Soul Mates

by Carol Finch

  Hesitantly, she slipped her hand into his, though she couldn’t quite meet his gaze. Her heart bled when he brought her hand to his lips and grazed her knuckles with a kiss. The old Katy would have pressed up on tiptoe, flung her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. The new Katy didn’t dare take initiative, because old habits died hard.

  “Thanks, Katy, you’ll never know how badly I needed to do that. Just touch you, I mean.”

  Gently, Nate squeezed her clammy hand. He could tell she was self-conscious, wary and nervous as hell. Already, he was moving so slowly and cautiously with her that it nearly killed him. But if slow and cautious were the only ways of drawing Katy from her self-imposed shell, then he would damned well inch along like a snail.

  Never in his life had he expected to count his progress in inches. But hey, even a snail got somewhere—eventually—Nate reminded himself.

  Hand in hand, Nate and Katy strode down the hall. Nate was careful not to pull her behind him, because he suspected that bastard she’d married had pulled and dragged her around constantly. Nate made damned sure he and Katy remained on equal footing.

  “I’m anxious for you to see my house,” Nate continued on the way down the steps. “I built it on the same spot where the shack used to sit. It seemed symbolic and necessary to erect my future on the ashes of the past.”

  She slipped her hand from his, then limped toward the kitchen. “Maybe I can come out some other time, Nate. I have to deliver the casserole and pick up Tammy from school.”

  “I’d be glad to drive you.” Nate flashed what he hoped was his most engaging grin. “Surely you aren’t going to deprive me of the chance of seeing Skinny Alice again, are you? A real knockout these days, you say?”

  It came again. A smile—one shade brighter than the first. Still, though, it didn’t reach Katy’s eyes and make them sparkle with the inner spirit he remembered from the old days. But when a man was counting his progress in quarter-inch increments, he took what he got and was glad of it.

  Katy knew it was a mistake to allow herself to associate with Nate, even for a few hours. They were too different these days, and she had nothing to offer except limited friendship. But darn, it was hard to say no to that charming grin, to the incredibly handsome man who appealed to her on so many levels. The fact that she was still impossibly attracted to Nate assured Katy that not all her emotions were frozen solid. She simply couldn’t resist that compelling field around him that offered strength, comfort and pleasure.

  “You and Tammy can stay for supper,” Nate invited. “Fuzz would love the company. He spent so many years cruising around all by his lonesome in the patrol car that he’s practically talked my ears off since he moved in with me.”

  “So the rumor circulating around town is true? Fuzz does live with you?”

  Nate nodded. “Yep, I designed the house to accommodate him. It is my way of repaying him for giving me a second chance, though I had to promise not to make contact with you or anyone else after I left. Otherwise, I would face punishment at the judge’s hands.”

  Katy flinched. Her father had gone to extremes to ensure that she had no future contact with the young man she had fallen hopelessly in love with at the tender age of sixteen. Dave Bates had known how to break her spirit and bend her to his will. He had taken away the only person who meant something to Katy. Her father had made Nate disappear and left her with no hope of his return.

  Katy shoved aside the bitter thoughts to inform Nate of what he was up against in town. “According to Lester Brown, you moved the former sheriff in with you so you would have good connections, in case you ran into trouble with the law during your drug dealings.”

  Nate blinked in surprise. “That’s the scuttlebutt in town? Well hell, Lester doesn’t miss a trick, does he?”

  “I wanted to pop him in the mouth when he blurted out that lie at the café today,” Katy muttered.

  The comment, spoken with more emotion than Nate had seen, or heard, Katy display, gave him hope. Katy had obviously become a master at maintaining a neutral tone for fear of igniting her husband’s volatile temper. But she was obviously offended by Lester Brown’s attempt to turn the town against Nate.

  “Thanks, Katy, I’m glad to hear you’re in my corner, even if you didn’t wallop Lester upside the head. So…will you come with me tonight?”

  Nate could tell by the way she sidestepped that she was still reluctant to break her habit of avoiding men. Nate reached out slowly, so as not to startle her, then took her hand in his.

