21. Red
21
RED
Another day dawns and yet again, I’ve had another restless night with very little sleep. And it had nothing to do with singing karaoke and everything to do with me realizing mid-Kenny and Dolly that I didn’t want to live with my life being on pause anymore. I want fun and someone to have fun with. I want someone to come home to after a long day on the ranch. I want to share my life with somebody again. And I want that person to be Maggie Gallagher.
There’s also the fact that I lost my head for a second there last night and nuzzled her neck after the song had ended. I was so caught up in the moment–caught up in her –that my body and heart took over and I acted on pure instinct. I didn’t miss how she stilled against me, or how her breath caught in a silent gasp. But I did feel absolute relief when she flexed her fingers against my back before melting into me.
If that’s not a sign that Mags is feeling the same way as I am, then I’m not sure what is.
My body was buzzing for the rest of the night. Between that, and hearing Mags snuggle and sigh in her sleep all night in the other bed, my brain just could not switch off.
After what feels like a gallon of coffee and a hearty breakfast later, we’re on the road heading north east toward the blink-and-you-miss-it town of Rainbow Springs.
Because it’s so small, it doesn't take us long to find the gas station once we arrive. That’s where I’ve been instructed to go to pick up the keys to the cabin which will be our home for the next three days.
We both hop out of the truck and move to the door, the bell jingling as I hold it open for Mags to go in ahead of me.
“Hey there,” the attendant says from behind the counter. “Welcome to Rainbow Springs Gas, Convenience, Post Office, Hardware Store, and Gnomery.”
I stop dead in my tracks, Mags doing the same. I look at her and she looks right back at me, our expressions mirroring one another—wide eyes, twitching lips, and a knowing look that tells me I’m not the only one struggling to keep it together. Because a) he just said this place was a gnomery and b) the man looks like a real-life gnome.
He stands no more than five feet tall, his build stout and sturdy with skin that speaks of a well-lived life. He has a bulbous nose that seems to take up half of his face and bushy brows arched over twinkling warm eyes. Finally, there's the wide, toothy grin framed by a thick, unkempt beard that cascades down to his chest in waves of silver and white.
I turn back to the man and tip my hat. “Hey. Nice to meet you. That sure is a mouthful. Can't say I've ever been to a gnomery before." Glancing around the shop, all I can see at the front of the store are gnomes. So much so that I wonder where the convenience store, post office, and hardware departments are.
“Welp, small towns still need all the facilities but don’t always have all the real estate to accommodate. Because of that, my family decided to combine it all into this one-stop shop–so to speak,” he says, still smiling.
Mags glances around the place which is probably the same size as her diner. “You ever think of shortenin’ it?”
The man frowns. “What do you mean?”
“You know, make it a little less of a mouthful—better for you and easier for customers to remember.”
“The name? Can’t say I have. It’s not like there’s a word that would include all of that in it, now is there?”
Mags's amused gaze meets mine. "You said it was a one-stop shop, why not just call it that? At the very least, it'll save you a few words every time a customer stops by," she explains with a shrug.
“Well, I’ll be. That’s a great idea. I’m George, by the way. George Rainbow.”
My head jerks back, certain that I misheard. “Rainbow?”
George looks amused by my question, making me think it’s not the first time he’s been asked. “That’s my name. George Rainbow.” He puffs out his chest as he says it, proud as punch.
“And you live in Rainbow Springs?”
George’s brows pinch together. “Sure do. Did you not see the sign when you drove through?”
“Is this your town then? As in you own it?” I ask.
"Oh, now I get you. Yep. Been in the family for generations," he says, puffing his chest out. "How can I help y'all? You're definitely not from around these parts, that's for sure."
“How can you tell?” Mags asks curiously.
“Cause your truck’s clean for one." I bite back a laugh because usually that would offend a rancher, but since we've been on the road for over a week now and we went through a car wash this morning before leaving Anchorage, I let it go. "And you're offerin' a stranger business advice when you've got nothin' to gain from it. Everyone keeps to themselves in this town. Then again, there's only forty-six… wait," he rubs his chin, "nope, forty-five residents as of the last count."
“Nothin’ like our home in Spring Haven,” Mags pipes up. “Back home, everyone knows everyone and if you don’t, you soon will. It’s like a giant family up there. I think we had 367 townsfolk at last count.”
George’s eyes light up. “Spring Haven, you say? Is that the town that won the Holly Jolly Christmas Cup? Someone told me about that.”
My brows jump sky-high. "You know of our little town?"
“Sure do. Saw photos and everythin’. You sure do love Christmas over there, don’t you? It looked like a winter wonderland,” he says.
