by Linda Bleser
Kate only hoped it still fit.
*
Max got dressed for the reunion, but his heart wasn’t in it. If Sue wasn’t so excited about tonight, he’d just stay home. Better yet, he’d drive out to the airport and stop Kate before she made the biggest mistake of her life. He’d get down on his knees and beg if he had to.
“She’ll be there,” Sue said, as if reading his mind.
Max turned, his eyes widening. “Wow. You look gorgeous, Sis.”
She smiled, and it was the first genuine smile Max had seen on her face in a long time. It made her look younger, less battered by life. For a fleeting moment he remembered the carefree girl she’d been all those years ago, before life had beaten her down, before the reality of being a single mother with a special needs child had stolen the sparkle from her eyes.
Max held out his arm. “You’ll be the most beautiful girl there.” He tucked Sue’s hand inside his elbow and walked her to the door. “Let’s go knock ’em dead.”
*
Kate stepped out of the car and stood with her shoulders straight and her head held high. The red dress fit perfectly, just as it had ten years ago. Now, however, instead of a reminder of her shame, she wore it as a symbol of pride.
She took a deep breath. Her heart pounded. She couldn’t believe she was actually going through with this. If only she could convince her legs to carry her inside.
Suddenly, without warning, Max stepped out of the shadows. “I was hoping you’d make the right choice.”
Kate gasped, flooded with emotions at the sight of him—from the tip of his snakeskin boots to the brim of his jet-black Stetson, and every mouthwatering inch of man in between. He was devastatingly handsome in his long black tuxedo coat with embroidered arrowheads. Her own personal Maverick.
He sauntered up the sidewalk and without even realizing she’d moved, Kate rushed to meet him.
“Hello darlin’,” he drawled.
Kate melted instantly. If he hadn’t wrapped an arm around her waist, she might have fallen to her knees.
He leaned close and brushed his cheek against hers, whispering softly into her ear. “You look gorgeous,” he said. “You should wear red more often.”
Kate’s heart swelled with emotion. “I intend to.”
His hand rested at her lower back, his thumb brushing slow, fiery trails over her skin. His touch sent shivers through her body, making it hard to breathe and impossible to think straight.
It wasn’t until they were standing at the entrance and she saw the sign above the door welcoming the class of 1996 that fear set in.
Her step faltered and Max clutched her tighter. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“I…I can’t do this.”
“Yes you can,” he assured her. “I’ll be right here with you every step of the way. I won’t leave your side.”
She glanced up, blinking away the quick, hot sting of tears. “Promise?”
“I promise,” he whispered. “For as long as you need me.” He took her hand and placed it over his heart.
Kate realized she couldn’t leave him. Not now. Not ever. But before she could plan a future, she first had to deal with her past.
She took a deep breath and hung onto him. “All right,” she said, feeling like a condemned prisoner taking her first step toward the gallows. “I’m ready.”
But she wasn’t. Not really. And when they stepped through the doors and a hush fell over the room, she had all she could do not to run back outside and keep running until she reached the Atlantic Ocean.
Kate noted the looks of surprise as people she hadn’t seen in ten years recognized her for the first time. The old paranoia surfaced as she imagined whispered conversations that all revolved around her.
“Head high,” Max said in a voice low enough that only she could hear. His voice was calm and soothing, the same tone she’d heard him use to calm a frightened horse. “Easy darlin’. Slow and steady.”
Max held her close as they made their way through the sea of curious stares. Kate straightened her spine, holding her head high and pretending a pride she didn’t feel. It was all so familiar—the whispers, the sneers, the sliding looks of condemnation. Why had she ever agreed to this? Her hand trembled on Max’s arm. He reached over and placed his hand over hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze as they made their way to their seats.
Max pulled out her chair and leaned close. “Breathe, darlin’,” he said with a slow, steady smile.
Kate sat and gave him a brave smile in return, but even with her back to most of the room, she could feel all eyes on her. It wasn’t her imagination. Nothing had changed.
