he said as he started out again on the river wall.
They’d walked for quite a while, and he’d told her about all the boats in the lake, how the town started, what its biggest industries were and she kept up, wanting to hear everything he was talking about.
“You sure know a lot about Idaho,” she said as he finally stopped in front a quaint little restaurant.
“I guess I do,” he said. “Am I boring you?”
“Don’t ask me that again,” she teased. “I love it. My Aunt Corinne and I crisscrossed the country and we never turned down an opportunity to stop at a visitor’s center and see as much local color as we could.”
“Ah, a woman after my own heart. Interested in minutiae,” he laughed as he hopped off the sea wall and reached up to help her down. His strong arms had her on the ground in a second, and for the second time, she realized she liked the feel of them around her waist.
He opened the door of the restaurant for her and gestured her inside. As he walked in, the woman behind the sign-in sheet’s rosy cheeks got rosier. Her eyes widened and she rushed over to Bradley and gave him a big hug.
“Bradley, sweetheart, how nice to see you. You should have let me know you were coming. I would have made your favorites. All of them.”
Bradley laughed and hugged her in return, with a final kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks, Aunt Edna. I didn’t know I was coming or I would have called. You know how it is with the call of the road. Never know where you’re going to end up.”
“I do know that about you, my dear,” she said as she pinched his cheek and he turned and introduced her to Tamlyn.
“Lovely to meet you, young lady. Welcome to Edna’s. Named after my great, great grandmother.”
“Oh, that’s great,” Tamlyn said as she held out her hand and the woman grabbed her and pulled her in for a hug. Over her shoulder, she saw Bradley wink at her.
Edna showed them to a table right beside the tall windows overlooking the marina. She got drinks for them, and sat down for a second, getting the run-down on Bradley’s sister Stephanie. He reported that all was going well, that Stephanie was being good and staying on bed rest and the doctor thought she would make it to term.
“Thank goodness,” Edna said with a wipe of her brow. “I aim to come down this weekend to see her, give her a hug. That poor thing.” She pointed to the menu and nodded toward Bradley.
“This fella can tell you what his favorites are. He’s had every single thing on the menu over the years. The specials are on the board. Can’t go wrong with any of them.”
She kissed Bradley on the head before heading back into the kitchen, and Bradley turned toward Tamlyn as the doors swung shut behind her.
“I hadn’t intended to inflict my family on you. It just sort of happened when we ended up on the sea wall. Thought I might save them for later,” he said with a chuckle.
“Oh, gosh, it’s awesome. She’s so sweet, and it’s great to meet her. Thank you,” she said, and she meant it.
She asked Bradley to just order for them, positive she’d love whatever they ended up with. They sat and enjoyed their way through a host of appetizers over the next couple of hours while Bradley told her what it was like to grow up in such a vast area where most people actually knew each other.
Several people stopped to say hello, and he introduced her to every one of them. He was clearly very well liked, and she admired him for that.
Bradley tried to pay the bill, but his Aunt Edna wasn’t having any of it.
“You’re family. You know better than that,” she said as she pinched his cheek again and he gave her a big hug.
Tamlyn dropped her napkin on the table and thanked Edna and got her own big squeeze of a hug. As she stepped out of the restaurant and down the stairs, she let out a yelp as her ankle pinched. She would have stumbled if she hadn’t had her hand on the railing.
“You all right?” Bradley asked.
Tamlyn rolled her ankle in a circle.
“Yes, I’m okay. Maybe we should walk back on the path beside the wall, though, just in case.”
Bradley snapped his fingers.
“I have a better idea,” he said as he led her over to a bench beside the river and sat her down. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”
He set off jogging in the direction of the Jeep, which had to have been at least a mile away. He was back in a flash, driving right up to where she sat so she wouldn’t have to walk all the way back.
“Your carriage awaits,” he said as he took her hand, pulled her up and wrapped his arm around her waist as she walked to the jeep. He opened the door, helped her in and took a short bow.
