Her Hometown Hero

by Margaret Daley

  “I was part of a New York ballet company.”

  Anna frowned. “Was?”

  “I’m recovering from an injury right now.”

  “We have a lot to do this morning, so let’s keep this moving.” Nate pointed at the boy next to Anna. “Your turn.”

  Although Kathleen heard their voices and saw their mouths moving as they talked, she couldn’t focus on the introductions and what followed after them. Maybe she’d better go see Madame Zoe this afternoon. The more she was around people, the harder it was to keep her situation a secret.

  Fifteen minutes later, the discussion about the fund-raiser had evolved into everyone trying to talk over one another. Nate raised his fingers to his mouth again. Kathleen caught the movement and quickly tugged his arm down, and then she stood.

  In almost a whisper she began to talk. “I think we should have a Western hoedown with square dancing, good food and live entertainment.”

  Anna quieted the kids around her. “Miss Somers, I’m sorry, but I didn’t hear everything you said.”

  When silence dominated the interior of the barn, Kathleen repeated what she’d said. “From what you all have been saying, some of you are musicians and could be the live entertainment, and what person doesn’t love good down-home cooking. For the people who don’t know how to square dance, we can have instructors to help them learn. You can charge an entrance fee for a night of fun. I think my brother probably can get a wagon or two for hayrides. For the ones who want to ride horses, this ranch has some good mounts.”

  Bud, the only one who hadn’t said a word besides Carrie, raised his hand. “I can be the caller for the square dances.”

  Everyone in the group nodded their heads and began calling out what they were good at and how they could help.

  After another loud whistle, Nate stood. “Thanks, Bud, for volunteering to be the caller. Great idea, Kit. It looks like you all are in agreement. Finally. We’ll go with a Western shindig. Debra, would you be our recorder and take down the duties different people volunteer for? We’ll need an adult and a teen in charge of entertainment, another pair for food, then also dance and other activities. Once the adults are assigned, the rest of you need to pick what you want to do.” He looked around the group and added, “In an orderly fashion.”

  After Bud and Howard volunteered for the dance and other activities, Beth immediately spoke up for the food.

  “Nate and Kit, I guess that leaves you two with entertainment. A show for people who come beyond the dance,” Howard said with a twinkle in his eye.

  Kathleen leaned close to Nate. “I never said I would be on the committee. I only agreed to come to this meeting.”

  “That’s fine. Do whatever you feel comfortable with, although I have to say we would be a good team with your background in dance and my...” Pure innocence bathed his features.

  She fought a grin demanding to be seen. Had he and Howard planned how they were going to persuade her to help with the fund-raiser? “And? What would your contribution be to this—partnership?”

  “I’d be great at implementing plans you come up with.”

  Laughter bubbled up in her. “In other words, you’ll be my assistant. I think I like that—that is, if I stay until the fund-raiser date. I might not, you know.”

  He nodded his head, his gaze trapping her for a long moment. “Duly warned.”

  She blinked and looked away. Their relationship hadn’t worked out in the past, and her life was much more complicated now. What in the world was she doing? Nate’s charm had always been enticing to her. The decision to break up with him had been the hardest one she’d ever made.

  “I need teen volunteers. You’ll be responsible for calling your friends in the group and recruiting more for each of the committees. We’ll need a small army to pull this off in six weeks. When you’ve found six more vict—” Nate coughed “—I mean, volunteers, let me know and also Debra, who will keep track of who is doing what. Okay?”

  After the big group broke up into the three smaller ones, Carrie came over to Kathleen. “I want to help you.”

  “Sure. I’d love your input. People at the fund-raiser will be bringing their children. I need to know what would be good entertainment for them and most likely your dad and Bud will need your opinion concerning activities.”

  “You know Jacob is gonna want to help, too.”

  “I figured. Where is he?”

  “He had baseball practice and couldn’t miss it. He can help Dad and Bud.”

  Nate came up to Carrie and Kathleen. “Let’s go outside and find a shady spot to talk about what we should do.”

  “The bench under the oak tree is a good place.” Kathleen wasn’t comfortable yet getting up and down from the ground. She still had some issues from a sitting position.

  “I’ll round up Debra, Anna and Steven and meet you there.” Before she moved away, Nate clasped her shoulder and bent toward her. “Save me a seat on the bench. Us old folks have to stay together.”

  “Old? Speak for yourself,” Kathleen said with a chuckle. The whole time every sense was acutely aware of Nate’s nearness—sweaty palms, a breathlessness attacking her lungs as if she and Nate were teens again.

  Five minutes later when he eased down next to her on the bench while the kids sat on the ground in front of them, she’d wondered how she had found herself in this situation—helping Nate with a fund-raiser that would take a great deal of time. Time she needed to figure out what she was going to do the rest of her life—not be sidetracked by Nate.

  * * *

  “I could have driven myself to see Madame Zoe.” Kit sat in the passenger seat in Nate’s truck as he pulled onto the highway and headed for Cimarron City later Saturday afternoon.

  “No doubt you could, but both Howard and Beth were using their cars and the truck left behind has a manual transmission. If I remember correctly, you had a hard time driving stick years ago. Has that changed?”

