The Wanting Heart

by Rionna Morgan

  “God! No, that’s awful. I don’t know exactly what I’m supposed to wear, but I know that is not it.” Kate shuddered. “We have to keep searching. This place hasn’t let me down yet.”

  Kate and Erin Wilkes were browsing through clothes racks at My Sister’s Closet, a consignment shop that was perfect for the needs of two college girls. The store had an antique quality about it. Old, squeaky dressers were decorated with embroidered doilies under kerosene lanterns. There were tall oval mirrors on swivels. Parasols and lacey gloves adorned the shelves and any other nook available. On one of the shelves there were even some old time shoes that nobody could ever have had feet small enough to fit in. The whole store was a picture to behold, but the real gold mine was in the clothes.

  Kate couldn’t believe she was shopping for a dress to go on a real Friday night date with a guy who wasn’t Blake Spencer, the only guy she’d ever dated. Ever loved. In fact she’d only known Luke for a few days. They’d met five days ago at the The Pub with Erin, Ranae, and Nichole. Even now, when Kate thought of their meeting, she shook her head at how unbelievable it was. She and the girls had finished their first toast of the evening, celebrating Nichole’s visit, and when she looked up, she saw him.

  Luke Ferral — exotic like James Bond. He was completely comfortable in the black tuxedo he wore. The jacket hung open, several of the buttons on the shirt were free and the collar was flipped up. One hand was in his pocket and the other held a tumbler of dark liquid and ice. He was completely out of place with all the t-shirts and blue jeans around, but he just stood near the girls’ table lounging against the wall like The Pub couldn’t have existed without him. Black curly hair fell almost to his eyes. Oh, and what eyes, they were a dusky midnight. His gaze held hers. Captivated her. When Kate tried to look away, those midnight eyes followed. She tried to speak. When she stumbled over her words, an easy grin touched his lips. He walked straight to her and took her hand in his. If the tux hadn’t been enough to prove that he wasn’t from around here, his hand was. It was smooth. Surprised, Kate blinked. Luke kissed her hand and knelt before her.

  “I’m Luke.”

  Again Kate tried to say something. She tried to stand. She tried — something.

  “She’s Kate,” Ranae said for her.

  “I’m sure she’s really glad to meet you.” Nichole grinned.

  “If not, I sure the hell am,” Erin said.

  “Shut up.” Ranae elbowed Erin.

  “Well, she’s not saying shit.” Erin pouted.

  “She doesn’t have to talk, maybe she’ll dance?” Luke said as he pulled Kate out of her chair.

  Kate nodded and followed Luke to the dance floor.

  He twirled her once, drew her close and let her fall into a dip so low her hair brushed the floor. Kate blinked and smiled at the romance of it.

  “There now, that wasn’t so hard.” Luke looked into her eyes and grinned.

  “No, I guess not.” Kate nodded.

  They laughed and spent the rest of the evening together. The girls loved it. Luke brought flowers the next day to the college office where Kate worked. Each day after, there were always flowers: tulips, lilacs, daisies, orchids. They had gone for walks in the park and eaten ice cream at the river, but tonight was their first real date.

  “Maybe this will work.” Kate looked at a peach blouse with a bit of lace at the collar. “There are only so many places we can go in this town and if I wear a nice black skirt … ”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Erin nodded. “But I wish we could find the dress.” Still not satisfied, she continued to paw her way through the racks. “Hey, why don’t you go ask the woman up front — oh no wait, look!” Erin held up a beautiful ivory dress. “It looks like satin. If we could find a wrap to go, it would be perfect.”

  Kate ran her hand over the fabric. “It’s pretty.”

  “Go try it on and I’ll try to find a wrap and some shoes — and some jewelry, and maybe a hat or something else that might work. We don’t have to use it all, but it never hurts to be prepared.” Erin pushed Kate toward the dressing room.

  Half an hour later Kate and Erin were loaded down with flimsy gray plastic bags holding Kate’s treasures for the night. The wrap was found and shoes were decided on. With just two hours to go before the date, Kate and Erin rushed to the apartment where Ranae and Nichole waited to do hair and make-up and give orders.

