Twelve

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday a little before noon, a week after Colt had rushed her to the emergency room, Naomi was wheeled to the curb and walked to Colt’s pickup truck under her own power.

She was still pale, but she’d forced herself to try and look like she belonged to the human race rather than living in zombie-land. To prove that to herself, she’d applied makeup and then pulled on a pair of well-worn jeans and a balloon-sleeve pullover sweater in festive red that swallowed her up.

“I think I’ve lost weight,” Naomi remarked as she settled into the front seat.

“Quentin said seven pounds. Are you anxious to get home? Is there anywhere you’d like to stop first?” 

She looked out longingly at the ocean, which was only yards from the hospital parking lot. “Every day I was awake I glanced out my window and wished I’d taken that walk on the beach like you suggested. Could we do that now? After being cooped up for a week, I need the fresh air before going home to my stuffy house and all that dust.”

“Sure. I thought you’d never ask. Sit tight and I’ll get the door for you.” As soon as her feet hit the pavement, he took off his jacket and spread it around her shoulders.

“What about when you get cold?”

“I’ll be fine.”

She looped her arm around his, leaning into him. “I’m learning you’re a lot more than fine.”

They started walking along the sand toward the pier. Without anything to block off the wind, it snapped and lashed out at them, blowing straight on like a fierce headwind hitting a small plane.

“You okay with this?”

Her hair whipped around her head. “Are you kidding? It feels great. It makes me feel like I’m alive.”

They watched a fisherman, who’d probably been out on the water since daybreak, unload his catch for the day, looking tired and disgusted.

“How’d you do today?” Colt asked.

“Didn’t even make my limit. Storm’s coming. You wait and see.”

They strolled behind the pub, getting a whiff of French fries and grease coming out the back door. The pathway took a slight turn, and they continued around the bend. What had been a soft blue sky on the horizon began to darken.

“I think the guy was right about that storm. I smell rain.”

Naomi stopped to stare at Colt. “My dad used to say that. As a farmer he’d sniff the air before ever checking the almanac or the weather forecast. He trusted his nose more than he did the weatherman.”

“Sometimes the old-fashioned way works best.” He spotted a woman with a slew of kids who had just finished a picnic. Even now, the kids were trying to get a kite to go airborne. They were all running around, laughing, enjoying their Saturday afternoon.

A gust of wind swirled the dunes like a dust devil, shifting sand and flattening beach grass into a hard, whip-lashed curve. Steel-gray waves crashed into the wharf, water spilling over the boardwalk in a burst of fury.

The sound of an angry surf mingled with the bitter wind caused Colt’s head to snap back toward the woman and her kids. A group of three men, foul-mouthed and intimidating, were harassing the little family by waving a gun in the air.

Guiding Naomi over to the nearest bench, he whispered in her ear so she could hear above the roaring surf. “I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?”

“I think those people back there might need some help.”

“It’s those three guys with the short-clipped hair who are doing all the yelling, isn’t it?” Naomi asked, clutching his hand, squeezing his fingers. “Be careful, Colt.”

“Don’t worry.”

He jogged back to the narrow spit of beach where the kids had stopped playing with their kite. It dangled loose, flapping in the wind, the older boy’s fist tightly wrapped around the string. The child looked terrified and so did the mother. 

“There are kids here,” Colt began, shouting over the fury of the wind.

The men greeted him with a string of expletives and a surly attitude.

“There are kids here,” Colt repeated, sizing up the situation. All the men were young and very intoxicated. He could smell the odor of cheap whiskey from ten feet away. He’d always preferred an even fight, especially when it came to hand to hand combat. But since these three assholes were drunk as skunks, he decided they shouldn’t pose much of a threat. The problem, as he saw it, was the weapon, a .40 caliber cannon.

“Put away the gun and leave the park,” Colt directed. “Go back to where you came from and leave the kids alone.”

“You can’t tell us what to do.”

