Over the River and Through the Woods

Wade caught Emma's eye and winked at her when she walked back in, and she smiled and waved a little-girl wave at him as she and the two women took their place in the front row.

The church wasn't full, but there were at least a hundred people there to say goodbye to this dear, sweet woman everyone loved.

Wade did his best to listen, but he'd had nearly as rough a night as Colby, and he found himself blankly staring at her almost the entire time. As inappropriate as it was, all he could think of was how beautiful she looked while trying to make that fit with the age she'd told him she was.

Her skin was fair and tight and he couldn't see a wrinkle anywhere, not even in the corners of her eyes. Her hair was soft and silky, and she was tall and striking, making this recent revelation all the more impossible for him to square with what his senses were telling him.

But he was one who believed 'no means no', and Colby had pretty much let him know she wasn't interested, her 'put a pin in it' comment aside.

And why would she be? She was right. She was a city girl, and she obviously considered him some kid from a hick town. So by the time the service ended, Wade told himself their interactions from here on out would be strictly business. He'd continue to help her just as he would have had she shared his feelings, but he knew it would be difficult to spend time around her and see her as nothing but a client. A non-paying client, at that.

But helping people was what he'd been raised to do, and Colby needed help. He'd offered, and come hell or high water, he would follow through and keep his word.

Wade didn't intentionally avoid her at the church or the cemetery, but it just worked out that they never spoke. And as he watched her and her mother together he wouldn't have felt right butting in no matter how badly he wanted to talk to her. So he did the right thing, paid his respects, and went home. With his mother.

What he didn't know was that Colby invited hers to stay with her and Emma. She refused twice, but when her daughter told her this might be their last chance to patch things up, her mother cried again and agreed.

"But one day at a time. Just in case you change your mind," was her condition.

The drama was over Emma's head. All she knew was this woman was her grandmother, and she was happy to have someone else who loved her staying with her. And to show her appreciation, Emma talked non-stop from the time her grandmother walked in the house until it was time for bed.

"I've never heard her talk like that before, Mom," Colby said once Emma was in bed.

"And I've never been so happy to talk with anyone," her mom said. "Except maybe when you asked me to stay with you."

That comment made Colby instantly emotional.

"Mom? I don't know about you, but I've cried enough for one day."

"Sorry, honey. Me, too. But I'm so happy we're talking again."

"Me too, Mom," her daughter told her.

"So do you feel like talking after all of Emma's talking?"

"I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Well, you could start with what's going on in your life since you got here, and we can maybe leave the past alone for awhile," her mother suggested with a warm smile.

"Oh, wow. My life has been crazy since I got back ho...here. Just the house is a nightmare with getting it ready and trying to get a loan on it which can't happen until I own it. And then there's this...guy. This really nice...guy who..."

"And this really nice guy is a problem?" her mom asked without being nosy.

Colby sighed then said, "He's even more frustrating than the house, and the house is driving me...crazy!"

"Was this nice guy at the church today by any chance?"

"Maybe," Colby said, now regretting having mentioned it. But it had been many, many years since she and her mother had had this kind of a talk, and it felt so incredibly good, Colby didn't want it to end.

"Okay. Yes. He was there," she finally admitted.

"I remembered a lot of faces today, but not so many names. And people have changed so much since I left town making it even harder. But I didn't notice anyone try and talk with you beyond offering their condolences."

"He...he um...he didn't talk to me today. And that's my fault. Or at least I think it is," Colby said as her brain returned to trying to make sense of the whole thing with Wade.

"Do you like this nice man?" her mother asked politely.

"That's the thing, Mom. That's what's making my life miserable."

Her mom didn't say anything and Colby continued.

"On the one hand he's such a decent guy."

She quickly recounted everything he'd done for her causing her mother to say, "So the 'nice' part is true. What's the 'not so nice' part?"

Colby shook her head in frustration then said, "I...I'm pretty sure he likes me."

Her mother's first inclination was to be sarcastic and say, "Oh. How terrible!" but she hadn't earned that right yet.

"But you don't feel the same way about him, right?" she said instead.

"No. Well, maybe. I don't really know."

"Okay. So he's helpful, polite, cheerful, and he makes Emma laugh. Is he...unattractive to you or does he...drink too much or..."

