Colton

by Lori Wilde

  “You know, I had this dream one time. It was kinda stupid, actually,” he said self-consciously. He lifted Maybelline’s ears and flapped them like wings. “I dreamed that you and Colton were still together.”

  April nodded. She’d had that dream many times herself.

  “And I was your kid, and Maybelline slept on my bed.” As if embarrassed by admitting his fantasy, he rushed on. “Mrs. T and Clyde were in it, too, and—get this—I was calling them Grandma and Grandpa. As if!”

  It didn’t take a psychology degree to understand that he wanted exactly what she desired—a family. Having been bounced from one foster family to another, the teen wanted to settle where his roots could grow deep.

  Something stirred way down inside her, kicking up long-forgotten memories of wishing for her father to return home so that her own family would be complete. Her dream of a perfect family had not come true—either as a child or as an adult—but she hoped that Steven would someday achieve his dream of a family who would love him and give him a sense of belonging.

  She stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. “That’s a very sweet thought. I hope that someday you’ll have all you wish for.”

  As for April, the situation was a bit more complicated. Stepping inside, she brushed a hand over her abdomen.

  She would soon have what she had wished for … but not what she hoped for.

  “I hear congratulations are in order,” Colton said as she walked along the brick path in front of his bachelor house.

  April almost dropped the housewarming present she’d brought him. “But how did you know?”

  He grinned and set the hammer on the post at the base of the steps. “The stable manager told me.”

  “He did?” She wondered how their employee had heard about the news.

  “Yeah, it looks like Daisy’s romp in the hay is going to cost us a hefty stud fee.”

  “Oh, that.” She swung her arms, contemplating how best to broach the subject she’d come to discuss. Still at a loss, she satisfied herself with small talk. “The house is looking good.”

  It was old, but it had a homey feel to it, especially now that Colton had repaired the porch and refreshed the exterior with a new coat of paint. Without his saying so, she knew that he was here to stay. She found no comfort in that knowledge.

  “Let me show you the rest,” he said, reaching for her hand. “Hey, what’s this?”

  She shrugged and offered him the brightly wrapped package. “It’s just a little something for the house. I thought you could use a little plaque for the door to celebrate its new look.”

  “You didn’t have to,” he said needlessly. He placed the package on the wicker chair by the front door and took her hand in his. “Let’s open it together after I show you what I’ve done to the inside.”

  “Colton, I need to talk to you about something.”

  He stopped in his tracks but didn’t release her hand. Instead, his fingers closed more tightly around hers, and he studied her with a mixture of curiosity and awkwardness. She realized too late her mistake and tried to cover the gaffe by babbling.

  “I mean, uh, Buddy.” For some reason, the old nickname didn’t feel right on her tongue anymore. “We really need to talk before any more time passes.”

  “If it’s about the missing stuff, I don’t think Steven did it.” He tugged her hand. “Come on.”

  “Wait.”

  After Steven had shared his dream with her, she’d been forced to consider whether he may have taken the items to get attention. Even so, she honestly didn’t believe he’d had anything to do with the mysterious disappearances. But that was only one of the things she’d come to discuss with Colton.

  “It’s about the marriage thing that we arranged. We need to figure out what we’re going to do next.”

  “You want a divorce,” he said flatly. “Sorry, but I’ve been kind of busy with the renovations here. Haven’t had time to file the papers.”

  Before she could tell him what she had on her mind, he was leading her through the house, proudly displaying the new paint and modernized kitchen. “Next, I’m going to knock down that wall to add another room, and I was thinking of converting the side porch to a Florida room.”

  He gave her a broad smile, the first genuine smile she’d seen on him since they went their separate ways. He stood in the middle of the living room, proudly surveying the changes he’d wrought in the house.

  “So, tell me,” he said, “what do you think? From a woman’s point of view, of course.”

  A woman’s point of view. So that was it. He wanted to know how his female visitors might respond to his love den.

  With an aching heart, April recalled his joking comment of a few years ago. When Clyde had teased him about being a wild, carefree bachelor, he’d laughingly told them he was thinking of adding mood lighting and turning his bachelor house into a seduction palace. At the time, she had thought he was only teasing, but now she wasn’t so sure.

  Looking around her, April soaked up the coziness of the room. It was a house any woman would love. Warm and inviting. The problem was, the invitation didn’t have her name on it.

  A movement outside the window caught her eye. “What was that?”

  “Did you see it, too?”

  They both went to the window. Their shoulders bumped companionably as they put their heads together to peer out into the side yard.

  “It’s just Maybelline,” Colton said, not bothering to step away now that he knew what they’d seen. “She probably followed you here.”

  April leaned closer to the window until her forehead touched the pane. The dog trotted across the yard with something in her mouth. “What do you suppose she has? It’s kind of small and gray, and it looks like … oh, no!” She gasped, unable to speak the word.

  Their eyes met, and Colton voiced the thought that struck terror in her heart. “Rocky.”

  They raced each other to the front door, knocking over a ladderback chair in the process. Since his legs were longer, he was a couple steps ahead of her as they flew down the steps and rounded the corner. Even so, April got there in time to see Maybelline’s furry tail disappear under the side porch by way of a broken lattice board that had yet to be replaced.

