Hometown Series Box Set

by Kirsten Fullmer

  She motioned toward the crockpot bubbling on the counter. “Chicken, want to stay for dinner?”

  He grinned, jumping at the offer. “I’d love to.”

  The conversation lagged as the couple stood silently considering each other. Sexual tension sizzled between them, but once again, Katherine couldn’t help but feel disappointed that they only managed to talk about trivial things like chicken and receipts.

  Once, long ago, they’d shared their deepest dreams, their feelings, their hopes. Where had that connection gone? Was it different for adults? Did grown-up relationships depend on a physical draw for closeness? She supposed some did, but that wasn’t what felt right to her, even with her limited knowledge of dating.

  “This is kind of weird,” she finally said, leaning back against the counter as she watched Alex.

  “What’s weird? Chicken for dinner?”

  “No,” she scoffed, “This— us—”

  “It feels natural to me,” Alex disagreed, moving a step closer.

  “In a way, it does,” she agreed, looking down. “But—" her eyes came up to meet his. “I knew you so well when you were a kid, before the Army, before you got hurt. We were— I mean, it was—”

  He frowned, wondering if he wanted to hear what was coming next. “It was what?”

  She shrugged, her eyes cast down. “Well, you knew me before my mom died.”

  “Yeah, what are you getting at?”

  “I was confident back then. Then everything changed, and my mom—, and now I’ve changed again.” She sighed, growing frustrated with her lack of experience, her insecurities, wondering what she was supposed to be feeling at a time like this. “I don’t know, never mind.” She huffed, moving past him to check the little trailer size crockpot.

  He followed her with his gaze. “Finish what you were saying.”

  She sighed and turned to face him. “I guess we knew each other… differently then, so now I feel like we should be different. Like—”

  Confused, he just stared at her.

  She gestured with one hand, “You know, I knew you before life changed you. You knew me before life changed me. We shared everything.”

  He considered her words. “You mean how we were when we didn’t understand anything? When we were idealistic and stupid?”

  She arched a brow. “Wow, I wasn’t going that direction, but okay.”

  “What direction were you going then?”

  She turned back to the crockpot. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter.”

  Alex took two steps to cross the little kitchen and turned her to face him. His eyes searched her face, looking for the meaning behind her words. “Tell me what you meant.”

  Her gaze met his and she was suddenly shy, but when he reached up to cup her cheek in the palm of his hand, she forgot her embarrassment and wanted only to reach him on a deeper level. She wanted a real connection, one from the soul. She longed to finally talk in a meaningful way, about what had happened in all the lost years that brought them back to this point. “You knew the real me,” she whispered. “I’ve been so…”

  Surprise registered across his face. “What’s not real about you now?”

  Fish barked at something outside and she glanced his way, but Alex wouldn’t have it. His fingers turned her face back to him. “Katie, look at me, what are you trying to say?”

  Wishing she’d never started the whole thing, her expression grew troubled, and her hand came up to cover his. She glanced away. “I changed after you left. I was hurt, and when my mother died,..” Her eyes came back to his. “I just closed down.” How could she make him understand what was missing between them?

  He scanned her face and finally, he spoke. “And you think I closed down too.”

  Hope shone in her eyes. Maybe he did get it. But as his eyes turned steely, she began to wonder if her words made him mad instead of drawing him closer. She waited, unsure as to his reaction.

  His hand dropped from her cheek, and he took a step back. “Does it feel like I’m closed down? Because I was feeling pretty open to you just now.”

  Knowing she’d hit a hot button and her words had laid him raw, she sighed. “You’re great,” she started, then floundered, gesturing with her hand. “But I feel this—” she searched for the words, “… you’ve been hurt, and I don’t know anything about what happened—”

  He stared over her shoulder, somewhere out the window, obviously not wanting to talk about his injury.

  “Maybe it’s me,” she finished with a sigh. “Maybe I just can’t trust anyone and I’m projecting.” That was a good possibility. Everyone she’d ever loved had left, one way or another.

