Once he awoke, Colton found himself checking his watch every ten minutes or so. He's managed to microwave a pasta frozen dinner and eat it without spilling any of it, but that hadn't killed much time. He'd flipped on the news channel only to see the promo for Jessica's story. It was going to be leading the national news, which he supposed was fitting. Actually, he should be grateful. His arrest had been carried nationally, so maybe his exoneration was worthy of the same treatment. It tied his stomach in knots, however, and that disturbed him.

Mallory was due home tomorrow and he had no idea what to expect. His sister could be a powerhouse and a force to be reckoned with him, but she could also be insecure - a side she only ever showed to him. To the world she was competent and confident yet with Colton, she was like a little girl lost. He supposed it was good she could be honest with him, but it broke his heart. He could give her all the love and support, but he wondered if it would ever be enough. She could be very fragile sometimes. He again cursed the fates who had ripped his family apart at such a critical age for Mallory. It had been hard on him as well, but he'd been forced into the role of caretaker of his sister and it had been a role he'd managed. Sure, there had been days when he'd been afraid of failing her, but he had done his best.

Mallory was successful in her professional career, succeeding beyond her wildest dreams. In her personal life, however, she had struggled. Colton had hoped something might come of her two year relationship with Darius Evans, but nothing had. Instead, they'd parted ways and she'd been devastated. Colton thought it was more because she'd felt she'd failed at the relationship than any depth of feelings she'd had for Darius.

In truth, he had no idea how Mallory would handle these new events.

A knock on the door brought him back to the present. He called for whomever it was to enter.

Spring poked her head in. "Bad time?"

He couldn't help it, he grinned. He actually grinned. "As if there could be," he said. "I'm desperate for company."

She stepped into the condo and pulled off her boots. "So anyone will do?"

Colton shook his head. "No, not anyone will do."

Spring returned his smile, although hers was tentative. She glanced at her watch. "You ready to watch the news?"

So that was why she had come by. To hold his hand during the news. He fought back the wave of disappointment. "I'm ready," he said. "Why don't you have a seat?"

To his disappointment again, she chose the chair instead of sitting on the couch next to him. Of course it might be because she didn't want to jostle his arm, but it still stung just a bit. They didn't have a chance to speak before the familiar notes of the newscast began. They covered the main stories and Colton's story was the first. He almost wished there had been some major tragedy or announcement today, but no such luck.

The anchor, a woman Colton recognized, began her intro and soon turned the story over to Jessica. He held his breath as Jessica began to detail the accusations and then lead into Belinda's recantation. It went pretty much as Spring had said it would, with Jessica asking questions in a soft and understanding tone. There were no recriminations, just as Colton had hoped. Jessica was fair and balanced, telling both sides of the story without actually taking sides. She spoke of Colton's reticence to defend himself, explaining how he supported Belinda's decision to voluntarily enter a rehabilitation facility and how he wished her the best.

Jessica ended the segment with her standing outside the studio, waiting for a question from the anchor. The woman asked what was next for Colton and Jessica said they had spoken to the RCMP and that Colton would be reinstated and his record cleared. Colton rolled his eyes. Funny how no one had told him about that fact. The anchor ended with a comment about both parties recovering from the whole affair and then she moved on to her next story about a political scandal involving people Colton had never heard of.

Before he could even speak, his cellphone rang.

"Do you want me to take it," Spring asked.

It was considerate of her to offer, Colton thought, but he recognized the caller. "It's my boss," he said.

"I need to go to the bathroom," she said, hopping out of the chair. Within moments, she was gone and Colton answered the phone.

"Sir?"

There was a sigh on the other end. Colton knew his boss preferred to be called by his first name, Greg, but Colton was raised to use the terms 'Sir' and 'Ma'am'.

"Did you see the newscast?"

"Yes..." He almost said 'sir', but stopped himself at the last minute. "Yes, Greg, I did."

"And I suppose you're wondering why you didn't hear from me earlier."

"Well, honestly, yes."

"I needed to see Ms. Stone's piece first. Regardless, you're reinstated. But if she put a slant on it which blamed you then I would have had to consider restrictive duty. You know I don't make decisions like that lightly, but I have to consider the reputation of the force."

