She pressed answer. “Hey, Mama. Hold on, okay?”
Her mom continued to talk, but Katie pulled the phone away from her ear. She looked at Sage and pointed to her phone, mouthed the word “Mom” and disappeared out the door to take the call. People were overflowing onto the sidewalk, so she rounded the building and walked to the back of the bar.
“Are you there?” her mother asked.
“Yes, I told you to hold on. I had to get somewhere quiet so I could hear you.”
“It sounds like a party.”
“It’s a welcome-home party for a friend’s brother.” Katie counted to five because she knew it wouldn’t take longer than that to get to the next question.
She only got to the count of three when her mom asked, “Where are you?”
“You know I’m not telling. You have the ability to get in touch with me.”
“About that, why did you change your phone number? Daddy and I were happy to pay for your service.”
Katie inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly. She’d always considered herself a patient person, but her mom could try a saint on Sunday.
“You were happy to pay for my phone when you could track it. I’m a grown woman, Mama. What’s the point in living if I don’t have a life?”
This was where her mom would spring a tear. “We only want what’s best for you.”
Katie heard people behind her, like someone had opened a door to the bar, but the sound muted right away, so she ignored it and replied to her mother, “You want what’s safest, but safest isn’t always what’s best. I had to run away from you and Daddy just to breathe. Mama, I love you, but I can’t live if I can’t breathe.”
“And I can’t breathe not knowing you’re okay.”
There was no one to see her roll her eyes, but Katie did it anyway. She stood there staring at the woods behind the bar and rolled them in every direction she could.
“You’re talking to me. I’m okay. In fact, I’m finer than frog hair split seven ways.”
“Are you taking your medicine?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m eating healthy. I’m making friends. I even baked a cake today for the party. I’m happy for the first time in a long time. Please be happy for me.” Katie heard a sound behind her and turned to find Bowie tucked into the shadows of the building. He lifted his beer like he was toasting her. She nodded back. “I’ve got to go. Please trust me to know what’s right for me, okay?”
Her mother’s exhale was a sign of surrender. Katie would have loved to tell her parents where she’d run off to, but she knew the minute she did, they would be on her doorstep, ready to drag her back to Dallas. She would eventually tell them, but on her terms.
“I love you, sweetheart. I trust you. It's just that I’m as lonely as a pine tree in a parking lot.” Katie grew up on southernisms, but her mother never ceased to come up with a new one regularly.
“I’ll call soon,” Katie told her. She dialed them at least once a week. There was no sense in making them worry, but there was also no sense in talking to them daily. If she did, she might as well move back home.
“Come home soon,” her mother replied.
That didn’t deserve a response because if Katie said anything but I will, the conversation would go full circle back to the beginning.
“Love you, and tell Daddy I love him, too.” She waited for her mom’s I love you, too before hanging up.
Katie walked over to where Bowie stood in the shadow of the overhang. His back leaned against the brick building, one leg anchored to the ground, the other knee bent with the sole of his boot against the wall. The moon glinted off his skin, making it look almost gold and godlike.
“Welcome home, Bowie.” She pressed her hand in his direction for a shake. “I’m Katie Middleton.”
He smiled.
Help me, Jesus, she said in her head. She was right, there was a difference between his forced smile and the one that came naturally. This smile came from his eyes instead of his lips.
“Nice to meet you, Duchess.”
His hand was so large, it wrapped around hers when he shook it. He had hard-working hands. They weren’t soft and fleshy like the account managers at the insurance office where she used to work. No, Bowie’s hands were calloused and manly and warm and strong.
“Duchess, huh? I can live with that.” She liked that he didn’t call her “Princess” the way everyone else did. He was the first person to call her “Duchess”. “I’m sure you’re trying to get some peace and quiet, so I’ll let you be.”
She turned to walk away, but he stopped her with a question. “You made the cake?”
“I did.” She laughed, remembering the condition of the kitchen when she finished. She swore there was more flour on the floor than in the cake. “If it was terrible, just tell me you’re a diabetic and couldn’t have any. That way, I won’t feel awful.”
“I liked it … a lot. How did you know I like extra frosting?”
“I’m intuitive, or … I made a lopsided cake and straightened it out with the sweet stuff. You choose.”
He gifted her with another heart-heating smile. “I’ll go with intuitive.” He offered her his beer. “You want a drink?”
Katie didn’t want to appear rude. “Thank you.”
She took the mug from his hand. It was no longer frosted, but the beer remained cold. She lifted it to her mouth and let the suds touch her upper lip.
“Has Aspen Cove been good to you?” he asked.
His eyes left her and stared out into the blackness of the night. Up in the mountains, it turned dark the minute the sun set. Tonight, the moon was only a sliver and offered no light.
“I love it here. The people are good. It was a true blessing to come here.”
“I hear Bea gave you the bakery.” He reached for his beer and took a long swallow. “What’s your connection to Bea?”
A moment of awkwardness hung in the air between them. They didn’t know each other, but they had something in common. They both had a connection to Bea, only Katie’s was still a mystery.
“My inner sleuth is still trying to figure it out.”