  “I doubt that anyone else in town would accept the invitation, me being a no-account drug lord who has surrounded himself with hoodlums and headquartered at my house where I keep a former law official under my roof. But I really would like to show off the place to someone. I really would like for that someone to be you, Kat.”

  “Okay,” she said finally. “But just for a little while. I’m sure Tammy has homework, so I don’t want to keep her out late.”

  Another small victory, Nate thought as he strode over to grab a hot pad so he could scoop up the casserole. Although he had developed the Midas touch when it came to financial investments, his profits seemed insignificant in comparison to coaxing Katy from her house, to spend time with him.

  How far do you plan to take this crusade of yours, Nate? he asked himself on the way to his car. Given the rumors circulating around Coyote Flats, Katy might catch flack because of her association with you. For God’s sake, don’t hurt her more than she’s already been hurt!

  Nate wondered if maybe he had jumped the gun by trying to draw Katy from her hermitage so soon after his return. Maybe he should have waited until he had earned the trust and acceptance of the citizens first—if ever. Maybe Fuzz was right in criticizing his methods and strategy of constructing a branch office of Sunrise Oil Company in town without announcing ownership. Maybe he had screwed up after only a week in his hometown.

  Yet, one look at Katy slumped on the bucket seat renewed his determined resolve. Teaching Katy to live again had become his number one priority. If he had to take on the lynch mob, commandeered by Lester Brown and his sidekick, then he would. Nate owed Katy for building up his ego all those years ago, for believing in him, for offering her innocence to him with such extraordinary trust and affection.

  Somehow, he was going to make this work, he told himself. Even if Lester had the citizens of Coyote Flats believing the devil incarnate had returned to town, hurling pitchforks and breathing fire, he was going to give this economically strained town the boost it needed.

  Of course, there was a strong possibility that he would have to drag the residents—kicking and screaming—every damn step of the f—

  Nate came to a mental halt. He was not going to start slinging around derivatives of the F word, just because he had returned to his old stomping ground. He had reinvented himself and he was not—repeat not with great emphasis!—going to backpedal.

  “Every blessed step of the way,” he corrected himself aloud.

  Katy stared curiously at him. “Pardon?”

  “Nothing.” Nate flashed a grin. “I was just talking to myself. Now, give me directions to Skinny Alice’s place. I can’t wait to take a gander at the male magnet you claim she has become.”

  Katy watched Alice Rother Phelps recoil in the doorway of her expensive brick home when she realized who was standing behind Katy. “N-Nate Channing?” she stuttered, wide-eyed.

  Katy felt the fierce need to protect Nate from Alice’s stunned reaction. Nate had been hurt enough by the citizens of this town. Knowing she was the reason Nate had been sent away left Katy feeling personally responsible for ensuring that he was granted a new start in Coyote Flats.

  Smiling, Katy extended the casserole to her longtime friend. “Hi, Ali. I’m glad to see that you recognized Nate. He looks wonderful, doesn’t he? He has become exceptionally successful since he left town.”

  When Ali frowned dubiously, Katy realized her friend had been treated to
a heavy dose of negative gossip about Nate.

  “Don’t pay the slightest attention to the lies Lester Brown has been spreading.” Katy practically shoved the casserole at Alice, who was still frozen to the tiled floor of her entryway, still gaping at Nate. “I brought chicken cacciatore so you wouldn’t have to scramble around to fix supper tonight. What did Dr. Wilson have to say about Tony’s arm?”

  Alice shook herself from her daze and accepted the baking dish. “Tony is going to be fine.” Her gaze bounced back to Nate, then she refocused on Katy. “It was a clean break that didn’t require surgery, just a plaster cast.”

  “We’re all very thankful for that,” Katy replied.

  “Breaking an arm is tough on a youngster,” Nate added. “Is your son active in sports?”

  Alice bobbed her head jerkily. “Yes, Tony loves to play baseball and football. Hopefully, the cast will come off before we get into the thick of baseball season.”

  “Glad to hear it,” Nate replied. “I’ll have to stop by the park this summer and catch a game. What position does Tony play?”