"Which is why I'm resigning," Colton said.

There was a gasp from the hallway and a grumble on the phone. He closed his eyes and prayed for guidance in this tricky situation. He wasn't religious, but he figured a little divine intervention wouldn't hurt about now.

"You can't quit," Greg said. "You're being brought back to full active duty. Once you're healed, of course. I like how Ms. Stone included how you had saved Belinda's life."

"I have to quit, Greg, and I think you know that."

"No, damn it, I don't. You need to come back to work and to keep doing what you do best. What the hell else would you do?"

"Private security," Colton said, giving the standard answer which most cops answered when asked what they might wind up doing.

Greg made a sound of disgust. "You're kidding, right? We both know you need to be helping people. Your talents would be completely wasted otherwise. You have a set of skills which are needed by the force."

Colton swallowed. "What if I applied for another force or another position? You know, take something really remote where they don't get television?"

"I don't want you to leave Mission City." Greg's tone was emphatic.

Colton sighed. "I have to leave Mission City. For my sake as well as for the city's. Too many took sides on this and some who sided with Belinda are going to be angry with me."

"As always, your logic makes no sense to me," Greg commented. "Look, it's going to take a couple of weeks for you to recover. I wanted to ask you back to ride a desk and deal with victims for the next little while, but maybe you need a break. You hardly ever take vacation, so maybe you just need some time to yourself. Think long and hard about this before you make any rash decisions. If necessary, wait to see whether the community rallies around you or not. I think you'll be surprised."

"There will always be suspicion," Colton countered.

Greg sighed. "Give it time, okay? At least a week or two."

Colton didn't see how it could possibly make any difference, but he owed Greg a lot, so he had to be willing to try. "Okay, Greg," he said, pushing the word past the lump in his throat. "I'll try."

"That's all I can ask for. I'll call back in a few days." There was a slight pause. "Take care, okay?"

"Yes, I will."

With that, the call was disconnected.

"You're a shit, Colton Pritchard."

Again, Colton sighed. He'd planned on breaking the news to Spring gently, but the little minx had been listening in and now his hand had been forced. She came around the corner, blue eyes blazing, dark with anger. "Spring-"

"Don't 'Spring' me," she shot out. "People came to your defence. If you leave now, it's like admitting you did something wrong when you didn't. You'll be disappointing a lot of people."

"It's more complicated than that," he tried.

She only glared at him.

"Like I said to Greg, there will always be suspicion."

"So prove those suspicions are unfounded. Go back to work and prove that you're one of the best cops in the province."

"Spring-"

"And start by coming with me to Sunshine's wedding."

Colton had thought his world couldn't get any more bizarre, but here was Spring, turning his world on its axis yet again. He took a deep breath. "I don't think-"

"Good," she said, cutting him off. "Don't think. Just be ready to go next Saturday. I'll pick you up at one and the ceremony is at two. There will be light refreshments served at the reception - all of which will be at Healing Horses."

"Sunshine is my ex-wife," Colton tried.

"She and Hawk are happy you're going to be there."

Colton narrowed his eyes.

Spring hesitated. "Okay, happy might not be the right word. Neither of them has a problem with you being there."

"As your date," Colton clarified, although he already knew the answer.

"As my date," Spring confirmed. "You need to get out into the community and show you have nothing to be ashamed of." She rose from the chair and came over to him, crouching down and holding his thigh for support. Short of being rude, he was forced to look down and into her eyes which were now clear blue. "I'm asking you to do this for me as much as for yourself."

That he had not been expecting.

"Why?" His voice was quiet.

"Because the easiest way to introduce us as a couple is to do it in a group setting at a wedding. No one, not even Torah, is going to raise a stink on Sunshine's special day."

"But doesn't that tell you something," Colton said, feeling a weight pressing against his chest. "If you can't introduce me to your family in a casual setting, doesn't that tell you that maybe we shouldn't be together?"

"So we are together," Spring confirmed and Colton realized he had walked right into that one.

