-: -The Letter- :-


-The Letter- 
	
By Maxine Joy Hansen 	
Published by Awe-Struck E-Books	
Copyright ©1999	
ISBN: 1-928670-47-4	
["TOC"]Table of Contents["#One"]	
Chapter One["#Two"]Chapter Two["#Three"]Chapter Three["#Four"]	
Chapter Four["#Five"]Chapter Five["#Six"]Chapter Six["#Seven"]	
Chapter Seven["#Eight"]Chapter Eight["#Nine"]Chapter Nine["#Ten"]	
Chapter Ten	
["#TOC"]	
Chapter One	
August 12, 1948	
My dearest Jim,	
I want you to know I did come to Tellman's Wharf last night. I have tried to start this letter in a hundred different ways, but it seems this is the best place to begin. I watched you from across the road, the gentle breeze ruffling your hair, your strong, broad shoulders set against the background of sky and sea. I thought of the safe haven of your arms, how they've felt when you've held me close, your heart beating in unison with mine. It was nearly my undoing. I almost ran across the street to you, daring to call out your name. But I stopped myself and the word became a whisper on my lips. Perhaps you won't understand when I tell you that love stopped me - the love I feel for you. The love that will always be a part of me.	
I knew I could only hurt you if I crossed the distance that lay between us.	
Do you remember when we sat on the bench outside of Hamilton's several nights ago? You were telling me about your dreams. You talked about people who dared to have a vision, a purpose, but never dared to follow it through. And people who dared, but whom the years had scarred so badly that they didn't even remember their dreams. I didn't tell you then, but it reminded me of Mrs. Kelly, a woman I knew when I was a child. My mother would give me a few pennies for candy and I would go to the shop where Mrs. Kelly worked. At the time she seemed ancient. Actually, she was only ten years older than I am now. She was thirty-two.	
She was always very austere. Her hair was scraped back into a bun, her back rigid and straight. She would wear the most awful print dresses that hung limply on her thin frame. Sometimes she wore flowered prints and sometimes odd shaped patterns, always faded, washed-out colors. I was a little frightened of her. She was never cruel to me nor even cold. Reflecting on it now, she seemed numbed. Unfeeling. As if she had willed away every last bit of emotion. And so tired. She seemed so tired. But it was her eyes I will never forget. It was as though they were filled with a lifetime of pain. Their depths held such anguish that it reached out to me even as a child. I never understood how someone could feel that way. I never saw her smile. Never. And I remember promising myself I would - could - never be like that. Now I do understand. It's not a sudden change. It's not a matter of going to bed one evening and the next morning you simply awaken with a different attitude. It's not like that at all. And it's not even really one thing, as though something terrible has devastated you and you can't find the will or reserve to rebound. No, it's more subtle. It's a compilation of things. A disappointment here and there. A few scattered tears. Plans that get put aside until tomorrow. Decisions that seemed so right at the time. A tempting side road, a detour taken to avoid something else. And then one day the side roads and detours become normal, a matter of course. When you first realize this you put on a bright face and tell yourself it isn't true. You try to cheer yourself up and find the main road again. But you don't seem to be able to and you struggle, desperate to disbelieve what your heart is telling you. Until one day you simply stop struggling and try to pretend you can forget and accept, like Mrs. Kelly.	
Jim, I'm not what I seem. I wish to God I was, for both our sakes. But I can never bring you the happiness you deserve. I lied to you. I'm not a young woman visiting her aunt from Maine. It was a story, the only thing I dared have the courage to tell you. I never meant to see you again after that first day. And then you showed up at Mrs. Cutler's. Bless her heart, she is such a good person. She cares so much and she has been so kind to me. When you told her how much you wanted to see me and asked for her approval as my aunt she went right along with it. She says you are a fine young man. She is so very right! She was just trying to help. She didn't know my true circumstances.	
I promised myself just one more time, one more hour, one more kiss. Yet I couldn't help myself. I love you so much. It seemed so easy after awhile. The little fabricated stories, a small twist of the truth, what harm when it gave me another moment in your arms. And I swear to you, there were no lies in my feelings - in my love for you. Whatever else, my feelings for you are the purest truth there is. Remember that always.	
There is no reason or sense to tell you about my past. Suffice to say, Rose Cutler is not my aunt. Nor is she any relation. She has simply become a good and dear friend. I have been staying at her rooming house as a boarder. When I met you I had been here for three weeks.	
I have asked Tommy Lin to bring this letter to you. By the time you receive it I shall be gone. Please spare Rose. She does not know my destination. No, it's not Maine. I am going home, Jim. To live the best life I can; a life now softened with compassion and hope. Because of you I will never become a Mrs. Kelly. What was intolerable has become confrontable. The wounds, if not healed, have been soothed by the balm of your touch. The pain is only a dull ache now. Whatever else happens, I will always live with the knowledge and joy of our time together.	
If there was any other way. . .but there is not. There simply isn't. I would give anything for that miracle and yet I take comfort in the miracle of the weeks I have spent with you. I am not unselfish enough to hope that you will hate me for what I have done. I could not bear to think of your feelings turning to loathing. Rather, I hope you will fancy that you have merely been in love with love itself. And that now you are ready for the deep abiding love of a very special woman. I know you will find her, Jim. There is no man more deserving. And I know you will be so happy together. She will be the greatest love of your life.	
Somewhere in a small corner of your heart, I pray there will be room for a memory. Not of this letter, nor of deceit or recriminations. But of a summer's day. That perfect summer's day when you had the three decker ice cream cone, with that sticky chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and that cherry perched on top very precariously. Mr. Tellman thought we were crazy and we were both laughing so hard, trying to finish this ridiculous creation before it melted.	
You teased me about trying to eat the middle flavor first and, of course, we had to split the cherry in half. You even kissed the whipped cream off the tip of my nose. That's what I want you to remember. The laughter, the creamy, smooth texture of the ice cream, Mr. Tellman's fretting, warily eyeing us with that damp cloth in case we spilled something on the counter. I'm sure he was envious of our outrageous treat and wanted a bite. It was the most perfect day of all of our perfect days. I had no past at that moment. Only the sheer exhilaration of the present and you. That was Me, Jim; giggling and conspiring with you. The best and truest of "me" there has been in a long time.	
Promise me-and yourself-that you will make all of your dreams come true. I believe in what you want to do with your life, and I know you can do it. Reach for the stars, Jim. They are yours for the taking.	
All my love, all my life	
Anne	
Kathryn Belle Cartwright trailed a small, slender finger down her cheek to brush away the errant teardrops that had begun to fall. She quickly folded the letter, returning it to her purse while glancing at the gentlemen seated adjacent to her on the plane. Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about staving off any uncomfortable questions. He was burrowed into his seat, well satisfied after the filling meal he had just consumed and pleasantly dozing. His open briefcase lay on the empty seat between them as an added cushion, affording her some extra privacy. 	
Shifting slightly in the somewhat cramped space, she leaned her head against the cool window and rolled her eyes. For the hundredth time she could not believe what she was doing. 	
"Ladies and gentlemen, we'll be starting our feature film in just a few moments. We would ask at this time that you ensure your window shades are drawn. If you are in need of headphones your hostess will supply them. Our feature today can be heard on channels one and two. Enjoy the movie." The perky but authoritative voice of the stewardess subsided, followed by the click of a speaker knob. 	
Kathryn welcomed the subdued lights in the aircraft cabin, deciding to forgo the movie and concentrate on her spur of the moment plans. Yesterday! It had started out to be such a simple, restful, and glorious day. The first day of a much needed vacation. She had saved up three weeks - time to relax, refresh herself and decorate her apartment. She had been in this apartment for six months now, ever since the amicable ending of "the relationship." Funny to call it a relationship when in actual fact she and Charley were together for over ten years, more than most married couples. After the split, while staying with her parents, Kathryn searched extensively for somewhere to call home. 	
While she and Charley had enjoyed their large two bedroom apartment nestled in the Hollywood Hills, Kathryn had gracefully turned it over to him, wanting instead to find something that reflected more of her personal taste; something that made for a new, independent beginning. She found what she was looking for almost by accident. After a tiring and frustrating Saturday afternoon spent looking at three "luxury" apartments which didn't come close to the meaning of the word she headed her car towards the Pacific Ocean. It had been a particularly warm winter's day and the first taste of tangy salt air served to calm her frayed nerves. She spotted the apartment complex barely minutes after the ocean came into view. While not immediately adjacent to the water, only the highway and the beach front properties separated the four story building from the pristine sand and silky waves. Slightly weathered with age and the elements, the apartment building featured a welcome exterior of malted chocolate edged in dark fudge trimming. 	
The inside was everything the outside had promised, with spacious rooms and a cozy ambiance. A beautiful picture window that framed the ocean scene added the perfect finishing touch and Kathryn knew she had found her "home." Definitely not Charley's type of place; just one of the differences that made their friendship appealing and interesting, but their relationship somewhat strained at times. 	
For six months Kathryn planned the moment when she would have time to lovingly decorate the apartment with more than just the essentials. Unfortunately, with her hectic schedule at work and the added daily travel time, all she had to offer were several modern mismatched pieces of furniture and accessories. It had been all right though and Kathryn certainly felt comfortable, but gentle off-white walls, a soft oatmeal flecked beige carpet, and strategically placed nooks and crannies begged for just the right treasures. 	
She discovered the first of these treasures last weekend during a visit to a local antique shop. The beautiful mahogany secretary was something she could not pass up and, miraculously, it fit within her allotted treasure hunting budget. The friendly proprietor, a bespectacled, balding man in his mid sixties, agreed to deliver it to her apartment the following Saturday when she was sure to be home. As promised, it had arrived by 10:00AM that morning, accompanied by two burly delivery men who patiently positioned it to Kathryn's exact specifications. 	
After they left, she carefully cleaned the aged wood, placed selected books on the two shelves and began to fill one small side drawer with odds and ends. That's when she found the letter. Only a fraction of it was showing; it had slipped through a small seam on the right side of the drawer. 	
The pages, originally a lightweight white bond with faint writing lines, were in excellent condition for their age. Except for being slightly yellowed, they could have been written only weeks ago. The handwriting was strong, purposeful, and Kathryn could envision the determination and resolve behind every carefully thought out word. 	
The envelope bore no return address; centered in the middle was the name of a Mr. James Hazlett, followed by 10 Magnolia Lane, Clearwater. There was no stamp and no sign that there had ever been one, but "Anne" had stated right in the letter that she was having a person named Tommy Lin deliver it. The contents were still sealed when Kathryn found the envelope. Her first inclination had been to telephone the antique dealer in the hope that he could advise her of the previous owner of the secretary. Whatever the circumstances, the letter belonged with its rightful owner if possible. Her call had proved fruitless. The helpful and sympathetic gentleman had purchased it sometime back from another dealer, and a paper trail leading to the earlier ownership was somewhat hazy. 	
Sighing, Kathryn had put down the phone and brushed back her chestnut shoulder length curls in exasperation. Someone else probably would have just pitched it, but Kathryn was not someone else. An incurable romantic, she was stubborn in the bargain and curious. Hesitant to open someone else's mail, but not having a clue where Clearwater was or how else to proceed, she carefully broke the seal. Barely ten minutes later, her vacation plans forgotten, Kathryn Cartwright had become a woman with a mission. What had happened that day? Perhaps Tommy Lin had never delivered the letter; maybe he was distracted and put the contents in a drawer, failing to return for it later for reason. Maybe Anne had decided not to send it or James Hazlett had come calling in person before she had been able to give it to Tommy. Possibly they were even married with grandchildren. Or had James Hazlett received it and, in his pain, refused to open it cramming it instead in the drawer of the secretary. Somehow that didn't seem likely. For some unnerving reason Kathryn knew she had to find the answer if possible. Her more level headed friends and co-workers would have called her crazy. Well it wouldn't have been the first time. 	
Leafing through a handy atlas, she located eight Clearwaters in the United States, and picked the two largest communities to focus on. Dialing long distance information, the first city she chose bore ten Hazletts, none with the initial "J" and none on Magnolia. In fact, she learned there was no street called Magnolia in that particular Clearwater. With some misgivings, but determined nonetheless, she turned her attention to Florida where the second similarly named town was located. There were several Hazletts including two with the initial "J". Not one of them lived on Magnolia Lane. Her heart beating faster she dared to ask the operator if indeed there was such a place as Magnolia Lane in Clearwater, Florida. Her spirits soared when she learned there was. What now? Call all of the Hazletts in Clearwater, Florida with a condensed version of her story and hope they didn't think she was nuts? Engage an irate James Hazlett on the phone perhaps, or worse, a Mrs. Hazlett who would not be pleased at stirring up old memories of girlfriends past? She could just file the letter, she reasoned. Forget it, even pitch it. After all it had been fifty years. But the contents had affected her deeply. It was almost as if the mysterious Anne had herself entrusted Kathryn to finally deliver its message. She hesitated only briefly before picking up the phone again. 	
In between calls to the airlines, packing and making some personal arrangements, she wondered at her decision. She was actually going to get on a plane, just like that, travel to Florida and meddle in something she didn't even know about. She wasn't even sure she had the right Clearwater, but with the highest population, and the right street name it was a logical starting place. Certainly, she reasoned, it was better than tearing up the letter or hiding it back in the drawer and sitting in mystery for years to come. Early the next morning she left her car at one of the airport car parks, took a shuttle to LA International Airport and was in the air shortly after 8:00AM on a non-stop flight headed to Clearwater via the nearby city of Tampa, Florida. 	
With the three hour change in time, Kathryn's plane didn't land until 4:00PM. Unsure of her Florida surroundings, she rented a car and spent the night at a hotel near the airport, leaving early the next day for the thirty minute drive to Clearwater. Even in the morning Clearwater Beach was a beehive of activity. Tourists of all ages, shapes and sizes were heading for the sparkling white sand and clear blue Gulf waters. Others made their way from small motels and hotels that lined the main strip, eager to enter one of the inviting coffee shops. Her own stomach grumbling, Kathryn joined them for a hearty breakfast. Slowly winding her way through the beach community, her appetite curbed, she found a familiar hotel sign from the West Coast and registered. Still somewhat uncertain, this little bit of home served as an anchor of sorts. Not usually prone to homesickness when she traveled, this adventure was different and she felt she could use all the anchoring she could find. 	
Barely an hour later, showered and refreshed, map in hand, she headed her rented burgundy compact car to Clearwater proper and Magnolia Lane. 	
Colt Riverton heard the muted sounds of the television and breathed a sigh of relief. His daughter was occupied in the living room and wouldn't witness the fiasco he'd created in the kitchen. At least he'd been smart enough to grab the frying pan arm with a mitt before carrying it over to the sink. Too bad he hadn't waited until the oil was hot enough before laying in the pancake batter. He scraped as much of the stuck mess off as he could, and then set to work washing the pan. 	
Fortunately, in his wizened state he had enough batter to start again. Four strips of bacon lay innocently in another smaller pan, and he wondered if you had to add oil to that before you cooked it. He shook his head. Maybe he should have skipped this and headed to the restaurant. It was just that they had eaten breakfast out so much in the last couple of weeks since the move, not to mention lunch and dinner. He wanted to surprise Jesse with a good home cooked morning meal. The kind they used to have whenever they came off the road trips with the Club. The kind she enjoyed so much. 	
At least the art of opening a soup can or making a sandwich wasn't beyond him and several of their neighbors were very friendly, coming over with welcoming casseroles, desserts, and invitations to dinner. He appreciated this, but he suspected it would stop when a few of the more attractively eligible ones found out his only interest was a decent meal for his daughter. 	
Colt dried the large frying pan and poured more oil into it. He waited patiently to spoon in the remaining batter and, as he watched the gas range fire flicker, he thought about Jesse. She was a jewel, the queen of his world. He cherished her, worked hard to protect her in every way, and tried to give her everything she needed and more. In turn, she was protective of him. To be honest, in some ways they had shut Pam out. But maybe that was the way she had wanted it. Although she loved Jesse, Pam had never been too keen on having children. As she had pointed out in the first few years of their marriage, their lifestyle was not the best one in which to raise a child. Colt had been a professional baseball player. Born and raised in Georgia, he attended school there and then moved to Texas where, after paying his dues in the minors, he was drafted by a major league team. That's when he met and married Pam. After two years of relatively unspectacular success, albeit holding his own, he was traded to California where he really hit his stride and made his mark in the Majors. 	
He was proud of his success and, granted, he enjoyed the perks it afforded him. What he loved most, however, was the thrill of each game, the challenge, the dedicated determination of his team versus the opposition, the passion of the crowds, and the sheer joy of winning. On the flip side, from spring training to away games, half of each month of the season he was on the move. Traveling from city to city, state to state, the impersonal hotel rooms, and the unfamiliarity of not coming home each and every night made him somewhat uncomfortable. He enjoyed stability in a profession where the only stability guaranteed was that the game would go on with or without you. Pam, on the other hand, thrived in this kind of environment. His wife usually came to every game to root him on. She never flinched or complained at the constant traveling schedule, upheavals, or long days and nights. Accompanying him to dinners or charity functions she outshone and outdid everyone else. She gave him everything and he let her down. 	
In truth, they had never really talked about what was important before they were married. She was beautiful, dazzling, and he had fallen head over heels in love. She loved him too and it seemed natural, after a whirlwind courtship to marry. Four years into their marriage and after a second successful season with the popular California club, Pam agreed that maybe they could bring a child into their lives. But wanting wasn't enough and, after awhile it became apparent their alternative was adoption. A year later Jesse became part of their family. The very best part. Colt smiled with satisfaction at the memory. He turned on the flame for the bacon, wisely double checking the directions on the package, and spooned the batter into the now sizzling oil. This time everything seemed to gel. Just like the first time he saw his little girl. 	
Colt and some of the other players had offered to spend an afternoon coaching kids at a center for troubled youth. Mostly these kids ranged in age from ten to fourteen and came from a wide variety of problem backgrounds. This was a place for them to get together to gain some confidence and some footing in an otherwise tenuous environment. Both girls and boys intermingled, getting a chance to enjoy themselves relatively free of stress for a few hours, learning new skills, making some dreams come true in the bargain. 	
Over the excited chatter of two youngsters vying for a chance to bat, Colt heard the sound of a child crying. 	
Momentarily leaving the group in the capable hands of his teammates, he rounded the corner of the grassy yard and encountered a woman holding a little girl about a year old. Her tear-streaked face turned towards him, two exquisite brown eyes partially hidden by a balled, tiny fist, her attention was diverted by his presence. Even in the capable woman's arms she looked lost, frightened, and terribly alone. Tentatively Colt approached the quivering figure, holding his breath, afraid the intimidating size of his body would only serve to scare her more. Miraculously it didn't and, when he softly whispered a few comforting words, she hesitantly reached out her small hand and touched his strong, hard-muscled arm. Even before he spoke to the now somewhat startled woman, even before he had all the facts, he knew this child would become the most important part of his life. 	
The table was set, and the pancakes miraculously looked like pancakes. Even the bacon cooperated. Rubbing his hands together, a satisfied smile on his face, he was about to call Jesse for breakfast when the doorbell rang. 	
"I'll get it dad," he heard his daughter shout above the television. He shook his head and rolled his eyes somewhat expressively. Probably another friendly offering from one of their neighbors. Jesse was pretty good at fielding these things and, maybe if he stayed out of sight, he and his daughter would be able to share a quiet breakfast for two instead of three. He winced at himself for being uncharacteristically impolite, but he wanted some quality time with Jesse. They had both earned it. 	
He heard her exuberant footfalls on the carpet and turned when she flew into the kitchen. 	
"Dad, there's a lady at the door," she began. 	
"Don't tell me, she has an entire breakfast for two with lunch thrown in." 	
The pert eleven year old giggled, her brown eyes sparkling with mischief. 	
"No, dad. Not this time. I haven't seen this lady before. She asked me about a man named James Hazlett. She thought this was his address." Jesse eyed her father and as an afterthought added, "She's kind of pretty." 	
"Okay, Miss Matchmaker, you sit down to that delicious plate of bacon and pancakes which your old dad just whipped up, and I'll see what I can do to help this kind of pretty lady." 	
Colt dried his hands and headed to the front door. When he opened it his first thought was that "pretty" seemed too mild an adjective for the woman who stood in front of him. ["#TOC"]	
Chapter Two	
With every mile she covered, Kathryn's courage and resolve faltered. Nearly three thousand miles away it had seemed adventurous, romantic, and positively right to fly across the span of States to Florida, throwing caution to the wind and possibly reuniting two lovers. Last night and this morning, however, her enthusiasm had been somewhat tempered, but she put that down to jet lag. Yet as the car made its way across the bay and into downtown Clearwater, the muscles in the back of her neck had tensed, her nerves had crackled, and more than a little fraction of doubt had eaten at her. Still, nothing had prepared her for the knot in her stomach and the breathless feeling that rushed upon her when the most devastatingly handsome man she had ever seen opened the door to her and fixed her with his warm sherry-brown eyes. 	
"Can I help you?" he offered, his deep Southern drawl bathing over her like triple grade A golden honey. 	
It wasn't that he was handsome in the classic sense; his features weren't perfect. He wore a comfortably lived-in face with tiny lines etching the corners of his eyes; lines that spoke of laughter and enjoyment of life, mingled with creases put there by moments of stress and concern. His left temple sheltered a small scar. His skin was somewhat weathered and bespoke of time spent outdoors. But the Roman slant of his nose and strong, purposeful jaw, blended together just right with his generously sensual mouth. He was a large man somewhere in his late-thirties, over six feet, rugged with well defined muscles and a tight stomach that only someone who worked out diligently could lay claim to. 	
When her heart fluttered momentarily, Kathryn realized she'd been staring and quickly brought her eyes past the powerful column of his neck and back to his face. For a fraction of a second brown eyes connected with brown eyes. Miraculously, a shred of common sense and her inbred manners returned. Her tongue darted out to wet her parched lips before she spoke. She regretted the action instantly, and covered it with her hurried words. 	
"I'm so sorry to bother you on a Monday morning. This is highly unusual I know, but I'm looking for Mr. James Hazlett. He used to live here and I thought. . . I thought this might still be his address." 	
The man considered her for a moment. 	
"Are you a relative?" 	
"No, and I'm not a friend either," she admitted. What would he think. At best he'd probably peg her as a pesky salesperson who was getting an early start on the day with some crazy ploy. Or would he think she was just crazy period. Frankly, she was beginning to think that of herself. 	
"I have a letter for him," she tentatively offered. "I wanted to deliver it personally, to make sure he received it. It's a bit unusual. It's from 1948." 	
She saw a flicker of something in his face, she wasn't sure what, and decided any credibility she'd started with had just flown out the window. Sure the door would be slammed in her face any second, flustered at her clumsy approach, silently and unfairly blaming him for the loss of her poise, she reached out her small hand and touched his arm. "Please, I'm not as crazy as I sound. My name is Kathryn Cartwright." 	
Colt was just about to respond when his eye caught the flair of a pink skirt. Kathryn saw his attention stray to the walkway and turned to look. A delicate blonde woman carefully traveled the short distance from the sidewalk, up the walkway to the front door. Nestled in her arms was a large, deep-dish pan generously covered with tin foil. Her features resembled the pretty sketches Kathryn had recently seen of some angels, and the dainty pink confection she wore added to the effect. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief and something else, perhaps determination. Her perfect mouth was curved in pleasure. As she reached Kathryn and Colt, a slim, elegant foot, clad in a strappy pink sandal connected with the first of two steps leading to the verandah. Kathryn turned back to the man in front of her. 	
"I've obviously come at a very bad time," she stammered. "I. . ." 	
"Well, Colt Riverton, don't tell me someone else has beaten me to the punch yet again. And I thought the early bird catches the prize, or so they say. I was up hours ago making you and Jesse a special breakfast." The soft Southern tones matched the woman exactly. 	
Kathryn noticed a dull red stain flushed the face of the man she now knew as Colt Riverton. The name suited him perfectly she mused. 	
"Sue Ann, I'm much obliged to you for thinking of me and Jesse. Actually. . ." 	
"It's always a pleasure, Colt. You know you can count on me any time," the woman beamed. 	
Anytime I'll bet. An irrational feeling of annoyance shot through Kathryn, a sure bet she was going to say something that would land her in trouble. 	
"Actually, Mr. Riverton and I have some business." 	
Her smile perfectly in place, the leggy Southern beauty diverted her gaze to the unfamiliar brunette. Kathryn could feel herself being sized up. 	
"That's right," Colt quickly offered. "Miss Cartwright is from the. . .Post Office." 	
"The Post Office?" the frothy pink and blonde delicacy eyed the pretty lilac summer dress Kathryn wore. Simple pearl earrings, together with matching white sandals and handbag complimented the breezy easy-traveling outfit. 	
"Well, I'm actually trying to deliver a very urgent letter which we have had some trouble in getting through the system. And you know the U.S. Post Office; neither wind, rain nor snow can stop us so the saying goes." At least that's how Kathryn hoped it went. 	
"Tell you what, Sue Ann, why don't I take that casserole dish into Jesse. I know she'll love it. Then I'll come over later and return it to you." Colt smiled and Sue Ann melted, carefully placing the pan in his hands. "Why Colt, that would be fine. I'll certainly let you get back to your business. But don't take too long. I want to make sure you enjoy those special rolls I made. Now if the food gets cold you can always warm it up in the oven for a few minutes. And call me if you need anything; you have my number." This last comment was stated pointedly for Kathryn's benefit. Then, with one last look in Kathryn's direction and the flawless crescent of her pink laced mouth offered up invitingly to Colt, she turned and headed back down the walk. 	
Kathryn watched her go, then brought her attention back to the man standing in front of her. She couldn't help noticing the relief evident on his face and it brought a guilty measure of satisfaction. Still, she may have misinterpreted the situation and felt an apology was due. 	
"I'm certainly sorry I came at an inopportune time. I . . ." 	
"No, not at all. Look, why don't you come in and I'll see if I can help you." Balancing the pan in one hand, Colt opened the front door wide enough to usher Kathryn into the attractive cream colored hallway. The entrance immediately opened off into a spacious living room. Both areas were carpeted in a lush, earthy toned material. A comfortable beige couch sat facing a television set. Two matching beige chairs flanked each side. Various knickknacks stood haphazardly on the shelves of a built-in bookcase and piled in the corner of the room were a number of sealed cartons waiting to be opened. 	
"We just moved and haven't quite unpacked everything yet." Colt gave her a sheepish grin. 	
"Please, I'm the one who's intruding. I'll just take a minute of your time." 	
"No problem," Colt assured her. "Let me just check on my daughter and I'll be right back. Listen, can I get you a cup of coffee?" 	
"Oh, no. Really, I'm fine." 	
"Okay, I'll be back in a second." 	
Kathryn watched his strong, muscular back as he strode out of the room. She had never felt so affected by a man, and it shook her on top of her already nervous state. 	
"Calm down, Kate, or any minute you'll run screaming from the room and he'll really wonder about you," she tried to relax her tightly wound up nerves. 	
Kathryn forced her attention onto the room. She noticed three trophies of significant stature stood proudly on a corner table, but couldn't make out the small printing on the plaques affixed to each one. She supposed they must belong to Colt Riverton and it didn't surprise her. Certainly he seemed capable of any feat imaginable. At that she blushed and, since the room didn't banish her wayward thoughts of him, she tried to concentrate on something else. 	
A muffled giggle from another room brought up the image of the young girl who had initially opened the door when Kathryn rang the front bell. The pretty youngster was about eleven or twelve from what Kathryn could guess. Clothed in blue jeans and a matching sky blue T-shirt with the words 'Florida Or Bust' emblazoned on it, her hair a shiny golden brown cap of curls that framed a sweet heart-shaped face, her tomboy figure could not quite hide the slight beginnings of womanhood emerging. Her beautifully expressive brown eyes were filled with mischief and fun, and something else Kathryn couldn't quite make out. A maturity beyond her years perhaps. Kathryn smiled for a moment when she remembered how those eyes had momentarily gazed at her hands, as though expecting them to be holding something; a pan of food perhaps. Maybe the comely Sue Ann was among a selection of hopefuls who came to the door bearing gifts. 	
She couldn't see Colt Riverton's wife putting up with such charitable actions, nor could she picture a troop of hardworking, dedicated cooks daring to come to the door only to find a Mrs. Riverton smiling at them with welcoming pleasure. Before she could wonder, Colt walked back into the room. 	
"I brought some of these sweet rolls just in case you're hungry. Sue Ann does a good job on them," he proffered the plate in her direction. 	
Grudgingly she admitted to herself that they smelled tantalizing, so she took one. Colt put the plate of rolls down on a nearby end table, picked up one of the plump raisin-filled sweet buns, and invited her to join him on the couch. 	
"Now that urgent letter from 19...48 I believe," he offered. 	
With another blush staining her cheeks she proceeded to tell him her story. "I live in Los Angeles and I just moved; well, a few months ago. Anyway, I have some time off work and I was in the process of fixing up my apartment. About a week ago I found a wonderful antique secretary. When it was delivered and I was going through the drawers I discovered a letter wedged in one of the corners. I certainly don't go around reading other people's mail," she hastened to assure him. "I wanted to return it to its rightful owner." 	
"Naturally, I thought that might be the person who owned the desk originally or at least the last owner. So I called the gentleman who had sold it to me, only he wasn't able to help because there wasn't enough of a paper trail. I didn't want to just throw it way. My only clue was the name and partial address on the envelope - James Hazlett, Magnolia Lane, Clearwater. I didn't have a clue where Clearwater was to begin a search for Mr. Hazlett. I thought the contents might shed some light on where to start looking or give me some idea of what to do." Kathryn took the letter from her purse, and turned it over in her hand. 	
"After reading it and making some calls, I decided to fly down here. Mr... Riverton, please believe me, I'm usually not so impulsive. I'm really very practical." Kathryn looked thoughtfully at the envelope she held. "It just seemed like the right thing to do. Something I had to do." Looking into his eyes, instinctively trusting him, Kathryn handed Colt the letter. She watched his face as he read it. She was sure, as he took in the neat, purposeful handwriting, and the pleading words written by a young woman over fifty years ago, that he would understand. Although they had barely met, she was certain that he would be as touched as she had been. Taking in the myriad of expressions that chased across his features, she knew she had not misjudged him. 	
Colt silently folded the pages, only mildly faded with time, and put them back in the envelope. He studied the address written in the same hand. "Fifty years ago. That's a long time in a man's life, Kathryn." 	
The use of her first name sent a small shiver through her body. 	
"And a woman's," Colt continued. "Hell, in just a few years. . ." he hesitated, then stood for a moment, massaging his neck with the back of one hand. "For all you know, anything could have happened. The desk you bought could have been his. He got the letter, it upset him, he stuffed it in a drawer and got on with his life." Colt turned to her. "Or maybe she never sent it. Maybe she wrote it, decided it was a bad idea and left it at that. Maybe she forgot to tear it up. Maybe. . ." 	
"I know," Kathryn interrupted. "There are a hundred variations of 'maybe' and I've been through most of them." She rose from the couch and went over to where he stood. 	
"Mr. Riverton...Colt...I don't know. It's just a feeling, a crazy impulsive...something. I'm not sure if it's for me, for her, or James Hazlett. It feels...incomplete. I touch this letter and I read it, and in my heart I have to do this." 	