And then, as hard as it was to believe, things got worse. Kate glanced at the dais and saw the honored guests seated onstage—the principal, the mayor, the sheriff, their class valedictorian—and there, at the end of the row, pointedly avoiding eye contact, was Sue Connors, Miss Easy County 1996.
The crown and sash Sue wore were like a slap in Kate’s face. It was more than she could bear. A sob caught in her throat. She felt doubly betrayed. Sue knew I was coming, she thought. Why hadn’t she warned me?
Seeing Sue wearing the crown and sash only reminded everyone of Kate’s humiliation and the reason she’d left town in the first place. She sank deeper into her chair, trying to make herself invisible. She couldn’t leave now. She would only call even more attention to herself. As hard as it was, she had to stay and play it out.
As the first speaker reached the microphone, Kate glanced at Max. His face was pulled into a tight, hard line. His eyes were narrowed into an angry glare. But he wasn’t looking at Sue or anyone else on stage. Kate followed his gaze and nearly gasped when she saw Ed Tate leaning against the doorway, a smirk on his face. He looked smaller out of his uniform, but he still wore the air of a bully looking for a rumble. He wouldn’t have to look far. Kate could feel Max coiling with tension beside her, his fists clenched tight at his side.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” she whimpered.
Max turned to her, concern on his face. Then he smiled and pulled her close, covering her lips with his in a show that might have been more for everyone else’s benefit than hers, but it gave her strength all the same. She wished they were alone so she could explore the kiss more deeply. She wished she were anywhere but here.
The speeches dragged on forever and each ripple of laughter felt aimed directly at her. And then, when Kate felt her nerves couldn’t take much more, Sue stepped forward.
The room fell quiet, with only the rustling sound of Sue’s taffeta skirt echoing over the speakers as she reached the podium. She glanced quickly at Max and Kate then cleared her throat and spoke into the microphone. “Ten years ago I had the honor and privilege of serving you as Miss Easy County. At the time I thought it was the most important thing in the whole world. But we were all younger then.”
Max reached for Kate’s hand, giving her strength for whatever was to come.
Onstage, Sue glanced around the room, taking in all the faces around her. “I’ve learned a lot since then, and some of those lessons haven’t come easy.” She looked pointedly at Max, who beamed proudly at his sister. Kate knew they were both thinking of Bobby and the trials they’d all gone through, the long hours and hard work they’d put in to make the ranch a place of healing.
“I’ve learned that a crown and a sash don’t define the person you are. It’s the love and respect of the people around you that really matters. Your friends, your family, your community.”
She looked pointedly at Kate. “A lot has happened to us all in the ten years since we graduated. Each and every one of us has grown.” She fell silent, her eyes cast downward as if searching for notes that weren’t there. Then she looked up and the spotlight picked up a shimmer in her eyes. Her voice was no more than a hush, barely amplified by the microphone. “One thing I’ve learned is that ten years is too long for innocent people to suffer. Too long for wrongs to go unpunished.”
Then she gri
nned. “But not as long as this speech, you’re probably thinking.” Nervous laughter rippled through the room.
“I’m sure you’d all like to get on with the festivities,” she said. “And so, I’d like to start us off with the first dance.” She turned and handed a tape to someone behind her, then stepped off the stage.
The spotlight followed Sue’s progress across the room as the pre-recorded music began to play. Kate wasn’t surprised to hear Roy Orbison’s voice coming from the speakers. She felt a sense of destiny, of coming full circle. Even the song seemed somehow appropriate for what happened next, as Roy Orbison’s honey tones began crooning “It’s Over” through the speakers.
Across the dance floor, Sue stopped in front of Ed Tate and held out her arms. He gave her a nod of approval then shot Max a smug look of victory before leading Sue to the center of the dance floor.
“What the hell is she doing?” Max grumbled, staring at the couple in the spotlight.
Kate had no idea. Before she could even begin to guess, the music stuttered and stopped. The song was silenced and the sound of hissing echoed over the speakers as the tape continued to advance. Then, instead of music, the sound of Sue’s anguished voice could be heard on the tape.
