Chapter 1

The steady, high pitched beep, beep, beep echoed loudly in the dark room. Relentlessly, the jarring noise became progressively louder and louder until it invaded his dreams, the rhythm piercing his thoughts. His brain struggled to identify the annoying and painful sound even as his arm automatically reached out from under the pillow in search of the offending source; his hand fumbling on the table to locate and silence the alarm. Long minutes later, Jamie reluctantly pried open one eye to peer at the clock. The luminescent green numbers told him it was Eight o'clock in the morning. He wondered again how he got talked into getting up this early on a Saturday morning. After several unsuccessful tries, he managed to hoist himself out of bed with a groan. Swinging his feet over the side, he sat on the edge. Taking a moment to gather himself, he raked his fingers through his hair and got up unenthusiastically.

He hoped a hot shower and some strong, hot coffee would help wake him up. Stumbling his way towards the bathroom, he paused in the kitchen and fumbled around. Eyes half open, he found the thin, paper filters and coffee by touch. His nose itched at the strong aroma of the coffee grounds as he prepared the machine to brew. Leaning on the counter with both arms, he seriously considered going back to bed. Damn Nick and his volunteer projects; but, he had made a promise to his friend and he wasn't the kind of man that didn't keep his word. Making his way to the bathroom, Jamie stopped as he caught his reflection in the mirror. Sleep tousled light brown hair, bleary and bloodshot blue eyes, and a weary face in need of a shave stared right back at him. With a sigh, he reached over and turned the water on, adjusting the heat before stepping out of his boxers and taking refuge under the spray of water.

After twenty minutes under the hottest water that he could stand and two cups of strong black coffee, Jamie was finally feeling close to human. Dressed in a pair of old, comfortable jeans and a soft, well-worn blue shirt he was ready to head out. Grabbing his keys off the table, he turned and looked out the window. He noticed people outside dealing with the strong wind and he checked the outside thermometer. After realizing that it was fifty degrees outside, he grabbed his jacket in case he needed it. Heading out to his car with another cup of coffee in a travel mug, he reviewed the directions to the park. He had heard of Fort Tryon Park, located at the northern most tip of Manhattan, but had never been there. Since he grew up in Brooklyn, he had rarely been to that part of the city. In the car he tuned the radio to his favorite station before pulling into traffic and heading to Canal street to go across town and over to Riverside drive. Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of classic rock, he enjoyed the drive through his city and as he passed Columbia, he idly wondered what would have happened if he had gone there instead of NYU and Harvard.

Thirty minutes later, Jamie pulled into Fort Tryon Park and parked his car. It took him a while to find the right parking lot and he was impressed with the park and what it had to offer. It was one of the largest parks in New York City and had the feel of a wilderness within the large, bustling city. There was a group doing tai chi and a large number of runners as well as parents and their children taking advantage of the beautiful day. As he looked around, getting his bearings, he was suddenly glad that his buddy Nick had talked him into this. It was a clear, late September day and the sky was bright blue with wispy white clouds floating by. Taking in the colors of the season: watermelon red, lemon yellow, russet, bright orange, he could feel the crispness of the air and though it wasn't overly unpleasant, he was glad he had brought a jacket.

A surprising number of volunteers were here to work on this crisp, cold Saturday. Looking around the large crowd of people, he soon spotted his college friend, Nick. Nick waved to him and Jamie hurried over to join his friend.

Nick looked at Jamie closely before commenting, "Man, you look like crap."

Jamie grinned, "I had a late tour yesterday and didn't get home until two o'clock this morning; you're lucky I'm here at all," he replied briskly.

Nick laughed and said, "Dude, if you'd just stayed at that high priced law firm…" Seeing Jamie's scowl at the start of the familiar argument, Nick held up his hands in mock surrender and quickly suggested that they join the others.

Walking through the mass of volunteers, Jamie was surprised to see exactly how many had shown up to help with upkeep of the large park. This morning they would be planting over five thousand flower bulbs that would bloom in the spring. The coordinator assigned the volunteers to their areas and work began. After finding their assigned area, Jamie and Nick began to work, far enough away from each other for solitude but close enough for conversation.

After a while of working in the dirt, Jamie realized that the combination of fresh air and manual labor as well as the sights and sounds of the day were soothing his soul. He remembered with fondness how much his mother had enjoyed gardening and began to understand her need for it.