Feeling all the gnomes’ eyes watching me, I decide to move the conversation along. “Tell me, George, are you the person to see for the keys to the rental cabins in the woods?”
“Oh!” His eyes light up. “You must be Red Grayson. I’ve been waitin’ for you to arrive.”
Mags tilts her head. “You have?”
“Yep. Not that often we get internet bookin’s so I was wantin’ to put a face to the name.” He grabs a set of keys from under the counter before straightening, looking me up and down as he holds the keys out to me. “Should’ve known you’d be a cowboy with a name like that.”
I snort as I reach out and take them off his hands. “I’m a rodeo man. Worked it all my life before buyin’ our ranch next to Bull Mountain. More of a rancher than a cowboy though.”
“Ah. Now I get it.” He smiles between me and Mags. “So, is this a nice little romantic getaway with your lady then? Nice.”
“She’s just my?—"
“That’s the plan. Right, sugar muffin,” she croons, cuddling up to my arm and gazing up at me adoringly. I stare at her dumbfounded—though I can’t say I’m complaining about having her close, even if it’s all for show.
“Life’s better when you’ve got someone to share it with,” George adds with a toothy grin. “Now, I wouldn’t be doin’ my duty as the town’s fire chief and police sheriff if I didn’t warn you that there’s a storm comin’ in tomorrow night”
Mags mouths “fire chief and sheriff” with a smirk before turning her smile to George. “Thanks, but we’ve been keepin’ track of the storm and have all the supplies we could need all packed up in the back of the truck. But we’ll be sure to stop by if we need anythin’ else, George.”
“Good. Good. Since you’re not from around here, I thought you might be interested in a little tourist attraction we’ve got on the way out of town.”
That gets Mags’s attention. “Definitely interested. What is it?”
“A gnome fence!” George replies excitedly. “It’s halfway along the road into Palmer at a scenic lookout. There’s a marker post but I guarantee you can’t miss it.” He waves to the wall of gnomes for sale. “That’s why I sell these. You buy one and leave it at the fence with all the others. It’s supposed to bring good luck, well that’s what people say.”
I look over at Mags who looks back at me. “What do you say, Red? Should we court good luck with a gnome?” Her lips twitch and the look on her face is so animated and carefree, I’d be willing to do almost anything to keep it there for the rest of our lives.
“Whatever you want, darlin’.”
George claps, the sound breaking through our connection. “Great! Let’s do it.”
With a cowboy-hatted, chaps-wearing gnome under my arm, we bid farewell to George, promising to leave the cabin keys in the lockbox outside when we leave before making our way out of the shop.
“Interestin’ man,” Mags murmurs as we walk back to the truck, her shoulders shaking.
“Darlin’, do not make me laugh when the man can still see me.”
“Where’s the fun in that ," she says, hip-bumping me with a giggle before moving to the passenger side of the truck. I open it for her and help her up, my hands feeling far more comfortable on her hips now than at the start of the trip. And if I have my way, I’ll be the only man touching them from now on.
I don’t miss the pink tinge to her cheeks as I step back and grin, closing her in and moving around to the driver’s side.
She’s still giggling about the gnome and George when I hop in. I narrow my eyes her way. “If you break now, then I will, then Gnomeo’s brother in there will start thinkin’ we’re laughin’ at him .”
She covers her mouth. “Oh my gosh. He really did look like one, right? It wasn’t just me?”
“Nope. Thought I’d taken a wrong turn there for a second,” I muse.
“I was sure he was about to tell me that the shop was also the town's church, police station, and hospital too.”
“Well, he did say he’s the fire chief and sheriff too, so it wouldn’t have surprised me,” I reply, edging the truck forward out toward the road again.
“This place makes me miss home,” she says.
“Yeah?” I arch a brow. “You gettin’ sick of me already?”
She rests her cheek on the seat, eyes pinned my way. “Never goin’ to happen, Red. You’re stuck with me for life.”
I reach over and grab her hand, quickly shifting my gaze to hers. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, darlin’. Because that means you’re stuck with me too.”
Another thirty minutes’ drive north along narrow, tree-lined, and fairly rough roads, we finally reach the overgrown track that eventually leads to George’s vacation rental. After Pinky's palace and our seventies throwback motel room last night, I have high hopes that this cabin will be perfect and just like its photos.
Carrying our bags and the supplies we got to see us through the storm, I step through the front door of the cabin and stop dead in my tracks, because this is not the same cabin I thought I’d booked online.