Colt looked at her. It wasn't just her beautiful heart-shaped face lovingly caressed by the reddish brown curls, the inviting liquid eyes a man could drown in, the not quite perfect mouth made to be kissed, it wasn't really any of these that held him captive; it was her. Her honesty, her sense of commitment, her seemingly practical approach to life warring with the hint of reckless adventure and romance. And it was something else; a deep spiritual bond he understood and had felt once before when he had dared to reach out and touch the heart and soul of the child he now called his daughter. Crazily enough, as he held the letter he knew she was right. It was something that had to be done. There was something to complete here. 	
"Well, Kathryn Cartwright, let's just team up and see what kind of trouble we can get ourselves into," he shook his head and smiled and she breathed a sigh of relief. 	
"Sam, Colt Riverton here. Have you got a couple of minutes?" 	
"Absolutely, Mr. Riverton. How's the house? Everything okay?" 	
"Perfect! And thanks for all your help in getting this property for us." 	
"My pleasure. Now what can I do for you?" 	
"Well, you know the fellow I bought this house from, Tom Selkirk. I was wondering if he had a relative by the name of Hazlett." 	
Colt could picture the man on the other side of the line. Sam Seplezio was an outgoing fellow, with a wide smile and an even wider girth. Exercise had never been high on his list of priorities although he wryly claimed that showing prospective buyers through a property was a good trade-in for half an hour of gym time. An avid sports fan, he was delighted when Colt had contacted him about the house. An autographed baseball had cemented the relationship and Colt knew he could count on this man's help. It was just a matter of presenting the facts in the proper light. Sam didn't seem like the kind of guy who would sit through Gone With The Wind or An Affair To Remember. 	
"You know Mr. Riverton, if there are any problems with the house. . ." Sam started in and Colt could almost see the furrow edging his worried brow. 	
"No, No! Everything is just fine," Colt hastily assured him. "The fact is. . . It's just that I came across this. . uh, this document that appeared to belong to a James Hazlett." Colt smiled. The acceptable truth. Well, it wasn't a lie exactly. 	
"You came across this in the house?" Sam queried. 	
"It sounds kind of strange, but you know how these things are. This is a pretty big house with lots of nooks and crannies. This. . . document was found stuffed in a drawer." 	
"A drawer?" clearly Sam was puzzled. "I didn't know there was any furniture left in the house." 	
"A kitchen drawer." Okay, one lie, and a little one. That was Colt's limit. It seemed to satisfy Sam. 	
"Ah, well that happens," Sam agreed. "Now that house was owned by the Hazlett family for many years. Let's see, it was originally built in the late 1920's; probably around '27 or '28 off the top of my head without looking at the records. Anyway, I'm sure you understand client confidentiality even in the real estate business, so I can't give out personal information from my files. But I'll tell you what, it so happens Richard Hazlett is a good buddy of mine. That's how I first got involved with the property. Dick's mom had passed away a few years before and his dad was rolling around in that big house by himself. Well, he was getting up there and Dick didn't think it was good for him to be alone, especially after he retired. Dick's dad was a doctor, very prominent in the Clearwater area. Anyway, Dick decided his dad would be better off in a retirement community. We've got plenty of those you know. Dick didn't want to keep the house. Tastes change, and he and his wife opted for a nice condo on the beach. Easy to maintain; you come home after a hard day's work and you relax. On the weekend no gardening to do, no heavy repairs, you know the stuff that comes with a house. Dick and Irene don't have any kids, so this was perfect. Anyway, he asked me to sell the house, which I did to Mr. Selkirk and then a year or so later to you." 	
Colt easily cut into the conversation when Sam paused for a breath. "Is Dick's father's name James or Jim?" 	
"Exactly, Dr. James Hazlett. Good man. Went to him for stomach problems just before he retired. Very common in this business as you can imagine. Real estate. In this market great for ulcers." Sam laughed and Colt joined in. 	
"So, is Dick's dad still alive? Colt didn't want to seem over anxious. It would put up a little red warning flag for Sam or anybody for that matter given the circumstances. 	
"Oh, sure. Doesn't practice anymore like I said but, hey, if you need a good doctor for your little girl I've got a terrific one..." 	
"Oh, well, thanks. I may get that from you later. Right now, we're doing great," Colt assured him. 	
"Well, that's good," Sam beamed over the telephone wires. "You stay that way. I'll tell you what. Like I said, I can't give out personal addresses and phone numbers but, hell, I'll give you Dick's office number. He'll be glad to hear from you. He's more of a football fan but keeps his eye on the baseball scores. He sells insurance. I know he has a fair amount of appointments in the field, but you just might catch him in the office this time of day unless, of course, he's playing golf." Sam punctuated that last comment with a conspiratorial laugh, then rattled off the number. 	
Colt offered his appreciation to Sam for his valuable time, shared a quick joke about insurance salesmen, and once again assured him that the house was perfect for Jesse and him. He rang off and, in a heartbeat, he was dialing Dick Hazlett's office. 	
"Good afternoon, Hazlett Insurance. Can I help you," the breathy voice of a young receptionist floated on air over the phone. 	
"Yes, I'm looking for Mr. Dick Hazlett," Colt offered. 	
"Your name please?" 	
"Colt Riverton. I was referred by a friend of his, Sam Seplezio." The name registered with the receptionist and with a polite "Just a moment." Colt was put on hold. 	
In the silent seconds he waited, Colt conjured up a picture of Kathryn Cartwright. He imagined her face alight with pleasure when she learned how quick and successful his detective work had proven. While, he reasoned, it was normal for a man's head to be turned by a pretty face, he didn't dare question the fact that four very pretty faces with beautiful bodies and sparkling personalities, bearing gifts of food, had elicited nothing more than sincere appreciation and indulgent amusement from him. 	
"Richard Hazlett here. How can I help you?" 	
"Mr. Hazlett, my name's Colt Riverton and I was referred to you by your friend Sam Seplezio." 	
"Sam, how is that bugger? Haven't spoken to him in a few weeks." 	
"He seems just fine. He thought you might be able to help me." 	
"Colt Riverton. . .you related to a ball player of the same name? Hell of a player. Course I don't follow baseball that closely. Football's my game." This last he said with an air of pride. 	
Colt normally kept a low profile off the field, but there were times when he would pull his ace card if he wanted something bad enough. This was one of those times. "Well, I played ball for a few seasons, in California mainly." 	
"I knew it! Damn!" 	
Colt felt Dick Hazlett warm to the subject and was a little worried he might get off the track so he tried to steer the conversation back to the point. 	
"Sam sold me the house you and your family used to own." 	
"Is that a fact. And I bet old Sam thought I could help you with some insurance. Well, I sure can." Dick Hazlett was in his element now. His deep baritone voice altered ever so slightly, and he shifted gears in preparation to take off into his time trusted, well tested, successful patter. 	
Colt just as easily fielded the play. "I'm sure you can. As soon as we settle in I just might look over my insurance needs," he agreed, "but actually I was calling you about a different matter." 	
"A different matter?" Dick Hazlett's words held a note of incredulity, as if there could be no other matter of major importance to discuss. 	
"The funny thing is, as I told Sam, I came across a letter addressed to a James Hazlett, and I wanted to return it. I called Sam because. . .well, since I found it in the house, I thought he could help me." 	
"You found it in the house?" 	
"In a kitchen drawer." Colt glossed over, wondering if Sam and Dick might compare notes at a later date. "You know how things can get stuck in drawers - just a fluke." 	
Dick sucked in a small breath and Colt got the feeling he didn't know how things could just get stuck in drawers by a fluke. He and the lovely Irene probably had everything in perfect order, catalogued, not a paper clip out of place. 	
"Well, what kind of letter is it? Does it look like an important document?" 	
Colt rolled his eyes, trying to figure out how to proceed. He absolutely couldn't see telling this man the contents of the letter or about Kathryn and the mission she had taken on. 	
"You know I can't tell. I certainly didn't want to open anything private. I'm sure you understand. I mean, hell, I figured it could be something important like, well... like a missing insurance policy or something." Colt had his attention now. 	
"Well, you definitely don't want to lose something as important as that," Dick agreed. "Whatever you have, it is addressed to my father. But dad hasn't lived in that house for close to two years, and we were pretty thorough in packing up the old place. I can't imagine how we left something in a drawer. I know all of dad's important papers are in order. It couldn't be a policy or anything like that. I handle all of those and everything is accounted for. Hell," he laughed, "it's probably just an old bill or something taken care of a long time ago. You go on and pitch the thing. I'm sure that's fine." Dick concluded. 	
Colt had been in this position many times when he was up to bat. Two outs, three balls, two strikes, with the game on the line and on his shoulders. The important thing was to keep focused, keep cool and calm, and just watch that ball for all it was worth and give it your best shot. 	
"Yeah, you're probably right, I'll just tear it up. Too bad though, I would have enjoyed meeting your dad and giving him something that maybe was important and he'd misplaced." Colt lowered his voice just enough to give Dick Hazlett the impression he was going to confide something. "You know, between you and me, some of these old retired guys get a kick out of meeting a professional sports figure, even an ex- player. Brings them back to the good old days, puffs them out a bit. You know. I used to like doing that stuff back in California. Ah, well. Hey, maybe I can send you and your dad an autographed photo." Colt could feel the wheels turning on the other end of the line. 	
"You know, that's not such a bad idea." 	
"A photo, sure. . ." 	
"No, no. To tell you the truth, dad's been a little down since he moved. More than a little actually. You know he was a damn good doctor in his day. Damn good." There was pride in Dick's voice and that pleased Colt. 	
"My mother passed away about four years ago, dad retired and he was alone in that empty house all day. I didn't think it was good for him. Finally, my wife and I talked him into moving to one of those new retirement communities. Very nice place up in Dunedin. He'd have his own privacy, but he wouldn't have to make his own meals, worry about the upkeep of the place, and if he needed anything someone would be there to take care of him. Plus he'd have company. People his own age. With similar interests. Anyway, I'm sure it's just the change. Dad was always very independent, very busy. But you get older and, hey, you should start to take it easy, you know." 	
Colt wasn't sure he totally agreed, but he didn't want to get into a debate. 	
"Listen, maybe you don't have a bad idea. I could give you the address to the place, give him a call and tell him to expect you. You bring the letter, tell him you found it, and maybe visit with him a few minutes. Yeah, it just might be the thing. You can tell him what you told me, that you thought the letter might be important. . .something like that so he doesn't get suspicious. He's sharp." 	
"Great idea, Dick. Ah, can I call you Dick?" 	
"Absolutely." 	
The two men talked a little longer. Colt got the address of the retirement "village" as it was called, went over the logistics of the visit as to how and when it would be arranged, and gratefully accepted Dick's offer to send him an insurance brochure and info packet. 	
Colt hung up the receiver, gave a loud war whoop, and slapped his knee. He had hit a home run! Barely two minutes later he was ringing Kathryn Cartwright's hotel room. He could picture her smile clearer than ever as he told her the news, and it made him feel like he'd just won the World Series! ["#TOC"]	
Chapter Three	
Kathryn ran a large toothed comb through her errant curls and smiled in pleasure at the effect. In fact, she'd been smiling almost non-stop since Colt Riverton had called her with his good news. She smoothed the cool fabric of her light pink cotton pants and adjusted the matching sleeveless top. Small pearl buttons gleamed translucent white against the crisp material and Kathryn knew she looked her best. A quick glance at her watch told her that Colt would be arriving in a few minutes to pick her up. A betraying tremor of excitement shot through her body at the thought, and she sat down on the edge of the bed momentarily closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. 	
Colt Riverton. He brought something to her life that she hadn't felt since she was a teenager, and then had only experienced without the true depth and breadth of feeling she instinctively knew was possible. It was a feeling that, throughout the ensuing years, she had slowly become certain she was incapable of. It wasn't that she didn't believe in it - for others. But somehow that heightened sense of awareness, the frisson of excitement, depth of passion, and the sheer joy at the mere thought of a certain someone, all these were qualities she felt were simply not hers to experience. It wasn't that she didn't feel attraction. She certainly wasn't cold nor, as the old term went, frigid. Indeed she was warm and loving. She had loved Charley and they had shared a very close relationship. Their love had been warm and steady and, even in the aftermath of breaking up, a deep and lasting bond remained between them. But she never really remembered her toes curling, her body quivering at just a brush of fingers as they had with Colt Riverton, a perfect stranger. 	
His presence had affected her so much that yesterday she had excused herself at the first moment possible after eliciting his promise of help. She had driven back to her hotel with the letter and a jumble of emotions tagging along. Certain it was the heady sense of romantic adventure getting to her, coupled with jet lag and the crazy change of her plans in the last seventy-two hours, she was determined to relax and wait for Colt's call unruffled. To a certain extent her plan worked. A quiet lunch in the hotel dining room and a lazy afternoon at the pool eased her tensions somewhat at least until the phone rang. Colt called twice; once with the wonderful news and a few hours later to confirm their arrangements. After that it took a frivolous cable movie and a light dinner in her room coupled with a hot shower before bed and a warm cup of chamomile tea to unwind again. At least these things helped to provide a good night's sleep and she awoke refreshed. 	
Now her nerves were bubbling to the surface again. She turned her attention to Colt's phone calls. She had never doubted for a moment, even with such a relatively brief first meeting, that Colt would make every effort to assist her and would get back to her as soon as possible. She recognized him as that kind of man and, without examining why too closely, it pleased her tremendously. She trusted him and she knew she was right. 	
As if on cue, a firm knock sounded at the door of her room. Kathryn took another deep breath, rose from the bed, smoothed an already smoothed bedspread, and went to answer the summons. She reached for the doorknob instinctively asking "Who is it?" at the same time. She knew who it was. 	
"It's Colt." he confirmed and she turned the handle to let him in. 	
Her eyes a little too glittery, hoping her smile would hide her slight trembling, she motioned for him to join her in the room. 	
"I'm used to checking first in LA" she told him. 	
"Hey, I understand, I'm glad you did. I taught my daughter to do the same thing, no matter where she is." 	
He was dressed in light blue jeans, a cool, short sleeved white jersey top, and white tennis shoes. Kathryn caught herself staring at him and turned away quickly hoping he didn't notice the heightened color on her cheeks. 	
"I'm sure you want to get going, so let me just get my purse." 	
"No rush, we have plenty of time." Colt remarked as his eyes leisurely took their fill of her beautiful body and the generous fall of curls caressing her neck and upper back. Colt had to remind himself that his priority was being a father right now. Maybe later down the line, after the wounds had healed for both he and his daughter, maybe then he could accept someone new into his life. But the timing simply wasn't right now. He and Pam had been divorced barely a year and he was just embarking on a new life with Jesse. No, the timing was definitely not right. Kathryn turned around, her purse in hand, and he caught himself thinking that she looked like a princess with her lovely face and the soft shoulder length waves framing her features. Like something out of the books he used to read to Jesse before she began to remind him she was slightly more mature than a child. He grinned at that last thought. 	
Kathryn received the full force of that grin and felt the heat rising in her face once again. Their eyes locked for a moment until they both looked away. 	
"Well, I'm all set." she offered. 	
Kathryn followed Colt out of the room and double-checked the door out of habit even though she knew it was locked. In thoughtful silence they traveled down the corridor and waited a moment for the elevator that would take them to the hotel lobby. 	
"Where's your daughter?" Kathryn asked him. 	
"She made friends with a couple of kids next door. Twins actually. A boy and a girl. Jason and Holly Malone. Mrs. Malone was taking them to the beach and invited Jesse along. She'll be in good hands." He trusted Karen Malone and knew Jesse would be fine, but like any parent he wanted to reassure himself. 	
"She's a beautiful young girl." 	
"She's terrific. The best thing that ever happened to me!" Colt beamed. "One of the reasons I'm glad we moved during the summer months is because it gives her a chance to get acquainted with her new home and the neighborhood, and make some new friends before school. I knew there were other children in the area, but I didn't know that Jason and Holly lived next door. They're one year older than Jesse is, but that's nothing. They're right on the same wavelength if you know what I mean." 	
"I do." Kathryn said. 	
The elevator sailed them down swiftly to the spacious, tropical, and tastefully decorated reception area of the hotel. Colt held the front door open for her and she tasted the salty, sultry morning air. It was going to be a hot day and she was glad she had thought enough about the trip, amidst everything else, to bring an ample supply of cool summer clothing, suitable for the high temperatures and humid weather of Florida. Of course, with Colt's help she had been quick to realize her goal. Her mission would be over in a matter of hours and she could head home with a clear conscience and plenty of time left of her vacation to continue her redecorating project. Somehow the thought didn't excite her and the prospect of having no good reason to stay on dampened her enthusiasm somewhat. It just felt wrong, but she refused to question it. Colt led her over to a red Cherokee parked in the hotel's guest lot. 	
"You don't mind if we take my car do you?" he asked. 	
"Not at all." 	
He ushered her inside the spacious front seat, closed the passenger door, and in one fluid motion, surprising for someone with such a large body, settled into the driver's side. At the command of his hand, the key slid into the lock and the powerful motor purred to life like a tiger waking up from a cat nap, now ready to unleash the energy of its lithe body. 	
"It's about a fifteen minute drive to our destination, so buckle up and enjoy the scenery." Colt had already explained the gist of his original conversation with Dick Hazlett when he first phoned Kathryn to tell her the good news. During Colt's initial discussion with the man, Dick said anytime during the morning or afternoon would work. His father wasn't inclined to go anywhere and the village wasn't set up like a retirement home where there might be specific visiting hours. Dick explained that the village was made up of apartments, some furnished, some left to the discretion of the resident. Each resident led his or her own life, and came and went as he or she pleased. Unlike a regular apartment, however, a staff ran the village. Residents had their apartments cleaned regularly, their laundry done, and the landscaping as well as any needed property repairs were taken care of. Activities and outings were planned and offered in addition to shuttles for shopping and personal excursions. Although some residents chose to cook for themselves, meals were offered in the main dining room. A medical/dental clinic adjoined the facility offering easy access to these services. It was an ideal community for the elderly, at least in Dick's world. 	
Colt knew Kathryn would want to see James Hazlett as soon as possible, so he told Dick he would like to drive over to see his father Tuesday afternoon. He thought Dick might consider this a little over eager, but he didn't care. Dick promised to call back to confirm the time and arrangements after he spoke to his dad. He was sure there wouldn't be a problem. True to his word he followed up immediately and Colt was able to finalize the details with Kathryn. From noon to one lunch was served in the village dining room for those who wanted it. Since James Hazlett didn't cook for himself he usually took his meals there. Based on this information, the visit was set for 1:30PM. Colt invited Kathryn to have lunch with him beforehand. 	
Kathryn glanced at her watch. It was just after 11:30 on a gorgeous Florida morning and she sighed with pleasure as she took in the view. 	
"Jesse and I explored Dunedin the other day. It's a pretty little community. I think you'll like it. I've picked the perfect place for lunch. Jesse gave it two thumbs up and I know you will too. After all, nothing's too good for our U.S. Post Office employees, right Ms. Cartwright?" He smiled that smile and Kathryn melted and giggled all at once. 	
For awhile they drove together in companionable silence. Kathryn watched the play of the sun's rays on the pristine water as they crossed the stretch of bridge leading from Clearwater Beach to downtown and the main road to Dunedin. Beside her Colt concentrated on driving, easily making his way through the busy weekday traffic. 	
"Kathryn." his deep tones finally broke through the quiet. "There's just a little something I need to fill you in on." 	
"What's that?" she turned to him, her brown eyes inquisitive and laced with a hint of their old mischief. 	
"I mentioned when I was talking to Dick Hazlett I figured it was better to play things a little conservative. I mean I really didn't know who or what I was dealing with." 	
"I completely understand. It is a very unusual situation." 	
"Exactly." he agreed. "So, like I told you I said I found the letter in the kitchen, in a drawer, and so on. And I didn't tell him what was in the letter. That's his dad's business." 	
"I totally agree. The only reason we read it...well, you know." 	
"Of course, we had to. You wouldn't be here if you hadn't and I...hell, I probably would have helped you anyway." he grinned. "But here's the thing." Colt went on. "I wanted to work you into the plan. I mean this is your mission and I wanted to make sure you were part of it in every way, except I didn't mention you when I first spoke to Dick. I told you that over the phone." 	
"Uh huh." Kathryn nodded. "We agreed that I'd just sort of pop up with you, that I could be anyone going for a ride with you. A relative, a sitter you were taking home, whatever." 	
"Yeah, well when Dick called me back to confirm everything, I decided to let him know there would be two of us. I'm sorry I didn't mention that to do when I phoned you with the final details. Anyway, not that it would make any difference, I'm sure, but I just thought..." 	
"I don't see a problem in that. It's fine." she agreed. 	
"Good. So, I told him I was bringing my girlfriend. That you were visiting me from California and I thought you might enjoy the drive." 	
Kathryn stared at him. 	
"I don't think he rushed to call his father back to say hey pop, watch out he's bringing his girlfriend. But just in case it does come up. Who knows." 	
Colt swung the car into the ample open parking lot of a rather large building that was a cross between the coast of New England and sunny Florida architecture. The effect was inviting. 	
"You are going to love this place." He smiled as he got out of the car. 	
Kathryn was still staring, this time at an empty driver's seat. Slightly startled, she turned when Colt opened her door and offered his hand to help her out of the Cherokee. 	
"Kathryn, it seemed like the most plausible thing to say. And before you start wondering, I don't have a wife hidden in the house somewhere. My wife and I were divorced about a year ago." 	
Kathryn blushed, put her hand in his, and stepped out onto the pavement. There was no doubt about it, she had been curious right from the start. 	
The restaurant Colt chose was split into two parts. The first Kathryn had caught out of the corner of her eye as they entered the parking lot. Built of wooden beams painted gray and sparkling glass it housed the indoor restaurant. On the far left, adjacent to the water, a long structure covered with a bright blue awning featured outdoor patio dining. It served somewhat lighter fare. 	
"Would you like to eat inside or out?" Colt asked her. 	
"Oh, outside definitely if that's okay with you," she said as she looked at the inviting Gulf water. "It's perfect." 	
He guided her through to one of the tables directly beside the water. 	
"Jesse and I were lucky enough to see a dolphin playing out in the Gulf when we came here. Maybe he'll give a repeat performance for you." 	
"That would be terrific." Kathryn beamed with pleasure. 	
A bronzed, young beach boy waiter brought them menus and gave them a rundown on the luncheon specials. Kathryn decided to splurge and ordered a linguini seafood dish which sounded sinful. When it arrived she was proven right. Colt stuck with a club sandwich and fries. They both complemented their meal with mineral water. 	
"So, Kathryn Cartwright, aside from part time work for the Post Office, what do you do out in sunny, smoggy Los Angeles?" 	
"Well, nothing as glamorous as a traveling troubleshooter for the postal service. I'm an administrative assistant, another term for secretary, at one of the studios in town." 	
"Ah, show business." 	
"Programming for television," Kathryn offered. "I've actually worked at the studio for about fourteen years in one department or another. But for the last three I've been in program development." 	
"Well, I don't suppose you want to hear my long list of ideas, concepts for a new half hour situation comedy, and complaints." 	
Kathryn laughed. "Not on my vacation. But you've been so nice. Maybe I will let you vent your frustrations and bounce off your ideas. Actually, we could trade off. I could tell you about a few thoughts I've had for some one hour series and specials, and follow that up with a few of my pet peeves." She took a cool, refreshing sip of her icy mineral water and continued. "In defense, since I do work in the area, I think television is a great medium. It's capable of being used to entertain, to educate, to make us think, even to bring comfort. I guess what I'm saying is, television can be used in so many different ways. Sometimes, it's just great to sit back and watch a light frothy whodunit. Other times, there you are swimming with a dolphin, learning about the history of some invention you take for granted now, and sailing the high seas with some pirate in the seventeen hundreds. Unfortunately, there are still too many hours when the medium is misused by those who control it. I don't think there's an absolute, but there is definitely a more ideal scene to strive for. Well, I better not get started. But I do work for a wonderful gentleman. He came aboard about three years ago from an innovative cable channel. He really does have some terrific ideas and he's willing to listen to my input. So, it's pretty exciting right now." 	
"It sounds like you might end up being more than an administrative assistant. I think you have a lot to offer." 	
"Thanks. Me and every other programming want-to-be. Seriously, I have thought about it and I do feel I have some constructive concepts that I'd like to run with. Well, we'll see." Kathryn realized that she had gone from being nervous and tense to relatively relaxed, carefree, and open in his company. Only a little shyness remained. He was very good at making her feel at ease. And from the way he was able to get to James Hazlett so fast, she suspected it was a talent that he had with others. 	
"What about you?" she asked. "I noticed some trophies in your living room." 	
"Baseball," he smiled. "I played professionally for some years. I'm retired now though." 	
"You played in the major leagues?" 	
"You're a baseball fan?" 	
"Not a big one. But I did attend a few games with...with a friend of mine. Which team did you play for?" 	
"California for most of my career." 	
"Oh, I'm afraid Charley was a Los Angeles fan. He still is." 	
"Charley? Your boyfriend?" 	
"Well...I...we were very close for quite awhile. We're very good friends." Kathryn had never been uncomfortable about her relationship with Charley until this moment. Ten years ago, they chose to live together to test the ground before taking the plunge. Although Kathryn's parents were very happy, Charley came from a broken home, and both of them had experienced trying to give comfort to some of their friends whose marriages failed after just a few years. Months had turned into a year, then the year into three and four, until loath to introduce a change when something was working so well, they just carried on the way they were. Kathryn had no regrets about the decision. She looked up at Colt and watched the strong, corded muscles in his throat work as he chewed on a bite of his sandwich. 	
"Charley and I clicked when we first met. We were attending a party thrown by a mutual acquaintance. The party turned a little...strange, and I was pretty straight laced even at twenty. So was Charley. I was standing in a corner of the room trying to come up with a good reason for leaving early without it looking obvious or embarrassing anyone, especially myself. Charley was at the opposite end of the room planning his own escape. We caught each other's eye and he looked just as lost as I was in that crazy situation. Well, we started talking and, it turned out, two heads were better than one; we were out of there in record time. I doubt our hostess even paid that much attention to our hasty exit. We took in a movie and the rest, as they say, is history. We started out as the best of friends. He nursed me through a few crushes and a heartbreak or two, and I urged him on when he fell head over heels for a cheerleader from a local football team. Later on, we just moved in together to test the waters and see if we could make it on the marriage circuit. Except for my parents, we didn't have too many good examples around us and we were a little gun-shy. But we figured we had a lot going for us. We never did get married, but we were together for a long time, just over ten years. Until we admitted we were better best friends than...well, I'm rambling." 	
"No, I think that's great. I believe in marriage, but maybe my wife and I would have done better to test the waters as well." 	
Kathryn studied Colt as he trailed a fat French fry through a maze of ketchup. 	
"Well, is Charley still your best friend?" Colt asked. 	
Kathryn smiled. "Pretty much. He's actually getting married next month to a terrific girl. Guess when it's right it's right. No hesitation there." 	
"She doesn't mind, I mean about your friendship?" 	
"I introduced them." 	
Colt raised an eyebrow and Kathryn laughed. 	
"I know. I know. It's not exactly your typical situation, or standard romantic fare. I probably should be sobbing somewhere in the wings. But Charley and Mitch are perfect for each other." 	
"Mitch?" 	
"Michelle really, but she has this nickname she got when she was a little girl. I think her brother started it. Anyway, Mitch started working in my department about four months ago. I invited Charley to a screening of a show I thought he'd like. Mitch happened to be sitting next to him and that was that. I don't even think he saw what was on the big screen." 	
"Well, I'd say Charley was pretty lucky to have you. I don't know about Mitch, but if it were me I wouldn't have bothered testing the shallow end with you; I would have dove right in." 	
A fresh blush stained Kathryn's cheeks. She noticed Colt's face color slightly as well. 	
"What about you? Are you going to be involved with professional baseball out here in some capacity?" She hoped the question would cover their embarrassment. 	
"I've still got my fingers in the game with some investments and a little piece of ownership in one of the clubs, but I've signed on to do some coaching at one of the local schools. I love working with kids, teaching them what I know and learning some new pointers on the game with them. It also gives me the opportunity to stay in one place, which is good for Jesse and me. We both like to have a home we can come back to every night." Colt paused and looked at Kathryn. "Not very exciting to you I guess." 	
"Why do you say that?" 	
"Well, living in LA and being part of the entertainment world is pretty fast paced. A combination of exciting, hair-raising, and few other adjectives. Being in the Majors I got a little taste of it on the sidelines." 	
"You're right. It's certainly every adjective I can think of and more. But I'm pretty much a homebody too. Oh, I enjoy an evening out with friends, but I also like curling up in my favorite chair with a good book or a movie. I'm not really into the party circuit or anything like that. I've certainly traveled and I enjoy that, but I don't like the idea of living out of hotels. That would get to me." 	
"It definitely got to me." Colt told her. "Oh, at first it was pretty exciting. I grew up in a relatively small town in Georgia, part of a tight knit family. I was very fortunate. I have a terrific family, very supportive. I mean it wasn't the Donna Reed Show or Father Knows Best, but it was a happy home. We weren't rich, but we always had enough of everything. At least we thought so. It was a big deal for my brothers and I to go up to Atlanta for a weekend. You know, the 'big city.' Then there I am in the major leagues rooming with someone whose autograph I'd always wanted, seeing my name in print. There were a few hell- raising parties. Okay, more than a few. But after a couple of seasons it felt good to come home during the winter months. I just wanted my own chair, my own shower, and my own bed. I sure can't complain though. I wouldn't have missed it for the world." 	
"Did your wife mind all the traveling? Kathryn regretted the words as soon as they were out. "I'm sorry...I..." 	
"No, please. Pam loved the life. She took to it like a fish to water. She was a real trouper. I think she was happier on the road than off. She was the perfect player's wife. Always there cheering me on, picking me up when the newspapers had a few unkind things to say, rooting the loudest when I was the man of the hour. She is great with people and public relations, and a terrific hostess. On the road it was perfect for her. Off the road we had a few problems." 	
The friendly waiter appeared at their table ending their conversation for the moment and leaving Kathryn with a hundred unanswered questions. It was just as well, she thought. 	
"Would you care to look at the dessert menu folks?" 	
"Oh, I don't think..." she began. 	
"We have a great can't miss selection including Key Lime pie, a Florida favorite. And we do it the best - guaranteed." 	
"Now you aren't going to pass up an offer like that are you Kathryn?" Colt teased. 	
"Only if you indulge yourself too. And I must admit, I do have a weakness for Key Lime pie." 	
"I knew it. Two pies please." 	
"The waiter smiled. "Coffee?" 	
"I'll have a cup of decaf. How about you Kathryn?" 	
"Do you have peppermint or chamomile tea? 	
"We sure do. I'll bring you our selection of herbal teas." 	
The mood was broken, the questions would have to wait if indeed they were answered at all. They continued their conversation with social trivialities as they were served their hot beverages and delicious desserts. The waiter brought the bill and Colt refused to let Kathryn pay, told her going Dutch wasn't an option, and finally promised she could treat him next time. Next time. Kathryn watched Colt's gaze scan the horizon of the Gulf water. In a few hours she would be making plans to return home and the man beside her would become a special memory to be tucked away. She wondered if he would remember her. 	
"Kathryn, look, a dolphin!" 	
Kathryn turned and saw the sleek gray arched back and strong dorsal fin glide through the water at an impressive speed, disappear, and then resurface once again. She beamed with pleasure and Colt, watching her, caught his breath. Their eyes met. 	
