She woke up to find the night had passed and light was streaming in through the windows. It was eight in the morning and Sunshine sat up, still half-asleep but fully aware that something was wrong.
“Cole?” she whispered, unsure if the others were awake yet. She turned to his side of the bed…
And found it empty.
Not only empty, but unslept in. While her covers were mussed, his side of the bed remained untouched. Sunshine’s heart sank. They hadn’t slept apart since the day they became engaged. Where had Cole gone?
Was he coming back?
She slipped out of the bed and dressed hurriedly, twisting her hair into a quick braid to hide the fact she hadn’t showered. Stepping to the window and lifting the shade, she scanned as much of the ranch as she could from this vantage point.
No sign of him.
Her heart heavy, she opened her door and slipped out into the hall. When she came downstairs she nearly gasped in relief when she saw him seated at the breakfast table. There was a plate in front of him and a half-drunk glass of orange juice. French toast sat on a serving tray, but neither Claire nor Jamie was around.
“Good morning,” she said, feeling as if she was greeting a stranger.
“Morning.” Cole set down the newspaper he was reading.
She wanted to ask him where he’d spent the night but she was afraid of the answer. To cover her confusion she served herself a glass of juice. The French toast obviously wasn’t vegan and she didn’t feel like eating, even if she knew she should eat something to keep up her strength.
She sat down at the table across from him, not knowing what else to do.
“I’ve got errands to do this morning. Think you can handle the move to Rob and Morgan’s place?” he said.
“Sure.” Did he want her to ask about his errands? Because she wasn’t going to. Not when he was speaking to her so gruffly—as if she’d done something wrong.
“Okay.” He drained his cup and stood up. “See you later.”
He left without even dropping a kiss on top of her head. Had he ever done that before? Sunshine was too stunned to answer her own question. When Claire walked in a few minutes later, Lynn in her arms, Sunshine was still sitting motionless at the table.
“Don’t you want some breakfast?” Claire asked as she popped Lynn into her high chair. “I’ve got fruit and cereal if the French toast is too heavy.”
“I’m fine, thanks.” Fine was the last thing she was. “Is Lynn feeling better today?”
“Much. I hope she didn’t keep you up too late.” Claire fetched a box of cereal and put a handful of O’s on the tray in front of Lynn. Lynn began to pick them up one by one and eat them, watching Sunshine with big, round eyes.
“I got plenty of sleep.” Her pregnancy was as good as a sleeping aid these last few days.
“I think she’s cutting a tooth. Maybe a molar.” Claire moved around the kitchen, piling up dirty dishes in the sink.
Sunshine smiled tentatively at Lynn, although her stomach was in knots after her exchange with Cole. Or maybe that was morning sickness.
“Do you think it would be hard to be a single mom?” she asked, and wanted to smack herself the moment the question leaped from her lips.
Claire’s eyebrows shot skyward. “I should guess so. Why?”
“Just thinking about a friend,” Sunshine stuttered. “At least you had Jamie to help you out last night.”
Claire nodded. “I couldn’t imagine doing it alone. Give me ten minutes to feed Lynn and I’ll run you over to Morgan’s, okay?”
Grateful for the excuse to do something, Sunshine stood up. “Thanks. I’ll go pack.”
“You’ll like Morgan. You’ll see.”
“I’m sure I will.”
Liking her next set of hosts was the least of her worries.
“I hope your fiancée loves it,” Terry said as he handed a ring of keys to Cole and stood back while Cole unlocked the front door. Escrow had finally closed and now he was the proud owner of a restaurant space. The realtor had come along to walk through it with him. He had some recommendations for contractors who could help Cole out with any renovations he might need. Cole entered the establishment, a large corner building on Main Street with its own parking lot, and fumbled for a light switch. As light flooded the place, Cole nodded. It looked much like the photographs he’d seen online before he bought it, but he wrinkled his nose.
“What’s that smell?”
“I don’t know. It didn’t smell like this last time.” The two men began to investigate. Up front was a hostess station and a number of battered tables and booths. The smell got stronger as they headed toward the rear of the restaurant.
“I don’t like this,” Terry said. “I think the sewer has backed up into one of the bathrooms.”
He was right, and the results were dismal.
Cole covered his nose and mouth with his arm. “Hell, who do we call to fix this?”
“Already on it.” They headed into the kitchen while Terry fished out his cell phone and tapped in a number. “Reggie? Got an emergency for you.”
As Terry filled in the contractor, Cole looked around the kitchen. Everything was in good shape, but he’d need to test the appliances. The place even came with some dishes, utensils, pots and pans, but Cole suspected Sunshine would want to upgrade those.
If she ever cooked here.
He still couldn’t figure out how their argument had gone from zero to a hundred so fast the previous night. He had gone over it again and again in his mind as he fought for sleep on Claire and Jamie’s couch. He’d decided it had been his comment about kids that sent them into a tailspin. He’d better make his real position clear.
Kids.
Would they have kids? He’d been surprised by how much he’d enjoyed the children they’d met on their trip—especially the ones in the most remote areas. Free from the influence of television shows and the Internet, they wore their feelings and reactions right at the surface and he’d relaxed around so much honesty. They were active—and fun-loving. Cole felt that the teens he saw in Chance Creek were more self-conscious. That bothered him. If he had kids he’d want to emphasize honesty and plain speaking—and the fun that comes from playing outside and moving your body, rather than sitting like zombies in front of video games.
Still, kids were a big step and they weren’t even married yet. They had to set a date for the wedding.
Maybe he should take the lead on that.
“Okay, Reggie’s sending a team as soon as he can. I’ll drive by and drop off a set of keys with him. Go on home and relax. Let us take care of this. When it’s all fixed and fresh as a daisy in here, I’ll give you a call and we’ll start again.”
“I was hoping to fix a few things up before Christmas,” Cole told him.
“We’ll have you back in here tomorrow.”
“Sounds good.”
Cole drove to Rob and Morgan’s house, a good-sized home they’d built on a plot of land on the Double-Bar-K, Rob’s family’s ranch. Cole found Rob on the front porch waiting for him, his hands jammed into the pockets of a heavy coat. Tall and muscular, with the blond hair typical of the Matheson men, Rob looked far more relaxed and confident than he had been when Cole last saw him three years ago.