Love Lost & Found (Surfside Romance Book 2) Page 6

  Alexa turned and embraced her daughter. She seemed to have sprouted a few inches in only a day. Life was moving too fast.

  “I wasn’t wild about the idea, but last night I realized I met Teena when Rick and I dated. She was just a little kid.”

  “Was it awkward yesterday?”

  Alexa nodded as a few hives popped up on her chest, she scratched gently.

  “I think you still like him.” Hannah pulled on her high-top sneakers. “He really likes you.”

  “Why would you say that?” Her heart thudded like a tom-tom.

  “At the restaurant last night his hand was on your leg.” Hannah cocked her head as though waiting for confirmation.

  Alexa kept a straight face, but her cheeks turned cherry red.

  “I thought so. Snap.” Hannah grinned. “I won’t tell Luke.”

  “There’s nothing to tell.” She plopped down on the bed as the bloom of hives fanned out.

  “No worries. Your secret’s safe with me.”

  A familiar ringtone played. Alexa accepted the call. “We’re down-stairs lazybones,” said Rick. “Wear your hiking boots.”

  Minutes later, the four of them stood in the bright morning light. “I’ll take Hannah for breakfast and shopping,” said Teena. “I have your cell number. We’ll text along the way.”

  Alexa heard the white noise of anxiety buzzing in her brain. Teena was an adult with an expensive car, a steady job, and a brawny half-brother. She seemed responsible and dependable. But Alexa knew nothing about her, except she and Rick had the same mother. More important, she felt like extra baggage. Hannah didn’t need her or want her around. She didn’t like the sensation. She wasn’t ready to relinquish her daughter.

  “Thanks, love you,” said Hannah, beaming. “Merry Christmas.”

  Alexa and Rick had unfinished business and she felt unnerved in his presence. Although he was a tad soft and a bit too thin in high school, he’d become a lumberjack with strong arms and tight, muscled body. His once pale skin was bronzed and his long, corded legs bulged under tight jeans. Hannah had been right. His hand was on her leg. And hers was on his. With Luke so far away, Alexa had a unique opportunity to taste the forbidden fruit. But did she dare?

  Hannah tapped her foot impatiently. “I don’t think I can wait another minute to cut the umbilical cord.”

  “Sure, honey. Go, have a good time. You have money so no mooching.”

  Teena offered up a warm smile. “Today’s on me. I’m going to get a big fat commission when your mom’s house sells.”

  Alexa nodded appreciatively. “Let’s meet back here for dinner and a tour of the city after dark,” said Teena. “You don’t want to miss the festival lights, they’re pretty spectacular.”

  Alexa asked, “Shouldn’t you both be home with your family?”

  “Heck, they’re always around.” Rick pulled her close as she inhaled the musky aroma of pine. It felt good to be held.

  “Then I’m putty in your hands.” Alexa cast her eyes down as heat boiled up under her sweater. Flames of longing rose to her face and spread down between her legs. The wheels of destiny were already grinding as she wondered if his seductive smile would lead her down the path of betrayal.

  “We’re off.” Teena beeped the car open and Hannah climbed in and secured the seat belt. Rick placed his broad hand between Alexa’s shoulders steering her toward the truck, the heat from his palm sending prickles of excitement through her clothing. The pickup was splattered with mud; globs of pine needles clung to the tires. It was rugged and outdoorsy, like its owner.

  She climbed into the cab. Two coffee containers were nestled in cup holders. A bag of doughnuts was on the console. Rick closed her door with a gentle thud, slid into the driver’s seat, and plucked out a cup, offering it to her. The rich aroma of the fresh brew made her mouth water. “Two sugars and cream,” he said. “See, I remembered.”

  He handed her the bag of pastries as he eased into traffic, coffee cup in one hand and a doughnut in the other. His green-and-black plaid shirt was open at the top revealing a thermal undershirt. His knees poked through the ripped jeans. Rugged. Outdoorsy. Irresistible.

