Three Little Words

Why wouldn’t he want that? That intensity? That caring? Of course he did. But it wasn’t there. Never had been. He liked a woman for a while and then wanted to move on. That was who he was.

“I heard from Misaki and Kaori,” Isabel said as she finished her dessert and dropped the paper container into a recycling bin. “They’re really excited I’ve already sold two pieces. They’re making more. I really like working with them.” She smiled up at him. “Thank you. Bringing them to me was really thoughtful.”

“I know. You’re lucky to have me.”

She laughed and slipped her arm through his. “I am. I’m still confused about Sonia, but I’ll heal. I’ll learn from the mistake and move on.”

“I have no doubt. You’re strong with the Force.” He changed his voice to sound like Yoda from Star Wars. “There is much power in this one.”

She laughed again. “I appreciate the compliment, but I’m not sure it’s something I’ve earned.”

“Sure you have. You’re forgetting, I saw you grow up.”

They walked around a young couple with a double stroller. The little boys inside were obviously identical twins. An older girl sat on her father’s shoulders.

“Those letters,” she said with a groan. “I knew they’d come back to haunt me.”

“No haunting. You were a sweet girl. When you screwed up at UCLA, you took responsibility. You recognized what you’d done wrong and made amends. We can’t be perfect. That’s what I learned in my training. It’s not getting it right the first time—it’s learning to do it right and then not getting lazy. That’s what you did.”

“You’re giving me way too much credit.”

“No. It’s not just UCLA. You stopped writing me when you thought Eric was going to propose. There was nothing between us, but you wanted to do the right thing. I respect that.”

“I wasn’t sure what to do,” she admitted. “It’s just when I wrote you...” She shrugged, then smiled. “So you’re admitting you read them and liked them.”

“Yeah, I did. They got me through some tough times.” He paused and kissed her. “You always told me to stay safe.”

“I worried about you. No one knew where you were or what you were doing. It was scary. Worse for your family, but still.”

He remembered how he would tell himself he didn’t care about her letters, but that he always looked for them. That when they came, he saved them until he could have some quiet time by himself. That when something bad happened, he went back to the letters. That he wrapped a few in plastic and tucked them in the bottom of his backpack when he went on a mission.

“I made it through,” he said. “Now I’m home.”

“We’re all glad.”

A voice cut through their conversation.

“Yes, I know she’s an elephant.”

Ford stopped and turned toward the speaker. He saw Felicia staring down a tattooed man.

Felicia leaned closer, obviously not intimidated by the man’s glare. “Priscilla is a part of this community as much as anyone else. Heidi and her mother-in-law bought a special saddle so the children could ride Priscilla. This is a festival. Rides are a given.”

“Yeah, but now no one wants to ride my ponies.”

“Wouldn’t you rather ride an elephant than a pony?”

The man shuffled his feet. “Yeah. Maybe.”

“Then why are you surprised?” Felicia drew in a breath. “But I understand you need to make a living at this, too. I’ll move you to the other side of the park. We’ll raise the ticket price on the elephant rides to cover an additional ride on your ponies. Then it becomes a two-for-one ticket. How’s that?”

The large, tattooed man nodded his head and kicked his booted foot into the sidewalk. “You know they’re good little guys. It’s not their fault they’re small.”

“I understand,” Felicia said, clutching a tablet in her arms. “Let me get those arrangements going for you.” She turned and saw them.

She walked briskly toward them. “Hello, Isabel. Ford. Please don’t tell me you two have a problem.”

“Not a one,” he assured her. “Just enjoying the show.”

Felicia drew in a breath. “I swear, he’s more worried about his ponies not getting all the attention than he is about losing money. Which probably speaks well for his character. But Priscilla has attention needs, too.” She made a noise low in her throat. “This is not a normal town. I suspect it’s why I fit in so well, but there are constant challenges. If you’ll excuse me, please.”

With that she walked away. Ford watched her go.

“I’ve seen her get men and equipment into places where all the experts said it couldn’t be done. If NASA really wants a colony on the moon within the next decade, they should talk to her.”

“I don’t think she wants to move,” Isabel told him.

“You’re right. Come on. I’ll buy you an elephant ear. All this talk of Priscilla has made me want one.”

“That is gross and we just had S’Mores.”

“You had S’Mores. Besides, they’re the last of the season.”

“You get one,” she said, leaning into him. “I’ll nibble.”

He could think of several things other than an elephant ear that he would like her to nibble on, but that was for later. He had big plans for tonight. A fire in the fireplace, some wine. Maybe a can of whipped cream.

He grinned as he imagined a na**d Isabel holding the can and asking, “Where exactly is this supposed to go?”

But she would be game, as she always was. Given which team he preferred to play for, Eric wasn’t completely to blame for Isabel’s lack of sexual awakening. Ford supposed if he had to say, he was a little bit pleased that he’d been the one to teach her how much fun intimacy could be.

“You know we need a pumpkin for the porch,” Isabel told him as they walked toward the food carts. “Maybe a couple. I hate to admit this, but I haven’t carved a pumpkin in years. Do you know how? I don’t want to have the only freak pumpkins on the street.”

“It’s going to be Halloween. Freaks are a good thing.”

“Yeah, but I’m afraid mine would be freakishly bad.”

“I know how to carve a pumpkin. I did it as a kid, and sometimes when I was deployed, they’d fly in pumpkins.”

“Marking the seasons?”

“As best they could.”

Fool’s Gold was about as far from Iraq and Afghanistan as a guy could get. He’d thought he would have trouble fitting in, but he hadn’t. Mostly because of Isabel, he realized. She’d been his buffer.

