Love, Again, page 7
“I’m different, Em. These people know me. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”
“You can help me then. I promise I can learn quick. Please, let me come.”
I couldn’t say no to her. Besides, it’d be nice to have her around. “Okay, you can come. Just let me know when you’re flying in, and I’ll pick you up.”
She squealed. “So exciting! I’ll get the first available flight. I can’t wait to see you.”
We hung up, and I couldn’t stop smiling. The people of Dusty Valley were about to be in for a surprise. The wind began to pick up, making the wheat in the field sway back and forth. It was so peaceful. I used to think the ocean was calming, but this was what I’d been missing. Closing my eyes, I enjoyed the sounds all around me, until one I least expected to hear drew closer. I gasped, and peeked around the large trunk of the tree. Someone was coming. There were only a few people who knew of the Haywood’s’ secret spot, and I had a strong feeling I knew who it was.
When his old red truck came into view, my heart started to race. If our encounter was going to be anything like last night, it wasn’t going to be pretty. With a heavy sigh, I stayed in the tree, too nervous to move. Cole couldn’t see me, but I could see him. He was dressed in an old pair of jeans that hung low on his hips with a snug white T-shirt underneath a flannel shirt. Even now, he could take my breath away.
“Aubrey?” he called out. I didn’t dare answer him. He looked inside the rental car, then approached the tree. When he saw me sitting on the giant branch, a look of surprise passed across his face. “There you are. Since you’ve been gone so long, I didn’t think you’d remember how to climb a tree.”
He always had a way of pissing me off. “Really, Cole? That’s what you’re going to say to me right now?”
A sly grin spread across his face, and he held up his hands. “I was just saying. I figured being in Hollywood the past ten years would’ve turned you into a diva.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I can still run circles around you, cowboy. I might’ve been gone for a while, but I still remember who I am.”
His grin faded, and anger flashed in those stormy gray eyes of his. “Sure about that?” He was upset, and I had to understand that. “Look, I didn’t come here to fight. Do you mind if I come up there with you?”
My breath hitched, and he didn’t give me any time to answer before climbing up the tree. I moved to the side so he could get past me, his leg brushing against my arm. It was the first time we’d actually touched in ten years. Chills fanned down my arm, and I clenched my teeth as the smell of his cologne wafted by my nose. I breathed him in and caught myself before he could hear me. Cole straddled the large tree limb and faced me like he used to do so long ago.
“If you want me to go, I will. I know I’m trespassing.” His steely gray eyes bored right into me. I had to look away. I used to get lost in them if I stared back.
“No need,” he said, drawing my attention back. “It’s time we talked. I’m sorry for how I acted last night.”
I shook my head. “It’s okay. I understand.”
“I’m here to listen now. Bennett told me there was more to the story all those years ago that you never let on. I want to know.”
Finally, I was going to be free. The moment I’d been waiting for had finally arrived. It didn’t matter if he believed me, all I had to do was tell him the truth. “I didn’t want to leave you, Cole. I loved you so much it hurt.” His body tensed, but he kept his eyes on me. “My parents knew how much I wanted to be in the movie business. I always thought it was just a fantasy. But my mother knew I could make it happen. Before they died, she made me promise that I’d get out of Dusty Valley, and do what I was meant to do.” My eyes burned, and the tears slid down my cheeks. I didn’t know if I was overstepping the boundaries, but I reached for Cole’s hand. It felt right to touch him, like our hands belonged in each other’s. “I wanted to marry you more than anything, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to fulfill my promise if I did. You belong here in Dusty Valley. Asking you to leave it all was unfair of me. I refused to make you choose.”
He blew out his breath as if he’d held it the entire time. I let his hand go, and he ran it through his hair, jaw muscles clenching. “That wasn’t your choice to make.”
“I know,” I answered regretfully.
“What made you choose to come back now?”
A laugh escaped my lips, but there was no humor in it. “I thought I was going to die. I was misdiagnosed by my doctor. I’d been having bad headaches so I went in for an MRI and some blood tests. It turned out it was just stress causing the headaches. Ever since I stopped working they’ve disappeared.”
“And?” He waved for me to continue, concern written all over his face.
“And my results got switched with someone else’s. What’s depressing is that someone out there is going through a hell I only spent a day in.”
Cole shook his head in disbelief. “That’s really fucked up. Hopefully you sued your doctor.”
“He’s a friend, Cole. I’m not going to do that. Mistakes happen.” I was Brad’s friend and wouldn’t do that, but I had no doubt someone else would have sued him.
Cole picked a handful of leaves off the tree and tossed them onto the ground, one by one. “A friend, huh?”
I could hear the jealousy in his tone, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. “After I found out it was all a mistake, it got me thinking. I’d wasted so many years buried in work that I totally forgot about my own happiness. I mean I thought I was happy, maybe I was. But after what happened, I felt like I’d missed out on life. That’s why I put my bucket list together. The past few weeks I’ve been traveling all over, doing the things I’ve always wanted to do.”
