“Will he be alright?” Sonia asked for the third time that day. She paced the empty waiting room like a protective lioness defending her cub.
“Yes, the antidote was a success,” Marena replied in a patient voice. She lowered the magazine she wasn’t really reading and set it down on the table across from her chair. “It will take some time, but Coulter will make a full recovery.
Sonia rushed to her side. “Because of you.” Fighting back the tears, she grasped Marena’s hands. “I can’t thank you enough for saving my son, Marena. I admit I was a bit surprised when I found out that he’d come to you, but I’m so glad that he did. You saved his life.”
“Colt would’ve done the same for me had the situation been reversed.”
“I know he would have,” Sonia said, her voice losing some of its upbeat tone.
“Mrs. McKendrick, is there something the matter?”
“I haven’t been able to see him. They’ve been running tests on him, and when I come in, he’s sleeping.”
“Why don’t we try now? The nurse that was drawing his blood should be done.”
Sonia rushed to her chair to retrieve her purse. “That would be wonderful.”
The two continued to chat as they walked down the corridor to Coulter’s room. He smiled when Marena walked in, and she returned the gesture, but when he spotted his mother, the smile disappeared.
Seeing the abrupt change, his mother clutched her purse tightly and sat down next to his bedside.
“Hi, son—”
“Mom, I can’t imagine there’s much we need to talk about.”
“Coulter,” Marena said in shock. He had never taken that tone with his mother before.
Sonia blanched. “Yes, there is.”
Marena glanced between mother and son. “I, uh, think I’ll leave you two alone to chat. I’m going to check on Lucas.”
Coulter held out a hand to stop her and pulled her to his side. “Rena, you don’t have to go,” he said firmly.
“Yes, I do,” she said softly, tilting her head toward Sonia. “The two of you need to talk.”
Coulter’s jaw clenched. “No, we don’t.”
Touching his arm, Marena squeezed his firm biceps. “Yes, you do, but I’ll be back,” she promised before brushing her lips against his cheek.
“You’re a tad bit off target,” he teased.
Marena playfully ignored him and left.
When she was gone, Coulter’s light, easy smile disappeared and was replaced by a look of frustration.
Sonia got up and moved to sit on the edge of his bed. Coulter moved his leg a fraction of an inch, but it was enough for her to bristle.
“Honey, are we ever going to talk about it?”
“What’s to talk about?” he said tiredly. “You purposefully kept my grandfather from me for over twenty-eight years. I’ll never get that time back. Heck, I was even named after Cole, though I have no recollection of him as a child.”
Sonia absentmindedly twisted the straps on her purse. “There were extenuating circumstances, Coulter.”
His eyebrows shot upward. “What was extenuating about it, Mom? You felt he failed you as a father. You weren’t happy with the army life and moving around a lot. I get it. But, as I got older, I should’ve been given a chance to get to know my grandfather—to decide for myself if I wanted him in my life, especially since we have so little family as it is. Instead, you made it seem like he was always too busy, like he didn’t want to be bothered, but that wasn’t true.”
“He was always working,” she hedged. “Remember when we were in Calico, California, at that ghost town? He was there with us.”
“I sort of remember that. I recall having a lot of fun, and a man being there with us, but I can’t even remember his face.” Coulter’s voice had a brittle edginess to it.
“We were having a wonderful time, and I wanted our renewed closeness to work. But then he cut the vacation short and left to handle a business deal. That’s when I realized that nothing had changed—that’s the way it would always be.”
“I’m sorry that I made you feel like you didn’t matter, Sonia. Nothing could’ve been further from the truth.”
They both looked up to see Cole standing in the doorway. He walked in and sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the bed, the care package he had for Coulter at his feet.
Clasping his hands together, Cole leaned forward. His casual attire of jeans and a short-sleeve polo shirt looked out of place compared to the stiff severity of his expression.
“Honestly, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. And I regret not being there when you needed me. So, Sonia, I’m asking for a chance to wipe the slate clean between us. To start again—if you’re willing.”
Glancing between her father and son, Sonia hesitated but eventually nodded. “I’d like that. And you’re not the only one. I shouldn’t have shut you out like that.”
Sonia dove her hand into her purse to retrieve a few tissues. She dabbed furiously at her eyes before scrunching it up in her hand. “For Coulter’s sake, I should’ve made more effort. If his illness has taught me nothing else, it’s that time is promised to no one. We need to mend fences with our loved ones before it’s too late.”
Cole nodded. He looked relieved and hopeful. That expression wavered when Coulter remained quiet, and an awkward silence descended on the room like a bird swooping in for its evening meal.
“I think I’ll go see what your father is up to and give you two time to chat.”
Standing, she leaned over and kissed Coulter on the cheek. When he didn’t turn away, Sonia relaxed and squeezed his hand.
“So,” Coulter replied when they were alone. “I guess we have quite a bit of catching up to do.”
“Yeah, we do—if you’re okay with that.”
Coulter nodded. “So, when you hired me, it was to keep tabs on me?”
“No, not like that.” Cole shifted in his chair. “There comes a time in a man’s life when he wants to know how the story ends. I wanted to know about you and what you were doing. I’ve followed your career your whole life, Coulter. I knew that I couldn’t be directly involved, so I resigned myself to take whatever I could get.”
“But why didn’t you just tell me who you were when I agreed to take the assignments at Ghost Town?” Coulter reasoned. “Why all the secrecy?”
