Chapter Fourteen

Day 7

Colleen awoke before the sun peeked over the eastern horizon. “I need a cup of hot coffee right now.” She yawned, stretching under her blanket. “Preferably black and strong enough to wake the dead.”

“Forget coffee,” Rob said. “Give me three energy drinks, and I’ll tear up that Arch in five minutes flat.”

“We don’t have to climb stairs. We take a tram to the top.” Colleen sighed. After spending time with Rob, she realized he wasn’t the sharpest crayon in the box. But he was in good shape and kept her laughing. She could think of worse characteristics in a teammate, and then thought of Storm.

Wonder if he’d made it to St. Louis? He was probably waiting over by the Arch. Guilt stabbed her heart. She should help him instead of these guys she barely knew.

Storm’s problems and stubbornness were none of her concern. She’d already paid more than her fair share for past wrongs and didn’t have another pound of flesh to give.

When the ticket window opened, she bought her ticket, waited for Rob and Brad, and then the three of them sprinted to the entryway to the Arch. There, she found Storm waiting with the other contestants.

Once the group realized tickets weren’t purchased at the Arch, they all ran in the direction she’d come.

As he passed her, Storm firmly pressed his lips together and clenched his jaw.

Her team of three was first on the tram—a painstakingly slow ride to the top. When the small door finally opened, she exited first, barely noticing the sky-high view from the small windows.

On 4th Street is the Stadium Parking Garage. Inside are cars for your use. If you build it, they will come. Drive to The Field of Dreams.

“Dude.” Rob clapped his hands. “I know where to go. My buddy went there last year. The Field of Dreams is in the middle of nowhere in Iowa.”

Colleen pulled out her travel book and opened to the map of Iowa. She set her finger on the listing for the Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, Iowa—one of the few tourist attractions in the state.

“Do you want to follow me?” Colleen pulled most of the weight for their so-called team, which she found a positive. Let them become dependent on her for direction. In the end, the remaining contestants would be on their own. Sink or swim.

“Yeah, we’ll follow you.” Brad looked over her shoulder at the map and scratched his head. “When do you think we’ll get there?”

“The trip is five hours, so we’ll arrive around one pm.” She strode toward the tram to head down. As of now, they were still the only contestants at the top, but their lead could change very quickly. Better get moving.

She packed her body into the steel ball they called a tram and closed her eyes, pretending she was not trapped in a space the size of a dryer drum. Colleen let herself float away from her claustrophobia and focused on the next leg of the race.

****

While Storm drove north to Iowa, he berated himself for wasting all last night freezing at the base of the Arch, only to find out the tickets were sold at another location. How could he have been so stupid? Colleen, as cool and calm as always, knew exactly where to go. Once he’d discovered his mistake, he’d dragged his numb rear off the cold concrete and ran like his life depended on winning, because in a way, it did.

After the flight and wait to get into the Arch, all thirteen contestants were now bunched together. Being one of the first to arrive at the Field of Dreams was crucial to getting ahead. He pushed down harder on the gas pedal.

During his drive through rural Iowa, the corn fields seemed to stretch to infinity. Green combines pulled large trailers, working tirelessly to reap the season’s harvest. He had moments where he literally felt trapped in a corn maze. Finally, at the end of a gravel road, sat a large white farmhouse—the famed Field of Dreams movie site.

He glanced around to see other cars had already arrived, parked, and then ran over to the baseball diamond. Beside the fence sat a basket filled with white cards.

Challenge: Hit a home run and collect a baseball to receive the next clue.

Colleen stood at home plate, holding the bat high above her head and shaking her rear. First the pitch, then the swing—and nothing but air.

“Strike,” the umpire yelled.

Her full mouth turned down on one side. As the pitcher wound up for the next throw, Colleen dug in her heels. She swung with force and sent the baseball soaring out over the heads of the outfielders. With a hoot, she hustled around the bases.

The catcher handed her a baseball and the next clue.

Rob and Brad waited at home plate and gave her a high-five as she crossed.

The men seemed as attached to Colleen as remora fish to a shark, which spiked Storm’s annoyance. Out of anyone in the competition, he should be the only one allowed as her teammate. He and Colleen shared history. Who else knew she had an allergy to shellfish and a deep fear of thunder and lightning?

Rob went next—a swing and a miss.

Colleen approached and stood beside Storm. “The ball field is so cool.” Her arm swept out toward the house, ball diamond, and corn fields surrounding them.