“As long as you’re acting like this, I can. I will. Can’t you see you’re scaring these kids? I’m asking you again to move on and leave the beach. That’s all you have to do is go back to where you came from and stop waving the gun around. Now.”

“Or you’ll do what? There’s three of us and only one of you.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Colt saw the mother herd her kids away from what was building up to be a confrontation. He cut his eyes to the trio and watched as they fanned out in a circle around him.

Not the first time he’d been surrounded or outnumbered.

But when one of the jerks aimed the gun at the mother and the other charged Colt, he threw his shoulder into the man barreling toward him. Flipping the lightweight to the ground, the blow knocked the breath out of him. That gave Colt the opening to go after the guy who had now produced another weapon, this time a small pistol. He tackled him like a linebacker and then tossed him to the turf, stepping on the man’s wrist until the asshole let go of the peashooter.

Colt jerked the man upright and punched his fist into the guy’s face. The force knocked him off his feet and back onto the ground.

Snatching up the firearm, Colt stuffed it into the waistband of his jeans and looked around for the third man. He spotted the guy running up Ocean Street toward the lighthouse. He let him go and turned to deal with the other two men still lying on the sand, moaning and groaning.

The mother rushed over, her big dark brown eyes wide with tears. “Thank you for that. My name’s River Cody. We just live across the street, but I left my cell phone at home when the kids begged me to come out to fly their kites this afternoon. I couldn’t even call Brent.” She grabbed Colt’s arm. “I’m not sure what those guys would’ve done without you stepping in like you did.”

Colt took out his phone out and handed it off to River. “Call him now.”

With shaky hands, River went back to her kids and punched in the number. But she looked up to see Brent’s cruiser pull up to the curb. She met him at the edge of the sidewalk. “How’d you know what was going on? It happened so fast.”

“Naomi called me. What the hell happened out here? Are you all right?”

“Thanks to this man we are.” River hugged Colt and gave him back his phone. “If you ever need anything, anything at all, just ask. You should come for Thanksgiving dinner.”

Colt awkwardly hugged her back. “I was in the right place at the right time. No big deal.”

“Spoken like a true military man,” River stated. “Come on, boys, gather up your kites, and let’s go home. Daddy’s got his hands full here and we’re in the way.”

The kids dragged their feet, especially the oldest one, who also hugged Colt’s knees. “My name’s Luke. I was scared, and you were awesome.”

Colt ruffled the kid’s hair. “Your dad does this kind of stuff all the time. I just happened by.”

Luke swiped at his runny nose. “When I grow up, I’m gonna be like my dad.”

“You go on home now, Luke. I’ll be along in a bit,” Brent instructed.

“Are you gonna lock up the bad guys?” Luke asked.

Brent grinned at his kid. “You bet. Now go on, do like your mom says.” The chief watched proudly as his son tromped across the street to where River waited.

Colt went over to Brent. “These two are probably your burglary suspects, and friends of the mugger.” He handed off the little Saturday night special that looked more like a toy than the real thing. “The loudmouth ran off, hot-footed it up the road toward the lighthouse.”

“Figures,” Brent muttered as he cuffed the two men and got them walking toward the cruiser.

“I’m thinking the little blockhead that bolted is their leader,” Colt went on. “Mainly because he did all the talking and all the threatening.”

“I’ll get these guys booked and go after him. Thanks for what you did out here. I’ll need a statement from you.”

“Later,” Colt said, glancing back to where he’d left Naomi. “She just got out of the hospital fifteen minutes ago. So much for a quiet walk on the beach. I’m taking her home. That’s where I’ll be for the next few hours.”

“Good to know.”

Colt sauntered back toward the bench where Naomi still sat. “You ready?”

She laughed and stood up. “All I wanted was some fresh air. Now all I want is to get back to my house before something else happens.”

“Thanks for calling the cops.”

