Finding Home (3 page)

“A bit crisp out,” he said, turning
to face her.

“A bit,” she agreed.

Colt glanced to his right and nodded
toward Waco’s historic suspension bridge. 

“Walk with me?” he asked, removing
his jacket and draping it over her shoulders. 

A chill spread through Sarah that had
nothing to do with the night air and everything to do with his warm jacket and
his scent enveloping her.  He offered her his arm and after only a slight
hesitation, she placed her hand on his biceps and allowed him to lead the way.

“This bridge is a real jewel,” he
said as they approached it.

Sarah nodded.  “It’s a focal
point of the community.  It was once a toll bridge and part of the Chisholm
Trail.  Now, it’s just a footbridge.  People take family pictures
here, weddings have been performed on it.  The fireworks display is here
every year.  It says Waco as much as Baylor University does.”

“When Claire came to college here, I
came here for the 4th of July.  We were walking on the bridge after the
fireworks ended and it was swaying under the weight of so many people. 
She got scared and to this day has not set foot on it again.”

Sarah laughed.  “It is an eerie
feeling when there are a lot of people on it.  When I was in high school,
the city used to put on laser light shows off the side of the Hilton
building.  They were really neat.  But, like everything else, the
novelty of it wore off.  The city wasn’t making an effort at that time to
keep the riverwalk policed and crime was a problem.  Mama and Daddy used
to love to come watch the show, though.  We came every Friday during the
summers they did them.”

“I think part of the reason why
Claire wanted to stay here after Tom died, was because she wanted her kids to
have a sense of community.  We moved around so much, she just didn’t want
that for her kids.”

A gentle breeze blew her hair into
her face.  She reached up to push it out of the way but he beat her to it. 
For a moment, as cliched as it sounded, Sarah felt that time stood still. 
She was looking up into his warm brown eyes under the soft glow of the bridge
lights and he was looking down at her and making a million butterflies take
flight in her stomach.

“When I looked up from my phone today
and saw you across the tables,” he started, still holding a lock of her hair
between his thumb and forefinger, lightly stroking it, “it was like one of
those scenes you see in a movie, where everything else in the world just
disappears.  The sun was shining in through the window and hit your hair
and time just stopped.  And then you laughed.  I thought it was the
best laugh I’d ever heard.”

She ducked her head a moment, feeling
her cheeks heat, then looked back up at him. 

“I had that feeling, you know, that
you get when you know someone is watching you?  I looked up and met your
eyes...and my heart stuttered, and my breath caught.”

He stroked a finger lightly down her
cheek, sending a shiver through her. 

“Pretty much the same reaction I had
to seeing you.  I couldn’t quite tell what color your eyes were.  I
thought green at first, then I looked again and they seemed almost
turquoise.  Now, I see flecks of gold...they are just...beautiful.”

“Colt,” she said softly, just before
he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers.   He pulled back and
studied her for a moment, then cupped the nape of her neck in his hand to pull
her closer and kiss her more deeply.  Sarah rested her hands on his chest,
feeling his strong heartbeat under her palm.  It had been so long since
she’d last been this close to another person, much less kissed.  She felt
her knees growing weak, especially when he captured her lower lip between his,
running his tongue along and sucking it gently into his mouth. 

When he pulled back, he rested his
forehead against hers, his breathing not quite as steady as it had been
before. 

“What are your plans for tomorrow?”
he asked softly.  “I have a busy morning and early afternoon, but I’m free
after that.  I’d like to see you again.”

“Um...I am going to my neighbor’s
son’s baseball games.  He plays at ten and noon.  I’m free after
that.”

He smiled.  “Baseball...how old
is he?”

“Twelve.”

“What team does he play for?”

“The Storm.”

“I should be free by
two-thirty.  Can I see you tomorrow?”

“I’d like that.”

He took his phone out and pulled up a
new contacts page.  “Put your number in.  I’ll call you when I’m
done.”

