Hummingbird Lake Part 16

"Actually, I'm cold. You ready to head home?"

"Yes."

"Can I drive going back?"

"No."

He held her hand as they hiked back toward the car. About halfway between the falls and the car, he stopped and pointed into the forest. "Look. There, on the ground beside that rock. There's a flower coming up from the snow. It's freezing and that's a flower."

Sage looked where he indicated. "That's a snowdrop. They do bloom in February, they're the first flower of the year, but I've never seen one outside of a garden. Wow. It's kind of amazing to find one out here like this." She paused, then shook her head. "Are you familiar with the snowdrop legend?"

He shook his head. "No."

"It's beautiful." She smiled wistfully as she recited the tale. "The legend says that after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, Eve was about to give up hope that winter would ever end. An angel appeared and consoled her, saying that even though the land was snowy and barren, spring would indeed follow winter. Then, as a token of his promise, he blew on the falling snowflakes. When the snowflakes touched the ground, they transformed into flowers. Snowdrops. Ever since then, snowdrops have appeared during the bleakest weeks of winter as a sign of the better times to come. They're a symbol of hope."

When she finished, Colt drew back. He gave her a doubting look. "You're kidding me."

"No, why would I do that?"

"That's just ... wow." He shook his head. "Talk about symbolism."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, Sage. It's almost like that angel has been watching over you, and she's planted that flower to make a point."

Sage opened her mouth to protest, then shut it without speaking. Turned out she didn't have a response to that.

They said no more as they completed the trek to the car, and once there, despite her earlier denial, she tossed him the keys. She was suddenly tired, borderline exhausted. She dozed the entire way back to Hummingbird Lake and woke only when he pulled into her drive. "Wake up, sleepyhead."

"Wow. I can't believe I conked out like that."

"You needed the sleep." He stopped the Jeep and shifted into park. "Listen, I need to run an errand in town and do a few ch.o.r.es at the Landrys' place, but it shouldn't take me more than an hour. I have to leave Eternity Springs by six tomorrow morning to catch my plane. I want to spend the time I have left here with you. All right?"

He's leaving. That little fact had slipped her mind for a bit. Sage tried to ignore the little pang in her heart as she nodded and said, "I'd like that, too."

During the hour he was gone, she tackled some ch.o.r.es of her own, and while she worked, she once again realized that the solitude she'd prized out here on Reflection Point now had a lonely feel to it. These past two weeks had changed her world, mostly for the better, but not entirely. She would miss Colt Rafferty when he was gone. However, after thinking it through while she mopped her kitchen floor, she decided that she still was glad he was leaving.

The man was like a dog with a bone, always pushing, always prodding, always wanting to discover a fact, solve a mystery, and piece together a puzzle. He did it in a nice way. Most of the time you didn't even notice he was doing it. Still, she'd had enough of it.

Sage would only be pushed and prodded so far.

With today's revelation, she'd pretty much reached her limit. Were he not already on his way out of town, she suspected she might have been forced to give him his walking papers. Because Colt Rafferty might push, but Sage Anderson planted. When she absolutely, positively, established a boundary or claimed a position, she sank her roots as deep as Murphy Mountain was tall.

She'd learned that she had to do it that way. It was how she managed to survive.

Her phone rang. It was Colt. "I'm at the Trading Post. Thought I'd pick up something to cook for dinner. Is pasta okay with you? In addition to killer chili, I make an amazing red sauce."

"Sounds great. While you're there, would you pick me up a gallon of skim milk, too, please?"

"Skim?"

She rolled her eyes at the pain in his tone. "Skim."

"Okay, see you in ten."

His red sauce lived up to his claims, but the meatb.a.l.l.s she provided took the meal from excellent to sublime. She told him as much as she sipped a lovely Chianti. He fired back that he saved sublime for the bedroom.

She couldn't argue with that.

Especially after he insisted on proving his point, which he did with delicious inventiveness, spectacular enthusiasm, and amazing stamina throughout the long winter night. She finally fell into an exhausted sleep an hour before dawn and she stirred only to half wakefulness when, sometime later, he kissed her and told her good-bye.

She awoke midmorning, and before she even opened her eyes, she knew something was wrong.

I'm not alone.

Her muscles tensed. Her pulse began to race. Colt was gone. She knew that. The bed beside her was empty, and yet ... it wasn't.