  “You still don’t trust me?” he accused, turning back to her, his countenance dark. “After everything this week, you still don’t trust me!”

  “It’s not trust so much as—” she faltered, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut. “I have never had anyone stick around. Not my mom, not my dad, not you, it’s hard to know—”

  “Huh,” he huffed, pacing into the living room. “So now I’m like your deadbeat dad?”

  Her eyes got big, and a new fear sifted through her pain and rose to the surface. With a jolt, she realized she knew very little about the man standing in front of her. “Are you a dad?”

  “No!” he barked, running his hands through his hair.

  “Well, I never asked, I just assumed—”

  “This is a bad idea, has been a bad idea all along,” he snapped, turning toward the door. “Come on, Fish.”

  “Wait, please don’t leave, I didn’t mean to make you mad,” she begged, hurrying to the living room. But he was already at the door.

  He tucked the puppy under his arm and turned back, his expression black. “I don’t even know what to say to you, Katie. I thought we were—” Unable to finish, he stomped awkwardly down the steps and slammed the door with a bang.

  * * *

  The book fell to Alex’s chest, and he laced his fingers over the binding, staring at the ceiling in the dim light of his room. Fish whined and paced in a tight circle on the bed, then propped his chin on Alex’s arm.

  “It’s okay, boy. I’m not upset,” he said, glancing down at the dog.

  Fish lifted his head, his eyes shining. “Woof,” he replied, calling Alex a liar.

  “Yeah, well…” Alex admitted, “I’m upset, but not like that.”

  The puppy whined and dropped his chin back onto his master’s arm. Alex pulled his hand out from under the little dog and stroked his head.

  “She knows me, Fish. She knows I’ve been a wreck, and she called me out on it.” And not only had he been annoyed about her observation, he’d turned his anger and resentment back on her, like it was her fault.

  The puppy whined.

  “Don’t be like that; I feel bad enough about the way I stomped out.”

  “Grrrr.”

  “I know, okay? I know I’m a jerk!” Alex agreed.

  But how was he going to fix it? Should he just admit to Katie that she’d been right? Just blurt it out, tell her that he was nearly blown to kingdom come and that everyone with him had died? Admit that he should have died too? How could she understand that for months he’d been certain that he did die, and he was living in his own personal hell?

  Fish whined and burrowed into his side.

  Alex’s hands came up to cover his face. He ground his teeth, and his eyes clamped closed. His fingers slid into his hair and formed into fists, pulling, willing away the visions of his dead friends. He couldn’t fix this, he couldn’t change it, and telling Katie about it would only hurt her too.

  * * *

  The gaggle of women moving between the trailers was a sight to behold. Brightly colored bedding, kitchen goods and patio gear were hefted, toted, and carried in every direction. Katie was tugged first in one direction, then another, as Tara, Becky, and Julia wanted her opinion on everything from tablecloths to flower arrangements. As she hurried from trailer to trailer making decisions abou
t décor, all Katherine really wanted to do was talk to Alex.

  True to his word, he’d come back the last two days to finish installing air units, televisions, and light fixtures, but he’d kept his distance. She knew him well enough to know he’d not leave her hanging when it came to electrical work, but she was beginning to wonder if they’d ever get their own connection right.

  Tomorrow morning was the grand opening, and folks from town were invited to visit at ten a.m., see the park, and be treated to donuts and hot chocolate. Even with all the last-minute details, Katherine’s organization system worked like a charm, and the park would be complete. Her attitude, on the other hand, was not even close to ready. The fight with Alex had left her doubting herself, her feelings, her future, even why she’d come to Smithville.

  Stopping in front of the Santa Fe, her gaze wandered over the cute aqua green and white oval trailer. Chad had attached the awning and along with Tara’s outdoor carpet and the picnic table, complete with a window box full of Julia’s flowers, the camper couldn’t possibly look more adorable.

  “You’ve got to see the inside,” Tara urged, taking her by the elbow.

