One bushy white eyebrow rose almost up to his hairline as he took his own seat. “How can you be happy here, Kathryne? For God’s sake, your mother and I were robbed.” He slapped the table with his open palm. The teacups rattled. “You’re coming home with us.” His voice reverberated throughout the small cottage.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly in the face of her father’s anger. “No, Father, I am not. I’m already home.”
He changed the subject and asked, “Do you remember Captain Collier?”
She did indeed remember the young man who worked for him and not very fondly, either. More than anything else, she remembered her efforts to stay away from his grasping, sweating hands and the wet lips he tried to press upon her whenever she was close to him.
“He’s still interested in you. Despite the scandal, he still desires to marry you.”
Kathryne stiffened. “That’s very kind of him, but I’m not interested in marrying Harlan.” She took a sip of tea then gazed out the window above the sink where she could see Walter and Sarge further up the hill, the boy throwing snowballs as fast as the dog could chase them. She couldn’t help smiling at the scene.
“Why not?”
The question snapped her attention back to the general. “I don’t love him.” She almost said I’m in love with someone else but stopped herself. He didn’t need to know.
Her father harrumphed, a sound she heard often growing up, especially when her thoughts and comments didn’t coincide with his. “What does love have to do with it?”
“Everything.” She picked at imaginary lint on her skirt, her eyes darting back and forth between the spotless material and his face. “I look at Emy and Terry and I want what they have.”
“Your sister is unusual.” He gestured to the cake and Kathryne served him a slice. He took a bite and chewed. She waited for a comment, a compliment, anything, but he just picked up the threads of the conversation. “She fell for Terrence the moment she set eyes on him. That doesn’t happen every day.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Kathryne admitted, a little disappointed he said nothing about her cake. “It’s worth waiting for though, don’t you think?”
The general’s face took on that particular reddish hue it always did when he started to become miffed.
Kathryne rambled on despite the warning sign. “What about you and Mama? You were in love when you married. As Mama tells it, you fell in love with her the moment you met at a barbeque.”
Galen cleared his throat and put down the fork then wiped his lips with a napkin. “We’re not here to talk about love, Kathryne. We’re here to talk about you coming back to Washington with your mother and me.”
A scratch at the door made her rise from the chair. She opened the portal, let Sarge into the house and waved at Walter. “Go straight home now, Walter. You can play with Sarge again tomorrow.”
Sarge’s nails clicked on the floorboards as he went directly to his water bowl and took a drink, his tongue lapping up the liquid as if he’d never had a drink before. Chasing snowballs was thirsty work.
“The dog stays in the house with you?”
Kathryne sighed as she took her seat again. “Yes, Father, he does. He’s a good dog, better behaved than most people. I trust him with my life. He’s a good judge of character, too, and unlike people, he never has a cross word for anyone, never criticizes and he loves me unconditionally.”
The subject of their comments finished drinking then shook his head, sending droplets flying out in all directions. His big pink tongue swooped out of his mouth to lick the remains from his nose and lips. Tail wagging, ears perked, he trotted to the table and began a thorough inspection of the general, smelling everything from his trouser leg to the sleeve of his shirt to the hand resting in his lap.
Galen stiffened beneath the scrutiny and the cold nose against his flesh. “What’s he doing?”
Kathryne laughed at the expression on her father’s face. “It’s all right. He’s just getting to know you.”
After a moment, Sarge laid his big head on the General’s lap and gave his little growl-groan.
“He wants you to pet him.”
With great reluctance, the general scratched behind the dog’s ears. After a moment, Kathryne could see some of the tension ease from his body. Sarge had that effect. She herself felt calmer when petting the furry beast.
“That’s enough, Sarge. Leave him alone now.”
The dog flopped to the floor with a sigh and sprawled out, his paw resting on her foot.
Her father raised an eyebrow and a touch of amazement colored his voice. “He listens well.”