“You will. The one thing I’ve always known about Bea was she did nothing without a solid reason.”
Katie laughed. “She gave me a list of a hundred, but none of them makes sense. The only thing I can think of is she found out I did a lot of volunteer hours at a children’s hospital.”
Bowie kicked off the wall. “That would make sense. Bea loved kids, and she was always quick to reward good behavior.” He turned and headed to the bar’s back door. “I suppose I should attend my own party. Are you coming, Duchess?”
Katie noticed a slight limp to his walk but ignored it. They entered the bar, where the crowd had diminished. All who were left fell under the categories of close friends and relatives. It made Katie sad that Bowie’s father Ben had to stay away, but she gave him credit for knowing his limitations.
“Everything all right with your mom?” Sage asked as Katie took the barstool beside her.
“She’s still hovering like a true helicopter parent, but hey, she loves me.”
“Can’t fault her for that.” Sage looked down the bar, where the men had congregated. They each had a plate of cake in their hands. Bowie was on his second piece. “Bowie seems to like it. I saw you two walk inside together. Did you get a chance to meet?”
“Briefly. He seems nice.”
“He is nice. I’d love it if you two hit it off. Wouldn’t that be awesome?”
So awesome, but the timing is wrong. She needed to establish herself first. In the five minutes they’d talked, Katie got a feel for Bowie. She’d always known that when she met the one, she’d know it, and something inside her told her he was it. It was more than his looks. His wounds attracted her. She knew what it felt like to hurt—to watch her life slipping away from her and get a second chance to embrace it. Maybe that’s what Aspen Cove would be for Bowie. Maybe coming home was his second chance.
“Yes.”
Katie bounced with excitement in her seat. Fishing was on her bucket list, and after tomorrow she’d be able to cross it off. If she were lucky, she’d get rowing a boat completed soon, too. She looked at Bowie and wondered if he had a list; if so, would his include silly things like hers? Things like falling in love?
Chapter Four
The fish flopped onto the dock while Katie hopped around it, making sure the slimy thing didn’t touch her.
Sage had been the first one to pull in a catch. She got it off the hook, but it slipped from her fingers and fell to the wooden surface. At first, the two women thought it was dead. Poised over it, they looked at its lifeless body and squealed when the poor thing came out of shock and flopped around their feet.
“Save it,” Sage pleaded to Cannon, who stood at the rail and laughed.
“What’s the point? You’re only going to barbecue it later.” He picked the fish up and held it out to her. “If you don’t want to eat it, then you should save it.”
Sage shuddered before she palmed the fish and brought it to her face. Katie watched from a distance as her friend looked at its mouth open and close. “I’m so sorry, little guppy. Back you go.” Sage tossed it into the lake and watched it swim off. “Visit when you get a chance,” she called after it.
“Why did you throw it back?” Cannon asked. “The point was to catch it and eat it.”
“No,” Sage said. “The point was to catch a fish. I’ve done that. My life is complete.”
Cannon pulled Sage into his arms and kissed her. “I’ll complete your life.”
Katie watched the two interact. A thread of envy wound up her spine and twisted around her heart. Watching them was like watching soul mates connect. There was an energy that crackled under the surface when those two were together. She was so happy her friend had found love and sad she had never experienced anything so wonderful.
“Get a room,” came a deep voice from the end of the dock.
Katie turned to find Bowie walking toward them, his limp less noticeable today.
“Don’t mind if we do.” Cannon looked toward Katie. “She’s still zero-for-zero. Care to take over the fishing lesson?”
Bowie scowled at his brother. “I came home for lunch, not to give lessons.”
He looked at Katie. His eyes skimmed her body, from her long sleeved T-shirt to her tennis shoes. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks when his eyes stalled on her bare legs. She’d always considered them her best feature, and now that the sun was out and the temperature in Aspen Cove had risen to about sixty degrees, she was happy to wear shorts and show them off.
“I don’t need a babysitter,” Katie said. She turned toward the water and prepared to cast her line.
Sage and Cannon’s voices faded as they walked into the house. She didn’t need to turn around to see if Bowie was still there. She felt his presence. He was like heat that wrapped around her. She recognized the tightening in her stomach and the uptick in the pace of her heartbeat. Ever since her surgery, certain feelings were heightened. Any kind of excitement or arousal felt ten times more acute. She wasn’t sure if it was because her donor heart beat faster than her original heart or because she was more in tune with what her body told her. All she knew was that her attraction to Bowie was undeniable. He fit her type—tall, big, and brooding. She liked her men damaged. Not that she had much experience with men. With parents more diligent than prison guards, she had never had much interaction with the opposite sex. But with damaged men, her problems didn’t seem so problematic. His problems and her problems put them on even ground from the beginning.
Pole gripped in her hand, she ran through the steps Cannon taught her: Hold the rod at waist level with the reel above the rod. Press your finger to the line so when you push the doohickey button, the weight doesn’t drop to the ground. Pull the rod back and swing it forward, swiftly pointing the tip of the pole at your target. Let your finger off the line so it can fly.
Katie smiled as the weight hit the water. She let it sink for a count of three and then wound the reel like Cannon had showed her.
