Reclaiming Katie

by Gardner, M. L.

  "That's a girl," Will offered. "She's really calm, as you can see."

  "I think calm might be a good idea with Jacob being so small."

  The puppy nuzzled under her chin, sniffing. When she tried to move her away, the puppy clawed and whined again, not settling down until Katie kept her clamped to her shoulder.

  "I think that one picked you," Will said, leaning on the truck. Katie was very aware of his eyes on her. She could see his lazy smile as he watched her with the puppy. It had been ages since a man had watched her with any sort of longing, and even if the longing was only him hoping she'd take this puppy off his hands, she'd take it. The puppy and the staring. She took her time, pretending to decide and smiled at him every time the puppy did something terribly cute.

  "Tell you what, if it doesn't work out, you can bring her back."

  "Really?"

  "Sure. Just don't take her to the pound or anything. Bring her back to me, no questions asked."

  She looked back at the puppy; it's large, pleading eyes, and smiled.

  "Okay, I'll take her."

  Will fished around in the back of the truck and pulled out a brown paper bag. "Here's some food for the next few days, till you can get to the store."

  "Thank you."

  "Let me know if you have any trouble. I'm just down the road."

  She watched him climb in his truck and slam the old rusty door.

  "Actually, there is something." She walked closer as he leaned one arm on the steering wheel and turned to her. "You said you did some research on the folks that owned your place before you."

  "The Millers? Sure, what about 'em?"

  "Well, I need to do some research like that too, but I have no idea where to start."

  "I'd be happy to meet you at the library and show you, if you'd like."

  "That would be great."

  "I have tomorrow afternoon free."

  "Actually, I want to finish reading that journal first."

  "Just let me know when."

  A long, not entirely awkward moment passed. Katie heard Tom's truck as it pulled up the driveway and took a step back from Will's.

  "Can I help you?" Tom asked, eyeing Katie and the truck suspiciously.

  "I'm Will Anderson. I fixed your water heater." He stuck his hand out the window. Tom shook it, warily.

  "My father informed me of my debt to you. I was going to call you later this evening to make arrangements."

  Will shrugged. "Get to it whenever you can, Mr. Johnson."

  Katie felt Tom should be grateful for Will's gracious response that kept him from having to explain that he didn't have the money.

  Tom's eyes darted to Katie, who felt small under his dark shadow; hating him for spoiling a happy moment.

  "What's that?"

  "A puppy. Will thought we might want one for Jacob," she answered without looking at him.

  "Dog's a lot of work," he said with a sigh. Katie knew that meant he didn't want the dog and it made her want to keep it even more.

  "Well, all little boys need a dog. And it'll be a good watchdog when you're gone." She shot him a daring glance.

  He shrugged, appearing to be indifferent.

  "I'd better be on my way. I've got the other puppies to deliver. If you need anything else done, Mr. Johnson, give me a call."

  He nodded at Katie with eyes that lingered just a second too long for her liking in front of Tom.

  She turned and went into the house, letting the screen door slam behind her.

  "I'm not looking after that dog," Tom said as he entered the kitchen. "If you want it so bad, you're going to have to take care of it."

  She brushed off his sourness and sat on the couch, petting the puppy.

  "What's for dinner."

  "I haven't started anything."

  "Why not?"

  "I went to Sarah's earlier and the day got away from me."

  He huffed at her. The excuse wasn't good enough.

  "Maybe we can just go into town and get dinner out?" she suggested, not looking up.

  "I'm not made of money, Katie," he grumbled and threw open the fridge. She looked up slowly.

  "That reminds me." Setting the puppy down on the floor, she walked to the kitchen. Tom was digging in the fridge for leftovers, cursing under his breath. "Someone from the savings and loan called today." She crossed her arms. "They said you took out a loan and haven't made a payment yet."

  He tried to pull off an innocent look, but it came off skittish. "There must be some mistake."

  "No, that's what I thought, but Mr. Jenkins was very insistent that we had taken out a loan. The thing is, I don't remember signing any paperwork. And yet, he swore he was looking right at it."

  He shrugged again. "I'll go down there tomorrow and straighten it out."

  "I should go with you."

  "No, I can handle it."

  "But if someone forged my name, I should know about it."

  "I said I'd take care of it."

  He threw together a sandwich and brushed past her, planting himself on the couch and turning on the TV.

  "The sun will be up for a few more hours at least. Why don't we make some headway on the garden?"

  "Katie, I work hard every day and when I get home, I just want to relax. And you want me to go plant flowers."

  "Not flowers, potatoes and carrots and green beans. Food. Useful stuff." She glared at him. What would he know about being useful, she thought with scorn. She felt rage welling up inside her and it was a welcome change from feeling nothing. "What did you spend the money on, Tom?" she asked boldly.

  "I'm going out to the garage." He stomped out under her glare. Frustrated to the point of throwing something, she grabbed the phone instead and dialed the savings and loan.

  "Mr. Jenkins, can I help you?"

  "Hello, this is Katie Johnson. I spoke with you earlier about the loan my husband took out."

  "Yes?"

  "I was wondering if you could tell me the date that loan was processed."

