Kathryn sat under one of the trees along the edge of the church yard, vaguely listening to the other women talking. She sipped on a lemonade and sighed with relief as the cold liquid made its way down her throat.
The wind had picked up during the day, as she was becoming accustomed to out here, but as she’d soon discovered, quite often even the winds didn’t bring any relief from the heat. If anything, it seemed to just move the hotness around more.
But even with the uncomfortable warmth, Kathryn couldn’t remember a day in her life when she’d had more fun.
After her earlier run-in with Martha Pembrooke, she’d been sure the day would be ruined. However, the town of Promise had lived up to its name today and made sure that every resident here had the best time possible.
Spirits were high, laughter was plentiful, and friendships were cherished throughout the day. For the first time in her life, Kathryn truly felt like she belonged.
She knew it would sound so strange to anyone who’d grown up with less than her to be able to understand how she could feel that way. It wasn’t like her family hadn’t been wonderful—in fact, Kathryn knew she’d been truly blessed to have the life she’d been given.
But it hadn’t changed the fact she’d never liked living in the city. The way they’d lived hadn’t been her choice, and so many times she’d found herself simply going through the motions of what she was expected to be doing. It was never the life she would have chosen for herself.
Kathryn preferred the quiet life she had found out here. The kind of place where the work was harder, but the reward was sweeter. She was witness to it every day as neighbors helped neighbors without question and everyone enjoyed the simpler things life had to offer. It wasn’t about material goods or monetary value.
What mattered to the people here was family, friendship, and community. As long as they had enough to survive, they would give their last dime to help one another.
Her eyes found the familiar figure of the man who’d undoubtedly become someone she knew she could count on. Even though he’d irritated her and seemed a bit gruff from time to time, Colt was someone she could trust.
“I still can’t believe your pie went for such a high price. Colt must really enjoy your baking for him to pay that much for it.”
Fae’s voice pulled her back into the conversation as she turned her gaze to her friend’s smiling face. “Well, I don’t know about that, because truthfully, there have been many evenings the past week I know he was having trouble swallowing the ones I made. I think he and Caleb were just trying to be nice.”
Mercy laughed as she adjusted her legs under herself to get more comfortable on the blanket. “It was quite entertaining to watch the two of them bidding. They’re good men and they were determined to make sure your pie got the best price.”
Now Kathryn laughed and rolled her eyes. “It went for even more than Mrs. Pembrooke’s, and she won the pie contest judging. She didn’t look happy when my pie got the highest bid.”
“I imagine poor old Uncle Clarence got an earful for missing the auction. He could have at least kept the bidding going. I had visions of her pulling him by the ear back home when she went stomping away to find him.” Mercy tried to look serious, but soon all three women were giggling like schoolgirls, trying not to be too loud in case anyone overheard them.
“Miss Reeves! Hurry, I need you to be my partner for the three-legged race. Owen is going with Pa, and I really want to beat him.” Delia ran over and grabbed her by the arm, trying to pull her up from the ground.
Kathryn quickly jumped up to join the child, not even sure what exactly a three-legged race would be. She let Delia drag her over to the mercantile where a large crowd of people had gathered for the races. Most of the participants were children, with some parents joining as partners.
“Miss Reeves is my partner. We’re going to win!”
Colt was crouched down beside Owen, tying a piece of rope around their legs, joining them together. A wide grin spread across his face as he stood up and leaned his arm on Owen’s shoulders.
“Is that right? Miss Reeves, have you ever taken part in a three-legged race before? I mean, it does take some fancy footwork and a bit of skill to get to the finish line. And from what I’ve seen in the short time I’ve known you, I’m not too sure if this is a good idea.”
Kathryn pretended to scowl but knew her smile gave her away. He was trying to ruffle her feathers by mentioning her few “mishaps” where she might not have been as graceful as other women.
But she was determined not to let him get to her. “Just tell me what to do and be prepared to lose.”
He laughed and shook his head, then bent down to pick up a piece of rope beside him. “Tie this around your inside legs to join you together. Then, you need to make it to the finish line tied together without falling over.”
“Sounds simple enough.” She bent down and tied her leg to Delia’s, who was beaming with excitement.
“Miss Reeves, we just need to get a good rhythm going. But remember my legs aren’t as long as yours.” As the child tried to explain the best way they could make it to the finish line first, Kathryn turned and caught Colt smiling smugly. She looked down at Owen and offered her hand to him.
“Good luck, Owen.”
The boy looked just as excited as his father when the racers were told to all take their marks. When Reverend Moore hollered go, Kathryn quickly tried to take off, but soon realized this was not going to be as easy as she’d hoped.
Her arm was around Delia’s shoulders as the girl struggled to hold onto her waist. Already, Owen and Colt were slightly ahead, and Delia was laughing excitedly, telling her to hurry so they could catch them. It was as though there weren’t any other racers as the four of them competed to beat the other.
Just as she was sure they’d finally figured out a good rhythm, Delia tripped slightly and they both ended up falling to the ground in a cloud of dust. But as they fell, she saw that Colt and Owen had fallen too, so they still had a chance.