"No. That's just it. He's...gorgeous. And he hardly drinks at all. And he's all those things you said and more."

"And?" her mother said, coaxing her daughter into sharing what the real problem was.

"It's...it's so...embarrassing," Colby said, unable to even look at her mother.

Her mom only raised her eyebrows and smiled as her daughter drew a very deep breath then exhaled.

"He's younger than me."

Her mom tilted her head slightly but didn't respond.

"A...lot...younger...than me."

When a good half minute passed in silence, Alice finally spoke.

"Honey? Johnny was five years older than you, and...through no fault of your own, things didn't work out as you hoped they would. I'm in no way criticizing your decisions, Colby. I'm only pointing out that when you chose someone fairly close to your age it was no guarantee of success or happiness. And if everything else about this 'nice guy' of yours is good, then why would you let age determine whether or not you want to be with him?"

Colby sat there staring at her mother who thought she'd gone too far.

"Honey, I'm sorry. I just went way beyond reconnecting and ventured into motherly advice I had no business g..."

"No. No, you didn't, Mom," her daughter said.

In fact, her mother just said the very thing she'd been trying to articulate to herself but couldn't. She liked everything else about Wade, and age was indeed the only thing stopping her from enthusiastically getting to know him better. And now that she understood that, she couldn't think of a reason not to. Except for the tiny little issue about living in Los Angeles.

"He...doesn't like the city. In fact, I think he pretty much hates it. But I love it. So what's the sense of even bothering?"

Her mom got up and sat next to her daughter and put an arm around her.

"Do you really like living there or do you like the idea of living there?" she gently asked.

Colby thought for a few moments then said, "It's just so...alive, you know? There's everything to do, and it's all close by."

Her mom gently stroked her daughter's hair then asked ever-so gently, "But do you ever do those things? Are you financially able to enjoy them?"

Colby's first inclination was to get defensive. And yet she knew her mother had just summed it up all nice and neat.

"No. We barely get by, and Emma's afraid much of the time, and to be honest...so am I. But I...I just can't bring myself to leave."

"Colby, honey? You have every right to be angry with me. What I did was unforgivable. And admitting I made a huge mistake was one of the hardest things I've ever done. But I did make a mistake. I was selfish. I threw away my marriage and my family for...nothing. And if staying in Los Angeles is a mistake; a mistake you don't want to admit, maybe it's time to do something hard yourself."

Colby felt five years old again. Sitting by her mom and feeling close and connected.

"I don't like admitting I'm wrong," Colby finally said.

"Gee, I wonder where you get that from," her mother said with a pleasant little laugh.

"I've actually enjoyed being back here this time—Grandma's passing aside, of course."

"It's not a bad place to live, honey. It's quaint and people are friendly and...helpful. I'm actually thinking about staying myself," her mom told her.

Colby sat up and looked at her and said, "Really?"

"Yes. Really. I've been miserable since I left, and now that I'm alone again, well, this is home to me. I just needed to come back here to see it."

"I know Emma likes it here, and she'd love being near family," Colby admitted.

"And nothing would make me happier than to have my family...well, as much of it as I didn't destroy...here with me again."

"Mom?" Colby said, now on the verge of tears.

Her mom didn't say anything. She only smiled and listened.

"I...I want that, too. I want to raise my daughter where she feels safe, and where she has someone else who loves her as much as I do. And where I don't have to worry every time she leaves the house. Okay, make that...the ratty apartment...we live in."

She tried to smile, and yet her mother was also tearing up. As their eyes met they just kind of fell into one another's arms and cried. And they kept crying until they couldn't cry any longer.

"So now what?" her mom asked when the crying jag ended.

"I think it's time I took my own advice and...started over with my nice guy," Colby replied.

"Maybe that's what you and I do, too, Mom. We...start over."

"I'd like that, honey. More than you can imagine."

Colby started crying again as she said, "No. I can most definitely imagine, Mom," as they hugged and cried one more time.

"Maybe you should give this guy another chance," her mom carefully offered once they finished their second round of tears.

"He is...nice," her daughter said before an actual smile appeared followed by one from her mom which made Colby laugh. Out of some sense of relief her mother laughed, too, and Colby finally said she really wanted to give him a chance.

