Kate's Secret (Bluegrass Spirits Book 2)

by Kallypso Masters

  Of course, Travis was just about as stubborn and proud as Jackson was, so admitting he needed help wasn’t easy for either of them. And he didn’t take the offer until Travis threatened to demote him. Stubborn man.

  Takes one to know one, Trav.

  Travis chuckled at Danny’s assessment. Before they said good night to Chelsea, Katie pulled out her testing kit and alcohol wipes. Was her sugar okay? When she would have headed to the bathroom, he insisted she test in the kitchen. He certainly had no qualms about it. Katie needed to eat something, and he could go with a snack himself, so they split a turkey sandwich.

  “Want to eat out on the patio?”

  “That sounds great, if it doesn’t rain.”

  “Not to worry. There’s a section that’s under cover with a table.” They’d been lucky enough today not to run into rain. Then again, if it did rain, he could build a fire and cozy up next to her. But there didn’t seem to be any imminent raindrops. He’d have to save that fantasy for when she came back the next time.

  “Thanks for joining us today. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.”

  She smiled. “I had a wonderful time. Now I’ll be able to picture what you two are up to when she visits.”

  His spirits drooped a little. Was she distancing herself again? “You know the door’s always open to both of you. I know you’re going to be busy next weekend and that we’ll be together in Ohio in a few weeks, but I hope you’ll consider coming down here again in August.”

  “Chelsea starts school on the tenth.”

  He reached over the end table between them and took her hand. “This isn’t going to work.”

  Her eyes grew wide and she met his gaze. “What do you mean?”

  “I want to be a part of your lives, more than on the occasional weekend.”

  “I understand, but our livelihoods aren’t going to give us a break for a while.”

  “Are you saying you’d be interested in something more if we could work it out?” She finished her sandwich and nodded, but he wanted to know what she had in mind. “Not just for Chelsea’s sake, but to explore what we have between us?”

  She shrugged, then grinned. “I spent most of today thinking about it while you were busy driving the boat and fishing.”

  Maybe that was why she hadn’t been as enthusiastic about catching fish? She’d been mulling over their future? Hell, yeah. He’d take it.

  Taking him by surprise, she stood and closed the gap, standing in front him. Taking his hand in hers, she indicated he should remain seated and knelt in front of him. He wasn’t sure what was up, but didn’t want to interrupt.

  “Travis, a week ago at your parents’ you asked if I’d marry you.” His heart soared. “It’s not fair of me to expect you to change everything in your life in order to make it work—”

  He touched his finger to her lips and tugged her onto his lap. “Why don’t you let me decide what I’m prepared to give up? All I want is for us to have a life together.”

  “But you have other obligations, too.”

  He nodded, wanting to kiss her in the worst way but she was being so damned serious. “I won’t have much time for us until Jackson’s healed and back to work, but you’re going to be awfully busy with Chelsea’s training over the next four or five months before the show season is over.”

  Her gaze dipped to his lips before she looked into his eyes again. “I’m willing to see if we can make this work.”

  “You aren’t just saying that because of Chelsea, I hope, because I’ll be there for her no matter what.”

  “No, this is about us. Not that she wouldn’t love for us to figure this out at some point, but it has to be what we both want.”

  He slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her face toward his. “All I know is that I’ve been wanting to do this since I claimed that kiss this morning.” His lips brushed hers lightly at first and then more insistently. She opened her mouth to him, but he pulled away. “Let’s take this down the hall.”

  Her pupils dilated, and she smiled, scooting off his lap and holding out her hand for him. “What are we waiting for?”

  They reentered the house and he led her toward his bedroom.

  Two hours later, long after they had both found release, Travis heard Katie’s breathing slow as her head became a precious weight against his shoulder. He could hold Katie like this forever. Tomorrow she’d go back home to Kentucky and he’d be left here in Tennessee. After this weekend, there was every indication they would work together to find a way to make their relationship stronger, but it was going to take time.