Instead of the lush green stalks he’d seen flanking the diamond in the movie, the fall corn plants were a golden yellow. The undeniable scent of autumn hung in the air. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched as the period-dressed baseball pitcher tossed out another ball to Rob. “Field of Dreams is one of my favorite movies.” Although, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d sat still long enough to watch a movie.

Rob’s next swing connected with the ball, but the bunt rolled to the pitcher’s feet.

“Come on, man,” Brad called from the bleachers. “We don’t have all day.”

“You should leave them behind.” Storm pointed to the two goofs she’d teamed with. “You’re in a competition, not a dating show.”

She smiled and shrugged. “I have my strategy just like you have yours.”

“Yeah, but mine doesn’t involve tagging up with a couple of dopes.” Colleen was the only one he’d consider working with, and she was no dope.

“An alliance with you would be so much better?” She stared back with wide blue eyes.

He grinned. “At least you know you could trust me.”

“Ha.” She laughed. “You of all people have the best motivation to throw me under the bus. I don’t trust you, Storm.” Colleen arched one sandy blond eyebrow. “Not any farther that I could carry you.”

“Oh, that hurts.” Placing a hand over his heart, he sighed. He still got a thrill from teasing her. “You did good at home plate. I don’t remember you playing softball in high school.”

Her gaze drifted over the baseball diamond. “That’s because I didn’t.”

“That’s right. You were more of the homecoming queen type. You wore a pink dress senior year when you were crowned.” He could still picture her standing on the football field, looking like a movie star. He’d only gone to the game to catch a glimpse of her. Afterward, he found a quiet spot back home at the commune and drank himself into oblivion. “You looked beautiful.”

“I thought you didn’t pay attention to silly things like football games and homecoming queens.” She tipped her head to look up, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand.

Storm wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her toward him. Her body molded precisely against his. Every hollow inside him filled with her warmth. Holding her was like wearing his favorite pair of jeans. He inhaled and took in her naturally sweet smell, which wasn’t masked by the scent of perfume or fancy soap. His body and mind buzzed. “You were the only person who captured my attention. You didn’t notice, but I worshiped you.”

Her hands pushed back against his chest. “I’m not falling for your trickery. You whisper sweet nothings into my ear, and I let down my guard then you pounce. You’re good, Storm, but I’ve figured out your angle.”

He’d forgotten about their kiss on the beach in California and how he’d drawn her in, only to push her away in anger. “I’m not playing. I meant what I said. You were…still are…the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

Cheering pulled her attention to the baseball diamond. Rob finally hit a home run.

“Look, you made your feelings about me very clear back in Liberty Ridge. You don’t like me. I get it. But I won’t be your punching bag—someone you can use heartlessly to get ahead. Teaming up with someone to help win the competition is one thing. To use someone’s feelings against them is low.”

What could he say in reply? He had acted like a spoiled child that night on the beach. If he was honest with himself, he’d admit the Colleen Gardner standing before him today might look similar as she did in high school, but her heart had changed. Instead of the cardboard cut-out mean girl, she now was a multifaceted, complex woman. “I’m sorry for treating you horribly at the start of the race. I promise I’m not playing you. If we can put our egos aside, we’d make a great team.”

Brad hit a homerun on the first pitch.

“Look, I got to run.” As Colleen walked away, she peered back over the shoulder. “Let’s see how things go. I won’t rule anything out.” Her hips swayed as she walked back to her car.

Brad jogged up and tossed Storm the bat. “She’s a beauty.” Brad’s gaze stayed glued to Colleen. “Too bad for you, man. She’s with us now.”

Storm didn’t bother answering. As he stood at home plate, irritation brewed in his gut. Could he convince Colleen of his sincerity? The odds were low.

He let the first two pitches fly past. The third he hit so hard, he expected the seams to split. The baseball arched up, and then dropped out of view into the golden wall of corn stalks.

Not wasting a second, he took the clue and ran to his car. His jumbled emotions for Colleen aside, he wouldn’t allow Brad and Rob to use her and then lose her. Not on his watch. Not while he was still in the game.

****

As Colleen sat in the driver’s seat of her car, she balanced the baseball on one palm and read.

Up, up and away! Picture the world from high above. Great Escapes Hot Air Balloon Company is awaiting your arrival in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Balloons will only go up between seven and nine am and again from five until six pm.

Looked like another long drive to get to Sioux Falls. According to her map, she calculated a trip slightly under four hundred miles. A Safe House was placed nearby the next stop in the town of Brandon. She should have no trouble getting to the Safe House by the eight o’clock curfew and be on the first hot air balloon ride the next morning.

