Break In Two (21 page)

Claire hurried back to her cabin with a sinking feeling.
She knew she should be feeling happy about how her conversation with Mary went, but she didn't. '
Cole has a habit of falling fast and hard..
' What did that mean? Was she just another one in a succession of lovers he had gotten involved with quickly? Why hadn't he mentioned Gabriela yet?

Claire brushed out her hair and threw it up in a pony tail, then changed into jeans and a black v-neck t-shirt and rushed down the path to the restaurant. She decided she needed to play it cool. She would resist the urge to ask Alicia about Gabriela. She would try not to jump to any conclusions over the next two days and would find a time to ask Cole about it when he got back.

That evening as she made a mug of tea for herself, she got a text from Cole.
"Planning a big date night for us after this group leaves. Everything is booked for Saturday night. Can't wait to see you. Love, Cole"

She smiled at his thoughtfulness, "
Can't wait! Miss you lots! XOXO
"

When she shut her phone, an unwelcome question entered her mind. Was the date he had planned a repeat of one he had with Gabriela? She shook her head and turned on the TV to distract her from her destructive thoughts.

*              *              *

On Friday the group returned before supper. Cole rushed to get the horses taken care of before heading over to see Claire in the kitchen. As soon as the door flew open, Claire looked over at him, smiling and rushed into his arms.

"Hey Cowboy!" she grinned, taking in the sight of him. He had stubble covering his normally smooth face and looked sweaty and tired.

"Hey yourself," Cole scooped her up into a big hug, "I need a shower, sorry I'm a bit sweaty."

"Well, you somehow manage to smell good anyway," she said, kissing him on the lips.

"I missed you so much," he smiled, softly kissing her on the cheek. "How's it been here with my parents?"

"Really good. I had a great conversation with your mom when they got back and it's been very nice since then. We've had some meals together and shared a few laughs even."

Claire rested her forehead on Cole's chest, "Mmmm, I'm so glad you are back."

"Me too," Cole said, "I'm surprised you're in jeans though. You were supposed to throw out all your clothes and just wear that little blue number from now on."

Claire laughed, "I thought better of it, since I am still trying to get your parents to forget that I'm a complete harlot."

"Oh right. Am I at least going to see it on you later?"

Claire grinned, "Well, if you play your cards right, Cowboy," she gave him a wink as she walked over to the counter to peel some garlic.

"How about if I start with a shower and then we eat together?" Cole responded.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you back here in a bit."

Claire pressed her fingers to her lips and kissed them, then flipped her hand around to face Cole as if to send it off to him.

When he walked out she said, "Well that was corny, Claire."

After cleaning up from dinner, Claire locked up the kitchen and walked over to Cole's cabin with Otis in tow. When she walked in, Cole was sitting on the couch watching sports highlights in a fitted white t-shirt and grey lounge pants. He shut the TV off and walked over to her, giving her a long hug.

When he pulled away he said, "What can I get you to drink?"

"I would love a beer, actually," Claire grinned and flopped down on the couch.

"Coming right up," Cole said, walking over to the kitchen. He called back over his shoulder, "So what have you done to my dog anyway? I was a bit put out tonight when I left the restaurant and he wouldn't come back here with me."

"Really?" Claire laughed, "I guess I'm just generally better than you. Dogs can sense these things."

"Oh is that so?" Cole said, handing her a beer. He settled himself next to her on the couch, and reached into the pocket of her jeans when she lifted the bottle to her mouth. He pulled out a small plastic baggie with treats inside.

"Aha! Found it!" he said, feeling satisfied, "You have been bribing my dog so he'll like you better!"

"I have done no such thing! Those treats are for me. You know, in case I need a little protein," Claire said, with her most convincing look. Otis walked over and sat down, wagging his tail and staring at the bag in Cole's hand.

"Oh, well, maybe you should have one now. You're probably tired from all that hard work in the kitchen today," he said, taking one out of the bag.

"No, no. I couldn't right now. I ate too much at supper. I'll save those for tomorrow when I need them."

Otis nudged Cole's hand and he gave him the treat, "Nice try lady, but I'm onto you."

Claire snatched back the bag and stuffed it in her pocket, looking over at Otis, "That was supposed to be our little secret, Dog."

Cole laughed and took a long drag on his beer, "It's so nice to be home with you. I can't wait to get into bed. I'm a bit sore from sleeping in a tent for four nights."

Claire smiled, curling up her legs under her and facing her body to him, "I'm so glad you are back. My bed has been so empty without you."

Cole wrapped an arm around her and drew her to him, "So, no UPS guy?"

Claire laughed, "He never made it to the bed. I just had my way with him and sent him off in his brown truck."

Cole chuckled, "You're lucky you're so bendy or I wouldn't put up with that."

Claire smiled and gave him a long kiss and then sighed happily.

Cole nuzzled his nose along her neck, "So, I've kind of been waiting for the Victoria’s Secret fashion show to start."

"Oh, have you?" Claire laughed, "I seem to recall requesting someone to put on his hat, belt and boots and give me a little show..."

"I never said yes."

"Good point. All my new lacy things are at my place, except what I'm wearing under these clothes."

"Mmmmm," Cole murmured, kissing her neck, "I'm intrigued."

Claire gave a soft little sigh, "Cole, I have to ask you about something your mom said."

Cole sat straight up, giving her a questioning look, "Does it have to be right now, Claire?"

"I'm sorry," she said, touching his cheek with her hand. "But it kind of does. Something has been bothering me and I really need to get it off my mind."

Cole took his arm from around her and placed it on his knee, "Okay...what's up?" he asked with a tentative voice.