"May I ask his name?" Alice asked.

"Wade. Wade..."

"Orr?"

"Yes. Do you know him?"

"Well, yes. I mean, he was a little boy when I left, but yes, I know him. And his parents. His father was such a nice man, and his mother is as good as God makes 'em in my book."

"She's really...nice, too," Colby said with another smile.

"So may I ask just how old he...isn't?"

Her mom kind of winced indicating this, too, was none of her business.

Colby winced, too, before squinting and saying, "Twenty-five?" as though she were asking a question.

Her mother managed not to flinch then said, "Well, if everything else is good between you, I say go see what happens."

"You think?" her daughter asked hopefully.

"I'm the last person to be giving relationship advice, honey, but in this case, it's obvious you like him. Maybe more than you're willing to admit. So...yes. I do think," her mom said with a warm, pleasant smile.

"Mom?" Colby said.

"Yes?"

"I...I love you."

Alice teared up again immediately, reached out for her daughter, and said, "I love you, too, Colby. I love you SO much!"

Colby spent the rest of the weekend with her mother and daughter, but on Monday morning, after having thought about little else, she was at the hardware store when it opened at 9am.

Her heart was beating like a drum when she saw Wade walking toward the front door to turn the 'CLOSED' sign around. He didn't notice her until he flipped the sign, and when he did, he stopped with the sign turned edgewise to Colby. A second later, he finished the turn then opened the door.

"Well. Good morning," he said cheerfully.

"May I come in?" Colby asked very delicately as she stood out in the cold.

"Of course. We can start putting that list together whenever you like," Wade said as he closed the door behind her.

He led her to the counter and asked her to have a seat.

"I was thinking we should do the legal stuff first, because..."

"Wade?" she said interrupting him.

He stopped and waited for her to say whatever it was she needed to say.

"I...I didn't come here to talk about the house."

"Okay," he said quietly, now certain she was telling him she'd be going home to LA sooner than expected.

She was looking into her lap for several seconds before finding the courage to look at him.

"I came here because I wanted to say I really do...want to start over. With...you."

"Wait. You just told me you don't want to put together a list," he said, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"So what is it you're really saying, Colby?" he asked, now slightly hopeful again.

"I'm saying I spent the whole weekend thinking about you and talking to my mom about you, and..."

"You told your mother about me?" he asked, his voice now somewhat incredulous.

"We've...reconciled. Wade, it's been the most amazing thing. It's like both of us needed something, some kind of...tragedy...to make us realize how much we need each other."

"That's wonderful. I'm truly happy for you," he told her sincerely.

"Thank you. I'm pretty happy, too. And Emma is thrilled."

He didn't reply, and she knew she needed to finish explaining.

"I told her about this really nice guy I'd met here and how he'd been so wonderful to me and my daughter, even after I accused of being a thief."

When she tried smiling at him, he smiled back immediately, and another kind of dam broke and Colby opened her heart to him.

"I told her I really like this...nice guy...but there was one thing keeping me from telling him that."

"Oh, yes. That pesky little detail about my, you know...the 'A' word."

Colby laughed happily and said, "Yes. The A-word."

"I finally realized, thanks to my mom, that if that's the only thing keeping me from getting to know you, then I'm quite possibly preventing myself from getting to know a really great guy, and well, if it's still possible, I was hoping we really could...start over. Again."

"There is nothing I'd like more than that," Wade told her, a bright, warm smile on his lips.

"I'm glad," she said very sweetly, as a feeling of relief washed over her.

He stood up then helped her stand, and as they stood face to face, he said, "Well, there is one thing I'd like more than that."

As he took her hands in his, she smiled happily and asked, "And what might that be?"

He smiled at her then leaned in and kissed her for the first time.

"That," he said very quietly when the kiss ended.

"I...like...that," she said just as sweetly as before.

Wade leaned in to kiss her again when the front door opened and the bell rang causing him to pull back and straighten up.

"Susan. Hi," Colby said nervously as she wondered if they'd been 'discovered'.

Susan was all smiles as she said, "Well, good morning!"

She looked at her son, smiled a 'yes, I saw you' smile then said, "And good morning to you...son of mine."