  Alexa wore blue jeans that she couldn’t button with a pink sweater tied around her waist. She felt like a hot mess with her hair caught up in an elastic band and her makeup hurriedly applied. She didn’t want Hannah to think she was trying to make an impression, but Rick didn’t seem to care. He felt as comfortable as an old moccasin with no pretense or artifice. She could be herself. She could fart or burp and he’d laugh. She could tell him he was a dirt bag or a scum bucket and he’d say “thanks.” He was that kind of guy. He wouldn’t care if she gained twenty pounds. He’d say there’s more to hold.

  With Luke she was hyperaware of every movement, every spoken word, and each gesture—always careful not to offend or say something he might misconstrue. Luke would make her aware of the extra pounds by saying, “Those pants are a little tight.” The implication would be clear as glass.

  Peeling off a few pounds wasn’t that hard, not if she gave up doughnuts and ice cream. But on this chilly morning with her rugged high school boyfriend inches away, the only thing that mattered was stemming the tidal wave of emotion that threatened to derail her best intentions to remain faithful to Mr. Prescott.

  He gunned the powerful engine to get around a slow-moving vehicle. “We’re going up to Bald Peak State Park. We had good times there.”

  She recalled how they’d sneak away on Sunday afternoons after church, climbing hand-in-hand, making out at the flat rock at the summit. They never went all the way. She was a virgin when she met Rick and a virgin when she left for college on the East Coast.

  Now, as they headed higher into the foothills, Rick began his confession. “The truth is, nobody measured up to you. I loved you then and now that we’ve spent some time together again, I realize I’m still in love with you.”

  Her mind screamed STOP, but no words came out as he hung a hard right turn onto Bald Peak Road. She said, “I used you as a character in my book.”

  He turned, staring at her.

  “Watch out,” she yelled as a rabbit darted from the underbrush.

  “What did you say? You wrote a book with me in it?” He pulled into the parking lot, shut down the engine, eyes glomming onto hers. “I want an autographed copy. I’ll give them to everybody.” He paused. “I’ll buy them of course. And post a stellar review on Amazon. What’s it called?”

  “I trashed it.”

  “What! Why?” His face fell. She touched his cheek with her palm. He turned his head and kissed it.

  “I couldn’t figure out the plot.”

  “But I got the girl, right?”

  “The girl was a slut. I don’t think she deserved you.”

  “What did you call me?”

  “Josh Slater. I made you a forest ranger.”

  He leaned in for a kiss. She held up her hand. “We shouldn’t.”

  “Did you ever look me up on Facebook?”

  “No, I’m not into it that much.”

  “I found you.”

  “I don’t keep it current,” she gazed down at her lap. “I don’t want people knowing my business.”

  “I get that. A single mom needs privacy.”

  He moved closer. She felt his warm breath on her cheek, inhaled the aroma of coffee and chocolate. His hand was on her leg again, sliding up. She pushed it back.

  And then his lips were on hers, his tongue roaming, his hand gripping her wild hair, as their hot breath commingled. She ran her hand over his beard which felt coarse yet soft. His grip intensified. She pulled back. Fearful of the passion in his kiss—of her resolve crumbling. Opening the door, she dropped from the cab, her knees barely holding her up. She dared not allow the power of their craving to overwhelm her resolve. They could not finish what they started.

  He came around to her side. “I waited a long time for that.”

  “Glad to oblige.” She smiled.

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nbsp; “It was only the appetizer.”

  Her cheeks reddened. “How far to the top?”

  “Sixteen-hundred feet up, think you can manage?”

  “I hope so.”

  “I can’t carry you,” he joked. “I’ve got back problems.”

  “You’re getting old, Rick.”

  He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Hey, what’s going on in there?”

  She fiddled with the sleeves of the cardigan around her waist. “This is the first time I’ve let Hannah go off by herself. Not the first, exactly. I give her plenty of latitude at home with her boyfriend.”

  “I don’t think this is about Hannah. I think it’s about us.”

  “Who made you so smart?”

  “Nothing will happen unless you want it.”

