On Common Ground

by Jansen Schmidt

  “I am happy for you. I’m happy that you’re in love. I’m happy that you’re getting married. I’m happy that he’s the most wonderful man on the planet. I’m happy that he thinks you’re awesome. I’m happy he drinks beer. I’ve never been happier.”

  Dropping the pitchfork in the soiled stall shavings, Ketra ran from the barn, right past Marco walking toward them in the breezeway.

  Kennedy’s shoulders slumped. Trevor laid a hand on her forearm. “Her outburst has nothing to do with you getting married.”

  Kenedy’s eyes narrowed. “How much do you know about my sister?”

  Trevor wondered how much to share. “Enough.”

  “Do you love her?”

  He’d never imagined himself transparent, but based on her statements, he must be. “What kind of a question is that?”

  Her eyes searched his face. “I’ll take your reluctance to lie about it as a yes. Does she love you?”

  “Why don’t you ask her?” What is it about the Weston women that knocks him off kilter? Had his dad felt this way too? Like he was completely out of orbit?

  “I think she does. And, that’s why she’s so upset right now. She sees me with Marco and she wants the same thing. With you. But, that terrifies her.”

  She scrutinized every move he made. His nervousness and defensiveness spoke volumes about his true feelings for her sister. Relax, Donaldson. Don’t give anything else away.

  Kennedy continued with her theory, “At first I thought it was because Kyle’s out on parole. He’s free while she remains imprisoned. But, I think there’s something deeper bothering her. Ket’s always been a very sensitive person. What Kyle did to her broke her spirit.”

  Her voice took on a faraway quality. “She was so smitten with him. And he knew it, the bastard. Everyone did. He took advantage of her innocence. Made a fool out of her.” She paused and dropped another pitchfork of manure into the ATV. “It’s amazing she found the courage to get through the trial and testify against him.”

  No stranger to humiliation himself, Trevor sympathized even more with Ketra.

  “Well, it sounds to me like she pretty much ruined him.” Marco said as he retrieved Ketra’s abandoned pitchfork.

  “That’s why she’s so afraid he’s going to retaliate. She can’t go through another traumatic experience like that again. She acts tough, but she’s not. She needs to be safe here.”

  Her concern touched Trevor’s heart. As an only child, he had no idea of the depths of a sibling’s care and love. “She’ll be safe. No one will lay a hand on her.”

  “Even you?”

  Busted!

  Her eyes narrowed. “And what about emotionally? Are you going protect her heart, too?”

  “She’s safe,” Trevor repeated before going back to work.

  “I hope to God you’re right.” Kennedy crowded into the stall behind him. “Ketra needs a good man to love her, scars and all.”

  “What if she doesn’t want to be loved?” Trevor challenged.

  “Oh, she does. Very much. That’s why she’s so upset right now. I’m in love and she wants to be too. But she feels unworthy. My question is, are you the man to make her feel worthy?”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  By the time everyone took a seat at the table, the clock in the hallway chimed nine o’clock. Rocky kept the food warm while Trevor and Marco finished cleaning the stalls and feeding the horses. Kennedy used every form of persuasion known to man to coax Ketra into a lavender sundress.

  As the meal progressed, Kennedy and Marco regaled everyone with the story of how they met. Ketra still sulked but overall her attitude improved after she apologized to Kennedy for her outburst. She’d never been able to stay mad at her sister for too long.

  “So, Ket,” Kennedy said after a lull. “You going to tell me what happened to your head?”

  Ketra pushed food around on her plate, the recollection of Brooks’ hands on her body triggering a shudder. “It was…an accident. In the tack room.” She cleared her throat. “I fell. It’s nothing.”

  “How long you staying?”

  Ketra breathed a sigh of relief when Rocky diverted the conversation. She wanted to smile at him, but couldn’t peel her focus away from her meal.

  “A couple of days. Marco only gets a week off. He wants to see the Grand Canyon. And I’ve been wanting Ket to meet him. So, when Mom said how depressed Ket sounded on the phone, I thought it might be a good time to visit. Kill three birds with one stone, so to speak.” She smiled at the faces around the table before settling her gaze on Ketra.