“Yes, he does,” she said then took a sip of tea and raised her gaze to his. Her breath stuck in her throat, the words on the tip of her tongue burning, and she swallowed hard. “About Washington—” she started to say then took a deep breath and tried again. “Please listen to me, Father. I—I…”
Dammit! You stood up to Shep. Why can’t you stand up to your father?
Drawing strength from the events she’d experienced since coming to Crystal Springs, Kathryne sat up straight and pinned the general with her stare. “I love you, Father, but I will not be joining you and Mama when you go back to Washington. I will not even consider marrying Harlan Collier. And I certainly will not enter a convent. Nor will I live with Aunt Euphemia.”
She took a deep breath and watched his face. Yes, the color was changing, redness creeping up his features, making his mutton chops and mustache stand out stark white, and once again, his muscles stiffened, but he said not a word. She didn’t flinch as his eyes narrowed. Indeed, she kept meeting his unrelenting stare. “I’m staying right here. In Crystal Springs. And I will continue teaching as long as I am able. I like my life here. I like my independence.”
“That’s enough, Kathryne.”
She’d gone too far and she knew it though he didn’t slap the table this time. Indeed, he sat perfectly still, his broad chest expanding as his breathing deepened. “We’ll discuss it more later. Right now, your mother is waiting at the hotel. Emy and Terrence will be joining us for dinner.” He glanced at her pristine white blouse and burgundy skirt. “You might want to change into something more appropriate.”
“What I’m wearing is perfectly acceptable.”
An eyebrow rose though no words of reprimand were spoken as he stood and grabbed her cape and his coat from the hooks by the door. The dog rose as well, tail wagging, ears perked.
“He’s not coming, is he?”
“Of course. He goes almost everywhere I go, but I suppose he can stay home today.” She turned to the dog and wagged her finger. “You stay, Sarge. Watch the house.”
They left the cottage, their breaths pluming in front of them, bundled against the cold. “I always thought Arizona was hot,” the general mumbled and adjusted his collar closer to his neck.
“It is further south, but up here in the mountains, it can get rather cold.”
As they walked through town, Kathryne waved to acquaintances and introduced her father to several of her students who took a break from their snowball fight to swarm around her.
“They seem to adore you,” he remarked as the children resumed their battle.
“And I adore them.”
The general opened the front door to the Crystal Hotel, and Kathryne strode into the lobby with its hanging crystal chandelier and fleur-de-lis patterned carpet. She nodded to Noelle behind the registration desk then followed her father upstairs to the grand suite.
As he worked the key in the lock, the door flew open and her mother stood in the doorway, looking more beautiful than Kathryne remembered. Except for a few streaks of gray in her hair, Virginia O’Rourke hadn’t changed at all. “Kate!”
“Mama! I’ve missed you!” She flew into her mother’s open arms. Whereas the general had never been a man to show affection after she’d reached a certain age, Virginia O’Rourke had always shown twice as much. Hugs and kisses were frequent and lovingly g
iven.
“And I’ve missed you, my girl.” her mother said once they broke apart. “Let me look at you.”
Kathryne stood back as Virginia gazed deeply into her eyes. A smile tilted the corners of her mother’s mouth. “Ah,” she sighed, “coming here was the right decision.” Her eyes twinkled and her smile widened. “Well, let’s not stand here in the corridor. Come inside. Let me take your cape. It’s quite lovely. I love the fur around the collar. It matches your hair.”
Kathryne unbuttoned the cape, but instead of handing it to her mother, she laid it over a chair by the door.
They glided into the two-room suite and made themselves comfortable on the settee to the side of a roaring fire, the general preceding them and going straight into the bedroom. A silver tea service rested on a low table, one cup of tea already poured and doctored liberally with sweet cream. Through the open door to the bedroom, Kathryne could see their luggage lined up in front of the big, four-poster bed. Her father removed his coat, tossed it on the bed then picked up one of the smaller cases and began to unpack.
“You’re not angry with me?”
“Of course not, Kate. How could I be?” Virginia shrugged. “The minute you boarded the train, I knew you wouldn’t be going to Euphemia’s. Your father can be so bull-headed sometimes, but I knew. I always knew. Who did you always go to when you were in trouble, but Emy?” She poured another cup of tea from the silver server and passed it to Kathryne.