She was sure by now she was covered in dirt and her hair was likely hanging completely loose down her back, but she quickly stood up and got Delia righted beside her. They were both laughing so hard it was difficult to catch their breath.
“Miss Reeves! We have to hurry!”
They made their way to the finish line just as Colt and Owen managed to get back up and race alongside them. People were cheering all around them, but all she could hear was the laughter coming from Owen and Delia. To see these children having so much fun warmed her heart.
With one final push, she sprinted forward, dragging Delia with her. They fell over the finish line in another cloud of dust and laughter at the same time Colt and Owen were landing in a heap beside them.
“Oh, what a close finish. What do you say, folks? Do we have a winner, or was it a tie?” The reverend was clapping with excitement as he looked around at the spectators.
The crowd cheered as Kathryn stood back up, bringing Delia with her, and dusted off her skirts. Delia was already trying to jump up and down with excitement, almost knocking Kathryn back over.
“We beat you! The girls won!”
“No way! We beat you! The boys won!”
The kids were arguing good-naturedly while they waited to see who would be declared the winner. Kathryn was trying to untie the rope from their feet before Delia dragged her over, and when she finally succeeded, she stood up, her eyes slamming into Colt’s.
He’d been laughing with the children, insisting that the boys had won, until their eyes met. As soon as they did, the smile fell from his face like he’d seen a ghost and he turned away.
Her own smile faded slowly as she tried to figure out what had happened to make him suddenly angry with her. There was no other way to explain the look on his face.
How could a day that had been almost perfect, giving her a sense of home and joy she’d never imagined possible, fall apart so quickly with one simple glance?
Chapter 18
Colt knew he needed to apologize to Kathryn for his sour mood on the way home from the fair. But how could he apologize for something he didn’t even understand himself?
Everything had been perfect through the day, other than the run-in she’d had with Mrs. Pembrooke, and he knew Kathryn and the kids had all been having a wonderful time. He’d ended up paying more for her pie than he should have but seeing the joy on her face had been worth every penny.
Then, they’d joined the three-legged race and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed as much as he did watching Kathryn and Delia make their way toward the finish line. With everyone falling over and the cheering from the crowd, he’d almost let himself believe for a moment he was living a normal life with a wife and children.
Except, when their eyes had met, he’d been hit with the realization that she wasn’t his wife, and nothing he was feeling had been real.
And he’d been struck with a pain so hard in his chest, it had taken his breath away. His children had been enjoying the day just as much as he had, and he knew he couldn’t let them fall into that false reality too.
So, as soon as the tie had been declared, and they’d received their ribbons, he’d quickly gathered up his mother and told the family they were going home.
He knew he’d been surly and had practically dragged them all to the wagon, then barely spoken a word all the way home. And when he’d helped Kathryn down from the wagon, he’d been sure not to hold onto her hand for too long.
She’d politely declined the offer to stay for supper at the house and held her head up as she walked to her cabin, seeming to instinctively know he was angry about something, but not knowing why. His mother had been scolding him, but he’d barely heard a word as he’d watched Kathryn disappear into the distance.
Now he stood on the front porch, unable to keep his gaze from moving toward the little cabin nestled back among the trees. The sun was just making its way beneath the horizon, leaving a trail of orange, purple, and red filling the sky for as far as his eyes could see.
Everything around him seemed still as he listened to the birds singing their nightly songs. He slapped at the bug that was biting his neck and leaned against the post by the steps, breathing deeply of the fresh evening air as he tried to make sense of his thoughts.
While he watched the cabin, he noticed movement outside the door, and his breath caught when he recognized the figure of the woman he’d been thinking about. She came out and stood next to her own front door, looking out across the fields.
Even from this distance, Colt knew she was beautiful.
Before he knew what was happening, his feet were moving down the path toward her cabin. The sky was starting to get dark now, and while it wasn’t proper to go to a single woman’s home at this time of night, he needed to see her and apologize for how he’d acted earlier.
“You shouldn’t be standing outside in the dark on your own.” As soon as he said the words, he cringed. It wasn’t exactly the nice apology he’d planned when he saw her.
Kathryn jumped and turned to face him, her hand flying up to her chest in fright. Her hair hung down around her shoulders, framing her face in the glow from the lamp she’d hung out by the door. She wore a long white nightgown, and he knew if he were any kind of gentleman, he’d turn around and not cause her any more embarrassment.
“Colt! What are you doing here?” She looked around with a panicked expression before reaching back inside the door and pulling a shawl off the hook to wrap around herself.
“Well, I came down with the intention of apologizing for my earlier mood, but now I guess I’ve got to apologize for startling you, and also for still standing here while you’re in your nightclothes. My mom would be dragging me home by my ear if she knew I’d come down here and intruded on you at this time of night.”