“That’s the least I could do. Took Brent long enough to show up. The thing is, he said he was chasing down a lead near the museum. Apparently, those guys broke in and tore the place up.”

Hand in hand, they walked back to where they’d left the truck.

Naomi put a hand to her cheek. “Is it my imagination or is everything spinning too fast?”

“You about to pass out or something?”

“No, not that. Just watching you with those guys back there, you knew exactly what you wanted to do. It was like watching a movie frame by frame but speeded up somehow. It was like you already knew who was going to charge and you already had figured out what you planned to do when he did.”

“I watched their eyes. Their eyes told me a lot. Did you see when the other guy took off?”

“He’s the one who originally had that huge gun.”

Colt shook his head. “You’re right. Two of them had weapons.  I disarmed the one that had the little revolver that looked like a kid’s toy. The guy who took off had the .40 caliber cannon, Beretta, I think. I was more worried about that than the smaller pistol.”

“Does Brent know the guy has a gun?”

“I’m not sure if I mentioned it or not. I’m pretty sure his wife added his phone number to my contact list when she tried to call him. I could text.” Before starting the engine, he keyed in the message on his cell. Forgot to tell you the blockhead is carrying a big Beretta, probably a .40 caliber.

“There,” Colt said. “Forget all this and let’s get you home.”

The trip was a short drive down Crescent Street to Beacon Lane. The minute they rounded the corner, Naomi’s eyes followed the blacktop that led to her bumpy, crumbling driveway. But something had changed. There was no craggy bounce to the ride. The concrete had smoothed out like a normal road.

“What’s happened here?”

Her eyes drifted to the house itself.  “Is that new paint? Oh. My. God. What did you do, Colt? The paint’s no longer peeling. Wherever I look…it’s beautiful. The shutters, they’re green, a glorious wonderful green.”

“I stayed up practically all night touching up those shutters.”

“You did?” She fumbled with the door handle on the old truck. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she ran to the porch where wind chimes jangled in the breeze, tinkling in a musical play of notes. “I don’t remember those being there before. Did I hang those on the porch?”

“Hmm, I don’t think so.”

He opened the front door and stood back so she could go inside first and noticed she didn’t get very far. She stopped to stare across the open design. The new kitchen was hard to miss. The smell of freshly painted walls lingered in the air.

“Oh, my God, Colt. What have you done? It’s absolutely the most beautiful kitchen I’ve ever seen. Look at my stainless-steel refrigerator and dishwasher.” Tears filled her eyes. “How…how did you do this in a week?”

“I worked night and day to make sure you walked in from the hospital and saw your dream house.”

She whirled and threw her body into his.

He caught her against his chest. Their mouths met, the kiss heating up the room. “Sydney warned me not to…”

“I don’t care,” Naomi moaned. “You kept this secret the whole time. I can’t believe you did this.”

She slid out of his arms to wander over to the island, running her fingers across the countertop. “This isn’t laminate. It’s the granite I originally picked out, but I ran the numbers and realized I couldn’t afford it.”

Colt played along. He scratched his head. “Huh? That’s weird. They must have mixed up the order and stuck with your original choice. Sometimes that happens. Someone messes up and doesn’t make the change in the computer.”

She stared at him for several long seconds before breaking out into a wide grin. “It never happens. You did this. I’ll pay you back. I promise.”

He changed the subject. “Everyone loves the beachy blue. That color immediately draws the eye right here to the heartbeat of the house. What with the white cabinets…the room really pops.”

She couldn’t believe Colt had hauled in several pieces of furniture from the garage. “That’s my table and chairs and my hutch. I can’t believe I’m in the right house. You knew knocking down that ugly wall was the right thing to do. You knew it would open this up. It’s so much more space. You knew. Look at all this storage. I’ll never be able to fill up all the storage bins. I’d rather have this any old day than that rickety sun porch.”

She opened another door. “And the pantry…it’s so roomy.”