  Colton got down on all fours and peered into the dark hole. April followed suit, calling to her pet to come out from under the house. But Maybelline had other ideas.

  After pulling aside the wooden board to make room for his bulky shoulders, Colton went in after the dog.

  Out here in the bright sunlight, April couldn’t see a thing that was happening under the house. Perhaps it was best that way. Poor little Rocky was such a trusting squirrel. Had he been lulled by his familiarity with the big dog into allowing her too close? April prayed that her little gray friend would survive—for the second time—being caught by Maybelline. She thought she had seen a flash of red on the gray and hoped they weren’t too late.

  “Quit it,” Colton said from under the porch.

  April imagined the dog being unwilling to give up the prize she’d found, much as she’d done that first time when Rocky was only a baby. “What’s going on in there?”

  “Your dog is kissing my ears.”

  He laughed, and she could hear him moving farther back under the porch. “Do you want me to come in?”

  “Only if you’re a better kisser than Maybelline is.” After another moment passed, he ordered her to hold out her hands. “Here comes your squirrel.”

  Something gray was tossed at her, and April moved quickly to catch it. “What do you think you’re—”

  It was a shoe. A woman’s gray orthopedic walking shoe. The distinctive red flash design on the side identified it as belonging to their newest employee.

  “This is Mrs. Turner’s.”

  Colton’s face appeared at the opening in the lattice and was promptly slurped by a long pink tongue. He wiped his cheek with his sleeve. “Wait’ll you see what else is under here.”

  Out c
ame her cell phone, a small metal pipe from a cookstove, a long-handled spark lighter, pinecones, and an assortment of other junk, including a dozen or more newspapers. Surprise turned to relief as realization dawned on her.

  “Here’s the last of it,” Colton said as he passed her a hammer and a wrench.

  “The tools from Mrs. Turner’s shed.”

  “I hate to tell you this,” he said with a grin, “but your dog is a kleptomaniac.”

  And then he handed her the long-missing naked doll that was originally meant to wear Mrs. Turner’s crocheted Gone with the Wind dress. The plastic form sported a few dents and punctures from sharp canine teeth.

  “Looks like you taught her to fetch, after all,” he said with a smile. “You must be proud.”

  April couldn’t believe her eyes. “Oh, my gosh. All this time Steven was getting the blame for taking stuff, and Maybelline was the real thief.”

  At the sound of her name, the golden purloiner stuck her furry face out the lattice opening and grinned at April.

  Colton crawled out from under the house and brushed the dirt off his clothes. “Everything seems to be accounted for.”

  April was thrilled that Steven was now vindicated. But her joy ended with Colton’s next comment.

  “There’s still one thing of mine that was stolen, and it hasn’t been returned,” he said ominously. “I know who the thief is, and it’s neither Steven nor Maybelline.”

  She piled the armload of miscellany on the porch and turned back to face her partner. “Do you have any idea who might have done it?”

  He nodded solemnly and rested his hands on her arms. “It was you.” He must have seen her surprise, for he hurried on with his explanation. “You stole my heart, April.”

  When she started to protest, he stopped her by taking her into his arms. “It’s okay,” he assured her, “you don’t have to return it. All I ask is that you take the rest of me, too.”

  She was sorely tempted to let herself melt into his embrace and give in to the lure of his statement. But, although the words rang sweet in her ears, April could not believe them. He must have somehow learned of the main reason behind her visit and was once again putting her needs before his own wishes.

  Like a dieter forgoing a delectable slice of chocolate cake, she summoned up all the resistance she could muster. With effort, she even managed to make her tone light and casual.

  “Surely you wouldn’t want to let this wonderful bachelor house go to waste. Why don’t you let me fix you up with a friend of mine? She’s pretty and very intelligent.”

  With her heart throbbing double-time, she waited for him to take her up on her selfless offer. She watched his eyebrows arch upward and steeled herself for his response.

  “No matter how pretty or how intelligent your friend is,” he said, “she’s still not you.”

  He hugged her tight, and April fought the tears that threatened to spill onto his shirt.

  “Come here. I want to show you something.” Leading her to the back of the house, he waved a hand toward a large, elaborate play set, complete with sandbox, sliding board, and a make-believe playhouse. “This is not a bachelor house.” He turned to her, his brown eyes large and sincere. “It’s a family house.”

  When April flashed him a frown of confusion, he shrugged.

  “I may have jumped the gun by putting the swing set up so soon. If the doctor was wrong about the mumps,” he reasoned, “we could always adopt. Or, if you want to experience pregnancy firsthand, I’ll definitely be there for you when you go for your appointment at the fertility clinic next week.”

  The tears of heartbreak that had filled her eyes became tears of happiness. Instinctively, her hand went to her belly.

  “You don’t know,” she said, more a statement than a question.

  He wasn’t aware of her pregnancy, she realized with a sense of elation. All the time he’d been working on the bachelor house, he was actually planning for a future with her and their children. Without a doubt, April knew that he loved her as much as she loved him.

