When Rose reached out and rubbed the top of Barney’s head, he drooled, staring at Rose with adoring eyes.
Tim grinned glancing at Danielle. “He’s the one, I’m pretty sure,” He called out. “How often can Rose be here with us during the training?”
“As often as you’d like. She’s only going to school for half days right now.”
Tim wrapped an arm lightly over Rose’s shoulders while she stood and patted Barney’s head. “Would you like to come and teach Barney how to take care of you Rose?” Tim asked softly.
Rose snuggled into Tim.
When Tim gave Rose the most endearing smile she’d ever seen, Emily knew right away that she was done for.
Had she always been in love with him?
Probably. Since the moment she’d met Tim at only ten years old, Emily couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t been thinking of him.
Chapter Fourteen
Something was up with Emily. She’d been acting really strange since he and Danielle had finalized the specific details of Barney’s training for Rose.
“You alright?” Tim asked as they drove towards town in his truck. Chloe was laying on Emily’s lap again.
Emily seemed startled, shaking her head and looking at Tim. “I’m fine. I just keep thinking about the life that little girl has ahead of her. It’s hard enough going blind. But having to grow up in an institution?” She added wryly, “Although, I’m sure it’s got to be one of the best facilities in the country since Danielle Loughlin is one of the administrators running it.”
“For sure.” He hesitated. “But I know what you mean. I wanted to scoop up Rose and take her home with me so I could take care of her forever. Even though I lost my mom when I was only ten, I was lucky to have my dad.”
“Oh, Tim—we’ve had such different kinds of lives. Haven’t we? Even though I’ve only had one parent, and my mom has never been an easy person to live with, I’m still doing what I really want to do.”
He nodded. “I’m glad you finally had the courage to strike out on your own.”
“The funny thing about it is, my mom has always thought she’s known what’s best for me. But deep in my heart, I’ve known I’d be more successful if I followed my own instincts.” Emily hesitated. “I think she holds onto me so hard because she has nothing or no one else. And that’s pretty sad.”
“Yeah, it is,” Tim answered. “She’s got to know that you would never cut her out of your life, no matter how controlling she is?”
“If she would only sit down and talk to me. Maybe tell me about my father, and what happened between the two of them. She treats me more like I’m fourteen than twenty-four. Aunt Trish keeps telling me I’d never have recognized my mom if I’d known her as a teenager.”
“Maybe abandoning her a while was the best thing you could have done for her?”
Emily gave him a wry smile. “Maybe. I keep on waiting for her to show up here in town. But then again, my lawyer was going to serve her with some papers. She might be reeling right now on overload with all the provisions I’ve made.”
“I won’t even ask. But I suspect that everything you’re asking for belongs to you anyway?”
Emily nodded.
As Tim pulled the truck into the parking lot of the grocery store, she pulled on her cap and sunglasses.
“I know you have to get back. I’ll try to hurry,” she said.
“Don’t worry about that. Like I said, I can set my own hours. And I also have volunteers coming in during the evening and on the weekends too.”
They strolled together through the parking lot and into the breezeway leading inside of the store.
Emily still made her way through the store very quickly picking out basics such as cereal, milk and eggs, along with coffee and juice.
Tim would grab the loaf of bread or the hamburger buns she would point to while Emily would pull mayonnaise and ketchup or anything else she thought she might need from a shelf. She gathered together more groceries in that forty-five minutes than Tim would normally eat during a month.
“Got enough food?” he asked.
They were each rolling an overloaded cart towards his truck through the parking lot.
“I figured I could send whatever I don’t use home with you if I have to leave town again.”
The idea of her leaving suddenly made him panic. She hadn’t even been here two weeks. “When will that be?” he asked abruptly, unloading the groceries into the back of the pickup. A topper covered the bed to make it convenient for transporting dogs.
She hesitated before handing over another bag of groceries from her arms. “I gave myself two months,” she finally answered.
He nodded his understanding.
“Go out with me for dinner tomorrow night Em? Please?” he asked suddenly.
Where had that come from? But Tim was relieved that he’d finally had the courage to ask. Let’s face it you idiot, you’ve barely thought about anything but her since she arrived in town.
Emily looked troubled but after searching his eyes, she sighed. “Yes.”
Opening the passenger door, she climbed inside the truck and sat beside Chloe.
“You’re sure?” he asked after sitting in the driver’s seat.
She looked over at him and gave him a rueful smile. “Yes. And I’m not going to hide away like a criminal anymore. I took off my sunglasses to count out my cash while we were going through the checkout lane, and no one who was standing around me even looked at me twice. I think that Wisconsin is the last place anyone expects to see me.”
Tim grinned, revving up the engine. “Okay. So let’s do something special and go out for dinner at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn.”
“The scene of the crime?” Emily laughed softly, looking down at Chloe and scratching her behind the ears. “Alright.”