He sighed yet again. "I don't think this is a good idea, Spring. Aside from the fact you're my former sister-in-law and the fact I've just been forced into a spotlight of...well, let's just say I don't have a great reputation right now. And besides all that, I'm not a great guy. I have a past, Spring. One you could never comprehend."

She rocked back on her heels, but kept hold of his thigh. "Sunshine tried to warn me," she said. "But I know all about that. I get that you have secrets which you need to keep. I get that you can't talk about your work. I'm okay with those things."

Colton closed his eyes, a familiar feeling of dread washing over him. "Sunshine thought she could be okay with those things, but it destroyed our marriage."

"Maybe it was just a mistake," Spring argued. "Sunshine is such an open person, wearing her heart on her sleeve. Because of her sensitivity, she feels things much more deeply than I do, than any of the sisters do."

"No one should bring secrets into a marriage," Colton said honestly. "There were things I could never share with Sunshine and they weren't all related to the job."

"Can you share them with me?"

Colton shook his head. "Some things aren't meant to be shared." He was looking right into her beguiling eyes and contemplating telling her the truth. Seth knew, but that was it. Seth would never betray his confidence and Colton had even managed to keep this part of his past hidden from Sunshine.

At first, Colton hadn't really believed in Sunshine's abilities. She hadn't exactly been up-front and honest about them, so he'd felt he'd had the right to be disdainful. But then he'd experienced first-hand her sensitivity. She knew things, sensed things, which couldn't be explained away by coincidence or happenstance.

Then had come the night of the Ronson kidnapping. Kwame Ronson had been walking home from school by himself for the first time because he had just turned eight and he had managed to convince his mother he could walk the three blocks unescorted and Mrs. Ronson, eight months into a very difficult pregnancy, had let herself be swayed.

Colton didn't normally work kidnappings, but there was strong proof the kidnapper had been a man recently released on parole who had a record of raping young boys. Amos Markie had been labelled a dangerous offender, but had served his time and earned his release. The police were supposed to be watching him, but he had slipped his leash and crossed paths with Kwame. Colton felt strongly if they could just track the man, they would find the boy.

Everyone in the detachment was working every waking hour, but it had all been for naught. They had found Kwame snagged to some logs, down in the Fraser River. The coroner had pegged the time of death as just a few hours after he'd been taken. There had been no forensic evidence left on the body and no witnesses to the abduction, so there had been no way to charge Markie. The man had walked out of the detachment with his lawyer with a cocky grin on his face and Colton had known, known in his gut, that Markie was guilty. He had just learned from his previous mistake of leaving a live victim.

Colton, like everyone else, had been in a rage, but his had felt visceral, primal. For the first time in his career, he had wanted to track down a suspect and kill him. He wouldn't of course, because it was antithetical to his ethics, but it hadn't purged him of the urge.

And Sunshine had known. She had understood that this time it had been different, even though Colton had come home much as he always had - in a bad mood. She hadn't tried to comfort him or tried to get him to talk, as she had so often before. No, this time she had greeted him at the front door wearing nothing but a short satin robe. She had met his eyes and he had known what she was offering. He had pushed the door closed with his foot, spun her around, and pressed her up against it. He had turned her away from him, pinioning her to the cold metal.

Then he'd taken her. There had been no preliminaries. It had been quick and it had been rough. It was the only time in their marriage that something like that had happened and after it was over, Colton had felt like he was no better than Markie. But Sunshine had led him to their bedroom, undressed him, and pulled him into her arms as they lay on the bed. She had held him as scalding tears had fallen.

They had never spoken of that night and it had never been repeated. Within a month, though, Colton had left. The guilt had eaten away at him. His kind, gentle, and loving wife had offered herself as a vessel for him to express his pain and his guilt had come because it had worked. He had been able to forget, if only for that brief time. He'd been rough with a woman who deserved tenderness and he couldn't get past that fact.

From then on, he'd chosen women who had a darker side which mirrored his. Until Chantale Byrne, he'd had no problem using women because they, for whatever reason or demon, had been using him right back.