  “The clinic appointment was a follow-up from my original visit. I canceled it the day I got the confirmation letter.”

  Now it was his turn to frown. “But I thought you wanted—”

  “It wasn’t just a baby I wanted,” April said, at long last realizing this truth for herself. “From the start, my desire was to have a family. A family I could love and who would love me in return.”

  A family in which she belonged completely.

  April surrendered to the gentle caress of her husband’s lips on hers and happily looked forward to a lifetime of his kisses.

  “You know,” she said when they came up for air, “even if I weren’t carrying your baby right now, I’d have all I ever wanted … in you.”

  He stepped away from her, and his gaze dropped from her eyes to her abdomen, which he touched with utmost tenderness. When he looked up at her again, April could have sworn that he glowed with pleasure. “We’re going to have a baby?”

  She smiled, taking in his excitement and letting it fill her up. With a nod of her head, their lives changed forever.

  Colton whisked the hat off his head and hurled it into the air with a whoop of delight. April wrapped her arms around his neck, and he picked her up and carried her over the threshold into their own private love den. The message on the housewarming gift she’d brought—a plaque to hang over the door—now seemed somehow prophetic.

  Home Sweet Home.

  Epilogue

  Blue lights flashed in his rearview mirror, and Colton swore under his breath.

  “What are you stopping for?” April asked. “We don’t have time.”

  He glanced over at his fidgeting wife, who was trying to make herself comfortable in the passenger seat. Her breathing came in forced, shallow gulps, convincing him her words weren’t idly spoken.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll just explain everything to the officer, and we’ll get a police escort to the hospital.”

  His words sounded calmer than he felt inside. With his attention focused on his wife rather than the man approaching their car, Colton responded to the intruder in clipped tones.

  “Look, Officer, I know I was speeding, but my wife—”

  “It’s okay, pal, that’s not why I stopped you.”

  Instantly, Colton recognized Dugg’s voice and pivoted to face him. The deputy was already reaching into his pocket. Annoyed at being stopped for something as minor as a burned-out brake light or an expired inspection sticker, Colton gritted his teeth and accepted the paper.

  April moaned.

  “Or maybe I should call you Cousin,” Dugg declared, puffing his chest out and smiling for all he was worth. He leaned down so that he could address both of them at once. “Ardath said yes.”

  Inspecting the paper in his hand, Colton saw that it was an invitation to the wedding. With a glance at the man leaning in his car, he wondered if he himself had grinned that foolishly when April had agreed to stay married to him.

  Probably.

  “Congratulations,” Colton said in the most succinct manner possible. “Look, we’ve got to—”

  “Oh, and there’s something else. When I was up at the courthouse earlier today, I heard that the judge has approved your request to become Steven’s new foster parents.” He clapped a congratulatory hand on Colton’s shoulder. “Looks like you’re adding one more person to your family today.”

  April lurched forward in her seat. “Make that two!”

  Forgetting about the deputy—forgetting about everything but his wife—Colton focused his full attention on the drama unfolding before him. “What is it, honey?”

  Her brown eyes met his, her face screwed by pain and impatience. He’d heard that women get like this when on the verge of giving birth.

  “What do you think it is? It’s a baby. And it’s coming now!”

  Once again, she shifted her position and laid a hand on her swollen abdomen.

  “Wait here
,” said Dugg as he headed back to his squad car. “I’ll alert the dispatcher for help.”

  Colton got out of the car. “We don’t need help. We need a police escort,” he yelled to his future cousin-in-law.

  The sound of his own car horn blowing alerted him that they probably wouldn’t have time to make it to the hospital. Going around to the passenger side, he saw that April had one foot propped on the dashboard. If she hadn’t looked so incredibly pregnant, he would have thought she was just sitting back and enjoying the tentative rays of early spring sunshine.

  “It’s only twenty minutes to the hospital. Can you wait that long?”

  His wife’s eyebrows drew together in a plaintive expression, as if the mere thought of waiting any longer would make her cry.

  “That’s okay, we can do it now if you prefer.” He helped her to the back seat.

  Dugg returned to his side, holding a blanket and a book. “I’ve had a little emergency medical training,” he told Colton.

  “Great, you handle that, and I’ll go restart the engine.”

  “Why?”

  “So, I can heat some water on the exhaust manifold.”

  April suddenly let out a string of language he’d never heard her use before. “Something’s happening,” she declared, her voice coming out in a wail.

  Colton shrugged out of his light jacket and knelt on the dirt shoulder of the road. He took her hand in his. “I’m here for you, honey.”

  Dugg started unfolding the blanket. “You stay there,” he told Colton. “I’ll tell you what to do.”

  The contraction passed, and April relaxed for a moment. “What’s the blanket for?”

  The deputy held it up between them like a barrier. “So, I don’t have to watch.”

  Another car pulled up behind the deputy’s vehicle. Although he’d originally thought the birth of his child was going to be a private affair at the hospital with just him, April, and the medical staff and, of course, the baby, he now welcomed the latest arrival. Hopefully, it would be someone with the volunteer rescue squad.