Chapter Fifteen
After Tim had dropped her off last night, she’d spent a little time composing at the piano. She’d had a call from her lawyer this morning and the papers severing her mother’s fiduciary power over Emily’s estate had been served. Emily wasn’t surprised to learn her mom hadn’t taken it very well, and had been calling the lawyer’s office continuously through the morning demanding to know where she could reach Emily.
Wendell Jurgens had wanted to keep Emily updated, he’d claimed with definite humor in his voice.
Emily had spent the entire day today doing laundry and cleaning the cottage. It was the first time she’d done these things for herself in years. The last time had probably been when she was visiting Aunt Trish here when she was a kid. Since Emily and her mom never lived in the same place for long, they usually hired a housekeeper and staff for cooking and cleaning.
Tim would arrive in about an hour for their date and, as Emily gazed at her reflection in the mirror, she slipped in some earrings before hanging a sterling silver dragonfly pendant around her neck, hoping it would bring her luck. She’d purchased this particular hand crafted turquoise pendant years ago at the Dragonfly Pointe Inn gift shop when she’d been shopping with Kelly Callahan.
Kelly had told Emily about the folklore associated with Dragonfly Pointe. New beginnings and happily ever afters were assured for those who met there and fell and love and, after thinking hard about the first time she’d met Tim, Emily had a sneaking suspicion that every tale she’d heard about Dragonfly Pointe was true.
Because each time she and Tim had run into each other again it had felt like fate had always meant for them to be together.
Emily had her hair piled high on top of her head, but she’d decided earlier that day that she was finally going to have it cut. Enough was enough. Even though she knew Kelly was married now, she’d reconnect with her along with the entire Callahan family by having her hair done at Jenny’s salon.
Emily took in a deep breath, studying her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a jeweled denim skirt paired with a silky lavender blouse that supposedly brought out the color of her eyes. Snatching up a purs
e, she slipped into a pair of dark suede boots.
They were coming full circle, and Emily was going to finally ask Tim the question she’d been afraid to ask from the moment she’d seen him again.
Because there was nothing in Tim’s behavior to suggest he’d ever wanted to cut off communication with her five years ago.
Which left only one likely reason.
Or, rather, culprit.
Five years ago, Emily had received an email which had probably never been sent by Tim. And knowing her mother, she would’ve wanted to tie up all loose ends. Tim had probably received a similar email that he’d thought had been sent by Emily, telling him she wouldn’t have time to write anymore.
Why hadn’t it occurred to her at the time? Even though Emily had assumed she’d managed to hide her notepad well enough, she’d probably been careless a time or two. Her mother would have seen her relationship with Tim as a distraction.
There was a sharp rap on the back door and Emily went to answer it.
Her eyes went wide when she opened the door and her gaze roved over Tim. Tim seemed to be extremely nervous. He was wearing a navy-blue suit with a light blue shirt, and Emily grinned noticing his cool looking stars and stripes tie. His long lean muscular body seemed made for a suit.
And then her eyes moved upward. He’d had a haircut, and it was short and spiked.
She studied the freshly trimmed beard covering his face, as well as his neck before frowning fiercely attempting to blink back tears. “Oh, Tim. Why didn’t you tell me you’d been hurt?” she asked softly.
* * *
He’d been thinking about his date with Emily earlier today, and it’d suddenly occurred to him that she’d never seen his injuries. Not being able to handle the pity along with the questions from friends, which he really wasn’t ready to answer, Tim had been letting himself go for a while now. He was looking rough and scraggly, so he’d decided it was time to get a haircut and trim.
He wasn’t brave enough to have the barber shave away the growth on his face completely, but his beard was quite a bit shorter, and the scars along the sides of his face and under his chin were clearly visible now since his beard grew out in spotty patches.
He’d taken a deep breath after looking at himself one final time in the mirror before leaving the house.
And now that he stood in front of Emily, who had tears in her eyes, he wasn’t quite sure what to say. She looked beautiful of course with her ash brown hair done up and wearing only a little bit of makeup. Her lavender gray eyes looked huge, as well as deep, dark and mysterious.
She suddenly ran into his arms, and Tim had no other choice except to wrap his arms around her tightly.
It’d been so long.
But then again, it hadn’t. With her body pressed against his, it felt like she was right where she belonged.
Her voice was muffled. “I’m so sorry. It never occurred to me that you’d been hurt. Of course I worried about you all the time Tim.” He was pretty sure she was crying.
He sighed. “Did you now?” Pulling back, he lifted her chin gently and gazed into her eyes. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking you know, about the last five years. You never wrote me an email and told me you needed to focus on your career—did you?”
“No.” She shook her head firmly. “And you never wrote me and told me you wouldn’t have time to write me anymore—did you?”
Tim sighed heavily and gave her a rueful smile. “Let me guess,” he said softly. “Mom?”
She nodded. “It had to have been her.”
“When I think...” Tim tugged her back into his arms. “I thought of you all the time when I was overseas. It about broke me when I heard you were engaged.”
