Teardrop Lane (28 page)

Rose watched with sympathetic amusement as Ali checked her watch for what must have been the two-dozenth time in the past twenty minutes.

“Ali, settle down,” Sarah called out. She didn’t see her husband approaching her from behind, their toddler son in his arms, their young adult daughter walking at his side. “You are going to get watch-checking elbow, and Rose here will have an ice pack on you when Chase arrives. That’s not how you want to meet your daughter-in-law to-be, is it?”

At Sarah’s words, Lori briefly froze. The look that
flashed across her face wasn’t hurt or shock or even surprise. The closest description Rose could come up with was haunted.

That’s curious, she thought.

Ali didn’t notice the Murphys’ arrival. She was looking at her watch again. “He said he’d be here an hour and a half ago. I can’t help but worry. I know it’s ridiculous. He travels all over the world and goes to the wildest of places and I seldom fret.”

“Seldom?” Sarah questioned dryly.

“Perhaps occasionally is a more appropriate—why, look who’s here!” she broke off, a wide smile dawning. “Lori!”

Sarah whirled around, smiled wide, and threw her arms around her daughter. A vet school student, Lori didn’t get home often, and Rose knew that Sarah had been almost as anxious as Ali to see her child.

Lori Murphy had matured into a lovely young woman. She had her father’s height and gorgeous green eyes, and her mother’s dark hair, fair complexion, and curves. She was the product of Cam and Sarah’s high school romance; her little brother, their reunion baby.

Rose wondered if the flash of emotion that had crossed Lori’s face meant she harbored some regret for the ending of her own high school romance with Ali’s son Chase a few years back.

Ten minutes later after the young man arrived, she decided that yes, it probably had. Of course, Lori’s reaction paled in comparison to the look on Chase’s mother’s face when she got a look at her son’s new girlfriend.

Lana Wilkerson had to be at least ten years older than Chase. Rose’s physician’s gaze noted the lines around Lana’s eyes.

At least ten. Probably more like fourteen
.

Petite like Sarah, Lana had blond hair and a vivacious way about her. A producer for the television show on
which Chase worked as a still photographer, she was put together in that way of wealthy women that Rose had always admired but seldom managed to achieve—the perfect haircut and highlights. Classic and understated jewelry. Expensive bag.

How was it that some women could casually toss a sweater around their shoulders and look perfect, while when she did it, she looked unkempt?

Chase introduced his lady with pride and a bit of a strut. The men in town appeared appropriately impressed that Chase had landed a trophy. Although, even as she thought it, Rose wondered if the word trophy was appropriate when referring to a woman who was with a younger man.

The women in town had another name for her, one that wasn’t nearly so attractive. Ali Timberlake uttered it first after Chase and his lady wandered away to take in the sights of Eternity Springs.

“My baby is going marry a cougar!” Ali wailed.

Rose wondered if anyone else had noticed the flash of emotion in Chase’s eyes when he’d introduced Lana to Lori. The two young people weren’t indifferent to each other. Something lingered there for both of them. No wonder their mothers got a wistful look in their eyes whenever the subject of the Chase and Lori romance came up.

Rose relayed her observations to Cicero on Monday evening as they gathered up supplies for the after-school outing they’d planned with the children. Word was the fishing had been particularly good up at the Timberlake’s private fishing spot above Heartache Falls, and they planned to celebrate the successful grand opening weekend of Whimsies by catching their supper.

“Ali tried,” Rose said as she tucked a jar of peanut butter into her picnic basket. “She put on a good front. I know her well, though, so I could tell that she wasn’t happy. It was hard enough when it was only a meet-the-parents
weekend, but when he turned it into a traditional Eternity Springs wedding proposal, I know she’s worried.”

“What’s a traditional Eternity Springs wedding proposal?”

“One that’s over-the-top romantic.”

“You mean a cheesy public spectacle?”

She thought of Jack Davenport’s parasailing with Cat. “No, more like special, private spectacles. Chase took his Lana rock-climbing on Sunday, and proposed halfway up the cliff face of Murphy Mountain.”

Cicero arched a brow.

“That’s romantic?”

“To them, apparently. Personally, I look at climbing and think of broken bones rather than romance.”