With her plan set, she put the car in Drive and took off down the long gravel road. Rob and Brad followed. Colleen let her mind drift to Storm and the way her body lit up in his arms. Surely, he toyed with her emotions. But she got an amazing jolt of chemistry every time he was nearby. Did Storm feel the attraction, too? Why had he acted so emboldened around her lately? He might sense the yearning she tried so hard to hide.

Storm was a predator, with a tiger’s ability to sniff out weakness—and her biggest weakness—Storm Thompson. How would she hold her resolve until the competition was over? As she looked at the challenges ahead, she knew keeping her heart closed off was impossible.

After a five-hour drive, she arrived at the Safe House. She parked beside an old, Victorian house, which probably had been constructed at the turn of the century and lovingly restored to its original grandeur. Gingerbread trim and bright colors gave the house a fairy tale quality. Colleen pictured Hansel and Gretel running out the front door.

Inside, she was greeted with the smell of lemon wood polish and fresh-baked cookies. The entry held a grand staircase made of rich walnut, which wound to the second floor. As she followed the hostess to her assigned room, she glided her hand along the smooth wooden banister.

Later, she wandered outside for some fresh air. Wrapped in a thick, crocheted blanket, Colleen curled up on the patio swing. Outside, the air was quiet and still. The scent of autumn clung to the earth as the summer world slowly died away, making room for the rebirth spring would eventually bring.

The front door creaked, and she glanced to see Storm stepping outside. With his head down, he seemed hesitant.

He approached the porch swing. “Can I sit—”

Colleen held up her hand, palm facing out. “You say one word about this competition or high school or start giving me a hard time about anything, and I’m leaving.”

Storm nodded and sat beside her. “Don’t worry. I’ll behave.” In his hands, he held a picture of his daughter. He handed it to her.

“Must be hard to be away from her.” She traced with a finger the image of the little girl with pigtails and a big smile.

He rubbed a hand down his face. “Harper is everything. I’m doing this competition for her. I need to remind myself that her wellbeing is at stake.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t want the way I act on TV to become a bad example for Harper.”

Something she should keep in mind, as well. “The cameras catch almost everything. I’m sure someone recorded our little exchange by the baseball diamond.”

“Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry. Colleen.” He hesitated. “What do you think if we tried just being friends? No bad blood and no living in the past.”

As much as she wanted to make peace, she seriously doubted his sincerity. Why, after so much time, did he want to mend fences? What were his true intentions? “I’m game if you are.” She smiled and patted his leg. He had to believe she fully trusted him. Keep your enemies close, or something like that.

“Good.” He smiled and rested an arm behind her on the back of the porch swing. “I also wanted to thank you for helping my mom. She said you went to the commune to see her.”

Colleen adored Rose Petal Thompson and had been visiting her for the past year. Storm moving home to take care of his mother showed Colleen that even after everything Rose had put him through, he still loved her. Hope prevailed that mother and son could mend the tatters of their relationship.

“I visited her about once a week,” Colleen said. “Rose wouldn’t accept my help as a psychiatrist, but she would as a friend. I helped her in the garden, pulling weeds, and we chatted. I noticed her deteriorating. She talked to people who weren’t there and had severe mood swings. Nothing I said convinced her to take medication.” Common enough, in Colleen’s practice, for a patient to resist change. Starting a new medication, or medication in general, was usually a tough sell. She’d done her best with Rose, but in the end, Storm’s mom wasn’t a patient, which meant her powers of persuasion were limited.

“She’s on medication now.” Storm tipped back his head and exhaled. His breath misted in the cold air. “When I found out I was chosen for the show, we met with her doctor, and she agreed to stay in a facility under professional care while I’m away. Every day I worry about her.”

“In my opinion, having you and Harper back in her life gives Rose a reason to get better. She wants to make things right with you.” Storm turned to face her, and his minty breath flowed over her like an intoxicating fog.

“Thank you for being her friend. She never had many real friends. Not even me, her own son.”

Colleen covered his large hand with her own. With a turn of his wrist, their palms lay flush. His rough fingers snagged against her smooth skin. “Your mom has a good heart, but she wasn’t a very good mother. No one blames you for wanting to get away.”

The memory of her own mom’s smiling face created a stitch in her chest. Her life might have been so different if her selfishness hadn’t caused the car accident. If her mom hadn’t been distracted by Colleen’s demands from the back seat, she never would have run off the road. Her dad wouldn’t have turned to alcohol to dull his pain. She would have grown up in a loving home, with a mom and dad.

Storm could never know helping others, like Rose Thompson and the veterans, was pure penance. Under her kind actions hid a tainted conscience she was afraid she’d never wipe clean.