Cattail Ridge (13 page)

Chapter Sixteen

A
rcher was feeling decidedly caged in by the time the first week on the road drew to a close. As much as he liked and admired Jack, sharing a room with him was perhaps a little too much companionship. Being away from home for so long was starting to wear on both the men. When they checked into their hotel in California, Jack dropped his bags off and decided to head out for a walk.

“Want to come with?”

Archer dithered for a minute. “No. I think I’m going to call Emma.” It was seven o’clock local time and though it would be late in Kentucky, he thought she would probably still be up.

Jack grinned at him. “I figured you might. Tell her hi for me. I’ll be back in a little bit and then maybe we can grab a bite to eat.”

“It’s a plan.”

Once Jack had gone, Archer grabbed the phone and stretched out on the bed. A queen, the bed was barely big enough for his tall frame. “I miss my mattress,” he told the empty room as he waited for Emma to pick up on the other end. He was racking up quite a long-distance bill over the length of this trip but he didn’t care. He missed home.

“Hello?”

Her soft voice went straight to his gut. “Hey,” he managed. “Did I wake you?”

She laughed. “No. I’m sitting here doing some paperwork. How was the flight?”

“Boring. Like most of this trip has been. They promised us this leg would be more interesting but I’ll believe it when I see it. I guess Sydney is in bed?”

“She is. Sound asleep.”

He rubbed his chest, the ache from missing them was so strong. “How’s her cold?”

“Better. I swear I think it’s allergies. She’s just not had them this bad before.”

A comfortable silence stretched between them for a moment, and then he heard her groan.

“I’m getting old, Archer. I moved wrong today and from the way my hip sounded when it popped, you’d think it came out of the socket. I keep forgetting about it when I’m sitting and then when I move, ouch.”

“If I were there I’d rub it for you,” he told her softly. “I’m sorry.”

She sighed. “Don’t say that. You just tempt me.”

Archer grinned, pleased to hear that. “I live to tempt you, don’t you know that?”

This time, she laughed. “I think I believe it. So, changing the subject here before we venture into dangerous territory, how’s Jack?”

“Out for a walk. He’s having more fun than I am, that’s for sure. He misses home too, though.”

“I imagine so. He and Gilly have been married what, thirty-four years? Something like that. They’ve only ever spent a handful of nights apart.”

Archer nodded. “The first few nights? He tossed and turned like a fish out of water. I guess when you get used to having that other person beside you, when they aren’t there anymore, you feel like a part of you is missing.”

“Mmm, I guess so. It sounds nice,” she admitted softly. “Having that kind of companionship.”

When a knock sounded on the door, Archer cursed. “Someone’s knocking. I’m sorry. Can you hang on a minute? And just when things were starting to get interesting, damn it.”

Emma laughed. “Go answer the door.”

He laid the phone down and did just that. The visitor turned out to be one of the mechanics who was going through the training program with them, and he was there to invite Archer and Jack to dinner.

“I’m on a call right now, and Jack went for a walk. Where are you going to be?”

“Just across the road at the bar. A bunch of us are going. Come on over when you get off your call. I’ll keep an eye out for Jack.”

“Okay.”

He sighed when he picked the receiver back up. “I guess I’d better go.”

“I figured as much. We’ll talk in a couple of days. Archer? I’m glad you arrived safely.”

“Thanks. Give my girl a big hug and tell her I love her.”

“Always. Take care.”

He hung the receiver back in its cradle gently, wishing he could get right back on the plane and fly home. “Just a few more days. You can make it.”

He wasn’t sure he could, though. He didn’t want to. Always before, the idea of a relationship with Emma had been so nebulous, something to save away for “someday.” But now she was within his reach and it wasn’t the emotional or mental space that separated them but instead the breadth of the country. He fell back onto the bed with a frustrated growl and scrubbed at his face. “I wonder if we’ll ever get it right.”

While he was still gathering his emotions, Jack came in. His smile was sympathetic when he saw Archer’s frustration.

“Let’s go get some food. Get your mind off things.”

Archer was more than happy to do that. Right now staying alone with his thoughts was the last thing he wanted to do.

When Gilly came in the shop Friday morning, Emma was surprised. Her aunt owned a pharmacy in town and it was rare to see her outside the place through the week.

“What are you doing here?” she asked as they hugged.

“I’ve come to offer to kidnap you.”

“Well, that’s mysterious. Want some coffee?”

“Sure. Is Zanny off today?”

Emma nodded. “She had a doctor’s appointment and we don’t have any clients scheduled for today, so she went ahead and took off. Here in a couple of weeks, she’ll be on maternity leave.”

Gilly smiled. “She’s so excited. They’ve waited a long time for this little girl.”

“She and John both are excited. I’m so glad they worked things out.” The same year Emma had come home from Georgia pregnant with Sydney, John and Zanny had separated. Zanny had miscarried that summer, and they’d decided to wait a couple of years before trying again. When they were ready to try she’d had a hard time getting pregnant. They’d decided to leave it up to God, but Emma knew both Zanny and John had desperately wanted one more child. When she’d discovered she was pregnant earlier this year, Emma wasn’t sure who had cried harder, John or Zanny.