Behind her, Colt threw open another door. “The utility room is finished. They delivered the washer and dryer last night around seven. What do you think?”

The small room had once been a storage space for the garage. But with a little creativity, he’d redesigned it with more functionality. She turned in a circle until her eyes landed on the shelving and the one big addition she hadn’t counted on. “You added a window in here?”

“It needed more light. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Mind? I love it. It’s exactly what I wanted. All of it, Colt. I’m so relieved it’s done. How can I ever thank you for getting this finished? You knew how stressed out I was about…all of it.”

“Yeah, I got that from the very first day. But while you were out of it, I didn’t want to waste valuable time. So, I took Troy’s original notes he made and used them as my guide. You may not have ordered the window, but you did mention it to Troy and he wrote it down the first time he walked through the house. So, really, when you think about it, this was a team effort all around.”

“I was so worried about getting out today and having to come back here to face the mess again. You took care of that for me. Look at this place.”

Colt rubbed his hands together. “I’ll turn up the heat and you get to bed. I’ll whip us up some dinner and we’ll relax and listen to music. How does that sound? I feel like we’ve both earned a night off.”

“Sounds like a plan. Mind if I get into my pajamas?”

Colt chuckled. “I’m pro-pajamas…unless we’re doing something else, which we’re not.”

“But we will,” Naomi promised, reaching up to give him another kiss. “I’m not saying that to be flirty. I mean it. Give me food and I’ll prove it.”

“Naomi, I didn’t do all this to get you into bed.”

“That’s just it, Colt. I know you didn’t.” She laid her hand on his heart. “You’re the best man I know. And I love that about you.”

The doorbell rang.

“You get that. I’m going to change,” she said, scooting off down the hallway.

“Bossy already,” Colt murmured good-naturedly, opening the front door.

Brent stood on the porch. “This looks better than I remember it. How’s it going?”

“We were just about to start dinner,” Colt stated, hoping the cop would take the hint and go away. When Brent remained where he was, Colt said the only thing he could. “Come on in.”

“Thanks. Sorry, but I need to get this done. My wife and kids had an alarming and dangerous afternoon. It all took place right across the street from where we live. I don’t like that. You had an interesting afternoon, too.”

“I did. Naomi got out of the hospital. I’m trying to make it special for her.”

Brent rocked back on his heels. “I meant alarming and dangerous because of what you did on the beach. The kids haven’t stopped talking about it. River was pretty blown away and she’s a tough audience. Disarming that frat boy waving a gun at my wife and kids…I owe you. Big time. After it all settled down, I came to say thanks for what you did.”

“You aren’t here for the statement?”

“Nah. That can wait. Here’s the thing. I need to add a patrolman to take up the slack for whenever Eastlyn and I need a weekend off. I think you might be the guy.”

“Me? A cop? I don’t think so.”

“Take some time and think about it. Like any small place along the coast we have our issues, sightseers who sometimes get out of hand, tourists who think they can shoplift from the businesses along Main Street, petty theft now and again, disgruntled residents have a few disagreements and it leads to something more serious, and lastly outsiders who come here thinking we’re pushovers. You’ve seen firsthand that last part already. Adding a good man like yourself would be an asset to the town. We could use someone who can handle himself on day one.”

“By any chance this wouldn’t be a pity job offer, would it? Did Simon or Cord push you into this? Because I already have a job.”

“I guarantee this didn’t come from Simon or Cord. Twice now you’ve shown you can handle a tough situation,” Brent explained, shifting his feet. “Military training kicks in no matter how many years you’ve been out. I know. I’m just going to say it straight out. Working for Ryder’s crew is fine, decent work, but at some point, you’ll have to face reality. There won’t be enough remodeling jobs around here for full-time. For starters, I could offer you an additional thirty hours a week on patrol. You’d even have your own vehicle. Thanks to Murphy, we’ve ordered another cruiser. It should be here by Christmas.”

