Reunion at Crane Lake by Robin Bayne

Author:Robin Bayne [Bayne, Robin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian fiction
Publisher: Pelican Book Group
Published: 2017-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

8

Sunday morning roared to life for Tia with the sounds of the lawn tractor. Colt had hired Jake’s brother Tim to run it around the yard, and the boy must be trying to beat the midday heat.

She felt her heart skip a beat when she reached the pool; Colt was there, with Meg, her small body supported by his arms as she flailed. Cute little fish. Tia found herself studying Colt’s chest. His browned chest with the muscles defined in sections.

“Coming in?” he asked, keeping his attention on Meg’s soggy efforts.

“Yep.” Tia whipped her long T-shirt over her head and kicked off her sandals. She was later than usual this morning and missed her privacy. On the other hand, she realized, easing into the water to not distract the lesson, having a little company was also nice. Colt looked as if he had taught swimming before, and she made a mental note to ask him about it later.

Holding her breath, Tia dunked her head and surfaced, reaching to smooth back her wet hair. She could do her laps down at this end of the pool and stay clear of the others. Between laps she looked their way, wondering how a man so at home in chlorinated water ever came to fear the lake. Well, she knew how. She just didn’t know how to fix it. Or if she should.

Finished with her daily swim, Tia went inside, glancing at the message machine as she passed the front desk. The light blinked in irritation until she put it out of its misery, hitting rewind, and then listening to the message. Her nails tapped the counter, moving faster as the message played, the young bride-to-be’s voice wavering. Tia froze, but inside her heart raced. They had to be kidding. She wouldn’t do it. Couldn’t do it.

But she would. Breathe deeply. She grabbed a pen and pad to start making new lists. The O’Hara wedding had been pushed up, something to do with the bride’s irate father polishing the proverbial shotgun, and Tia had only seven days to prepare.

Oh, Tia knew she could refuse; they did have a written contract. But what kind of reference would that give her? She needed more jobs. And she could throw them the party they wanted, if she concentrated. After all, with the bride so very pregnant, it was probably a good change in schedule. The last thing Tia needed was for the bride’s water to break as she tossed her bouquet.

Even worse, she could end up going to the hospital to see the baby, and these days she avoided hospitals. The last time she’d left one, she’d been fleeing the worst heartache of her life. The memories rose unbidden in her mind.

Colt had pulled her into a blue plastic chair in the lobby of St. Ignatius, whispering that he was sorry. Their knees had brushed as he’d brought her chair close to his, oblivious to the comings and goings of other visitors. She didn’t remember how he’d gotten her to sit.

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