"This is our lucky day, Kathryn. A very lucky day indeed!" 	
However fleeting the moment she couldn't help but agree. ["#TOC"]	
Chapter Four	
"Can I help you?" A pleasant middle-aged woman dressed in a beige sleeveless summer suit removed her reading glasses and smiled up at Colt and Kathryn. 	
"We're looking for Dr. James Hazlett, Apt. #5. He's expecting us," Colt told her. 	
"Ah, yes. If you go out that door through the courtyard, it will be on your left. Main floor. The apartments are clearly numbered, so you shouldn't have any trouble. Dr. Hazlett usually has lunch in the dining room but that's been over awhile now, so I'm sure there will be no problem in finding him. If per chance he's not there, just come back and see me." 	
Colt thanked the receptionist and took Kathryn's arm as they made their way through the stylish reception and lounge area. 	
"Are you nervous?" Colt felt her slight tremble. 	
"I have a hundred emotions all vying for first place," she agreed. I can't believe I'm actually here, doing this." 	
Kathryn paused and turned to Colt touching his sleeve with her free hand. 	
"Whatever happens, whatever we find out, I want you to know how much I appreciate what you've done. It means a great deal to me. Far above and beyond the call of duty, so to speak. Thank you Colt." 	
"Thank you, Kathryn." 	
"For what?" 	
Colt trailed a gentle finger down her cheek. "For bringing some sunshine to Florida." 	
"Florida already has plenty of sunshine," she blushed. 	
"This is your own special brand." Colt grabbed her hand. "Now come on, we have a date with the mysterious Dr. Hazlett." 	
The courtyard of the retirement village was a study of brightly colored flowers and citrus trees set amongst lush green grass. A swimming pool and a whirlpool were strategically placed in the middle of the court with several stone walkways crisscrossing to the various apartments and facilities. Surrounding three sides of the court were the apartments themselves. There were four stories to the building and two easily accessible elevators. Dotted here and there by the pool and garden comfortable lounge chairs took their place by matching small round tables. A number of first floor residents sat on their patios reading or soaking up some sunshine. Other swam in the large pool. Some of the seniors relaxed in the garden and chatted amicably with friends or visiting family. It was a tasteful and spacious arrangement and the people Kathryn and Colt saw seemed to be enjoying themselves overall. 	
As the receptionist had pointed out, the apartments were clearly marked with big impressive gold numbers set on gold trimmed white doors. 	
"Number five, here it is," Colt squeezed Kathryn's hand. "Go ahead, you knock." 	
With a somewhat shaky hand Kathryn rapped on the white door and held her breath waiting expectantly. During her flight to Florida and in quiet moments at the hotel she tentatively built a picture of the young Anne and James, but she knew her portraits were simply a composite of old movies and personal family snapshots she had seen. What were the real Anne and James like, not only then, but fifty years after? The door opened and she had her answer. 	
James Hazlett was a big man. In a way he reminded Kathryn of Colt. Age had not detracted from his vitality and strength, Kathryn was pleased to note. His hair, more white than gray, was cropped close to his head. His features, alert blue eyes, full mouth, and strong chin, showcased a man who, while still extremely good looking, had been devastatingly so in his youth. He wore a short sleeved powder blue shirt with white cotton pants, both well pressed and reflecting good taste and quality. White canvas deck shoes completed the outfit. Kathryn skimmed past his tasteful watch to the simple gold wedding band he still wore. She caught herself staring at it when his voice brought her up short. 	
"Yes?" the voice was also strong, purposeful and assured. 	
"Dr. Hazlett, I'm Colt Riverton," Colt put in when Kathryn found herself momentarily tongue tied. 	
"Ah, yes, my son said to expect you." James Hazlett turned to Kathryn. "You brought your wife I see." 	
"Ah..." 	
"I'm Kathryn Cartwright...a friend." 	
"Hm. Well, come in." James ushered them inside the cool apartment. "You never know. I thought you might be at the wrong door. Get a lot of those. Aggravating. Either that or people asking for medical advice. Don't get that I'm retired. You can sit here." He pointed to an overstuffed beige leather sofa." 	
Kathryn and Colt looked at each other. Clearly Colt had been expecting a somewhat docile, older gentleman - not this brusque, vital man who stood before him. Kathryn had to admit that while she didn't really know what to expect, this didn't fit in with her romantic ideas. 	
"Heard you were a baseball player. Never went in for that myself. Football. Now there's a game. Exciting, rugged. Used to attend a lot of games. Been awhile now though. At least it beats golf." He eyed Colt who returned his gaze with a question mark. 	
"Baseball!" James reiterated. "Better than golf. Now there's a slow paced snoozer. Never understood how Dick picked up on that, not to mention most of the doctors I worked with. Lived and died for the game. I never figured it out." 	
"Well, sir, I have to agree with you. Golf has never been my game," Colt offered. 	
"Good. Want a cold drink? How about you? It's a warm day, you don't want to get dehydrated." He gave Kathryn a friendly smile that melted her heart. 	
"Really I'm fine," she smiled back, although her mouth, parched with nerves, would have welcomed a cool, refreshing glass of water. 	
Colt, too, declined. 	
"Suit yourselves." James shook his head and sat down on a well worn leather lazy chair matching the sofa where Colt and Kathryn perched watchfully. 	
"Well, how's the old place?" 	
Kathryn noted the softened tones shading his words. 	
"It's a terrific place to call home, Dr. Hazlett. My daughter and I just moved in and I know it's going to be perfect for us. It's a wonderful neighborhood for my girl to grow up in." 	
"Yup. Enjoyed living there when I was a boy. It's a family neighborhood. Always were lots of kids around. Course the houses were certainly spread out a lot more at first. More land between each. My parents built that house. My grandfather, my father's father, actually owned the land and most of the surrounding property." James Hazlett caught his bottom lip with his hand and rubbed it. "Say, are those rose bushes still growing in the back?" 	
Colt was loath to tell him there were no signs of rose bushes in the yard. Apparently his silence was enough. 	
"Damn shame. My wife, Margaret, planted those just before Dick was born. Amazing woman. She could make anything grow. How about the lilacs? Never mind. I see it in your face. Hell, I never cared for that couple who bought the property in the first place. I could see their beady little eyes wandering around changing things when Dick first took them through." James shook his head and sighed. 	
"Well, no sense crying over split milk. I understand you have a letter for me. Couldn't be too important. The IRS hasn't knocked on my door; no collection agencies have come calling." He gave a short laugh and flashed another smile at Kathryn. 	
Kathryn and Colt looked at each other, a surge of understanding engulfing them both. Kathryn reached out and rested her hand lightly on Colt's arm. He knew it was time to turn things over to her. His job now was simply to be there for her; something he took great pleasure in, a feeling he would question later. Not now. 	
"Dr. Hazlett, I'm actually the one who has the letter for you. I'm afraid it's a bit of an unusual story. Colt felt...well, Colt felt it was best to save the details for you, so your son doesn't have the full story. He was helping me and I agree with his handling." 	
"Just as well, my dear," James told her. "My son and I don't always see eye to eye. What's my business is mine. What's his is his for the most part. Well, I only meddle occasionally. A lot less than him." 	
Colt and Kathryn smiled. Kathryn caught her breath and went on. 	
"You see, I live in Los Angeles and I actually found the letter wedged in the side of a drawer of a secretary I purchased at an antiques store." 	
"And it was addressed to me?" James seemed puzzled, but with a look encouraged Kathryn to go on. 	
"Your name and address are written on the envelope, with the city of Clearwater noted but no mention of what State and no zip code. I tried to trace you through the antique dealer. Unfortunately, the trail of paperwork was hazy and there was no record of a Hazlett owning that piece of furniture. Please believe me, I don't make a habit of opening other people's mail. I just didn't know what else to do and I thought if I opened it the contents might give me a clue." 	
"Well, it seems you did and here you are. The United States Post Office could pick up some tips from you young lady." James watched her with a keen sense of intelligence and she could sense his next question coming. 	
"The letter didn't hold a clue to where Clearwater was, but I did some ground work." Kathryn hesitated before meeting his eyes. "I wanted to give this to you in person if I could, to make sure you received it...It felt important." 	
Opening her bag she took out the letter and placed it in his waiting hand. She saw his gaze shift to the handwriting on the envelope. Not a muscle moved in his features, no emotion registered in his face or the set of his body other than curiosity. Kathryn knew then that he did not recognize the handwriting and felt a sense of profound disappointment tinged with fear. Was this the wrong James Hazlett. Was she off on the wrong track. For a wild moment she wanted to snatch the letter from his fingers to protect the contents from being divulged to yet another stranger. Too many strangers had seen it already. But it couldn't be wrong. So many thing added up; the address, the name. She watched as he proceeded to open the envelope, removing and unfolding the note paper inside. She felt the welcome, calming pressure of Colt's arm as it snaked around her shoulders in a protective gesture. In turn, she placed a gentle but restraining hand on James Hazlett's wrist. 	
"Perhaps Colt and I should go now." 	
Her words of consideration for his privacy came a moment too late. Already she saw the play of emotions as he began to read. Kathryn turned to Colt and he tightened his hand. Safe, in a fragile world of their own making, they quietly let James Hazlett take in the words that had been written for him so long ago. 	
The minutes passed like hours, even days, stretching into an anguished silence. 	
"Anne." The name was a silken caress on his lips. The pad of his thumb stroked the imprint of the letters stark against the aged sheet of paper, as if by doing so it would unlock the shackle of years passed and bring her back to him. 	
Tears welled in Kathryn's eyes as she watched the delicate embrace. 	
I'm sorry," she whispered on a breath. "I never meant to hurt you." His own eyes moist, he yet framed a smile meant for her pleasure alone. 	
"No. Don't ever be sorry. I will never be sorry for one moment I spent with her." James carefully refolded the letter and put it back into the envelope. He paused to read the broad pen strokes, which formed the letters of his name and address, and then he looked at Kathryn and Colt. "The war was over. I received my discharge papers early in 1947 and came home. Said hello to the folks and shortly after left for college to resume my studies. Medicine. My father was a doctor. Same as my father's father. Now I... I wanted to be a doctor with a slight twist; handle things naturally if I could. Only resort to drugs and surgery as the last alternative. Not very popular in those days. Drove my father crazy. He was always on the cutting edge of the next new wonder drug. I was busy looking into two thousand year old treatments and remedies." James shook his head with the shade of a twinkle in his eyes. "Looking back, I think he really enjoyed all the debates we had. Anyway, I was luckier than most; my family was able to help me through medical school. Still, I held odd jobs during the summer to help and for some extra pocket money. That summer I worked for Frank Tellman. Now there was a character! Tellman's Wharf. Doesn't exist anymore. It wasn't very big. He built a wharf, a sundry store with a connecting small diner and soda fountain, and right next to that a bait shop. What a combination!" This time James laughed right out loud then paused as his eyes grew misty again. 	
"That's where I first saw her," he said. "Old man Tellman had me lugging some boxes to the big garbage dumpster outside. I came around the bend and saw the most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my life sitting on a bench outside the store. I'll never forget it. Felt just like I'd been punched in the stomach and couldn't breath. Wouldn't trade the feeling for anything. She was wearing a pretty blue dress and the sun was shining on her wonderful auburn hair making it look like spun gold. But it wasn't just that. There was something else. There was something about her. I recognized her, as if I'd been waiting for her for eternity and there she was." James looked at Colt. "I suppose you think that's pretty hokey, huh son?" he asked. 	
"No sir, I don't." Instinctively he held Kathryn closer to him. James seemed pleased with his response and carried on with his story. 	
"I practically tripped over my feet getting those boxes to the garbage," he laughed. "Hoping she wouldn't notice me, hoping she would. Hell, I must have spent ten minutes pretending to clean up outside, figuring out what to say or if I should say anything at all. Finally I figured I'd rather make a complete fool of myself than let her get away without trying. So I prepared a real good line. Tellman's fabulous ice cream; best in town. It was, too. Relatively speaking. I told her she had to try some or she'd be sorry she missed it. Well, it seemed better than 'haven't I seen you before somewhere'. It took a few minutes of persuasion, but she went for the bait and I took my sweet time making her a triple fudge sundae and deciding what to do next. The rest, as they say, is history." James looked up at Colt and Kathryn again, roused from his reverie. 	
"We started talking and hit it off. Looking back at it now, I can see there were things she was hiding. When I told her I'd take her home she said she didn't live in town and was just visiting. So, I offered to take her to her hotel, although it was still somewhat unusual for a woman to be off on her own, especially a girl in her early twenties. I guess I was enough of a pest that she relented and let me escort her to what she said was her aunt's rooming house. I asked her out then and there and she said no. Turned me down flat. Nicely, but flat. That worked for twenty-four hours and then I decided she was just concerned with what her aunt might say. I was pretty full of myself in those days. Didn't think she really meant no - not after we hit it off so well. I may have had my tongue wrapped around my teeth and two left feet as far as she was concerned, but I was determined. So, after I got off work the third afternoon I went round to Covington Street, held my breath, and knocked on the door of the rooming house. In those days you pretty much knew everyone in town; Clearwater was a small community overall, friendly. Even so, with the war people came and went, I lost a few years in the service, and I didn't recognize the woman who came to the door. I automatically figured it was Anne's aunt and launched into my story. Told her where I lived, that my father was a doctor, that I was on summer break from college studying medicine. Hell, before I was finished she knew my rank, serial number, and favorite color. I guess I made some sort of good impression on her because she gave her approval and went away to fetch Anne. By the time Anne came downstairs my stomach was in knots and she looked lovelier than ever. 	
That was it. From there on we were inseparable. Course, it wasn't like today, five minutes and you're in bed together. It was different then. Oh, a fellow...sowed his wild oats where and when he could, and I certainly wasn't perfect. But I was courting Anne properly. I knew she was the one. I shared everything with her and, when my father would have a go at it, she'd be the one to put me back together again telling me to reach out for the brass ring I wanted and not let anything stand in my way. We must have talked about every subject under the sun; favorite authors, movies, music, the world situation, medicine, ice cream, puppy dogs. You name it. We'd sit there watching the moon, holding each other and sharing things. Took her down to Clearwater Beach and taught her how to swim; she didn't know how. Whenever Tellman wasn't looking I'd make her these outrageous ice cream concoctions trying to top each one with the next, just to hear her beautiful laughter. Everything about her was beautiful. She was my angel." James Hazlett closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 	
"She never accepted invitations to come and meet my parents and have dinner at the house. She said it was too early and she wanted to be alone with me. I thought that was a great idea. I wanted to be alone with her too. So, we'd have summer picnics and I'd impress her with a couple of fancy dinners out. Once or twice I did go over to her aunt's place for a meal - an early dinner right after work and then we went out to a movie or for a long evening walk." James rose from his chair and took some paces around the small but comfortable living room of his apartment. 	
"I was a fool. She had something to say and I never really made it safe for her to say it. I'm sure I overwhelmed her. I thought everything was sewn up. Had it all planned. We'd get married, she'd stay with my folks when I went to school, and I'd come back every chance I could. In a few years, I'd be up and running with my practice and we'd have our own home." He shook his head. "A couple of kids. Oh, I had it all planned all right." 	
"When August hit, I knew I'd be heading back to college soon, so I made my pitch full of self- confidence at that point. I started with subtle hints at first, teasing her, taking for granted that when I popped the question she'd be there with a yes. I thought I'd take her home and my parents would fall all over her. My parents; they began to wonder what was going on. They knew I was seeing someone and they were delighted. But where was she? Why wouldn't I bring her home? Pretty soon mild amusement gave way to concern on their part. 'What's wrong? What are you afraid of? Who is this girl?' The questions, the arguments. I don't blame them for wondering what I was up to. I just put them off as best I could. But that second week in August I took some savings out of the bank, bought an engagement ring, and I was ready to pop the question and bring home my beautiful bride to be. Except it never happened. Something went terribly wrong." Wearily James sat back down. 	
"I had to work until seven and Anne was going to meet me at the wharf. I figured it was the place where we met and that was the best place to ask her. I waited outside and by seven fifteen she hadn't shown. I waited some more figuring she was just detained or making herself picture perfect for the moment. We were in love and I'd certainly done everything but tell her this was the big night. Some surprise! At seven forty-five I started to panic thinking she might be hurt or something was really wrong. Clearwater was a pretty safe town and still being summer it got dark much later. But it wasn't like her and I was very worried. I went back into Tellman's and old man Tellman let me use the phone. Except in six weeks I hadn't gotten the number. Can you believe it? We always met, or I picked her up. Rarely, she'd call me at Tellman's. It just hadn't come up. I called information, but there was no Cutler's Rooming House. I was just about to hang up and run over to Covington Street when a very charitable operator extracted enough information from me to locate Covington Room and Board. I called and Rose Cutler picked up the phone. She seemed somewhat distracted but she assured me Anne was fine. She said a family matter had come up that afternoon and Anne had to hustle home. She barely caught the train out. Rose said she was sorry she didn't call me in the rush of getting Anne to the train station. She said she had promised Anne she would phone me. I tried to press her for information. She said Anne's father was ill but she was sure everything was going to be okay and Anne would be in touch with me soon. I asked her for Anne's phone number so I could make sure Anne arrived safely in case she was unable to get in touch with me right away because of the situation. She said she'd call me back with it because she didn't have it to hand. So I gave her my number at home and she told me she'd ring me up as soon as she could." James looked at the letter again. "She was still there," he shook his head. "I didn't think to question what Rose was telling me. I went home, still concerned but somewhat relieved that Anne was okay. The story made sense. If I just would have gone over there." 	
"You had no way of knowing what was really going on," Kathryn insisted. 	
"Love should have told me. I loved that woman so much." He took a deep breath and continued. 	
"Rose didn't call me back. I called her again about ten thirty. She sounded a little frazzled and she said she'd been searching for the number but couldn't find it. She had misplaced it. She told me not to worry, that everything would be alright. This time she said she'd have it for me in the morning, but if she heard from Anne she'd make sure to have her call me right away. Before I could ask her for the address she excused herself saying she had to attend to a problem with a boarder. Well, needless to say, I was getting more frustrated and impatient by the minute. 	
Anne told me she was visiting from Maine for the summer. She said her last name was Kaufman. I must have driven every operator in the State of Maine crazy, not to mention more than a few Kaufmans. I didn't know the city, I only knew her parent's first names and she told me she had a sister named Bethany. Finally, I cooled down. Rose was a good person, and I knew she would ensure that Anne was taken care of from this end. I also knew my Anne - if something was wrong at home she would have raced there as fast as she could. From our talks, I knew how much she loved her family. So it made sense in such an emergency she would have left as soon as she could. She no doubt had a tight schedule booking a last minute train, so it didn't seem strange that things would be in an uproar and she would have left it for Rose to call me. I was sure Anne would be on that train thinking Rose had contacted me, given me her parent's phone number, and calmed me down. I also figured if I tried to call Rose again that evening she'd hang up on me or think I was crazy. So...I stared at the ceiling all night." 	
"The next morning when I hadn't heard from Rose or Anne by eleven o'clock I couldn't stand it anymore. If I had to help Rose tear through her whole place I was going to find that number or at least an address, something! So, I shot out of the house and went to Covington." James looked at Kathryn and Colt. "Rose let me in and we spent the next hour or so talking. Anne was gone." His voice momentarily broke etched with the memory of his loss. 	
"Did Rose know about the letter? Did she think you had received it?" Kathryn asked. 	
"Rose didn't mention a letter. She just saw me when she opened the front door, let me in, and gave me a hot cup of coffee, which I suspect had something stronger laced in it. Then she started telling me her story. She told me Anne wasn't her niece, that she was a boarder and had become a dear friend-like a daughter-in the weeks she was there. Rose knew she was troubled and tried to get her to talk on a number of occasions. Anne would give her bits and pieces, but no real clues - same as me. Well, you can only push so far and that's what Rose did. She just figured she would make it as safe for Anne as she could and Anne would eventually open up to her. Then I came on the scene. It seems after giving my name, rank, and serial number Rose thought I might be the perfect medicine for whatever was bothering Anne. So she didn't bother to correct my assumption that she was Anne's aunt. She just dug right in and went along with it, hoping everything would come out right. She had two other boarders at the time besides Anne and I guess they played along. I ran into them a couple of times, one even came into Tellman's, and they didn't correct me about Anne's 'aunt'. Or maybe they thought she really was Rose's niece. Anyway, all Rose knew was that Anne had been somewhat quiet most of the day. She'd gone out for a walk during lunch and came back around three o'clock. She left again at six thirty." 	
"To go to you," Kathryn said. 	
"It seems like it from this letter." James brushed it with his finger. "If only I'd seen her. If..." 	
"There are a million "ifs" in life, but you can only do what you think best at the time," Colt interjected. 	
"I know, I know. But "if" is a very tempting word, son." 	
"Yes it is." 	
"Anne must have come back to the rooming house." Kathryn pressed for the rest of the story, something she had to have. 	
"Yes, she did. According to Rose, at about seven thirty Anne flew into the house like the hounds of hell were chasing her, tears streaming down her face. Rose was horrified and tried to calm her down. All Anne would tell her was that if I called or came around, to say there was a family emergency and that Anne would be in touch. Rose was in the middle of trying to make sense of everything when I did call. She still didn't have any kind of coherent story from Anne and she didn't know if I had turned out to be the biggest louse in the world. So she parroted Anne's story and put me off. Once she bought herself some time with me she turned her attention to Anne." 	
"Did Anne tell her anything? Give her any clues as to what was wrong?" Colt asked. 	
"Not much. Anne told her she loved me." James' voice cracked slightly and he took a deep breath before continuing. "She just told Rose there was no way it would work out. It was her problem, not mine. She just kept saying there was no way she could stay and that she shouldn't have stayed this long or gotten involved with me. That she had hurt me enough. All she would tell Rose was that it was a family problem, a deeply personal situation, and that it was best Rose didn't know anything about it if I came around asking questions. She said the less Rose knew the better, but that things were going to be okay. That she had become stronger in the last few weeks. She did tell Rose that she had initially traveled to Florida to spend time alone sorting some things out." 	
"Why Clearwater? Did Rose ask her that?" Kathryn questioned. 	
"I asked if there were any family here or any connection. Rose said to the best of her knowledge no." 	
"Maybe Anne just picked Clearwater at random. Stopped off by train or whatever, felt comfortable with the place, and thought this might just be the town to take a breather, get a little space, and come to terms with whatever was disturbing her," Colt offered. 	
"I think you're probably right about that. Anne was unfamiliar with Clearwater other than a few spots she had taken to walking through or having a picnic by," James said. 	
"Apparently, Anne relaxed a little after my initial call. At least she knew I wasn't going to be barging in, finding her and asked a lot of questions at that point. She told Rose she was going to leave for home the next morning, around five in the morning, so that she could catch an early train. Rose tried to talk her into waiting a few days, cooling off and then talking with me. Then if she still felt like leaving go. But Anne was adamant; she wouldn't. Said she had done enough damage already. Rose saw it was just too upsetting for her and finally let it be. She arranged for her nephew, Robert, to come over early the next day to give Anne a ride to the station. Anne promised Rose that she would contact me when she got home, if Rose would just keep stringing me along for another twenty four hours or so. She also promised to write Rose and let her know that she had arrived home safely and so forth." 	
James struggled to collect his thoughts before turning to Colt and Kathryn and speaking. 	
"She never did of course. No, she never wrote or called either one of us unless Rose was keeping it from me. She'd even cleverly given Robert the slip at the station, declining his offer to see her onto the train. She waited until she was sure he was gone before purchasing her ticket. For awhile I went a bit crazy. Tried to find her. Even hired a local PI. Can you believe that? Nothing! Came up empty handed. Course in those days it was a little easier to give someone the slip so to speak. You didn't have those new fangled computers nosing into everyone's business, government was somewhat less intrusive; a little less red tape, not so much paperwork kept on a person. Hell, it shook me up. Thought about quitting school, didn't even want to become a doctor anymore. It was my father that saved me. He needled and riled, commiserated, yelled, cajoled, you name it he did it. At least it got me back in school. Finally, the pain dulls. You never forget. You pretend that you do, but you don't. Two years later, I met Margaret; the other person that saved my life. She was a remarkable woman. I don't know how she put up with me for so many years. But she did and we had a good marriage. A damn good marriage." James fingered his wedding band and Kathryn followed his gaze as it shifted to a picture of a pretty woman with a wide, generous, giving mouth and eyes that sparkled even through the old black and white photo. Kathryn was pleased James Hazlett had found her and, instinctively, she knew they had shared a good life and a deep love. 	
Colt recognized it as well and envied the older man. "You're very lucky, Dr. Hazlett. It's very rare that a man finds that special love twice in a lifetime." 	
"Well, son, it's rare a man is willing to look or, more to the point in my case, is made to look. I didn't give Margaret an easy time of it at first. But I'm glad to say she was a stubborn woman." James smiled much to Kathryn and Colt's relief. 	
"I hope things worked out well for Anne," James told them. "I wish I knew that they did. But, here we are and that's enough about the past. Thank you again young lady. I appreciate this more than I can say. Now, how about you? You mentioned you live in Los Angeles?" 	
It was framed as a question and invited Kathryn to tell him about herself. She did, although leaving out the fact that she had traveled all the way from L.A. simply to give him the letter. However kind he was, it was a bit of a strange story and she felt he might start to wonder about her and her motives. Instead she told him that she was taking some vacation time and enjoying the sights of Clearwater and the surrounding Florida area, as well as the perfect beach weather. 	
He also questioned Colt, and Kathryn watched with a special sense of pleasure as the two men seemed to establish a bond of friendship. Kathryn suspected James Hazlett would have been extremely proud to have a son like Colt and she could easily understand why. His quiet strength and gentle nature were a potent force. Usually fairly immune to the most persistent and entrancing of flirts and potential suitors, Kathryn was fast falling under Colt Riverton's magic spell. She would have to watch herself carefully in order to get home in one piece. Home. The thought of her pretty apartment and its potential no longer enticed her but, in truth, her mission accomplished there was really nothing more to keep her here. Perhaps a few days of vacation. She was in Florida and she might as well enjoy it, take a tour of Clearwater, swim in the warm waters of the Gulf, maybe even take in Epcot Center and Disney World. After all, with three weeks of vacation she would still have two weeks left, plenty of time to continue with her decorating plans. She was more than satisfied with her decision, but she could feel a little voice niggling at her that it was probably for the wrong reason. Like an annoying mosquito, she brushed the errant thought away to focus back on the two men still engaged in conversation. 	
They stayed a little longer and then said their good-byes. Kathryn knew she had no reason to visit James Hazlett again. Having turned over the letter no connection remained between the two of them. The thought saddened her, so she silently memorized his features, gazed at the letter held tightly in one of his large, capable hands, and hoped with all her heart that love would touch his world for the third time. Outwardly she wished him well and gave him her brightest smile hoping the teardrops that threatened to rim her eyes would be held in abeyance until she was out the door, in the car, and back at the hotel. 	
Colt's firm grip matched that of James as the two men shook hands. As they walked out of the apartment, that same strong hand once again protectively caressed Kathryn's shoulder and steered her through the courtyard, back through the reception area, and to the car. Silent until he opened the passenger door, he looked at her and asked her if she was alright. She nodded and offered him a smile, but the tears that had behaved at her command found their release with his gentle concern. With infinite care he brushed the salty wetness from her cheeks, hugged her and told her he understood. After he saw her settled comfortably on the front seat, he came around to his side, unlocked the door and got in. 	
Again they both fell silent as Colt pointed the Cherokee in the direction of Clearwater Beach. When they reached her hotel, Kathryn turned to him, steeling herself for yet another more difficult goodbye, amazed that the stranger in front of her, someone she had known only a whisper in time, had become so important to her, so integral to her life that saying goodbye seemed painful and almost unthinkable. Yet it had to be done. Before she could find the words and voice her thoughts, however, Colt filled the quiet space with his own origination. In no uncertain terms he told her that they were going up to her hotel room, she was going to grab an overnight bag and she was coming home with him. She trotted out every excuse in the book; he refused to listen. She was not staying alone at the hotel tonight, he had a beautiful spare bedroom, his daughter would be delighted with the company of a female, it was "be kind to voluntary postal workers day," he even had a pool that was every bit as good as the one at the hotel, and that was that. She could even check out and check back in later or keep the room and he would pay the charges for the time she was away, but she was not going to be on her own tonight. Guiltily she was glad she had given in. She didn't want to be alone right now and the immediate warmth she knew she would feel in his home beckoned to her as did the enjoyment of his company and that of his charming daughter. She learned the hotel had plenty of rooms so she opted for checking out. She would come back later the next day or perhaps she would find a smaller comfortable and quiet motel. It was just for a few days after all. 	
She packed her clothes and personal articles while Colt waited patiently. He carried the bags out to her rental car and she followed him to Magnolia Lane. It wasn't long before they arrived at his front door. Colt ushered her to a room that looked suspiciously like the master bedroom, but she was too drained to argue for the moment. After she freshened up he plied her with lemonade and sat her in one of the colorfully padded chairs by the pool. 	
When Jesse came home she was delighted to find Kathryn there. In the early evening they decided to go out for pizza only to be waylaid at the front door by a willowy, doe eyed brunette from two doors down proffering a deep dished pan of Southern fried chicken and a suggestive smile. The smile wavered when she saw Kathryn until Colt worked his magic. Minutes later, the somewhat appeased brunette was gone, the chicken was laid out on plates in the kitchen, and three hungry people had a feast. 	
After dinner, Kathryn insisted on washing the dishes and tidying up. Colt and Jesse headed for the Cherokee and returned half an hour later with a rented movie and a carton of ice cream. The film was a light comedy that all three of them could enjoy and that was suited for an eleven year old and two people who were young at heart. 	
Soothed, but still tired from so much emotion during the day, Kathryn was amused by the romp on the screen, but was heavy lidded when the credits signaled the ending. Shortly after she said goodnight to the two people who had woven their spell to fill the void she had felt bare hours ago replacing it with warmth and contentment. Shedding her clothes, and taking a warm shower in the adjoining bathroom, she fell asleep on the big bed almost as soon as her head nestled against the feathered pillow, her thoughts a jumble of Colt, Jesse, James Hazlett, and a woman whose face she could not see. ["#TOC"]	
Chapter Five	
Colt Riverton was in trouble and plenty of it. Perspiration beaded his furrowed brow and rivulets of sweat blazed a trail down the sinewy length of his exposed chest, back and arms. He lifted his knees off the soft, moist ground and felt the stab of pain in his left thigh, remnants of his last injury as a pro baseball player. He winced, took a deep breath and stretched the length of his drenched body. Mild sensations of a half a dozen other old injuries he had suffered came to life and reminded him of his years on the field. Slowly they receded to the background as he looked at his handy work. Seven beautiful rose bushes stood proud and firm in their new home, their fragrant multi-colored blossoms flirting with him in the slight warm breeze. The last tinge of pain disappeared replaced by the pleasure he felt at the sight of the newly planted bushes. So what if, strictly speaking, roses weren't supposed to be planted in the middle of summer. They would grow; he would see to that! Nearby stood a pile of straggly grass, old ground cover, and weeds he had pulled, tossed aside like rags. These rose bushes would grow all right. They belonged here just like they had done years ago when James Hazlett and his family had nurtured this property. 	
He smiled in satisfaction. 	