Maybe George got it wrong because this has got to be the most basic cabin I've ever seen. It’s all one big room–not two bedrooms and a living area like what was advertised. There's also a tiny kitchenette with a small bar fridge and a single-burner hot plate. Thankfully, there is a small fireplace and two chairs for us to sit on along with a small bathroom with a toilet, basin, and a shower that looks big enough for a gnome and that’s it.
The biggest problem though is staring me right in the face—there’s only one bed.
Before this trip and the mountain spirit’s meddling, this wouldn't have bothered me. Now that I'm tied to Mags by an invisible tightening string and a soulmate bond that’s just waiting to be completed, this presents a problem. There’s absolutely no way I’m going to be able to sleep with her that close to me.
I’m a man whose desires have been suddenly reawakened after years of being dormant, and sleeping next to my One all night and not being able to touch her will be akin to torture. I may have a lot of self-control and a lot more respect for Mags, but even I’m not that strong.
I don’t want to send her running for the hills now by ambushing her with a ‘two people, one-bed’ scenario, not when my surprise for her tomorrow is a date–of sorts–where I’m planning to tell her how I feel.
Having seen many Calls over the past few years, I know that the mountain spirit is not happy until her chosen soulmates are together and have completed their journey. But if this is a test in restraint and determination the mountain’s giving me to make sure I do right by Mags, it's one I’ll fight tooth and nail to pass. Because if there’s something I do know, it’s that I do not want to mess this up.
“Whoa,” Mags breathes as she stops next to me. “This is… rustic… isn’t it?”
A snort escapes me. “That’s puttin’ it nicely.”
She shrugs, shooting me a wry grin. “I mean, it’s not pink , and it doesn't look like it’s come straight off the set of Boogie Nights.”
I laugh, marveling at how she always sees the positive in everything. Even in the most rustic— aka basic— cabin in the middle of nowhere with her best friend who wants to be everything to her. Not that she knows that yet… but she will.
I told her that Anna made me see in Technicolor, but it hits me like a sledgehammer right then that Mags lights up every room she’s in and right now she’s shining that light on me. She’s like that sliver of sunshine that breaks through a storm.
She was my lighthouse in my darkest hour, the only one I wanted close to me when I was surviving. So it makes all the sense in the world that she’s the one destined to be by my side now that I want to start living again.
Mags’s smile slowly falls the longer I stand there staring at her. “Is something wrong, Red? You’re lookin’ at me all funny.” She wipes her mouth. “Do I have food on my face or what?”
I shake my head but still, I stare. How did I not see it—see her—for so long? It’s like I was going through life with a blindfold on and it took the Call to finally take it off.
“Red, you’re startin’ to worry me,” she says, snapping me out of it.
“Sorry. I just—“ Get it together, Grayson . “I’m thinkin’ we might have grabbed the wrong key. This cabin is not like it looked in the pictures online.”
Mags pops her hip and looks around the room again. “I don’t know. It’s kind of cute. We can make it work.”
“There’s only one bed,” I blurt out, stating the obvious. “I can make a bed on the floor with clothes and blankets or somethin’ though. Or sleep in the truck. Whatever you’re more comfortable with. It’ll be fine.” There, now I’m giving us both an out.
She giggles, her dancing eyes locking with mine as she rests her hand on my shoulder making me jolt. “Sorry to tell you, Red, but my virtue was compromised about three marriages ago and I have it on good authority that you’re no longer pure either.” She winks and my shoulders drop from around my ears. She must feel the change because her smile gentles. “I think we can handle sharin’ a bed for a night or two. We are adults, after all.” For all her bravado, I still catch a little wariness in her gaze.
“Only if you’re sure…”
“Red Grayson, quit worryin’ so much. You’ll give yourself a hernia or somethin’ and then what use will you be to me.” She picks up the bags of food and walks toward the kitchen area. “You can make yourself useful though. Why don’t you see if there’s firewood outside and start the fire? I’m goin’ to put our supplies away and start thinkin’ about what to make for dinner.”
“I can’t help—” I stop when she shakes her head. “I want to cook for you tonight, Red. Then we can drink beer by the fire, and I can try and wrangle out of you what tomorrow’s surprise is before we construct a pillow fort between us in the bed. Deal?”
“Sorry, darlin’. Not goin’ to ruin the surprise now. Not when you’ll find out tomorrow anyway. You’ll just have to wait.”
That gets a reaction out of her. She spins around and narrows her gaze before a slow-growing smirk appears. “Mmm hmm. Okay, mister. You keep your secrets.”
“One more night, Mags. I’m sure you can survive.” What I don’t know is if I can.
I guess we’ll see.