“And your bucket list finally brought you here?” he asked.
He said the word finally in a bad way, as if it was a detour I didn’t want to make. “When I found out I was going to die, my first thought was of you. I wanted to come here first, but I was afraid. I still am. I know you’re angry with me.”
It was his turn to look away. “I think I’m angrier with myself, Bree.”
Heart racing, I felt a surge of hope flood through my body. He’d called me Bree. I’d been dying to hear that name spoken from his lips for years. “Why is that?” I asked.
He met my gaze. “Remember last night when you said that you felt nothing but regret and guilt? And then I said that made two of us?”
I nodded. “Yes. I figured you were referring to the regret and guilt you felt for wasting your time with me.”
A chuckle escaped his lips. “No. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Our relationship was a fail on my part, as well as yours.” His expression turned serious. “There is something I’ve wanted to know for years though.”
“What?” I murmured.
He looked away for a second, but when his eyes met mine, I could see the regret on his face. “I want the truth, Bree. Can you give me that?”
“Of course.” My body trembled under his stare. I was curious to hear what it was, but I was also a little scared.
Cole averted his gaze to the field and blew out another hard breath. “If I would’ve followed you to Hollywood, and demanded to stay, would you have let me?”
I’d prayed and wished for that for so long after I left, but he never came for me. I couldn’t blame him for that. He respected my wishes and let me go. Lips trembling, I shut my eyes, but the tears escaped. “Yes,” I murmured. “In a heartbeat.”
“I wanted to come after you, Bree. I just didn’t want to hold you back from your dreams.”
The breath left my lungs, and my eyes snapped open. Cole still had his head turned away, but I could feel the pain emanating from him. “Oh, Cole,” I whispered.
He slid his leg over the limb, and hopped down. I didn’t want him to go, but even I could barely handle everything that just happened. My heart was in so much pain.
Cole finally looked up at me. “That’s my regret, Bree. I should’ve followed you, and maybe things would be different today.”
I nodded. “If we only knew.”
He nodded back, then started toward his truck. I was about to break down and cry, but he turned around and came back. “There’s something else you need to know. Bennett told me you stopped by your house yesterday.”
“I did,” I replied, voice thick with sadness. “It looks good. I’m glad it’s well taken care of.”
Cole nodded. “Me too. It’s also empty right now. I know you’re staying at the bed-and-breakfast, but if you plan on being in town for a while, maybe you’d like to move in there.”
That would be a dream come true. I’d regretted selling it the moment I signed the papers. “Who owns it?” I asked.
He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. Almost like he was nervous. I definitely wasn’t expecting to hear the next words that came out of his mouth.
“I do,” he answered. “I bought it four years ago when the previous owner passed away. I didn’t want the house to rot away so I purchased it and rented it out. The last renters moved out a month ago.”
Mouth gaping, I sat there in shock. “I don’t know what to say.” It was a relief coming into town and seeing it look better than when I left. It was all because of Cole.
He shrugged. “Don’t say anything. If you want to stay there, you’re more than welcome to.”
So many things ran through my mind. If I accepted, did that mean I was going to stay in Dusty Valley? I hadn’t really thought too much about the future. Was there even one where Cole was concerned? I had no clue if he was with someone else or not. I didn’t know if I was ready to find out the answer.
“Thank you, Cole. That means a lot.”
“Does that mean you’re going to stay?” he asked. It almost sounded like there was hope in his voice.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. Do you mind if I think about it for a bit?”
He nodded. “Sure. You know where to find me.”
This time he got into his truck and drove away, leaving me to wonder what the hell I should do. It all came down to what was more important. The answer was simple, but if I stayed I’d be giving up everything. Or would I?
Chapter 11
Cole
I finally had the truth…
It would’ve been a whole hell of a lot easier if Aubrey had stopped loving me.
Then maybe the regret wouldn’t have plagued me all these years. However, there was the other part that was a relief. She hadn’t stopped loving me. The only thing I did wrong was not demanding to go with her.
My phone rang, and my brother’s name popped up on the screen. “What’s up?” I answered.
“You busy?”
“Just heading to the house. Everything okay?”
Bennett sighed. “Yes and no. The tractor broke down on me, and I need help to move it. You’ll see me past the barn. Dad’s still having issues with his back so I don’t want him trying to come out here.”
“Got it. Be there in a sec.”
I hung up and tossed the phone into the passenger seat. My house was only about a half mile from the Haywood farm, where my parents lived. Aubrey and I had designed the layout of my house before we were supposed to get married. She didn’t mention it at the tree, so I highly doubted she knew. She was going to be in for a big surprise if she ever saw it. After she left town, I went ahead with the construction of it.
Bennett and I both had our own houses on the Haywood land. We were to inherit it equally when our parents pass away. Until that time came, I was going to stay at the station, doing what I love.
When I pulled up at my parents’ house, I got out and went straight past the barn. I could see the top of the tractor above the cornstalks. Bennett stepped out, then nodded for me to follow him. He was covered in dirt. “Thanks for coming to help, brother.”