She did, then sent a text from his
phone to hers so she would have his number.  She gave his phone back to
him and quickly saved him into her phone.  He again tucked a lock of her
hair behind her ear when the soft wind blew it across her face.

“I have to warn you...I text...a
lot.  Habit I got into with Claire when I was in the Army.  I text
more than I call.”

Sarah laughed.  “Then we will
get along just fine.  I’m the same way.  I hate talking on the phone
but I can text with the best of them.”

“God, I love your laugh,” he said,
raising her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles.

Sarah studied him a moment, shaking
her head in amazement.  “Are you for real?  I mean, seriously, you
aren’t part of a practical joke on me or something, are you?” she asked,
laughing. 

He chuckled, too, squeezing her
hand.  “I assure you, I’m not.  Is it so hard to believe, that
someone could be attracted to you?  You’re beautiful.”

She closed her eyes as a chill spread
through her at his words.

“OK, now I know I’m dreaming. 
I’m going to wake up with my dog sitting on my stomach ready to be let out for
the day.”

“You have a dog?” he asked, and she
could tell by his tone that it pleased him that she did.

“I have the best dog ever.”

He chuckled, tucking her under his
arm as he led her back across the bridge. 

“What kind of dog?”

“A Border Collie.  She’s two
years old and she is amazing.  The smartest dog, ever!”

“A baseball fan and a dog
lover.  I struck gold today,” he laughed.

“Do you have a dog?”

“I have a chocolate lab. 
Scout.”

“Hunting dog?”

“The best.”

“Dogs and baseball…we may be kindred
spirits after all,” she said.

“Thank you for coming out with me
tonight, Sarah,” he said when they stopped beside her SUV. 

“Thank you for lunch and my roses,
and for dinner,” she replied.

He tucked a lock of her hair behind
her ear then let his fingertips lightly skim along her cheek to her chin,
tipping her face up as he lowered his head to once again touch his lips to
hers.

“Good night, Sarah,” he whispered
against her lips.

“Good night, Colt,” she answered.

He kissed her once more then stepped
back so she could get into her truck. He waved to her as she started the engine
then walked away.  How she ever made it home, Sarah had no clue since her
hands were shaking so badly.  Nothing like today had ever remotely
happened to her.  Several times, she reached up to touch her fingertips to
her lips, still feeling his against hers. 

When she got home, she let Izzy
outside, pulling her phone from her purse as she headed to her bedroom to
change.  To her surprise and delight, she had a text message from Colt.

Hey, baby…let me know when you’ve
gotten home.  Want to make sure you arrived safely.

Her eyes widened.  How sweet was
that?  Taking a deep breath, she typed her reply.

You’ll be happy to know, I am home
safe and sound. 

As soon as the “Read” message
appeared on her text, she saw that he was in the process of replying.  Excitement
bubbled in her as she placed her phone on her dresser and began to strip out of
her work clothes.  She pulled on her robe and picked up her phone while
she walked back to her door to let Izzy back inside. Her phone chimed and she
smiled as she opened his text.

Good to know.  I had no idea
when I woke up this morning that this would be such a significant day. 
That when I went to lunch today, I would look up and literally feel the earth
move and time stand still.  Pretty sappy, huh?

Sarah gasped.  Was this guy for
real?  Guys didn’t say things like that…did they?

I think I like sappy!

Then be prepared, fair
warning!  I have a twin sister, sappy runs in my veins!

He was a twin?  Granted, a
fraternal twin but…wow. 

You didn’t mention that Claire is
your twin.

Didn’t I?  I take for granted
sometimes that everyone knows.  Claire is younger than me by 10
minutes. 

No wonder you are close.  I
envy you.  Must be nice to have a sibling, someone who will always be
close to you.  Being an only child stinks, let me tell you, especially
when you lose both your parents.

Her heart melted when she read his
next words:

I don’t have a large family, but
what I have, I would love to share with you as we get to know each other
better.

Tears pooled in her eyes.  How could
someone she just met touch her so deeply?