“So what’s this kidnapping offer? Aren’t you supposed to surprise someone with that kind of thing?” Emma asked as they settled down on the comfortable couch in the reception area.

Gilly’s laugh was full of mischief. “Yes, but I figure you will be surprised when you hear my terms. Jack called. They’re going straight to Tennessee. The training got moved up. So they’re not going to be able to fly home this weekend. By the time they got home they’d have to turn around and head back out. It’s only four hours, so I’m driving down to spend the weekend with him. You should come with me.”

Emma’s heart rate sped up at the thought. “And what? Spend the weekend with you and Jack? Um, somehow I think I’d be a third wheel,” she teased. The thought of going to Archer and spending the weekend with him… fear and excitement warred inside her.

“Silly girl. You know exactly what I mean. And it is not that you should spend time with us. No offense, but I’ve not seen my husband in two weeks. I need some alone time with him.”

“Gilly! Arghh! That’s like knowing Mom and Dad do it. Stop!” They both laughed. “Seriously, I don’t know if our relationship is ready for something like that, for me to show up at his hotel. I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

“I know. That’s why you should bring along your little chaperone. You and Archer can’t get up to any hanky-panky with her along.”

Emma bit her lip. “You really think he’d be happy to see me?”

Gilly just looked at her over the rim of her coffee mug.

“What time are you going to leave?”

“In a couple of hours. Their plane lands at five, and it will probably take them an hour or so to get to the hotel. We could be there waiting for them, spend the whole weekend together. And then we can drive home Monday.”

Emma got up and went to Zanny’s desk to check the schedule. There wasn’t anything on it Zanny and Emma’s assistant, Sam, couldn’t handle. “I have one appointment Monday morning that I can probably move to later that day or Sam can take, and one appointment that afternoon.” She looked back over at Gilly, mind racing. “Sydney would be so excited.”

“She would be.”

“She gets off the bus at eleven thirty. That would give me an hour, hour and a half to close up shop and pack our stuff.”

“Plenty of time.”

Emma closed her eyes. “Damn it.”

When she looked back at Gilly, her aunt was grinning. “I’ll pick you up at your house around eleven forty-five. We can take my van. It’s a little more comfortable for road trips I think, and it’s practically new.”

“Okay.”

Saying a prayer that she was doing the right thing, Emma saw Gilly out and turned the sign on the door around to “Closed.” She called and left a message on Zanny’s machine, telling her the plan, then wrapped things up. This was most definitely the boldest move she’d made in years, she thought as she drove home.

She was nervous, yes, but at the same time it felt liberating to do something the old Emma would have approved of.

By the time they got off the shuttle from the airport to the hotel Friday evening, Archer was so tired, so road weary, he just wanted someone to put him out of his misery. As functional and sparse as Amelia liked to tease him his apartment was, he missed it with a depth that surprised him. That they weren’t able to go home and see the family when that was what had been carrying them through the week just made Archer more miserable. He knew he was starting to get grumpy and snappish, but so was Jack.

“No offense, but if they have an empty room I might get it tonight,” he told Jack as they stood in line to check in.

“None taken. I was getting ready to say the same thing.”

Archer was too tired to laugh. But when a sweet voice spoke from behind them he felt a smile start.

“Actually, I’ve already taken care of that for you.”

Jack’s eyes lit up, and Archer would have sworn ten years melted off his face as he swung around. “Gilly!” He dropped his bag and wrapped his arms around his wife, lifting her off her feet in a bear hug. “What are you doing here?”

“Surprising you. I missed you.”

Archer looked away as the two of them kissed. He was happy for Jack but at the same time, he was intensely jealous. To hell with asking Emma on a date when he got home. He was just going to go straight for a marriage proposal and get it over with.

“Archer, look at this. Gilly’s here.” Jack was grinning like an idiot as he lowered her back to her feet, and Archer couldn’t help but laugh.

“I see that,” he said as he bent down to kiss her cheek. “It’s good to see you.”

“You too, sweetie. I took the liberty of confirming Jack’s reservation, and my bags are already in the room,” she told them. She handed him a room key. “And I got a room for you, Archer. It has a king-size bed. When I leave Monday you can keep it or switch over to share with Jack. You’re already checked in. You’re in room three-twenty, and we’re in room four-oh-five.”

“The poor boy’s been stretched corner to corner everywhere we’ve stayed,” Jack told her. “I imagine the idea of a king-size bed makes him pretty happy.”

Archer agreed, and touched Jack’s arm. “Thank you. If you don’t mind I think I’ll head on up. I’m sure the two of you can find something to do.” He winked at Gilly, who laughed even as her cheeks turned rosy.

She winked back. “We’ll have dinner together and catch up, I promise. Probably tomorrow night, though.”

They rode up in the elevator together. As close as they were standing and the way Jack’s arm stayed around her waist, Archer knew that they’d likely be ordering room service that evening. Another pang of envy hit him, and he gave himself a stern talking to as they chatted in the elevator. The bell dinged quietly and the doors to the third floor slid open.

“Gilly, Jack. See you tomorrow.”