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“Ahh,” Zoe said, remembering. “Your lone shopping trip with your mother you mentioned.”
“It was traumatizing,” he said. “If you look across to the other side of the lake you’ll see Uncle Tommy and Aunt Simone’s place. My dad is the oldest so he got the land where the original homestead was located, and everyone on both sides kind of gravitates over here.”
Zoe felt the tightness in her chest as they moved closer to the barn, and she knew there were dozens of people on the other side who all shared the O’Hara name. They were waiting anxiously to meet her because they loved Colt. Because they knew he was bringing the woman he loved home for the first time. And she was afraid she was going to be nothing but a disappointment to all of them.
The closer they got the tighter her chest became, and her steps faltered.
“Hey,” Colt said, squeezing her hand. “Are you okay?”
She was having trouble getting oxygen to her lungs and panic started to take over. What was she doing here? She didn’t belong in a scene like this—where white picket fences and family dinners were a reality.
“I can’t do this,” she managed to get out between gasps of air. “I’m sorry.”
The look of concern on his face was her undoing and she felt the tears well up in her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried. Not since she’d been sent home from boarding school her third year because she’d gotten pneumonia.
“It’s okay,” he said. And he picked her up in his arms and carried her back to the car.
Things went fuzzy after that. She didn’t remember Chewy getting back in the car, or the looks of concerned people as they drove off the way they’d come. All she knew was she needed air and space. She leaned her face against the cool window and let the tears fall, but only because she couldn’t get them to stop.
She didn’t know how long they’d been driving—she must have fallen asleep—but when the Bronco stopped she didn’t recognize where they were. Colt got out of the car and said, “Be right back. Just stay put.”
So she did, rubbing the grit from her eyes so she could better see her surroundings. The trees were thicker here, but there was a clearing of open land and she could see a lake, though this lake wasn’t the same as the one behind her condo. It was smaller and it would take a little more work to get down to the shore’s edge because their elevation was higher.
Then she saw Colt appear from out of the trees and into the clearing with a big red plaid blanket and an ice chest. He spread the blanket out in the sun and then came straight for her.
She rubbed at her face again, sure it was swollen and red from crying. What had come over her? She never cried. And she especially never cried in front of people. She’d spent the last decade dealing with everything from a stalker to irate fans when she’d once killed off a beloved character, but she’d always kept a level head and handled the situation with calm.
Embarrassment flooded her as he opened the door and she said, “I’m so sorry, Colt. I don’t know what happened. But you should go back and be with your family. I’ll apologize to them tomorrow.”
He just scooped her up in his arms again like she weighed no more than Mary Catherine had, and he let Chewy out to run free and explore. He didn’t put her down when they got to the blanket.
“Colt, what are you doing? I’m fine now. I promise. Put me down.”
“You know,” he said easily. “I find that sometimes when things get to be too much a simple cure is to come out and soak in God’s creation, lie on the grass, and let the sunshine heal your soul. Did you know the sun is one of nature’s best medicines?”
“No,” she said, her voice husky. It was all she could say. Who was this man who had such deep wells of compassion and understanding? Would he never cease to amaze her?
He laid her down on the blanket and he took off her shoes and set them aside. And then he lay down next to her. He didn’t try to fill the silence with conversation. His presence was enough. And he’d been right, the sun soaking into her skin felt life giving. After a while he took her hand, and they watched the clouds roll in lazy patterns across the sky.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Redemption Road,” he said and she could hear the humor in his voice. “My cabin is just back there behind the trees.”
“Where’d the name come from?”
“To tell you the truth I don’t know,” he said. “All the roads that lead to the different plots of family land have names like that. My dad used to say that when we go down those roads less traveled it’s sometimes good to have a reminder of where we’ve been and where we’re going. I always remember that whenever I see the sign that leads to this place.”
“Your dad is a wise man,” she said.
“I’m realizing that more and more the older I get.”
The winds had shifted with the seasons and there was a change in the leaves as they began to flutter to the ground, but the afternoon sun was enough to keep her warm.
“I’d never met anyone like Todd before,” she said, her voice hoarse. “I’d spent so much time focused on my career and writing and traveling that I was a bit naïve when it came to men. Other than a boyfriend from college that fizzled as soon as I quit school, Todd was the first man I’d met who really caught my attention.”
“You must be the most unaware woman on the planet,” Colt said. “I’ve seen men trip over their own feet at the sight of you. You literally walk into a room and the earth stops moving. You have beauty and brains and an incredible sense of humor. Men were probably throwing themselves at you and you just didn’t notice.”
Zoe turned her head to the side so she could see him. “I think I’d notice a bunch of men throwing themselves at me,” she said dryly. “But I appreciate the vote of confidence.”
