No Boundaries

by Donna K. Ford

  Chapter Seven

  The next morning, Andi tightened the straps of her PFD and walked her paddleboard into the water. The sun was just beginning to crest over the mountain, and the sounds of morning stirred in the air as the birds sang out like the voices of angels.

  She loved the lake in the morning. The water was so still it was like glass. Not many boats were out this early, and she had the lake to herself for the most part. Holding the paddle firmly in her hands, she focused on the feel of her stroke, keeping her balance centered over the board as she focused on the glide of the flat craft across the water.

  Thoughts of Gwen had played through her mind all night, and she had slept restlessly. Even now images of Gwen swept across her vision. She could conjure the perfect image of Gwen’s lips, the glint in her eyes when she laughed, the subtle way she gestured with her hands when she talked. It seemed Andi had memorized every movement of Gwen’s body, and now her own invented new thoughts of what it would be like to touch her, to hold her long lean form next to her and taste her sweetness on her tongue.

  Andi pushed her board through the water with increasing effort as she tried to use the rhythm of her body and the stroke of the paddle to calm the restlessness she felt growing under her skin. She focused on the lake, allowing the smooth surface and gentle lap of the water to sooth her. She drew in a deep breath of the fresh mountain air, trying to clear the restlessness from her mind.

  It wasn’t unusual for her to have difficulty sleeping. She often welcomed the dawn, anxiously waiting to shed the weight of memories that haunted her each night. But last night had been different. She wasn’t running from fear or hurt, she was running from the stirring within her that craved the closeness of a woman.

  That was a pain she couldn’t flirt with. Women had been both the nectar of life and the kiss of death for her. As sweet as the beginning heat could be, the pain at the end would be too much. For the first time in months, Andi thought of JC. They had been lovers for two years, and JC had made it clear from the beginning that her job was more important to her than Andi. And when Andi had really needed her, when she was in real trouble, JC had turned her back on her. That was a pain she still couldn’t put to rest and something she didn’t think she could survive again.

  As Andi turned into one of the many coves that made up the intricate pattern of the lake, a great blue heron took flight in front of her, its giant wings gliding gracefully as it maneuvered its long, stork-like body no more than a foot or two above the water, the tips of its wings brushing lightly across the surface.

  Andi shifted her weight and slowly lowered herself until she was sitting on the board. Giving in to her fatigue, she lay back and gazed up into an endless blue sky. The sun was fully up now, and the brilliant, cloudless sky reminded her of the tender blue of Gwen’s eyes and the way they made her feel as if they looked into her soul.

  Andi closed her eyes for a moment as if she could shut out the image her mind had conjured. She didn’t quite know what to think of her new preoccupation with Gwen Palmer. She hadn’t entertained thoughts of a woman in so long, she had thought she would never again crave that closeness. She had chosen solitude and had committed herself to a single life. It was easier that way, less complicated, safer.

  Andi thought over her life. In all her relationships, she had never really been loved in return. It seemed she always found herself with people who didn’t want to accept her past, or life would intervene and pull them apart before any real feelings could surface. Her thoughts drifted to Melissa, and a terrible pain ripped through her chest. No. She wouldn’t think of that time in her life. She pushed the memories aside and swore at herself for her weakness.

  Since meeting Gwen, she had grown restless and the once-peaceful solitude had become too still, too quiet. But she wasn’t ready to open up her heart again. She wasn’t ready to trust someone enough to try. Her brain felt heavy as too many thoughts warred in her mind at once. Nothing had happened last night. Gwen hadn’t said or done anything throughout their evening together to suggest anything other than friendship. The thing that troubled her was that she had been disappointed that Gwen had kept her word. But it was for the best. Gwen was her ultimate dream woman, the perfect combination of softness and strength, confidence and empathy, and Andi knew just how dangerous that was for her. And maybe more important, just how dangerous it could be for Gwen. As much as she needed to protect her own heart, she wouldn’t risk another person she cared about. And that meant staying away.