"Your mom told me that you have a habit of falling in love fast without really knowing the woman you're with. She also mentioned a Gabriela, who apparently lived with you?"

Cole let out a big sigh and reached for his beer, "I'm not sure what you want me to say. I had a life before you got here. I'm sure you would expect that. I am thirty-two."

"Yes, of course. I'm not trying to start an argument with you. I was just hoping to understand what your mom meant about you making this a habit," Claire said with a soft voice.

"She's exaggerating to make a point," Cole replied, taking her hand in his and moving it over to his leg. "I think she must have given you the same speech she gave me about slowing down. My last relationship was with a woman named Gabriela. I did get involved quickly with her and things didn't work out. Now my mother seems to think I need her to oversee my love life in order for me to get it right."

"Hmmm, yeah, she did talk to me about us taking it slow. I don't know, maybe she has a point. We were all set to move in together and there are obviously some things we don't know about each other," Claire said, pausing to take a sip of her beer.

"What?" Cole asked, shifting himself away from her on the couch and letting go of her hand. "Are you seriously going to let a conversation with my mom dictate how we are going to do things? She doesn't even know you."

"You're right, she doesn't, Cole. But I don't know how well we really know each other either. Until a few minutes ago, I didn't know you had lived with anyone before."

"So is that what this is about? Gabriela?" Cole asked, sounding exasperated.

"Partly," Claire nodded, "I mean, it sounds like a significant relationship to me. Those things shape who we are. They are important to talk about."

Cole sighed, "This is NOT how I expected this evening to go. I missed you and I'm tired as hell. Do you
really
need for me to go through my complete dating history right now?"

Claire raised her eyebrows at him, "Cole, I'm not trying to piss you off here, but the fact that you are avoiding telling me anything about Gabriela is frankly a bit off-putting for me."

"I'm not trying to put you off. I just don't see the point in dragging up the past when it's over. But if you really need to hear about her, fine."

He drained his beer and stood up, "I'm just going to grab another drink first."

He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Claire sat waiting on the couch, feeling very uncomfortable all of a sudden. Had Gabriela lived here in this cabin? Had they made love in the same bed or on the couch she was sitting on?

Cole came back and flopped down on an arm chair off to the side of the couch. "Gabriela and I met in Las Vegas a couple of years ago. She's from Brazil and was travelling around the US with a couple of girlfriends. We spent a few days there together and then she and her friends decided to come here for a couple of weeks after so we could spend more time together. We did get involved really quickly, mostly because she was set to go back home so soon. It felt like we had to make a decision right away to either be together or forget the whole thing.

She ended up staying and moving in with me when her friends went back. Her parents showed up after a few months to try to bring her home. They didn't like the idea of her living with some cowboy out in the sticks. I found out she had a fiancé in Brazil who was waiting for her. She hadn't told me about him or him about me. Her family was covering for her but they were out of patience and wanted her back. They own a large chain of hotels and his family own a bunch of resorts or something that they wanted to merge. She refused to go home and I decided to overlook the fact that she had neglected to mention her fiancé. She made it sound like an arranged marriage and she assured me that she loved me and wanted to stay. She was here for almost a year and then one day her mom called and told her that her dad had a heart attack. She flew home the next day and never came back. She called me a couple of weeks after she got home. Her dad was fine, he’d never had a heart attack either - they just knew that would get them what they wanted. When she called to tell me, she made it clear that I was a fun diversion from her real life but nothing more. She told me she did love the guy and was getting married to him. So, that was a rough lesson for me."

He took a long swig of his beer and then sighed heavily. "Looking back, I can see how wrong we were for each other, you know? But at the time, I thought our differences would make it work. I ignored all those things that were staring me in the face."

"Wow," Claire said softly, "That is quite the awful story. I'm so sorry that happened to you, Cole."

She stood up and crossed the room, kneeling down in front of him, holding his face in her hands, "She shouldn't have used you like that." Claire brushed her lips on his forehead.

"Yeah, well, it's over and I'm sure you can see why I don't like my mom throwing it back in my face," Cole answered.

"I definitely understand that," she replied as she took his hands in hers. "What do you want to do now? Do you want to just get some sleep?"

"I want to forget," Cole said, leaning down to kiss Claire's lips, "You can help me forget."

Claire kissed him back tenderly, running her hands up his thighs. They stayed like that for a long time kissing and touching each other. Cole felt a wave of relief wash over him, almost like Claire could mend his scarred heart with her touch. She was the complete opposite of Gabriela, perfect for him in every way that Gabriela had been wrong for him.

Claire kissed and touched him with such love and genuine care, hoping that she could erase the imprint that Gabriela had made on him a little bit at a time with each caress. Together they could heal each other from the pain of their former lovers and learn to trust completely again.

"I love you, Cole," she whispered, hugging him and pressing her head to his chest, "I'll stay as long as you want me to be with you."

Cole pressed his lips to the top of her head, "I'll never stop wanting you to be with me."

"Then I'll never leave," she said, staring directly in his eyes.

Their lips met in one sweet, long kiss, full of love. Claire pulled back for a moment, "I have a crazy idea. Come with me," she whispered, getting up and holding out her hand.

Cole stood up and took her hand, "I'm all yours."

"Good, get your shoes."

"What?" Cole asked, "Going out right now is not really what I had in mind."

"Trust me, Cowboy. You'll like this," she said with a grin.

She slid into her ballet flats and grabbed her keys. As she opened the door, she told Otis to stay, pulling Cole out the front door with her and shutting it behind them.