“Please, Gabe? I know I’m asking a lot, but I won’t be able to sleep tonight until things are settled. And I can’t go back by myself.”
Gabe stood there, staring at Jack, his mind racing, remembering the pain he’d felt. There hadn’t been anyone he could talk to about Katie. No one knew they’d made love. Or that he’d proposed marriage. And been rejected.
Until he’d told Cal, he’d kept that secret, letting it fester for ten years.
He couldn’t abandon Jack, not after he’d had the courage to tell someone, to seek help.
“Okay,” Gabe agreed.
“You’ll go with me? You’ll talk to Katherine?” Jack asked, leaping to his feet. “Right now?”
Gabe reached over and took Cinnamon from Jack. The puppy had been frightened by Jack’s sudden move. “Yeah, right now.” He had to get it over with before he lost his nerve.
After soothing Cinnamon, he put the puppy in her box, rewound the ticking clock and turned to tell Jack he was ready.
Jack was waiting at the door.
“SUSAN,” Katherine finally said in exasperation, “you’re planning on going to college in a year, aren’t you?”
“Of course I am. You know—”
“Yes, I know, but how about you stay home with Mom. After all, she’ll be alone once you’re gone.”
“What? That’s not fair! Besides, you’ll be here.”
Katherine felt anger rise in her and carefully tamped it down. “Did it ever occur to you that I might not always want to take care of all of you? That I might want a life of my own?”
She regretted her words at once. The stricken look on Susan’s face showed how her words had affected her little sister.
“Sweetie, I’m sorry,” she hurriedly said, reaching out to hug her.
Susan pushed her away. “Fine. Go. We didn’t ask you to be a martyr!”
No, they hadn’t asked her to turn down Gabe’s offer. She’d made that choice, and she knew it was the right one. What was wrong with her today? Usually she kept her emotions in tight check. But today she’d—
“Katie?” her mother called, and Katherine heard panic in her voice.
She hurried to the door. She’d deal with Susan later. “What is it, Mom?”
“Jack! Jack is here.”
“I’ll be right there.” She turned to look at her sister. “If you can’t behave, stay in your room.” Harsh words, but Susan needed to do some growing up, to think of someone other than herself.
When she got to the kitchen, the new arrival had already come in. New arrivals. The shock of seeing Gabe behind Jack threw Katherine.
Would this day never end?
“Hello, Jack, Gabe,” she said, trying to sound as if their appearance was a normal occurrence.
Jack said nothing, staring at Margaret, who was preparing dinner and keeping her gaze on the potatoes she was creaming.
Gabe cleared his throat. “Uh, Jack and I—that is, we wondered if we could visit.”
“Of course. Jack knows he’s always welcome here.” When Gabe winced at her words, she hurriedly added, “And you, too, Gabe, even though it’s been a long time.” Hysterical laughter bubbled up in her. Oh, yeah, he was always welcome. Why not torture her by dropping in?
Margaret muttered something that no one heard.
“What, Mom?” Katherine asked, leaning closer.
“We have plenty of food.” Margaret cast her a pleading look.
Ah. “Have you two eaten? We’re running a little late tonight with dinner, but we’d be pleased if you’d join us.”
Before they could answer, Paul burst in the back door. “Sorry I’m late, Mom, but—Gabe! You came to see us!”
The pleasure on her brother’s face made Katherine want to cry again.
“You didn’t speak to Jack,” Katherine urged quietly.
“Oh, sorry, Mr. Ledbetter,” Paul said, smiling at the older man. “I was just so happy to see Gabe here.”
Jack shook Paul’s hand. “I understand.”
“Mom’s almost got dinner ready. Why don’t you go wash up and, uh, tell Susan we’ve got company for dinner.”
Paul frowned. “Why isn’t Suse here helping?”
Everyone seemed to be staring at her. Katherine took a deep breath. “Just do as I asked, Paul.”
After Paul left the room, Jack stepped forward. “Look, I don’t want to cause you any more trouble. And if Margaret says the word, I’ll leave, but I love your mother.”