  Andi’s arms were heavy and tired from the workout, and her core muscles began to protest from fatigue as she made her way to shore. She stored her gear and carried the paddleboard to the Jeep, securing it tightly to the roll bars above her head. It was a familiar pattern. Most of the summer, the board would remain tied to the roof with almost daily trips to the lake.

  Andi sighed as she sat in the old Jeep, looking out over the lake. She had her answers. Her memories had resurfaced to remind her that she couldn’t afford to complicate her life by getting involved. They would both only end up getting hurt.

  *

  Gwen slid into her now-familiar spot at the counter of the coffee shop and breathed in the soothing aromas of fresh coffee and bacon. “Good morning, Glenda.”

  “Good morning, Gwen. Be right with you, sweetie. The usual?”

  “You bet. How’s Pria?” Gwen had quickly established herself among the local morning chatter and loved the way the people of the little town had opened up to her.

  “Oh, she’s fine. Nothing keeps her down for long.”

  “Well, that’s good.”

  Glenda smiled as she set a steaming cup of coffee in front of Gwen and went to clear off a recently vacated table.

  Gwen inclined her head to an older gentleman at the end of the counter, slowly turning his cup back and forth between his large weatherworn hands. His big white cowboy hat and old faded overalls were a familiar sight. “Hey, Ward. How’s Millie?”

  The old man looked up from the cup he had been peering into and smiled, a Santa Claus twinkle lighting up his eyes.

  “Good. Real good. Slept easy last night. That girl that helps out came by early this mornin’. She’s looking after her now.”

  His eyes clouded again after a minute and he went back to staring into his cup. Gwen’s heart went out to the old man. Through the diner chatter she had learned that Ward’s wife was suffering with Parkinson’s disease, and Ward was her primary caregiver—although he usually seemed hardly able to care for himself.

  Glenda passed by and stopped to top off Gwen’s coffee, bringing her back to the present. Gwen pondered the list of things she needed to work on this week and dreaded the daunting task of clearing the front yard of some of the debris. The front yard was a partially unearthed slab of rock that made it impossible to landscape. She had also noticed the one plant that did grow around the stone was poison ivy. Knowing she could rouse some advice around the diner, she opened up the topic to Glenda.

  “Hey, Glenda, do you know anyone locally who does landscaping?”

  Glenda turned to look at her. “What kind of landscaping?”

  “Well, I need someone to help me figure out what to do with that giant rock in my front yard. I haven’t got a clue what to do with it, and right now it’s just an eyesore.”

  “Well, for that kind of stuff, I’d recommend Andi. She has the best gardens in town. But I don’t know if she does any work for hire—you could ask her though, here she comes now.”

  Gwen couldn’t help but look over her shoulder toward the door when she heard the familiar chime. Every head in the room turned to see who had arrived.

  Gwen’s heart skipped as she watched Andi stride through the door.

  “Mornin’, Andi.” Glenda called from the counter. “Were your ears burning?”

  “No. Should they be?” Andi answered with a smile.

  Gwen watched as more than one of the men at the counter got up to pat Andi on the back, shake her hand, and say a
word or two. Even old William McGuire was friendly with Andi, and Gwen had never heard him say two words to anyone else. He would mostly offer a slight nod or a grunt to Glenda if he wanted more coffee, but that had been the extent of it.

  Andi seemed to bring out the best in everyone.

  When Andi finally made it to the counter, Gwen smiled and said hello.

  Andi nodded and smiled in return but didn’t say anything, and Gwen noticed the absence of the warmth she had seen in Andi’s eyes over dinner.

  “So what were you saying, Glenda? Who’s been talking about me?”

  “Well, Gwen here was asking if I knew anyone who could help her landscape that old rock in front of her house. I recommended you and told her she should ask you to help, but I didn’t know if you would take on the job.”

  “Oh.” Andi’s smile faltered. After a moment she looked to Gwen again. “That’s a tough one. That old rock probably covers most of the property. Sorry, Gwen, but I don’t think I’m the right person for the job.”