The tableau was so familiar—she and her mother sitting together, sharing gossip and news of the day, solving the world’s problems and if not the world’s, at least Kathryne’s. She looked at the dainty cup in her hand and her heart took a painful lurch in her chest. Out of all the things she missed—indoor plumbing, the opera and museums—these cozy chats with her mother, she missed most of all.
“Oh, Mama, I knew you’d understand.” Tears blurred Kathryne’s vision. “I just couldn’t go to Aunt Euphemia and God knows I’d never survive a convent.” She peeked into the bedroom and noticed the small case on the bed had been closed and joined the others on the floor. Her father stood by the bed, and looked around the room, as if he was searching for something he couldn’t find.
Virginia grinned and called, “They’re on the bureau.”
Kathryne grinned too as her father grabbed a long, thick cigar from the box on top of the bureau and popped it in his mouth. Now that’s how she remembered him best—with a cigar. She brought her attention back to her mother. “How long will you be staying?”
Virginia took a sip of tea and swallowed before she said, “As long as he thinks it will take him to convince you to come back to Washington.”
“But Mama, I’m not going back. I’ve already told him,” she whispered. “My home is here now.”
“I know, Kate.” Virginia smoothed her hand along Kathryne’s cheek then tucked her hair behind her ear. “Let him see how happy you are here. It won’t take him long to realize this is where you belong.” She tilted her head. “You are happy here, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Mama, I am.”
“Good. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you, dear heart.” The general joined them to pace in front of the fireplace, the thick cigar clamped between his lips, unlit. Virginia glanced at her husband and one eyebrow cocked over a twinkling brown eye. “Galen dear, why don’t you go downstairs and smoke your cigar? I’m certain there is a smoking parlor in this hotel. It seems to have all the amenities. Kate and I will meet you in the dining room after we’ve become reacquainted.”
The general harrumphed, but conceded to Virginia’s wishes without a word. As soon as Galen left the sitting room and closed the door behind him, Virginia grabbed Kathryne’s hand, her smile conspiratorial. “Tell me everything.”
Chapter Twenty
Edna placed Chase’s plate on the table in front of him. “Can I getcha anythin’ else?”
“No, thanks, Edna. This will be fine.” He grabbed a biscuit from the basket, slathered it with butter then dipped the flaky bit of dough into the puddle of gravy on his plate. He sat in the very back corner of the Wagon Wheel so he could have a clear view of the door, a habit he had acquired ever since he’d been shot. One never knew who would take one look at him and start trouble, which was the last thing he wanted—for either himself or for Edna and her husband.
He popped the gravy-smothered morsel into his mouth and chewed. The normally wonderful concoction didn’t taste as good as it usually did, but it wasn’t the food. It was himself. Since coming to Crystal Springs months ago, he’d practiced a patience that didn’t come naturally, but now, the waiting had become intolerable. He felt restless, unable to enjoy a simple pleasure—such as Edna’s flaky biscuits. He didn’t quite know what to do with himself while he waited for the day he and Colonel Barstow had chosen to buy the stolen rifles from Willow Creek. The letter they’d struggled over had been picked up from Laurel at the post office just yesterday. He knew because he’d been watching.
He hadn’t seen Kathryne either, since leaving the cottage two weeks ago. And he wanted to. Needed to, but he couldn’t, not until the rifles were in his possession and Townsend sat in jail. The urge to see her overwhelmed him, but if he went to her, he’d end up telling her everything. As difficult as it was, he forced himself to stay away. That didn’t stop him from dreaming of her.
The little bell above the door chimed and he glanced up from his plate of Yankee pot roast at the man Edna greeted warmly. His eyes widened and the biscuit stopped midway to his mouth as a smile spread his lips. “I’ll be damned,” he murmured and signaled to Edna.