Margaret gasped, then started crying again.
Jack immediately crossed the room and wrapped her in his arms, trying to soothe her. Katherine looked at Gabe, wondering why he was here.
As if he read her mind, he hurriedly said, “Jack came to me, for support and advice because I’d talked to him earlier today. I actually encouraged him to go ahead and propose. But I didn’t know—”
He stopped and looked away, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Oh, yes. That’s when he’d thought Jack was going to propose to her. He wanted her married…to someone else. Did she need any more proof that he no longer cared for her? That her kiss today only affected her?
“I see. Well, you can help set the table.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t stay.”
She glared at him. “You’re staying.” After opening the cabinet, she took six plates out and handed them to him.
With a nervous look at the couple across the room, he began placing them on the table.
Katherine joined him with silverware and napkins.
They worked in silence until the table was ready.
“Mom? Did you finish the potatoes?”
Jack looked up. “Your mother can’t—”
“Yes, she can, Jack,” Katherine insisted. She believed her mother would pull herself together to feed her family. And Katherine needed someone to stop crying. “We’ll all feel better when we’ve eaten.”
When Susan followed a tight-lipped Paul into the kitchen, Katherine only prayed she was right.
CONVERSATION WAS AWKWARD at dinner. Gabe was grateful for Paul’s efforts. He and the boy talked about the local football team’s last season, the baseball team’s record. Jack even joined in about the baseball team. It seemed he was a baseball fan.
The three women said almost nothing.
When the meal was over, Gabe started to excuse himself. Katherine stopped him with a glare. Why did she want him to stay? It wasn’t any of his business.
“Paul, do you have time to milk Betsy before you start your homework?” she asked, smiling at her brother.
“Sure,” the boy agreed, and excused himself.
Then she turned to her sister. “Susan, you need to gather the eggs.”
Gabe expected an explosion. The girl had been ticking like a time bomb the entire meal, growing tighter and tighter with anger.
But after a glare at her sister, Susan left the kitchen without saying anything.
He watched Katie compose herself. It was clear who was in charge of the family. Margaret Peters had done nothing to help the situation. Gabe tried to think back to the few times he’d been at their home. He hadn’t paid a lot of attention to Margaret. His attention had been on Katie. It seemed to him, as he thought back, that her father had dominated the household.
“Jack,” she began with a smile, “Mom and I had a long talk this afternoon. We both owe you an apology.”
“No! Not at all,” Jack hurriedly said, his anxious glance going to Margaret.
“Yes, we do,” Katie insisted. “Susan is a teenager and thinks the world revolves around her. While I haven’t convinced her yet that that’s not true, I will.”
“I didn’t mean to upset her,” Jack said, his gaze still on Margaret, a pleading look in his eyes. He was rewarded by a tiny smile from his love.
“We both know that,” Katie assured him.
Gabe remembered Katie’s generous nature, her sunny smile. She’d been nothing but a teenager when he’d proposed. When she’d lost
her father. Yet she’d coped.
An awkward silence settled in.
Katie said, “Mom, don’t you have something to say to Jack?”
Margaret shot a panicked look at her daughter. Then, as if gathering her courage, she stared at her plate. Finally, when Gabe was ready to demand she speak, she raised her head and stared at Jack. “I love you.”
That ended the conversation. Jack sprang from his chair, pulled Margaret up into his arms and kissed her.
Gabe had tried to avoid all thoughts of the kiss Katie had given him earlier in the day. After all, he’d kissed other women in the past ten years. More passionately than today’s kiss. Longer. With the intention of satisfying his hunger.
But they never had.
He dismissed that thought and cleared his throat.
The two older people broke apart, both flushed, and looked everywhere but at their audience.
Katie glared at Gabe. “Did you have to ruin a romantic moment?”
Anger washed through him. “No, that’s your specialty. At least it was ten years ago!”