  Gwen was disappointed. “Oh well, I guess I can just look through the listings. Maybe one of the nurseries can help.” Gwen shrugged, letting the issue go. The distance she felt from Andi seemed foreign to her after the evening they had shared. Why the change? Would she and Andi have to go through this breaking-the-ice every time they were together?

  The silence seemed to drag on as Andi waited for her coffee and Gwen sat staring into her cup. The longer Andi waited the more unease she felt. She was being deliberately distant and that wasn’t fair to Gwen. She had to find a way to be around Gwen without letting her hormones take over or turning into Cruella De Vil. Surely she could be friendly with Gwen. It was just a crush. In time she wouldn’t feel so out of sorts around her.

  “You know, I could give the yard a look and draw some ideas up for you, but you would probably still have to hire out some of the work.”

  “That’s okay,” Gwen said, no warmth in her voice, “I appreciate the offer, but I’m sure you have enough to do without trying to figure out my mess.”

  Andi knew she should take the out that had been offered, but she found she just couldn’t say no to those heart-melting blue eyes. And the look of disappointment she had seen flash across Gwen’s face made her feel guilty.

  “I can drop off some sketches in a few days, if that’s okay? I’ll need to stop by and look things over first.”

  “Really, Andi, I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this.”

  “It won’t be a problem as long as you don’t mind giving me a while. Are you in a hurry?”

  “No, just trying to set things up so I don’t get in the habit of procrastinating and find myself avoiding the tasks I’m not good at.”

  “It’s settled then.”

  Gwen’s smile didn’t reach her eyes, and Andi felt a stab of pain. It was the first time she had seen Gwen so closed off, and Andi knew she was the cause. She should leave this alone. Anything she did would just make things worse. Andi picked up her coffee and thanked Glenda as she stepped away. “See you soon, Gwen.”

  Andi placed a hand on Gwen’s shoulder as she passed, feeling the inexplicable need to touch her. Her face warmed at the slight touch as she brushed past. She didn’t know what was happening with her, but the mixed emotions she had been experiencing since meeting Gwen were driving her crazy.

  When Andi stepped away, Gwen couldn’t help but turn toward her. The light touch on her shoulder felt warm, and she had wanted to lean into it. She didn’t get it. One minute Andi was cold and distant and the next she seemed to invite Gwen in. She watched Andi move down the counter to Ward, who still sat staring at the same cup of coffee. Andi leaned next to him, pulled a small package from her pocket, and slid it in front of him. His eyes seemed to mist over for a moment, and then he placed a heavy hand on Andi’s shoulder and gave her an affectionate pat. Andi nodded, stepped aside with a smile, and walked out of the diner.

  Gwen was curious about the exchange. Whatever Andi had left for Ward seemed to make all the difference in his mood. He sat looking out the window after Andi with a faint smile on his face and the twinkle back in his eyes. What was it with that woman? It seemed the whole town was enamored of Andrea Massey, including herself. Why was that? Andi seemed so private, so elusive. But every time Gwen had been close to Andi, she felt a need wash over her. Andi had awakened something within her. When Andi wasn’t being guarded and defensive, there was a gentleness about her that put everyone at ease. But Gwen knew she hadn’t imagined Andi’s distance only moments before. Was it just her? Maybe she should just take the hint. Andi just wasn’t into her.

  Chapter Eight

  The rapid tapping on the front door was met with a deep moan from Zeek, who shot to her feet and lumbered through the house to inspect the potential intruder. Gwen laughed. One of the reasons she had chosen Zeek was her breed didn’t usually bark at intruders, instead preferring to sneak up on their prey. It made for a much quieter existence not to have her barking her head off at every sound. Gwen dropped her paint roller into the pan and wiped her hands across her faded jeans. The wood floors were cool beneath her bare feet and the smooth finish made her smile. Refinishing the floors had been a huge undertaking, but she couldn’t have been happier with the results. As she made her way across the foyer, Gwen glanced toward the door to see who Zeek was so eager to investigate. Her tail was wagging expectantly. An unusual occurrence when someone was at the door.

