The Timeless Love Romance Collection

by Dianne Christner

  Katie’s glare intensified. “You enjoy shaking me up, don’t you?”

  He stopped wiping the spill and leaned forward until their hands on the table almost touched. “Oh, Katie,” he said. “I only wish I could.” His soft voice and intense look caused a surge of feelings to rise and then settle in the pit of her stomach. What on earth had he meant by that?

  Anne hurried over, allowing Katie to break loose from a look that made her suddenly short of breath.

  “Here, let me seat you at another table.”

  After they were seated again, silence hung like a blanket around them. Katie wasn’t certain if she could swallow one bite of the meal Anne was placing in front of them. What exactly was Clay trying to say to her? Did he really enjoy shaking her up in such a way? Darius liked to do the same, but his teasing was always unkind and hurtful. She didn’t trust Darius, and at this point she found herself unable to trust his brother, too.

  They finished their meal with a minimum of polite conversation. Clay wiped his mouth and threw down his napkin. The way he was watching her made Katie feel like a specimen under a magnifying glass.

  “I’ve hired us a car. I thought we might go on an excursion.”

  Without realizing she was doing so, Katie used her napkin and began wiping the fingerprints from the saltshaker on the table. Clay placed a restraining hand over hers, and she jumped as though she had been scalded. Clay grinned, and some of her tension eased.

  “You’re off duty, remember?”

  She met the smiling eyes across from hers. Laughing lightly, she folded the napkin on the table. “I guess the training goes deep.”

  His look suddenly turned serious. “Let’s go. There are things we need to get cleared up.”

  Katie took a deep breath. She might as well get it over with, because once Clay got hold of something, he was like a bulldog. Rising, she followed him out to the car. He opened the door to the Cadillac Fleetwood, and she settled into the luxury of the car, a luxury she had gladly given up in exchange for a life of freedom.

  “I hope you know where you’re going,” she told him nervously.

  He grinned his devil-may-care grin, and Katie felt herself relax again. This was more like the Clay she remembered.

  They traveled for some time before Clay pulled off the dirt track and parked close to the canyon. He glanced at her, his mouth parting as though he were about to say something. Turning, he quickly got out of the car. Going around to her side, he helped her out and pulled an Indian blanket from the backseat of the car. She followed him to where he spread the blanket in the shade of a large ponderosa pine tree. He bowed from the waist.

  “Your throne, madam.”

  Katie couldn’t stop the smile that tipped one side of her mouth. If not for the niggling thoughts pecking at her peace of mind, she could have relaxed and enjoyed herself. She knew Clay was trying his best to put her at ease.

  After she was seated, Clay seated himself next to her. He leaned down on his side, propping himself up with one arm. While he watched her, Katie studiously avoided looking at him. Instead, she concentrated on the magnificence of the canyon before her.

  “Why did you run away, Katie? If you knew Darius was unfaithful, why didn’t you just go to my father, or even to me?”

  Katie answered him with something between a sigh and a laugh. She looked down at him, her mouth slanted in a wry smile. “That would have been a little hard to do, Clay. You’re never around.” Something indefinable passed so swiftly through his eyes, she couldn’t be certain of what she had seen. “Besides, what could you have done?”

  He moved so quickly that his face was close to hers before she realized it. His breath feathered softly across her cheek.

  “I could have been there for you.”

  She frowned, moving away from his disturbing nearness. Clay’s attitude of late made her decidedly uneasy. She glanced back out over the canyon. “Why are you here, Clay?”

  “You know why. I’m here to take you home.”

  She clenched her teeth so hard she thought they might shatter. Fixing him with a glare, she told him in no uncertain terms, “I’m not going back with you. El Tovar is my home now.”

  “You expect me to believe you are happy being a waitress?”

  “I’m not a waitress! I’m a Harvey Girl!”

  His face darkened with growing anger, and she jumped up to move away from him, her heart thundering in her chest. She hadn’t noticed before just how much he looked like Darius when he was angry.

  He must have read the fear in her eyes, because he shook himself slightly and took a deep breath. He got up and held his hand out to her. His brows knit with confusion.

  “I would never hurt you, Katie. Don’t look at me like that.”

  She had already had a taste of his anger, and it had left a lasting impression. Would he hurt her? Even if she believed him, she knew the same could not be said for his brother. Again, vivid pictures of that violent night passed through her mind. She felt the color drain from her face.

  “I won’t go back, Clay, and you can’t make me.”

  His chest rose and fell rapidly in his agitation. His hands clenched at his side. “We’ll see about that.”

  Chapter 3

  The trip back to El Tovar was fraught with a tense silence. Katie turned over in her mind ways to convince Clay she was serious about not returning with him, but she was very aware of Clay’s ability to get his own way.

  She glanced at him now and recognized the rigid set of his jaw. This was not going to be easy, and she could see no way out of it without telling him the whole truth, something she was loath to do. Still, she would do so if it meant being allowed to remain at El Tovar.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but he forestalled her.

  “You realize that if I tell Miss Weston the truth, you will lose your job.”

  Her stomach clenched tightly, and bile rose to her throat. That was exactly what she had been afraid of. “Would you really do that, Clay?”

