Innocent Ride

by Robertson, Alethea

  He lowered his head. “That’s why I asked for your forgiveness.”

  “Yes, but...you hurt me….” It made me think of Angel, who was probably wondering where I was. Hopefully he hadn’t tried driving to my house during the storm. In my haste, I’d forgotten my phone on the counter.

  Robbie lured me back to him, guilt written on his face. “I want to prove my commitment to you. Isn’t that what Romeo and Juliet did?”

  “Romeo and Juliet died together. Robbie, this isn’t a fairy tale.”

  His jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you just said that.” He regarded me as I made the realization myself. I could feel the sun warm my bare skin. Robbie’s hands chilled my arms. The air was still, silent, and waiting. He pulled me into his embrace again and I squeezed him. That was when I felt a wet tickle on my foot. I looked down. Was that…?

  “Porsche!” I picked up the dog. “If she’s here, then that means…you think…?” I’d called Oliver before driving out here. If he’d been caught in the tornado, it would be all my fault. My chest plummeted. Frantically, I looked around.

  “Candace!” I couldn’t tell where the call was coming from, but it wasn’t exactly close.

  “Robbie!” That sounded like Carrie.

  “Is that….” Robbie’s searching gaze landed at the far edge of the property, where the hill crested.

  “Oliver!” I shouted as his head bobbed above the mound’s crest, then Carrie’s, then Pete’s. And three other people I couldn’t make out from here. They stopped, scoping out the property. Then there was pointing, and they all started running toward us. As they got closer, I could see Sally’s perfect blonde strands unraveling from her bun. A tall, balding guy was running next to another blonde girl I didn’t recognize.

  “Thank god!” Oliver said when he reached us, panting from his short sprint. He rushed to scan my head. “Ohmygod, you’re hurt!”

  “I’m fine, Ollie, Robbie’s the one that can’t walk.”

  “Ohmygod, ohmygod, what happened! Were you in the storm?” He turned his motherly scrutiny on Robbie. Pete rushed under Robbie’s arm.

  “How’d you get out of the storm?” Carrie asked.

  We relayed the events of the day as quickly as we could, alternating between each other’s points of view to fill in missing details. Our audience was captivated. When Robbie got to the part of getting into the cellar, it somehow seemed the clouds were closer and he’d jumped a few feet higher than I remembered.

  “You guys are heroes!” Oliver said, his palm to his mouth.

  Carrie rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

  “Oh, by the way, you haven’t met George. George Philip. And his sister, Pricilla.” We said our hellos, not sure what to think of them, yet. But if Oliver could find something to like, maybe there was more to them what they showed with their signs.

  “How’d you guys know where we were?” I asked.

  “You said abandoned church,” Carrie said. “This is the only one this side of Wanamaker Avenue.”

  “You didn’t think this place was a secret, did you?” Oliver laughed.

  “It was the only abandoned church,” Carrie corrected herself. “Now it just looks…abandoned….” We all shared a moment of awe at the power of nature’s forces. Together, we walked around the rubble. Robbie leaned on George and Pete. But when we reached the back of the lot, we paused at the sight, speechless.

  The rainbow fields had survived. Some areas had been flattened, mostly near the church, but outside the church’s vicinity, the rainbow of living flowers thrived, their striations of color bright under the blue sky.

  “Wow, I never knew that was here.” Oliver picked up Porsche, seemingly stunned. He stood between Pricilla and George. Pete put an arm around Sally.

  “All this time….” Carrie rested two fists on her hips and I noticed for the first time that she wasn’t wearing a skirt and stilettoes. Instead, faded jeans hugged her cute figure and an oversized sweatshirt almost entirely covered it. Even so, there was something different about her. She seemed taller, somehow, even without her heels.

  “I wonder who owns this property,” Robbie mused, his expression calculating.

  “We’re all probably out of jobs now,” Pete said, squeezing Sally, as if they were in love.

  Everyone looked to Sally for confirmation. She nodded decisively.

  “Did you guys just…leave work?” I asked.

  Sally nodded. “We went to the shelter. Then, when the storm was over, we decided to come look for you. I asked for permission, but Simon said no. So….” She let the rest of the sentence trail off.

  My heart warmed so much I could feel the moisture sting my eyes.

  “I have an idea,” I said, thinking of my conversation with Robbie’s brother this morning. It seemed ages ago. But maybe, just maybe, it was the key to making something new.