  “And something else,” Marco prodded.

  Kennedy reached for Ketra’s hand. She inhaled before vocalizing her request. “I want you to be my maid of honor. Please don’t say no, Ket.”

  Ketra sucked in a breath. Her eyes widened as her lungs constricted. “Oh, Kenny, I…I don’t think I….”

  “Whyever not?” Rocky asked. “Of course she will.”

  “She’s a Weston.” Ketra pulled her hand from her sister’s grasp. “Her engagement will make headlines in the papers at home. That’s a huge open invitation. Anyone will be able to find me.”

  “I knew you’d say that, but here’s the deal.” Kennedy’s face brightened with excitement. “We’re not getting married here. We’re getting married in Italy. Kyle’s on parole. He won’t be able to leave the country, right? It’s perfect.”

  “Italy?” Rocky asked.

  “Yes. In Vernazza. There’s this little church there. What’s it called again, Marco?” Kennedy lightly touched her fiancé’s arm.

  “Santa Margherita d’Antichia.”

  Kennedy giggled. “You’d think I’d remember the name of the church I’m getting married in, but anyway, it’s so beautiful. It was built in the fourteenth century. There’s a huge bell tower that’s really cool and these gorgeous stained glass windows. Every afternoon the sun shines in and the room lights up with breathtaking colors. It’s like a gift from God every day.”

  Ketra found Kennedy’s wistful narrative intoxicating. How exciting to be able to see that church. To get away and not have to worry about looking over her shoulder all the time. Could the Hamiltons find her in Italy?

  “Why Italy?” Rocky asked.

  “Marco proposed there. At Vernazza castle, as the sun was setting. It was magical!” Kennedy’s eyes shone with emotion. Ketra couldn’t help but be happy for her sister.

  “That’s where the world championships were last year. Marco’s family is from Pisa, so I got to meet them. After the competition, he took me to Vernazza and proposed.” She squeezed Marco’s hand, the diamond on her finger shooting rainbow flecks of color across the white table cloth.

  “World championship for what?” Trevor asked.

  “Rome hosted the equine world championships,” Marco replied. “She finished fourth overall, so there’s a real good chance she’ll earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.”

  “Congratulations,” Trevor said.

  “But I only entered one event. I focused all my training this year on jumping.” Kennedy clasped Ketra’s hand again. “You have to come to Italy, Ket. It’s amazing.”

  “You finished fourth?” Ket asked. “That’s fantastic! You’ll make the team for sure.”

  “Don’t change the subject,” Kennedy scolded.

  “I don’t want you to have to get married in another country because of me. That’s not fair. You deserve the wedding you’ve always dreamed about.”

  “Sounds to me like she wants to get married in Italy.” Trevor said with a devilish grin.

  “No she doesn’t. She wants to get married in Oklahoma with all of her friends and her family, at the church she’s always gone to. But now she can’t do that because of me.”

  “What I want, is my beautiful, courageous, baby sister standing next to me when I excha
nge vows with the man I love. I’ll get married on the moon, or an airplane, or underwater, if that’s what it takes to have you next to me. We thought Vernazza would be the perfect solution. Marco’s family is close by and Vernazza is so hard to get to. No cars are allowed in and there’s only one major port for very small watercraft. It’s super small and out of the way.” She paused. “It’s always been us, Ket, you and me, a team. If you aren’t going to go there with me then we’ll pick somewhere else.”

  Feeling like a shrew, Ketra sniffed, unable to stop the tears rolling down her cheeks. “I want to, Kenny. I really do. It sounds very romantic. Just like you.” Her voice faltered as tears clogged her throat. She whispered, “I’m so afraid. Maybe Kyle can’t leave the country, but his dad can. Remember what he did to Mom? I won’t let that happen to anyone else in my family. I won’t.”

  Trevor’s face and shoulders tensed, as if all senses went on instant alert. “What did he do to your mom?”