I followed him through the stalks and got behind the tractor. “No problem.” We pushed it out to where it was clear from the plants. I could smell that there was an oil leak without even seeing it. “Want me to fix it?” I asked.
Bennett shook his head. “Nah, I got it. You have a little too much on your plate right now.”
I snorted. “You’re telling me.”
He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his shirt. “Have you talked to Aubrey today?”
Before I could answer, our mother shouted from the front porch of the house, wearing her favorite pink apron. Bennett and I had given it to her for Christmas when I was just ten years old and he was nine. “Boys, I’m fixing lunch if you want to stay!”
“Can’t say no to that,” I shouted back. She grinned wide, and disappeared back into the house.
Bennett chuckled and tossed his work gloves onto the tractor. “Aren’t you glad I called you now?” He slapped my shoulder, and we headed toward the house. Our mother used to always cook a huge dinner on Sundays when my grandparents were still alive, but when they all died, she stopped doing it as much. Bennett walked up the back porch steps and opened the door. “You never answered me. Have you talked to Aubrey?”
I stopped by the door and sighed. “I did. I found her at the tree.”
His eyes about bugged out of his head. “Oh yeah? Anything happen? That place is sacred for you two.”
It used to be. Being there with her brought back so many memories. “She told me everything,” I said. “I know the truth now.”
Our mother rushed out of the kitchen with an excited expression on her face. Bennett was just like her, always more playful and fun to be around than our dad. He was more serious, just like me. “Are you talking about Aubrey?” she asked, sounding hopeful.
I glared at Bennett, and he held up his hands. “I didn’t tell her. You know how the people are around here.” That was one of the downfalls of living in a place like Dusty Valley. Everyone made it a point to get involved in other people’s business.
Mom opened her arms, and I hugged her. “Yes, I’m talking about Aubrey,” I said.
She squealed. “I heard she was in town. I want to congratulate her on all her success. She’s famous now.”
That she was. Why would she want to stay in our rickety town when she had much finer things in California? Sooner or later, she’ll realize it and go back.
I let my mother go and stepped into the kitchen. “I’m sure she’d love to see you. She’s staying at the bed-and-breakfast if you want to visit her.”
“Oh, I can’t just show up over there.” She walked over to the pan of biscuits and put them into the oven. Her eyes twinkled when she looked at me. “Maybe you could invite her over to dinner one night?”
Bennett snickered. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Mom. You’re speaking as if they’re going to get back together.”
Her brows furrowed as she stared at him. “Why wouldn’t they? Cole’s not dating that tramp anymore, which means he’s on the market.”
Bennett grinned slyly at me. “So am I, as it turns out. What if Bree decides she picked the wrong brother all those years ago? Especially when she finds out who you were screwing around with last?”
Our mother glanced over at me, clearly agreeing with him by the look on her face. With a heavy sigh, I grabbed a small roasted carrot out of the pan and tossed it into my mouth. “It’s not going to matter anyway. She’s only in town to make things right. Now that they are, she’ll go back to California. I offered her back her house, and she turned it down. That right there tells me she doesn’t plan on staying.”
“What if she does?” my mother asked. “Do you think you two will get back together?”
It was something I’d thought about, and wanted for years. Nobody I’d been with since then has made me feel a quarter of what I felt when I was with Aubrey. I looked over at my mom and shrugged. “Guess we’ll have to see what happens,” I said, glancing from her to Bennett. “The ball is in her court. She knows where to find me.”
It was her turn to make the next move.
Chapter 12
Aubrey
Emilia: The plane just landed! See you in a few!
Me: Text me when you get your luggage. I’ll be outside in a silver SUV.
The closest airport to Dusty Valley was only twenty minutes away so I got in the car and headed that way. By the time I got there, she should have her luggage and ready to go. I’d planned on taking Emilia for a tour of my small hometown. I was ready to tell her everything that had happened. When Cole left yesterday, I sat in the tree for the rest of the afternoon, and then went back to the B&B. There were so many unspoken words that needed to be said. I had no clue where Cole and I were headed, but I wanted to know. Could we possibly work things out? Or had too much time gone by. It was obvious we’d both changed over the years, but there was no denying the connection we still had.
Emilia: Got my luggage. Headed outside.
Perfect timing. The small airport was just up ahead so I pulled in at the arrival terminal. It wasn’t going to take long to spot Emilia in the crowd. She always stuck out. Plus, everywhere she went there was always a swarm of people taking her picture. I was ready to snatch her up and speed away.
A few minutes passed, but she was nowhere to be seen. I was about to head inside to see if there was any trouble, but one of the backseat doors opened and a large suitcase tumbled in. The next thing I knew, a woman dressed in a red-and-black flannel shirt with a white tank top underneath, denim shorts, boots, and a ponytail hanging out the back of a baseball cap hopped into the front seat. It was the funniest thing I’d ever seen.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I said, bursting into laughter.