Slowly, silently, Sage cracked open her eyes and peered through her lashes.

A wicker basket lay in the s.p.a.ce Colt had previously occupied. Something was inside the basket.

He didn't. Her eyes flew open wide. "He did."

The gift he'd left was no stuffed animal or hockey stick or flavored lip balm. This wasn't a basket in her bed. It was a bed in her bed. A dog bed.

This time, his gift had a heartbeat.

Colt Rafferty had left her a puppy. A puppy! A little white puffball wearing a red collar tied with a big red bow, curled up and asleep on a purple pillow.

A folded gift card hung from a ribbon threaded through the wicker. In a state of shock, Sage reached for it and read his bold handwriting.

She's a bichon frise and she's lonely. She's had all her shots and Nic says she's healthy and ready to be loved. I left dog food, bowls, a leash, some toys, and a silly dog sweater Celeste pushed on me in a sack in your kitchen. (Please, though, don't humiliate the poor dog by dressing her up.) She's ready for you, Sage, and you're ready for her. You bring smiles to the lives of others through your work. Let this little furball bring smiles to your life through play.

-Colt "I can't believe he did this," she murmured as the puppy opened her round black eyes and blinked. "Of all the nerve."

She spoke to the empty room as if he were still there, as if he could hear her. "Rafferty, didn't anyone ever tell you that it's wrong to give pets as gifts? Adopting a pet is a big commitment. It's not something to do on a whim. Certainly not something to force on someone else."

She could almost hear him answering back. This wasn't a whim, Cinnamon, but a well-considered, deliberate decision. She needs you. You need her.

"No one is going to force me into keeping this puppy. I know where you got her. This is one of the Prentice family's pups. Little Josh Prentice has been trying to find them homes for a month. I'll load her up and take her back to them."

No, you won't. Look at her. Pick her up and hold her. She's meant to be yours. You know it's true.

The puppy rose to her little puppy paws, and her little puppy nub of a tail began to wag. Warmth flooded Sage's heart. "It's a good thing you're already gone, Rafferty, because I'd kill you otherwise."

She picked up the puppy and cuddled her close. When the dog lifted her little puppy face and licked Sage's chin with her little puppy tongue, Sage laughed and said, "I think I'll call you Snowdrop."

TWELVE.

April

Tyson's Corner, Virginia

Colt leaned against his car on the suburban cul-de-sac as he waited for the realtor to arrive to show the house he'd made an appointment to see. While he waited, he pulled out his phone to check his email. Seeing another message from Sage, he grinned and clicked on the picture. He sighed and shook his head. "Of course. I should have expected this."

With tomorrow being Easter Sunday, she'd sent him a picture of the dog wearing bunny ears. This followed pictures of a little green leprechaun hat on St. Patrick's Day, a green sash in honor of the anniversary of the Girl Scouts' founding, a quilted sweater for National Quilting Day, and unfortunately, for the first day of spring, a green cape with a pink petal collar and a headpiece of pink and green antennae.

Colt had stuck a sympathy card in the mail to Snowdrop after receiving that one.

He glanced down at the lowered window of the pa.s.senger side door where his dog stood on the seat, his paws braced on the door, and his head poking out into the spring breeze. "I'm surprised that dog's coat hasn't turned pink from embarra.s.sment."

Shadow let out a woof.

"You have a puppy!" a voice called out. "He is a puppy, right? What kind of dog is he, mister?"

Colt looked around to see a little boy-seven or eight years old, he'd guess-come speeding down the front walk of the house next door.

"Is he yours? Are you going to buy Mr. Barrington's house? Do you have any kids? Any boys?"

"Timothy Purcell, you leave the poor man alone." A harried-looking woman with a toddler on her hip stood at the front door.

She called out to Colt, "Sorry!"

"Not a problem," he replied as his realtor swung her BMW into the drive. To Timothy, he said, "I don't have any children, and Shadow is a Labrador retriever."

"That's too bad you don't have kids. Shadow has big paws. That means he's going to be a big dog." The boy called to the realtor. "Hey, Miss Cindy. This dog is a Labrador retriever!"

"h.e.l.lo, Timmy. He's cute, isn't he? Hi, Colt. Sorry I'm late. Traffic was a bear."

"No problem." Colt pushed away from the car and lifted Shadow through the window, keeping him in his arms.