A mild ruffle of air from the Gulf stirred and Colt started to cool off, but a dip in the pool and a cold drink would go a long way to helping. Then he would try to work out his more pressing problem. He gazed at the second floor window of his daughter's bedroom. A frown replaced the smile and he sighed. Kathryn Cartwright. She was trouble with a capital "T". 	
To be perfectly fair, it wasn't her fault. Colt could have easily parted company with her when they left James Hazlett's apartment. He could have driven her back to the hotel, wished her well, and said goodbye. She was a stranger with whom he a struck up a mild friendship, helped, and that was that. Alright, she was a beautiful, thoughtful, caring woman. A little crazy. Well, not crazy, just a little over the top to come out here on the spur of the moment with a letter she found, intent on giving it to the person it was addressed to over fifty years ago. Okay, she wasn't over the top, she was just a romantic, that's all. And he had gone along right with her! 	
Colt sighed and padded over to sit in one of the loungers by the pool. The plain truth was he hadn't wanted to let her go. One evening he thought. What harm would it do. He instinctively trusted her, she would be good company for Jesse, and it would give her time to relax and be with some people after the emotional roller coaster of the day. After all, she had given up a part of her vacation to help someone, Colt could give an evening. 	
For a moment he pictured Pam. A real go-getter, but he doubted she would have raced half way across the States to deliver an old letter she found. Oh, she may have had someone try to locate the owner, but her life was fast paced, full of commitments, and she was a little more practical. She would have reasoned that after fifty years James Hazlett and Anne would either have found each other or found someone else. Why rock the boat. Colt felt a little guilty for the direction his thoughts were leading. Pam was a good woman and the divorce had been amicable. She had been a wonderful part of his life and a real support to him. Sometimes people had different goals and drew apart. It happened. 	
The main thing was that he was not in a position to get involved with anyone new right now. He and Jesse had just moved here to start a new life, build a home together, and create a future filled with stability and happiness. And, yes, peace. He had purposely waited for the summer so she wouldn't have to miss a beat of school, wouldn't have to start in midway in a strange classroom with a new teacher, trying to get her bearings and make friends at the same time. The coaching job he had been offered started only two weeks before the new school year so that gave him and Jesse a nice chunk of time to settle in and establish themselves in Clearwater. Colt figured that one day, maybe a year or two from now, he might find someone who would be interested in helping to build and share the kind of life he and Jesse had planned. Right now the two of them were just dusting off their wings and testing them. Most importantly, Jesse was getting used to a single parent family, her father. Although Pam could visit anytime she wanted and indeed Jesse would stay with her on occasion, he was the main focus in her life at this point in time. This had been vital to Colt and agreeable to his ex-wife. No, for the time being, romantic entanglements were not part of the plan. 	
Not that Kathryn was in the market for a new relationship herself. She had made that perfectly clear. In many ways she was, he reflected, in a similar situation to himself. She had just come out of a long-term relationship and was establishing herself in a new home with a new life. She was simply enjoying a few days of vacation and then she would head back to California. Fine. He should have let her get on with it the morning after she had stayed over. But it hadn't worked out that way. Colt had spent the night on the pull out couch-bed in the living room, an ancient relic he carried from place to place for sentimental reasons since he was a kid in the minors. His mother bought it for him when he rented his first apartment. Sentimental attachments aside, it was not that comfortable anymore for a six foot plus male body with war wounds from a rough and tumble career. He had told Kathryn there was a big spare bedroom in the house and that was true. What he hadn't told her was that there was no furniture in it yet. Jesse and he had planned to go shopping for a bed and other furnishings in the next week or two. Meanwhile, they had the essentials; she had her bedroom set from California, he had put together something, his parents had loaned him some furniture, and Pam had let him take some things she didn't particularly want anymore. Holding his breath, he was relieved when Kathryn didn't notice or was too tired to argue that he had shown her up to his own bedroom. The evening had been relaxing and had gone well for all three of them. After saying goodnight to Kathryn and tucking Jesse in her bed, he had gotten a few hours of sleep under his belt between tossing and turning and unbidden thoughts of the woman upstairs who slept in his bed. He was up at 6:30AM and decided to tackle breakfast again, this time foregoing the pancakes. Not to impress Kathryn, he was quick to point out to himself. Knowing Jesse was an early riser and correctly figuring Kathryn was too, he had everything assembled and ready to cook by the time he heard them both coming downstairs. He managed to fix more than a passable meal of vegetable omelets, frozen hash browns, and whole wheat toast. 	
That's when he should have done it. A nice breakfast and a nice goodbye. Have a great time. Colt eased himself deeper into the lounger and turned his face to the cooling breeze. 	
She had looked so down to earth fresh and beautiful, her face void of makeup, a pretty mint green summer dress gently sheathing her lovely curves. For a moment he had been rendered speechless and slightly breathless, and the only action he seemed capable of was quickly placing a frosty glass of orange juice in her hand with the inane comment that it really was made from Florida oranges. She had given him a shy smile and they had both stood transfixed until Kathryn blushed, politely mouthed a thank you, and turned away to seat herself at the cozy breakfast table which he had set for three. 	
Jesse had dominated the conversation, bright, bubbly, and full of questions for Kathryn, primarily on the subject of decorating. During the evening, Jesse learned Kathryn was redecorating her apartment and her eyes had lit up. 	
"Dad and I are going to do the same thing. We don't have much experience though," she told Kathryn. 	
"Well neither do I," Kathryn assured her. "But I know what I like and what I feel comfortable with, so I'm going with that. I also bought some magazines to give me a little guidance." 	
"We could do that, and I know what I want for my bedroom," Jesse perked up. 	
"Well, you and I are going to go out on a big shopping spree pretty soon, Minx." 	
"Maybe we should have some help dad,' Jesse suggested. "Maybe Kathryn can help us before she has to go home." 	
Leave it to his daughter. If she wanted something she could arrange it. In fact, she could wangle practically anything out of him. She'd always had the ability to do that. And so it went. Colt told Jesse that Kathryn was going to enjoy a few days of vacation and he was sure there were a lot of sights she wanted to see, none of them being Clearwater furniture stores. Jesse looked crestfallen until Kathryn said there was nothing she would like more if Colt didn't mind. One look at the beaming smile lighting up his daughter's face and how could he mind. Besides the things Colt knew about buying furniture and decorating could be summed up in one sentence or less. His mother had wanted to join them in Florida through the summer and into September, helping them get established; Jesse in school, Colt at his new job. Perhaps even help find a housekeeper. As much as Colt appreciated her support he knew his father wouldn't like to be away from his wife for three months or more. Besides he and Jesse needed to learn to make it on their own. His mom had been adamant about coming out for three weeks at least, the first two weeks he started his coaching job and the first week or so or so of Jesse's school term. Three weeks was better than three months, his father had decided to tag along, and so the deal was set. He was determined, however, that by the time his parents arrived Jesse and he would be in pretty good shape all around. 	
And so two days of shopping, decorating and, he admitted, three people having a great time had passed. 	
Then last night the kiss entered their lives. His gaze wandered back to the bedroom window and he scowled. 	
Kathryn could still feel the pressure of his lips upon hers. Tentative at first, a mere whispered brush against her own, they lifted slightly only to settle back again with gentle stroking caresses. Her sensitized mouth responded of its own accord, opening slightly, welcoming his answering firmer, more persistent touch. His hands came up to cradle her head and bring her closer as his tongue reached out to mate with hers. The kiss went on for unending minutes until, breathless, shaking, they both parted, barely inches away, facing each other not sure of what to do or say. 	
"Kathryn, what do you think? Pillows and stuffed animals or just the pillows on the bed?" 	
Jesse's voice brought her back to the present and she blushed guiltily. 	
"Well, I think it's just a matter of taste. How about this?" She arranged the pretty pink pillows at the head of the bed and nestled in a gray kitten and a little gray whale amongst them. 	
"Perfect!" the youngster clapped her hands together then took a step in the middle of the room and twirled, her arms open wide in pleasure. "I love it! Thank you so much, Kathryn." Jesse ran to her and hugged her tightly. 	
Kathryn beamed with pleasure. Jesse Riverton was a lovely young girl, full of spunk, brimming with adventure and delight at the sheer joy of being alive. If Kathryn had a daughter she would love her to be just like this wonderful treasure. She could see why Jesse was the apple of her father's eye. 	
Arms entwined, she and Jesse surveyed the room once more. The house had been painted just before Colt and his daughter moved in. He had thoughtfully helped her choose a color she would be happy with for her bedroom walls. Her choice was a very pale champagne pink, which perfectly suited the pretty cool beige gold trimmed furniture that was shipped from California. With a few added touches here and there based on Jesse's favorite color, pink, the room had been transferred into a perfect haven for a young girl about to blossom into her promising and exciting teenage years. 	
"I can hardly wait to have Holly over to show her. Maybe she can sleep over. We could have a pajama party! Do you think dad would be okay with that?" Jesse questioned Kathryn. 	
"We'll that's up to your dad. But he seems like a very 	
fair man to me," she assured Jesse. 	
"Yeah, he's really a good guy and the best dad in the world. You like him don't you?" 	
Too much, thought Kathryn. "Yes I do, very much." 	
"Good!" Jesse wandered over to the bed and sat down, taking the stuffed gray kitten in her arms and absently stroking her soft fur. Kathryn joined her there, taking in with satisfaction the fruits of their labor. 	
"So, dad says you were born in California. Me, too. But I got to travel a lot when dad was on the road playing baseball. I kind of like seeing new places. How about you?" 	
"Well, I travel a bit when I can get off work. I enjoy it, too." 	
"Yeah. Florida is pretty cool don't you think? You have all sorts of things like Disneyland, only bigger, and a Sea World, and the beaches just like California. There's lots of things to do." 	
"That's right. I think your dad did a great job in finding this place to settle down. This is a perfect home too. And you've already made some good friends next door." 	
"Yep. So, did you ever think of moving?" 	
"Moving?" Kathryn asked. 	
"Sure. There's lots of opportunities in Clearwater. That's what dad said when my grandmom asked him why he chose this place," Jesse fluffed the kitten's fur up then smoothed it down again. "I kind of heard them talking one day. You could open your own decorating store. You're real good at it, Kathryn. I bet lots of people need their houses decorated and their offices. And there's TV and radio stations here in case you wanted to do that, because you do that in California," Jesse smiled and raised hopeful brown eyes to meet Kathryn's. 	
It didn't take a genius to figure out that Jesse Riverton was shopping and it wasn't for furniture. Kathryn looked into the expressive face that watched her. Colt had told her the story of how Jesse had become his and Pam's. Jesse had always been a bright girl and Colt and Pam made the decision early on to tell her that she was adopted. Whether "the authorities or books" as Colt scathingly referred to them, said so or not, Colt and his wife didn't want Jesse coming home from play or school one day with chance stories they had to explain, or taunts they had to comfort from other children or possibly adults who didn't know better. Nor did they want her to find out she was adopted years later only to feel she had been denied the right and choice to know her background and heritage, maybe even find her birth parents. So when she was seven years old they gently and carefully chose the words to tell Jesse how she had come into their lives and how much she meant to them. They left the door open for her to ask any questions and periodically she would. But Jesse knew more than anything that they both loved her and that's what mattered. When Colt and Pam decided to end their marriage, Colt had been fearful of the pain that Jesse would experience because of the split and resulting upheaval. He was also terrified that he might lose his precious daughter. He wanted what was best for his little girl, but more than anything he wanted her beside him, to nurture her and watch her grow into the lovely young woman he knew she would one day be. While it was true that Colt had pressed for children more than Pam she, too, loved Jesse and always would. She was a good and caring mother. But she also knew herself. Children had never been her priority. She was, when it came right down to it, a career woman in one fashion or another - especially if that career meant helping to shape and forward that of her spouse's. Pam knew Jesse and Colt belonged together. It had always been that way. Maybe it wasn't someone else's version of the ideal scene but Jesse, too, knew she belonged with her father just as Pam knew it. So at the tender age of ten, Jesse and her parents had come to an understanding between the three of them. One that agreeably was difficult, but it did work for them and was certainly better than two people staying together for the sake of a child when they were simply better apart. With their guidance and patience, Jesse had understood and the cocoon of her parents' love softened the blow considerably. Mother and daughter would always be close no matter how far the miles separated them. Wherever she was Pam called Jesse regularly, wrote to her, and visited when she was nearby. Arrangements had been made that Jesse would stay with Pam at certain times of the year. There would be questions and more questions and problems to confront in the future, of course. Pam and Colt knew that, but they would address them as they came up and they would make it as easy for their daughter as possible. Kathryn respected both of them. But whatever the viewpoint, this young girl wanted a female in the house, if not for her then for her father. 	
"Jesse," Kathryn chose her words carefully, "I can only stay here a few more days. I'm so very glad I met you and your dad. I wouldn't have missed that chance for the world. But I have to go home. I have a job and people depending on me in Los Angeles." 	
"Do you have a boyfriend?" 	
"No, no I don't. Not right now. But you know, your dad and I have something in common. Sometimes people have to take a little step back and catch their breath. And then when they've had some time and they've made some changes and fixed things up then they're ready to reach out and let someone else back into their world. You and your dad are starting a whole new adventure. You're fixing things up, like this house, and getting ready for school. And your dad's getting ready to take on a new job. And then when everything is pretty good and settled, I bet you and your dad are going to find someone terrific to share your life with. It's the same for me. I'm making some changes and fixing my world up too. Does that make sense to you?" 	
"Kinda. Dad says when you fall off a bike or something, if you're not too hurt you should try and get back on right away. In life too. He says you dust yourself off and get on with it. But I guess sometimes it takes a little bit longer before you can get back up." 	
"That's right," Kathryn agreed. 	
"Kathryn, when you find your someone, do you think you'll mind if they already have a kid? And what if that 	
kid is, you know, sort of adopted? Well, really adopted." 	
Kathryn put her arm around Jesse's slim young shoulders. She knew this answer was very important and she was ready to respond from the heart. 	
"Jesse, if I had a daughter I would be over the moon if she were just like you." 	
"But some people don't feel that way," Jesse pressed on. 	
"Yes, that's true," Kathryn acknowledged. "But I really believe that when your dad finds someone special - and he will - it will be someone who loves you too, with all her heart. You're a beautiful spirit, Jesse, and that's what counts." 	
Jesse hugged Kathryn close and her eyes grew bright with unshed tears as she held the young girl next to her heart. Somehow she had found her way there just like her father. 	
"Kathryn, will you give dad and me your address before you go back to California? And will you promise to write me? Maybe dad and I can come and visit you." 	
"Yes, yes, yes on all counts," Kathryn assured her. 	
"And will you come visit us again?" 	
"Just try to keep me away!" 	
"Good!" 	
"Now I have a great idea. Let's go sneak up on your dad and surprise him with a push in the pool. I bet he'd like to cool off after all that hard work." 	
Jesse giggled and the two co-conspirators made their way down the stairway to where their unsuspecting victim lay. 	
An hour or so later Kathryn was driving her rented car to Tarpon Springs. Colt and Jesse wanted to take her on a tour of the charming Greek-flavored fishing village, but Kathryn had been adamant about going herself. Jesse and her father needed some time together without a third wheel. What she hadn't told them was that she, too, needed some time alone. So after drying off and changing her clothes (Colt had conned her into helping him out of the pool only to surprise her by toppling her into the deep end by his side much to the delight of his laughing daughter) she was off. 	
The drive was a pleasant one. Lush green foliage greatly contrasted with many a starved-for-water lawn in Los Angeles. Open fields and wide spaces predominated and Kathryn enjoyed that too. Altogether there was a laid back tropical feeling here as opposed to the hectic pace of Southern California. Kathryn found it a welcome change, although she supposed that the big cities like Miami had their frantic schedules too. 	
Tarpon Springs was an enchanting town founded in part by the fishermen, Greek sponge divers, and their families who settled in the area and made a living off the thriving Florida coast. Scattered here and there were remnants of their trade; an ancient diving suit on display, a fishing boat once proud now desperately in need of refurbishing and a new coat of paint. Newer, modern rigged boats mingled with still active old-timers, lining the docks and water's edge. In the historically preserved town a multitude of brightly decorated stores sold sponges, beautiful sea shells of all shapes and sizes, T-shirts, and tourist gifts. Kathryn purchased an exquisite sea shell she knew Jesse would love. It was enormous with delicate hues of pink edging its lip. True to the store clerk's word you could even hear the sea when you put it to your ear. Browsing through another shop, Kathryn found a terrific T-shirt that almost matched Colt's eyes. Boldly emblazoned on the front with 'Captain of the Household' she thought it would be perfect for him. Not enough to pay him for his many kindnesses, but a start. 	
For herself she found a small Greek bakery with tables and chairs set outside in the warm sunshine. She treated herself to a delicious pastry and a steaming cup of strong coffee; nothing she could take home to put on her mantle to remind her of this short trip, but she'd certainly carry more than a memory of it with her until she got back on a disciplined exercise program. She smiled wryly as she patted her tummy in utter satisfaction. For good measure she purchased half a dozen other assorted goodies to take back to the troops. Not that they wouldn't be rolling in deserts already, never mind cordon bleu main courses. 	
Since her arrival on Colt's doorstep a few days ago, a steady stream of fresh rolls, pastries, main courses, and side dishes had paraded through the house always, of course, accompanied by a winsome blonde or a perky brunette, not to mention one annoying redhead who had looked right through Kathryn as if she didn't exist. The entire neighborhood seemed to be riddled with eligible bachelorettes or young divorcees looking for a handsome available hunk like Colt. Even that nice Mrs. Price from across the road two houses down had mentioned a niece who just happened to be coming to visit in a few weeks, Kathryn thought crossly. Then she brought herself up short. What was she doing? This was crazy! She was acting like one of those man-starved creatures herself only instead of slaving over a hot oven, she chose a fancy bakery as her weapon of choice. Kathryn rolled her eyes and groaned inwardly. 	
An elderly gentleman with a fresh white apron bore down on her table bearing a steaming stainless steel pot of coffee. She took the refill willingly, the smoky steam pouring forth in pretty patterns, the aroma gently caressing her nostrils with its perfectly pitched scent. Annoyed with her own folly, Kathryn took a pastry from her bag of prized possessions. There! One less to bring home! Home. She shook her head. This was not home. Home was three thousand miles away in Los Angeles. Home was a pretty apartment overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Home was waiting patiently to be redecorated by its loving, caring occupant. Home was... empty. It didn't have Colt Riverton's endearing grin or gentle tease. It didn't have Jesse's welcoming laughter. 	
Kathryn poured some half and half in her coffee, stirred the contents and took a sip. She was just lonely that was all. She was in a strange place, not on a real vacation but more of a mission of sorts, and Colt and Jesse were the only two people she knew. They had taken her in like a stray little puppy, giving her warmth and affection. And like a lost, tired little puppy she went into their arms willingly. That was all, end of story. Once she finished up here and went home she would get right back into the swing of things, fixing her apartment, the hustle and frantic pace of work, friends, family. It would all fit nicely back into place. Jesse was a beautiful young girl. Any woman would be willingly drawn to her bubbly personality, her intelligence and sensitivity. And Colt...all right he was good looking. Very good looking. And he was nice. Okay, more than nice. He was caring, considerate, sweet, romantic, and had fallen right in with her plans with barely a blink of his gorgeous brown eyes. Another man would have sent her packing, reported her to the police, something. Colt was special. That was all. There were a lot of special men, many of them in Los Angeles. Besides she was comfortable on her own. She'd had ten years with a good man, a dear friend still, and it was time she took her own deep breath and took stock of her life. Got stable on her own two feet. One thing at a time. Not a blah, slobber, gluck mess of feelings that didn't present themselves at the right time. Besides, she took another comforting sip of coffee, you didn't fall in love in two minutes. Love! Oh, God what was she thinking! She fished in her wallet for some money, settled her bill, left a generous tip, and headed for her car. That was it! Enough was enough! She had delivered her letter and it was time to fly back to Los Angeles now. She would present her gifts, thank her host and charming hostess, check out of the Riverton house, check into a hotel for one more night and get on the next plane back to sunny, Southern California. She drove determinedly, by rote, back the way she had come. Only too late did she realize she was lost. Hopelessly, utterly lost. At least she was in Clearwater. She knew that and how lost could you get in such a relatively small city. Only it seemed to have grown in the last three hours; new signs, new buildings and stores, new everything. She spied a gas station where she could ask for directions when she flashed on the name of a small side street. Covington Street. Covington, the name registered. Covington Room and Board! 	
"No, no, no, no, no," Kathryn admonished herself. 	
"Yes!" the voice was strong, clear, and insistent. "Help find me, Kathryn. Help find me...for him." 	
Kathryn Cartwright came to the corner, checked the traffic, and made the right turn. ["#TOC"]	
Chapter Six	
"What!" Colt looked slack jawed into the determined face of Kathryn Cartwright . 	
"I'm going to find Anne Kaufman. And, as much as I appreciate all you've done for me and your kind hospitality, I don't want to intrude on you and Jesse anymore. So, I'm moving back into the hotel as soon as I've packed my bags and said goodbye to Jesse. Then I'm going to spend one more week in Florida and see what I can do." 	
"This is crazy. First of all you're not moving out." 	
"Colt, I've..." 	
"Just hold on a minute," he forestalled her. "You're here, a woman by yourself all alone in a strange city, hundreds... no thousands of miles from LA This is not good. As long as you stay in Clearwater, you stay in this house. Jesse loves having you here." 	
"Colt, I'm a big girl, relatively well traveled, independent, and I won't run into anything I can't handle." 	
"And another thing," he interrupted her again as if he hadn't just heard her comments. "This decision to find Anne Kaufman...if that's her real name. What if she doesn't want to be found? She obviously didn't back then. How are you going to find her? What if she has a husband who doesn't take too kindly to you showing up with her old boyfriend? What if finding her just stirs up a lot of pain for her and for Jim Hazlett? What if..." 	
Neither of them heard the patio door open and shut as Jesse ran in from the pool, her body dripping wet, her eyes alight with excitement. 	
"Dad, did you ask her yet?" 	
"Not now Jesse." 	
"Ask me what?" chimed in Kathryn. 	
"Dad, it's getting late. You've got to ask her so we have enough time to buy everything." 	
"Buy what? Ask me what?" 	
"Jesse, not now. Go outside and play." Colt commanded. 	
Jesse looked from her father to Kathryn and rolled her eyes. "Oh brother! Dad, I'm eleven and a half years old and I'm just about to turn twelve. You haven't told me to go outside and play since I was eight." 	
"Will one of you tell me what is going on here?" Kathryn ordered. 	
"Sure. Dad got this great idea to invite Dr. Hazlett to the house for dinner tomorrow night. He used to own this house and dad said he might like to see the new roses and how we've fixed things up. Dad said you might help make dinner." 	
Kathryn turned to Colt, a self satisfied smile on her face. 	
"So...," she pointed an accusatory finger at him. "So, so, so..." 	
"Kathryn." Colt's voice held a note of warning. 	
"I'm crazy am I because I want to find Anne Kaufman. What about this, what about that," she mimicked. "You, Colt Riverton, are just as bad as I am. No you are worse. Planting roses, inviting him to dinner. I bet next you're going to go out and get a lilac bush." 	
"Dad said..." 	
"Jesse!" 	
Jesse knew when to shut up, but even she was giggling. 	
"Look, it's just a friendly little invitation. He seemed a bit lonely and misplaced in that apartment and I thought he'd like a little dinner with us and a look around the old place," Colt defended himself. "Just a one time thing. And you don't have to cook if you don't want to." 	
"What!" Kathryn said, "and miss a chance to match my culinary skills to all those visiting neighborhood homemakers. On the other hand, we could type up a little memo and send it around to those more than willing cooks to see what they can come up with on a moments notice." 	
Jesse was laughing wholeheartedly now. 	
"Jesse Riverton!" 	
"Right, I think I'll go out to 'play' dad. Seems like you've got everything under control here." Jesse scampered away leaving wet trail marks in her wake. 	
By now Kathryn was laughing too, and Colt let the pleasure of the vibrant sound wash over him like a cool summer rain. He couldn't keep his own face straight. 	
"Okay, say it." 	
"Say what?" Kathryn feigned innocence. 	
"I'm just as crazy as you are. I'm a crazy, incurable romantic just like you." 	
"Now was I going to say that?" 	
"Yes, you were." Colt grabbed her hand. 	
"Well, you are you know." 	
"I know, I know!" He caught her other hand and held both of them together in the warmth of his own. 	
"Stay," he whispered. 	
"I can't," she told him. 	
"Yes you can." 	
"I shouldn't." 	
"I know. But I promise I'll be a good boy. And I promise I'll help you find Anne Kaufman. And at least I know you'll be safe." 	
"Safe?" The irony of the word barely registered as her world drowned in the fan of his warm breath mingling with her own. As his lips came down on her own too willing mouth, all the promises were forgotten. 	
Kathryn's mother claimed that cutting vegetable was very therapeutic and a terrific remedy for stress. Kathryn would laugh and tease her mother, but Joy Cartwright stood firm on the matter. Now, as the noon day sun softened in intensity, Kathryn had to finally agree. If not entirely therapeutic, it was helpful. One had to pretty much stay in present time, peeling, slicing, scraping without mishap. Vegetables didn't demand much more out of you, they didn't pressure you to get done, to hurry with the task, they let you set your own pace. They didn't talk back, and except for onions which could at times be a little difficult, they were easy to get along with. Sometimes you could even cheat and drift a little, thinking of some triviality, something mildly pleasurable. Nothing too heavy or mind boggling. 	
Kathryn glanced over to where Jesse was peeling and slicing apples for a homemade pie. She was totally immersed in the job, her small tongue darting out here and there as she made sure every piece was just so. She really was a treasure. Colt was a very lucky man and her mother a very lucky woman. Any couple would be blessed to have a child like Jesse. Colt! No, wrong subject. Definitely not part of the cutting vegetable routine. Something mundane. Earlier this morning some furniture had arrived from the store, which completed the guest bedroom set. Fortunately, the bed from the set had arrived on a priority basis a day after the initial shopping spree. Thus Colt was able to sleep in the comfort of his own bed. Kathryn groaned aloud. 	
"Kathryn, are you okay?" Jesse asked in concern. 	
"I'm fine. Just a stubborn stalk of celery. How are you coming along?" 	
"Just three more apples and we're all set to mix everything together." 	
"You're doing a great job, Jesse!" 	
The young girl beamed and set back to work with relish. 	
The small slice of celery seemed to stare up at Kathryn, disappointed at being falsely blamed for something it did not do. Kathryn's response was to pop it in her mouth and start again with a new stalk of the vegetable. There must be a safer subject. Covington Street! What was it like in the late 1940's? Anne must have felt safe traveling on her own to meet James Hazlett. And James felt comfortable letting her do so. It actually appeared to be a very quiet and safe area today. In fact, Clearwater itself seemed somewhat caught in the time warp of a simpler, less frantic era. At least Anne had probably been a better navigator than Kathryn was. She grimaced at the thought of getting lost yesterday. Still some good had come out of it. A look at Covington Street was like a peek back in time. Lacking the grandeur and stately appearance of Magnolia Lane, the gracefully aged homes on Covington Street appeared to be well cared for, with only one or two exceptions. Most had immaculate front lawns gently sloping to the sidewalk, the carefully painted houses bordered with colorful bouquets of flowers or well tended gardens containing plants and bushes of varying varieties. In some cases, magnolia trees teased the air with their fragrant white blossoms and beautiful willows played center stage, their branches tenderly caressing the blades of green carpet offering welcoming shade and a respite to the summer heat. Three of the larger homes were for sale and Kathryn wondered if one of them happened to be the former Covington Room & Board. 	
She had hoped to see a still-pristine sign but knew the chances of that after fifty years were slim indeed. She was right. Here and there children played, front doors were open to sumptuously inviting smells, and the occasional person purposefully went on his or her way to or from some errand. One or two cars drove the length of the street but didn't stop, turning the corner instead and disappearing quickly. 	
In her job Kathryn had learned to become an adept researcher and a pretty decent detective. Always a sucker for a good television mystery, especially those semi-challenging but neatly tied up one hour series that came in different packages, she was proud of her abilities. She knew if she could find a local library, even one further afield than the general area of Covington Street, it was a good bet they would have an old phone book from the 1940's and the early 1950's. It would be a cinch to look up Covington Room and Board. Of course, she could always ask James Hazlett. He would remember the address she was sure. Taking stock of the area she was in and scanning down the street once more, Kathryn noticed an elderly woman slowly making her way up the shallow steps of a nearby house. She struggled with a small shopping dolly on wheels that was packed with grocery bags. Thoughts of the library momentarily put aside, she went over to help. Approaching slowly and keeping her distance so as not to frighten the woman she offered her assistance. The friendly face, etched with the lines of age, seemed uncertain at first, tempted, and then making up her mind, relieved. 	
"Thank you, it would help." 	
Kathryn took the dolly from her and easily carried it up the remaining two steps to the front door. 	
"I usually don't buy this much, but my grandchildren are coming," the woman explained. 	
"I'm delighted to do it." 	
Opening her small white purse, the woman took out her door key and several one dollar bills, offering them to Kathryn. 	
"Absolutely not!" Kathryn told her. "It was my pleasure." 	
"Please..." the woman insisted. 	
Kathryn declined just as stubbornly. "I was here anyway and it was very easy to do." 	
Finally the woman put the notes back in her purse. 	
"That's so sweet of you dear. Are you a new neighbor?" she asked hopefully, her glance going to one of the nearby for sale signs. 	
"No, I'm just on vacation from California." 	
"My goodness, dear. A pretty girl like you should be at the beach dressed in one of those little... what do they call them...bikinis." She slid the key into the door and turned the handle. 	
Kathryn blushed. "Oh, I don't know about that. I might scare all those handsome beach boys." 	
"I doubt that, young lady. In fact," she sighed, "I probably would have worn one myself if they had them back then and I could have gotten away with it. I cut a pretty good figure if I do say so myself." The woman laughed and Kathryn joined in. 	
Kathryn helped her inside with the heavy load and took the bags from the shopping dolly, putting them on the kitchen table. 	
"Thank you so very much. Let me make you a cup of tea." 	
"I appreciate it but I should be going. I'm staying with... a family and I don't want them to be concerned about me." 	
"I understand dear." 	
Both woman walked back to the front door. On impulse Kathryn turned to her. "There is one thing." 	
"Yes?" 	
"Well, I don't know how long you've lived in this neighborhood, but I was actually looking for a place called Covington Room and Board. Have you ever heard of it?" 	
"Good heavens! Covington Room and Board. It hasn't been in operation since the late 1950's. Come... I'll show you." 	
They went outside and the woman, whom Kathryn learned was Mrs. Frances Milman, pointed to one of the homes across the street and three doors down. It was indeed one of the larger houses with a for sale sign prominent on the front lawn near the curb. 	
"I didn't live here at the time. My husband and I moved here twenty-five years ago, God bless him. I lost him two years ago this summer. But I was raised in Clearwater and I was friendly with Rose's daughter, Millie. She and I moved in the same circles. Rose and her husband owned the place and lived there with their daughter and son. At the time, of course, it was simply their private home. Then Frank, Millie's brother, joined the Navy. He decided on a naval career. Millie met Harris Johnson and married him. With both of their children moved out of the house, Rose and her husband were apparently toying with the idea of opening rooms to borders. Well, Sam passed away a few years later. Very sad; an accident. Rose went ahead, after some time, and established the room and board. She kept it up until, oh about 1957 or 58. Then she went to live with Millie, but she kept the property as a rental for extra income. She passed away just a few years ago. Lived well into her nineties. I see Millie at one or another function and she keeps me up-to-date. As a matter of fact, Millie's daughter has been living in the house for the past couple of years, but she and her family are moving, so they finally decided to put the old house up for sale." 	