Chantale had been different. As a teenager, she'd walked on the wild side. Even into her early twenties, she had used sex as a way to cope with her undiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Academically, she'd been barely able to pass a class, yet her sister was a renowned trauma surgeon. Chantale had always felt she was useless, so had sought solace through meaningless sex.

Once she'd been properly diagnosed and treated, however, her keen intellect had become apparent. She had gotten into law school and although she had been nowhere near the top of her class, she had graduated and started her own practice as a defence attorney.

When he had met Chantale, Colton had seen a woman who was comfortable with her sexuality, unlike her sister who had been traumatized and was skittish. Seth had been the right man to help Jocelyne heal and they made a great couple. But with Chantale, Colton had felt a kindred spirit. They'd had sex within a few hours of meeting each other, but it hadn't felt cheap or dirty. In fact, she had been the one to initiate it and since they'd been communicating by telephone for weeks, he'd felt like he'd gotten to know her. Apparently she felt the same way because they'd barely made it to the bed in the motel.

She'd been the aggressive one and he had let her take the lead, intrigued to see where it was going to lead them. Well, it had led to him finding a tigress. She'd been aggressive and demanding, making it clear what she wanted. He'd been able to keep up and, the second time around, he had taken the lead. It had been combustible and it was amazing the two of them hadn't gone up in flames.

The third time, Colton had felt emboldened. So he had challenged Chantale physically and psychologically, seeing just how far he could take it. It had been a risk for sure, but a calculated one. If she hadn't been ready to go to the dark side, she might have run back to Seth and Jocelyne and told them just how depraved Colton was. But she hadn't run. Instead, she had met his ardour, matched it, then surpassed it. Quickly, Colton had discovered Chantale liked it rough. On that level, they were well matched.

In the end, though, Chantale had begun to develop feelings for him. While he'd been quite happy to keep their relationship to her bedroom - never his - she'd been looking for more. Her hints had been subtle, but there nonetheless and Colton had known it was time to end it before he really hurt her. The sex had been amazing, but he wasn't a sadist. He didn't purposely hurt women. Sometimes though, as it had been with Chantale, things didn't go as planned and someone had gotten hurt.

Now, as he looked into the guileless eyes of Spring, he felt that familiar guilt. He hadn't been able to treat Sunshine as she deserved, how could he do the same to her sister?

Slowly, Spring rose to stand. "I'm okay with you having secrets, Colton. Probably because I'm not allowed to have any."

His brow furrowed.

"I have a sister who is a sensitive, a sister who is a therapist, and three sisters who work intuitively with animals. I'm waiting for the twins to find a way into my psyche as well. I've never had privacy, Colton. Hell, I had a week-long fling with a guy whose name I can barely remember and yet Sunshine knows all the details."

Colton felt a red-hot bolt of jealousy which knocked the wind from his lungs. He never felt jealous. Jealousy was a wasted emotion for the weak who had low self-esteem. Colton was secure and confident in who he was, so jealousy was a joke to him. Yet, in this moment, he wanted to kill the 'week-long' fling.

He managed to take a breath. "Do you do that a lot? Have one-week flings?" Even if she did, it was none of his affair, but, perversely, he needed to know.

Spring shifted uncomfortably. "Not really. There were just extenuating circumstances and, you know, things happened."

Did he know? There was something she wasn't telling him and he should figuratively walk away from this conversation, but he couldn't shake the feeling there was more to this.

"What circumstances, Spring? I may not know you all that well, but you don't seem like that kind of woman. You said there weren't all that many guys..."

Her eyes flashed. "You're right, there haven't. I date a lot, I flirt a lot, but bed hopping isn't something I do, no matter what reputation I have." This, Colton noted, was not the first time she had alluded to a reputation. "But I had my reasons." She closed her eyes, breaking the connection between the two of them. "Well, one really good reason."

"Which was?"

"The man I was interested in met someone else and started seeing her. It looked hot'n'heavy and even seemed serious, so I took my wounded pride and found the closest available body as a way to forget the pain."

"Did it work?"

She shook her head, still not opening her eyes. "I used him and he used me. Afterwards, I just felt cheap."