  As she was dragged across the carpet toward the door, Katherine caught sight of Alex talking to Chad down by the Mansion. Craning her neck for a better look, she missed the step and tripped, falling headlong into the trailer.

  “Oh, dear. Are you okay?” Becky clucked from inside the trailer. Pushing Tara aside, she grabbed Katie under her arms and pulled her upright.

  All the women gathered around.

  Katherine blushed at her obvious distraction and bent her knee up for a better look, only to find a quickly darkening bruise, as well as a raw, open scrape across her shin. A few drops of blood trickled down her leg.

  Becky poked her head out of the trailer. “We have blood!” she yelled, drawing the attention of anyone on site who may not have heard the commotion.

  Katherine rolled her eyes, wishing everyone would calm down. It was only a scrape, after all.

  “Medic!” Tara’s husband, Justin, called from where he stood on a ladder, installing the awning on the Aljoa. He motioned to Alex and Chad down the way.

  Halting their conversation mid-sentence, both Chad and Alex hurried toward the Santa Fe. Alex elbowed his way through the crowd gathered in front of the little trailer to find Katie sitting in the doorway, holding a napkin over her shin. “Let me have a look,” he said struggling to kneel at the bottom of the steps. Unable to bend his leg enough to kneel, he accepted a patio chair that someone pushed his way.

  “I’m fine,” Katherine muttered, wishing everyone would leave her alone. “It’s just a scratch.”

  “Let me see,” he demanded.

  Realizing her resistance just drew more attention, she lifted the napkin for him to get a look. A purple goose egg rose on her shin with a cut still oozing in the center.

  A gasp rippled through the crowd at the sight of the wound.

  Carefully, Alex felt his way up her shin, checking for broken bones. Katherine couldn’t help but watch in fascinated dismay as his beautiful, sensual fingers made their way up her leg. His tender touch made her feel worse, and she longed to disappear altogether. I have to be the biggest idiot on the planet for letting the same man break my heart twice, she lamented.

  When he came to the bruise, he stopped and reached for her foot, first bending he ankle up, then down. “Does this hurt?”

  His fingers gently brushed the skin of her ankle, sending tingles up and down her spine. She shrugged to hide her reaction, her cheeks red.

  “How about this?” he asked, moving her leg to bend her knee up and down.

  “I’m fine,” she mumbled, glancing up at the people pressed around the camper door staring down at her. Why did he have to touch her, drive her crazy in front of everyone? Like she didn’t look foolish enough?

  Alex stood and moved back, forcing the crowd to back up as well. “It’s going to be sore, but I think you’re okay.”

  Katherine wanted to blurt “I told you so!” but she simply pressed the napkin back onto the cut and didn’t look up. The group muttered concerns about the injury and slowly dispersed to return to what they were doing.

  “Can I get you anything?” Alex asked, glancing away and running his hands through his hair.

  She shook her head, still keeping herself carefully withdrawn.

  He stood watching her for a minute longer with one hand on his hip, then looked up to stare across the field. Finally, he mumbled an apology and turned to head back toward the Mansion.

  Katherine watched him swagger away through her lashes, wishing things were different, but with no idea how to make it right.

  Winnie shuffled up to her side, her wrinkled face filled with concern. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

  “Yeah,” Katherine sighed. “I just feel silly.”

  The old woman glanced at Alex’s retreating back, then back to Katie. “I can understand that. No one likes getting hurt.”

  Caught off guard by Winnie’s comment, Katherine wondered if she meant her injury or her floundering relationship with Alex.

  “Don’t you worry, dear,” Winnie soothed, patting her shoulder. “Wounds heal and soon enough things will be set to right.”

  Again. Katherine wasn’t sure what Winnie referred to.

  “When things settle down a bit out here,” Winnie continued, “I want you to come into town, and we’ll have a cup of tea and a good long chat.”

  Katherine blinked up at the old woman with a lump forming in her throat.