“They were all lies, weren’t they? You made up those rumors about Kate Feathers and spread them around town, didn’t you?”
An evil chuckle came over the loudspeakers, followed by Ed Tate’s voice. “So what of it? I got nothin’ to be afraid of.” The menace in his voice was evident, even over the crackling hiss of the tape player. “You had your part in this too, and I’m not going down alone,” he said.
In horrified shock, Kate heard Sue plead with him over the tape, claiming that he’d tricked her into believing his lies were the truth, arguing that she’d been trying to protect her brother. But Tate only laughed and continued threatening her.
The room was eerily still, the spotlight shining on Sue and Ed Tate, who were no longer dancing but glaring at each other like opponents at a wrestling match. Tate shook his head slowly as the tape continued playing out the horrible truth.
“All I’m saying is—if I go down, you’re going with me. How would Max feel then? Do you think he’d want to keep you around his ranch, reminding him what a traitor you are? Then who’d take care of you and that little crippled kid of yours?”
His words were followed by a collective gasp and more shocked silence. Then all hell broke loose. Max growled and jerked to his feet, toppling his chair behind him as he rushed across the room. Everything seemed to take place in slow motion. Tate raised his hand. Sue stood staring at him, daring him to slap her in front of everyone. But Max reached them first, pushing Tate’s hand aside and swinging his fist at the same time.
Tate went down hard and didn’t come back up. Sue bowed her head, her body slumped. Kate was paralyzed in her seat. She couldn’t move, couldn’t go to Max. She had to know the rest, had to find out the truth as it played out on the tape recorder for everyone to hear.
Tate lay unconscious, spread-eagle on the dance floor. But his voice continued playing over the speakers, gloating that he’d lied about Kate all along and admitting that he’d purposely destroyed her reputation ten years ago and had no intention of stopping now.
Kate shook her head. Ed Tate had manipulated them all, including Sue and Max. But her vindication felt hollow. It all seemed so pointless. All those years lost, all the pain and regret. For what?
She glanced around, but people avoided her eyes, whether out of guilt or shame she couldn’t tell. She couldn’t find Max. He was hidden in a crowd that had formed where Ed Tate had fallen. Kate recognized the sheriff making his way through the crowd, his face flushed with anger. But where was Max?
Then the crowd parted and she saw Max with his arm around his sister. Her heart went out to Sue, who’d been used by a devious manipulator. She’d risked everything to finally put things right. She must have agonized over her decision to play Tate’s confession on tonight of all nights, exposing him in front of everyone even at the risk of losing her standing in the community, as well as her brother’s respect. And that was what finally spurred Kate forward.
Breathlessly she made her way across the room to Max and Sue’s side. Sue tore herself from Max’s protective embrace and turned to Kate. “I’m so sorry,” she said, weeping bitterly. “Can you ever forgive me?”
Kate realized that despite everything she’d lost as a result of Sue’s misguided revenge, there was room in her heart for forgiveness. “Yes,” she said, wrapping her arms around the shattered woman. Now that she’d finally let go of the anger and resentment, there was room in her heart for a lot of things she hadn’t allowed herself to feel before. Like forgiveness and understanding, and most of all, love.
Sue tore the sash from her dress. “Here,” she said. “I wanted to give this to you tonight. It should have been yours all along.”
Kate shook her head and refused to take it. “No. You were right when you said some things are more important.” She turned to Max. “It wasn’t the loss of the crown or the scholarship that nearly destroyed me,” she said. “It was losing you. That’s why I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t live here and see you every day and know I couldn’t have you.”
“And now?” he asked, barely breathing as he waited for her answer.
She stepped into his waiting arms. “Now I’d like to stay and find out where we can go from here. We’ve wasted ten years. Let’s not waste another second more.”
Max took the sash from his sister’s hand, crumpled it and let it fall to the floor. “There’s only one title you’ll ever need from here on in, anyway. And that’s Mrs. Max Connors.”
All but forgotten, the tape began playing again, picking up Roy Orbison’s song on the closing strains of “It’s Over.”