After an hour of work, Jamie started noticing the people around him. Unlike Nick, he didn't know anyone else but he was content to simply observe those around him. Most of the volunteers were working in small groups and he could hear murmurings of quiet conversation. Watching a woman teach a young boy of five or six how to plant the bulbs brought a smile to his lips. He assumed she was his mother and it reminded him of the many times he had seen his sister in law teach his nephews. There were several different groups of young women talking vivaciously and he reveled in the sound of their occasional bursts of laughter. As he looked away to hide his amusement, he noticed a woman who appeared close to his age. She worked alone and seemed very peaceful in her solitude. Jamie started watching her surreptitiously but with great interest.

After a while Nick looked over and started to speak, drawing Jamie's attention away from the woman he was watching, "Hey, there's someone I want you to meet."

Jamie looked at Nick and saw his friend nodding toward one of the groups of women that Jamie had watched earlier. Nick indicated a pretty blonde. He wasn't really interested in being fixed up but he wanted to be polite. As the girls approached them, both men quickly rose and hastily brushed their hands off to remove the loose dirt. Nick introduced the girls and Jamie shook hands with them but remained detached. After trying to unsuccessfully engage Jamie in conversation, the girls talked with Nick for a few minutes before wandering back to their work.

Nick looked at Jamie, exasperated. "What's up with you?"

Jamie looked at his friend, surprised, "What do you mean?"

Nick looked at his friend seriously before saying bluntly, "Look, ever since you and Sydney broke up, you're different. You don't go out much; all you do is work and go to your Dad's. Your life didn't end, you know."

Jamie looked off into the distance for a moment before he looked back at Nick and shrugged, "I've dated here and there. Nothing serious, though. I don't know if I'm ready for a serious relationship."

Nick smiled and said enticingly, "Bethany is really nice. She's a stockbroker," he said with a nod of his head towards the pretty blonde.

Jamie smiled and shook his head. He knew his friend meant well, but he wasn't interested in being fixed up with a woman he'd never met. He found himself searching for the woman who had intrigued him earlier. She was still working alone though she didn't look particularly lonely.

Jamie nodded his head in her direction and asked, "Who is she?"

Nick turned to see who Jamie meant. "Oh, that's Caitlin. She comes to every work day but she's always alone. No one really knows her well. I think she's nice but always very reserved, kind of in her own little world." Nick shrugged his shoulders.

Jamie replied, "Introduce me to her."

Nick tried once again to steer his friend back to the blonde, "Look, Bethany is single, pretty, smart, sophisticated, sexy…and did I mention single? Why don't you just talk to her, maybe ask her out. I know she likes to go out to the clubs and bar hop."

Jamie smiled at his friend, "I'm sure she's really nice, but I'm not interested in that scene." Jamie's gaze involuntarily drifted back to the solitary woman planting bulbs.

Nick sighed with frustration before giving in and called out, "Hey, Caitlin!"

Jamie watched as the woman looked up in surprise and shaded her eyes to see who was calling her name. When she saw the two of them watching her, a worried look crossed her face and just as quickly was replaced with a curious expression. She stood brushing off her hands before walking over to the two of them.

As she approached, Jamie could see her more clearly. He towered over her at five foot ten inches and he estimated that she was about five foot four with a very slim build. She was almost ethereal even dressed in jeans and a white cotton blouse over a white lace tank top. She was wearing garden gloves that she now pulled off to reveal strong, thin hands with long fingers. Her reddish gold hair was pulled back away from her face, some tendrils escaping and dancing in the gentle breeze. Her face held a gentleness that Jamie had rarely seen in a woman.

Most of the women in his life had been outwardly strong. His mother, sister, and sister-in-law were wonderful women, but were also a force to be reckoned with. As Caitlin approached him, she slipped her sunglasses off and he could see her unusual pale green eyes. Like any other warm blooded male, Jamie liked beautiful women but he avoided them as relationships having found many of them to be self-centered and more high maintenance than he liked. Much like the blonde friend of Nick's if he didn't miss his guess. Caitlin seemed unaware of her beauty and how she affected the men around her. It wasn't lost on Jamie the many glances that men in the park were sending her way. There was an appealing gentleness to her that elicited in him a desire to protect. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to get to know her better.

Oblivious to Jamie's thoughts, Nick smiled broadly at Caitlin and said, "I wanted you to meet a friend of mine from college. He came to help out today."

As Caitlin looked up at Jamie and smiled, he felt suddenly as if he had come home. His chest tightened and he found it slightly harder to breathe, he was captivated by her.

Giving her a wide smile he held out his hand and said, "Hi, I'm Jamie." He waited for her response as if his life hung in the balance.

"I'm Caitlin," she replied placing her small hand into his larger one and shaking it lightly.