“That’s something I’ll have to remember.”

She shot him an abashed look. “Wait. Don’t think that I was hinting or something. This was simply a discussion about my friend and her twenty-something son dating a woman close to my age.”

Cicero’s slow grin made her toes tingle. He pulled her into his arms. “You thinking about ditching me for a boy toy,
Bellissima
?”

His teasing made her melt. She ran her finger along the neckline of his collar and turned a one syllable word into three when she drawled, “We-ell, there is something to be said for stamina.”

He snorted.

“You saying there’s a problem with my staying power, Dr. Anderson?”

“Not at all. Just something to watch for during, you know, checkups.”

“Good thing you’re my doctor. Your prescriptions are wonder drugs.”

“Oh yeah? Which one do you like best?”

He nibbled at her earlobe.

“Difficult question. Your doctor’s bag of tricks keeps expanding. I do think naked yoga has improved both my dexterity and stamina, don’t you?”

Keenan’s young voice intruded into the moment.

“Would you two please stop the smoochy stuff?” he complained from where he stood in the kitchen doorway.

Laughing, Cicero released her, though he gave her butt a slap as she walked away.

With the summer season upon them, Rose and Cicero both knew that this would be their last full day away for quite a while. Plus, Cicero’s move away from the cottage and into the house next week would make their stolen late night moments more difficult to achieve. He’d tried to convince her to move in with them, but Rose was having none of it. That wasn’t the proper message to send or example to set for the children.

Which brought her thoughts back to the look in Cicero’s eyes when she’d talked about Chase Timberlake’s marriage proposal. They had talked around the subject of marriage a time or two, and he’d said enough for her to sense that he wasn’t opposed to the idea. She tried not to think about it. After all, she’d waited seven years on Brandon, hadn’t she? She never wanted to
wait
again.

If it happened, it happened.

If not—well—she had more today than she’d ever had before, so she refused to fret about it. The worries of the last few weeks had reminded her how important it was to live her days with joy and contentment and, most especially, love.

The viewing area at Heartache Falls was crowded with summer tourists. They stopped for a few moments so that the kids could ooh and aah, and make use of the facilities, but since fishing was the real appeal of the outing,
Cicero warned them they had only five minutes to sightsee.

After explaining that he didn’t need to use the restroom because boys could pee anywhere, Keenan quickly gathered a small pile of rocks to use in that age-old pastime—throwing them over a cliff. Galen joined him at the safety railing, and soon Cicero participated, too. When Misty joined in, Rose leaned against the SUV with a sleepy Daisy in her arms and watched the action with joy.

“You have a lovely family,” an older gentleman said as he approached the car with Oklahoma plates in the parking spot next to theirs.

“Thank you,” Rose said, laying claim. “I do.”

Just then Cicero threw back his head and laughed at something Galen had said. When the three children turned and raced toward her, calling her name, Rose’s heart swelled with happiness. She sent up a quick prayer of thanksgiving, then buckled Daisy into her car seat.

“It’s like herding cats,” Cicero said once he finally got both boys into the car. They continued on their way, and in a few short minutes, she pointed out the gate leading to the Timberlakes’ property.

“Any chance young Chase and his kitty cat will join us?”

Rose smirked at the appellation.

“The other Timberlake kids are home, too. Ali mentioned that the whole Timberlake family planned to visit Mesa Verde today. We’ll have the fishing hole to ourselves.”

“Good.” Cicero reached for her hand. “I was hoping that today would be a Cicero family outing, away from the tourist hordes. Not that I’m opposed to tourist hordes, mind you. Whimsies did bang-up business over the weekend, and your sister sold three of my pieces from the gallery.”

“That’s wonderful,” Rose said, answering to both the
information he’d shared and the fact that he’d included her in his family. Never mind that he was the only member of it actually named Cicero.

“It’s a nice way to start. I’m feeling downright positive about this summer.”

“Me, too.”

Rose guided them to the wildflower-carpeted meadow with a creek running through the center of it. The children were thrilled when Cicero pointed out a bald eagle sailing against the blue sky high above them. Rose was pleased not to see any wildlife in the meadow. When she’d stopped into Cam Murphy’s sporting goods store to buy salmon eggs for bait the previous day, he’d told her that he’d seen a cougar in this meadow on a previous visit—and he’d been talking about the four-legged variety.