Chapter Seven
“This is not about us!” Katherine hissed, unable to believe he’d said anything about ten years ago.
“Yes, it is. Because I think you did the same thing your mother is doing now.”
“What’s he talking about?” Margaret asked in a wavery voice.
“Nothing, Mom. Don’t worry about it. Why don’t you and Jack go into the living room and discuss your plans?”
“I’m talking about Katie turning down my marriage proposal,” Gabe said loudly.
A loud gasp behind them had the two men turning around to discover Susan standing there with a pail filled with eggs, shock on her face. “You turned down Gabe?” she asked, horror in her voice.
Katherine stiffened her shoulders. “You needn’t make it sound like I committed murder, Susan.”
“Why?” Paul asked, standing behind Susan.
“Yeah, Katie, why don’t you tell them? Tell them about the man you fell in love with after your dad died.”
She glared at Gabe. Was the man sadistic? Why was he doing this?
Paul and Susan looked at each other, then back at her.
“I don’t remember anyone,” Paul said, frowning.
“Except dorky Darrell,” Susan added. “But that was a couple of years later.”
“Dorky?” Gabe said softly.
Katherine wanted to wring Susan’s neck. Her sister had never liked Darrell. But Gabe shouldn’t be looking so pleased at Susan’s description of her dead husband.
Margaret spoke again. “You turned down a proposal from Gabe? When?”
Katherine refused to answer. But Gabe didn’t.
“I intended to propose the weekend after your husband died, Mrs. Peters. But I waited a couple of weeks. That’s when Katie told me there was someone else. At the time I believed her. Now I’m thinking she did the same thing you’re doing now. Refusing to marry me because of her family.”
“Gabe, that’s enough!” Katherine snapped. “That’s ancient history.”
“I think it’s time to dig up the dead bodies,” he said, a determined look on his face.
“Dead bodies?” Margaret asked, puzzled.
Katherine couldn’t handle any more. “Fine. But we’ll do it in private. Outside!” She charged from the kitchen, not bothering to see if he followed her.
It was a peaceful night, but Katherine wasn’t calm. Life had been dull since Darrell’s death, but she hadn’t complained. Much.
And she never would again.
Footsteps sounded on the porch and she spun around.
“How dare you drag our personal business out in front of my family!”
“Whoa, lady. As you said, it’s ancient history.”
“Yes, it is! And you’re right. I lied to you. It makes no difference now.”
“You lied to me because you didn’t think I could handle your family problems?”
“How could you, Gabe? Your parents were supporting you and you had three years of law school before you. What should I have done? Asked you to give up law school? Asked you to wait three years? Or ten years? Asked you to saddle yourself with an entire family?”
“None of those options would have hurt as much as your lie,” he insisted, his jaw squaring.
“Really? You were so seriously wounded you got engaged to a beautiful woman.” She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
“You got married!”
But she hadn’t gotten married until after she had learned of his engagement. Until after all hope was gone. But she wasn’t going to say that to Gabe. If she did, he’d know the truth. That she still loved him. Had. Had still loved him then.
She didn’t love him now. Not tonight. That kiss today had brought back memories, but that was all. Memories.
“And that makes this discussion unimportant. Except that now I have to go back in there and deal with my family. Thanks a lot, Gabe.”
She again didn’t wait for his agreement. She couldn’t take any more. When she got inside, she discovered Margaret and Jack talking quietly to Paul. Susan wasn’t in the room.
“Paul doesn’t mind!” Margaret said, beaming at Katherine.
“Good for Paul,” Katherine said, managing a smile. “Have you set a date?”
Both Margaret and Jack looked shocked.
“You think we should do that?” Jack asked.
She felt rather than saw Gabe come in, but she ignored him. “It seems the natural progression after you ask a woman to marry you,” she said.
“Well,” Jack started, then cleared his throat. “There’ll be a lot of decisions to make. Like where we’ll live, and—and the kids.”
Paul shrugged his shoulders. “You don’t have to worry about us. I can get a job. Tuck Langford is hiring me for the summer and I can stay on with him. I’ll take care of Susan.”