"You're not cheap, Spring," Colton said with certainty. "None of the Dixon sisters are. It sounds like you made a mistake but you've learned from it. Maybe you should cut yourself some slack." He hesitated. "Whatever happened to the guy you had feelings for?"

"He broke up with his girlfriend." She finally opened her eyes and met his gaze. "Two days after Christmas."

And for the second time in less than ten minutes, Colton felt the air being yanked from his lungs. For a passing moment, he wondered if she was teasing or making a joke, but soon he saw that wasn't the case. She was serious. She had slept with a virtual stranger because he, Colton, had hooked up with Chantale. Talk about the law of unintended consequences.

"How long?" His voice was barely more than a whisper.

She gave him a long level look, as if trying to discern the veracity in his question.

"About six years."

Six...? Oh God. "No, Spring, you're wrong."

She snickered. "Oh, I think I know how long I've wanted you. Started about the time you married my sister and those feelings are just as strong today." She reached for her knapsack. "I'm going to take off. I'll text Seth or Dorrie and ask them to come and check up on you."

She was leaving? She had just dropped a bombshell and she was leaving?

"You can't leave," he said, injecting more authority in his voice than he felt.

"I can," she said, offering him a small smile. "I know I said I would stay, but I never thought I would find the courage to tell you how I felt. I still think you should come to Sunshine's wedding, but maybe it's not such a good idea for you to come as my date."

"Why," he asked cautiously.

"Because I'm not so good at hiding my emotions. I mean, I try, but I don't think I can fool seven sisters."

Realization dawned. "How long has Sunshine known?"

"About six years," Spring answered honestly.

"She never said-"

"She didn't have to," Spring assured him. "She had believed it infatuation on my part and knew you to be honourable. She knew that even if you knew, you would never act on it."

"I wouldn't have." Now it was Colton's turn to do the reassuring.

"I know," Spring said with a soft smile. "And neither would I. I've spent six years fighting this because I didn't want to hurt Sunshine."

"But now you think it will be okay?"

Spring snickered. "She's marrying another man, so I should hope she's over you."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know it's not. Yes, she's okay with this. She issued a warning, but she's given me her...blessing, if you will."

"And if I hurt you the way I hurt Chantale?"

"She'll sic Hawk on you and maybe add Rafe, Jeremy, Theodore and Christian in for good measure."

Colton blinked.

"I'm kidding," she rushed to assure him. "I'm a big girl who is going into this with her eyes wide open." She hesitated. "If there is a 'this' to go into, that is."

Was there something? Could there be something? He had a million reasons why this wouldn't work, but somehow none of them were coming to mind. "Do you want to try," he found himself asking.

A look of wariness passed across her face. There one moment, gone the next, but Colton had seen it. If she was having doubts, then there was no way this was a good idea. Yet, in the next moment, she gave him a shy smile. "I've waited six years, Colton. What had started out as infatuation has grown into an attraction I'm tired of fighting. I know the score, though. You don't get emotionally involved and I will respect that."

Her words were like a slap to the face. She was willing to get into a relationship knowing he was emotionally unavailable? It felt wrong, to do that. Especially because he was feeling anything but uninvolved at the moment. He found his voice. "What if I want more?"

She looked at him, brow furrowed. "I don't understand."

"What if I want to be more than a one-week affair?"

Spring still looked confused. "Well, I was thinking a couple of months, if I'm lucky."

"Then you're just willing to walk away."

"When you've grown tired of me? Of course. Like I said, I know the score."

"What if I'm willing to try for something more meaningful," Colton found himself asking, even as he was inwardly cringing at his own words. What the hell was he thinking? He had sworn after Sunshine he would never ask for nor offer more than just affairs based around sex. Still, he wanted more than just the superficial with Spring. He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to understand her. Despite her assertion she had nothing to hide, Colton sensed she was hiding some depth of feeling and character. She was more than just a Dixon sister and it was time he started seeing her as such. "I'll go to the wedding with you," he found himself saying. "As your date. Your sisters might as well find out from us that we're seeing each other rather than hearing about it second-hand."

"So you're okay with having a relationship?"