As they stood in line for elephant ears, he found himself wanting to ask her to stay. But he couldn’t. Not only was New York her dream, but he had nothing to offer in return.

He had to let her go—he owed her. She’d given him the haven he hadn’t known he needed.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

GENERALLY THE MUSIC in the bridal shop was calm while being upbeat. No songs about broken hearts were allowed. Sort of rock-edged spa music. But today Isabel could hear only the music playing in her head. The Clash song “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” played over and over as she checked inventory and ordered samples.

It was the question of the day. Her weekend with Ford had been lots of fun. He was funny and charming and sweet, if slightly obsessed with elephant ears. Being with him was easy. Loving him... Well, that had probably been inevitable.

She was willing to state the obvious. She’d totally and completely fallen in love with him. There were a thousand reasons—some about him and some about her past. For years he’d been the person she’d poured her heart out to. She’d confessed all, and whether or not he’d listened, he’d been the one she’d instinctively turned to when things got bad.

She’d wondered about seeing him in person. Would it be better or worse than she’d imagined? Could the man live up to the hype?

She’d discovered that he could and he did. Ford was honorable and caring. The fact that he was terrified of his mother only added to his charm. Isabel understood him, depended on him and had fallen in love with him. The downside was he didn’t think he was capable of loving anyone. Because he never had done so.

She wanted to challenge him on that. To grab him and shake him until he admitted that he’d been too young when he and Maeve had gotten engaged, and since then he’d never been in one place long enough to fall in love. That he needed to give it a try because without him, her heart would be shattered.

The music in her head started again. Should I stay or should I go? A question people had been asking since the most ancient of ancestors had been able to form thought. Because she wasn’t just asking about her business; she was asking about Ford. Did she take a chance that he might figure out that she was his one true love? Because what if she wasn’t? What if he really wasn’t interested in loving her back? What if he knew himself better than she thought?

Isabel shook her head. This was neither productive nor encouraging. She needed to make her decision to stay or go based on her and no one else. If she stayed and it didn’t work out with Ford, she would find someone else. Or stay single. Not everybody had to get married to find happiness.

The front door of the store opened. Isabel turned and saw Taryn walk in.

“I got a message you have new clothes for me,” the elegant brunette said. “Dellina said she was desperately bitter about the new designers and reminded me to buy local. Do you know what she’s talking about?”

“I brought in a couple more designers last week,” Isabel told her. “They’re young and edgy.”

Taryn nodded. “But not Dellina’s friends. I get it. I’m going to have to explain to her that I don’t guilt easily.”

“I don’t think she’ll be surprised to hear that. Come on. The clothes are over here.”

They walked toward the storage room. Isabel paused to point out the suit in the side window. “That’s very you,” she said.

Taryn moved closer. “I love the zippers. Okay, I’ll try it on.”

“Did you notice the ball gown in the window? Lace and leather.”

“I did and I’m tempted, but I’m not sure where I’d wear it.” She smiled. “Not that I always need a reason to indulge myself. What the hell? Sure, bring them all in.”

With Madeline not working until later that afternoon and no other customers, Taryn was the only one in the store. Isabel put Taryn in a front dressing room, in the mother-of-the-bride room, so she could still hear if anyone walked in.

She wrestled the suit off the mannequin, collected the other two dresses and walked back toward the dressing area. Taryn had already removed her suit and heels and stood by the dressing room door in a push-up bra and bikini briefs.

Isabel instantly felt inadequate. The other woman’s thighs were perfectly firm and defined. Her midsection was lean, with a muscle shadow going down both sides. With her long hair loose and flowing, she looked more like a swimsuit model than an executive in her mid-thirties.

It was one thing for Consuelo to look amazing—the woman worked out constantly. But Taryn had the body of a goddesslike creature and spent her days in a regular job. Taryn was not only two inches taller, she was probably a size two or four and Isabel...wasn’t.

Isabel couldn’t decide if this moment of truth meant she should find a Pilates class somewhere or go get a doughnut.

“Try on the suit first,” she said, handing it over. “I’ll go get the ball gown out of the window.”

By the time she returned to the dressing room, Taryn was standing in front of the big mirror.

“I love this,” she said, turning back and forth.

Isabel had to admit the woman could wear clothes. The severe construction of the jacket gave it a more masculine air, while the zippers were an unexpected edgy touch. The combination made Taryn look incredibly sexy and dangerous at the same time.

“All you need is a whip,” Isabel joked.

“I can keep the boys in line verbally, but I like the idea of a whip for backup. They can be unruly.” She turned and looked at Isabel. “What’s up?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not your usual upbeat self. Did something happen?”

Isabel wasn’t pleased to be told she was pouting enough for people to notice. “Sorry. Personal stuff.”

Taryn stepped off the podium and walked toward her. “Like what? How can I help?”

“You can’t, but I appreciate the offer.”

Taryn raised perfectly groomed eyebrows, as if she were planning to wait Isabel out.

“I had a business partner in New York. When I left here, I was going to open a store with her. Trendy, upscale. She was the designer. I brought in the plan and retail experience. She found someone else and dumped me.”

“I hate breakups,” Taryn told her sympathetically. “I’m sorry. But at the risk of sounding sanctimonious, you’re better off without her. If she’d do that now, she’d do it later. And then you’d be in a huge financial mess. Trust me. Partners have unintended consequences.”

“Like ending up in Fool’s Gold?”

Taryn shrugged. “Exactly like that.” She tugged on the hem of the jacket. “There are other designers out there. Look at this one. I doubt your friend was a whole lot more talented.”

Isabel hadn’t thought of it that way. “You’re right,” she said slowly. “Actually, it’s two designers. Sisters.”