“I didn’t want to upset your mother,” he answered truthfully. Cole glanced away as he recounted his side of events. “I’d resigned myself to the realization that I’d need to respect her wishes and do as she’d asked of me. So, I stayed away.”
“But I missed having a grandfather in my life.”
“As I missed having a daughter and grandson in mine.”
Coulter frowned. “Just a heap of wasted years, and for what? Because mom didn’t like military life?”
“Don’t be hard on her, Coulter. You mean the world to her. I know she was just worried about you joining the army and getting hurt or killed. It’s any mother’s worse nightmare. Give her some grace, Colt. She’s been through a lot.”
Coulter was introspective and seemed lost in his thoughts. Eventually, Cole spoke up.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“How are things between you and Marena?”
“We’re on better footing than when I arrived.”
Cole smiled. “Good. Everything’s settled between you?”
“Nope, not yet.”
“My advice is don’t delay too long. Not clearing the air doesn’t get better with time.”
Two weeks later, Marena returned to Beaufort with Coulter so that he could recuperate under her watchful eye. However, he was experiencing residual fatigue, so she warned him to take things slow.
Coulter had attempted to broach the subject of their relationship, but Marena would say she needed more time.
Assuring her that he would be patient, Coulter didn’t press it. But, to him, they were glorified friends. He still slept in the guest room, they weren’t intimate, and on any occasion when things turned romantic, Marena pulled away first. He didn’t know how to move their relationship along. But the longer things remained unsettled between them, the antsier he became.
One day, Marena was working at the Sea Lily, and Coulter had remained home to do a videoconference call with Liam, Neil, and the rest of his employees.
He admitted that he wasn’t ready to resume his duties at his company. However, he was determined not to cause any reductions in capacity, so he announced that Liam would be taking over as interim chief executive officer. Ghost Town Security would provide additional personnel if needed to ensure the company continued meeting its workload.
Satisfied with the outcome, Coulter hung up and went into the kitchen. He decided to make a romantic dinner for Marena. However, still aware of his limitations, he opted for an Italian feast of spaghetti with meat sauce, a garden salad with Marena’s favorite toppings, garlic bread, and dessert. He was about to get started when the doorbell rang.
Coulter opened the door to find Burt standing on the other side.
“Hello, Mr. Templeton. If you’re looking for Marena, she’s at work.”
“I’m looking for you, Colonel McKendrick.”
Surprise registered on Coulter’s face before he said, “Sure.” He stepped aside to let him come in. He’d mentioned to Burt about as many times as Marena had that he could call him Coulter or Colt, but he never did.
“Is the living room fine? Or did you want to go out on the patio?”
“Outside. It’s a beautiful day today.”
Burt followed Coulter through the house and out the back door, the cane at his side making a rhythmic tap with each step. They both sat at the table. Coulter waited for the older man to proceed.
“I always speak my mind,” Burt said, jumping right in. “I’m not one for pussyfooting around.”
“I can appreciate that.”
Burt grunted. “Sir, I think what you did to my Marigold was deplorable. You broke her heart, and it ain’t mended yet.”
Coulter was familiar with his nickname for Marena. He thought it fit her well.
“I understand your concerns, Mr. Templeton. I agree with your assessment. I acknowledge my part in hurting Marena and the wreckage our relationship became. I’ve been trying to make amends and repair the damage I’ve done since my arrival. I know that it will be a slow process. But I also know that anything in life worth having is worth sticking your neck out to fight for.”
“Humph seems you missed the mark the first time around.”
“I honestly thought I was protecting her,” Coulter countered, shifting on the wooden bench. “That she would be safer without me. Look, I’m under no illusion that Marena trusting me again will be an uphill battle, but it’s a mountain I’m willing to scale. I love Marena. I always have, and I want to spend my entire life being worthy of the privilege of a second chance at making her happy.”
Burt leaned in and peered into Coulter’s eyes. “You’d better be telling the truth, McKendrick.”
“I never lie, sir.”
Grunting again, Burt sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Burt’s belly was stout, so it took more than one try to get himself comfortable.
“Well, it isn’t just me you have to convince, is it?”
“No, it’s not.”
“So, what’s your plan?”
“Plan?”
“Of course. You’ve messed up, and now you have to set things right again.” Burt shook his head. “I can’t believe I have to tell you how to win back your own woman.”
Coulter’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline, but his expression managed to remain neutral.
“I’ve had several discussions with Marena on the subject. She wanted to take things slow and figure out what she envisions for the future.”
Burt began fake snoring. “You’re going to put her to sleep waiting for you to kick things into high gear.”
Coulter looked confused. “She asked for time, and I’m giving her what she needs.”
“Don’t be waiting around. You are the one that broke trust. Now you gotta fix it.”
“I’m all for doing that,” Coulter explained. “I just don’t know what more I can do to provide Marena with enough assurance to let her guard down.”
Burt’s mouth dropped open. “Pshaw. How you made it this far is a blooming miracle. Son, you gotta be straight with her. Tell her your vision for your future. Women want to know you have a plan and you’ve thought things through.”
“I get it,” Coulter said with a grin. He truly liked Burt and was glad that Marena had such a good friend looking out for her well-being. “And I will do everything that you suggest.”
Burt relaxed and nodded his approval. “That’s good.” Eventually, Burt extended his hand. “Now, you may call me Burt.”
“Thank you, Burt,” Coulter said solemnly, shaking his hand. “And please, call me Coulter.”
“I’ll call you Coulter when you’ve taken my advice with positive results. So don’t screw around, Colonel McKendrick. Because second chances don’t grow on trees.”