  She wanted it, but she kept her mouth shut as he took her hand and led her along the trail. The air was redolent with a hint of moss. Sun dappled the leaves, pine needles blanketed the path as they worked their way further up, meandering around boulders and fallen logs. The overwhelming sensation of being one with nature and in lust with the hunk at her side was incredible. Déjà vu. The setting was serene and somehow familiar as hawks and birds of prey swooped through the air.

  “If a man speaks in the forest and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?”

  “What?”

  “A little lumberjack humor,” he said. “I know it’s stupid.”

  “No, it’s funny.”

  He loped up the incline, which grew steeper. He was in unbelievable shape with tight gluteus muscles, powerful legs, and chiseled biceps. They reached the summit in late morning, a broad expanse of meadow-land with flat-topped boulders, just as she remembered.

  He opened the rucksack he’d brought and handed her a bottle of water and a power bar. They both drank deeply as they gazed at the panoramic view that seemed to stretch forever on this cloudless day.

  “Those are the Cascades and there’s Mt. Hood.” Her gaze followed his finger as he pointed out the spectacular landmarks.

  “It’s breathtaking. I’d totally forgotten about this.”

  “We were never interested in the view.”

  She tugged a blade of grass and wound it around her finger. “No, I guess not.”

  He edged closer, put his arm around her. The earthy aroma of the woods and the solid presence of the man beside her, made Alexa feel lightheaded. Then, suddenly, he swung around in front of her, dropping to one knee. “I should’ve done this eighteen years ago. Maybe you wouldn’t have slipped away so easily.”

  Pulling a box from his shirt pocket, he extracted a small sapphire and diamond ring. He held her left hand and slipped it on her finger, standing up and pulling her into his broad, hard chest. She felt herself melting like a bar of chocolate.

  His fierce kisses were filled with passion, as though making up for lost time. Their breaths came in short gasps as she fought the desire to pull off her sweater and surrender to the moment. It seemed bizarre that only two days ago, Luke Prescott was all she thought about as she spun out of control with a fever she’d never felt before. Her heart hammered as her desire threatened to overwhelm common sense. Suddenly, her fingers began to tingle and her vision blurred.

  Darkness swallowed her as the world faded to nothing.

  CHAPTER 17

  AFTER DRIVING more than twelve-hundred miles southeast from Portland, Sari Conklin stood outside her new condo in Sedona, Arizona. Although the two-bedroom unit was attached with neighbors to the right and left, one unit appeared empty. She was renting for a year with an option to buy. Unlocking the door, she stepped in and gazed at the vaulted ceiling intersected by rustic beams. In contrast to the house in Portland, this condo was light and airy. She felt vibrant and more alive already. And this was only the beginning.

  The maple wood floors in the living room glowed with natural daylight spilling in from a bay window in the front. To the back was scrubland with short cacti, succulent shrubs. sharp-spine agave, yucca, bitterroot, and creosote trees. The iron-rich orangey-red sandstone cliffs soared majestically above the dull-colored vegetation.

  The move to Sedona had not been spontaneous. Every winter her spirits plummeted from the perpetual dreary and overcast skies. True, they had plenty of sun, but as the expression goes, she had to get out of Dodge. Since she had no idea where to relocate, she went to the well and called her friends. One said Alaska, another said Los Angeles.

  Suzie suggested Sedona and Janis agreed. Someone suggested Florida, but Sari didn’t want Alexa to feel crowded or obligated to invite her over. Both women were fiercely independent. As she trolled through the pictures online, she felt as though her body and soul were being tugged by an invisible thread of self-discovery.

  “There are vortexes,” Suzie told her one evening as they sipped wine and nibbled nachos. “They’re swirling centers of energy that bubble to the surface of the earth.”

  Sari was skeptical, but she hoped her friend was correct.

  “All I can say is that you have to follow your dream.”

  For most of her life, Sari had been of service to others. Now she had nothing more to give. She’d helped her mother as a child, and raised Alexa as a single parent until Joe came along. She stood by him through the good times, his retirement, and last days. She worked for lawyers, accountants, and more horrible bosses than she cared to remember. Now was her time. Money was not a problem for the moment with her nest egg and Joe’s insurance policy. And soon the house would be sold and she’d be solid.