The final, thundering drumbeat matched the pounding of Kate’s heart as Max pulled her into his arms, holding her possessively.
But despite Roy Orbison’s heart-wrenching finale, Kate knew it wasn’t over. Not really. In some ways, it was only just beginning.
Epilogue
Kate never found out whether formal charges were filed against Ed Tate Jr. The fact that he’d left town in humiliation, stripped of his badge and his pride, was enough. Kate didn’t know where he went and didn’t care.
He’d left, and she’d stayed.
And here at the ranch, with the sunshine on her face and the whisper of a breeze feathering her hair, she wondered how she could have ever left in the first place.
Moving home, loving Max. It all seemed so easy now. Only her fears had made coming home hard. But now that she was here, she knew she’d never leave again.
She wouldn’t be going back to New York. The city was wonderful, brimming with excitement, shimmering with colors. It was a bright, vibrant adrenaline rush. But it wasn’t—had never been—home. Her roots had been nurtured in dryer soil, golden days and wide-open spaces.
She took a deep breath, drinking in the hot, dry and oh-so-sweet air of Arizona. She let it out with a soulful sigh, the word “home” settling around her like a well-worn robe.
So much had changed in the last six months. But one thing hadn’t. Her heart still skipped madly whenever she watched Max work around the ranch—his long-legged gait, the rakish tilt of his Stetson. He was as gentle with the animals as he was with the kids who still came to the ranch for therapy. Max had even won Venus’ trust with his quiet care. The once-frightened horse adored him and followed him around like a lovesick teenager.
She knew Max was there before she felt his arms come around her and had time for a contented smile before leaning back against his chest.
“Penny for your thoughts, darlin’.”
“Mmmm…I was just thinking about how you’ve charmed Venus.”
Max nuzzled her ear, murmuring softly. “Reckon I’ve got a way with women.”
“Reckon so,” she said, falling easily into the twang she’d never completely lost. “You have so muc
h patience.”
“And sometimes it pays off.” His lips moved along her neck, leaving nibbles, kisses and seductive whispers in their wake. “Might take a few years—or ten—but the wait is well worth it.”
Kate couldn’t agree more. Like Nellie had said when she’d learned about Kate’s engagement to Max, “Life is like a cup of tea. Sometimes you have to let it steep before you can appreciate the full flavor.” Kate smiled. Who knew Nellie was the Plato of Earl Grey?
Kate turned into Max’s embrace, resting her hand over his heart. The ring on her finger sparkled in the sunlight. After the reunion, Max had given her the tiny diamond engagement ring he’d been carrying around all these years waiting for her to come to her senses. It was perfect, symbolic. And like the ring, she’d come full circle.
Kate tipped her face and Max leaned forward, brushing her lips softly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, amazed as always at the way their bodies fit so perfectly together.
Max broke the kiss just as tenderly as it had begun. He brushed a wisp of hair from her forehead. “As much as I love kissing you, darlin’,” he said, “I really need to get you home. You have a big day tomorrow.”
A big day. Her wedding day.
The thought sent a shiver through her body and brought a dreamy smile to her face. She still couldn’t believe it. She and Max were getting married. Her mother had been right all along. The wedding gown waiting for her at home was proof of that.
She followed Max to the truck, waving goodbye to Bobby and Sue on the porch. Sue was still a little uncomfortable around her, ashamed of her actions and what it had cost. And sometimes Kate couldn’t help feeling a tiny shiver of regret when she remembered the lies that had haunted her for the past ten years.
But that was behind them now. She was the one who’d run away instead of facing her problems. Kate had not only forgiven Sue but also come to admire her strength. Kate knew they’d work it out. They were family now. Sue and Bobby would be staying here at the ranch, living in the main house with Otis. Kate and Max would move into their own place, a bungalow Max had converted on the ranch property. Kate had already moved in most of her things, including the few belongings that she’d had shipped back from New York. But tonight she’d spend the eve of her wedding in her old bedroom. Max was traditional in that way.