  Kate was excited, when she walked through the door to the apartment with Erin close behind.

  “Kate, oh-my-gosh, you have got to see this package that just arrived for you.” Ranae raced to the door and pulled Kate to her room.

  On her bed sat a huge white box with a single red envelope attached that stated: From Luke. Kate didn’t waste any time tearing into the envelope. In neat small handwriting Kate read, I saw this today and thought of you. This holds a beauty only you can match. Your magic green eyes, your hair lit with sunset will make the perfect union with this. Please, it will honor me if you wear it. Luke

  Giddy shrieks of delight rang through the apartment as the girls danced in circles around Kate.

  “That’s so romantic,” yelled Nichole.

  “Well, open it, we have to see it!” Erin grabbed the box and began pulling off the lid. All the girls helped. Ripping the box, throwing the tissue paper, but when they reached the gift inside, they stopped in silent shock.

  “It’s so beautiful,” Kate said in a reverent tone as she pulled the gown from the box. “It’s the perfect dress.”

  “No shit,” said Erin.

  “Oh, please wear it — it goes with these shoes and you have to wear them.” Nichole held out the shoes that had been just beneath the next layer of tissue paper.

  “Oh my!” Kate reached for the shoes. They felt like nothing they were so light. The same pattern of jewels that decorated the bodice of the gown adorned the toe of the shoe. The rest, which was little, felt of satin and had a single thin strap to keep it on.

  “They match exactly. Isn’t that awesome,” Ranae said feeling a bit like a country bumpkin because she had only read about such beautiful clothing.

  “They kind of look like ballet slippers with a heel.” Nichole pointed at the shoes.

  “Oh yeah and you would know wouldn’t you, Hollywood.” Erin grinned with her hands clasped under her chin not caring that she had a mushy look on her face and added. “Well you’d better start putting that on so you can go on your date in this big fancy town. Where are you going to anyway?”

  “I don’t know. We’d talked about going to the new steak house on the edge of town where they let you cook your own steak.” Kate secretly hoped they wouldn’t now that she was wearing this dress. She knew she would probably have to give it back, and she didn’t want to accidentally get a stain on it.

  “The Angus? I heard their steak is really good,” Ranae said.

  “Well, big damn deal. How’s she going to cook a steak in that dress?” Erin flicked her fingers at the dress.

  “She’ll worry about that when the time comes, but Erin’s right, we had better get going. You want me to do your hair or — ?” Nichole stopped when the phone rang.

  “I’ll do her hair, you answer that damn thing,” directed Erin, “and you two can do the gunk on her face.”

  “I need to take a quick shower, first.” Kate ran to bathroom stripping out of her clothes as she went. I can’t believe this, what an adventure, thought Kate as she lathered her hair.

  Caught up in the romance of the moment, it didn’t once occur to her to think it strange that Luke had known exactly what size dress and shoes she wore …

  • • •

  The adventure was getting old and she hadn’t even seen Luke yet. She was too busy sitting on a chair in the middle of her bathroom while Nichole, Erin, and Ranae said, move your head, stop moving, open your eyes, cl
ose your eyes, open your mouth, close your mouth. She’d had just about enough.

  “I have never had so much stuff in my hair or had it up so many different ways in so short a time,” she exclaimed finally. “Worse, I’m going to look like a rodeo clown with all the make-up.”

  “Well do you want to look elegant or do you want to look like some dumb little inexperienced nobody?” Erin spun the next curl.

  “Elegant, of course.”

  “Then shut up and just sit there.”

  “Well, can I at least see what you are doing?”

  “No!” yelled Ranae and Nichole. They were applying the finishing touches to Kate’s eye make-up.

  “Fine. Then who was on the phone?”

  Nichole looked at the other girls, wishing that she didn’t have to say anything. “Blake.”

  “What? What did he say?”

  “That he wanted to talk to you.” Nichole reached for Kate’s hand.

  “Yeah. I’ve heard that. What’d you tell him?”

  “That you were just leaving for a date?”