Thank you, that would be very
sweet of you.

You’d be surprised what I would do
to make you smile.

Her breath caught and she thought it
wise to move on from that subject, afraid of baring too much of her heart too
soon.

I should let you go, I’m sure you
have an early start to your day in the morning.  Thank you again for lunch
and dinner.

I look forward to seeing you
tomorrow, Sarah.  Until then, sweet dreams.

Good night, Colt.

Sarah woke with a start after a night
filled with dreams of Colton Harris.  She was breathless and felt as if
she had just run a marathon, a light sheen of sweat covering her skin. 
She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d had such vivid dreams about a
guy.  Maybe when she was a teenager.  It was just that he was
so…masculine and rugged, yet with a crisp, sophisticated air about him. 
He’d looked so refined in his suit yesterday, his dark hair expertly
styled.  Her fingers ached to explore its thickness, to see it soft and
messy from her hands.  An ache began to grow low in her womb.  If he
affected her like this after just one meeting, how in the world would she
handle spending even more time with him?

Her phone chimed and she quickly
grabbed for it, hoping for a message from Colt, but saw that it was from her
neighbor, Janine.  Sarah bolted upright, glancing at the time. 
Janine’s son, Evan’s baseball game started at 10:00 and she realized she’d
overslept.  Scrambling out of bed, she texted Janine and told her she
would be there for the start of the second game, apologizing profusely for
missing the first game.  Janine certainly wouldn’t be upset, but she knew
Evan expected her to be at every game.  She had been his babysitter since
he was born; he was like a little brother to her.

After a quick light make-up
application, she put on some black Nike shorts and a Storm T-shirt, and pulled
her hair back in a ponytail.  Luckily, the ballpark wasn’t too far from
her house and she was able to be there just in time for the second game.

“There you are!” Janine greeted her
when Sarah sat beside her in the stands.

“Yes, I’m so sorry I missed the first
game.  Late night, last night.  How’d he do?”

“We won 8-4.  He went 3 for 4.”

“Awesome!”

“So, what do you mean, you had a late
night last night?” Janine asked.

Sarah took a deep breath, deciding to
take the plunge and tell her friend about Colt.

“Well…I had date.”

“What?!?!?  And you didn’t tell
me???” Janine cried.

“It happened kinda suddenly,” she
said, then explained to Janine about how she met Colt.

“Oh, my gosh!  Sarah! 
That’s fantastic! Tell me about him.”

Sarah smiled.  “Oh, well,
he’s…there are really no words.  He’s just…”

“Oh, honey, please, please,
please
tell me you didn’t…”

“Didn’t what?” Sarah asked, momentarily
puzzled.  When Janine just gave her a pointed look, her eyes widened and
she gasped.  “Oh!  No!  No, no, no, of course not!”

“Thank God!”

“Jeez, Janine!  You know me
better than that!  I just met the guy!”

“Well?  You’re sitting here
acting all star-struck.”

“Because I can’t believe he would
even notice me, much less ask me out.”

“OK, good…because, you know, I worry
about you.”

“I know.  And I appreciate it,
really.  Let’s go, E!” she called when Evan stepped up to bat.  He
swung and fouled off the first pitch then took the next pitch for a called
strike.  “Oh, come on, Blue, that was a foot outside!” she heckled the
home plate umpire.

“So, when will you see him again?”
Janine asked after Evan got a base hit.

“Tonight.”

“Really?  That’s so exciting! 
I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks.  Hopefully, I won’t
bore him to tears.”

“That could never happen,” a deep
male voice before them said.

Both women’s heads turned and looked
up to the umpire who had removed his mask and turned to them after the third
out.

“Colt!” Sarah gasped.

“Holy cow, that’s him?” Janine
whispered.

“Did I forget to tell you that I
umpire baseball games from time to time?”

“You did not mention that.”

He smiled.  “I normally do high
school games but I’m filling in for a friend today.”