"If you want, mister, I'll hold his leash for you," Timmy offered. "Do you want me to show him the house, Miss Cindy? I give the best tours."

Cindy glanced at Colt, saw the smile and the shrug, and said, "Sure, Timmy. Thank you."

As the boy called out his plan to his mother, Colt set the puppy down and handed the leash to the boy. He then spent the most entertaining half hour he'd pa.s.sed since leaving Eternity Springs over a month ago. Timmy knew the house inside and out, but it was his commentary that continued to amaze Colt. He pointed out the energy-saving features of the three-bedroom house and explained how they would not only lower the next owner's fuel bills but also help save the environment. He identified the trim paint as being oil based, not latex, and explained the differences between the two. He took great pleasure in explaining the mechanics of how the garage door opener operated.

After showing Colt the house, he led them outside. "I think you should probably let Shadow off his leash, don't you, Mr. Colt? That way he can explore the backyard and see if he likes it and if he finds any safety issues that need to be repaired before you would move in."

"Sounds like a good idea."

Colt watched the boy and dog take off and shook his head. "I wonder who will wear out whom first?"

"My money is on Timmy. He is a ball of fire." She hesitated a moment, then said, "When Frank Barrington offered me this listing, he asked me to introduce prospective buyers to the next-door neighbors. Frank loves the boy and he wants whoever buys this house to be aware of Timmy's, well, enthusiasm. The boy has an inquisitive mind, and, being a teacher, Frank has encouraged him to question and learn. He doesn't want the boy's spirit or imagination crushed."

"Sounds like Mr. Barrington is a good teacher."

"He's a law professor at Georgetown. Well, he was. He's taking a new position at Stanford. Do you have any questions about the house?"

"You mean that Tim hasn't answered?"

She laughed. He asked his questions, and she suggested other places he might want to consider. Colt shook his head. "I like this place. I don't want to keep the dog in the apartment any longer than necessary. Let me think it over tonight and I'll give you a call tomorrow."

"Great! I'll go in and lock up if you and Shadow want to leave by the gate."

"Sure." Colt stood, intending to cross the yard to retrieve his retriever, but he took a second to check his email first. Sure enough, Sage had sent another photo. This time the poor dog wore the Easter Bunny costume again, and this time she carried a carrot in her mouth. "I should sic the SPCA on her."

A smile played on his lips as he approached Timothy Purcell. The boy sat cross-legged on the gra.s.s with the puppy in his lap, absently scratching Shadow behind the ears as he frowned up at the tall tulip poplar growing at the back of the yard.

Colt followed the path of his gaze. "What's the matter? Did you see a critter of some sort?"

"No. I'm confused."

"What are you confused about?"

"Something we learned in school yesterday."

"What was that?"

"Photosynthesis."

"Photosynthesis," Colt repeated. He looked at Timmy, then at the tree. "Photosynthesis."

He sat beside the boy, stretched his legs out, and crossed them at the ankles. Leaning back, his weight propped on his elbows, he said, "Let me tell you about photosynthesis."

Denver The Patchwork Angels' inaugural road trip took them to the Denver National Quilt Festival in the later part of April. There LaNelle was truly in her element as she visited with friends from other quilt guilds and used the opportunity for some expert example instruction for the Patchwork Angels. For the better part of the afternoon, Sage steeped herself in the artistry of the textiles, the colors, the textures, the designs. She asked herself why in the world she didn't exhibit quilts at Vistas and made note of the names of two textile artists she intended to contact in order to correct that oversight.

After the show, they'd enjoyed a lovely dinner at Ali's house, though they'd been disappointed that her husband, Mac, hadn't made it home before the dinner party broke up. Despite Sage and her friends' growing friendship with Ali, they'd never met her husband. Mac's position as a federal court judge meant his days were filled to overflowing with legal work, charitable work, and after-hours social networking. When he'd called to report another late night on the docket, Ali had tossed her nightshirt and toothbrush in a tote bag and joined the Patchwork Angels at the quilt-themed B&B owned by a friend of LaNelle's for what turned out to be a grown-up version of a slumber party.

All in all, it had been a fun getaway. Now, though, the time had come to return to reality. The summer season kicked off in a few weeks, and playtime would be over.

"Road trips rock," Sarah said as she set her overnight case into the back of Sage's car for the return trip to Eternity Springs. "I had such a nice time."

"Me too." Sage closed the door, then took her seat behind the wheel.