Kathryn could have kissed Mrs. Milman and, in fact, gave her an exuberant hug. The two women parted and Kathryn looked at her watch. It was a little before 5:00PM. Colt was probably worried. She felt his attention and the thought brought a mixture of concern, pleasure, and a rush of confused ideas she put aside. Just a few more minutes she told herself. Then squaring her shoulders, she walked across the road to the former Covington Room and Board. 	
As it turned out, the gamble paid off. Nancy Cutler Johnson McKenna, Rose's granddaughter, was a petite woman who appeared to be in her late forties. She patiently heard Kathryn's story, shaking her head in wonderment. 	
"What an incredible adventure. Sounds like something I might have done before the kids came along," she mused. 	
"Grandmum closed the rooming house when I was a child, probably six or seven. Of course, my mother brought me over here often. I've always loved the place and I vaguely remember some of the boarders. Still, that's after the period of time you're interested in. I don't recall grandmum or my mother mentioning anyone by the name of Anne Kaufman or James Hazlett." 	
Kathryn was sitting in the cozy warmth of Nancy McKenna's living room. She declined a cup of tea or coffee, concerned for interrupting Rose's granddaughter so close to dinner and still feeling Colt's attention on her all the way from Magnolia Lane. Kathryn wished she wasn't so focused on the time. There was so much she wanted to ask. The house retained an aura and charm consistent with the 1940's. Nancy told her she had redecorated to some degree, still keeping much of the original furniture and fixtures of her grandmother's time. 	
"I was very fortunate. Grandmum kept most of her furniture and personal items either with mom or at my uncle's place. The various families who rented the house over the years didn't change it that much, and I had photos and memories, especially mom's, so I was able to piece things together again. I wanted my own family, my husband and my children, to experience some of the warmth that was so prevalent during my grandmother's time. It was always a very safe and comforting space then. I think that's why it was so popular to boarders. Grandmum had a way of making people feel at home." 	
Nancy went on to tell Kathryn that when her grandmother passed away, she had been the one to go through her personal papers, a job her mother requested of her. Hesitant to part with cherished memories, still raw with the loss of her beloved grandmother, Nancy kept almost everything, including a number of letters from friends and former boarders. Still "Anne Kaufman" did not ring a bell. 	
"That isn't to say there isn't something there. When I originally went through grandmum's possessions and papers, well it was a difficult and stressful time needless to say. Loss, no matter how expected, is always hard. The more love there is, the more difficult. At the time, I didn't read all of the thank you notes and some of the personal correspondence thoroughly. I have an idea. Give me a few days to go through some of the letters I've saved and let's see what I come up with. If you'll just give me a number where I can reach you." 	
Kathryn gave Nancy Colt's home phone number and thanked her profusely. Rose's granddaughter also promised to speak to her mother. It was just possible Rose had talked to her daughter about Anne and James. 	
Her drive home was easy. Nancy gave her excellent directions. Filled with hope and determination, she pulled up to the house shortly after 6:00PM. There she encountered an expectedly agitated Colt Riverton. She calmed him as best she could. And now, instead of walking away, she was in deeper than ever. 	
Dinner was a huge success. The roast Kathryn had lovingly cooked was done to perfection. Succulent fresh vegetables, her special seasoned roasted potatoes, and melt in your mouth homemade rolls were the perfect accompaniment. Hot apple pie, brought to the table by a proud Jesse, and served with fat-free vanilla frozen yogurt rounded out the delicious meal. Not for the first time today, Kathryn sent a silent message of thanks to her mother, this time for all of the wonderful cooking tips. Colt and James Hazlett lavished multitudes of praise on both girls and Kathryn and Jesse happily lapped it up. 	
"I haven't enjoyed a meal like this since Margaret did up one of her special celebration feasts. Perfect. Couldn't have been better!" James Hazlett beamed and raised his glass in a toast. "To two of the best cooks and may I add the prettiest chefs I have ever had the privilege of eating with." 	
"Here, here," added Colt. 	
Four glasses clicked and enjoyed the sparkling cherry water. 	
"And now I have a special surprise for you Kathryn Cartwright," Colt announced. It just so happens that the fabulous dish washing team of Riverton and Riverton is on hand to clean up." 	
"Oh, Colt, no!" Kathryn protested looking at all of the dishes on the table, never mind the pots and pans in the kitchen. 	
"Ah..." Colt raised his hand. "Jesse and I have this taped. Right Princess?" 	
"Right dad!" 	
"Now you two mosey into the den and before you know it Jesse and I will be done. Then I'll see if anyone wants another cup of coffee and some more pie. That is if Jesse and I don't eat the rest of it first. You've got to watch us Rivertons!" With that he hustled Kathryn and James out of the dining room. 	
The meal capped off a glorious afternoon. Colt and James Hazlett got on almost like father and son. Kathryn knew she had guessed right; James would have wanted a son exactly like Colt. Active and vital. Warm and sensitive. The hundred and one other precious qualities Colt possessed. Kathryn watched as the older man toured the backyard, taking in the new rose bushes and, yes, the new lilac bush - a baby plant just starting on its way to full promise. Valiantly he tried to hide the tears that formed. Inside, Jesse had taken over as hostess of the house, showing James how Kathryn and she had redecorated. Of course, she allowed, her dad helped too with moving things around, lifting furniture, placing it just right, and some decorating ideas. James was duly impressed and the two formed a friendship, which grew stronger throughout dinner. Now as Kathryn sat with him in the den, she wondered if she should bring up the subject of finding Anne and stir up yet more memories for him. She decided to broach the subject, recognizing James Hazlett as a man who liked to take the bull by the horns and tackle matters straight on. "I took a tour of Tarpon Springs yesterday," she offered, and I got lost coming back into Clearwater. But I'm glad I did," she rushed on. "I ended up on Covington Street." 	
James Hazlett fixed her with a steady look. 	
"That old place has been closed up for years. Somewhere in the 50's I think." 	
"Yes, I know. But interestingly enough I happened to learn that Rose Culter's granddaughter lives there. The place is up for sale; however, she's there right now." Kathryn hesitated then went on. "I actually had a nice talk with her." 	
"Young lady, some things are better left alone." 	
"I know that too. But as my friends will attest, I've never really subscribed to that idea much. I'm pretty stubborn." Again she paused. "Unless you don't want me to be." 	
James said nothing. 	
"Dr. Hazlett...in the last fifteen or twenty years there have been numerous advancements made in the field of communication that make tracing people much easier. The studio I work for even produces a weekly show about locating friends and loved ones. It's a big hit. In the 1940's and even in the 1950's and early 60's it was definitely more difficult to find someone. A person could get lost in a crowd or disappear if they wanted to. Now with computers, better records, and other factors you can do wonders. Not to mention good old roll up your sleeves detective work. My boss and co-workers tell me I'm pretty good at that. I sometimes put Columbo to shame." 	
At this James offered a tentative smile. 	
"You said the key words. 'If they wanted to disappear.' Anne obviously wanted to. She never got in touch. Could be she sized me up and went running. Could be those flowery words were just meant to...ease the pain a little." 	
"I don't believe that and neither do you." Kathryn countered. 	
James took a deep breath. 	
"And what if I find out...she's gone. What if the 'truth' I learn is that she's not gathered round a table with a family that really cares about her, maybe sharing some in-joke and laughing, or sitting in some glorified old folks home like me...What if she isn't sharing the same moon that we used to look at each night, or the sun that rose in the morning and meant we were going to see each other. I'm not sure I want that 'truth' Kathryn. I'm not sure of that at all." 	
Kathryn could not answer him. She was incapable of speaking for the moment. Her throat had locked up and the jumble of emotions she was experiencing precluded words. 	
"Let me ask you a question. What if the tables were turned? What if that young man in there went out of your life in the same way? Not that he'd be fool enough to do that of course. But what if? Would you want to know?" 	
"Colt...Colt is just an acquaintance. I've only known him for a few days." 	
"Young woman I may be old but I'm not blind." James Hazlett certainly did not mince words. 	
A tremor of fear shot through Kathryn's body and she kept her hands tightly folded in her lap so James could not see that they were shaking. He knew! He knew what she had desperately tried to ignore, push away, and deny. She was in love with Colt Riverton; a man she had just met, a man who was miles away and a world away from her neat, orderly, full life in Los Angeles. Kathryn shuddered every so slightly and hoped James didn't notice as he waited for her to respond. Mingled with the concept she could no longer fight or turn from, was the overwhelming sense of what James Hazlett had just proposed. A life without Colt in it. A life filled with friends, family, stability, and yet a life that was as barren as an empty desert that stretched to infinity and beyond. Her mouth dry she turned to see James watching her intently. 	
"I would have to know," she whispered. "I would have to know." 	
"Then you have a lot more courage than I do," he stated simply. "Well, let's see if I can ride on the coattails of it." James once again met her straight on. "Alright, Kathryn Cartwright. Let's go for it, as you young people are so fond of saying. Find her. Find Anne for me." 	
"Dr. Hazlett..." 	
He silenced her with a finger to her lips. 	
"Ah, don't let me change my mind, Kathryn. We're both in this together now...for worse...or better!!" 	
Colt kissed his daughter goodnight and padded downstairs to the living room. He found Kathryn curled on the couch staring at the cold empty fireplace, a portrait of intense study. It worried him to find this usually bubbly, full of life woman so quiet. Dr. Hazlett, too, had been somewhat subdued when Colt and Jesse returned to the room after doing the dishes. The four of them had enjoyed a terrific evening, dinner was perfect, and Colt was especially pleased when he saw James Hazlett's reaction to the rose bushes out back. It had been well worth the hard work, sweat, and occasional scratches from the thorns. Colt had been satisfied and very, very happy. Until he found Kathryn avoiding his eyes and carefully keeping her distance from him. 	
"Kathryn," he walked over to her, "did I do something that upset you tonight?" 	
She stood up still avoiding his gaze. 	
"No, don't be silly. It was a perfect evening." 	
"I thought so too. But now I'm wondering." 	
"I'm just a little tired. It was a big day. I think I'll go to bed." 	
Kathryn started to walk away, but Colt gently blocked her. 	
"Please. Don't. Not like this. Please tell me what it is. I know you worked really hard today. I'm sorry if it was too much." His quiet plea was met with silence. 	
Colt reached up with his forefinger and thumb in a soft caress of her delicate chin. He raised her face so she would have to look at him. It was his undoing. Her features reflected a number of emotions, most of which he could put a name to - except for one. The one he knew was reflected in his own eyes as well. It was too late to turn away. Much too late. His lips slowly came down on hers, gentle at first, then with a demanding pressure. He swore to himself he would stop if she moved away, if she asked him to. She did neither one. Her body pressed closer to his, fitting ever so perfectly to his own taut frame. Threading his fingers through her hair, he rained kisses over her face and neck. Then, lifting her easily into his arms he held her close to his heart and carried her to his room and to his bed. ["#TOC"]	
Chapter Seven	
"It's for you, Kathryn. It's a Mrs. McKenna about a letter." 	
Colt, Jesse, and Kathryn were seated around the kitchen table when the phone rang. Jesse, bursting with energy, ran to the counter to pick it up. Kathryn remained snug in her chair sipping orange juice and wondering why this particular glassful was the best, bar none, she had ever tasted. Her heart did a small dance when she heard Jesse's words. She hurried to pick up the receiver. 	
"Mrs. McKenna...Nancy, I'm so glad you called." 	
"Kathryn, I hope you don't mind me phoning so early, but I could hardly wait to reach you." Nancy was bubbling with enthusiasm. 	
"No...No...It's wonderful! You found something?" 	
"Well, yes. A couple of things." 	
Kathryn sat down on the chair Colt brought over to her. He also brought her a notepad, a pen, and her orange juice. She smiled at him and her heart turned over again. Concentrate, Kathryn, she admonished herself. 	
"I'm all set," she told Nancy McKenna. 	
"All right. Well, the first thing I did was to sit down with the letters I saved from my grandmother's papers. 	
Remember I said there were a number of thank you notes that I hadn't fully read at the time. There are two particular ones I want to read to you. Now, they aren't from an Anne Kaufman but, well...listen to the content. Here's the first one. It's dated September 1st, 1948." 	
'Dear Rose, I'm so sorry I haven't written sooner but, as I am sure you can understand, I had much to think about and many things to do. Finally, I am sitting here in relative quiet tonight, and I wanted to write these words to thank you for everything you did for me. How can I begin, for there are really no adequate words to tell you how much your support has meant to me. How much of a comfort and help you were. 	
Your nephew, Robert, was of great assistance both in getting me to the train station and when we arrived there. It was a long and uneventful journey, however, as you can imagine, my mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts... and much more. 	
My parents were upset, naturally, but nonetheless extremely supportive. Now that they have heard my story, they do not agree with the decisions I have come to. But they are resigned that I have to make my own way. I am certain I would feel the same as my parents do were I to have a child. My sister, Bethany, has been like a rock throughout this whole ordeal from calming mother and father, to defending my rights and my honor, and opening her home to me. She is glorious and wonderful - a knight in shining armor I tease her. But every word is true. I do not know where I would be without her - or without your generosity. 	
I have visited Richard on two occasions and we've talked as much as possible under the circumstances. It is very difficult for him and for me. It will not be easy for either one of us. But I truly believe he is willing to try and for now that is enough of a start. In the meantime, I am living with Bethany and her family, including my beautiful niece and nephew of whom I am so proud. They are adorable, maddening monsters, and help to keep me sane. 	
I dare not ask, and yet I must. James. How is he? He must be as angry as I am ashamed. A thousand times a day I ask myself how I could have done such a thing. A thousand times a day I wish... I have no defense except that when I looked into his eyes I saw my own heart. I know you urged me to contact him as soon as possible. I did write a note that I asked Robert to give to Tommy Lin to deliver. But I could not tell him everything then. I could barely find the strength to say goodbye. If I hurt him by leaving, think what it would do to him to find out the truth. You said he deserved to know. That it would give him peace of mind. I've tossed this back and forth. I've even started several letters only to tear them up. Soon perhaps I will be able to find the right words. Maybe he will be able to forgive me and I will forgive myself. 	
To be truthful, I am hoping someone will touch his world as I could never honestly touch it. Then I will become just a hazy but fond memory to him. Again, I am torn. I need more time. I need to continue to get my life in some semblance of order. I've included my sister's address FOR YOU ONLY, PLEASE. Please, if he asks, tell him I never wrote, that you never heard from me again. Please, I beg you. 	
Your faithful friend. I'll always remember your kindness. Rebecca.' 	
Both women were silent on the phone for a minute. 	
"There's one more, Kathryn. Shall I go ahead? "Nancy's voice was somewhat shaky and husky. Kathryn knew the other woman had shed some tears. She tried in vain to wipe away her own gathering teardrops and felt the comfort of Colt's hands gently and capably massaging her shoulder blades. 	
"Please go on. I'm ready." 	
"This one is dated December 12th, also 1948." 	
'Dear Rose, I found this in a little shop and immediately thought of you. I hope you enjoy it and it will become part of your "little collection." 	
"My grandmother collected miniature knickknacks," Nancy interjected, then went on. 	
'I was so happy to receive your letter. I could hardly wait to open it. I intended to write you back sooner than this, but so much has been happening. Richard will be home for Christmas. We have talked about moving after the New Year. Making a fresh start. It would be good for both of us. In the meantime, I'm still with my sister and her brood. 	
Rose, I know I put you in a very uncomfortable position and I'm so terribly sorry. I would never have wanted to cause you any distress. Thank you for keeping my confidences silent. 	
Shortly after my first letter to you I came to the decision that I would not write to James. He is a very stubborn man and, in my own way, I am equally stubborn. It is best if I sever all communication with him. It is best if he never knows the truth. I truly believe... I have to believe this and trust my own instincts. He must never try to find me. It is the only thing for both of us. For both the peace of mind and the future of everyone concerned. He is a remarkable man, with so much to offer, and so many gifts of the heart. I know he will have the best of everything that life can hold, and he will give to others the very best of himself. I am only a girl he met and very replaceable. He will find someone who will be everything to him. But I am rambling. Forgive me. Forgive me for everything. I hope your Christmas will be filled with the joy and peace you have brought to others who for a time needed a refuge in your loving home. Love, Rebecca' 	
"That's it," Nancy spoke softy into the receiver. "I'll hold onto these and you can have them whenever you like. Perhaps you'll share them with the gentleman. I don't know if it will help or not. She did love him very much." 	
"Yes," Kathryn agreed, brushing back a strand of her hair that had tangled with the wetness of her tears. "You said there was an address contained in the first letter." 	
Nancy read it to her. There was no address noted anywhere within the second letter nor on either of the envelopes. However, the postmark was still quite clear on both envelopes and Nancy gave Kathryn this information as well. 	
"I also spoke to my mother just in case my grandmother had mentioned anything to her. I thought perhaps she might even know Dr. Hazlett or...Rebecca. Mom didn't meet Rebecca, but she does remember Jim Hazlett attending the same high school as her. She has photos of him in her high school year books. He was a year or two ahead of her, so they didn't really socialize. Mom says he was very handsome and considered quite a catch even then. Oh, she does remember him working at Tellman's later on. In fact, she recalled badgering dad to take her to the wharf one evening when she was first pregnant with me because she had a craving for ice-cream. Anyway, she saw Jim Hazlett there with a very pretty auburn haired woman. He wasn't on the job at the time. The two were just talking and enjoying some ice-cream the same as mom and dad. It was definitely the summer of 1948, just after mom learned she was pregnant with me. Mom says it isn't unusual that Dr. Hazlett and grandmum didn't recognize or know each other. Their paths wouldn't have really crossed even in those smaller town days, and with the war coming in between as well. If you want to talk with my mother she would be delighted to chat with you. Maybe something else would come to light." 	
"This is wonderful, Nancy. Thank you so much. And please thank your mother for me. Tell her I really appreciate her help and I may take her up on it." 	
"What are you going to do next? And how can I help?" 	
"Well, I have a friend in Los Angeles who might be able to run with the information you've given me. She specializes in finding people." 	
"A detective?" 	
"Not the kind you see on TV. But she does a great job of tracking down long lost friends and relatives for a television show." 	
"Is this for a television show, Kathryn?" Nancy's distaste was obvious in the tone her voice took on. 	
"No. Never!" Kathryn assured her. "This is something else entirely private, I promise you." 	
"Good!" 	
"But Christina does a great job. She would even give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money!" 	
"Great!" Nancy was once again enthusiastic. 	
"If you'll hold on to those letters for now, I'll give Christina a call and get her started. In the meantime, there are one or two things you can do if you don't mind. Can you see if your mother or perhaps one of your neighbors like Mrs. Milman knew a young boy named Tommy Lin who lived in the neighborhood." 	
"That's right. According to what I've read to you, Robert was supposed to give your letter to a Tommy Lin to deliver to James Hazlett." 	
"Exactly. That's also mentioned in Anne's original letter to James. I'd like to talk to him if he's still in the area. I'll also ask Dr. Hazlett about him. And what about Robert?" 	
"My grandmum had two sisters, Nela and Jess. Robert is Nela's son. I've only met him on one or two family occasions. He lives in Boston. But I can get his phone number, call him and see what he knows." 	
"Perfect." 	
"It seems your Anne and Rebecca are one and the same." 	
"It's certainly pointing in that direction." 	
The two women promised to talk in a few days as soon as either one of them had some news. 	
By the time Kathryn hung up the receiver, her tears had dried to be replaced by a dedicated gleam in her eyes. 	
Towards the tail end of the conversation, Colt had walked over to the kitchen table where he stood huddled with his daughter whispering something to her. When Kathryn joined them, they looked up guiltily like two naughty children caught in the act of plotting mischief. 	
"It sounds like you have a plan," Colt said. 	
"Yes, I do. We've got some leads, Colt. That was Rose Cutler's granddaughter. Remember I told you why I was late coming home. She found some letters in her grandmother's things. If you'll just let me make a long distance call in a few hours to a friend of mine, I'll have her start checking some names and addresses. I'll use my calling card." 	
"Don't worry about that. You can certainly use the phone, but not this one," Colt smiled. 	
"What?" Kathryn was unsure what he meant. Was she being kicked out? 	
Colt and Jesse surrounded her, Colt taking her hand in his. 	
"It seems to me, Miss Detective, that it is time for some real Florida sightseeing. You've done all you can for now. Anything else you can do in Orlando." 	
"Orlando!" 	
"That's right. We're going to Disney World and Epcot Center." 	
"What!" 	
"Disneyland. Just like in California. Only bigger and better. And Epcot Center! It's supposed to be beautiful. And dad is going to take both of us." Jesse danced around the room as she spoke. 	
"Not only that," Colt confirmed. "We're going to do it in style." 	
In style," Kathryn parroted. 	
"Yep! Go pack some things for two or three days. I'm getting us some reservations at one of the hotels in the complex at Disney World." 	
"But the house." 	
"Will still be here when we get back. All the furniture deliveries have been made for now. There's just that easy chair that's on order and it won't be here for a week or two. Everything will be fine. Now go. Get. Start packing," Colt said with authority. ''I'll make the arrangements and if we hurry we'll arrive just in time for you to make your phone call and then, while your friend is tracking things down, we can have some fun." 	
"Come on Kathryn. Let's go do it. We can help each other." 	
Jesse grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the hallway and the stairs. 	
Barely an hour later they were on the road in Colt's Cherokee. Kathryn watched Colt's hands firmly planted on the steering wheel, guiding them at a steady even pace along the highway. Last night those hands, strong yet gentle at the same time, had tuned her body to a fevered pitch and brought it over the edge in a waterfall of sensations she had not thought possible. Her body flushed at the memory. She looked up and found Colt smiling as if he knew what she was thinking. Or was he remembering too? 	
Jesse's excitement was infectious and Kathryn's enthusiasm for the adventure soon bubbled over. Really, it was just what she needed. 	
Aside from a short stop to fill the tank up with gas and stretch their legs, they headed straight for their destination. The countryside was flat, open, and pleasurably lush. Kathryn stretched her arms and luxuriated. She loved the wide open expanse of healthy green fields. Even the small towns they passed along the way offered houses that were generously surrounded by beautiful shade trees, well tended gardens, and fertile lawns. The sky was a gorgeous shade of blue. It was a picture perfect day. 	
Kathryn was amazed as they made the Disney turnoff. It seemed as though they were indeed entering another world quite apart from planet earth. The two lane ribbon of highway wound lazily through a scenic splendor of Disney theme landscapes and exquisite hotels, each one more entrancing than the first. Finally, Colt made a right turn into the wide drive of a breathtaking red and white building reminiscent of the late eighteen hundreds Victorian period. 	
"Oh, Colt. It's beautiful!" Kathryn exclaimed. "It reminds me of the Del Coronado Hotel in San Diego. My very favorite." 	
"Wow, dad, I love it too! It looks just like a fairy tale palace." Jesse's eyes were as big as saucers. 	
"Well, I'm glad you both like it. Nothing is too good for the two most beautiful princesses at Disney World." Colt beamed with pleasure. He had chosen well. 	
A few minutes later, after checking in at the front desk, they were on their way upstairs to their rooms. Colt had booked a two bedroom suite with a luxurious parlor situated in the middle. One bedroom featured two large double beds; this is the one that Kathryn and Jesse would sleep in. The other was reserved for him. A lonely king bed he longed to have Kathryn share with him. Last night... Colt tucked the betraying thought away. Both he and Kathryn knew last night could not happen again. 	
The girls quickly unpacked their overnight carrying bags and freshened up in the beautifully appointed bathroom adjoining their room. Then, at Colt's suggestion, he and Jesse went downstairs to purchase tickets for Epcot Center and Disney World which you could do right at the hotel. Kathryn stayed behind to make her Los Angeles phone call, promising to join them in the lobby as soon as she was done. From the expectant look on Jesse's face it had better be very soon. Even Kathryn, herself, wanted to get going. 	
A check of the bedroom radio clock and a quick calculation of the three hour difference between Florida and California time showed it was about 9:30AM in Los Angeles. Perfect timing. It was Sunday, so Christina would be home. 	
She was an early riser and should be indulging in a wake-up cup of coffee just about now. Kathryn toyed with the idea of waiting until Monday to call, but she knew this was better than driving her friend crazy during an already madly paced workday. She dialed the number. "It's Sunday morning. This better be good," teased the warm, familiar, and friendly voice over the line. 	
"Well, that depends. I'm missing a five-headed alien I'm in love with and whose baby I'm having. Can you help?" 	
"Kathryn, it's you! Are you bored after a week of vacation? Is it time for a cozy little lunch and a catch up on the office skinny?" 	
"Actually, we have to postpone lunch. I'm in Florida." 	
"Florida! What are you doing there? I thought you were redecorating your apartment. What happened?" 	
"Relax," Kathryn noted the slightly worried lilt her friend's voice had taken on. "I'm fine. And I was redecorating. In fact, I got this wonderful piece. Then, well, I just decided to...have a little adventure... in Florida." 	
"Okay," Christina said cautiously. 	
"And I need your help." 	
"You want me to come join you." 	
"I want you to find someone for me." 	
"Oh." 	
"It's a long story and I'll explain it over lunch when I get back. Right now, I want to help somebody very special and I really need your backup." 	
"You always have that. So, tell me who do you want me to find?" 	
"You're an angel. Here's the information. Her name is...well, try Anne Kaufman.'' Kathryn spelled it to her friend. ''You can also check Rebecca Kaufman. I have an address in Wisconsin. It's not her address, it belonged to her sister Bethany. Bethany was married, but I don't have her last name." Kathryn gave Christina the address. There is also a Richard. It could be Richard Kaufman. Relationship...unknown." Kathryn refused to think of the possibilities. 	
"Alright. Any other names? Relatives?" 	
Kathryn could hear Christina taking notes. 	
"Sorry. I do know Anne or Rebecca, and Bethany had parents but I don't have their names." 	
"How about birth dates, phone numbers, photos?" 	
"No. I can see if I can get hold of a photo for you. At this point I'm not sure if I can," Kathryn hesitated. "There is one other thing." 	
"I'm ready." 	
"The time period." 	
"The time period?" Christina queried. 	
"Yes, the information I have dates around the summer of 	
1948 through mid-December just before Christmas." 	
"I see. So basically we're talking 1948, over fifty years ago, with little or no information, not to mention a person with one or more possible aliases." 	
"That's true," Kathryn acknowledged. "But it's really important and you've done miracles before." 	
"Don't try to butter me up. Just tell me, are you really okay?" 	
"I promise you I'm fine. This is just for a very dear friend." 	
"I'd probably have better luck with the five-headed alien, but I'll see what kind of magic I can conjure up." 	
"I owe you ten lunches and a dinner!" Kathryn exclaimed. 	
"I haven't done it yet, so watch those promises." 	
"You'll do it. You always do," Kathryn said with total certainty. "And when I get back to LA we'll start with lunch at your favorite place in Malibu." 	
"What can I say to that. I love it." 	
Kathryn talked to her friend for a few more minutes, promising to get her more information if and as it became available. Christina gave her a short update on the office. 	
She learned that Lacey, the capable girl who was handling her work while she was on vacation, was doing an excellent job. There were no fires, so far, that Kathryn would have to put out upon her return to the office. 	
When Christina asked where she could be reached, Kathryn gave her Colt's number. 	
"Ah ha, I knew it. A mad, passionate assignation in Florida!" 	
"No, no. Just a couple of good friends I'm staying with. A family called the Rivertons." The less Christina knew about Colt the better. This was one story she didn't want to get into with anyone, let alone confront herself. She also gave Christina the number of the hotel where she could leave messages for the next forty-eight hours in case any questions came up. Again, she was careful giving her friend the room number and the name Riverton without further details. She did explain they were all going to enjoy Disney World and Epcot Center. 	
After once more assuring Christina she was fine and would see her soon, Kathryn hung up the phone, checked the mirror in the sitting room, and flew downstairs to join Colt and Jesse. For the next two days she was going to have a great vacation, enjoying all the sights and sounds, including giving herself up to the heart-pounding, wild ride that merely being with Colt produced. 	
It was a glorious day. They decided their first adventure would be Epcot Center and an adventure it was. They could have easily spent two or three days simply seeing everything there was to see there, but Colt wanted to give Jesse and Kathryn a taste of Florida's Disneyland the next day, so they opted for Epcot's main attractions and breathtaking country tours. Colt loved the boat ride winding its way through hydroponically grown plants. Like an excited little boy he pointed out giant peppers and other larger than life vegetables thriving in water instead of soil. Jesse's passion was the dinosaur ride and she insisted on going through it twice, while Kathryn can-canned her way through the sights and sounds of France. In every port, it seemed, there was something to taste and something to buy. Colt would eye something perfect for Jesse and Kathryn and insist on getting it for them. Jesse had her allowance money and was determined to buy presents for Kathryn and her father. Kathryn showered them both with gifts and bought some unique treasures to bring home to her parents, Christina, and a couple of her co-workers. At one point, Colt had bags hanging from both arms as well as under his arms, and when the next one would have gone into his mouth or else, the happy trio arranged for their bounty to be delivered to their hotel, a service they were relieved and pleased to find the park offered, but not before Kathryn took a picture of Pirate Colt and the booty he tenaciously hung on to. 	
After a leisurely dinner at an English Inn in the country of Merry Old England, they stayed on at the park until closing. At that point, Kathryn and Colt were ready to collapse in the hotel room. Jesse, however, could have taken on the roller coaster at Disneyland and then some. Colt assured her they had another day tomorrow and would get a bright, early start. He smiled when she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. 	
Now he sat on the imposing, floral patterned, sitting room coach, his long legs stretched out on the coffee table, his feet free of restraining shoes. Kathryn was snuggled protectively in the crook of his arm. Their heads lay together. 	
"I remember when I could have taken on Disneyland, Epcot Center, and still had enough energy left to play a pretty good ball game," he remarked. And then some stamina left to wine, dine, and romance, but he decided not to add that. 	
"She's a bundle of energy, that's for sure," Kathryn agreed. 	
"She sure is. Kathryn..." 	
"Colt..." they both started speaking at the same time. 	
"You first," she offered. 	
"No, you first," he countered. 	
They both ended up being silent. 	
"We should talk about us," Colt stated simply. 	
Kathryn stubbornly remained quiet. 	
"There is an us you know," he said. 	
"There is an 'us' as friends," she tonelessly told him. 	
"Yes, there is. But there's more and you know it. Even though I've been trying to fight it and you don't want to admit it." 	
"Because we went..." 	
"No. It started long before that." 	
Kathryn shifted her head to look at him. 	
"It's just the unusualness of the situation. I mean, how many women do you know who have knocked on your door with some crazy story about how they flew out from the West Coast with an old letter for someone on the East Coast? Someone they didn't even know. Someone from fifty years ago. It's the novelty. It'll wear off." 	
Colt turned to look directly into her eyes. 	
"Is that what I am to you? A novelty. Ex-baseball player helps woman in distress." 	
"No! You know that's not true. You're special and good and dear and...," she clamped down. 	
