Ghost of Summer

by Sally Berneathy

  I was all ready to go back home. She was leaving...this town and his life.

  Well, he'd lost her seventeen years ago when he'd left Briar Creek. Hadn't he just told himself that he and Katie were strangers? The thought of her leaving shouldn't make him feel like that time in Houston when a perp had landed a lucky punch to his gut and knocked the breath out of him.

  "I'm sorry about jumping you. Both times. As far as the note—" He shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe Sheriff found it in a book somewhere and copied it. He's okay, Katie, really. You were thinking about him when we watched Harvey the other night, weren't you?"

  She nodded.

  "Maybe he is like Elwood P. Dowd. Maybe he just has one little defect in his reality, and it's a harmless one. It makes him happy. Go on back to Dallas whenever you have to, and I promise to let you know if anything happens."

  She smiled up at him. He thought he could see those freckles across her nose, but maybe it was just the way the leaves dappled the sunlight on her face. "I'd really appreciate that, Luke."

  "So you're leaving tomorrow?"

  "I don't have to. I'd like to stay and see your mom. When are they coming?"

  "Day after tomorrow." And suddenly a visit he'd dreaded began to take on a whole new light. It meant Katie would be around that much longer.

  Like that made any difference in the long run.

  "Why don't you want them to come? Other than your lack of furniture, I mean. What's wrong with her new husband?"

  Luke hooked his thumbs in his front pockets and leaned his head back, stretching the kinks out of his neck, kinks he hadn't realized were there. Yesterday he wouldn't have answered that question, not for Katie or anybody else. But today, this morning, things had changed. He couldn't say how. He and Katie hadn't resumed their friendship. He realized that was impossible. They couldn't recapture what was dead and gone. They weren't lovers, either, though they'd come awfully close the other night.

  But it was kind of like when the farmers burned off their fields at the end of the season, killing all the weed seeds and letting the earth absorb the ashes of crops and weeds alike. In the spring, fresh crops grew on the revitalized soil.

  Just so, something new was growing between Katie and him. He wasn't sure what it was, but he was sure he wanted it. He'd be sorry when she left him and went back to Dallas to marry Spencer, but for right now, he wouldn't do anything to nip this new feeling that had sprung up between them.

  "There's nothing wrong with Jeff," he answered. "Actually, he's a great guy. I just worry about Mom. For one thing, he's a little younger than she is."

  "How much is a little? A year? Two years? Big deal."

  "Ten years younger."

  She shrugged. "Big deal."

  "He's a history teacher. He was my history teacher!"

  "Ah!" Katie smiled knowingly.

  "Don't give me that ah! business." Luke paced a couple of steps away then back again. "That's not the problem. Not all of it anyway. Yeah, it feels a little peculiar to have my former history teacher married to my mom. But we've all three been friends for some time. Well, since I've been out of school, and that's been a lot of years."

  "Good. That means they didn't do anything hasty."

  "That's one way of looking at it. But Jeff's been like a part of the family for those years. He lived in the same neighborhood, and he's always been there. When I was married to Cindy, we'd all four go out together, and I don't know why I never thought of it as dating, but I didn't. She was my mother, and he was my history teacher. Jeff's been such a big part of Mom's life for so long, what happens if they split up?"

  "Good grief, Luke! You can't start planning their divorce just because they got married!"

  "Divorce happens. Living with somebody isn't like just being friends with that person."

  "No, I don't suppose it is."

  "You remember what Dad was like. Well, Jeff's the complete opposite in every way. He's laid-back, likes to go to the theater and operas, he wears glasses, never been fishing or camping in his life. I guess part of what worries me is, if Mom was happy married to my father, how can she expect to be happy married to his opposite?"

  "Maybe—probably—because she's changed over the years."

  "Yes, she has. We all have. For one thing, I'm worrying about her now instead of her worrying about me. If she and Jeff get divorced, she loses it all. You can be friends and get married, but you can't get unmarried, fall out of love, and expect to be friends again. It just doesn't work that way."

  Katie looked up at him in silence for a long moment. In fact, the entire world seemed to go silent as if it had ceased to exist, and the only reality was in her eyes.

  "Luke," she finally said, "I understand you're concerned about your mother's happiness, but I know you too well to believe that's all that's bothering you.

  Luke looked away and drew in a deep breath. Katie never let him get away with anything. "When she married Jeff, I guess because he's so totally different, it was like my last tie with dad was broken, like everything about him disappeared, like he died all over again. You said once it was a good thing to block painful memories, but when you do that, they have a way of coming back at you with a sucker punch. Every time I see Jeff, I feel like I don't have a past anymore, kinda like I'm the invisible man, I don't even exist."

  Katie nodded and chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. She didn't tell him he was being silly. She didn't have to. He already knew that. "Have you seen them since you moved back here?"

  "No."

  "Maybe now that you have your dad's old job and you live in your old house, you won't feel that way."

  "Maybe."

  "Where are they going to stay? Do you want me to ask Papa if they can use our guest room? I'm sure he'd be happy to have them. I'll even shovel out the dust and put on clean sheets."

  "Thanks, but they'll stay at my place."

  "Then you'd better get busy buying furniture."

