I Remember You

Chapter 11

The foreman's cottage had a swing on the porch, and that was where Lily was currently enjoying a morning cup of coffee. She hadn't been able to sleep and had arisen before it was even light outside. Now, as she sat on the porch, watching the sunrise, she felt the most peace she had felt in a long time. The porch overlooked a meadow on the other side of the dirt lane that ran in front of the cottage. The sun was hitting the dew in the clearing and making everything glisten in the early morning light. She felt as if she was in the middle of the Georgia countryside, not on a barrier island.

Last night had been fairly relaxed. They had all enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by Rhea Emory, Elias wife. Then after dinner, they had all moved into the main sitting room and had coffee while Elias and Cassie played songs on the piano. It had amused Lily that Jo had been a little star struck by Elias, to the point that she had blushed and stuttered a little when he had spoken to her.

Everyone else had taken the evening in stride, and as usual, Finn had hung on the outer fringes of the gathering, silently watching.

Lily had been the first to say goodnight and head to bed. They had an early call, and she didn't want to wake up sleepy, but that was exactly what had happened. She had stayed awake until she had heard Finn return to the cottage, and then she had listened to him as he got ready for bed. It was well after two in the morning by the time she had fallen asleep, and she was wide away by five.

She sipped her coffee, knowing she was a mess, her face and eyes were puffy and her hair looked as if she had stuck her finger in an electrical socket. It was all over the place, but she wasn't worried because there was no one to see her for a few hours yet.

She picked up her phone and sent a quick text to her Uncle Lee, he was always up at an ungodly hour due to his military training, and she knew he would respond.

"Enjoying my morning coffee with a beautiful view!" She wrote, attaching a photo of the clearing.

"You on Elias Emory's secret island?" was his immediate response.

"Yes, it's lovely. Why don't we have our own island?" she teased in response.

"Taxes." The response made Lily laugh out loud. She could picture her uncle saying it with a very straight and serious face.

"Is everyone there, the cast and crew, treating you alright?"

"Sure, even though I'm a constant screw up." She was only partly joking.

"You'll find your feet, you've been through worse."

Lily rested her phone against her leg as she thought about what he had written. It was true, she had been through a lot, more than most, and she had been strong enough to get through it. So why was she letting the likes of Finn Baxter intimidate her? Because she sensed that he had been through so much more, and she felt that her little trials would look a mere trifle to him.

As if she had conjured Finn, he appeared on the small lane in front of the cottage. It was evident he had been running, and he put his hands on his hips as he slowed to a walk. He noticed her right away but didn't approach as he started to pace back and forth on the road, eyeing her the enitre time. He reminded of a caged animal who was looking at his captor with distrust.

Lily noted the way his hair curled with sweat. He was wearing a sleeveless t-shirt and running shorts, and his beautiful muscles were on display, all of this took only an instant for her to note, and she couldn't help the way her eyes grew wide when she noted that his left leg, below the knee, was a prosthetic.

Her eyes moved back up to his; he was still pacing and watching her.

"What are you doing up so early." His voice was rough as he frowned

"I couldn't sleep. Is it against the rules for me to be up so early?" she asked, knowing it sounded childish.

"Not that I'm aware of, but I thought all of you kids like to sleep late and wake up at the last possible moment." It was an insult, and it was meant to be.

"I grew up on a ranch, I'm used to early mornings," she reasoned. Not wanting to sound any more like an immature brat by denying she wasn't a kid. Besides, he couldn't be all that much older than her thirty or thirty-one at most.

They did their usual staring competition, and Lily lost by being the first one to break the silence.

"That's new to me," she stated, pointing to his leg. She could have ignored it, it might have been the polite thing to do, but she didn't want to, she was fascinated, she wanted to know everything about him, more now than ever.

"It's not new to me," he said, still watching her.

"I would think that it would be fairly common knowledge on set," Lily said, trying to explain her comment.

"Couldn't say if it is or not," he rotated his waist with his elbows out in an attempted stretch.

"God! It's like talking to a wall, are you always this chatty!" she said churlishly.

"No, not always," he responded drily, and she swore she saw his lip twitch.

"Tell me, do you have any friends with that winning personality?" she lashed out at his amused response.

"A few, but you're not one of them," he insisted, halting his pacing and turning to look at her.

"Nor am I likely to be," she finished for him.

Her phone chirped, and she looked down at it to see a text from Uncle Lee telling her to stay out of trouble, reminding her that he loved her and that they would visit her soon. The text made her smile, and she quickly texted back that she loved him and couldn't wait.

When she looked up, Finn was frowning at her. "Who in the world is texting you this early?" he asked.

"Someone who is my friend," she said, settling back on the swing, watching him watch her.

Her eyes caught a movement over Finn's shoulder, and she gasped at the site of a mother horse and her foal entering the pasture. They were beautiful. She rose and moved slowly to the edge of the porch until she was standing in front of Finn, looking over his shoulder. "Look at how beautiful," he glanced over his shoulder and looked at the horses before turning his attention back on her.

Lily lifted her phone and took a photo of the moment, smiling as the horses caught their scent and lifted their heads. "I miss it," she said softly.

"What?" Finn asked his focus on her and not the horses.

She was so caught up in the sight before her that she was clueless that he was watching her.

"The ranch, riding." She shook her head and gave a wistful sigh before turning her head to look at Finn. He was just about eye level because she was standing on the steps. He was watching her as if he was trying to figure out a puzzle, letting his gaze wander her fac, and when it fell to her lips, she felt her heart rate speed up. He wanted to kiss her, and she wanted him to kiss her, and as his gaze almost caressed her face, her breathing grew erratic.

Lily recalled that he mentioned wanting to know what she looked like when she desired something, and she wondered if this is what he looked like when he desired something? Did he desire her, or was she just a riddle to figure out?

Finally, no longer able to take the intensity of his stare, she looked back towards the horses who were now gone. "There's coffee if you're interested. I'll need the bathroom in a few minutes to try to do something with all of this hair." She moved to sit on the swing, but the peaceful morning was gone.

He walked into the cottage without saying a word, slamming the screen door behind him.

She now had a mission; it wasto make a friend of Finn Baxter or irritate him to death in the process. Perhapsif she focused on that, then she would be able to stop being a bumbling fool inhis presence.