Colt lifted her onto his lap, imprisoned her in his strong arms, and brought her round to face him so she could not look away. 	
"Okay. I'll go first. I'm a recently divorced, single father starting a new life with my daughter and a new career. I have everything laid out just so and nothing is supposed to interfere with that. Right now I'm going to concentrate on being the best father I can be to Jesse and make sure she grows up with a stable home life. Maybe, a couple of years from now, I'll find someone...someone who's willing to take us both on. I've had skimpily dressed beautiful blondes, gorgeous brunettes, and one luscious redhead knock on my door complete with the tantalizing aroma of fresh homemade meals, and the offer of more than that, yet I've been steady on course. But you ring my doorbell and it's curtains. My heart is pounding, my palms are sweaty, and I feel like a teenager on his first date. I know I'm in hot water. Worse than that...I don't even want to get out. I'm content to boil away.'' 	
"Colt..." he laid two fingers on her quivering mouth to silence her. 	
"This should be so easy. You're free. I'm free. Jesse adores you. Except it isn't easy, is it Kathryn? I live on the East Coast and you live on the West Coast. I've got commitments and so have you, and they're nearly three thousand miles apart. I'd have a better chance if all I had to contend with were your six husbands and ten kids." 	
"I can't just walk away from everything. I've built a life for myself. I have..." 	
"Kathryn, I know. I'd never expect or ask you to. I'd never want you to. And I have a life too. If it were just me. But I have Jesse to consider first and foremost. She's my world. And now that Pam and I have split, and we've moved, it's another upheaval in her life. She's an amazing child, coping with what she's been through. Sometimes I think she's the mother and Pam and I are the kids. I don't know how she does it. But I can't uproot her again, not when we've just landed on our feet." 	
"Colt, I understand that." There were tears clinging for dear life to Kathryn's eyelashes, threatening to spill over any second. "Maybe Anne did too, fifty years ago. She loved him...just like...she loved him, I know it, and she would never have left if she didn't have to." 	
"I love you, Kathryn." 	
"I love you too, Colt Riverton." 	
There was everything more to say and yet nothing else they could possibly say. Their arms and hearts entwined, they eventually gave themselves up to sleep holding onto each other tightly if only for this small precious moment in time. ["#TOC"]	
Chapter Eight	
Kathryn folded a delicate pink top and put it in the drawer of the new dresser. She could still smell the clean fresh scent of the wood. Years from now she knew that smell would be tempered or perhaps overshadowed by perfumes, sachets, soaps, and the personal stamps of the people living here. At present, this room was intended for guests such as her. Perhaps Pam, Colt's ex-wife, would stay here one day. Maybe she and Colt would eventually work out their differences and get back together. Or maybe someone else would come into Colt and Jesse's lives, knocking on the stately front door and asking for help. Only she would be free to stay, to make this her home. Maybe she'd look at this dresser and get rid of it all together. 	
'Stop it Kathryn,' she chided herself. This was ridiculous. She continued to fold some socks and satiny undergarments, putting them in the dresser as well. A pair of white cotton pants, freshly washed with the other clothes had stubbornly refused to give up a chocolate stain. Remnants of Disneyland. Something to take home with her and remember this adventure by. Oh yes, the chocolate stain; that was the time I carelessly let the ice cream melt as I watched the man I love laugh with his little girl. 	
Exasperated she quickly hung the piece of clothing in the closet. By rights she should have been packing instead. She had even mentioned the point to Colt again. It was the first time she had seen him really angry. He wouldn't let her discuss it and ended up storming out the back door to water his roses. He was adamant; she stayed with Jesse and him until she went back to California. Case closed. 	
It was silly of course. She was her own person. Independent. She could have simply told him that was what she was going to do and then gone ahead and done it. She could have even flown back to Los Angeles the next day after they arrived home from Orlando. Christina could have done her magic and Kathryn could have posted a letter to James Hazlett telling him the results, with a copy to Colt thanking him for his help. End of story. She had another week and a half of vacation and could get a good bit done on her own redecorating plans. After all, look what she had accomplished here in just a few days with Colt and Jesse as her trusted sidekicks. Oh yes, new furniture, pretty decorations, the smile of a beautiful child's face to treasure, a few stolen kisses, an endless night of unbridled and unparalleled passion. She slammed the closet door shut with unnecessary force. 	
The truth was she didn't want to go home yet. She wanted to give Dr. Hazlett his answer in person. She had stirred the pot and she owed him that. And she couldn't bear checking into a hotel and being away from Colt and Jesse, knowing they were so close yet so far. It didn't feel right. It felt empty. She was a chicken, she knew it, and she was disgusted. 	
Her clothes put away, Kathryn lay on the bed and shut her eyes. Disneyland, the happiest place in the world, had been an ordeal for her and Colt. Jesse was in her element and so taken with her surroundings she didn't notice her two companions were playing a game of pretend all their own. Actually, it was a blessing in disguise, for neither of them wanted to spoil this special time for her. Instead they laughed in all the right places, danced their way from ride to ride, squealed in mock terror or shrieked in fright when appropriate, and tried to eat hamburgers, pineapple freezes, ice-cream, and whatever else was on the menu with a gusto they were far from feeling. 	
Colt was right. It would be a piece of cake if all they had to contend with was ex-wives, an array of husbands, or a vindictive, scheming, and seductive third party. Some ruthless lover determined to have her man at any cost. A character worthy of the finest romance novel. That would be easy to deal with. But their barrier was more subtle; two different lives going in two opposite directions. Lives carefully built, each step complimenting the other, everything in place just so. There was no way Colt could uproot Jesse from her new home. It was a miracle the young girl was in such good shape after seeing her parents divorce, moving to a new State with her father, and not having her mother every day, not to mention the fact that she had to come to terms with being adopted. Colt, too, had chosen a new direction for himself and a new career in Florida. And Kathryn had everything planned down to the dotted 'i' in California. She thrived on organization and stability, with a dash of adventure thrown in admittedly, but just a dash. Adventure versus recklessness. She had to laugh at that last thought. She'd been nothing but reckless for almost two weeks. Usually, it was do this on Monday, this on Tuesday, Sunday breakfast out. This table goes here, this knickknack is perfect there. She must have driven Charley crazy over the years. Charley. When she thought of him it was with a wry fondness. Unpredictable, let's run off and have dinner in France, Charley. She giggled. She knew what he would have to say if she told him. You're in love. Well, great! Make your phone calls, quit your job, give up your apartment, send your family and friends your new address, and live life to the fullest. 	
"But Charley, I just met him a little over a week and a half ago," Kathryn carried on the mock conversation. 	
So what, he would say. All the better. Do you know how many long lasting passionate marriages there are based on people who knew each other just a few weeks? 	
"Barely any, Charley," she whispered to herself. "Barely any." 	
Kathryn raised her body off the bed and paced the room. What she needed was a plan. Some targets. Things to keep her busy for the next week and out of Colt's hair. Okay, she admitted, she would give in and indulge herself until she went back to Los Angeles. She would enjoy the precious company of Jesse, and maintain a friendship with Colt - at a distance. She'd go to the beach, frolic like any tourist, buy one or two of those funny T-shirts, maybe one that said 'Clearwater Beach Bunny' or 'I Survived a Holiday Romance.' Something cute and appropriate. She would even visit some antique shops. Who knew what she could find this time. A complete novel that would make a million dollars, ten million in cash, someone's old phone bill. The possibilities were endless. But first she would start to get her lines in back at home, get in communication with the people she loved, the home she loved. She was certain she still loved it. After all, what was the old hackneyed saying 'absence makes the heart grow fonder.' She would put it to the test right now. 	
Searching her purse for her phone card she started right in with a call to her parents. She was on a roll, her mother picked up on the second ring. 	
"Mom, it's Kathryn." 	
"Sweetheart, how are you? Dad and I got your message about going away for a few days. Are you back?" 	
"No, not yet. I've decided to stay in Clearwater a little longer. It's very pretty." 	
"Good. I'm actually glad you were able to get out of town. Traveling to new places is stimulating. Besides you can always redecorate on an odd day off or the weekends. I'm delighted you opted on an adventure for your vacation." 	
"I'll be home in just a few days and we can all have dinner together." Kathryn suggested as something to look forward to. 	
"Dinner sounds wonderful, but we'll have to put it off for just a little bit. Your dad and I are heading up to Arizona next week. We're visiting the Reynolds. You remember them, I'm sure. Anyway, this is very exciting. You know how we've talked about the fact that your dad and I want to do some traveling ourselves. Well, so do Ivy and Glen. And we're all planning a trip to Europe in the fall. I'm thrilled! Over the moon. So is your dad. We're going up to look over some brochures that Ivy and I have been collecting and get a feel for what we want to do and where we want to go. We have to book as soon as possible. You're not the only adventurer in the family you know. We'll be in Arizona for about ten days. That way we'll also have a chance to do some sightseeing. As soon as we're back, I'll give you a call and cook you a feast fit for a princess." 	
"You've got a deal. Except for one thing. I think it's time this princess whipped up a feast fit for a king and queen. What do you say?" 	
"You're on. Now, darling, give me the name of the hotel you're staying at and the phone number just in case something comes up. Not that I'd call, but..." 	
"Actually, mom, I'm staying with some friends." 	
"Oh, I didn't know you knew anybody in Florida." 	
"They're some relatively...new acquaintances. 	
They've moved here from California. They're very...nice." 	
Kathryn hoped her mother wouldn't press for more. She gave her the phone number to have on hand because despite her mother's bravado and the fact she was all for her independence, she tended to worry about "her little girl." Then Kathryn crossed her fingers and hoped her mother wouldn't have the need to call and get a six foot six hunk on the phone. That would be hard to explain away. They talked a little more, mindful it was long distance, and then rang off. Kathryn felt somewhat better. She had a date with her parents in Los Angeles. Something to look forward to. She loved her parents and shared a good relationship with them. Getting together with her family was always a pleasure. She didn't want to examine why she only felt a small measure of her usual anticipation this time. Stopping her wayward thoughts, she quickly dialed the phone again. 	
A somewhat frazzled Christina told her that things were moving along and, while she didn't have anything to tell Kathryn at the moment, something should pop any day. That sounded encouraging. Aware that her friend was on a deadline crunch she quickly thanked her and asked to be transferred to Lacey, her temporary replacement. 	
"Lacey, thought I'd check in and see how things are going." 	
"Terrific! Crazed of course, but I'm keeping up with everything so you won't tear your hair out when you come back." 	
"I appreciate that. I know how it can get. Is there anything I can help you with over the phone?" 	
"Don't be silly. You're on vacation." 	
"Yes, I know. But I wanted to keep in touch in case you needed anything." Please Lacey, I need to stay involved, Kathryn silently sent up a prayer. Anything, a lost file, a phone number you can't find, some advice, anything. 	
"To tell you the truth, Kathryn, you left things in such good order that everything is under control. I kind of enjoy working at this hectic pace. I think it's in my blood. Three years. I could probably keep this up for about three years. After that I think I'll settle down, marry someone who looks like Tom Selleck, and have a baby." Lacey laughed, then went on to assure Kathryn. "Not that I'm trying to take your job, Kathryn. Oh boy, I don't want you to think..." 	
"Lacey, don't be silly now. For heaven sakes, I'm just glad you're there and I really appreciate the job you're doing." 	
"Thanks, Kathryn. Thanks for giving me the chance. It means a lot to me. Well, keep enjoying your vacation and we'll see you soon." 	
"Yep." 	
Kathryn put the receiver back on the hook, stared at a powder blue wall, then decided on one more call. She dialed the number quickly and heard the phone line click in and ring on the other end. A machine answered. 	
"Hi, this is Charley. Sorry I'm not home right now but leave your number and a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can." 	
Kathryn hung up without saying anything. This was too pathetic, calling your ex "whatever" even if he was your best friend. The words immediately conjured up an image of Colt. Her best friend. Strange. How you could know someone for little more than a breath in time and let him gain entrance into your heart as much as she had Colt. In truth, she had always kept a small part of her heart tucked away from Charley. 	
"That's it!" she said aloud to the room. "I'm on vacation and I'm going to act like it. I'm going to the beach!" In five minutes she was dressed and out the door, leaving Colt staring after her. 	
The scent of cinnamon rolls tugged at Colt's nostrils. He looked down at the platter, a warm red stain flushing his face and neck. Four whole moist rolls lay innocently on the floral patterned platter, together with the betraying crumbs of the two he had eaten. He felt an instant pang of guilt tinged with remorse. Colt Riverton was not the kind of man to use a woman, but he had used Sue Ann Donahue this afternoon. A frown marred his perfectly sexy mouth and he rubbed a hand across his tired eyes. 	
The last three days had been especially difficult given the situation. First there were the endless hours at Disneyland watching Kathryn's long lithe body encased in very short white shorts and a pink halter top, her laughter ringing in his ears. Granted her laughter sounded as hollow as his, but for some reason it set him on edge, making him feel like an annoyed little boy sulking for a toy he wasn't allowed to have. The only genuine pleasure came from watching Jesse enjoy herself and he tried to focus his attention on that. Yet everything about Kathryn distracted him; from the way she sensuously swung her hips when she walked, to the swell of her breasts as she leaned over to grab some ketchup for her fries. 	
Then, when they arrived home, there was that blowup as soon as she mentioned leaving again. He should have let her go. He couldn't. Thinking of her anywhere but under his roof while she was in Clearwater was impossible. Knowing he shouldn't touch her again, given their circumstances, tortured him. Finally, they had reached some sort of truce if not for their sakes then for Jesse who was of prime concern to both of them. 	
Things had settled down to polite friendliness for twenty-four hours, although they mutually agreed to keep their distance. It was especially hard on Colt, who longed to take her in his arms and hold her close during the nights that had become interminably long. It seemed easier for Kathryn, although Colt liked to think she was pretending. Anything else would have been too painful to contemplate. 	
Interspersed with this came the comments from Jesse who, it seemed, had embarked on a matchmaking campaign. The comments started out innocently enough, gradually becoming more overt when Jesse felt he wasn't getting the message. Colt tried to show patience and understanding; two commodities he was rapidly running short of. The latest assault started at the breakfast table this morning with Jesse suggesting that Kathryn take her shopping for school clothes. It seemed a fair enough suggestion, but Colt knew what lay behind it. He gently took his daughter aside, reminding her that Kathryn was on vacation and that her grandmother was due out in a few weeks and would be delighted to take her anywhere she wanted to go for new outfits. Jesse, in turn, had cleverly pointed out that although she loved her grandmother their tastes in clothes would most likely widely differ and she didn't want to offend her favorite relation. Colt took a look at the minuscule shorts and small tank top Jesse favored and reluctantly agreed. He then offered to take Jesse shopping himself. This made her roll her eyes and complain that it just wasn't done. Looking at his crestfallen daughter he gave in. For her part, Kathryn was delighted to go shopping with Jesse and the two of them had set off. Before they left, Kathryn took Colt aside. 	
"It's okay, Colt. I know it's a difficult situation and I promise you I won't do anything to hurt Jesse. I've made it very clear that I'm leaving in a few days to go home, but I told her if it's alright with you, she and I will stay in touch, write each other from time to time, maybe indulge in a phone call once in awhile to say hello. We've made a game out of it. I'll be her long distance friend in LA. I've only been in her life a few weeks, barely that. You'll see, I'll be yesterday's news in a flash. And I promise, I'll take good care of her today. You don't have to be concerned. And you don't have to worry about us coming back with anything really radical or crazy - well maybe just a little." 	
With that and a half smile she was out the door. His arm still burned from the casual brush of her hand as she said goodbye. As soon as they were out of the driveway and the trail of vapor from Kathryn's rental car disappeared down the street and around the corner, the trouble really began. 	
The phone call came first. Colt had just sat down at his desk when it came through and he absently picked up the line. A deep male voice politely introduced himself as Charley and asked for Kathryn. He explained he was a friend and had tracked Kathryn down at this number from her mother. Colt remembered the name from one of his first conversations with her. The ex-boyfriend. Wasn't he supposed to be getting married? A bolt of white hot jealousy seared through Colt and he was tempted to ask what definition of 'friend' Charley was referring to in this case, but didn't go as far as being that rude. He bit his tongue and in a clipped tone informed Charley that Kathryn was out and if he left a number she would call him back. At this the caller seemed a little cooler and somewhat suspicious himself. He advised Colt that Kathryn knew his number by heart. He then started in with a few questions of his own. He didn't know that Kathryn knew anyone in Florida. Colt was in no mood to play twenty questions. Trying to keep some semblance of civility he imparted the information that he had lived in and around the Los Angeles area for several years before moving to Florida. That much was true. He let Charley fill in the blanks. This didn't sit well with Charley at all. The caller rang off with a terse command to have Kathryn call him at the first opportunity. Like a petulant child exacting revenge, Colt was mildly pleased with the results, however, he knew he had effectively put himself in hot water with Kathryn. The knowledge brought a frisson of uneasiness. 	
The phone rang two more times almost in succession; his mother called to finalize arrangements for the trip to Florida, and Pam called to say hello to Jesse. It was his conversation with Pam that made him realize just how deep his feelings went for Kathryn. There was no doubt he had loved Pam. Although the divorce had taken its toll on both of them, they still shared a mutual respect for each other and whatever animosity surfaced in the last months of their marriage was over. They remained friends, secure in the knowledge that each was pursuing the goals and type of life they wanted which they were unable to forge together. Their lifestyles and dreams were just too diverse. The common denominator that still drew them together, Jesse, served to bond their friendship even more and always would. But Colt did not harbor lingering passions, desires, or yearnings for Pam. It wasn't as he would have expected. It didn't feel like his very breath had been robbed from him when she left. It didn't appear that he had lost something so inherent, so essential, he could not survive without it. Yet in barely two weeks this is how he felt about Kathryn going out of his life. The depth of his feelings shook him and his only coherent thought was that he immediately had to do something to purge it, to ease the tremendous pain. Briefly he thought about James Hazlett, a man who had loved a woman with such intensity only to lose her. And even worse, to never be allowed a last lingering touch, one moment in time to make everything right again in a crazy upside down world, to reason things out or, at the very least, to understand. 	
Colt was not going to fall into that hellish trap, he would see to that. It was precisely at that point the door bell rang. 	
Half expecting a delivery man or salesperson he could vent his frustrations at, the open doorway instead revealed the perfectly curved, delectable vision of his neighbor 	
Sue Ann Donahue. This time her body was poured into a pair of tiny yellow flowered shorts which accented her long beautifully tanned legs, and an identical halter top that left nothing to the imagination. She carried a covered platter wafting with the delicious aroma of baked cinnamon rolls, one of his favorites. Colt was sure he had found his salvation. A guardian angel sent from heaven to rescue him. He gifted her with his most winning smile, the one that had broken so many hearts in the past, and invited his angel in. At first it worked. Much to his relief he could still play the game. Sue Ann blossomed under the rays of sunny teasing and mild flirting banter, giving as good as she got. If Colt felt a tinge of discomfort in betrayal of Kathryn, he brushed the irrational thought aside like an annoying fly and carried on with his mission. Colt invited Sue Ann out to the pool, first stopping in the kitchen where he gave her free rein to make two frosty glasses of iced tea. They carried those and the rolls outside, placed them on a glass table, and sat on two loungers on either side of it. 	
As the social veneer peeled away, Sue Ann revealed herself to be an intelligent woman with a good sense of humor and a passion for cooking. And she had no intention of moving three thousand miles away. Sue Ann had divorced her husband after a youthful and relatively short marriage. The "mistake" she called it. Unlike Colt and Pam's dissolution, Sue Ann's divorce was neither amiable nor relatively simple. It had taken her three long years to get to this point, whatever this point was, she explained ruefully. But she was well on the road to "recovery" as she called it. She ran her own catering business out of her home and was an independent woman, albeit a lonely one at times, with a good future ahead of her. Funny what you learned when you really sat down and talked with someone. 	
As they exchanged conversation, Colt reflected that he, too, was now pointed on the road to recovery from one Kathryn Cartwright. The thought didn't bring the relief it should have. As if on cue, Sue Ann mentioned seeing the object of his thoughts several times in the last two weeks and she gently chided him. A postal worker? Renting out a room in his house? Colt rolled his eyes, offering a sheepish grin and a few tentative fragments of the story. His angel also proved to be a good listener, and Colt found himself pouring out more details and filling in the pieces. By the time he finished, Sue Ann Donahue had a pretty good idea of the lay of the land. From the look she gave him beneath her long lashes she also realized that all of the home baked pastries in the world could not offer the antidote to what ailed Colt. As he watched Sue Ann gracefully walk across the road and back to her house, he was pretty sure word would get around the neighborhood quickly and the days of chicken dumplings and desserts at his doorstep were numbered. He and Jesse would have to fend for themselves. 	
Kathryn sat on the comfortable patio chair and sipped her cold, refreshing lemonade. Beside her James Hazlett nestled in his own seat nursing an ice tea. It was a typically sunny, humid Florida afternoon and they watched as several residents of the retirement complex paddled their feet in the pool or swam its full length. 	
"Busy bodies, most of them." 	
"Dr. Hazlett!" 	
"Well, it's true. For the most part. You take Minnie Selzman over there in the red suit," James pointed not too discreetly. "She's dying to know who you are. I can see the wheels spinning around in that head of hers. A few minutes from now she'll find a reason to come over. Then we'll hear about her gallbladder. First woman I know who insists her gallbladder grew back after it was surgically removed." 	
"Her gallbladder grew back?" 	
"According to her. Won't see a doctor. Just knows it's there and that it causes problems when she eats peas. Peas! Amazing." 	
Kathryn giggled. 	
"Trouble is, most of these people can still lead good, productive lives, but they're put out to pasture by their kids, or talked into the fact that they need to slow down and take it easy. They have nothing better to do, so they become nosy-parkers and busy bodies. Now I don't stick my nose in other people's business for the most part, unless I think I can help them of course. Other than that I don't. No, I'm so bored I just sit around and complain about people and things. But I don't stick my nose in their business," James laughed. 	
Kathryn shook her glossy mane of curls and joined him in his shared joke, however true it was. What a delightful man, she mused to herself. Apparently Florida was filled with delightful men. She thought of Colt. 	
Ever eager to force herself to explore her surroundings on her own as part of her master plan to wean herself from the object of her thoughts, Kathryn decided to visit someone who had become one of her cherished favorites; James Hazlett. It would be difficult to leave this crusty but spry gentleman too. James was extremely pleased to have the company and even allowed himself to be cajoled into sitting outside on his verandah in honor of the occasion. 	
Although she had been tossing back and forth waiting to see what Christina came up with before saying anything to James, she decided he deserved to know what facts were available. He had waited too long already. She told him about the letters that Rose had received from a woman named Rebecca and which Rose's granddaughter had read to her over the phone. She quietly watched as he carefully and with infinite tenderness repeated the name, Rebecca, several times as he tried to relate it to the Anne of his memories, trying it on for size and fit. She sketched Rebecca's journey home from Clearwater to her parents and sister. Nancy McKenna had called just last night to let Kathryn know that she'd come up empty handed on Tommy Lin, but she had Robert's number. This morning Kathryn had called Rose's nephew and he was delighted to be of whatever help he could. 	
Even after fifty years, he remembered the beautiful young woman very well, although he never learned her story. Obviously troubled, quiet, yet gracious and grateful for his assistance, she had allowed him to take her bags to the counter where she intended to purchase her ticket. He had tried to offer further assistance and wanted to wait with her until her train came, but she declined and, in fact, did not start her ticket transaction until she was sure he was gone. Rebecca Anne Kaufman, if that was her name, was very careful to cover her tracks. 	
Kathryn told him every detail except one; the mysterious Richard. She could not bring herself to mention the possibility of another man in Rebecca Anne's life. Not yet. Richard could be anyone of a number of people. In her heart she knew it wasn't so. The letters had all but made his status clear. Still she couldn't say anything yet. She felt it was up to Rebecca herself, if she was still living, to fill in the pieces for James. If she agreed to see him. If she didn't live halfway around the world. If... If. . There were so many other bridges left to cross. 	
As for herself, a week from now she would be back in California preparing to return to work. Would Christina find out anything before then? If not, or if there were loose ends to tie up which was most certainly the way it would be, then Kathryn would do whatever she could from Los Angeles to see this commitment through. James seemed to read her mind. 	
"Expect you'll be going back to Los Angeles soon." It was both a question and a statement. 	
"I have a reservation for next Saturday afternoon. A one o'clock flight. That gives me a window of time to get back to my apartment, catch my breath, and get ready to go to work on Monday." 	
"What about Colt and Jesse?" 	
She didn't know what to say to him. 	
"Hm...funny lot, aren't we? We think we're so smart, busy sorting our lives into neat little packages. We don't even realize when life has started running us instead of the other way around." 	
There was nothing else to say. They sat back and studied the toe dippers by the pool. ["#TOC"]	
Chapter Nine	
"I found her." 	
Those three words set Kathryn's heart pounding, her pulses throbbing, and made her feel giddy with lightheadedness. Her palms began to sweat and she had the irrational urge to tell Christina she couldn't talk right now and had to hang up the phone. She was alone. Colt and Jesse were out on some secretive errand they had hatched amid giggles and whispers. 	
"Kathryn?" Christina's concerned voice came over the line. She gathered her wits about her, took a deep, calming breath, and asked the question that she both dreaded to learn yet had to have the answer to. 	
"Is she alive?" 	
"Yes, she is." 	
Kathryn started to cry. 	
"Kathryn, are you alright?" Now Christina was more than concerned. Afraid that her friend was going to drop the phone, drive to the airport directly from the office and fly to Florida on the first plane out, Kathryn wiped her eyes and slightly runny nose and assured her everything was fine. It took a lot of assurance before Christina would even begin to believe her. "Really, I'm fine," Kathryn promised. 	
"Well...okay for the moment. Now, grab a pen and paper and I'll fill you in. You will never believe where she's living." 	
"Where?" Kathryn grabbed the pad next to the phone along with a pen. 	
"Miami, Florida!" Christina announced triumphantly. 	
"What! That's...impossible." 	
"Why? People retire to Florida all the time. It's the retirement capital of America." 	
"Unbelievable. She's been in Florida all along," Kathryn, half dazed, mumbled to herself and the surrounding kitchen. 	
"Actually she's only lived in Florida about six years, as far as I can tell. Anyway, here's the rest of it. 'Anne Kaufman' as you first called her was born on April 11, 1926 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was christened Rebecca Anne Cody. Her mother was Ida Kaufman Cody..." 	
"Ah, Anne Kaufman," Kathryn chimed in. 	
"Exactly. Why she changed her name is anyone's guess. I can only give you the facts, Ma'am. Let's see. Father's name: Samuel Everett Cody. She has a younger sister still living in Wisconsin, Bethany Elizabeth Cody Fairfield. And she had a brother..." 	
"A brother! Was his name Richard?" Perhaps she was mistaken about the relationship. 	
"No. Taylor Winston Cody was his name. He passed away a few years ago. But never fear, there is a Richard in the scenario." 	
"Hm." Here it is. Kathryn waited. 	
"In 1946 Rebecca married Richard Hamilton. 	
Flight Officer Richard Hamilton actually. He served in the Air Transport Corp during World War II. They were married right after he earned his honorable discharge. They had one child, Rose, born in 1950. Interesting enough, during my research I stumbled upon the fact that Richard had a prison record. He served time twice; early in 1947 and again in 1948. The first time the charges included aggravated assault. The second time he was involved in a botched robbery. Since that time he apparently had a clean record, or didn't get caught. He passed away in 1986. They owned a home in Milwaukee. Rebecca sold it in 1991 and went to live with her daughter and son-in-law. The family relocated to Miami in 1993." Christina gave her the address, including a phone number. 	
"I can't believe you did it, Christina. You are remarkable." 	
"To tell you the truth, I can hardly believe it myself, given the fact that I was working on a tight deadline with almost nothing to go on. I really wanted to get this to you as soon as possible. As it turns out, it wasn't that hard. I got lucky with the address you gave me for Rebecca's sister, Bethany Fairchild. She and her family leave a pretty good paper trail." 	
"It's too bad I didn't have you fifty years ago." 	
"What?" 	
"Never mind. You are a goddess, an angel, a queen. I owe you ten lunches, twenty dinners and more. I owe you Tom Selleck and Robert Redford." 	
"I'll hold you to that. Seriously, what I really want is for you to come home in one piece and to fill me in on all this mystery. Because there is definitely a mystery here. What are you up to?" 	
"I promise I'll tell you everything when I get home." 	
"You better. And there's another thing I want to tell you. Finding people. It's a charmed idea and much easier with all our computer technology and the paper trails we have now. But there's an ethical side of it too, Kathryn. 	
You and I have discussed this. There's nothing like reuniting families and friends, but on a rare occasion it backfires. You know what I'm talking about. The line that runs between finding people and respect for their personal rights. Nine times out of ten it's a joy for people to be reunited, but there's always the one where instead of pleasure you offer up the pain you never meant to cause." 	
"I know," Kathryn whispered. 	
"I'm not sure I'll ever fully resolve it for myself, Kathryn. But it's those nine times that keep me going. Just tread carefully. Okay?" 	
"I will, you have my word of honor. We'll sit down and talk and I'll tell you the whole story." 	
"Fair enough. I'll see you soon." 	
"Yes, you will." 	
For the first five minutes after the phone call Kathryn felt a bizarre mixture of physical and mental calmness coupled with a feeling of being utterly drained. A sense that one journey was over and another one was about to take place. After those five minutes the adrenaline built up again and she paced the cream colored kitchen tiles trying to figure out what to do next. She could call James Hazlett, give him the address and phone number Christina had given her, call it a done, and go home. That would be the most logical. She could dial the number herself, an idea she quickly threw out. On another mad impulse, similar to the one that had brought her to Clearwater in the first place, she phoned the airlines and took down information on flights to Miami. She would fly there, see Rebecca Anne, talk with her and try to explain the circumstances. She tossed this idea aside as well and then decided to reconsider. 	
By the time Colt and Jesse walked in the front door, Kathryn was a seething mass of nerves and indecision. Like a kitten who had just been frightened by a pack of wild dogs, she flung herself into Colt's arms, babbling about flight schedules to Miami, rental cars, and a fragmented story of Rebecca Anne Cody Hamilton. Colt put down the bag of groceries sandwiched between them, quietly issued some instructions to his saucer-eyed daughter, and ushered Kathryn into the living room. There, held close in his arms, she managed to piece together a coherent story for him based on what Christina had told her. All thoughts of the lavish surprise dinner he and Jesse had co-conspired to create were temporarily shelved. Together he and Kathryn went over their options. 	
"This is a harebrained scheme. I don't know how I got talked into it," James Hazlett shifted uncomfortably and stared accusingly at the man sitting beside him in the drivers seat. 	
"Talked into it my foot. That's plain bull. You were practically out the door the minute we gave you the address," Colt admonished. 	
"Yes... well... you should have stopped me." 	
"It's too late to turn back now. We're about fifteen minutes from the city limits." 	
"Everything is going to be just fine. So far so good," Kathryn piped in from the back where she sat with Jesse. 	
"So far so good," James snorted. "All we've done is drive for four hours, stop in Naples for the night at a motel, and drive for three hours today. What could go wrong? This part's easy." 	
"And the other part is going to be easy too. Relatively," Kathryn's not too calm voice tried to assure him. 	