  Chapter 20

  IT’S BEEN A year since the Rainbow Fields Hill tornado. Amazing, how life magically happens for us… And, yet so much more than we could have imagined has come together.

  In the garage, I straddled my beautiful beast. When I started her, she roared and crackled and popped louder than any bike I’d ridden before. I reveled in the sound. She was a classic, baby blue with pinstripes and a sleek, sexy body. We cruised down the drive, through the neighborhood, and out onto the familiar country road.

  Kansas was being kind today, bright and blue and warm enough for bare skin. I turned up the well-worn, meandering road. As I entered the parking lot, the new sign greeted me: Welcome to Rainbow Fields Hill for Healing—Grand Opening! The new building didn’t tower over the parking lot or hide the rainbow fields the way the church once had. Instead, it was inviting and welcoming, and Angel’s design captured every view worth relishing.

  I parked in front of the building, next to the familiar cherry-red Harley. It made me smile to know he was here. He was the one who’d convinced me a Harley was the way to ride, though that wasn’t why he was here today.

  Inside, the place looked better than I’d ever dreamed possible. Steel brewing vessels lined one entire wall, out in the open for people to see the process. As it turned out, we couldn’t stop at kombucha. The other side of the building opened to an herbal greenhouse with room for lounging. I could see Pete in there watering plants and wondered how long he’d been here. Ever since he’d been introduced to herbs and their powerful healing properties, he hadn’t spent much time away from them, burying himself in their study and practical application. Now, he was the expert we turned to. I admired him for finding his passion and throwing himself into it. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him with a Diet Coke in months.

  “Hey Candace,” Oliver said as I strolled by the bar. He was wiping it down, making everything spic and span for the grand opening. I threw a glance in the direction of the café area. It spilled out onto a veranda, overlooking the rainbow fields. I could see George and Pricilla out there, sweeping, each of them pausing to gaze at the colors. Oliver threw an occasional doe-eyed glance in the direction of the patio. Then I made the mistake of stepping foot into his masterpiece. “Don’t walk in there! Floor’s wet! Guests will start arriving soon and I don’t have time to clean it all over again!”

  Surrendering my hands in the air, I backed away, popping my head into the back office to find Sally hard at work on the computer. I decided not to disturb her and briefly wondered where my mom and Shannen were. I was sure I’d seen her rental car out front.

  “There you are.” The rich voice made me smile. I turned around to find Angel standing there, fists on his hips. “We’ve been waiting for you all morning. Thought you’d be here earlier on a day like today. Grand openings only happen once, you know.”

  Just then, Carrie jumped on his back. He turned around and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Their lips collided. I rolled my eyes, suddenly aware that I was alone.

  “You look nice,” I said to Carrie when she finally pulled herself from Angel. Since last year, I hadn�
��t seen her in a miniskirt or heels. Today, a white summer dress complemented her curves just enough to invite curiosity.

  “Thank you.” She curtsied. Then she drew in a deep breath. “Are you guys ready for today?”

  I smiled. Then there was a tap on my shoulder.

  I turned around and there he was, behind me, freshly picked bouquet of herbs in one hand and a small black box in the other. A black V-neck shirt hugged his chest and biceps, leaving no room for my imagination to trace the definition underneath.

  “Candace,” Robbie began, inching into my space and placing the herbs into my hand, folding my fingers around the bouquet. Suddenly, I felt every eye in the building on me. I heard a gasp from somewhere. Robbie’s lips curled into his tantalizing, crooked smile. He cocked his head to the side, his tousled hair framing his eyes. I wanted to rub my fingers through the rich, auburn silk. Chills ran down my spine, my senses heightened and breathing shallowed. Even now, a year later, his regard deftly lured me into his possession. He wasn’t done with me.

  “There’s something I want to ask you,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. I felt the room close in on me. It seemed no one else in the room was breathing. Robbie gripped my free hand in his, electricity running through me at his touch. “You know my heart belongs to you. And…you belong to me.” He released his grip on me and kneeled, easing the box top open as he descended, his eyes never leaving me. “Marry me.” It was really less of a question than a command.

  All I could do was breathe—if I could even do that anymore. Robbie already knew my answer. He lifted himself slowly, ready to claim me. His lips were an inch from mine. I wrapped my hand around his nape, pulling him to my lips, but—

  He pulled back. “Ow!”

  “What?” I asked, panicked. I looked down. The familiar, sweet brown eyes of my Star Wars companion glared up at his offender. Robbie rubbed his shin, shock plastered on his face.

  “Stay away from my sister!”

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