  He threw her a look that spoke volumes. “You’ve given me no reason not to.”

  Katie’s anger rose against him. “So I should just go back with you and live with a man while he parades his women in and out of my life?” She clenched her teeth so hard, he surely must have heard. “I think not!”

  Clay suddenly pulled the car to the side of the dirt track and came to a stop in the shade of a tree. He turned on her, his eyes glittering dangerously. “I’ll talk to him.”

  “I don’t want you to talk to him. I just want him out of my life!”

  “Have you thought about what all is at stake here?”

  Katie sighed. Closing her eyes, she began rubbing her neck to try to ease the strain of taut muscles. “I suppose you’re talking about money,” she said flatly.

  He leaned back against the door of the car and gave her a hard stare. “Among other things.”

  She met his look. “What other things?”

  “How about your reputation, for one?”

  She snorted softly. “My reputation! I don’t care one whit about my reputation!”

  Before he could stop her, she climbed from the car. She had to get away from his nearness. Somehow, just being close to him clouded her thoughts. She walked closer to the canyon’s edge. Folding her arms across her stomach, she stared out over the canyon to the El Tovar in the distance.

  Clay came up behind her. From her peripheral vision, she could see his hands reach out to touch her, and she tensed; but then he slowly dropped them to his side.

  “I care, Katie.”

  She turned on him angrily. “Well, don’t! Just go away and pretend you never saw me. Darius is welcome to anything that was mine, including my money. I don’t want it. I don’t need it.” She touched his arm and felt the muscles tighten beneath her fingers. She couldn’t help the tears in her eyes. “I’ve made a life for myself here, Clay. I’m happy here.”

  He sighed heavily, his look dubious. “You expect me to believe that
? You’ve never had to work a day in your life, and you expect me to believe that you enjoy it? I’ve seen how hard the Harvey Girls work. Regardless of what you call it, it’s still being a waitress, waiting on everyone’s beck and call.”

  She pressed her lips tightly together trying to choke back the words that were bursting for release. “I’m staying, Clay. If you cost me my job, I will just go somewhere else.”

  His eyes darkened with anger until his pupils shone black. Once again, she felt a pang of fear. She stepped back, her chin lifting defiantly.

  “Wherever you go, Katie, I will just follow.”

  Katie’s mouth parted in astonishment. She knew Clay could be ruthlessly determined, but this tenacity was beyond her comprehension. There must be more at stake than she realized.

  So intent was she on Clay and their discussion, she failed to realize a summer storm was fast approaching. She started with surprise as the first raindrops pelted against her bare arms.

  Clay glanced up and saw the dark thundercloud rapidly moving over them. Grabbing her hand, he rushed them to the car. They climbed inside just as the first torrent of raindrops assaulted them.

  The rain was intermixed with a barrage of hailstones, followed quickly by blinding flashes of lightning and resounding thunder. Katie flinched, pulling her legs up to rest her feet on the car seat and wrapping her arms tightly around her upraised knees. She buried her face against her knees, her body shaking. Often these storms were fast moving and brief, and she prayerfully hoped this was one of those times. Being safe inside the El Tovar was far different from being stranded here in the open with the elements raging around them, protected only by a flimsy sheet of metal.

  Clay’s hand against her shoulder made her jerk in surprise. She glanced over at him, teeth chattering, and found him watching her with understanding.

  “You’re really scared, aren’t you?”

  She could barely hear him above the sound of the rain pounding against the tin roof. He had to be joking!

  “This doesn’t scare you?”

  He studied her several moments. Through the gloom she could see his eyes narrow. There was no sign of uncertainty in his visage at all. She wondered if anything frightened him.

  Reaching across the seat, he pulled her across and into his arms, wrapping her securely in his embrace. He allowed her to bury her face against his chest as time after time the lightning flashed around them.

  Storms had always frightened her, but more so since the night she had fled her husband. It had been storming that night, too. With each crack of thunder another blow had rained down upon her, just like the pounding of the rain outside. With each flash of lightning, she could see Darius’s face as he moved closer and closer. Suddenly the arms holding her were a threat. Forgetting where she was, she screamed and tried to push out of Clay’s arms. His hold only tightened, and she began pummeling him with her fists.

  “Katie!”

  “Let me go! If you fear God, Darius, please let me go!”

  Clay shook her until her head snapped back, and she could see his distressed face. Slowly recognition returned, and she realized it was not Darius who held her. Whimpering, she once again buried her head against his chest. The thunder of his heartbeat drummed against her fist where it clutched at the material of his shirt.

  “What has he done to you?” The hoarseness of his voice whispering against her ear blended with the retreating sound of the rain.

  “Nothing!” she cried. “I’m sorry. It’s just the storm!”

  She knew he didn’t believe her, but he allowed the subject to drop. She could feel the tension in his arms as they once again securely wrapped around her, and she knew it was only by a tight rein on his will that he allowed her to say no more. Once before he had held her thus, at her parents’ funeral. Whereas her husband should have been the one giving her comfort, Clay was the one who had stayed by her side through the tortuous ordeal. Clay had held her securely while she cried her heart out. She had turned to him as the strong brother she had never had, and he had responded with gentle kindness. She had felt sheltered. Protected. Much like she felt now. But the feelings he evoked in her were not sisterly, and if she was honest with herself, she would admit they hadn’t been at the funeral, either.