  “It hasn’t,” she admitted. “But Beth was going to be back in a while and she could have taken me or leant me her car.”

  “Maybe. You know Beth, and you told Madame Zoe you’d be there at two. When is Beth on time to be somewhere? Madame Zoe is a stickler for promptness, isn’t she?”

  Kit threw up her hands. “Okay. You’ve made your point. I should accept your help graciously and quit saying I can drive myself. Besides, I haven’t driven with my prosthetic leg yet and that could be an adjustment. Actually I haven’t driven much at all in the past years while in New York. No reason to.”

  Nate slanted a look at her, noting the tension he’d seen the days before in her had eased. She’d actually laughed today several times and had jumped into the planning of the fund-raiser better than he’d hoped. His goal was to give her something to do to take her mind off her problems. Sitting in the cabin dwelling on her lost leg and career would only make those problems worse. He wanted to see her driven determination back.

  “You can drop me off, and I’ll see if Beth or Howard can pick me up later or I can take a cab to the ranch.”

  “Cimarron City only has the one cab company, and you know as well as I do that they’re not exactly the fastest to reply to a call. If I take you, I’m certainly going to bring you back to the ranch. I have to go into the clinic to check on a couple of animals. I’ll return after that. If you’re not through talking to her, I can wait. I want to show you something after that.” Which was one of the reasons he suggested to Beth that he could drive Kit.

  “Show me what?”

  “Somehow I knew you would ask that. It’s a surprise. One I think you’ll like.” At least he hoped she would.

  “You know how much I hate surprises. I could refuse to go with you.”

  At the stoplight Nate shifted toward her to gauge her feelings. Kit’s emotions were rarely hidden on
her face. “You could, but I hope you won’t. Trust me, Kit.”

  “Okay. Don’t give me a reason not to.”

  “Have I ever?”

  Her eyes gleamed. “No. But then we haven’t been around each other in years.”

  “I’m going to try not to be offended by that comment.” He sat forward and pressed his foot on the accelerator when the light turned green.

  He was taking a risk with his plan to bring Kit to Caring Canines to meet Lexie after her visit with Madame Zoe. He knew she still wasn’t convinced she should take the dog, and that she might think he was overstepping. And maybe she’d be right...but because of their past, he felt he needed to help Kit find a direction for her life. In a way, it was what she had done for him. He realized if she hadn’t insisted on calling off their long-distance relationship he might never have become a veterinarian. He’d been close to dropping out of Auburn and following her wherever she went so they could be together. He hadn’t wanted to play football and yet he’d felt trapped. He’d thought dropping out to be with her would be a way out of his problems. When she left him behind, he was forced to take stock of his life and decide what he truly wanted to do for himself.

  By his senior year he’d found a way to fund the rest of his schooling with another scholarship and loans so that he could drop his football scholarship. He’d turned his focus to his career—as a vet, not as a pro football player, although he’d had prospects in that regard. He loved his job and hoped Kit found something to care about like he did.

  When he pulled up to the dance studio, he switched off the truck and started to get out.

  “I can manage by myself. Call me when you’re out front again.”

  Nate relaxed back in his seat and watched Kit limp toward the front door. Alone. Would she continually fight any help offered?

  * * *

  Kathleen watched Madame Zoe’s students disperse after she dismissed them, keeping back and partially hidden from view by an antique walnut wardrobe cabinet. Not far from her hung one of the photos Madame Zoe had of Kathleen. In this picture she was dressed as a firebird from the ballet by that name. She prayed no one saw her and said something. It had taken her an hour after the teens left the ranch to get up the courage to call Madame Zoe and ask if she could come talk to her. Her mentor had been thrilled, but then she didn’t know the reason behind Kathleen’s visit.

  When the hallway cleared, Kathleen headed for the dance studio before she lost her nerve and fled. Madame Zoe had always pushed her to do better and never accepted anything but perfection. What would her mentor think of her now? She’d never put on her pointe ballet shoes again and do a pirouette—she shuddered to think of attempting one. She’d been known for her flawless pirouettes.

  At the doorway Kathleen paused, took a deep fortifying breath and stepped into the room.

  Madame Zoe caught sight of Kathleen in the mirror and swept around with a huge smile on her face, the warmth of it contrasting with the woman’s meticulous appearance, her dark hair pulled back in a severe bun. “What a treat to see you. How long are you staying this time?”

  “Awhile.” She covered the distance to her mentor.

  “Ah, your injury is still giving you a problem. I heard you were sitting out the rest of the season.”

  “What else have you heard?” Maybe Madame Zoe knew, and Kathleen wouldn’t have to say the words.

  “Only that you were hit by a car when the driver ran a red light, and that you’d been replaced in Wonderland. A friend from Tulsa had been in New York and went to see the ballet. Of course, I wasn’t that surprised since your accident occurred just two weeks before that.” Her former teacher tilted her head to the left and looked her up and down. “When will you be able to return to ballet?”

  Kathleen coated her parched throat and said, “Never.”

  Madame Zoe paled, her mouth dropping open. “If it’s a matter of getting back into dance shape, I’ll help you with that.”