She was looking uncertain, so he indicated for her to sit on the couch next to him. She did, careful not to brush his arm. He was cursing because there was nothing he wanted more than to touch her, but that wasn't going to happen.

"I'm okay with this, Spring. I just want to make sure you're doing this for the right reason."

She turned so she was facing him. "What do you mean?"

"Just that you're not doing this out of some misguided belief that us being together will help rehabilitate my reputation."

"Okay, I can see how you might think that, but it's not. Trust me, I'm not that altruistic or masochistic."

And yet he didn't believe her. She would do something she didn't want to if it was for the good of one of her sisters. Hell, she had kept quiet about her attraction to him for six years because of the thought of hurting a sister. But what if she had come to him after the divorce and admitted her feelings for him? He'd have sent her packing that was for sure. But now? Tentatively, ignoring the sharp shot of pain, he reached out his right hand to place it on her thigh.

"I want this, Spring."

She placed her hand over his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Then you'll have this. Now, you're looking exhausted. We need to get you into bed."

His first impulse was to ask if she was joining him, but he knew that wouldn't be proper. No, they were going to have to sort out the emotional before they moved to the physical. So he let her lead him to the bedroom.

"You need a shave," she said. "Tomorrow, we're heading to the barber."

Now or never, he thought. "How about you?"

Her brow furrowed. "Me what?"

"How about you give me a shave?"

She looked surprised. "Uh, yeah, I guess I could do that. Now, get under the covers."

He obeyed, then felt his right arm stretching out. "Join me?"

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea."

"It's not like I can make the moves on you," he pointed out. "And we slept together last night."

Finally, she nodded. "But I have a few things to do. It's barely eight o'clock and if I go to bed now, I'll never sleep."

"I could try to stay awake," Colton offered.

Spring knelt on the bed and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "A few phone calls. I'll be here within an hour or so. Just rest, okay?"

He nodded, looking into deep and fathomless eyes. "Okay," he replied.

With that, she rose and switched off the light. Moments later, he was asleep.

As Spring crawled into Colton's bed, he roused enough to pull her against his good side and then he fell back asleep immediately, to her relief. A few phone calls had actually been just one, but it had taken a half-an-hour. Despite her bravado about her sisters not making a scene at Sunshine's wedding, Spring hadn't been so sure. In a calculated move, she had called Torah. Choosing the sister with the greatest antagonism to Colton had been a risk, but one Spring had known she'd had to make. Torah could have a hot head at times, although that had been tempered somewhat by her marriage to the much more laid-back Christian.

Still, Torah had been angry. Well, angry was a bit of an understatement. Her sister had been incensed and enraged. Normally Spring would have fought back, fighting to be heard and to have her say. Tonight, however, she had let Torah go until she had literally run out of steam. It had taken more than twenty minutes for her to go through all of Colton's faults as well as all the reasons why Spring should stay away from the man. All the reasons had been logical and sound, but Spring had known she was not going to be swayed.

And she hadn't been. When Torah had finished her diatribe, Spring had told her sister simply that she was in love with Colton.

The silence had been deafening.

Spring had waited a full minute before continuing on. She'd explained to Torah how these feelings had been growing for a long time, omitting that they had begun six years earlier. She went on to softly ask for Torah's blessing because she didn't want a man to come between them.

Torah had finally spoken, pointing out that Colton wasn't really a man, but a spawn of Satan, but Spring had known her sister's heart hadn't been in it. In desperation, Spring had pointed out that it hadn't been Colton who had hit Sunshine and broken her cheekbone. No, that honour belonged to Sun's first husband, Logan Gibson. Torah must have known what Spring was trying to do, but she had held her tongue. Normally Sunshine's ex-husbands were taboo subjects, but this was different.

Once she had secured Spring's word Sunshine was okay with the idea, Torah gave her grudging agreement she wouldn't interfere. The proviso, of course, was if Colton hurt one of the sisters. As far as Torah was concerned, that would be the last straw.

Now, however, as Spring lay in Colton's arms, she wondered about the wisdom of all this. Was Colton going along with this to rehabilitate his reputation or might he have feelings for her? His feelings wouldn't - couldn't - mirror her own, but maybe, in time, he might come to see her as more than Sunshine's little sister. She was also concerned Colton might be doing this out of some misplaced sense of appreciation because it had been Spring who had fought to get the truth out there.