  “Kyle’s dad was responsible for Mom losing her job. There was a lot of pressure on Ket to drop all charges against Kyle. When she didn’t, his dad pulled some strings and got Mom fired. He’s got all kinds of connections. I’m actually surprised he wasn’t able to bribe the judge.”

  “She didn’t lose her job. She was threatened. And when she didn’t quit they fired her.”

  “She didn’t report it to the authorities?” Trevor asked.

  “The main objective was to keep Ket safe no matter what,” Rocky interjected. “Mary Jo did what she thought was best for Ketra. Her job wasn’t that important to her, it just brought in a little extra money while the girls were in college.”

  “But, if she was threatened…,” Marco said.

  “Mom didn’t want to fight another battle,” Kennedy said. “Kyle’s trial was hard enough.”

  “She was threatened because of me.” A fresh wave of tears poured down Ketra’s cheeks. “She lost her job because of me.”

  “We’ve been over this a hundred times, Ketra. It’s over. Let it go. Mom’s fine. Dad’s fine. I’m fine. Everyone’s fine. Except you. It’s time to put this ugliness behind you. You’ve lived in fear long enough. I’m tired of watching my baby sister play the martyr.”

  Silence prevailed as Ketra sniffed and wiped tears from her face. No one spoke or ate or moved.

  Rocky broke the silence. “Kennedy’s right, honey. If Brian Hamilton was going to do something else to our family, he would’ve done it by now. This wedding is the perfect opportunity for you to get out there and live again.”

  “It’s going to be a real small wedding,” Marco said. “Just family and a few close friends. We’ll get a private license so it’s not listed in the papers.”

  Ketra offered a weak smile to the loving faces around the table.

  “At least say you’ll think about it?” Kennedy asked. “We want to get married soon, before I start training again.”

  “You’ll never be by yourself,” Marco added. “Between your family and mine, someone will always be with you. You’ll like my family. I have a brother.”

  “He has a gorgeous brother,” Kennedy said, then quickly added, “but not as cute as Marco.”

  “Does he ride horses?” Ketra asked.

  “No. He’s a painter,” Marco said.

  “What does he paint?” Ketra pushed food around on her plate.

  “Pictures,” her sister said. “He’s an artist.”

  Trevor snorted. “Sounds like your type.”

  Ketra made an ugly face at him. “And how would you know what my type is?”

  “I have a pretty good idea it’s not an artist. No offense to your brother, Marco.”

  “Sounds like he knows you pretty well,” Kennedy said with a huge grin.

  Ketra scowled.

  “So, Marco,” Trevor turned his attention to Kennedy’s fiancé, “what do you do for a living?”

  “I’m an architect.”

  “Seems like Italy would be a better place to study architecture than the states.” Trevor popped a piece of meat into his mouth.

  “I grew up in Italy and went to school there. But, I’m more interested in modern structures than ancient ones. Italy is a great place to study historical architecture, but there’s a lot more opportunities here to work on the kind of structures I’m interested in.”

  His silky accent heightened the obvious passion he had for his work. Ketra found his accent endearing. No wonder Kennedy was so attracted to the mysterious, good-looking foreigner. If he’s as beautiful on the inside as he is on the out, Kennedy hit the jackpot.

  “He likes to design themed hotels and amusement parks, fun stuff like that,” Kennedy added.

  “Sounds interesting,” Trevor said.

  “Where are you going to live?” Ketra asked.

  “Well, for now, at Mom and Dad’s. At least, while I’m traveling and training. After the Olympics, if I qualify, then we’ll look for a house of our own somewhere.”

  “In Oklahoma?” Ketra asked.

  “Doesn’t have to be, but probably.” Kennedy looked to Marco who shrugged.

  “I can’t believe our little Kennedy is getting married,” Rocky smiled at both girls. “I remember when you girls were tiny tots running around out here. Always under foot and into everything. Look at you now.”

  “I used to love coming out here.” Kennedy turned to Marco, “I was actually a little jealous when Kettie came out her to live.”