  “Um…”

  When Ali hesitated, Katy’s hackles went up. She predicted that Ali had been led to believe that Nate wanted to contact youngsters so he could get them addicted to drugs. Damn that Lester Brown! He was poisoning everyone’s opinion of Nate, long before he had the chance to prove himself.

  “Er…he plays first base,” Ali said eventually. “Uh…thanks for the casserole, Katy. That was very thoughtful of you.”

  “I’m glad to be of help.”

  With a decisive click, the door shut in Katy’s and Nate’s faces. Annoyed by Ali’s leery attitude, Katy wheeled around and stamped off the porch.

  “Katy?”

  She half turned to meet Nate’s smile. “What?”

  “Thank you for standing up for me. No one else around here would have done that. It means a lot to me.”

  “This is so unfair. I’d like to strangle Lester Brown and John Jessup for what they are trying to do to you.”

  Nate caught up with her in two long strides. Reflexively, Katy outdistanced him, then slowed her pace. She reminded herself that she was no longer dealing with Brad. It was Nate who was on her heels, and he had no intention of roughing her up. That had never been Nate’s style. Katy had to stop reacting to Nate the way she had reacted to Brad in order to protect herself. But damn it, years of terror and torment were difficult to forget.

  Although Katy was irritated with Ali’s cool reception, Nate didn’t let it bother him. He was too elated that Katy had emerged from her shell long enough to come to his defense. Quick as a wink, she had done exactly as she had done in the old days. It gave Nate a warm, fuzzy feeling to know that a smidgen of the past history between them was still alive and breathing. Deep down, buried beneath Katy’s heartache and anguish, she still cared about his feelings. That was a start. If he could get her to care about him, he prayed he could get her to care about herself again, too.

  “You were right about Alice,” Nate said as he caught up with Katy. “She did blossom. Pretty face and attractive figure. Did Cody Phelps leave his wife for Alice?”

  Katy resettled her ruffled feathers as she limped to the car. “No. Mandy suffered from the same affliction of roving eye that ruined my brother’s marriage. Cody was hesitant to get involved with another woman. He was humiliated when his ex-wife married his best friend the day the divorce was final. But Alice caught Cody’s eye and they hit it off from the beginning.”

  Although Katy had seemed ill at ease each time he was alone with her, Nate noticed she was beginning to warm up to him. Conversation was coming more easily for her since he had tried his best to reassure her that he would never be the slightest threat to her. However, he reminded himself, Katy was probably still irritated and distracted by Alice’s wary attitude toward him. But whatever the reason, Katy didn’t freeze up the second they were enclosed in his car.

  “I should have tossed that blasted casserole in Ali’s face when she reacted to you like that,” Katy huffed. “I’ve never seen her act like that before, and I prefer not to again!”

  For a moment, Nate could only stare at her in amazement. Signs of misplaced spirit erupted from nowhere. Katy Marie Bates, champion for lost causes and underdogs, might have stopped living for herself, but nothing could smother her innate need to come to someone else’s rescue and defense.

  She could cope adequately when she confronted another woman, Nate amended. Katy was still noticeably unsure of herself when dealing with those of the male persuasion.

  “What are you grinning about?” Katy demanded suddenly. “There was nothing amusing about the way Ali treated you.”

  Chuckling at Katy’s forceful tone, he turned the key in the ignition. “You remind me of how you used to stand up for me back in high school, when your cliquish friends insisted that you should tell me to get lost, because I wasn’t good enough to hang around you.”

  She stared straight ahead, hands folded in her lap. “They were wrong then, and folks in town are wrong now. And I do have my moments occasionally, when I can’t help but speak up,” she explained. “Injustice still rubs me the wrong way.”

  “Good. I’m not too crazy about rejection and injustice, either.”

  “Speaking of injustice…” Katy’s voice trailed off and her shoulders slumped. Although she had gotten fired up by Ali’s attitude toward Nate, she still couldn’t bring herself to tell him what her father had done to him. He had the right to know, and she needed to tell him.