  They belonged together, not only for Chelsea but for themselves. He wanted her to lean on him, but he’d need to be there physically for that to happen. He sure as hell had no desire to rattle around in this big house alone anymore. And, while he’d hate to admit it, he needed her, too. Losing Danny had taught him how alone he was, despite his friends at work and his family. He wanted someone he could confide in and be open with again on a daily basis.

  Moving to Midway would mean selling his company, unless he wanted to be a figurehead owner—or open another branch and make Jackson his partner. Nah. He’d prefer starting over again. Now to find out if his foreman had any interest in owning the business. Jackson had practically run the day-to-day operations for the last six months, ever since Danny had passed. While Travis had physically shown up most days, his heart and mind hadn’t been in it anymore. Not without Danny. Time to think about what he wanted to do for the next twenty or thirty years.

  He’d also have to sell this house. Nolensville was a decent market. He shouldn’t have trouble, but he’d put a lot of his heart and craftsmanship into the place. Having just anyone come in and live here would be difficult. Emmy raved about the place whenever she visited, so he’d give her first dibs on it. Having it remain in the family would mean a lot to him. She’d shown this week that she could pick up and move anywhere while she was taking care of Jackson. And she tended to prefer warmer weather, so Nolensville would be perfect for her new home.

  One thing for sure, he had no intention of letting his boat go. Kentucky had plenty of lakes to fish and swim in. Chelsea and Katie had enjoyed being out on the lake, too, so he’d hang onto it for many more such days as a family.

  Don’t put the cart in front of the horse, Trav.

  He smiled. I’ve been wondering where you’ve been lately, Danny.

  Busy as hell. You’d better get used to me not being around. Looks like I’m going to have to move on soon for good.

  Travis furrowed his brows. He wanted to ask what that meant, but didn’t want to hold his friend earthbound if his spirit was ready to move on.

  Oh, I’m going to be more earthbound than you think.

  Travis grinned, forgetting Danny could “hear” his thoughts. He still had no clue what Danny meant, but understanding heaven speak was above his pay grade.

  Take good care of Katie, or I’ll find you and kick your ass.

  “Don’t you worry about a thing there,” Travis whispered, stroking her hair when she stirred. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to her. Soon she settled into a deep sleep again. But I’m gonna miss you, Danny.

  I’ll miss you, too, man. Be good.

  A few weeks ago, he hadn’t thought the day would come when he’d be able to let Danny go, but the time seemed right now. “Oh, and by the way,” Travis began. “I believe you that it was an accident that night.”

  He didn’t hear a response and wondered if Danny had heard him. Regardless, Travis would find a way to honor his friend’s memory properly. Sure, he’d put together a decent memorial service soon after Danny died and had given him a monument where some of his ashes had been buried in the Nashville National Cemetery, but Travis hadn’t been all there then and barely remembered anything about it.

  He placed a kiss on the top of Katie’s head. Having her back in his life had helped him come to terms with the loss of Danny. His buddy had known just what Travis needed,
even when Travis couldn’t think straight. And Danny’s sending him on the mission to reunite with Katie had enabled him to realize his friend wasn’t gone. Danny would always have a strong presence in Travis’s life.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Kate tried to control her anxiety as Chelsea entered the outdoor arena on a warm Sunday in late July. She was competing in the academy class for eleven to seventeen-year-olds. There was nothing more Kate could do to prepare her daughter. Chelsea and Chula had performed amazingly well in their earlier event this morning, winning first place in the walk/trot equitation class, but she wanted desperately to take home another blue ribbon in walk/trot/canter where the riders were of a higher caliber. While they’d spent all day yesterday watching the competition and Kate had given her pointers on things to watch for, these two were the only classes she’d been able to enter Chelsea in at that level of competition.