  Kathleen shook her head, her vision blurring. “I could do that, no matter how tough the work would be. That’s not it. My leg was amputated below the knee.”

  “No!” Madame Zoe grasped the barre behind her. “Not you. You had such promise.” Tears welled in her mentor’s eyes as she released the wooden bar and advanced to Kathleen. Her arms engulfed her in a hug. “My child, I’m so sorry. My heart breaks for you.”

  Why had she thought Madame Zoe would be disappointed? Her former teacher had always cared about her even when she was pushing her to do better.

  When Madame Zoe pulled back and cupped Kathleen’s face, the worry furrowed her mentor’s forehead. “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know. That’s my dilemma.” I’m not going to cry. I have to start looking for some answers.

  “I’m surprised Gordon Simms didn’t say anything to me.”

  The conversation with the man who ran the ballet company had almost been as difficult as talking to the woman who had trained her from an early age. “I asked him not to tell anyone the extent of my injury.” The dance world was a small one, and she didn’t want to deal with everyone knowing. Only Gordon and a few close, trusted friends in the company knew in New York.

  “So you’ll be here for a while?”

  “I have nothing drawing me back to New York. I sublet my apartment for a couple of months. But I’m not sure staying here is the answer, either.”

  “Why not for a while? I have something you could help me with. The Summer Dance Academy.”

  “I can’t dance and my secretarial skills are nonexistent.”

  “But you know how to dance and teach. You did those last two years you helped me with my classes. My friend told me Wonderland was great, beautifully choreographed. She said you were listed as one of the choreographers. You still have a lot to offer the dance world.”

  “No, that life is over with.” Kathleen backed away from her mentor. She’d spent the last four months telling herself that, and she wasn’t going to get her hope up only to have it dashed. She couldn’t be on the fringes and regret every day she wasn’t out on the floor doing the ballet steps. “I can’t demonstrate anything like a pirouette for the students so how am I supposed to get them to do it correctly?” It was one thing to help Carrie, but others were out of the question.

  “You’ll be surprised what can be done with a little ingenuity. Don’t give up yet. Work for me this summer and see what you can do. Please.”

  “Please” was rarely spoken by Madame Zoe. She demanded from her students—nothing ever given as a request.

  “I don’t see how that’s possible.” Kathleen swung around and hurried as fast as she could from the room.

  How could Madame Zoe say that to her? It was cruel to give her a glimpse of what she loved when reality would set in and end that dream.

  Chapter Six

  As Nate left the Harris Animal Hospital, his cell phone rang. He quickly answered it. “Are you ready for me to pick you up, Kit?”

  “Yes.”

  Although Kit had only said one word, the tremble in her voice concerned him. “How did it go?” He unlocked his truck, climbed into his cab and started the engine. “Hello? Are you still there?”

  “Yes. See you in a few minutes.” Then she hung up.

  He’d been afraid Madame Zoe would show disappointment in Kit, and obviously by the sound of Kit’s voice, the older woman had. Maybe when she saw Lexie later, the poodle would have a good effect on her. He’d tried to help but each time she had rejected his aid. In the past Kit had always been independent, but when she had been hurting, she’d turned to him.

  Father, she needs You and the people who care about her. Help her to see that and accept she can’t always do it alone.

  He turned down the street where the dance studio was located. Kit leaned against the side of the b
rick building. When she saw him, she hobbled to the curb and pulled herself up into the truck using the handhold. For a few seconds their gazes touched before she looked away, staring out the side window. But not before he’d glimpsed the deep sadness in her eyes. It tore at his composure.

  He wanted to ask her again what had happened, but his gut instinct told him not to push, to give her time to decide what she wanted to say. She used to confide in him. Would she again? Or had too much changed between them? Were even the threads of their friendship gone?

  He headed out of Cimarron City, but when he should have gone straight on the highway to reach the Soaring S Ranch, he turned left onto another road that led to Caring Canines.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, still facing toward the passenger door.

  “To show you my surprise.”

  “Oh, I forgot about that.” Then she fell silent again and didn’t say another word until he pulled up in front of the large kennel at Dominic Winters’s ranch that housed the Caring Canines organization.

  Her teeth digging into her bottom lip, she swiveled around to face him. “Why are we here? I haven’t agreed to take a therapy dog.”

  “I wanted to show you Lexie. Emma has a couple of more days training, and then the poodle can be yours. I wanted you to meet her beforehand.”

  “No. No.” Tears coursing down Kit’s cheeks, she averted her head again.

  He clenched his teeth so tightly, pain shot down his neck. He hadn’t wanted to ask again, but couldn’t keep from asking, “What happened with Madame Zoe?”

  Her eyes shiny with sorrow, she looked at him. “I finally realized I’m never going to dance again. I think until I saw the place where I learned ballet the possibility was always there in the back of my mind, even if it wasn’t logical. But now that’s gone. What am I going to do?”

  Emotions he’d fought so hard to keep buried demanded release. He wanted to reach out and comfort her, to pull her into his arms the way he would have once...but he resisted the urge. No, Kit would not hurt him again. He could be a friend, and if that didn’t work, then he would walk away because he knew he’d never come first in her life.