“It’s a nice offer, but I need to think about pivoting from full-time to part-time.”

“Look, I might be able to add more hours by the end of January. In the meantime, you could continue to pick up side jobs from Ryder.”

“I really need to give it some thought.”

“That’s fine. You let me know as soon as you can. I hope you’ll join my team. I do. Because Eastlyn and I could certainly use another reliable backup when trouble hits.”

After Brent had gone, Naomi padded out to the living room wearing her blue-green pajamas and slippers. “You should take it.”

“You heard that?”

“Small house with thin walls, so yeah. You’d make a great cop.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you care about people.”

Colt chuckled. “I’m not sure you’ve known me long enough to make that assessment. If you did, you might think otherwise.”

She latched on to his shirt and yanked him closer. “Get real. I’m standing here with a beautifully remodeled kitchen because of you. I saw you protect River and her kids at the beach. You didn’t have to do that, but you did…willingly…no one made you. It’s who you are.” She tapped his chest. “In here.”

“You’ve got the wrong idea about me. I’ve done things you wouldn’t…”

She held a finger to his lips. “Shh. You’re a civilian now. Like me, this is a chance to start over, make new memories, forget all the bad that’s happened to us. Don’t think about the things you’ve done. Let all that bad stuff fly off to another place, just let it go.”

“I will, if you will.”

“Deal.” She drilled a finger in his belly. “Now, feed me. I’m starving.”

“I didn’t buy groceries. I realized it when I lied to Brent just now about dinner. Stocking your pantry is the one thing I forgot to do.”

“I forgive you,” she said with a laugh. “I wouldn’t expect anyone to buy my groceries. After a week of hospital food, I’ve been craving one of Fischer’s pasta dishes, preferably the primavera with all veggies, light on the sauce, no chicken. I’m still not able to eat any kind of meat.”

“You got it.” Holding up his cell phone, he speed-dialed Longboard’s and placed the order.

They ate from the to-go containers using plastic utensils and spread a blanket out on the living room floor in front of the massive built-in bookcase. 

“For the first time since moving in, it feels so cozy here. I can’t wait to unpack all my stuff, especially my dishes. You watch, I’ll have those cabinets filled in no time.”

“You shouldn’t overdo it too soon.”

“Posh. I’m feeling better already. I’m looking at that island and wondering how many barstools to buy, trying to picture sitting there in the morning having my bowl of cereal and drinking my coffee and looking out into that backyard, weeds and all.”

She shook back her golden-brown hair and gave out a throaty laugh. “I hadn’t even planned to buy one barstool, let alone three. I think three would do it, or maybe four for guests, but then I never planned on that many visitors eating breakfast with me.”

Abruptly, she stopped talking. “Listen to me, I’m rambling, aren’t I? It’s your fault really. I thought none of this would be possible until December. And look at this place now. Look at us.”

Indeed, thought Colt. Look at the two of them relaxed around each other. He had expected a positive reaction to getting the kitchen finished earlier than expected. But not a response like this one. So far, she’d spent the entire evening chatting on about the things she wanted to do, decorating schemes she wanted to try. It was like the stress and tension of the renovation had lifted and she could now think straight for the first time in weeks.

“This is the absolute best Christmas present I ever had. And an early one, too.”

Colt stood up to get rid of the trash. “I should probably get going.”

“So soon?” She sent him a sultry look, but he didn’t even notice because he didn’t even turn around. She sighed knowing she was truly out of practice.

“I need to go check on the dogs. I put in a doggie door but…you never know if they’ll use it. And if they do, will they come back?”

“You could’ve brought them with you.”

“I’ll remember that for next time.”

“What will you work on beginning Monday?”

Colt ran a hand through his hair. “Your project might be done, but Drea wants us to start on her loft as soon as possible. I’ll be honest, though, I need some shuteye. I’ve been going at it eighteen hours a day since you went into the hospital.”