  Kate was certain that if Chelsea remained calm, she’d excel. Her form was better than ever. She could see her daughter showing Chula, or any other horse, on the more advanced circuit next year if she kept this up. Clearly, Chelsea was more driven than she had been over the past year.

  “You’ve done an incredible job with her, Katie.” Travis placed his hand on her left shoulder and his thumb rubbed between her shoulder blades, distracting Kate. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him.

  “She did all the work. I was amazed at how quickly she was back in top form after such a long break.”

  “What are her chances in this one?”

  “If she stays focused, she should ribbon, possibly even the blue, but it’s always a crapshoot. Any distraction to her or Chula could throw them both off.”

  “I’m no expert and am probably more than a little biased, but I think she’s going to win first place in this class, too.”

  Travis had been up at the farm the past two weekends to watch Chelsea prepare for the show. Yesterday, he and Kate had taken turns driving the truck hauling the horse and trailer to Ohio. Having another pair of hands to help load and unload made quick work of the process as well. She was going to enjoy having Travis around on show weekends.

  “Oh, before I forget,” Kate said, “Shania called last night to apologize for not being able to make it this weekend. She and Emmy are on a case that’s going to require travel.” Kate glanced over at the stands where Loretta and Joe were seated waiting for the class to start. Chelsea had been so excited to see them this morning when they came to the motel. “What happened with her taking care of Jackson, anyway? I thought she was going to stay until his leg healed.”

  Travis chuffed. “He threw her out after only a few weeks. Said he didn’t need to have a fussy woman pestering him all the time. I’d say he’s on the mend.”

  “That’s good to hear.” Perhaps some of the pressure would be off Travis then. “Anyway, Emmy asked me to brainstorm some possible names my mom might be using as an alias. They’ve really hit a brick wall.” Kate didn’t think they’d ever find her mother, but didn’t want to give up, either.

  “Funny you should say that because Danny told me the clues are right in front of our faces. We need to come up with some ideas to run by them.”

  He now accepted that Danny still talked to him, so much so that he took it matter-of-factly now. But it was time to solve this mystery if Danny wouldn’t—or couldn’t—tell them outright.

  “I don’t want to miss any great shots of Chelsea, so I’ll make the list in my head and text it to you on the way home.”

  “Sounds good. Okay, she was in Escondido when she wrote me the last letter. And Reno after that. Could she have picked up one of the names of the places she lived?”

  Travis shrugged. “Could be anything.”

  “Diego, too, then, for San Diego.” She thought a while waiting for Chelsea’s turn. “She used to call me that. Perhaps she chose that as a name because it reminded her of me.”

  He didn’t jot it down but pointed to the arena. “Here she comes,” he said, and they leaned forward to watch. “Let me video some of it to show my brother and sisters what they missed.” He held up his smartphone, pointing it in their daughter’s direction.

  Chelsea kept her back straight and eyes forward as she put Chula through the intricate steps that they’d practiced for hours every day for nearly a month. The horse’s ears were pointed forward and her tail set at the perfect angle.

  After several minutes, he lowered the phone. “I’ve never seen her this good, Travis. Look at the determination on her face. And the light in her eyes. Chula’s on this morning as well. You might be right.” What a boost to Chelsea’s confidence it would be if she…

  At the far end of the arena, Chula had a misstep and Kate tensed, holding her breath.

  “What’s wrong?” Travis asked.

  “Her transition to the canter wasn’t smooth, but I’m not sure the judge caught it with several other riders in the arena, too, so it might not be held against her.”

  “Man, this stuff is nerve-racking. How do you stay so calm watching her compete?”

  She laughed, but didn’t take her eyes off Chelsea. “It’s a lot easier when Melissa’s competing, even at a higher level, than when it’s my daughter.”

  The horses and riders in this class lined up to await the judge’s decision. Kate held her breath as the third-place ribbon was announced. Not Chelsea. Then the red ribbon. Again, no Chelsea.