Did any of that matter? She was here, in Colton's bed, and she had every intention of staying here. If he sent her away, she would go, but she would put up a fight first. No, after six years, she was tired of waiting.

"This is looking really good," Jocelyne said as she removed the last of the stitches. "They have healed nicely without infection. How's the pain been?"

"Very little," Colton replied. "I stopped the painkillers several days ago and I've begun to slowly start using the arm again."

"I'm glad to hear the pain has eased," Jocelyne said. "Since no muscles were affected, I don't see why you can't start doing exercises to rebuild your strength." Unthinkingly, her hand ran along his arm and touched the various muscles in his arm. Had it been another woman, he might have thought she was flirting, but it was Doc and he knew she was simply taking the measure of the healing. She began to clean up her supplies, loading them back into her bag. Colton stood to take the garbage to the bin in the kitchen. "I hear you're going to a wedding this afternoon."

He stilled for a moment before throwing the trash into the garbage can. "Seth has a big mouth."

"Well, you're the one who's borrowing one of his ties," Jocelyne pointed out. "I find it a little hard to believe you don't have a tie."

Colton shrugged, waiting for the doctor to finish packing her bag. "I have three ties which I wear to court and the tie I wore to my wedding with Sunshine. None of them are remotely appropriate and, since I've been keeping a low profile, I haven't had the opportunity to go shopping."

Jocelyne snickered. "Like you would be rather be dead than caught shopping."

"Well, that's true."

"Why not ask Spring?"

Colton shifted. How was he supposed to answer that question? Because it was Doc, he opted for honesty. "It felt too intimate a gesture."

"But she has practically moved in," Jocelyne countered. "I would say that is pretty intimate."

"She's been watching out for my injury," Colton countered right back.

"Nice try, Colton, but we both know that's not the whole truth."

"We haven't had sex," he found himself saying.

Jocelyne seemed momentarily confused. "She's staying here and you haven't...is it because of your arm? Are you lying to me when you said it was feeling better?"

"No, I'm not lying. It has improved to the point where I can actually use it, but that's not the reason." He shifted, tearing his gaze from the too-seeing eyes of Doc. "I still see her as Spring Dixon, Sunshine's little sister. I'm trying to see her as a grown woman and, God knows, she's nothing like her sister. She's feisty and brazen. She's made it clear what she wants and she hasn't been happy about waiting."

"So tonight..."

He shrugged, finally meeting her gaze. "I'm thinking if we actually manage to get through the wedding then maybe we can give this a try. I am not that optimistic, though. I think this is going to be an unmitigated disaster."

"Then why do it?"

"For her," Colton said plainly. "She has worked hard, behind the scenes, to rally the community."

"And she's done a good job," Jocelyne said. "There's hardly been any backlash about your reinstatement."

"But there was some-"

Jocelyne waved him off. "Those are people who complain the sun rises in the east and it rains on Sundays. Those are people who will never be satisfied and believe it's their God-given right to meddle into the affairs of others. Some important people have come out to support your returning to the job. A number of women have come forward, Colton."

"You shouldn't have," he began.

Again, she waved him off. "I owe you a lot and I would have done it even if you weren't Seth's best friend."

"But I hurt your sister."

"Yes, and that wasn't nice of you, but you did it with the best of intentions. We all know the relationship wouldn't have worked out and you did the honourable thing by walking away. Of course it helps that Chantale is so happy now in her marriage to Declan. And they're expecting a baby, no less."

"I wish her only the best."

"I know that. She knows that. Even Declan knows that." Jocelyne closed her bag and stood. She leaned over to pick up the baby carrier which held a sleeping Claudette. "She can sleep through anything."

"I don't know much about babies, but I suspect that's a good thing."

"It is," Jocelyne assured him. Then her eyes softened. "Do you think...maybe someday you might, you know..."

He felt like she'd hit him in the gut. "I don't do children, Doc. I wouldn't be a good father, as I'm sure you know."