“Wow, that’s pretty cool,” she
breathed, her eyes drinking him in.  He was just as gorgeous as she
remembered, maybe even more so since today he was sporting a day’s growth of
beard on his face.

“Oh yeah, and that pitch?  Right
on the corner of the strike zone, babe,” he said with a wink, putting his mask
back on as it was time to resume play.

“Just so long as it goes both ways,
Blue,” she called, making him laugh.

Sarah’s smile was huge as she looked
back at a wide-eyed Janine.

“Hon-nee!!!!  You did not tell
me he was such a big huge guy!  What is he?  Six-four, six-five?” she
whispered.

“I told you there were no
words.  He’s almost a full head taller than me.”

“Girl, he is HOT!!”

The rest of the game, Sarah spent
just as much time watching Colt, learning his moves and mannerisms, as she did
watching the game.  She loved chatting with him between innings, drooling
with Janine behind his back and just enjoying his company.  It was odd for
her to be on the receiving end of male attention, much less from one as
gorgeous as Colt.

When the game ended, Sarah waved
good-bye to Janine, spoke briefly to Evan, then met Colt outside the fence.

“This was my last game of the
day.  I need to go home and grab a shower but then I’m all yours.”

She nodded.  “OK, but can I just
say, watching you behind the plate today…that was really hot.”

A grin spread across his face as he
looked down on her.  “Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.  Super hot. 
Just so you know.”

“Text me your address.  I’ll be
there in an hour.  You don’t need to change.”

She glanced down at her tee and
shorts.  “No?”

“Absolutely not, cause, babe, those
legs go on forever and that’s not a bad thing.”

She laughed.  “OK, then why
don’t I just follow you to your place?  I can wait while you shower.”

“Works for me.”

“Where did you park?” he asked when
they reached the front gate of the ballpark.

“Toward the back.”

“I’m up front.  Come with me and
I’ll drive you to yours.”

“OK, thanks,” she said, following him
to his black Ford Raptor truck.

He opened the door for her and helped
her inside.  Once she was seated, he raised her hand to his lips, locking
his eyes on hers.  Sarah felt heat radiating up her arm from the
contact.  He winked at her then released her hand and shut the door. 
Drawing a deep breath, she placed a hand over her racing heart as she watched
him cross the front of the truck and open his door.  He paused to pull off
his umpire’s shirt and chest protector, which he wore over an Under Armor
shirt, then got in.

She directed him to her SUV and got
out.  Once she was following him, she dialed Janine’s number.

“Hey, Sweets,” Janine greeted her,
“on your own already?”

“Just momentarily.  I’m
following him to his place; thought it’d be a good idea to let someone know
where I’ll be.  You know, just in case.”

Janine laughed.  “In case he
turns out to be some crazy axe murderer or something?”

“Or something,” Sarah said on a
laugh.

“Smart girl.  He really is
gorgeous, though, I think if he turned out to be crazy I’d have to overlook
it.”

“I know!  Can you believe
someone like him would be interested in me?  I mean, really?”

“Absolutely!  You gotta stop
selling yourself short, honey.  You are a knockout!”

Sarah laughed even harder at
that.  “I don’t know about that.”

“I do, and apparently, so does he.”

“We’re heading toward Woodway,” Sarah
announced, changing the subject.  Woodway was one of Waco’s nicer suburbs.

“Nice.  He’s got some money,
then.”

“I don’t know.  He drives a nice
truck.  But he’s former military, from a military
family.    So, I guess it depends on what type of service
they…Holy crap!”

“What?”

“We’re turning into Hidden Valley,”
Sarah said, referring to a really nice subdivision with houses that her little
house would fit into several times over.

“Awesome!”

“Oh, wow, you have got to be kidding
me!” she cried when she saw the house he pulled up to .

“Nice crib?”

“It’s huge!  I’ll call you later
tonight, OK?”

“You better!”

She ended her call and pulled into
his driveway, parking at the far end of the garage from where he’d pulled in.

“Nice place,” she said when she got out.

“Thanks.  It fit my number one
criteria.”