He held up a hand when she started to speak. “Before you thank me for the tenth time, I wanted to do this. No one could’ve predicted you’d get the flu when you did and be out of commission for a week. Once that happened, I made my own decision to get this livable for you so that when you got back home you could focus on getting well.”

She got to her feet and went over to him, laid a hand on his. “That’s exactly what I mean. Who would do something like this? You. Colt Del Rio. The best man I’ve met since I lost my dad. Ken Townsend would’ve done something like this…for a friend…for a neighbor…for someone he cared about. He would’ve been there for a newcomer like me, a woman crazy enough to move this far away to start a new life…all by herself. Whether you believe it or not, that’s what you’ve done. You. Me. We’re starting over in a brand-new place. The only difference is you already have friends here. I didn’t. I took a chance. And that chance brought me to you. I don’t know how, but that’s what’s happening.”

She kissed his cheek. “Now get out of here and go get some sleep. You’re practically dragging. Just remember, next time you start to doubt that you’re a good person, try conjuring up the images of all the people who know they can always depend on you. Who rushed me to the hospital? You did that. So don’t try to hand me that line again. To me, you’re the best person I’ve met in a very long time. But do me a favor. From here on, don’t take your buddies for granted. Take it from me, don’t ever take family for granted.”

“I don’t have any family, remember?”

“Now see, that’s where you’re wrong. Your Army buddies in town, they’re like your brothers.”

He took a step closer. “Does that mean you’re practicing what you preach?”

“You bet it does. I’m carving out my own family, one day at a time. Don’t get scared off or anything, but I’ve decided to start with you.”

“What?”

She could see she’d hit a nerve. “Go home, Colt. Take care of Deke and Merlin.”

He bridged the distance, sliding his arm around her waist. “Not yet. You don’t get to say something like that without a reaction. This is mine.” Lowering his mouth to hers, he pulled her higher. She lifted her whole body to meet the demand.

The butterflies in her belly eased off as the heat between them flamed higher.

“Are you sure about this?” Colt asked. “We should probably wait until you’re at a hundred percent.”

“I’m done waiting. I’ve never been more ready or certain of anything than this…this thing happening between us.”

That was all the incentive he needed. Scooping her up, he carried her to the bedroom, placing her gently on the covers like a fragile doll.

“I don’t break, Colt.”

“You deserve tenderness. Let me show you.” He worked the buttons on those pajamas so he could feel skin, touch her breasts.

Wet kisses. The flicker of tongues. Little moans that made the pleasure curl higher, then smoother. The sounds almost made him come undone. But he held on to give her more, to crave more.

She took hold of his face with both hands so their eyes would meet. Searing blue to warm brown. She brought his mouth down to meet hers. An awakening of spirit stirred. Their hearts slammed against each other in need so fierce they forgot everything else.

They shed clothes, getting rid of every barrier between them. Stripped down to bare skin, they were caught up, exploring, discovering, climbing. Glistening curves. Soft angles. Hard bellies. Against each other, they found that age-old hum and rhythm, the pace that brought on pressing need. The slide of hips that drove the lust. The lust that exploded like lightning across the sky.

He dropped his head onto hers. “Maybe that was too fast.”

“It was perfect.”

“Long time for me.”

“Same here.” She braced for when his weight would no longer be on hers. And when he rolled off, it seemed part of her was already missing…something…she couldn’t define. “You’re leaving.” It wasn’t a question.

“The dogs,” he muttered, barely above a whisper. He angled down, took hold of her hand, began laying little kisses along her arm. He stopped at the purple bruising where her IVs had been and placed another kiss on top. “I’m not sorry we did that.”

She gripped his face in her hands. “Neither am I. You make me feel alive. I needed to feel alive, especially tonight.”

A wave of guilt caused panic to rise in his belly. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

She turned her face into her pillow. In a sleepy voice, she set him free. “Go. Go take care of the dogs, Colt.”