She regarded him with a long level look. "No, I don't know that. You're amazing with Claudette and have one of the most patient and gentle natures I've ever seen. I think you would make an amazing father and I'm sure Mallory would agree."

Colton was about to ask what Jocelyne was talking about when he realized she was referring to the two years when Mallory had been under his care. And probably the many years since.

The confrontation with Mallory when she had arrived home had not been pretty, but Colton had survived relatively unscathed. Mallory was still angry, but that anger had been muted by Colton's admission he knew what he had done was wrong. Mallory, ever in work mode, had wanted to set up a meeting between Belinda and Colton so they could each apologize to each other. Colton had vetoed that idea outright. On the sly, however, he had written to Belinda and apologized for breaking her trust. He had taken responsibility for his part in the debacle and had said he hoped there was no ill-will on either side. As of yet he hadn't received a response, but then he hadn't really expected one.

"Spending two years watching over a teenager hardly qualifies me for fatherhood," Colton said honestly.

"Have you told Spring you're not willing to be a father?"

"What we have...it's not going to culminate in marriage," he said.

"So you're just using her?"

"No," he said quickly with a tinge of anger. "It's not like that."

"Well, what is it like? I mean, maybe she doesn't want marriage and children as well, but I'm suspecting that's not the case. Spring has the maternal gene, Colton. All the Dixon women do."

Colton took a moment. He hadn't really thought this through, he realized. He'd just been so focused on the wedding that the future had seemed too far to contemplate. "It won't go that far," he said to Jocelyne.

"Before you make that pronouncement, maybe you should do some soul searching. Even I can see how you feel about her. When was the last time you dated a woman and waited two weeks to take her to bed? And it's always been her bed, I might add."

Were there really no secrets in this town? Was discretion a myth and privacy no longer sacrosanct?

"I'm not sure I'm the right man for her," Colton said honestly. "She's light and I'm dark."

"Maybe," Jocelyne said, "but you've always had your reasons and we both know they extend beyond work."

Colton saw red. "I'm going to kill Seth."

Jocelyne actually had the temerity to smile. "Well, that confirmed my hypothesis." She lay a hand on Colton's arm. "If you've told Seth something in confidence, I can promise it's still there. He loves me, but he would never betray your confidence. As, I suspect, you know things about my husband which I don't. I'm okay with that. But this carrier is becoming heavy and I really do need to be going."

Automatically, Colton reached out to grab it with his right arm. He winced, but did manage to take the weight.

"Stubborn man," Jocelyne chided.

"She's put on weight," Colton argued, pleased he hadn't dropped the thing. He transferred it to his left arm and felt immediate relief.

"Babies do that," Jocelyne informed him. "She's progressing just as she should. And now it's off to grandmother's house so I can go put in a shift at the hospital."

"You're crazy, you know."

She merely grinned. "I love being a mother and I love being a trauma surgeon. Because of my husband and my mother-in-law, the two aren't mutually exclusive." She hesitated and Colton saw something pass across her face. "Because of my past, I was sure there was no way I could be a good mother. When Seth told me he wanted to have a soccer team worth of children, I knew we were destined to never be together."

Colton hadn't heard about this. "What changed?"

"You. You made me realize I had been abused and raped. You made me realize my choice had been taken away from me. Once I was able to reclaim my life, I was able to realize I had choices. I had believed I wouldn't have children because I knew I would never subject a child to that kind of abuse. Seth, however, is the most gentle man I know. Once I realized what a great father he would make, I was able to realize how much I wanted a child. You're like Seth, Colton. You're gentle and you have an amazing soul."

He still couldn't get past the fact he was the reason she had decided to have a child. He had always seen himself on the periphery of her recovery, of her decision to reclaim her life.

"Why do you think we asked you to be Claudette's God-father? Yes, if something happens to both of us, she'll go live with Chantale, but Seth and I know you'll still be an important part of her life. That means everything, Colton."

"I'm not sure what to say."

"Don't say anything," Jocelyne said with a smile, moving towards the front door. "Just think about what I've said."

After the doctor left, and before Spring arrived, Colton did nothing but think about it.

>)0