Colt recognized she was getting fidgety. They all were. This might indeed be a harebrained scheme after all. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and determinedly drove on. How they all ended up in Colt's Cherokee was still not quite within his grasp. The original plan had been to go over to Dr. Hazlett's place, turn all of the information over to him, and leave any future decision or action in his hands. Somehow, and Colt wasn't quite sure how, they progressed from that simple task to this full blown "Miami Mission" as it had been dubbed. Things had snowballed. In less than twenty-four hours Kathryn had procured another few days of vacation from her sympathetic boss just in case she needed more time, although who knew what she told him. Certainly nothing about the "mission." Her airline reservations were rebooked for the following Thursday morning. In the meantime, Jesse packed for her last hurrah before school started and as usual she was over the top with excitement for this new adventure particularly because it involved James Hazlett. Colt had done his part to ready the Cherokee for the journey. 	
Under the guise of a vacation, they decided to break the trip up into two days at least on the way up, mainly to give themselves time to take deep calming breaths. The pretty town of Naples had offered a small respite to the long seven hour drive. Unfortunately, it also gave them time to think and think and think again. No wonder they were so jittery, Colt included. All he could really think about was the fact that he had been granted a reprieve; a few more days with Kathryn. At the same time, he ached at night when he thought of her two doors down from him, lying in her double bed next to Jesse's at the motel. When the morning came even a cup of hot coffee and a good breakfast could not prepare him for James Hazlett's irascible behavior no matter how warranted. Colt Riverton was definitely not in a charitable mood right now. 	
"Hey, look. It's an alligator farm." Jesse pointed to a well worn sign on the left hand side of the highway. 	
"Terrific." Colt mustered up the best enthusiasm he could for his daughter. 	
"Friend of a friend of mine once had a baby alligator come up through his toilet," James stated flatly. 	
"Wow! You're kidding?" Jesse was enthralled. 	
"Nope. He figured it had somehow crawled into the sewer or maybe someone was playing a practical joke." 	
"Gosh," Jesse sat back. "There was even a TV show where one of the detectives had a pet alligator. But dad wouldn't let me watch it." 	
"Smart dad," James remarked out of the window. 	
"I think we'll stick to dogs instead, princess." 	
"I can have a dog?" 	
Oh Boy. "Sure. Just as soon as we've been settled for awhile and things are moving along well at school." 	
"Get a lab. Finest dogs in the world," James asserted. 	
"Do you have one?" Jesse asked him. 	
"Used to when I was a kid." 	
"What was his name?" 	
"Percy." 	
"Percy!" The car filled with laughter. 	
"Yep." 	
At least it took their attention off the matter at hand. 	
"If we sit here any longer staring at the house, someone is going to call the police and we'll be arrested." Colt unbuckled his seat belt. "I think I should go in, introduce myself, explain the situation..." 	
"No. I'm the one that found the letter. I should be the one to go in first. Besides they may respond better to a woman." Kathryn pointed out as she undid her own safety belt and wrapped her fingers around the door handle. 	
"Maybe I should go first. Most people do really good with kids," Jesse offered. 	
"Now hold on everybody," James Hazlett barked the order. "This is nobody's business except mine and... Rebecca Anne's. I'm going in. As a matter of fact, Colt, why don't you take these two pretty girls and get some ice cream or something. I shouldn't be long. Hell...I may end up coming right back out from this wild goose chase." 	
In the end, after parking across the street for another ten minutes, they all piled out of the Cherokee and lined up behind James to lend moral support while he knocked on the door with a firm rap. 	
The house was an imposing white structure in a well to do neighborhood. While not ostentatious, the manicured front lawn with its carefully tended flower beds spoke of affluence. The striking woman who answered the door fit in perfectly with her surroundings. She was an elegant woman in her forties, her blonde hair swept back from her face into a pageboy which reached just shy of her gracefully carried shoulders. Her eyes were a shade between gray and green. She wore a pale green sleeveless summer dress simply cut and of exceptional quality. A tasteful pearl necklace enhanced the scooped collar. Matching shoes completed the outfit. Neither unfriendly nor overtly inviting, she took in the four people at her doorstep. 	
"May I help you?" 	
"I'm Dr. James Hazlett, and I'm here to see Rebecca Anne Hamilton." James cannily trotted out his title when it suited him and could gain him entrance to somewhere he wanted to go. He had learned a long time ago that mention of the word doctor usually threw people into action and deference on his behalf. On the other hand it also brought out a majority of their physical complaints and medical questions. It was worth it at this point. He hoped it also served to disguise his nerves. He held his breath. 	
"Does my mother know you, Dr. Hazlett?" 	
"We're old friends. Haven't seen each other in many years." 	
The woman looked from the casually, but well dressed silver-haired gentleman to Colt, Kathryn, and Jesse. James watched her glance address them. 	
"My family. New to this part of Florida. Thought I'd take them for a little tour. Happened to be in the neighborhood and thought I'd look up... an old friend." 	
"I see," the woman looked the group of travelers over again and, apparently deciding they were harmless, opened the door wider and had them come in. The first round of the mission was accomplished. Entrance. James called on all of his medical training and emergency room work that had, over the years, taught him to remain outwardly calm and reassuring in the face of adversity. It worked to a degree. He still felt a frisson of fear, which he tried to hold down. 	
Rebecca Anne Hamilton's daughter escorted them into a well appointed yet comfortably warm living room and invited them to sit down. They did, except for James who chose to stand. 	
"My mother is in the garden. I'll tell her you're here." 	
No one said a word. Colt held Kathryn, who was seated next to him on the sofa. A fluffy cream colored Himalayan cat, with striking blue eyes, casually strolled over to Jesse who sat in a high backed beautifully upholstered baby blue chair. Deciding it was acceptable for this seemingly likable person to be in her domain, the cat jumped up and allowed Jesse the privilege of stroking her. James Hazlett paced over to the corner of the room, his arms folded behind his back, his hands clasped. They waited in silence. 	
Rose McRae watched from a window pane in one of the French doors in the dining room. Her mother was cutting a rose from her favorite rose bush in the garden; a delicate champagne colored blossom shot with pink. A dichotomy much like the woman who held it - beautiful, fragile, yet with an inner resource of strength that could be as tough as the thorns on the flower's stem. She had to be tough, Rose knew that. Her mother's life had not been easy. As much as her father had tried, time and time again his various weaknesses would crack the surface of his smooth, handsome exterior, and Rebecca Hamilton would have to weather the storms that followed. Rose had depended on her, and so had her father. She was their anchor, their lifeline in a sometimes unforgiving, wind tossed sea. 	
Mother and daughter shared everything. Almost. Rose knew there was something her mother held back. She didn't know what it was. At times she suspected, but she never dared to broach the subject. If her mother didn't want to tell her that was something she respected. Except Rose had a feeling, a sense not born of fear but unsettling nonetheless, that whatever her mother held secret to her heart was about to unravel in a very few minutes. She stiffened her back, opened the doors, and went outside. 	
Rebecca Hamilton closed her eyes to the warm rays of the Florida sun. She inhaled the sweet fragrance of the rose she held, while gently running the velvet folds of one petal against her lips. She could still feel, with complete clarity, and sensation, the touch of James Hazlett's lips brush against her own. In the beginning she had desperately tried to push the sensitive perception aside, viewing it as yet another act of betrayal against her husband and family. Later on, she kept it as her own guilty secret; in moments of darkness or simply when she was alone and could pretend she indulged in the heady, glorious wonder of it. For a time she had been anxious that one day it would grow weak in strength, eventually abandoning her altogether. It never happened. It burned just as brightly as her love still did. 	
Second chances could be a frugal commodity in a particular lifetime. Either one did not believe such things were possible, ignored them when they presented themselves, or refused to create the opportunity. Rebecca Anne held her breath as she waited for her own precious second chance. 	
James lingered a moment by the French doors that Rose had taken him to. His eyes were on the woman in the garden. Her face was partially hidden from view, but he saw her raise the petals of a rose to her lips. He shuddered slightly with memories. Her beautiful auburn hair was silver now. She still wore it in the semi short manner she had all those years ago. He had loved the way it accented her graceful slender neck. He wondered what she was feeling. Did she want him to go away? It was too late for that. Curiously, the nervousness and fear that had plagued him disappeared. With resolve he opened the doors and walked out. 	
She felt him moments before she heard his soft footfalls on the patio. It didn't surprise her. It had been like that from the beginning. She waited until he crossed the small, round stone inlays, which led from the patio to the green carpet of lush grass and the garden. She turned to face him. They stood within feet of each other. 	
"Hello Rebecca Anne." 	
"James." 	
He found she could still make his name sound and seem as though it were a loving caress. 	
"You found me." 	
"I had a little help from...someone." That explanation would have to come later. 	
"How much do you know?" His use of her first name, Rebecca, had not escaped her. 	
"I'm waiting for you to tell me," he said. "I've been waiting a long time." 	
"I received a letter from Rose through my sister. She told me you became a fine doctor and married." 	
"Margaret was a very special woman. We had a good marriage. A son. She...passed on a few years ago." 	
She turned from him then. She didn't want him to see the hint of tears. She didn't want to see his disdain and distaste as she told him what she had to. She knew he was waiting. And she knew there was only one way out; the truth. 	
"There was a young man I went to school with. His name was Richard Hamilton. He was a fine and decent person, very bright and hard working. Very popular with the girls." Rebecca Anne offered a small smile at the memory. "We began seeing each other when I was just about sixteen. We became very close, almost inseparable. Our parents knew one another and were on friendly terms, so although they watched us like hawks, they were very pleased and encouraging. In 1943, as soon as Richard turned eighteen, he joined the Air Force. He was determined to serve his country during World War II. He had always loved the idea of flying. 	
In fact, that's what he wanted to do as a civilian. Be a pilot. He had a wonderful idea for a type of flying mail and cargo service that would span the States and beyond. 	
This was long before any such thing as Federal Express." 	
James stood intently, listening with care to her every word. She went on before her courage failed her. 	
"Richard did very well. He trained for and joined the Air Transport Corp. He returned home during a short leave, just before he went overseas, and asked me to marry him. I said yes. We almost eloped that night. But we were so young. My parents caught up with us and talked us into waiting until Richard's tour of duty was over and we could have a proper wedding. So, I wore his engagement ring, he went off, we corresponded as much as possible, and I waited for his return." 	
"I can only imagine the horrors of the war that confronted each man and woman who served." Rebecca Anne closed her eyes momentarily fighting back the memories, knowing she had to confront her own demons once and for all, not only for herself but for James as well. 	
"After the war ended and Richard was discharged he came home. He was...different in some ways. Oh, it was subtle at first. He put on a good social front and the changes were hardly noticeable to anyone except me, it seemed. He was quick of temper at times, impatient, restless. I tried to get him to talk, but that upset him more. At one point he... The wedding was just a few weeks away. I cared about him as I always had, but I began to have my doubts and was deeply concerned. I talked to my mother and father, except that I didn't tell them... everything. I suppose I didn't want to hurt Richard, his parents, or mine. I was confused, torn. There were really no groups or organizations to turn to at that time, and no friends I felt secure in discussing the matter with. I don't think I would have even considered contacting an outsider. My father assured me it would just take a little time for Richard to calm down and re-adjust to civilian life; that was all. Richard said the same thing. So we went ahead with the wedding. 	
For a couple of months everything was fine, relatively so. We went on a two week honeymoon courtesy of his family. Away from the pressures of everyday life, Richard was more relaxed. When we returned, we found a small apartment. It was like heaven to me. We had a plan. We decided to put children on hold for a few years while we both worked to pay expenses and save money so Richard could start up his own cargo and mail company. There was a piece of land he had his eye on, a field way out in the country at the time. With that land, an investor or two perhaps to help purchase a plane - just a small one to start with, and we knew he could realize his dream. 	
I went to work as a secretary for a legal firm. Richard had a friend who worked in construction and he joined up with him. We had talked about the fact that it would take a little time to get everything in place, but we were young and time was a commodity I felt we had. With a simple lifestyle we were able to save some money from our combined income. I felt things were going well, building steadily and surely. Within a year or two...but Richard was fast running out of patience. Like a runaway train. I tried to understand. In many ways I did understand. Not enough I suppose. Richard felt he had no time. Everything had to be now. Right now. He had seen so much destruction, precious lives lost. He even had to take some of those lives and it was eating him up." 	
In the service Richard had started drinking socially with other servicemen. Oh, as a teenager he and his friends had partied too much once or twice at the most, but nothing like this. I questioned him about it because he started coming home late, skipping dinner, or going out in the evening to 'have a few rounds with my buddies.' He claimed there was no problem, just a social get together. It was so much more than social camaraderie, I could see that. I tried everything; sitting down and talking. No. Reasoning. He reasoned back. Yelling. That just drew us further apart." Rebecca Anne shivered slightly as she went on. 	
"One night, about 11:30PM, a policeman knocked on our door. You can't begin to imagine the terror I felt. Something was wrong with Richard. I knew it. There was a brawl in a bar. A man had been seriously injured. A man already under investigation by the police for something. Richard was involved with him in some way. The two had gotten into a fight. Witnesses said Richard was intoxicated and started it. They found a gun on him. I was in such a state of shock the details are still fuzzy to this day. He served some time - several months - and was released. I was numb at that point. I blamed myself. Somehow I had failed as a partner and a wife." 	
"I kept working, just kept going as best I could. My family and Richard's family tried to help. They were very supportive. I tried to tell them everything would be okay. Everything would work out. I think we all hoped it would." 	
"When Richard was released, we took it one step at a time. He didn't go back to the construction job. I'm not sure they would have taken him. At that time, having a record could be quite a stigma. That holds true today although perhaps somewhat less. People can make mistakes but they can change. Instead, Richard went to work with his father who owned an automobile repair shop. It wasn't the same kind of money he'd been earning, but together we kept afloat." 	
"My parents and Richard's were not well to do, but they were industrious and saved their money as they could. My father and his pooled their resources together and bought the land Richard had been saving for. The tide was turning, I thought. It looked as though he was willing to let the past go and make a fresh start. It was going to be hard work but we could do it. Then my father met a wonderful man named Hal Walters. Hal was a remarkable fellow. He used to barnstorm as a young man. In fact, he had quite a reputation as a flyer. Hal loved airplanes as much as Richard did. He owned a small private commuter airstrip about two hundred miles from our hometown. Air travel was relatively young and Hal catered to well to do businessmen, adventurers, out of the way honeymooners, you name it and Hal would fly you there. He had two planes and he was looking for another pilot. Dad introduced him to Richard. Hal told Richard if he would work for him for a year, he would turn around and invest in Richard's own flying cargo company. He also warned him -- no drinking. Period. Social or otherwise. Richard was determined to make a go of it. We moved to the town near the airfield. Richard worked hard and stayed sober. I was able to find a pretty good job as a secretary and life looked sunny for the most part. Oh, we still had our ups and downs on occasion. Richard fought it, but bouts of his impatience would flare up, this fear of no tomorrow. I knew the war had affected him badly. He still refused to talk about his experiences in the main, except once or twice when he would let little comments fall. I tried to make his life as comfortable and easy as I could, keeping him focused on his dream and how well it was going." 	
"Then, eight months into his agreement with Hal, Richard found a cargo plane that was for sale. It happened to be through one of Hal's contacts. There was no doubt about it, it was a very impressive deal. I had to use some of our initial savings when Richard...was serving his time. I tried other ways, but I had no choice. Richard understood that. There was also the cost to move so he could work with Hal. We had further savings as that point, but not enough for such a big purchase. Oh, of course, we could have made a down payment with installments, but the party that was selling the plane wanted the entire amount then and there. We couldn't go to our parents, they'd done enough already and there was no way they could help. So Richard went to Hal. Hal's charter service was doing very well, there was talk of some major expansion, and Richard knew he had the money. There were only two problems. The timing was bad and Hal was a stickler for details and agreements. First off, Hal told Richard he was right in the middle of some sensitive negotiations that would expand his operation immensely. But it would take a lot of capital. Secondly, Hal made it plain he had been burned and cheated before and he wasn't about to let it happen again, no matter how much he respected Richard and wanted to support him. He understood Richard's frustration, but assured him another sweet deal would come his way, Hal would see to it, and by the end of the year Hal would have enough money to really help Richard set up his own business properly." 	
"They had a bitter argument, Richard walked out, and Hal called me. It didn't help that I sided with Hal. It was ridiculous...and I couldn't take any more nonsense." 	
Restless, filled with visions of the past, Rebecca Anne stood once again facing her cherished rose bushes. James came to stand beside her, but did not touch her, although he longed to do so. 	
"Richard arrived home drunk the night of the argument, and the night after. Hal came over and tried to talk with him, all to no avail. The third night...Richard didn't come home. I was worried sick." She was silent for a moment and then began in a broken whisper. "The inevitable nightmare began. Worse than I could have ever imagined. Richard and two others had broken into Hal's office at the hangar. They intended to steal the cash Richard knew he kept in the safe there. Hal had a problem with banks. He believed they were totally unsafe. In fact, he would go to great pains to tell you about the most famous and little known bank robberies in history." Rebecca Anne shook her head. 	
The plan seemed foolproof to them. No one would get hurt. Richard would shut off the alarm system and then reset and trip it at the last moment as they left. That way it wouldn't look like an inside job, and the timing of the robbery would be somewhat off. After Richard unhooked the alarm, they would smash a window or break the lock on the office door. It would seem to be a perfect random outside burglary, or so they thought. Richard didn't have the combination to the safe, which was no problem. All part of the plan to make it look like an outsider." 	
"Hal was a confirmed bachelor with a pretty predictable pattern. When he wasn't flying a client somewhere, he worked at the hangar office until about 7:00PM, took a little dinner at his favorite restaurant in town where he had a corner booth, and then either went home, took in a movie, or played cards with some of his friends. On the weekends he would fly out of town to scout locations or have some recreation and fun. Once or twice he had dinner with us." 	
"It was Tuesday night. They waited until 9:30PM, left a local bar and went about carrying out their plan. Everything went on schedule. It was a piece of cake; that's what they thought. Well they were as wrong as they could be," she said bitterly. 	
"Because Richard had walked out, Hal had to take over a pre-booked flight Tuesday afternoon. He returned to the hangar by about 7:30PM, drove to dinner, then decided to come back to the office to catch up on some paperwork. He found Richard and the others breaking into the safe. One of the men had a gun. Hal was enraged, especially to see Richard among them. He didn't care about the odds. He didn't have a weapon, but he had his fists. He apparently lunged forward...and the man with the gun fired. Richard desperately tried to stop it, to protect Hal, but it happened so fast. There was nothing he could do. He bent down to try and help Hal, to try and stop the bleeding. The other two urged him to leave but he wouldn't. The man with the gun was going to shoot Richard but his companion stopped him. They decided to get out with the money, one of them had it in his possession, and leave Richard there. Have everything pinned on him. Richard had a few drinks, the earlier fight between he and Hal, it would be a perfect setup. They would be long gone and they were sure Hal would die. He took a bad wound in the stomach and the area was fairly isolated precluding immediate help. The gun was stolen, so one of them wiped it clean and threw it over by Richard. They left him there doing everything he could for Hal, trying to get help to come via the phone or radio." 	
"The miracle was that someone had seen something early on and called the police. They arrived on the scene barely minutes later as the other two fled the building. Richard and his accomplices were captured. Hal was taken to the hospital with no more than minutes to spare. Two policemen came to tell me that my husband had been arrested. As soon as I found out some of what happened I was dazed, shocked. I felt so...alienated from Richard, almost to the point of hatred. I ran to the hospital, not to the police station. Not to my husband. I sat with Hal for several days. Most of the time he dipped in and out of unconsciousness. I held his hand, willing him to take control and make his body well. It was touch and go for about three days, and then he turned the corner. It was a long road to recovery, but he made it." 	
"There was a trial. Richard and the others were convicted. I...I was so confused and hurt. And angry. Very, very angry. I didn't know what to do. So I took the coward's way out. I left town. My parents, my brother, and my sister came up for the trial. I could be a pretty good actress in those days. I calmed them down, told them things were under control and that I would be fine. They were stubborn but I had them beat in that department. I told them I had to stand on my own two feet. I had my job and a roof over my head. My father insisted on paying for four months of rent for the apartment. I sent them all home. I was so ashamed. Ashamed to lean on them, ashamed of Richard and what he had done, ashamed of my frailties and failures as I saw them. In retrospect, I needed my family and should have accepted their support and comfort then and there. Not only did Richard need help, I did too. But pride and other inadequate feelings got in the way." 	
"A few days after they left, I packed a suitcase and I ran. I needed to get away, to sort things out and stop my world from spinning. On a couple of occasions, when we were children, our parents had taken us to the Florida coast for a holiday. I loved it there. The air was fresh and clean. It was far from the congestion of the city and we always had so much fun. I found such freedom and peace in the ocean. So I quit my job. I couldn't face staying there anyway. It's not that anyone was cruel or talking behind my back. I just felt too ashamed to work there anymore. I went to the bank and withdrew a chunk of our savings. I just didn't care. There didn't seem to be any point in saving. For what? A dear friend in the apartment building kept an eye on things for me. She would water the plants, take in the mail, and so on. I left her a few signed checks for bills and some cash just in case. I used to phone her every couple of weeks although I was careful not to tell her where I was calling from. An hour before I left, I called my parents and told them I was taking some time for myself. I also refused to tell them where I was going. I tried to explain how I felt as much as possible. I just didn't want anyone coming to my rescue. I needed to be alone for awhile, to find my own way and my own answers. I was afraid to call them after that in case my resolve broke, so I had my friend keep in touch with them and let them know I was alright." 	
"I took a bus to the closest major city in the opposite direction from where my parents lived. I wasn't taking any chances. From there I took the train. I never intended to stay in Clearwater. At first I was going to take the train to Sarasota where our parents had taken us those long summers past. But as the taxi took me to the train station, I realized my family might check the area. My sister, Bethany, especially knew how much I loved it there. At the station I discovered I could travel to a place called Clearwater. The name attracted me. It sounded so right, so perfect, like a soothing balm. So I made my decision. I purchased my ticket using cash." 	
"As I waited for the train the crowd surged and I felt that surely all eyes were on me. Somehow they must know I was the wife of a criminal. The story had made the local papers, and I was sure it made its way further afield. I was frightened to use my name. I decided to use my mother's maiden name along with my middle name. Not very original, but I wasn't in a very creative mood. I was just so lost. During the journey I removed my engagement and wedding rings and put them in my purse. It was ridiculous, of course. Looking back, the whole thing seems...well, enough of that!" 	
"And then you found me. Sitting on a bench at Tellman's Wharf, looking out over the water, trying to piece the puzzle of my life together. Or perhaps it would be correct to say I found you. I noticed you first." 	
"You didn't!" James told her. "I noticed you right off." 	
"Yes, I did," she gave him back. "You were struggling with those boxes and had your attention wrapped up in them for two whole minutes while I stared very unladylike and felt my heart pound. It was as though I wanted to shout 'I'm here and I've been waiting for you forever it seems.' When you came over, I almost thought I had shouted the words," Rebecca Anne smiled. "But I was a married woman. A wife who had failed so miserably that her husband was in jail." 	
"You were not a failure." 	
"It took me a long time to realize that. When you came over, you took my breath away, and my will power. There you were expounding on the merits of Tellman's ice cream, and I was feeling things I'd never felt in all the years I'd known Richard. It was wrong. It was sinful. I knew it, but then I thought what harm could a little ice cream and a small bit of conversation do? That's all it would be, I assured myself." Restlessly Rebecca Anne walked over to one of the rose bushes and fingered a delicate blossom. 	
"That first day when I refused to go out with you after you walked me home to Rose's, I knew I had done the right thing, but I felt bereft...empty. Later that evening, I cornered Rose and asked her about you. She knew of your family, but she didn't know too much about you other than that she'd heard you were a nice, industrious young man. I was thirsty to hear more, but there was nothing more to be said and that was for the best. During the night, I made the decision to leave Clearwater. My encounter with you, what I had felt, frightened me. I had loved Richard, but in one moment my feelings for you went deeper and were stronger than the bond I shared with my husband. Yet again, I was on the run with no solution to speak of." 	
"And then I showed up," James supplied. "Right on the doorstep of your 'aunt' spouting my life history and requesting permission to court you." 	
"You can't imagine how I felt. A hundred emotions vied for first place. I'd told you an outright lie about Rose being my aunt. What would she think? Then there was-you. I was terrified, elated, surprised you returned, wanting...wanting so much until one more stolen moment led to the next." Rebecca Anne smiled wryly. "Rose didn't know my circumstances, of course. She was such a lovely and dear, dear friend to me. She was also smart. And caring. She knew I had problems from the word go, but she didn't pry and I didn't offer. I simply welcomed her generosity and the fact that she made everything safe for me. She certainly didn't have any idea I was married. I think she thought I'd suffered through a bad affair at most. And I think she decided you were my knight in shining armor, the solution to whatever ailed me. In so many ways she was right." 	
Glistening tears yet unshed clung to Rebecca Anne's lashes. A lump formed in James' throat as he instinctively reached for her, but she gently forestalled his touch. 	
"That last night at Tellman's Wharf, I knew you were going to ask me to marry you. I knew your intentions before that with your special little hints. Every day I promised myself it would be the last day. God help me, I didn't have the strength to make it so. Every time you held me in your arms, I felt I'd come home to where I belonged. I toyed with telling you the truth, but I couldn't bear you looking at me with hate filled eyes. At one point I decided I would seek a divorce from Richard. I certainly had grounds. It would be considered nothing by today's standards. But no one in my family had ever been divorced. It was a shameful thing to consider. And how would you have felt, bringing a divorced woman with a troubled background into your life, introducing her to your family? There was no way. Ironic, that the time I spent with you and the love you gave me finally brought me the strength and resource to walk away from you, to go home and rebuild my life with Richard. In my heart it was the right thing, the only thing to do. And so I watched you for long moments, then closed my eyes to the incredible pain and walked out of your life. When I arrived back at Rose's I was almost incoherent with grief and desperate to get away before you came looking for me. Rose was shocked at what walked in the door and she was determined to find out what happened. Finally the truth poured out, the words tumbling as I frantically tried to pack. Rose refused to let me go in such a state. She took over, calmed me down, and hatched a plan to keep you away." 	
"I spent most of the night trying to write to you. You must have received my letter. I arranged for Tommy Lin to deliver it, that nice young boy who sometimes did errands for Rose. Then Rose's nephew took me to the train station early the next morning." 	
James smiled. He would explain the letter later. 	
"She never betrayed me." 	
"No, she didn't." 	
"She was an extraordinary woman. An angel at a time when I needed a miracle. Rose and I kept in touch off and on for a little while and then I felt it best to..." Rebecca Anne took a deep breath, motioned with her hands and then folded her arms across her body trying to still her trembling shoulders. 	
"I'm so very happy you followed your dreams, and that you've enjoyed a satisfying life." Now she gave him a radiant smile. 	
"What about you?" This time she didn't move away when he covered her hands with his own. Instead she welcomed their warmth and assurance. 	
"Richard honestly did his very best. We both worked hard at it," was all she was willing to offer. For the moment it was enough. 	
"You have a lovely daughter." 	
"And a beautiful granddaughter," she told him. "I've been fortunate in many ways." 	
"I'm glad." 	
They were barely inches apart. She started to look away, but he wouldn't let her. 	
The threatening tears misbehaved and fell silently. 	
"Don't hate me, James. Please." 	
"I could never hate you. Never in an eternity of years." 	
"There was never a breath of time when I stopped loving you. You were always in my heart, the best part of my life." She reached out one delicate hand and caressed his face. He closed his eyes a moment, reveling in the touch, then opened them again. 	
"Is it time for us now, Rebecca Anne?" 	
"Yes," she whispered. "Oh yes, please." 	
Fifty years of pain melted away in the magic of their kiss. ["#TOC"]	
Chapter Ten	
"You did a damn good job, Kathryn." 	
She sat beside him on the plush couch of the hotel suite's sitting room. Two long stemmed glasses and a bottle of sparkling apple cider sat ready and waiting. Colt poured from the champagne shaped bottle and handed her one of the glasses. 	
"I couldn't have done it without you. You made it all possible. You and Christina." 	
"Hell, I was just the sidekick. Now that Christina, she has talent. To you and Christina, and James and his Rebecca Anne," he met her glass. 	
"To my gallant cowboy in shining armor. You were my support every step of the way." 	
"This sounds like the Cartwright-Riverton Congratulatory Society," Colt laughed. "Well, what the heck. We deserve it!" 	
They were half way home, settled into a small but welcoming hotel for the night. Jesse lay sleeping in the second adjoining bedroom to the suite they had requested. It was nearing midnight, and a softly lit lamp provided the only source of light in the room. James Hazlett had stayed behind with Rebecca Anne. It was clear the two of them would have their future together. Kathryn glowed with warmth at the thought and, nestling into Colt's shoulder, she recalled with pleasure the first moment she came face to face with the woman who had become such an important part of her life. 	
Rose McRae, Rebecca Anne's daughter, had been exceptionally gracious under the circumstances. Perhaps she sensed the strangers who nervously waited in the living room meant only well. Gratefully, Colt and Kathryn took the hot coffee she offered together with the delicious apple cake. Thoughtfully, she brought Jesse chunky chocolate chip cookies with milk. Amid occasional small talk, the adults sat fidgeting or paced the room like anxious relatives awaiting the birth of a first child. Fortunately, the beige, blue-eyed, and wise cat kept Jesse occupied in exchange for scratches, cooing words, and her total attention. 	
An eternity later, James Hazlett walked into the room with Rebecca Anne by his side. Miles away, with only one visit between them, Kathryn could still envision her clearly; her petite, slender figure, the soft silver-white hair that framed her delicate features, the beautifully expressive hazel eyes that shone with love and appreciation, and the tender yet tough spirit that bespoke volumes no words could easily nor truly convey. 	
It had been worth every moment; racing off on an uncharted, unknown adventure, leaving behind her organized world to pick up the pieces later, facing her own uncertainties, finding the courage to walk away from a man and a little girl whom she had grown to love so deeply. 	
"Kathryn?" Colt's velvet voice whispered. "Tears on your special celebration evening?" 	
She felt them then. Stinging and tickling as they rolled down her cheeks. She drew up her hand to brush the guilty evidence away, only to be forestalled by the pad of his thumb as it caught each droplet. 	
"A common female trait when we're happy." It was only a half lie. She was happy for James and Rebecca Anne. 	
Colt lifted her onto his lap and held her close to him. She let the tears spill over, soaking his cotton polo shirt. As long as he didn't know all the reasons for it, she could indulge in a cry. Just like his tear- stained shirt, which would quickly dry leaving behind no traces of her folly, she was sure her heart would mend completely when she was back in familiar surroundings. 	
Neither of them meant for it to happen. It started innocently enough. Colt's gentle caress as he brushed her tangled hair and tucked it behind her ear, away from the inviting curve of her graceful neck. The welcome light pressure of his fingers as he massaged her shoulder. The feather light kiss that followed on the top of her head. All meant to comfort not to stir the passions that licked to life within her body and his. She tried to brush desire away with a tilt of her head and a weak, watery smile. Colt didn't return it with one of his own. Instead he kissed her wet cheek, his tongue darting out to lick away the tears. She opened her mouth in mingled pleasure and protest, trying to fight her feelings even as she wanted to drown in the exquisite sensations. His mouth responded, finding hers in a demanding and devastating kiss that left them both breathless. She was sure the tiny moan that escaped her throat was meant to be a whispered 'no', but it was lost as he once again took possession of her with his lips. She clung to him now as if he were her lifeline, her only protection from being swept away. But it was too late; they were both adrift in a sea of passion from which there was no escape. His mouth left hers to trail down feathered kisses along her neck and more as she gasped in an endless combination of agony and bliss. Colt lifted her then, easily, as if she weighed no more than a breath of air. He brought her into the main bedroom, closing the door behind them, all the while kissing, touching. She finally found her voice only to end up huskily begging for more. 	