  “What! Then what’d he say? Never mind. I don’t want to know.” Kate squeezed Nichole’s hand.

  “Who wants to know what that asshole wanted anyway?” Erin muttered under her breath.

  “Let’s not talk about him. I want to finish getting Kate ready,” Ranae said.

  “I wish I didn’t have to go back to L.A. tomorrow.” Nichole added powder to Kate’s cheek. “But I’ll send a web cam so you guys can send live footage of their next date.”

  “If there is one,” Kate amended.

  “If there is one?” Ranae shook her head.

  “A guy doesn’t spend all this money for one date,” Erin said. “The web cam’s a good idea. My business teacher uses one all the time. I think I’m about done here.” Erin sprayed the final curl with hairspray.

  “We’re done, too.” Nichole put the fat powder brush back in the make-up tub.

  “Finally.” Kate stood and turned to look in the huge vanity over the sink. “Wow! I’ve never looked this good in my whole life and I’m still in my bathrobe.” Her strawberry red curls were pinned up and made to look like a crown of fire. Fastened at every curl was an emerald jewel that Erin had taken off of the wrap that would no longer be used. Her hair looked like a fireball with winking green stars. “Erin, it’s beautiful.” Kate turned to hug her friend.

  “Don’t touch me with your head. I’m not doing any fixing,” Erin grouched, but smiled and hugged her back. “Thanks, it’s beautiful. And no crying, we don’t have time to re-apply your war paint.”

  War paint indeed! Her whole face shimmered. A delicate green graced her eyelids as a darker green lined the edges. Her cheeks were bronze with borrowed fire and her lips were glossed with a touch of red.

  “We wanted your eyes to be the focus. When you put on the gown the red gloss will be plenty, but the green of your eyes, whew! Luke will be speechless.” Nichole tapped her lips.

  “Let’s go put on your dress.” Ranae moved toward the door.

  “Nae, I’m so excited.” Butterflies fluttered in Kate’s stomach. “I wish we had a more elegant place to go, but I don’t care even if we have to cook our own steak.”

  “Well, maybe you’ll drive to Denver or somewhere. They have better places there.”

  “Maybe. I never thought of that. I don’t know why not, though. Mom and I would think nothing of jumping in the truck and heading for Cheyenne for ice cream.” Kate smiled, laid her bathrobe on the bed and bent into the dress when Ranae lifted it over her head. “Mom would just wake me up in the morning and say, let’s do the chores and go have ice cream for breakfast. Of course we’d be starving by the time we left, because it took hours to actually get out of town. I always had a banana split if we went to Cheyenne, but sometimes we would go to this tiny town in Kansas — Winthrop? — heck, I can’t remember. But they had the best brownie hot fudge sundae ever. I’d forgotten all about that.” Kate looked at Ranae. “Maybe next weekend we could go have ice cream in Cheyenne.”

  “Why not. That sounds like the perfect breakfast,” Ranae agreed, knowing how much Kate missed her mother.

  “Why don’t you talk to Erin about it and — ” The doorbell rang. “Holy crap, is it time already? I need earrings or something.”

  “Kate, you’re fine. You look beautiful. Now stop being so nervous. I’ll talk to Erin about ice cream and you just have fun.” Ranae reached to hug Kate. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Kate hugged her back. “And I am going to have a great time! That I promise you.”

  With that, Kate turned and walked down the short hallway to the living room, feeling a little like Cinderella going to the ball.

  Luke was seated and looking as nonchalant as ever in another tux, but there was something different about his eyes. They looked stunned or maybe awed or both. Kate just smiled hoping that he would like the way she looked. When he tried to speak, she laughed.

  “He’s speechless,” Nichole laughed too.

  But Luke was not motionless. He strolled to Kate and knelt before her, held her hand and kissed it. Turning her hand over, he placed a tiny box on her palm. Around her Kate could hear her friends draw in a fast breath at the same time Kate drew in hers. Luke opened the lid of the box and lying on a bed of white velvet were two emerald earrings. A small diamond sat at the top while the emerald dripped into a tear. Luke stood and fastened the ring to each ear. Then he stepped back.