He offered her a smile, hoping she would be forgiving. And as he’d expected of her, she laughed softly and shook her head. “It’s all right, you just startled me. This is the first night I was feeling brave enough to come outside as it grew dark, but I was hoping for some cool air to help me get to sleep. I’m always afraid of the coyotes who I’m pretty sure surround my cabin every night, waiting for me to come outside.”
He moved over and stood by her, turning to face the same direction as her so he wouldn’t be staring at her in her nightgown. Even completely covered with her shawl, which had to be causing her discomfort from the already too hot air around them, he was having a hard time concentrating on what she was saying.
“Well, normally the coyotes won’t bother you too much, unless they’re sick or hungry. But I wouldn’t suggest being outside on your own in the dark, if you can help it.”
Why was he standing here talking about the threat of coyotes, instead of just saying his apology and getting back up to his own house? He knew he shouldn’t be here, but he couldn’t make himself leave now that he was.
They stood in an awkward silence, both looking out to the now dark sky. In the distance, frogs croaked loudly down by the creek and as they watched, the horizon in the distance lit up with pink that spread across the sky.
“Looks like we’re going to get a storm.”
He rolled his eyes at his own comment. Kathryn was a smart woman. She would have been able to figure out by seeing the lightning, there was a good chance of a storm.
Colt felt like he was a schoolboy trying to woo the cute girl who sat in front of him in class but being too awkward to know what to say.
“So, I did come down to apologize for being so grumpy today on the way home from the fair. I hope I didn’t ruin your day too much.” He glanced over at her and offered a smile. “But for supper, I had a piece of your pie which I paid so handsomely for, and it was actually quite delicious. You’ve come a long way in the past couple of weeks.”
She smiled and looked back out at the sky. He wondered if she was nervous about the impending storm. They hadn’t had much rain or storms since she’d arrived, so it was possible she was concerned about being down here on her own.
“Well, I did worry that perhaps I’d done something to upset you. I thought we’d all been having a good day, and then it seemed like I’d made you angry.”
If he hadn’t felt bad already, he would have after hearing the confusion in her voice. He’d ruined a day that should have been a happy memory for her.
He knew he owed her an explanation, but he wasn’t sure where to start. Quickly thrusting his hands through his hair, he took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall.
“I’ve mentioned before that I’m not much of a gentleman, but I guess I can’t use that as an excuse every time I do something wrong. And to be completely honest, since the day you arrived in town, I feel like I’ve been saying and doing all the wrong things.”
He met her eyes and smiled apologetically.
Her brows furrowed as she waited for him to continue.
“But today, when I let myself have fun, and then saw how much fun the children were having, everything just hit me about what they’re missing in their lives. And no matter how much I might want to pretend otherwise, we don’t have a regular family who can be out enjoying days like today.” He swallowed hard and cleared his throat.
“I just can’t let the children get used to having fun like this, knowing how hard it will be for them when you leave. They can’t start believing everything will always be like this when it won’t.”
The silence was deafening, and he was sure even the frogs had stopped their singing as they waited to hear what Kathryn was going to say.
“Colt Hammond, I’ve put up with you causing me to fall out of a wagon, tumble head over heels into the creek, and many other infuriating moments since the day I arrived in town. But never, have I been more angry than I am now. You’ve never believed, not once, that I was going to make it out here. You keep thinking I’m leaving and that I’m not cut out for life on the frontier.”
He opened his mouth to try an
d interrupt so he could explain himself, but her face was red, and her eyes glowed with anger as she stepped a little closer. Her hands were clenched in fists at her side, holding onto the edges of her shawl, no longer even trying to cover her nightgown.
“Well, I’ve got news for you. I don’t know what happened with her, but I think it’s about time you realized, I’m not your wife. Just because one woman you knew didn’t stay here, doesn’t mean every other woman is going to do the same. And it’s not fair for you to keep saying it.”
If she’d punched him in the stomach, it wouldn’t have been any more of a shock.
But he knew with every angry word she uttered; she was speaking the truth.
Chapter 19
Kathryn ground her teeth together to keep from saying anything more. She knew she wasn’t behaving very ladylike, but right now, she didn’t care.
She was tired.
She was tired of having to try so hard all the time to prove herself to everyone. And ever since the day she’d arrived in Promise, Colt had made it clear he didn’t think she could handle it and would be running back home at the first inconvenience.
The part that made her even more angry, was the fact that she even cared so much what this man thought of her.
She pulled her shawl back up tightly around her shoulders and looked out to the sky once more as she tried to calm her shaking. Another flash of lightning lit up the horizon, but thankfully it was still a long way off, so hopefully she would be asleep before the storm reached them.
Colt remained silent, and she had a moment of regret for what she’d said. She knew she shouldn’t have brought his wife up, but she’d just been so wild and the words tumbled from her mouth without thinking.
“When Arlene left, I had the job of trying to explain to my children why their mother had chosen to leave her family behind. I guess the anger and bitterness I’ve held in over the past few months has just left me unable to believe that any woman who wasn’t raised out here would want to live here. Or that they could cope with the life that is so different from city life.”
Love is Patient Page 9