“Well, you don’t have much to be jealous about there. Most of the guys I went out with before Mark were for show. And with him, it was more of a case of puppy love on my part since he was such a big star. I believed he was the guy he appeared to be in public. I was so confused about myself after I thought you didn’t want to keep in touch anymore.”
“Me, too, Em.” Tim suddenly looked at his watch and smiled. “But we’ve got the rest of the night to talk about it. Go fix your eyes. Our reservation is in twenty minutes.”
She laughed softly. “That bad, huh?”
But she rushed through the hallway while Tim stood waiting near the back door wearing a tender smile on his face. In a matter of minutes, the situation between them had changed. He wasn’t sure what was in store for the future, but right now it was looking a whole lot better than he’d ever expected.
* * *
The evening flew by, and Emily was enjoying her return to the Dragonfly Pointe Inn. At first, they filled each other in on their years apart and talked about all the positives while enjoying their meals.
But then it was time for Tim to get serious and tell Emily about his reasons for leaving the Air Force. He told her about his early days, and how he’d been close to the men and women he’d served with. He’d been so proud eventually getting accepted into the program for training service dogs, because there’d been a lengthy required waiting period before he’d been considered.
And then he started describing what it’d been like in Iraq. She was horrified and tears were falling down her face when he went into detail about the conditions there. “You know all the stories you’ve heard on the news?” he finished grimly.
“Unfortunately, yes,” she answered softly.
“The situation over there is a million times worse, Em. I watched two of my friends blown to bits in front of me. These scars that I have? If I’d have been even ten feet closer when that bomb went off, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Looking desolate, Emily reached over and laid her hand over his where it rested on the table. “Oh, Tim. I’m so sorry that you lost your friends. You probably lost a lot of yourself in the process?”
He nodded. “I should warn you. I’ve been going to therapy. The nightmares aren’t quite as bad as they used to be. But I have a feeling that they’re probably never going to go away.”
That’s when they finally quit talking as they each sat staring through the window at the breathtaking view of the sunset shimmering across the lake.
The view was positively inspirational, Tim thought, which is probably why he’d always loved Dragonfly Pointe. It was the only place in this world that seemed to soothe him. It was unreal sometimes to think that no matter how many tragedies were going on in the world today, life always went on.
When their waitress came up to the table to refill their coffee, they began talking again, and this time Tim had a smile on his face. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen when your mom shows up, but I’d sure like to be there when it happens.”
“She has to know where I am by now.” Emily grinned, looking curious. “What makes you think she’s going to show?”
He snorted. “I’ll be surprised if she doesn’t.”
“I am kind of proud of finally standing up for myself and actually putting it in writing.” She sighed. “I’ve been so tired. I hadn’t had two days off from performing for nearly a year.”
“How did you manage to get out of town if she’s aware of every move you make?”
“I finally convinced her to give me a work week off.” Emily snorted. “Never a weekend of course. I was supposed to be staying with a girlfriend for a few days. Sarah was going to back up my story if my mom called.” She grinned. “In reality, I was driving cross country and taking my time and getting some rest along the way. I planned my entire trip and Aunt Trish went ahead and booked my hotel rooms for me in her own name.”
The waitress came by and handed over a small clipboard to Tim.
Being sure to include a generous tip along with the cost of dinner, Tim gave the clipboard back to the waitress before he and Emily stood up from their chairs.
Tim peeked at his watch. “Want to go for a walk before I take you home?”
She smiled. “I’d like that.”
He
grinned. “To the waterfall?”
“Lead on,” she answered.
Shortly, they were outside and Emily’s eyes were wide as she gazed at the extensive landscape that’d been added since her last visit. “What a beautiful gazebo,” she said.
Tim led Emily along the foot bridge crossing over the waterfall and halted when they were half way across.
Turning towards her, he gently gathered her into his arms, sucking in an unsteady breath before he covered her mouth with his. With luxurious slowness, he moved his mouth from her lips to her cheeks and then lightly over her throat, and Emily’s tension seemed to melt with each tender caress.
A light breeze blew in towards them from across the lake, and Tim brushed back the gossamer strands of silky hair that’d pulled loose alongside of her ear. His mouth explored the delicate whorl of her ear before returning to her lips, where he kissed her again, and this time more thoroughly.
He was unprepared for the intensity of her response, and when Tim felt Emily’s body melt against his, he felt alive for the first time in a very long time. He kissed her deeply and then kissed her lightly, until he had no idea who was doing the giving and who was doing the taking.
Tim could feel Emily’s hands opening and closing on the top of his shoulders, and he finally ended the kiss, keeping his arms around her so she could find her balance.
Or was she the one holding him steady?
Tim was humbled, and nearly in tears, gazing into her eyes under the light of the moon and the bright north star. Cause Emily’s eyes held a never-ending promise of a love that would never fail.
Chapter Sixteen
A Kiss Upon A Star Page 9