  “In all my dreams I have searched for you and here you stand. My Irish goddess. Beauty that walks and laughs and dances.” He pulled Kate in a twirl and then let her fall into a long slow dip held strong by his one arm. The other hand caressed her cheek. “Thank you for sharing a few moments of your life with me.”

  “You’re welcome.” Kate smiled. “And thank you, the gown is beautiful.”

  “Is it? I hadn’t noticed.” Luke’s midnight eyes swam with Kate’s as his lips gently touched her cheek.

  • • •

  For him, there’d been one other red-head. So very special. Yet, he was alone. Confused. His mother had left him. He searched his memories. Somewhere within them he heard pleading. Why had she gone? He took comfort in the arms of women — their hearts bled for him. And when he was finished with them, he placed only a rose on the altar of their bodies.

  CHAPTER 3

  What luxury, thought Kate as she slid her hand over the toffee colored seat beneath her. I’m sitting in a limousine! The leather was so smooth and supple it felt like the way chocolate mousse should taste. The girls are going to love it. She tried to suppress a snicker, but didn’t quite manage.

  “Is something funny?” Luke slid closer to her.

  “No, not at all. I just can’t get over the beauty of the evening. The girls are going to be so envious.”

  “Well let’s give them something else to envy.” Luke handed her a slim flute of champagne shimmering with golden bubbles.

  “Is this a dream? I keep asking myself if it is.” Kate took a sip. “I’m not going to ask you to pinch me or anything, but there’s got to be some test.”

  “I think there just might be.”

  Luke pulled Kate to him. She felt a small kiss on her shoulder blade just above the neckline of the dress. A small thrill traveled through her body. She felt hypnotized, drugged. Closing her eyes, she focused on the sensations that made it feel as though her blood floated through her veins. The kiss, the caress followed the curve of her neck, stopping before it reached her lips.

  “Are you dreaming?” Luke’s lazy voice flirted with her senses.

  “Yes, definitely.” Kate smiled, trying to act sophisticated as she took a large drink of the bubbling liquid. She knew Luke wasn’t from here. He couldn’t be. He was from somewhere where people dressed in tuxes and rode
in limousines and dated sophisticated women. Which she was not, but it would be fun to feel the part for even a short time. She loved the little sporadic surprises he’d offered her all week. The flowers at work, the ice cream at the river, the gown for this evening’s dinner and the limousine ride. Luke made her feel free. She didn’t have to worry so much about the life she faced for real. No cares, just laughter and fun — a perfect evening to the perfect day.

  He laughed. It was a smooth laugh — cozy and warm like a fire in a log cabin covered with snow. “What do you like to eat?”

  “I like steak.” Kate thought of the new little restaurant on the edge of town. Hoping her last hope that they weren’t going there, but being resigned to it if they were, she finished the drink in her glass, which Luke immediately refilled.

  “What else do you like to eat? I’m not quite sure they have steak where we’re going tonight.”

  Oh good, I won’t have to worry about cooking my own food, Kate thought at she took another drink. “I like fish. I’m not big on chicken.” Would a sophisticated girl say that? Not likely. “Rather, I am not fond of chicken.”

  “What else?”

  What else is there? Spaghetti, yuck. Lasagna, so-so. Pizza, good. “I like pizza.”

  “If you don’t mind, perhaps you will let me order for you tonight?”

  “Yes, of course.” I can stand anything really, Kate thought as she sipped from her glass again. She enjoyed the bubbly sweet taste. Chilled at the edges it was almost ice. Kate took another drink. “Where are we going?” Kate tried hard to stifle a yawn. “Sorry, I was up almost all of last night trying to take a picture of the moon that would turn out better.”

  “Better than what?” Luke asked.

  “Better than the last million I’ve taken.” Kate smiled through sleepy eyes.

  “Why are you taking a picture of the moon?”

  “It’s for my photography class at school.”

  “I thought you were going to be a teacher?”

  “I am. I just like taking pictures.” Kate yawned again. “Sorry.”