“Which was?”

“My sister is my next door neighbor.”

“That would do it.”

He led her in through the garage,
through the mudroom and a small hallway to the kitchen.  She couldn’t stop
her pleased gasp as she looked around at the sleek stainless steel appliances,
smooth marble countertops and warm toned cabinets.  It was the kitchen of
her dreams!  There was even a fireplace!

“This is gorgeous!”

“It’s home,” he said, simply. 
“I’ll give you the grand tour after I shower.  For now, make yourself at
home.  Drinks in the fridge.  Remote for the TV in the den is on the
coffee table.”

“OK.”

He reached out and ran his thumb
along her cheek to her jaw, tilting her face up to his.  For a moment, he
just stood there looking down into her eyes, seeming to study her, then he
leaned down and placed a tender but brief kiss on her lips.

“Be back in a few,” he told her
softly, leaving her standing as if frozen.

“Holy cow,” she whispered when he was
gone. 

She walked to where he indicated the
den was and just took it all in.  It was a decidedly masculine room with a
huge leather sectional, throw pillows in forest green, cream and
burgundy.  She loved it.  She could just imagine sinking into the
plush leather, snuggling with him before a fire on cold nights.  As she
always did in a new house, she imagined it all decked out for Christmas.

Shaking her head, she crossed over to
the bookshelves to examine the pictures scattered among the shelves.  There
was some of him in various Middle Eastern type places in full Army gear with
his buddies.  One where he stood in what looked like a palace, shaking
hands with some sort of Sheik or something.  An impressive one of him in
full dress uniform with President George W. Bush, who had his arm around Colt’s
shoulders.

“He was standing on a block,” Colt
said from behind her, causing her to jump.  She’d never even heard him
approach!

“Sorry,” he chuckled, “didn’t mean to
scare you.”

She was laughing, hand over her
racing heart.

“That’s OK…so, he was standing on a
block?”

“Yeah, that’s why we’re smiling so
big. He’s right at six feet tall.  He stood on his toes and laughed that
he still had to look up at me, so one of the other guys grabbed a block that
was nearby and asked if he wanted it.  He said “Heck, yeah!”  He has
a great sense of humor.  We took one with him on the block and one with
him not on it, but I like this one the best.”

“That’s awesome,” she said, then
stepped back to the one at the palace, “What’s the story here?”

“That was at one of Saddam’s
palaces.”

“Wow…that’s pretty cool.”

He picked up a frame from the top
shelf and handed it to her.

“This was on my last mission, some of
my best friends in the Unit.  Coop here on my left married my sister about
two years ago.”

Her eyes were drawn to the woman in
the center of the group of men.  Colt had his right arm around her
shoulders and her arm was around his waist.  Her blonde hair was pulled
back from her face in a tight braided knot at the base of her neck but it was
her face that drew Sarah’s attention.  She was beautiful, so much so it
seemed odd to see her in the same camouflage the men wore.

“I didn’t know women could be
Rangers.”

“That’s Tessa.  She was tactical
support.  This guy,” he said, indicating the older man at Tessa’s other
side, “was our C.O., Captain Gibson.  Tessa was his assistant.”

“She’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, she was a knockout, in more
ways than one.”

She cut her eyes at him. 
“Girlfriend?”

He laughed.  “No, no. 
Tessa was what you’d call a ball buster.  You didn’t mess with her. 
She was really good at her job and if you were foolish enough to hit on her,
she’d take you down in a heartbeat.”

“I take it you never hit on her.”

“Nope.  I valued our friendship
too much, along with my ability to someday father children.”

Sarah laughed.  “I think I like
this Tessa person.”

He placed the frame back on the
shelf. 

“She’s great.  She left the Army
around the same time I did.  Joined the FBI along with Captain Gibson, who
ended up marrying Tessa’s mother.”  He walked over to the other side of
the shelves and took down another frame.  “These are my girls. 
Claire and her daughters AnnaKate and Olivia.”