  A pulse of excitement jolted her as she recognized the short dark hair and sun-kissed skin. She wasn’t expecting visitors, but she was pleased to see Andi waiting anxiously by the door. Gwen’s breath caught at the sight of Andi gazing off into the yard looking thoughtful. Gwen felt a thrill of excitement grow in her belly as she took in Andi’s long lean figure and her pensive expression. It had been three days since she had seen Andi at the diner and she wondered what had brought her by. She had convinced herself Andi had only said she would come by because she hadn’t wanted to say no after being put on the spot in front of everyone at the diner.

  Andi turned to leave just as Gwen turned the latch.

  “Hey,” Gwen said as she swung the door open.

  “Hi. I’m sorry to stop in without notice, but I still don’t have a number for you, and I wanted to check in and see how you’re doing. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

  “Not at all, come on in. I’m just doing some painting today. I’m glad you stopped by.”

  As Andi stepped inside, Zeek brushed past Gwen and pushed her giant head into Andi’s hand.

  Gwen laughed. Trust Zeek to break up any awkwardness. “Looks like I’m not the only one glad to see you.”

  Andi blushed, and Gwen couldn’t help but wonder if Andi was pleased by the comment. Could Andi feel more than she was letting on, or was she embarrassed by the overture?

  Andi cleared her throat, leaned down and scratched Zeek’s head, and rubbed her floppy ears.

  “Hey there, Zeek. It’s good to see you too, sweetie.” She glanced up at Gwen, melting her with a big smile. “I could get used to a greeting like this. The most I get from Goliath is a nudge toward the food bowl.”

  Gwen watched the exchange and felt the heat rise in her face as she imagined Andi’s long lean fingers brushing through her hair and across her face, in a totally different greeting. She turned and made her way back through the living room that was still littered with drop cloths and paint cans. She was surprised by how happy she was to see Andi.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” she asked as she led the way to the kitchen. She thought she could feel Andi’s eyes on her as she went, and she smiled to herself. She found herself taking shallow breaths, not wanting to do anything to ruin the moment.

  “Sure, that would be nice,” Andi responded and followed her to the kitchen. Andi looked around and gestured to the new countertops and new tile on the floor. “The renovations seem to be going well. You’ve gotten a lot done in the last week—the house is beginning to feel
loved again.”

  “Thanks. The countertops were put in yesterday and the appliances arrived this morning. Good thing too, I was getting tired of living out of a cooler.”

  Gwen strode over to the new refrigerator and opened the door. She’d felt like a storm was brewing inside her from the moment she had recognized Andi at her door, and she tried to hide the subtle tremor in her hand as she reached inside and pulled out two diet sodas.

  “So, what brings you by?” Gwen wanted to believe Andi simply wanted to see her, but Andi’s past reluctance made her doubt that.

  “Oh, I put some thought into your landscaping project and brought by some drawings. I thought we could have a look and I could explain my ideas.”

  Andi pulled a folder from her bag and leafed through the contents.

  “Wow, that’s great. I really can’t thank you enough for doing this.” Gwen was grateful despite the underlying disappointment that Andi wasn’t here just to see her.

  Andi smiled faintly. “Well, don’t get too ahead of yourself, you haven’t even seen the drawings yet. You may hate them.”

  “I doubt that. Come on then, let’s see them,” Gwen said, excitedly rubbing her palms together.

  Andi laughed and pulled the drawings out of a large folder.

  “Oh wow.” Gwen looked up at Andi in amazement. “How did you do all this?”

  “It’s nothing. Do you really like them?”

  Gwen watched a blush rise in Andi’s cheeks and heard a hint of uncertainty in her voice. “Like them? I love them. I hadn’t imagined this was possible. Will it be difficult to do? And how will I maintain it?”

  Andi laughed again. “Don’t worry. I’ll explain everything, and it’ll be easier than you think to keep up with.”

  “If you say so.”

  Andi picked up a design and began pointing out the different uses of the natural elevation of the yard and the flow of the stone to incorporate many plants that were indigenous to the area and grew well in shallow, rocky soil. “This one is my favorite.”