  Later, she promised herself. But not now. She wasn’t going to spoil the evening for Nate. He was anxious to show off his new home. Nate had encountered one negative reaction tonight already. If she told him about her father’s devious betrayal, it would ruin his cheerful mood.

  “You were saying?” Nate prompted when she lapsed into silence.

  “Nothing important,” she mumbled. “If you will stop at the gymnasium I’ll round up Tammy.”

  While Nate drove like the responsible, law-abiding citizen he had become, Katy studied his handsome profile. Broken dreams swirled through her mind. She caught herself wondering if she and Nate could make a new beginning. Yet, as quickly as the whimsical thought gelled, Katy quashed it. She wanted the very best for Nate, wanted him to find someone who was whole and complete and eager to offer him the intimate pleasures of a healthy, meaningful relationship.

  Katy knew she was no longer that woman. She would only torment herself if she tried to welcome a man’s sexual advances after the hell Brad had put her through.

  Just friends, Katy convinced herself. That was all she and Nate could be now.

  “Wow! Awesome!” Tammy exclaimed as she bounded into the back seat of Nate’s Lincoln. “Man, this is sweet.”

  “In case you’re out of touch with teenage jargon, that means Tammy really likes your car,” Katy translated.

  “Geez, this is even fancier than Dad’s car,” Tammy rattled on.

  “Say hello, Tammy,” Katy prompted her impolite niece.

  “Oh, sorry. Nice to see you again, Nate,” Tammy said, smiling sheepishly.

  “How are the decorations for the basketball coronation coming along?” Nate asked.

  “It’s going just as I expected. The girls are doing all the work, and the jocks are lounging around, trying to out-cool one another.” Tammy pulled a face. “The guys think making posters and stringing banners is girls’ work.”

  “Being male, I suspect the guys are simply strutting their stuff to gain your notice,” Nate replied. “It comes with their hormones.”

  “Well, I wish they would quit crowing and help out. Chad Parker was the only one willing to lend a hand. Of course, everybody ragged him for being there at all, because he doesn’t play basketball and isn’t allowed to mix with the guys who do.”

  Nate cast Katy a discreet glance, certain the Chad whom Tammy had mentioned was the one who had come knocking at the back door earlier this evening. Katy, however, didn�
�t change expression.

  “Did Chad back off after the other boys ridiculed him?” Katy asked.

  “Naw, he climbed up the ladder to tape the banners on the wall, then helped me set up the archway for the coronation.”

  The kid must have it bad for Tammy, Nate decided. Chad Parker had withstood the taunts and teasing just to be near Tammy. Nate could relate to that. He had been there and done that in the old days, grabbing for any excuse to spend time with Katy.

  “Do you have much homework tonight?” Nate asked as he cruised past the city limits.

  “Naw, just a few algebra problems that I didn’t have time to finish in class. Aunt Katy said we get to take a tour of your new house. Cool!”

  “And stay for supper if that doesn’t cut into your homework time,” Nate added.

  “Really?” Tammy grinned at him in the rearview mirror, then darted a glance at the back of Katy’s head. “That’s fine by me.”

  Nate had the unmistakable feeling that Tammy had in mind to do a little matchmaking. That was fine by him, too. But he doubted Katy was going to be cooperative. He felt her withdrawing from him as the minutes ticked by. It was as if she had suddenly remembered that it was important to keep an emotional distance from those around her, to discourage Nate from expecting more than a platonic friendship.

  Ah, if only Nate could have been satisfied with that. He wasn’t sure he could. Every moment spent with Katy left him yearning to recapture the closeness they had once shared. Yet, considering the damaging gossip that was swirling around him, he couldn’t tolerate the thought of Katy being caught up in the backdraft. He had to find a way to make this work, to rejuvenate her spirit, he told himself. But Lester Brown, that cantankerous old hound, wasn’t going to make it easy on anyone who paid Nate the slightest attention.

  “Whoa! That house is so huge!” Tammy erupted when she caught sight of Nate’s home. “Looks like something a movie star might live in.”

  “I’m glad you approve.” Nate tossed Tammy a grin. “Since I don’t claim to be any authority on class and style, I consulted architects, landscape experts and interior designers for guidance….”