  "Umm, give me moment." She could hear him shuffling papers and typing on his keyboard. "Looks like that was November 20th."

  "I see. Mr. Jenkins, I was in the hospital that day. Giving birth to my son. Now, highly medicated or not, I certainly don't remember signing any loan paperwork."

  "Well," Mr. Jenkins sounded uncomfortable. "Does your husband have power of attorney to sign on your behalf?"

  "Absolutely not."

  "I'm not sure what to tell you, Mrs. Johnson."

  "Well, I know what to tell you. My signature was forged. Now, what do you normally do in cases of forgery?"

  "It's reported to police, usually the situation is identity theft."

  She glanced in the direction of the garage. "Oh, my identity's been stolen, all right," she said quietly.

  Chapter 8

  All the next day she sulked, walking around in the familiar, hopeless depression she had grown so accustomed to. Concentrating on the baby and the puppy, she moved robotically through her day. It wasn't until the evening, when Tom had yet to return from work until well after dinner and she was reading the journal again, that the idea came to her.

  She woke up the next morning determined, and left the house just after breakfast.

  Stopping by her sisters’ first, she dropped off Jacob with the excuse of needing some time to go shopping. Sarah was more than happy to oblige.

  Walking into the bank she felt like everyone was watching her. People stepped aside with what she perceived as pitying smiles and nods. There was no such thing as privacy in Cedar Hollow. She was sure that by now, everyone in town knew that her husband had defaulted on a loan. With as much courage as she could muster, she walked up to the teller, presented her ID and asked for a balance. Though they had a joint account, she had never had much to do with the finances, with Tom insisting that he take care of it. While money was constantly tight, according to Tom, he had assured her he was putting away a small next egg regardless. Don't worry about it, he
'd said. I'm taking care of it, he promised. She was shocked to find only two thousand dollars in savings. Where the hell was all the money? She did her best to stifle the anger and frustration in front of the teller and then promptly emptied the account.

  She clutched her purse all the way to the car feeling as if thieves were behind every corner, waiting for her. Locking all the doors, she took the money out and looked at it. Not a tremendous stack of bills, all in hundreds, but more money than she had seen in a long time. If she were going to change her life, she would have to do it her way, and to hell with Tom.

  Next she sped off toward the old Miller place.

  On a mission, such as she was, she didn't notice the peace and serenity of the old Miller place until she had turned off the engine. It was quiet, save the normal sounds of a small farm. The sounds of birds and small animals, the fresh smells of the country. The cabin set back on a small hill, overlooking a sloping area that used to be a garden. Will now housed a few goats penned up in a rustic split rail fence, with a chicken coop to keep them company. She could smell water and looked all around, shielding her eyes from the sun. He had dug out a good sized pond and was filling it from the nearby river. The long hand dug trench to leech the water looked like it had been hard work. She looked over the small cabin again, all its shingles repaired, the front door rehung and new windows in place. Will didn't seem like he was afraid of hard work. The place had been overgrown with weeds, the fences wrecked and the cabin falling apart. He had transformed it completely.

  The steps to the cabin squeaked as she climbed them. Taking a deep breath, still determined of her decision, she knocked on the door. She stood awkwardly, waiting, but he didn't answer. She turned away, second guessing herself. Maybe someone else could help her? No, she made up her mind. This is what she wanted. She knocked again, harder. She knew he was home; his old truck was backed up into the barn. Feeling like an intruder, she peeked inside one of the windows. It was sparsely furnished, and looked like a man's cabin. But it was clean and fresh from what she could see. She could smell bacon.

  "Katie Johnson, what brings you out here?"

  Katie spun around, blushing deeply at having been caught peeking inside his home.

  "Oh, I, um...well, I needed to talk to you."

  "Ready to do that research?"

  "No, it's about something else."

  "What can I do for you?" He stood at the base of the stairs, his flannel shirt open and his chest glistening with sweat. He looked down and suddenly self-conscious, began to button it. "Gets hot working in the barn."

  “It's fine. Really.” Really, it was. She could have looked at that chest all day long and wished he wasn't so modest.

  She stepped down to look in him the eyes and get down to business.

  "I need help tilling up a few acres and planting something."

  "Ah, I see. What are you and Mr. Johnson planning on planting?"

  "Me. Just me. And I don't know. What would be the most profitable crop?"

  "That depends." He suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Does Mr. Johnson know about this?"

  "Frankly, I don't care. This is my project. I'm allowed to have a project of my own, aren't I? He makes his investments and I make mine. Only mine will actually bring a return."

  Will nodded slowly.

  "I have money to get started." She pulled out the envelope, thick with cash. "Is this enough? Two thousand dollars."

  "Should be." He was deep in thought and not knowing what he was thinking, drove Katie mad. "Can I offer you a cup of coffee?"

  "Sure." He turned the knob and held the door open for her. She stepped inside and looked around curiously.

  "Ah, there's the Millers." She walked over to the old picture framed on the wall.

  "That's them."

  Katie turned to him with a smile. "And is this keeping the ghosts away?"

  "I think so. There were some weird things that happened when I first moved here, but after I put that picture up and started improving the place, they stopped."