"Hey, Mom," he said as she walked by and went behind the counter.

"Why don't you two take the morning and maybe go...do whatever strikes you. You know, like home repairs or..."

"Okay, okay. We get it," her son said.

"We do?" Colby asked, not getting it at all.

"Uh-huh. Someone saw us," Wade told her.

"Oh," Colby said, afraid to look at Susan.

"And that someone approves. Completely," Susan assured her. "So...go. And have fun. Okay?"

Colby looked at her, saw her approving smile, then smiled back.

"Thanks, Mom," Wade told her as he reached for Colby's hand. "Shall we?"

She glanced at Susan again who nodded toward her son's outstretched hand then took it.

"Okay. Yes. Yes, we shall," she said, smiling happily at the younger man holding her hand.

"We'll be back after lunch," Wade said over his shoulder as the new couple walked toward the front door.

"Take your time," Susan called back, smiling at them as they walked away.

Once they were outside, Colby had some other news she wanted to share.

"I'm listening," Wade said playfully, not sure what this next revelation might be.

"Well, my mom also helped me understand that I was not only denying that I had feelings for you, but that I was also deceiving myself about liking my life in the city."

"Uh-huh," Wade said with a smile, now liking where this was going.

"So...I've kind of decided to move back here. Back...home."

Wade squeezed her hand and said, "You just made me the happiest guy in John Day."

Colby laughed happily then said, "Well, considering the number of people who live here, is that really saying much?"

Wade stopped, turned to face her, smiled then said, "Maybe not. But I hope this will."

It was very cold outside, the sky a bright blue when he kissed her again right there on the main street of town. And again, Colby, who hated the cold, had no idea what the temperature was as she kissed him back.

"That...said a whole lot," she told him once their lips slowly separated.

"How would like to combine business with pleasure?"

"If it's me being with you, lead on, o' kind sir," she said, feeling like a girl in love again.

Wade walked them to the bank where everyone knew him, and he asked if Mr. Sinclair was in. The bank manager heard Wade's voice and came out to shake his hand. He also noticed Wade's other hand was attached to a very attractive woman's and smiled.

"How can you help you?" he asked.

Just minutes later, Colby knew she could get a loan against the house in less than a day once the title was transferred into her name. Mr. Sinclair explained how that worked, too, so all she needed to do was wait for the death certificate and bring it in with the will and a document signed by an attorney.

As they walked down the street the other direction few minutes later, Colby said, "I'm truly amazed at how things work here. In LA, I wouldn't have even been able to see a bank manager let alone get personal, friendly advice."

"Just another advantage of living in a small town," Wade told her.

"Yes. Yes, it is," Colby agreed.

"Wade?" she said. "Since I'm kind of on a roll where being brave is concerned, would you maybe like to go home and meet my mother?"

"Wow. Meeting the parents is a big step. Are you sure we're ready for this?" he asked very seriously, but in a way she now knew was teasing.

"Stop! Don't tease. I'm normally pretty introverted, but I feel like my whole life is turning around. Fast."

Now she stopped them and turned to face Wade.

"And while my mom's played a huge role in that, so has someone else."

"Ah, yes. Mr. Sinclair. He's a really great..."

Colby playfully pushed him then again said, "Stop! Stop and...kiss me."

Wade did kiss her and neither of them cared who was watching. They held hands back to her car where they both piled in and headed 'over the river and through the woods' back to Grandmother's house.

Alice was thrilled to meet this younger man her daughter was falling for, and it didn't take her long to see there was something very real between them. And she very much liked the way he interacted with her granddaughter who clearly liked the man she called Mr. Funny Name.

Wade insisted on taking them all to lunch, and Colby agreed as long as it wasn't back to the Squeeze-In. What she didn't know was that the hostess and a waitress at the restaurant they ended up going to also liked the same handsome man she did.

When they left, Colby said, "I guess I'm just going to have to accept that other women are going to be hitting on my boyfriend wherever he goes."

"Oh, so I'm your boyfriend?" Wade teased as Emma listened hoping to hear a 'yes'.

"Well, I hope you are," Colby told him. "I'd like it if you were."

Before Wade could reply, Emma said, "Me, too, Mr. Funny Man!"