  She stood in the virtual silence of her new condo. Birds chirped outside as she allowed the serenity to embrace her like a warm summer shower. Reaching this place had been long coming. This was the best Christmas present she could have imagined.

  She pulled the air mattress and a pump from the Jeep’s cargo area and placed them in the living room. The bags of groceries and paper plates were stowed in the refrigerator and cabinets. She’d rough it until the moving vans arrived. When the banks reopened after the holiday, she’d set up a new account, call the cable company, and visit the spiritualist she’d contacted before leaving Portland.

  With no pressing needs or obligations, she strolled outside to see what the universe had to offer.

  CHAPTER 18

  WHEN ALEXA regained consciousness, a park ranger was kneeling next to her. He wore a forest green shirt and a Smoky the Bear wide-brimmed hat. Rick hovered behind him, face etched in worry. An oxygen mask was strapped over her face.

  “Don’t move,” said the ranger. “I think you’re okay, but I want to make sure.” He checked her pulse. She felt woozy and nauseated. The coffee and doughnut threatened to come up but she fought it down. Rick appeared crushed.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  Far from being hurt, she felt as though she could burst into a thousand fragments of lust. But what were her options here?

  In a word: None!

  Even if she and Rick fell madly passionately in love, her life was in Florida with Hannah. Besides work and school, she had a serious boyfriend—a great guy who’d generously paid for the tickets. Not only was he moving to Boca Raton to be near her, they were an item. Weren’t they?

  The park ranger removed the oxygen mask and Rick helped her into the idling ATV for a ride back to the pickup. On the bumpy ride, everything seemed surreal, as if she was watching a movie about someone else’s life.

  “When you step in it, you go deep,” said Rick, holding her hand.

  “I don’t know what happened,” she said. “Too much caffeine?”

  “You’re just a jumpy chick. You always were.”

  Alexa never thought of herself that way. Was she a jumpy chick and not grounded? She didn’t know anything at the moment.

  At the hotel, Rick parked the truck and walked her in, his thick hand firmly around her waist. They rode the elevator up in silence. Once inside the room, he pulled off her boots and untied the pink sweater. Gently, as though she were a
fragile treasure, he laid her on the bed and then stretched out next to her. She nestled against him exhausted and confused. He leaned over, tenderly kissing her forehead. His lips burned her skin. She gazed into his honey warm eyes, tilting her face upward. This wasn’t like smooching with Luke, what she had likened to butterfly wings. This was a man with serious intentions: a slow, simmering passion. She knew he struggled to keep it under control. Their tongues met and danced lightly. He started to move on top of her, but retreated. She tugged him back, needing to feel his weight on her, aching to have him inside her. Rick’s presence at her side seemed as natural as life itself.

  So right and yet so wrong.

  They dozed off and were suddenly awakened as her daughter and his sister spilled into the room giggling. Instantly, he rolled off the bed onto the floor and scrambled to the upholstered chair, running a thick hand through his wild hair. If anybody noticed, nobody said a word. They were all famished and as soon as Hannah cleaned up and Alexa put on different clothes, they headed downtown as an overabundance of twinkling lights flickered on. It was Christmas Eve.

  The holiday displays were as spectacular as Alexa remembered from her childhood as carols were piped out through hidden loudspeakers. They ambled around Pioneer Courthouse Square hand-in-hand: Rick with Alexa and Teena with Hannah, pointing out the unusual decorations and rainbow lights.

  They celebrated at the Pine Street Market with a hodgepodge of international dishes brought in waves by two servers, along with bottles of wine and a non-alcoholic micro-brewed beer for Hannah. She took a sip, made a face, and ordered a sarsaparilla. Nobody mentioned the small sapphire and diamond ring on Alexa’s finger. And in the gaiety of the evening, she kept her mouth shut about her daughter’s recently pierced ears—ears pierced without her permission.

  At this precise moment in time, everything was exquisitely perfect. Nobody would have changed a single thing. She froze the memory and filed it away for the future. One day she would need to draw on the strength of this moment. The pièce de résistance was a magical and mystical stroll through the Grotto with acres of trees decorated in twinkling lights.