  When his voice broke the silence, it was not with words she expected him to say. “Do you remember the verses from the Bible you used to quote me?” he asked huskily.

  Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she thought of all the times she had shared verses from Psalm 139 with him. He had such wanderlust, and every time he’d come home, within weeks he would be off on another jaunt. Each time she had reminded him of the verses.

  “‘Whither shall I go from thy spirit?’” she began hesitantly, her voice growing stronger as the words began to penetrate. “‘Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.’” As she continued reciting, she felt the power of the words seep into her soul and soothe the feelings of terror the storm had engendered. God had been with her then, and He was still with her now. She shyly glanced up at Clay, and he gave her a slow, heart-stopping smile.

  “Feel better now?” Although his voice was quiet, she could see the anger still darkening his eyes. Paradoxically, she was unafraid, realizing the anger was not directed at her.

  She nodded, thanking him with her eyes. Not only had the fear subsided, but the storm had subsided, as well. As quickly as it had come, it had passed. The tension eased from her body, leaving her exhausted.

  Clay continued to stare at her, the smile slowly fading from his lips as she continued to stare back. In one quick movement, he pushed her back to her own side of the car. Without another word, he started the engine, revving it with unnecessary violence. Slamming the car into gear, he returned them to the El Tovar.

  “I’m truly sorry, Cleo. I forgot all about our trip to Flagstaff.”

  Cleo grinned mischievously at Katie while she continued to set the table for dinner that evening. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Why should you remember little ole me when you were spending the day with that handsome hunk of manhood?”

  Katie flushed with embarrassment. There was no way she could explain the real state of things to Cleo. While it was true Clay was a handsome man, he treated her more like a sister than anything else. They had been neighbors from the time she had been an adolescent twelve-year-old. It was true that at one time she believed herself madly in love with him. It was hard to believe that it had been almost twelve years ago. Half of her lifetime.

  Katie stared around her helplessly. “I feel like I should be doing something other than just standing here.”

  Cleo shook her head firmly. “Dinah gave you the day off. The whole day off. Go have fun!”

  Fun! Being interrogated by Clay could hardly be considered fun. She was so afraid she would give something away without meaning to that, when he was near, she felt as if she were on pins and needles.

  “Katie.”

  As though her thoughts had conjured him, he stood in the doorway to the dining room.

  “I need to talk to you a minute,” he told her.

  Sighing, Katie crossed the room and stopped in front of him. Only hours before he had seemed so angry; now his voice was quiescent. His calmness bothered her, because that was how Darius was right before a storm.

  He led her away from the dining room and outside, crossing to the Hopi House where the nightly dances were just beginning. They seated themselves away from the fire, and as usual, Katie became entranced by the sound of the drums and the movement of the dancers.

  Her thoughts were jerked back to the present at Clay’s next words.

  “I’m leaving on the evening train. I’ll be going home to see Darius and have a talk with him. Find out what he wants to do.” He looked at her seriously. “I already know what you say you want, but I need to make sure.”

  “I’m not going back,” she told him quiet
ly.

  “And if Darius wants to come to you and apologize? Ask forgiveness?”

  The thought made Katie go cold all over. She bit her bottom lip in agitation. It took several tries before she could make her voice sound louder than a squeak.

  “Please, Clay. Don’t tell him where I am. Please.”

  “Katie …”

  She turned, clutching the front of his shirt with both fists. “Please!”

  His hands curled warmly over hers, his face a mask of confusion. Her desperation must have finally gotten through to him. He opened his mouth to speak several times, but the only thing he finally said was, “I’ll make no promises.”

  With that, she had to be satisfied. By mutual consent, they turned to watch the dancers together, both busy with their own thoughts.

  When the train was finally ready to leave, Katie walked with him to the small station. As a last gesture, he bought her an ice cream from the boy at the stand.

  Clay gently rubbed the knuckles of his hand down her cheek. She had never seen him looking so serious, his eyes darkened to the color of the evergreens on the sides of the canyon.

  “Take care,” he told her. “I’ll be back in a few days.”

  There was nothing she could say. She wanted to beg him not to betray her whereabouts to Darius, but she held herself in check. Her throat tightened with tears. She had always been fond of Clay, and now he was walking out of her life again. She didn’t really believe him when he said he would return.

  Darius would want a divorce and claim her property as his own, and then Clay would be off on one of his jaunts again.

  As though he could read her thoughts, he cupped her face in his palm. “I’m coming back,” he reiterated, and then the whistle blew, the conductor shouted for all to board, and Katie watched as the train began its trek south to Williams.

  She returned to the hotel to try to find Dinah. She needed to work, and they needed the help. No one knew that better than she did.

  Everyone was busy about her duties, all except Dinah. She was nowhere to be found.

  “Cleo,” Katie asked, “have you seen Dinah?”