  “You know I can’t resist being the grandma figure,” Winnie said with a wink, then turned to hobble away.

  Having never had a grandma, Katherine could only stare after her. A real live tea party? The idea felt sweet, yet allusive and fragile.

  * * *

  Two hours later as shadows stretched long across the campground, the trailers were all complete with patios and awnings, flowers, and furniture. The women mingled in a group around the front of the Santa Fe, some sitting on patio furniture, others standing holding plastic cups of lemonade. The men talked trucks in front of the Mansion, some drinking lemonade, others holding a beer that Chad had supplied.

  “I should be getting back. I have paperwork waiting at the shop,” Becky sighed, tipping up her cup to finish her lemonade.

  Tara swatted at a mosquito. “When are you going to start work on Hershel’s house?”

  “I went up there last week,” Becky said, dropping her cup into the trash bag Lizzie held out. “But I’m not sure what to do with it, to be honest. It needs quite a bit of work done to update it, and I don’t currently have the cash flow to manage all that.”

  Tara and the others accepted the answer except for Katherine, who froze in shock. How much money could the old house possibly need? The wad of money Becky had received from Hershel should more than cover work on his house. As a matter of fact, if Becky got the same amount of cash as she did, she could tear the whole house down and start over.

  Becky stood and brushed off the seat of her colorful caftan. As she turned to gather her things, she caught Katie’s expression and she hesitated, considering what she’d just said, then her face fell, and she went pale under her makeup. Her mouth fell open, as if she had something to say, but just as quickly she snapped her lips closed and hurried away, leaving Katherine to wonder what had just happened.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Katherine lay awake, staring at her dim and distorted reflection in the polished wood ceiling of her trailer. Crickets and frogs chirped outside, and her air-conditioner hummed on the roof, but she didn’t hear anything but the million questions in her mind.

  What had Becky meant about the money? Why would she say she didn’t have funds to fix up Hershel’s house?

  Maybe Becky had spent her share of Hershel’s inheritance on something else, but Becky still drove the same car, lived in the same cute little house in town, still worked at the boutique. Even her jewelry look
ed to be the same mix she’d always worn.

  No, there was more to the story, especially given Becky’s reaction earlier that day.

  She flopped onto her side and kicked off the sheet. Her air unit did a good job, but she’d turned it down for the night, evidently a bit too much.

  Fluffing her pillow under her head, she thought back to the day they’d read the will. Had it really only been a few months ago? It felt like a lifetime ago. She’d been so tired that day, so… different. Her head had been swimming from the funeral and the crowd of town folk and from seeing Alex -- it was a wonder she could remember any of it.

  What had the old man, that attorney, told her? He’d said that Hershel split the land evenly, but come to think of it, he hadn’t said a word about the money. That information had been in an envelope he’d handed her at the end of the meeting. He’d said it contained all the details.

  She sat up in bed. Had he handed an envelope to Becky as well? She couldn’t remember. It made no sense for Hershel to leave her money and not Becky, especially since Becky had taken such good care of him.

  She flopped back in bed. Why would Hershel give her cash and leave the niece he was the closest too, nothing? A sour feeling settled into the pit of her stomach, making her feel as if she’d done something wrong.

  Then again, that feeling could be due to the grand opening of the RV park in the morning. Months of work were coming to a crescendo and she didn’t feel ready to open the park. She was a libraria— No she wasn’t a librarian any more, but she didn’t necessarily feel like an RV park owner either.

  On top of all that was her messed-up relationship with Alex. She’d hoped that they’d be able to patch things up, and she’d get another chance to talk to him, but he’d kept his distance. Not that she’d purposely tried to seek him out or get him alone, but he’d been onsite for days and never approached her. She knew that his injury had been a sore spot, but she just couldn’t leave it alone.

  With a huff, she leaned up to punch her pillow and flop back down. Now that the park was finished, or at least this phase of it was, she’d likely not see him again. She couldn’t imagine anything changing between them if she only saw him at the gas station or grocery store.