The kids bailed from the car like the wild animals they were. Cicero handed out fishing poles, and led the boys toward the creek. There, much joy commenced when they dug worms from a white Styrofoam cup and handed them to their uncle to slide onto their hooks.

“Yeew!” Galen cried.

“Cool!” said Keenan. “I want to squish the worm. Can I squish the worm, Uncle Skunk?”

Galen immediately said, “Me, too!”

“Maybe later. Misty, do you need some help?”

“No, thank you. I’m all set.” She held up the jar of bright pink salmon eggs, preferring not to “murder living, wiggling animals.”

“All right, then. Let’s go dunk our hooks.”

Rose helped Daisy with her cartoon character fishing pole, and as luck would have it and to the boys’ great dismay, she pulled the first fish from the stream. Keenan scored next. While Cicero showed the older boy how to remove the hook from the trout’s mouth, the younger brother ate half a jar of salmon eggs. Misty howled a
protest, and Cicero declared it was time to drag out the snacks Rose had packed.

They ate peanut butter crackers and fruit, with canned fruit punch for the kids and a nice red wine for the adults. After lunch, the fishermen went back to work while Rose stretched out on the quilt beside Daisy and read her a story until the little girl fell asleep. Relaxed and happy, Rose drifted off too.

She awoke to an itchy nose, giggles, and murmured conversation. Her eyes fluttered open to discover Keenan and Galen kneeling on either side of her, dandelions in their hands, and devilish expressions on their faces.

“Were you two tickling my nose?”

The giggles swelled into chortles of laughter.

“Come with us, Dr. Rose. It’s your turn to catch a fish.”

She sat up, then glanced down at Daisy, who continued to nap. “Maybe after Daisy wakes up.”

“I’ll watch her,” Misty volunteered.

Sensitive to the amount of time Misty was asked to watch over her siblings, Rose said, “That’s okay. I’ll fish later.”

Cicero winked at Misty while Keenan took hold of one of Rose’s hands and Galen the other. “You hafta fish now, Dr. Rose. You hafta!”

“I think Daisy’s slept long enough,” Cicero said. He bent and scooped the little girl up into his arms. “Go with them,
Bellissima
.”

The boys tugged her up onto her feet. Keenan said, “We have your fishing pole all baited and ready.”

“With worms or eggs?”

A bit of a panicked look crossed Keenan and Galen’s faces, and they looked toward Cicero. He winked at them and said, “Neither. We used a combination of stinker and rascal bait.”

Warily, she arched a brow.

“Rascal bait, hmm? I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of rascal bait before.”

“Uncle Skunk says he hopes it’ll work real good today. It’s the perfect day for rascal bait.”

They pulled her toward the creek where she saw a second quilt spread upon the ground and a champagne bucket and two flutes.
And chocolate-covered strawberries?

“Well, now,” she said. “This is certainly roughing it.”

“Your hook is already baited and in the water and everything.”

“That’s too bad. I wanted to see what a rascal looks like when he’s on the hook.”

“Sit down, Dr. Rose,” Keenan said. “Hurry!”

Rose wanted to laugh. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen anybody so obviously up to something. She thought she knew what. She’d overheard boys arguing over a rubber snake earlier that week. If she had to guess, she’d find it hanging from the end of her hook when she pulled the line from the water.

“Here’s your pole!” Galen exclaimed.

Rose glanced up at Cicero, who wore an anticipatory expression himself. Really, boys never did grow up, did they? She took a seat on the quilt and tucked her legs beneath her. “Those strawberries sure look good.”

“After you fish,” Keenan declared. “Hurry, Dr. Rose.”

Cicero sat beside her, leaned casually back on his elbows and stretched out his long legs toward the bank of the creek. “Go ahead, Rose. Reel us in.”

Us?
A crazy idea flittered through her mind.
Us?
He wouldn’t—she gave him a sidelong glance. He watched the protected pool in the frothing creek intently and with an uncommon stillness.

Rose reached for the fishing pole and immediately sensed a resistance against her line. She caught her breath
as hope flared and her heart pounded. Champagne. Strawberries.

Children.