She excused herself, suggesting the man sit anywhere he chose, and scurried to Chase’s table, swiping at the strands of gray hair that had escaped the bun at the back of her head. “More coffee?” She began to pour even before he replied.
“Would you do me a favor and steer that man over this way?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed and she drew in her breath. “Don’t want no trouble here, Chase.”
“No trouble, Edna. He’s an old friend.”
A few moments later, the man approached his table, hat in hand, expression guarded. “Yes, can I help you?”
Chase grinned. “Hello, Ty.”
Granted, it had been a long time since they’d seen each other, almost ten years in fact, and, yes, he’d changed a great deal, but slowly, the puzzled expression on Ty Kearney’s face transformed into one of recognition…and welcome.
“Chase.” He smirked. “My God, man, how long has it been? What are you doing here? Last I heard you were scouting for the army.”
“And you were going to law school.” Chase gestured to the chair across from him, but Ty chose a seat that also placed his back to the wall. He removed his coat and slung it across an empty chair, then pointed to the marshal’s badge pinned to his vest. “Never finished law school. Too boring. I just bring ‘em in now and let someone else do the trying.” He nodded as Edna swung by to fill his empty coffee cup and take his order, which he placed without looking at a menu. “Thank you, Edna.”
Once she walked away, he said, “I come by every few months and check in with Sheriff Townsend.” He took a sip of coffee, but his gaze never left Chase’s and suddenly, comprehension dawned in those brilliant blue eyes. “So you’re the man Townsend was complaining about.”
“One and the same.”
Ty put down his cup. His hand slowly slid off the table and rested near the pistol in his holster as the smile disappeared from his face. “You a gunfighter now? Kill people for a living?”
“You here to arrest me?”
His eyes glittered and narrowed. “Do I have reason to?”
Chase shook his head, but made sure he didn’t move another muscle. His grin remained in place so nothing he did could be misconstrued. “Hell, no.” He let out a sigh and slowly folded his hands on the tabletop. “It’s a long story.”
Ty’s muscles relaxed though his hand remained near the butt of his pistol. “I got time
.”
“You remember my brother, Evan?”
“Little shit who wanted to be just like you?” Ty let out a small chuckle. “I remember him. Where is he now?”
“Dead.”
“Aw, shit, Chase. What the hell happened?”
He and Ty had grown up together until adulthood took them in different directions. At one time, there was a deep and abiding trust between them. Was it still there? Did he dare trust him again? With only a moment’s hesitation, Chase came to a quick decision. He took a breath and started talking.
Edna kept a steady supply of coffee to fill their cups, but every time she came near, Chase shut his mouth. For their own protection, the information couldn’t be heard by anyone else. Still, while Ty ate a hearty meal of Edna’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy, Chase related the events that had brought him to Crystal Springs.
When he finished speaking, he pushed his plate away, the gravy now congealed and unappetizing. He removed the napkin from his lap and folded it neatly on the table, then pinned Ty with an intense stare. “What’s your opinion of Townsend?”
“About as useful as tits on a bull. I don’t trust him,” Ty admitted after a long time. “I think the power of his position has gone to his head, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he was corrupt.” His breath whistled through his teeth as his face reddened. “Doesn’t do his job, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. When Sheriff Anders was killed, he didn’t even bother to look into it, nor did he investigate any of the other murders around here. Anders was a good man as well as a friend. I always resented the fact his murder went unsolved.” Ty rubbed his chin between thumb and forefinger. “He was pretty quick to label you an outlaw, though.” He grew silent, his lips pressing together in a thin line. “Do you think he had something to do with Evan’s murder?”
“I know he did.” Chase tapped his knuckles on his chest over his heart as a long sigh escaped him. “In here, but as yet, I can’t prove it. I do know for a fact he helped steal the rifles, along with Corporal Henry and Cassandra Kinsbrough, the widow over on Willow Creek. Again, I have no proof, except what I’ve overheard and what I’ve deduced over the past couple months.” He rubbed his eyes, wiping away the moisture that blurred his vision. “I know my brother was ambushed, and I know where.”
A Good Man for Katie Page 24