  She laughed.

  "What?"

  "I just can't believe you believe in ghosts, is all."

  He shrugged, unapologetic. "Cream and sugar?"

  "Please."

  Handing her a mug, he took a deep breath. "Look, Katie, it's not that I mind helping you with your project. I think it's a great idea, it's just..."

  "Just what?" She took a sip. "This is really good coffee."

  "Thanks." Shifting his weight, he started again. "I do want to help. It's just that, well, I've heard some things around town and I don't want to cause you any trouble."

  She stiffened and her smile fell flat. "What have you heard around town?"

  "Well, that things aren't so great with you and Tom...look, I didn't go looking for the gossip and I'm not entirely comfortable repeating it."

  "You don't have to look for gossip in this town. It finds you," she sighed. "I don't know what you heard, but whatever it is, it either isn't true or I can handle it."

  He nodded, but didn't look convinced.

  "Okay, out with it. What did you hear?"

  "Like I said, I don't know if I should repeat gossip."

  "If it's about me, I think I have a right to know."

  He got up and headed for the door. "Let's get some fresh air."

  They stepped outside and Katie took a deep breath. "I love the pond idea, by the way."

  He walked slowly beside her down the gravel path leading to the pond. So overly hesitant to say anything, Katie took it upon herself. If he wanted to know what was going on with her marriage in order to agree to help her, then she would spill everything.

  "Tom and I married young. Way too young. We only thought we were in love, but it was more of a lusty, obsession kind of thing. No one wanted us to get married. My family, his family, the whole damn town put their two cents in and were against it. So, of course, being the rebellious idiots that we were, that's all we could think about doing. Defying everyone. To hell with their advice and warnings. My mother hasn't spoken to me since just before the wedding. His family doesn't speak to me, or have anything to do with the baby. Tom and I started falling apart within a year of getting married. We just sort of exist now, dealing with the consequences of our stubbornness."

  They walked silently around the pond as Will threw pebbles into the water.

  "Look, Tom may not like it, but he can deal with it. I'm thinking of our future. He isn't. He'll come around eventually. Or, he won't. Frankly, I don't care. I want to start building something out of that land."

  He nodded with a musing smile.

  "So, will you help?" She held out the envelope of cash again. He touched the end of it.

  "I will, so long as it doesn't cause you any trouble."

  "It'll be fine. I promise."

  Turning toward her car, he laughed. "At first I thought you were here to return the puppy."

  "Oh, no, I love that little thing already."

  "I thought maybe your husband didn't want her."

  Katie shrugged, indifferent. "When can we get started?"

  "Well." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked around. "I'm tied up here today, but I can come by tomorrow."

  "Sounds good." He opened her car door. "See you tomorrow."

  She got in, buckled and looked up at him. "Thanks, Will."

  His face fell serious as he closed her door. "It's none of my business, Katie, but if half of what I've heard it true, you sure don't deserve that."

  "I'd be interested in hearing the wild rumors floating around about me, but some other time. I'm in too good of a mood today." She smiled brightly and he took a step back with his hands in his pockets. "See you tomorrow."

  He watched her drive away, and shook his head. "Will Anderson, what the hell are you getting yourself into?" he whispered as he unbuttoned his shirt again and headed back to the barn. He argued with himself as he worked. "She's a married woman. And a damn beautiful one, too. She doesn't deserve that cheating jerk she
calls a husband. Who are you to dictate people's lives? You can't be responsible for breaking up a marriage. You have to watch every word you say when you're over there. And try really hard not to look at her eyes...

  Chapter 9

  She was happier than she had been in years as she drove home. Tapping the steering wheel and singing along with the radio, she enjoyed the fresh air, the sun and the freedom of moving ahead with her own plan. A small part of her dreaded telling Tom, knowing what a fit he would throw, but a bigger part knew she had an ace to play and that ace would keep him from protesting too much.

  Sarah noticed her improved disposition.

  "Alright big sister, what's going on?" She crossed her arms and pretended to wait impatiently.

  Katie smiled and picked up the baby; he cooed and smiled when he saw her. With color in her cheeks and playful windblown hair, she looked vibrant and alive. "Did you decide to leave Tom?" Sarah blurted out.

  Her smile dropped. "No, but I'm moving ahead with planting a few acres. I took the money out of savings and hired someone to help me."

  Sarah smiled, but couldn't hide a bit of disappointment. "That's nice, let me know if you need help watching the baby."

  Katie gathered her things with Sarah’s words hanging in the air. Not the offer to help, but about leaving Tom. Of course she had entertained the idea, but usually only on late nights when she was home alone, or after fights where he refused to talk to her about anything that mattered. But with the light of day, the idea faded and she accepted her fate, more or less, and went robotically through her day. But if she could pull this off...she sat down in the dining room chair and stared out the window. If her gut were right and she could eke out a living off the land she was on, she would be free to do more than entertain the idea.

  "Not yet," she said quietly. She looked back at Sarah and smiled. "Not just yet."

  Sarah nodded graciously, all too accustomed to Katie’s stubbornness and reasoning.

  "Did you find out any more about our family mystery?" she asked.