With increasing impatience they helped each other undress, hungry mouths touching bared flesh as each piece of restricting clothing was removed. Wanting to pleasure with infinite time and care they fought back the rising tide of their passion until it could no longer be held at bay. Long after their lovemaking, entwined in each other's arms, they struggled to hold the morning from coming too soon and bringing the inevitable goodbye. 	
They drove the remaining miles to Clearwater early the next day after ensuring Jesse ate breakfast. Everyone was quiet, immersed in thought. Even Jesse, attuned to the two adults, made few remarks, preferring to look out the window at the passing scenery. It was strange, Kathryn thought, feeling this sense of joy and loss. They stopped for lunch, pretending to eat for Jesse's sake. By early afternoon they were back at the house. Colt brought in the overnight bags, then went into the kitchen to play back messages left on the answering machine. There were two. One was his mother, the other was Charley, the annoying ex-whatever who had phoned the other day for Kathryn. Colt bit back the thousand and one comments he wanted to make and handed her the message. She thanked him with a distracted half smile. He watched as she turned and started up the stairs. Fortunately, Jesse chose that moment to ask him something and he went off to help his daughter. 	
Kathryn sat on the bed in her room endeavoring to focus her attention on the radiant and grateful expressions she beheld on both James' and Rebecca Anne's faces as they had embraced her in strong, warm hugs. Recalling their joy didn't help. She felt numb. Before she could find another excuse to postpone her trip home, she dialed the airline and moved her reservation to the first flight she could get at 6:00PM the next day. After that she absently punched the numbers to Charley's phone hoping against hope he could throw her a life preserver and rescue her from her drowning misery. Her heart skipped a beat and then relaxed as she heard him pick up the receiver. 	
"Buckingham Palace," he intoned into the phone in his best English imitation. 	
"Charley! It's me, Katie." 	
"Finally! Katie, where have you been? What have you been doing? And who is that bad tempered gorilla who answered the phone the first time I called?" 	
"I'm in Clearwater, Florida," she told him inanely. 	
"I know that. I called Christina at the office when I couldn't reach you at home and she gave me the Florida phone number." 	
"I'm coming home tomorrow," she tried for a light cheerful voice which came through forced and didn't fool him for a moment. 	
"Are you bringing the gorilla with you?" he joked. 	
"No, don't be silly. He's just...a friend who helped me out while I was down here. I'll tell you all about it when I get back to Los Angeles." She was determined to change the subject. 	
"Now what about you and those wedding plans? Everything moving along?" 	
"Well, I have some news for you which is why I originally called." 	
"Everything is alright isn't it?" She was sincerely happy for Charley and his fiancé. They were perfect for each other and perfectly in love. 	
"Everything is better than alright. But I've made a decision, Katie, and I wanted to let you know about it." Charley took a deep breath. "After the wedding, Mitch and I are taking the big plunge." 	
"I thought the wedding was the big plunge," Kathryn teased. 	
Charley laughed. "Well it is. But aside from that, we're packing up and moving to New York." 	
"New York!" 	
"Yep. It's been okay here with the graphics company, but remember I've always felt something was missing. Well, Mitch and I have talked a lot about it. I've got this opportunity to buy into a small company with a couple of fellows I really like. I think we can do some pretty impressive things. I've had to dig into a few investments and some of my savings, but it'll pay off big in the end I think. I know I can do it." 	
"Charley, that's wonderful! Of course you can do it. And now's the time for sure. A fresh new start and a new life together with Mitch." 	
"Well, that's my news. Now as for you. Are we talking new starts and new beginnings as well? Say with the gorilla? He sounded pretty jealous when I talked to him on the phone." 	
Kathryn turned a deep red, which she was thankful Charley couldn't see. "You're being a moose brain. It's a long story starting with a piece of furniture I bought. You'll hear the details when I'm back in town and you can fill me in on your plans. I'm really excited for you and Mitch. And as for me, well it's steady on. I've got a beautiful new apartment to fix up, a pile of work waiting for me, and dinner with my parents." 	
"What about Prince Charming? I found my princess, now I want you to find your prince. It's only right." 	
"Got to check a few more frogs out first," she joked. "But don't worry, we'll both live happily ever after. You in your country estate in New York, a highly successful graphic artist, head of a thriving company, surrounded by a beautiful loving wife and ten kids. And me, the California girl making it big in the television business with frogs and princes lying at my feet for the taking." 	
"I just want you to be happy, Katie," he said softly. "We may not have made it as a couple, but aside from Mitch, you're my best friend and I love you." 	
"I know, and I promise I'm going to do just fine. I wouldn't let my best friend down. Now give Mitch kisses and hugs and I'll see you both soon." 	
The lifeline lay dead in the water. The only recourse was to strike out for shore and swim on her own. She was happy for Charley and proud of him for what he was going to do. Maybe she should do the same thing. Throw it all away and make a fresh start. Even as she contemplated it, she knew her circumstances were much different from his. In the ten years they were together, Charley had changed his job three times. Granted he always kept to the same area. He was a talented artist, loved his work, and impressed his peers in the industry. But Charley had a dream to start up his own company, maybe take in a partner or two. That took money and the timing had never been right. The girl had never been right either. Kathryn had plodded along for sixteen years at the same company, working her way up the ladder, always straight on course. She liked the security of a big corporation and encouraged Charley to do the same thing. He tried, but it wasn't for him. He also didn't have family in California. Originally born in Nebraska, he had traveled to Los Angeles to follow his chosen career and make his mark. His family still lived in his home state. Kathryn's family and friends made their homes in California from Los Angeles to the beautiful Santa Barbara and San Diego coastal areas. There was really no comparison. 	
Of course, Charley had friends and a life in California, but it was relatively painless for him to uproot and take on a whole new adventure. From the warm comforting stability of family, friends, job, and planned vacations, it would be a major upheaval for Kathryn. And then there was Mitch. She was so perfect for Charley. True, she was a California girl herself, with family ties of her own. But Mitch was an avid take-a-risk, go-for-it adventurer like Charley, and although she enjoyed her job it wasn't the be all, end all of her life. Mitch was in love and ready for a new beginning with her husband-to-be. Kathryn could just see the two of them in a few years, successful, happy, with a full house of children. It made her smile. 	
No, her circumstances were three hundred and sixty degrees from Charley and Mitch's; running from the security of home on a spur of the moment mission, falling in love with someone you barely knew; these things weren't part of the plan. Someone who had responsibilities of his own; first and foremost a beautiful daughter who depended on him. Someone who couldn't take off at a moment's notice. Someone she didn't have the luxury of really getting to know, of dating, because as far as she was concerned he lived on the other side of the world, or it might as well have been. 	
She thought again of James and Rebecca Anne. Well, whatever else happened, that was worth it in every way. 	
"Okay, Miss Indiana Jones, you did good. Now it's time to go home." She sighed and began packing. 	
Colt drove her to the airport the next day. She gave Jesse the tightest, biggest hug in the world and promised she would write as soon as she got back. She bestowed on Colt her brightest smile but kept her hands clenched around her travel bag and her purse to prevent herself from reaching out and touching him. It was enough she indulged in the gentle kiss he offered. Her brittle smile stayed in place like a wonderful performance from a seasoned actress, until she turned and walked down the ramp to the waiting plane. Even then she managed to numb her emotions to a degree, busying herself stowing her bag and taking her seat, pretending to look out the window, casually glancing at the in-flight magazine. Only when the plane taxied to the runway and took flight did she succumb to the quiet empty tears that fell. 	
Colt finished hosing off the Cherokee and set to work drying its gleaming body. The slight breeze carried the sound of laughter from the backyard. Jesse and the twins clowned by the pool while James and Rebecca Anne kept a watchful eye on the trio. It was amazing how things had turned out. The first couple of months had been a little rocky. Colt's mother and father were wonderful to have around, a stabilizing influence for both Jesse and him while they found their footing; Colt in a new job, and Jesse at school. But his parents had a life too, so Colt set about finding a housekeeper, the priority being Jesse's well being. He'd heard the horror stories. He just hadn't realized how horrific it could be. 	
There were three of them that paraded through. The first woman Colt found through an agency. She had good credentials and seemed very nice. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Jesse didn't like her. That was putting it mildly. His little girl came first so Lucille Millhouse was gently let go. The only problem was Lucille didn't want to go. She was perfectly happy where she was and stubborn in the bargain. The once delightful Mrs. Millhouse dug her heels in and showed a side that Colt didn't want to see again. He finally did everything except call in the cavalry and she went. The agency he was using was reputably the best in Clearwater, so he decided to go with them again. They suggested that perhaps Jesse would enjoy someone slightly younger than the formidable and fifty-ish Mrs. Millhouse. Colt went along with their recommendation and, after a number of interviews, took on someone he should have known was too good to be true. Sandra Kelly admitted that this was her first such job. At thirty-four, newly divorced and childless, Sandra had been a dedicated homemaker for ten years. She thrived in her role and worked hard at her job. Although unable to bear a child of her own, she loved children and greeted Jesse with a generous warmth when they met. Colt could relate to new beginnings so he welcomed her into his home. After two weeks it looked as though things were going to work out. Although she kept her distance, Jesse seemed somewhat receptive to Sandra and he felt confident that a good relationship would work out between the two of them. Sandra cleaned the house without fault, cooked better than Betty Crocker, and appeared to be June Cleaver and Harriet Nelson all rolled up into one. If she jokingly complained about his leaving a jacket, sweater, or newspaper here and there, Colt let it pass. By the third week, however, he found her various complaints about Jesse's and his habits verging on annoying. Here was a woman who wanted everything in its place. It seemed imperative that the house look like something out of one of those fancy magazines, and it was a disaster if anything was casually laid where it didn't belong. Still Colt hung in there, hopeful it was just new job jitters. He'd suffered through that himself in his first few weeks of coaching. But when Sandra erupted like a volcano the night he and Jesse were half an hour late for dinner, his patience broke. Sandra was in trouble and she was trouble, and he wasn't going to subject Jesse or himself to any more nonsense. She was out of the house that same evening. 	
Colt was frantic. Karen Malone, the twins' mother, offered to keep an eye on things during the day when Jesse came home from school and even rustled up one or two meals for them, but he couldn't intrude on her kindness indefinitely. She had her own family to take care of. 	
Colt needed to find someone fast. 	
The third time proved the charm, albeit in an unusual way. Colt shook his head and smiled inwardly as he set about waxing the Cherokee's rich red hood. He pictured clearly the scene in the dining room. Mandy Melville was hired through a friend of a friend of a neighbor's. She came with excellent recommendations. Her former employers who were moving, loved her. She kept a clean house, had a cheery disposition, an ethical manner and, most important of all, she was great with kids. It was true that he was cautioned by both Mandy and her ex-employers that she couldn't cook well. It was her only drawback. Colt would cope. Mandy would learn. Jesse enjoyed the charming young woman, and Colt breathed a sigh of relief. If her hamburgers were a little too overcooked, and her attempt at homemade rolls didn't prove a hit, she was at least trying and everything else seemed to be fine. Up until that fateful Saturday when James and Rebecca Anne Hazlett joined Colt and Jesse for dinner. 	
James and Rebecca had married a few days after their reunion. The couple, ecstatic and looking like two blushing, besotted teenagers, returned to Clearwater, taking up residence in James' apartment. The four of them stayed in touch. Colt enjoyed the man's dry wit and it was easy to see why he had fallen head over heels with the delicate, delightful, and beautiful Rebecca Anne. Jesse took to them like a bee to honey and they, in turn, adored her and spoiled her every chance they could. Colt knew that James didn't particularly relish bringing his bride to the "old folks home" as he called it. Although Rebecca Anne was blissful to be wherever her beloved James was, he felt "that place" was not the home for his treasured bride and himself. The solution to the problem became crystal clear that Saturday when dinner was about to be served. 	
The table was beautifully set down to the bottle of wine, but the scent wafting from the kitchen smelled of disaster, and the woman who stood in tears holding a pan of burnt chicken meat and withered vegetables was a sad sight. It was Rebecca Anne who immediately took charge, comforting Mandy, shooing everyone else out of the kitchen, and setting the matter right. A bowl of sliced vegetables and dip was quickly produced to ease the hunger evident on the three faces who sat watching TV in the living room. Half an hour later the inviting aroma of a delicious meal, partially salvaged and partially cooked from scratch, filled the hallway. Within an hour everyone was eating. Three months later, the plan that was hatched that evening went into effect. 	
A small guest house on the property, which Colt intended to use as an office eventually, was enlarged and completely refurbished. The main window overlooked the garden. James and Rebecca Anne had found their home. 	
James lovingly tended the flowers and plants, especially the roses and lilacs that were indeed flourishing. Rebecca Anne supervised the cooking, an activity she thoroughly enjoyed and excelled at. Mandy continued to keep house, did the shopping and errands, and even learned to make a couple of tasty dishes under Rebecca Anne's more than capable tutelage. All three of them nurtured Jesse and she thrived on it. Everyone was happy, even Colt to a degree. But for him, something as elemental and vital as breathing was missing; Kathryn, the woman whose sensitivity and determination had brought everyone together while turning his life upside down. Colt had known her for barely two weeks of the summer, and yet it seemed she had been a part of his life forever. Her laughter, the tilt of her head, her touch, everything about her stayed with him every waking moment. Her sometimes exasperating stubbornness, joy for living, tenderness and compassion enveloped him like a warm cocoon. Colt was deeply in love with her and anything and anyone that came before, except his heart of hearts Jesse, paled to insignificance. 	
"I've seen that look before," Rebecca Anne's voice startled him and he dropped his waxing cloth like a guilty boy caught with his hand in the forbidden cookie jar. 	
"What?" Colt bent to pick up the rag. 	
"I said I've seen that look before. On my own face in a mirror's reflection." 	
"What you see is a man hard at work putting the finishing touches on his vintage Cherokee." 	
"What I see is a man who is in love with someone who's close to three thousand miles away. Are you going to wait fifty years too?" 	
"Now Rebecca Anne. We've been through this and I've explained it to you." 	
"Yes, you've explained the puzzle, but the pieces still don't fit together for me." 	
"I've written to her. I've phoned her." 	
"Yes, you have. You've written to her about James' and my marriage, how we've moved here, how Jesse is, how well everything is going. You've talked to her about schools, the weather, housekeepers, and everything else under the sun. Except you haven't asked her to come home and marry you." 	
"Rebecca Anne, I appreciate what you're saying. But I told you, Kathryn and I understood from the beginning that we had two different lives, miles and miles apart. And that's the end of the story." 	
"Then why can't you write the end. You've been out twice with women you describe as 'nice.' Nice! The same words you used about the new towels Jesse picked out for the guest bathroom." 	
"I'm not ready to date. I've barely been divorced." 	
"Hm," she took the rag from his hand and made him look at her. "Call me an interfering old biddy..." 	
"Never that!" 	
"Well, call me whatever," she ran a slender finger gently across his rough jaw. "I just don't want you and Kathryn to waste precious years like James and I did." 	
"What can I do?" he whispered brokenly. "There are so many barriers. So much against us." 	
"They're all shadows, Colt. Shadow bars that can melt away in the midst of the best of truths, your love for each other. Fifty years ago I made a mistake. I didn't sit down with my heart's love and tell him the truth, trust in my love and see what we could do to make things right. Instead I ran from the best thing that had ever happened to me." 	
"Richard and I worked hard to make a go of it, and to a degree we were successful. We had a decent life together and we had our treasured daughter, Rose. You pick yourself up, you carry on, and you do the very best you can. In all honesty, Richard and I should never have married each other. We were two youngsters in love with the idea of love. I've often thought that Richard wouldn't have gotten into the trouble he did and would have achieved so much more if he'd been free to find the kind of relationship I had found with James. Not everyone finds such a remarkable love in a lifetime, Colt. I think many people search lifetimes over for their special heart's companion. You and I are two very lucky individuals to have found ours. So reach out for it Colt. At least try. I think you might be surprised at what you find. I wouldn't say this if I didn't think that three thousand miles away, Kathryn wasn't feeling the same thing and ready to leave her own shadow bars behind." 	
Rebecca Anne put the rag back in Colt's hand and smiled up at him, her beautiful eyes shining with love. He watched her slim, proud figure as she turned towards the sound of laughter and splashing coming from the pool. As he went back to polishing the car, a gleam of love and determination shone from his own eyes. 	
Kathryn looked at her watch and then surveyed the boxes neatly labeled and stacked by the front door of the apartment. More boxes were piled along a side wall of the room. Together with several pieces of furniture, they waited for the movers who were due in about half an hour. A pretty coffee table, comfortably overstuffed chair, and the secretary she had purchased nearly nine months ago sat by the big picture window overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The same moving company would drop this furniture off at her parent's house before continuing on to the storage lockup she had rented. Everything else would go in there for now until she was settled. She laughed at the mere thought of the word. Settled. The once practical, stability seeking, and relatively sane Kathryn Belle Cartwright was anything but settled at the moment. Even her recently manicured nails, if they hadn't torn during packing, were bitten to the quick with nerves. It was an old habit she had handled years ago, but it had resurfaced in the panic of her decision. Her plan was crazy, she was sure of it, and it made her spur of the moment trip to unite two long lost lovers seem like a walk to the corner store in comparison. But she was going through with it anyway. She was going to gamble it all for a brand new life, one she wanted more than anything. 	
This time when she knocked on Colt Riverton's door there would be nothing standing in the way of building a life with him and Jesse. Unless he took one look at her and slammed the door in her face. A finger, the nail already bitten to the quick, strayed to her mouth and she batted it down with her other hand. She walked to the secretary and lovingly stroked its polished wood. Everything had worked out wonderfully for Rebecca Anne and James. Their deep love had endured over fifty years, and they were married mere days after they found each other again. Kathryn was over the moon to learn that the couple was now living in their own little cottage by the big house with Colt and Jesse. She corresponded regularly with Rebecca Anne, cherishing the strong friendship they had forged. Colt kept in touch now and then, and had even phoned her a couple of times. The first call came only days after her return home when he told her about Rebecca Anne and James' marriage. A few months ago, he called her again to let her know that the Hazletts were moving to Magnolia Lane. She talked to Jesse that time, exuberant and bubbling with joy, wondering when she was going to visit. The two of them exchanged notes often. 	
Colt never said he missed her. He would talk about Jesse, how she was doing, her school, Rebecca Anne and James, and amuse her with funny housekeeper tales. Once he told her he was going out on a date with one of the teachers at the school where he coached. Kathryn's heart lurched as she read the words and her stomach knotted up with jealousy. 	
But wasn't that what she wanted for him? She had made it clear they had no future together. What did she expect him to do? 	
He always asked her how she was doing and she would regale him with tales from work, a little Hollywood gossip, and tell him that her life was busy and full. He seemed to be pleased with that. He asked her if she was seeing anyone. She remembered the teacher he told her about and then offered that she'd gone out once or twice herself. He said nothing in return and she wondered if he knew she was stretching the truth. In actual fact, she had attended a company cocktail reception. Her happily married boss and his wife drove her there and back home. She also went on one blind double date forced on her by Christina, who had been worried about her friend since the day she returned to work. The date was a big budget Hollywood flop from the word 'go'. She pitied the poor fellow who was saddled with her. Christina never tried again. In fact, in the last month she had been dropping not so subtle hints concerning Kathryn returning to Clearwater and Colt. 	
Kathryn knew she would miss Colt and Jesse, but she expected the twisting knife to be removed from her chest and the wound to heal as she got on with her life professionally and personally. Yet nothing seemed right. The luster and enthusiasm for life she had carefully built over the years was gone. When she watched Charley and his beautiful bride walk down the aisle she daydreamed about Colt and herself doing the same. Even her interest for work waned. She returned to the office to find pretty much everything in pristine order, few and mild flaps, and a neat stack of confrontable paperwork in the middle of her desk. Lacey had done an outstanding job. Her boss and her co-workers were delighted to have her back, and she dove into her job with determination and dedication. She took on more responsibilities and learned a few new angles in the process. It was even rumored a promotion was in the offing; another step on the ladder which could lead to the exciting opportunities she had once envisioned. It would have been perfect if she could have run home, shared the news with Colt, and wrapped Jesse in her arms and told her all about it. Instead she came back to her quiet and empty apartment, silently watching the ocean waves lick up onto the sandy shore. In the morning she'd rise from her lonely bed, drink a cup of lukewarm coffee and eat her toast as she listened to the sea gulls vying for the choicest breakfast spot. How she longed to grab hold of their wings and fly all the way to her lover's arms. 	
It was her mother who finally took her in hand after one Saturday evening spent at her parent's home. A private, knowing look passed between the two elder Cartwrights, and Kathryn's father rose from his comfortable chair in the living room. 	
"I'm going to do the dishes while you two beautiful ladies relax." 	
When Kathryn protested, he kissed her on the cheek and insisted. "Now, it's not every day that I get to cater to the both of you, so enjoy it!" 	
Her mother came to sit beside her and with some gentle prodding and a few tears, Kathryn unfolded her story from the beginning. It was a relief when she finally told someone the intensity of her feelings for Colt. Yet she was still surprised when her mother urged her to consider throwing caution to the wind especially since she'd known Colt so short a time. 	
"I fell in love with your father the first time I saw him at the drive-in. He was two or three cars over with his date and I was with mine; a very nice boy. Your father, in the dark, came to the wrong car laden with drinks, hot dogs, and popcorn. I took one look in his eyes and, believe it or not, I knew. I guess he did too. I went to the refreshment counter to plan my strategy. I thought maybe I could find his car, pretend to walk up to it in error, and get the license plate, his name, or something. But I wasn't about to let him go." Kathryn watched her mother's eyes crinkle in sheer delight at the treasured memory. "Meanwhile, your father turned over the fast food to his date trying to figure out how to gain the opportunity to talk with me when the movie was over. We met by the napkin containers, exchanged phone numbers, and the rest as they say is history. Kathryn, I love you very much and I trust you to know what's best for you. I'm not suggesting you run off tomorrow and get married the next day, but it is okay to make changes in your life, to alter your course no matter how set the first road might be. As long as the change is your choice. Take it from me, there's no timetable for love, no handy when to and how to guidebooks, no money back guarantees. But if love is staring you in the face, don't turn away. At least reach out a hand and check it out, because I can tell you first hand, love is the most precious jewel in the world." 	
Kathryn smiled as she remembered her mother's words. Still, she wasn't sure her mother had intended her to jump into the deep end straight away. 	
At first she was going to write to Colt. She started several letters, pitched them, and then tried again. The words wouldn't come. In desperation she decided to write to Rebecca Anne, only to crumple the note and throw it on the pile with the others. This had to be her call, not Rebecca Anne's nor anyone else's. Finally, after another weekend spent walking the beach, restlessly roaming her apartment, and making some firm decisions, she put her plan into action. 	
Kathryn gave notice at work. She could still recall the amazed look on her boss's face. But he supported her every step of the way. He procured several glowing written recommendations, adding his own as well. He also gave her a number of contacts and potential Florida avenues to follow up should she decide to take that route. He promised to make a personal phone call to every single contact she chose to pursue, to offer an introduction and smooth the way. She was more than grateful and knew she would miss this terrific man. He was also receptive when she suggested Lacey as her replacement. Lacey could hardly believe it and couldn't stop alternating between bear-hugging and thanking Kathryn. For her part, Kathryn knew it was a perfect match. 	
Kathryn also gave notice on her apartment, and while she set about training Lacey she also tied up the million and one loose ends that would free her to make a new start. She would never forget her parent's encouragement and support throughout this period of time. It made all the difference in the world and she doubted she would have had the courage to make this quantum leap if it weren't for their trust and love. Charley, back from his own honeymoon and still in seventh heaven, was excited for her as well. She didn't exactly tell him about her true relationship with Colt, but she had a feeling he knew anyway. And now, with all the details in place and fresh from a first class bon voyage production thrown by her co- workers, she was ready to go. After the movers did their job, she would drive to her parents and spend the night in her old room. The next morning her mother and father would take her to the airport. And then what? She should have at least rented a place of her own, gone down for a test run, anything but what she was going to do. How would Colt react when she showed up cold at his front door and presented herself free as a bird? Would he take her in his arms and welcome her home? Or had things changed for him in the intervening months? Maybe he had neglected to mention some details in his calls and letters. Perhaps he had found his heart of hearts with the school teacher he told her about. Had it been one date or more? And what about the winsome, leggy blonde across the road? Maybe Colt found she had more talents than just whipping up mouthwatering biscuits and fancy casseroles. When she knocked on the door, would she find not Colt to greet her, but a beautiful woman in residence who would wonder what she wanted? 	
Kathryn shut her eyes, pushed the thought aside and looked at her watch again. Too late. The movers were due any minute and she was on her new road speeding along at a breathtaking pace. There would be no stopping until she reached her destination. 	
"Well, the worst that will happen is I'll go lie on the beach, let the waves wash over me, and drive myself senseless with chocolate sundaes." She refused to think of the gut-wrenching pain and black emptiness that would be her constant companions. Fortunately, she was distracted by a knock on the door. The movers were here. Show time! 	
She walked across the hall, a smile pasted on her face, and turned the knob. Two men stood there in overalls. 	
"Kathryn Cartwright?" 	
"Yes, I was expecting you. I'm all set." 	
"Terrific. Where would you like it?" 	
"Excuse me?" 	
"Where do you want us to put it?" 	
"Put what?" 	
The man who had spoken looked at the pink invoice he held in his hand, confirming to himself that he had the right party. He rattled off Kathryn's name, address, and apartment number. 	
"Yes, but I didn't order... .whatever it is. I'm moving. I'm expecting the movers." 	
"Well Ma'am, I don't know what to say. We picked this up from Breneto's Antiques and we were told to deliver it to you. And here we are." He and the other man stood aside to reveal a beautiful mahogany end table. It contained a solitary, delicately hand-carved drawer. Attached to the handle was a big pink bow. 	
Kathryn looked from the men to the exquisite piece of furniture and back to the men again. Short of sending the two fellows away there was nothing left to do except have them bring the table inside and sort things out from there. Fortunately, her telephone was still connected until tomorrow morning. As the two men positioned the piece next to the secretary, Kathryn took Breneto's number from the now creased pink shipping bill, and called them up. 	
"All I can tell you is it's a gift," Saul Breneto told her. 	
"From who?" 	
"Anonymous." 	
"What?" 	
"The person asked to remain anonymous. I'll grant it's unusual, but those were part of the terms of the sale." 	
Exasperated, Kathryn thanked the proprietor and hung up. The two men now waited in the middle of the room. She sighed, ran her fingers through her unruly curls, and signed their receipt. Then, as if only too glad to get away, the men hurried out. 	
The front door stood half open from their exit, as Kathryn went to investigate her new acquisition. She had to smile; whoever had thought of her, knew her taste in furniture quite well. She fingered the pretty bow and started to untie the knot that held it securely to the handle. As she worked the ribbon, the drawer pulled open. Inside was an envelope, and her heart skipped a beat as she saw the familiar scrawl of her name in bold black ink. It was Colt's writing. Now her heart was hammering, her palms moist, and she reached in and carefully took it out. It was sealed and at first she was frightened to open it, but she took a deep breath and carefully edged her finger under the flap. Inside was a letter and as she read it tears came to her eyes. 	
"Dearest Kathryn, I'm not much for flowery words, but I hope you'll understand what I'm trying to say. The fact is that I love you with all my heart and I always will no matter how far apart we are across this big country or any other. But I've been thinking. Maybe instead of talking about all the practical reasons it wouldn't work out for us right now, we should talk about the one reason we should find a way to be together. Love. There's a home waiting for you here, Kathryn, and people who love you very, very much. Jesse, Rebecca Anne, James and me. There will always be me. 	
Colt" 	
When the movers arrived at the open door of apartment #201 they found Kathryn Belle Cartwright pirouetting across the room, her arms open wide, a pink bow and a letter in one hand, and on her face the most breathtaking smile they had ever seen. 	
They were married on a gorgeous afternoon in May, in the garden of their home. Both of their parents flew out for the wedding, as well as some of their closest friends including Christina, Charley and Mitch. It didn't take long before Charley won Colt over and a mutual friendship was forged. Kathryn's father gave her away, while her mother watched proudly from the first row of seats as she brushed aside an occasional tear. Rebecca Anne Hazlett acted as her Matron of Honor and James served as the groom's Best Man. Jesse, who looked beautiful in a lacy pink dress, was the delighted flower girl. Kathryn looked radiant in her own white lace creation, with a matching short veil. In her arms she carried a fragrant bouquet of pink and white roses picked from the garden. As Kathryn walked down the aisle towards her handsome groom their eyes locked and it was clear to everyone that they shared a very special love. 	
After the exquisite ceremony, a sumptuous feast awaited inside the house. While mostly catered, homemade favorites contributed by her mother, Rebecca Anne, and the now proficient Mandy graced the heavily laden tables. To family and friends it was the event of the year. 	
The bride and groom, their speeches and congratulations warmly accepted, left their guests to party while they slipped back out into the garden. As they turned to look through the large picture window they saw Rebecca Anne and James embrace and kiss in a stolen moment of bliss. Kathryn and Colt smiled at each other in pleasure. Then Colt captured her by the old magnolia tree. 	
"Isn't it about time our guests went home?" 	
"Shame on you, Colt Riverton, where's your sense of decorum?" she giggled. 	
"Gone with the wind every time I look at you, Kathryn Riverton." He loved saying her new name. "I hope you don't mind waiting for our proper honeymoon until after the school term." 	
In the summer they were booked on a romantic Hawaiian Island cruise. Jesse would be spending time with her mother then, and although he would miss his little girl when she went to Pam, he knew it was important that the two of them spent time together. Besides, when Jesse came home it would be even sweeter with her and Kathryn and Colt together as a family. Right now, they were going to take a four day adventure, leisurely driving along the Florida coast and back. With his mother and father, Kathryn's parents, James, Rebecca Anne, and Mandy watching over Jesse, he had no worries there other than she would be spoiled to pieces. 	
"I don't mind as long as you come home to me every day," Kathryn nuzzled his nose. 	
"Always," he burrowed into the curve of her graceful neck. Then Colt looked up into the blossoms of the magnolia. "Kathryn, what's that?" 	
"What?" 	
"Look up." 	
Kathryn did, and saw a small piece of paper suspended from a branch. A tiny hole had been poked through one corner to support a glossy red ribbon that tied it to the tree. Kathryn reached up and retrieved it. 	
"To my beautiful bride. I love you always," she read. 	
"Colt!" she rained baby kisses all over his face and neck. He laughed in pure delight. 	
"You just never know when the phantom letter writer will strike," he sagely told her, treasuring her shining eyes and beautiful smile. "But right now I have a much better idea." 	
Colt took her in his arms and kissed her until they were both breathless. Their love letter fluttered in the breeze. 	
The End	
	
To learn about other books Awe-Struck publishes, go to the Awe-Struck E-Books website at http://www.awe-struck.net/ 
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