Chapter Sixteen
I t had been almost two weeks since she heard from Cole.
She had run into Marcella at the local produce market on the weekend.
But she had shared with Cassie that Cole and Emmie were doing okay and they had been doing the usual things in working the ranch but also had been enjoying some fishing at Uncle Joe’s. Nothing out of the ordinary.
She drove home on Friday and did not find the usual flower delivery. That said a lot. He had rethought things? Had decided that there had been too many bad things in their combined past?
Maybe Emmie had become upset about them continuing? Maybe Cole had simply found someone with a lot less baggage. At any rate, he was letting her know loud and clear that whatever might have been between them was not enough to surmount their common memories. Lesson learned.
On the next Friday, she had accepted an invitation to the movies from a new deputy in the department. He was a sweet man, but she knew that there wouldn’t be anything but friendship resulting. It was nice to simply go out and have something resembling fun to take her mind off other things.
The movie was a sci-fi new release. It wasn’t exactly her cup of tea but the critics raved about it.
Unfortunately, they had not asked her opinion.
They were standing in the valet line to retrieve their car when she heard her name called.
She turned and found Emmie waving at her from the ticket line.
And Cole was standing beside her. She waved at Emmie.
He nodded. She simply smiled and turned back to her date, interested in what he was saying.
The car arrived and he held the door open.
She slid inside and kept her gaze ahead.
But her eyes caught sight in the side mirror of Cole and Emmie as they moved up in the line.
And the last thing she noted was that Cole watched them pull away.
At least he would know she wasn’t pining away at home.
The next time should be easier, she told herself.
But then the next time came sooner than expected.
She raced to meet her brother across the street at the café for lunch.
It was crowded as usual. She greeted people as she headed towards her brother.
When she approached the table, he wasn’t alone.
Cole was there and saw her hesitant approach.
He was on his feet when she arrived at the table.
“I’ve been saving your chair for you.” He looked at Matthew. “I’ve got to get going. But it was good seeing you and getting your input, Matt. Thanks. And nice to see you also, Cassie.
You two enjoy your lunch.” He pulled his hat down on his head and headed for the door.
She refused to watch him leave.
“So, what is it with you and…”
“Don’t go there or I will leave and go back to work with a sandwich from the corner deli.”
“You both need to have your heads examined. Or shut up in a closet until you settle things once and for all.”
“Good thing you aren’t a couples’ counselor. You’d fail. Now pass the sugar please.”
Matt might not be a counselor but he knew an idea when he heard one. He just needed to work out a few details. What did he have to lose? Well, a lot if his sister caught him. But he was on a mission.
“I’m sorry, I will give him the message.” The secretary hung up and sent a smile to Cole. I am sorry but the sheriff asks that you meet him at the offices they are redoing on the third floor. If you wouldn’t mind?”
Cole had no idea what office was on the third floor, but he would do it.
The door was open and he walked into the small space that looked to be a converted closet that someone was making into a space for a person.
He was glad it wasn’t him. He walked around the small corner and then he heard someone walk in the open door.
Had to be Matt. Then a door slammed. He moved around the corner and it wasn’t Matt that stood there twisting the door knob, trying to open the door.
“Matt, are you out there? Open this door right now!”
“This is your brother’s idea of a prank?” Cole spoke and Cassie whirled to face him.
“Are you involved in this cruel joke? He knows I don’t like small spaces. What did you two cook up with the one tiny brain between you?” She was clearly not in a good mood over the prank.
“I had nothing to do with this. He told me to meet him here.”
“This is ridiculous. Childish is a better word.”
“Well, seems we are supposed to be able to talk and come to terms with our issues and he will let us out. At that point, you can go first in taking his head off.”
“What do we have to talk about? That is silly.”
“Silly? We might be seen as acting like children and avoiding each other.”
“That might describe you but not me.”
“Low blow there.” Cole took off his hat and sat it on an empty shelf. He moved a paint bucket over and used it as a makeshift seat. Then he stood again and found another gallon can and dusted it off and offered it to her. “Never say that I’m not a gentleman.”
“Thanks.”
“You are welcome.”
“So how will he know we are done talking?”