Feeling accomplished, she turned around to face Bowie. His hand cupped his mouth to suppress his laughter. His shoulders shook like he was suffering a seizure.
“What?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “That was a perfect cast.”
He walked up next to her and gripped the wooden rail of the dock. “You’re right. It was a perfect cast.”
She turned to face him. At five-feet-six-inches tall, she was average height, but Bowie towered over her, which made her feel small. “Why are you laughing?” She tried to sound stern, but it was hard because the smile on Bowie’s face made her insides turn to goo. She’d never seen anything so beautiful.
“What are you trying to catch?” He walked around to her other side and leaned against the rail. She wondered if he changed positions so she couldn’t see his scar.
“Anything. I’m not leaving until I catch something.”
He looked down at her legs, which now had goose bumps rising on her thighs. “You’ll catch a cold before you catch a fish.”
Little did he know, the gooseflesh was simply a condition of his proximity.
“Sage caught a fish. Why would you think I’m incapable?”
His chuckle came from deep inside him. It moved through his body like a tremor. “I’m pretty sure she used bait.”
If there were ever a moment Katie wanted the ground to open and swallow her, it was now. Bowie was right; she’d cast an empty hook.
She turned toward the water and spooled in the line. Swinging in the slight breeze was her barren hook. “I can’t believe I did that.” It was hard to feel embarrassment for too long because it was so funny. She reached into the open tackle box and pulled out the neon yellow PowerBait.
“That’s cheating.”
“I don’t understand.” She set the container on the edge of the rail. “It’s what Sage used.”
Bowie opened the jar and pulled out a pellet, then held it in front of her. “Using this isn’t really fishing.” He flicked the glowing ball into the water. “It’s like walking naked down the street and not expecting men to look at you.”
Katie frowned and leaned against the rail. She didn’t understand what he was getting at. “Can you clarify?”
Bowie turned his back to the lake and leaned on the rail next to her. “All I’m saying is, it’s not really fishing. There’s a skill to fishing. It doesn’t really count if you drop the meal in front of the prey and turn on a flashing neon sign that reads ‘eat me.’”
“What does it matter if in the end I catch a fish?”
“Stay here.” Bowie left for a few minutes while Katie looked out at the water. When he returned, he was dangling a worm between his fingers. “Use this.”
She took a step back. Katie didn’t do bugs or snakes; a worm, in her opinion, was an amalgamation of both. “I’m not touching that.”
He stepped forward. “Oh, come on. It’s only a worm. If you want to one-up Sage, you’ll use it.”
“I’m not interested in one-upping Sage. I want to catch a fish.”
“Compromise? I’ll put it on the hook. You cast the line. You get the bragging rights when you catch your fish.”
Katie looked at the neon container sitting on the rail. There was something unnatural to using bait with the texture of a marshmallow and the glow of the sun.
“Fine, but if I don’t catch a fish, it’s your fault. You’ll have to live with denying me the ability to cross this off my bucket list.”
“You don’t have a very ambitious list.” He pierced the worm and watched it dangle from the hook.
She imagined his list, if he had one, would include things like running through fire, hang gliding, or swimming with sharks. There was a dangerous vibe attached to him. Not that he
looked dangerous, but he didn’t seem the type to avoid it.
“I want to experience more common things before I try jumping out of an airplane.”
She gripped the handle of the pole and went through the motions of a perfect cast. This time when the hook hit the water, she knew she was set up for success. How could she go wrong fishing with the man who ran the bait and tackle shop?
“I’ve done that hundreds of times. The jump is always exciting. The flight invigorating. The landing terrifying. At least for me.”
She reeled in the excess line and waited. “Haven’t perfected the landing?” She knew from Cannon that Bowie had been a Ranger. No doubt he had jumped out of many things, including airplanes.
“The landing can be a real bitch when you’re dodging bullets.”
“I can’t imagine, but I thank you for your service. I’m sorry it was cut short by injury.” She looked down at his leg. A red scar ran from the bottom of his knee until it disappeared under the frayed edge of his cut-off cargo pants. “Does it cause you a lot of pain?”
“Some, mostly stiffness, but I cope.”
“Sometimes coping is all we can do.”
Katie understood that concept too well. She’d never experienced a crushing pain as profound as when they cut through her breastplate to remove her heart. It took months to heal. Occasionally, she felt the phantom pains of healing. The sharp stabbing of bones stitching themselves together. It had been years, but some things she never forgot.
A ripple in the water and the bobbing of her line caught her attention. “I’ve got a bite.”
“It’s just a nibble. Wait for a second.” He stood behind her, wrapped his arms around her body and showed her how to hold the pole. “On the next nibble, let’s give it a firm tug.”
His chin sat on her shoulder, and a ripple of awareness coursed through her body. Katie didn’t know what made her heart beat faster. Was it that Bowie was pressed against her or that she had a fish on her line?
The end of her pole bent, and with his help she gave the line a yank. Within seconds, she was in a battle against the fish. By the way the thing fought, she was certain it weighed a hundred pounds. To her surprise, when she finally got it reeled in, it was no bigger than her size eight shoe.
One Hundred Heartbeats Page 3