Hummingbird Lake Page 0,2
she’d moved here and made friends here. She’d made a life and a career here. Except for the occasional nightmares and flashbacks, she was happy here.
“Eternity Springs has been good for me. I predict your healing center will be a wild success, Celeste.”
“I completely agree. Those who open themselves up to all that life has to offer here will find great rewards. You remember that, Sage. Now, let me help you with the dishes. Breakfast was simply divine.”
“It did hit the spot. Thank you for providing both the idea and the supplies.”
“You’re very welcome. I’m a big believer in having protein for breakfast, especially since you and I have a packed day ahead of us.”
Sage didn’t argue with her, but she didn’t anticipate her own day being all that busy. Other than showing up at St. Stephen’s thirty minutes early to help Nic dress, the only tasks on her docket were to witness the wedding and stroll Celeste’s estate as a guest at the grand opening. She didn’t intend to open Vistas, her art gallery, at all today.
After Celeste left, Sage wrapped her gift for Nic and Gabe in plain brown paper and fished a red marker from her junk drawer in order to draw hearts as decoration. When the memory of a homemade valentine that had giraffes sporting heart-shaped spots drifted through her mind, she sucked in a breath.
“Stupid dream,” she muttered, then gritted her teeth as the pain washed over her. Following a dream, invariably the memories stayed around like a hangover. Not all memories were bad, but the good ones seemed to be buried beneath the mountain of ugliness she’d brought home from Africa.
Sage set down the marker and walked to her kitchen window, where she gazed out across Hummingbird Lake toward Eternity Springs. Taking in that view went further to rid herself of that hangover than ingesting any painkiller ever could.
“Forget the nightmare,” she murmured. “The sadness ends now.”
Well, at least for today. Today was going to be a wonderful day. This was Nic’s real wedding day and the culmination of Celeste’s “Angel Plan” for the economic survival of Eternity Springs. It was a day for celebration—not one for nightmares and heartbreaking memories—and it was time she headed for the church.
As she retrieved her car keys from her bedside table, she stared longingly at her pillow and added aloud, “A day for celebration, and maybe a nap.”
A hand slapped Colt Rafferty’s ass and jolted him out of his dream. It had been a good dream, too. Warm sun and a sugar sand beach. A beer in his hand. Half-naked women jumping to catch a Frisbee, jiggling. Loved that jiggling.
“Roust your butt out of bed, boy. The trout are calling our names.”
Colt growled into his pillow and bit back the caustic words he would have spoken to any other man on earth. This man, however, was his father.
He cocked open one eye and groaned. “It’s still dark.”
“Of course it’s still dark,” Ben Rafferty said. “Have you forgotten how to fish? We need to be at the water at dawn.”
Colt’s flight out of Washington yesterday had been delayed by weather. It had been midnight before he’d made it to Eternity Springs, almost two before he’d hit the sack. What he needed was sleep. “Angel Creek is right outside.”
“I fished the creek yesterday while I was waiting for you to get here. If I’d known you’d be so late arriving, I’d have gone up north and tried my hand at the Taylor River. I’ve been itching to fish there for years. We don’t have time for that today, though, so I’m thinking we should fish Hummingbird this morning. It’s only ten minutes from here, and with the grand opening kicking off at noon, this will be a busy place this morning. Fishing should be done in peace and quiet.” Then, in a quieter tone, he added, “We only have today together, son. I don’t want to miss a minute of it.”
At that, Colt rolled out of bed.
Twenty minutes later, they stood along the bank of Hummingbird Lake and made their first cast of the morning. With it Colt felt the warm, gentle blanket of peace surround him. His dad must have experienced a similar sensation, because he sighed and said, “This comes close to being a religious experience.”
“Yep. And I’ve been away from church for too long.”
Ben Rafferty glanced at him. “How long has it been since you’ve visited Eternity Springs?”
“Three years. Haven’t been back since I took the