“I have no idea. He’s your brother so what do you think?”
“I don’t know. This is totally not like him. Maybe when he was twelve, but not now.”
“Well, what should we talk about?”
“I have nothing to talk about. How about you?”
“Are you still happy here or getting bored by now?”
She brought her gaze to level on his. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“This has got to be getting boring. Someone used to travel and living on the edge and dealing in high pressure situations. That is a lot to leave behind for small-town Texas.”
“That is ridiculous. You never knew me at all. I made the choice to walk away from that life. It was time to find a new one and I happen to like where I am very much. And no, I do not want to go back to that kind of life. What brilliant mind told you that idea?”
He didn’t respond at first.
“Is that what you thought would happen? I was such an airhead that I didn’t know my own mind?”
“I didn’t think you were an airhead.”
“You just didn’t think…period.”
“Well I should have known better when I saw you settling in with a local bachelor.”
“He is a very sweet friend. Nothing more.”
“Well it’s only natural that you would want to date. Enjoy the single life. Being tied down to a child is not for the faint-hearted.”
“I never imagined it was being tied down. Having a child, having a family, is the most important thing there is. I realized that when I saw you with Emmie, and then my siblings with their children. They are the lucky ones.”
“You think so?”
“Absolutely. You never had reason to doubt that. But it really makes no sense to discuss these things now. You chose to move on in another direction and so did I. People need to get over it.”
“You moved on. You are dating.”
“If you aren’t, it isn’t because you don’t have the opportunity. All those females in Red Cliffs must be drooling now that you’re free. You have your pick of the group.”
“I don’t want a pick of the group. I prefer being a one-woman man.”
“I can understand that. I’m the same.”
Cole looked at her with a steady green gaze. “So what happened to us?”
That question made her pause. “You didn’t call. And you stopped the flowers. So that meant something had changed which was that you didn’t want to get serious…something changed your mind. I didn’t need a building to fall on me to get that message. And that is fine. People change.”
“Did you change?”
She wasn’t going to be the bad guy in this scenario. “I didn’t change until you did.”
Cole didn’t care for that. “I didn’t change.”
“Well one of us had to because you stopped, and I stopped. You did it first.”
She stood in frustration and glared at him. He stood also. “So you didn’t want to stop and I didn’t really want to stop but I thought you did.”
“And I thought you did so I did.”
“Assigning blame will get us nowhere.”
“I think we need to admit we made a mistake. We misjudged each other. Think we can do that?”
She looked at him with a wariness remaining. “We admit that we made a mistake? In stopping seeing each other?”
“That’s a beginning. I’m game if you are.”
“Fine. I can agree to that.”
“And we both made a mistake in not talking it out right away when doubt or a problem came up. We need to talk.”
She nodded. “That is always the best path to take if a couple really does care about the other.”
Cole moved forward, his hand outstretched. She looked at it for a long moment. Then her hand met his in what she thought would be a handshake. But he pulled her closer, his lips placing a kiss on her fingers as they curled over his. She hadn’t expected that.
“I am sorry. And I think you need to note that I did say it first.”
She shook her head. “Are you wanting us to keep points?”
“Only when I do something like apologize because that should earn me a few extra points in the boyfriend list.”
“Boyfriend? Who said anything about that?”
“I did. And that should be an extra advantage too.”
“Well, then I should get a lot of points on my side for being the first to do this.” She stepped up, arms going around his neck and bringing his head down to hers. And the kiss she laid on him was an explosion inside him. It kept them both silent for a few long moments. “Agreed?”
“Whatever you said is fine with me.”
She smiled and the light came back inside his heart. “Do you think he forgot about us?”
“If he did, we might be here a while.”
His arms went around her and he smiled. “I knew I liked that brother of yours.” It was his turn to hit a homerun with his kiss. He did not disappoint.
“We definitely need to talk about things. But I have to go to a cattlemen’s convention in Ft. Worth this evening. I won’t be back until late Thursday. How about we plan on Friday?”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll cook and we can have a quiet place to talk at my house?”
“You have the best plans.” He grinned and was going in for another kiss when the door rattled and a loud voice sounded.