Carol Steward - This Time Forever

Lisa ducked as another piece flew past her and hit Adam in the chest.

Lisa stared at the bouquet in horror.

“Not superstitious, huh? Tell you what,” Adam suggested. “Let’s keep this our little secret.”

“Keep what a secret?” Lisa countered. She tossed the bouquet on the stairs. “I didn’t see a thing.”

One Year Later

Lisa Berthoff switched the cellular phone to her other ear and eased the sporty rental car to the shoulder of Highway 1.

“Lisa, Francie here. I need you in Colorado to do the story on a bed-and-breakfast. We’re backlogged for weeks. Your ticket’s waiting at the airport. Leaves this afternoon.”

“When?” Lisa’s voice rose an octave. She looked longingly at the Pacific Ocean. Tell me I’m not hearing this. “Come on, Francie. I finally make it to the coast just in time for the migration of the whales, and you send me off to cover a bed-and-breakfast?” She shouldn’t complain. A job was a job, even a temporary assignment.

“What’s wrong? Did you finally meet someone to take your mind off of Dale?”

“That’s not it at all. He did me a favor by leaving. I was just hoping to see the sights while I was here this time. I’ve been going full speed for months. Give me a couple of days.” She hoped her hard work would pay off soon. Lisa had bailed the magazine out of more binds this past year than she had had dates.

“Sorry to tell you this, dear, but we really need you to get moving on this right away.”

Lisa moved the phone to the other ear as the editor explained the circumstances. One of these days, she would be able to be picky. Until then… “Of course I’ll cover the story. I hope everything goes okay for the Greens and their baby.”

“This place is north of Denver somewhere. Let me see here…Loveland. Hmm. Loveland—Valentine’s Day. There’s your angle. Get it?”

“I get it. And I’m familiar with the area. My sisters live—”

Her no-nonsense editor’s voice broke her off. “Pull this one off, Lisa, and Steve’s agreed to put you on the payroll full-time.”

Those magical words caught her attention, even though she knew better than to get her hopes up. “Promises, promises,” she said. “You know as well as I do Steve’s been stringing me along for months.”

“He’s serious this time….”

She paused, barely allowing Francie enough time to finish her explanation. “I’m already interested,” she said impatiently. “I didn’t say no, did I?”

Lisa jotted down the airline and flight information. “E-mail me the specifics. I’ll be in touch.” She pressed End and set the phone in her bag.

Lisa glanced at her watch. “Francie, how could you do this to me again!” She had less than three hours to get to the airport, return the rental car and pick up her ticket. Lisa quickly reviewed the route on her map and took one last longing look at the waves hitting the jagged shore. Footloose and fancy-free. I knew it would catch up with me. Farewell, San Francisco. Another time.

The cash machine at the airport was out of money, ticket lines were frustratingly long and breakfast had worn off hours ago. Lisa slipped her boarding pass into her pack and ran down the concourse, her camera case bouncing along on built-in wheels.

When she reached the gate, the door was closed. Looking out the window, she saw her suitcase tossed into the luggage compartment beneath the airplane. She ran to the next desk and asked the agent for help. Moments later, a flight attendant met her at the end of the walk. “That was close,” she said cheerfully. “We’re just starting our preflight check.”

“This flight does go to Denver, right?” Lisa asked breathlessly.

“Certainly does.” The attendant read the row and seat number. “Take your seat quickly, please, Ms. Berthoff. We’ll be taking off momentarily.”

“Sorry, I’m not usually so late.” Lisa secured the pack on her shoulder. “My editor called just as I was headed to the Monterey Peninsula. So much for shooting the whales this year.”

The woman’s eyes opened wide. “Shoot?”

Lisa laughed. “I’m a photojournalist.” She braced her camera case on her hip to squeeze through the aisle. “Only damage this thing can do is if it lands on someone.”

The woman laughed. “I see. Have a nice flight.” She opened an overhead compartment and helped secure Lisa’s bag.

“Thank you.” Lisa clicked her seat belt just before the plane backed away from the terminal. She leaned her head back, determined to relax.

As soon as the captain gave the clearance, Lisa used her laptop computer and checked for messages, hoping to find out transportation arrangements from Denver International Airport to the bed-and-breakfast. She would call Katarina and Emily once she knew more about her schedule. Raking the unruly strands of hair out of her eyes, Lisa took a deep breath. Come on, Francie.

Despite the frustrations of the sudden change in plans, she couldn’t deny it would be good to see her older sisters again.

She knew Loveland was close to Springville, but she wasn’t exactly sure where this bed-and-breakfast was in relation. Surely she could squeeze in a few days with Katarina and Emily before she rushed off on her next assignment. A smile teased her lips. Kevin and Emily’s daughter would have her first birthday soon, while Katarina and Alex were due to have their first baby in just a few months. It seemed like just yesterday that she’d flown into a Colorado blizzard for their wedding. Had it really been a year already?

Memories invaded her thoughts and threatened to send her into a tailspin of emotions. She forced them away and moved to the next e-mail, making notes to send a requested article as soon as she reached the bed-and-breakfast. The Internet age had certainly simplified her job.

Francie’s message finally arrived, instructing Lisa to take a shuttle to Loveland and wait for the proprietor.

“We received the attached brochure from the owner’s sister. From what she sent us about the place, I think we might want to feature Whispering Pines Guest Ranch in our monthly column, ‘America’s Most Romantic Getaways.’”

Most romantic getaway? “You’ve got to be kidding,” she muttered. Lisa turned off the laptop and put it away. How do I get stuck with these assignments? No one will take me seriously with stories like this. The passenger beside her left his seat and Lisa stretched her arms. “It’s amazing what a person will do to get a job.”

Several hours later, after taking a shuttle bus from Denver to Loveland, Lisa dragged her luggage to the curb.

A spry, silver-haired woman approached. “You must be ours.” A smile crinkled her delicate pink skin and brought a sparkle to her eyes. “I’m Meg, from the ranch. We’re so delighted that you’re here.”

She eyed Meg again. This frail-looking woman couldn’t possibly run a ranch. “Are you sure? I mean, that you’re expecting me?”

Meg snatched the huge suitcase from Lisa’s grasp and hoisted it over the side of the truck. “Well, I did think there would be two of you,” she said, glancing at the shuttle as it pulled away. “But if you’re from the magazine, then this is just perfect.”

Lisa nodded, suddenly a bit flustered. “I’m the Greens’ replacement, Lisa Berthoff. The couple you were expecting went into premature labor.”

“Oh, my. Well, I’m delighted that you’re here, Lisa. Millie apologizes for not being able to pick you up herself.”

Meg filled the thirty-minute drive with a history lesson on Whispering Pines Guest Ranch. “Millie has turned the ranch over to her son now.”

Lisa learned that Meg and her late husband had worked for the Carter family for three decades. From Meg’s descriptions, Lisa had wonderful mental pictures of the ranch, as well as the generous family determined to share their land with others instead of breaking it up into exclusive residential property.