“What?” Katherine practically screamed. “You’ll do no such thing, Paul Peters! You’re going to college in the fall and don’t you forget it!”
GABE WASN’T HAPPY with Katie. She’d asked him questions he couldn’t answer. But he hated to see her so upset.
He stepped forward and put a hand on Paul’s shoulder. “Your sister is right, Paul. Getting your education is important.”
Paul got a stubborn look on his face. “I’m old enough to—”
“We’ll discuss this later,” Katherine said firmly.
Jack stepped forward. “Paul, I would never separate your mother from her family. When I marry her, you and Susan and all of you become my family, too. My wife and I couldn’t have children, but I wanted—I’d be happy—I’d like to help out.”
Katie stepped forward and kissed the older man’s cheek. Gabe was ashamed of the shaft of jealousy that shot through him.
“And that’s why Mom loves you.” Then she said, “We’ll work out the details later, Jack. But welcome to the family.”
After a quick look at his sister, Paul stepped forward and offered his hand in congratulations, too.
Jack beamed.
Gabe was sorry to end the man’s pleasure, but it was time to head home. To recover from dinner at the Peters’s home. “Ready to go, Jack? I need to get back to Cinnamon.”
“Who’s Cinnamon?” Paul asked.
Gabe wondered at the boy’s concern. “The puppy I bought from Jack earlier today.”
“Hey, I’d like to see him.”
“Come over anytime, Paul. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” He didn’t mind spending time with Paul.
Jack was staring longingly at Margaret.
With a sigh, Gabe said, “Margaret, why don’t you walk Jack out to the pickup while I, uh, tell Katie something.”
The couple walked out, their arms wrapped around each other.
“What?” Katie snapped.
“Uh, I’ll say good-night,” Paul hurriedly said, backing toward the hall door.
Katie tried to protest, but the boy disa
ppeared.
She turned around again to stare in exasperation at Gabe. “If you’re wanting to complain again about what happened ten years ago, I don’t want to hear it.”
“Nope. I wanted to give Jack a moment of privacy to kiss your mom good-night.” He tried not to stare at her lips, to think about the kiss she’d given him earlier.
“Oh. Well, that was thoughtful of you.” She looked away, then back at him. “I think that’s long enough, though.”
“It never was for us.”
She whirled away, but not before he saw her face flush. “Go away, Gabe. Far, far away.” Then she fled the room.
LYING IN BED THAT NIGHT, Gabe decided his life had gone to the dogs. A snore from Cinnamon emphasized his thought. He’d started with the puppy in its box, but every time he walked away, the puppy whimpered.
He’d moved the box into his bedroom, but that didn’t satisfy Cinnamon. Now she was cuddled up against him, enjoying doggie dreams, while he stared at the ceiling.
Ah, the bachelor life. Sleeping with a dog, instead of the woman he—a woman. A beautiful woman.
He’d better put any thought of Katie out of his head. Even if he could trust her again, which he couldn’t, he hurriedly assured himself, she’d made it clear tonight she felt nothing for him.
Time to take charge of his life. He would visit with the matchmakers tomorrow. They would help him find a husband for Katie. A husband who would release him from memories that seemed to hold his heart captive.
He must have fallen asleep at some point, though his body didn’t feel like it, for a sharp ring woke him at daylight.
Great. They had connected his phone in time for a dawn call. He struggled out of bed, disrupting Cinnamon’s sleep. The dog yipped in protest.
“Sorry, Cin. Hello?”
His mother launched into a tirade about his not calling her.
“Mom, calm down. They just connected the phone this morning. In fact, I didn’t even know it was working until you called.”
“And they have no other phones in that godforsaken town?” she demanded.
Gabe sighed and rubbed his face. “Mom, is there a problem? Is Dad okay?”
“Of course he is! But we wanted to know if you’ve settled everything. When will you be home?”
The $10,000,000 Texas Wedding Page 7