  “You both remind me of your momma,” Rocky said. “She’d rather be on the back of a horse than anywhere else. Our mom used to have to threaten her to get her to do her chores, especially if they were in the house. Mary Jo hated to be in the house.”

  Rocky and the girls laughed. Ketra finally relaxed, delighted that her sister was here, even if she had to share her with a man. She wished they were staying at her house instead of here at Rocky’s. She had so many things she wanted to talk to Kenny about. “You sure you won’t stay at my house? I won’t sleep a wink if I can’t stay up and talk to you.”

  “I’ve got enough space for all of you,” Rocky said. “You two can have the rooms upstairs, the ones next to each other. What’s-his-name here can have the one across the hall.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Kennedy said. “It’ll be like old times. We can make popcorn and stay up all night.”

  “I didn’t say you could have a party,” Rocky teased. “Kettie girl, go on down and get your things. I’ll fix you all a nice big breakfast in the morning.” He pointed at Kennedy. “You forget how early the day starts on a real working ranch, little lady.”

  “I have horses of my own; I know the drill. You want me to go down with you, Ket?”

  “No. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She rose and carried her empty plate to the kitchen sink.

  “Marco and I will clean up. You get your stuff. When you get back I’ll show you the wedding dress I ordered from Paris. And my shoes and stuff. You can pick out your own dress as long as it’s blue, or maybe yellow. I don’t care, whichever. Our wedding colors are blue and yellow.”

  Trevor carried his plate to the kitchen. Ketra stepped aside to let him pass on her way to the front door.

  “Wait up. I’ll walk down with you,” he called over his shoulder.

  Rocky and Kennedy exchanged a smile. “Take your time,” Kennedy called as they stepped on to the dark porch.

  Silver moonlight labored through an overcast sky icing the expansive ranch with an eerie glow. Ketra ambled down the gravel road away from the main house, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

  “Cold?” Trevor asked.

  “I’m fine.”

  “I like your sister.”

  “So do I.”

  “And Marco seems nice.”

  “I guess. For an Italian architect who can’t ride a horse.”

  Trevor
laughed. “Well, we don’t know that he can’t ride. We only know he says he can’t ride. My guess is he’d do okay in the saddle.”

  “He hasn’t even tried. That’s weird don’t you think?”

  “You’re asking me?”

  “Yeah, that’s weird too.”

  He laughed again. “It doesn’t bother your sister, so what’s the big deal?”

  Ketra shrugged. “Everyone in my family rides. Mom, Dad, Uncle Rocky, Grandma, Grandpa. Everyone. He’s the first. I never even imagined either one of us would marry someone who doesn’t ride.”

  Trevor was silent for a minute. “You’ve imagined yourself married?” When she didn’t respond he continued. “What sort of man do you fancy yourself married to? I mean besides one that rides a horse? Maybe a steer wrestler or a bull rider?”

  “One that doesn’t ask a lot of stupid questions.”

  “That would be a plus.”

  “Do you ever get tired of irritating me?”

  “Not so far.”

  “You’re. Driving. Me. Crazy!”

  He grasped her elbow and swung her against his chest. Encircling her in his arms, he lowered his face to hers. “Am I?” He touched his lips to her forehead, temple and cheek. “How about now? Am I driving you crazy now?”

  She whimpered and he covered her mouth with his. When he separated his lips from hers, she leaned her forehead against his chest, breathless. He hugged her closer. The warmth of his body seeped into hers. She wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “You accuse me of driving you crazy, but you’re a temptress beyond all others.” He stroked her back and hair. “You are so pretty in that dress.”

  “You think so? I only wore if because you made that snide comment in the barn.”

  “I figured as much. I’m still glad you did. I can see why you won all those beauty contests.”

  She titled her head, searching his eyes for insincerity. Finding none, she smiled. “You know about that, too, huh? Believe it or not, I was even nominated Miss Congeniality.”

  “Well now, I didn’t read that anywhere.”

  When her smile turned upside down, he ran his thumb across her bottom lip. “What?”