  Travis leaned down next to her ear. “Breathe before you pass out.” He pecked her on the cheek. Having him here made it so much more enjoyable than when she’d had to stand on the sidelines alone.

  “And the first-place ribbon goes to…Chelsea Cooper on Michaels’ Chula!”

  Kate jumped up and squealed, turning around to hug Travis with all her might before directing her attention to Chelsea again. “She did it!”

  “You both did,” he said.

  But the credit all went to Chelsea and Chula and their hard work. Chelsea patted Chula on the neck and bent down to say something to the horse before riding over to have the ribbon attached to the horse’s bridle and taking her victory lap.

  To Travis, Kate said, “I’m so glad you could be here to see this. It means a lot to me that you’re taking such an active interest in her riding, even when it takes you so far from home at such a busy time.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  Chelsea rode over to them, beaming with pride, and they congratulated her. After they both admired the ribbon, she said, “I can’t wait to show everybody in Louisville next week.”

  With school starting in a few weeks, Kate had promised to take her to Louisville for a long visit with her aunts, uncle, and grandparents. Kate would miss her, but would have enough to do with her new and former riding students wanting some extra lessons before the school year began. Chelsea would stay for about a week and then return in time to go school shopping.

  Travis would be back in Tennessee. It was going to be a lonely time at the farm, despite all she had to do.

  If only she and Travis could find a way to be together always. She hoped things would settle down when school started and Jackson’s leg would heal so he could return to work. Maybe then the two of them could discuss their future.

  * * *

  “Katie, it’s Emmy.”

  Kate set her fork down on the kitchen table and held her breath. “Is Chelsea all right?” she choked out.

  “Oh, absolutely! She and Shania went shoe shopping at Oxmoor. I never understood the fascination; I tend to have three or four pairs at any given time, and that’s plenty.”

  Emmy hadn’t called to chat about shoes. Then why… “Have you found something about my mom?”

  “Yes, I have. The brainstorming session you did with Travis last week helped us come up with some new combinations of names to try to find an alias for her, and we’ve cracked the case at last.”

  Kate’s heart hammered to the point it became difficult to hear. “Is she alive?”


  “Yeah, but going by another name—Serenity Chula.”

  Danny had been right. The clues were right in front of them all along. Her mom had assumed the middle name she’d given Kate as a baby along with a last name that had been her nickname for Kate. Both cemented the fact that Mom hadn’t stopped thinking about her, despite all the years apart.

  “She’s living in Portland—Oregon’s Portland,” Emmy continued. So she’d remained out west. “But, Katie, there’s something you need to know.”

  Her heart jumped into her throat. “What’s that?”

  “Her health isn’t good. My source tells me she’s been hospitalized for about a week.” With the way insurance companies had people kicked out of hospitals so quickly these days, that sounded serious. “I’m really sorry, Katie. I don’t know what her prognosis is, but you might want to go out as soon as you can if you’re going to go.”

  Kate blinked away the sting in her eyes. She stood and started toward the office at the front of the house before stopping and glancing around at a loss for what to do next. Then her brain kicked in again. “I need to make some arrangements for the farm and book a flight out there.”

  “Would you like for us to keep Chelsea in Louisville until you get back or do you want her to go, too?”

  Kate was torn between wanting Chelsea to meet her other grandmother and wanting to protect her in case it didn’t go well when she went to see her mom. If it worked out, she could always take Chelsea out to meet her later.

  “If you could keep her with you a little while longer, that would be wonderful, Emmy. Thanks so much. I’m sure it will be a quick visit and I’ll be home before school starts on the tenth.”

  “Oh, Travis is here and wants to—Hey!” Emmy shouted a half second before a deep, sexy voice came on the phone.

  “I’m going with you, Katie.” He’d said he’d be in Louisville this weekend and would bring Chelsea home after visiting with his folks. She closed her eyes and tried not to imagine them both crammed into tight airplane seats for the long flight. “That’s really not necessary.”