She laughed as he crossed around to the driver’s side. He certainly was interesting. And charming. And thoughtful.
As they cruised down the mountain roads back in the direction of Riston, he shared more stories with her and she was fascinated by every one. Even though she was interested, the combination of her full belly and the warm breeze on her face as they zipped past rivers and pine trees, on this trip he may have actually detected a snore or two as she settled into happiness and thoroughly enjoyed the company.
Chapter 12
Tamlyn’s sides ached as she reached her front door. She hadn’t laughed as hard as she had with Bradley in a very, very long time. At least after they’d gotten past the subject of her accident.
She’d invited him up to watch a movie, but it had been a long day and they both laughed as they stretched and agreed that they wouldn’t make it through any movie, no matter how good it was. Especially since they both had big projects the next day. He was making sets with the parents for the performance, and her aunt had agreed to come over and help her make some progress on the costumes.
She’d fallen into bed and slept so soundly that a rap on the door woke her up the next morning.
She looked at the clock and wondered how it was possible that she’d slept until nine. She pulled her robe over her pajamas and pulled her hair back, rushing to let her aunt Corinne in.
“Oh, my goodness, I’m so sorry,” she said as her aunt brushed in with a smile and two coffees.
“No problem. You’d said you had a date yesterday so I was prepared for anything,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows as she set the coffee down on the kitchen island.
“Oh, stop,” Tamlyn said as she reached for the coffee and gently poked her elbow in her aunt’s ribs. She’d always been a kidder, but Tamlyn was feeling a little sensitive, for some reason.
“What’s the matter, honey?” her aunt asked as she slid onto one of the stools by the island.
“Nothing,” she said as she smiled at her aunt and set the coffee down. “Let me go throw some clothes on.”
She pulled on her most comfortable jeans and a light blue t-shirt, one of her favorites with some lace around the neck. She wasn’t planning on going anywhere, but she’d noticed she hadn’t been paying much attention to her appearance lately. Maybe that should change.
She brushed her thick, dark hair and braided it, letting the braid
fall down her back. At the last minute, she reached for some pearl earrings that hung just a little below her ear lobes and pinched her cheeks.
She brushed her teeth and headed back out into the living room to find her aunt holding an envelope, tapping it on the counter as she waited.
“What?” she asked as she reached for her coffee.
“I should ask you the same thing,” she said as she slid the envelope across the counter toward Tamlyn. “What is this?”
Tamlyn picked up the envelope that had been in a stack of mail she hadn’t opened. She meant to. She just hadn’t gotten around to it yet.
“Well, obviously it’s a letter from the sheriff’s department,” she said, pointing to the return address.
“Addressed to you, I see,” Corinne said with a frown.
“Obviously.” Tamlyn crossed behind the counter and took some scones from the refrigerator that she’d gotten for her aunt when she’d agreed to help with the costumes. She set some on a plate and slid them across the counter, hoping they might change the subject.
“You haven’t opened it.”
“No, I’ve been busy.”
“Tamlyn, this is postmarked three weeks ago. You haven’t been that busy. For that long.”
Tamlyn put the envelope on the bottom of the pile of unopened mail.
“I’m sure it’s nothing important,” she said.
Her aunt coughed and rolled her eyes.
“No, I’m sure not. Especially not since the sentencing of the man who hit you is next week. Not important at all.”
Tamlyn sighed and took a bite of a scone.
“Why won’t you open it?” her aunt asked.
“Why should I? I already talked to the man after the accident. I forgave him. It has nothing to do with me anymore.”
Her aunt stood and crossed over to the window, looking out over the balcony. She rubbed her forehead took a deep breath.
“Sweetheart, last week at lunch you got really agitated at the topic of this man and the accident.”
“No, I didn’t. I just—I don’t know. There’s something wrong with me. I’m going to make an appointment with a doctor. I keep getting light-headed.”
Teaching Tamlyn Page 6