  "I've got two days."

  Katie blinked and rose to her feet. "Two days? You're think you're going to furnish your house in two days?"

  "Well, yeah. I figured I'd go to McClain's on my lunch hour and pick out a sofa and a bed and a kitchen table. That ought to do it."

  Katie rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised? How much money have you got?"

  "How much money? Why do you want to know?"

  She sighed. "I don't need your financial statement. I just need to know your furniture budget, how much we can spend."

  We?

  "I've got a little money. I bought some investment property in Houston when it was cheap. We can spend whatever we want."

  "Good. I'll go to Tyler—"

  "Tyler? What's wrong with McClain's right here in Briar Creek?"

  "All right, we'll look there first, but they don't have a very big selection. If we don't find what you need, we'll go on to Tyler, pick it out and you can borrow a truck and get it this evening. We don't have time for them to deliver it. I don't suppose you have any extra sheets and towels?"

  "I told you I've been busy restoring the house. I haven't had time for all that stuff. I've got one set of sheets and two towels."

  "Okay, we'll have to get those, too. And then there's dishes and pictures..." She started walking back toward the car, but he took her arm and turned her gently toward him.

  "Katie, you don't have to do this."

  "Sure I do. I owe you something for not shooting me back there."

  "Shooting you?"

  "Oh, sure, you said you left your bow and arrow at home, but I can see you've adopted the white man's ways. You've got your own fire stick." She looked down at the gun at his waist.

  Luke laughed. No, he couldn't recapture the past and have his old friend back, but whatever new thing was developing between them was good.

  Now, he thought, watching her bottom in those tight jeans as she walked away, if he could just keep his hands off her and not ruin things this time.

  "Katie," he called
after her, "no white furniture!"

  She looked back and grinned. "I knew you didn't like my place!"

  "I said it was nice, didn't I?"

  She laughed, and his heart swelled with happiness. Yes, whatever was growing between them was definitely good.

  ***

  That night Emma cuddled up to Jerome, her head on his arm.

  "Emma, you continue to amaze me," he said. "I was getting a little worried especially after you told me Katie talked to Doc Kramer and then she said she was leaving tomorrow."

  "I'm just glad the e-mail worked. I was afraid Francine and Jeffrey wouldn't come or they'd wait too long and she'd be gone. I could tell by the scared way she acted around Heather's baby that she was thinking of that awful tubal ligation thing again, and it's all my fault for leaving her when she was so young. She thinks she doesn't remember it, but she does, and she's afraid she'd end up hurting her baby like that. If only she could remember all the times afterward that I visited her, I know that would make a difference."

  Jerome patted her shoulder. "It's not your fault. You didn't plan to die in that car wreck."

  Emma sighed. "Things were pretty good between Katie and me for a while after that. Of course I couldn't talk to her the way I do to you because I didn't want her going to school and telling all her little friends and then having them laugh at her. But we talked...in her dreams and sometimes in what she thought were her dreams. We communicated. But when Luke left and she shut off all her hopes and dreams, I couldn't get through to her. Until now, that is. She's starting to hear me again. That's a good sign."

  "It's a real good sign. Did you know she'd be buying furniture for Luke when you set this up?"

  "No, that had to be the idea of someone a lot higher in authority than I am, and it's a brilliant touch. Surely with a new bed in the picture, we can plant all sorts of ideas in their heads. They're having a hard time keeping their hands off each other already. They're so close to finding their hearts again. They just need a little more guidance."

  Jerome chuckled. "Emma, you're the best guide I've ever known. And the prettiest."

  She laughed softly and cuddled closer.

  Chapter Seventeen

  "Luke!" Evelyn shouted. "It's that crazy Homer Grimes again on line two!"

  "Thanks! I'll get it in a second." Luke sighed then went back to his phone call on another line. "Sorry, Katie. I gotta run. The sofa sounds fine. I don't need to see it. I trust your judgment. Tell them Rusty Bob and I will be there in his truck to pick it up around six this evening."

  "Great! See you then."

  Luke clicked off Katie's call to take Homer Grimes'.

  "Deputy Sheriff Luke Rodgers."

  "Where's Sheriff?"

  "He's out on another call." Actually he was at a late lunch, but Luke wasn't going to interrupt him for something like this. "Can I help you?"

  "You could, but you won't. That dad blamed fool has gone and burned down my barn."

  "Did you call the fire department?"

  "Wudn't you listening to anything I said? Damned thing's already burned down. Why would I call the fire department now?"

  Luke wasn't surprised. The building had been so old and dry when he'd been out there, he'd thought then that a hot day would set it on fire. "All right. I'll come out and file a report."

  "You tell Sheriff to get his ass out here and arrest that crazy old coot before he decides to burn down my house and shoot me when I run out!"

  "Did you see Seth set fire to your barn?"

  "No, but I know he done it. Who else would have wanted to?"

  "Good question. Who would have?"

  "Nobody but Seth Flanders."

  "And why would he want to?" If the man had wanted the old barn destroyed, all he'd have had to do was wait for a strong wind, and it would have blown down.

  "Cause he's crazy, that's why."

  Luke had his own opinion about Homer's sanity. "I'll be out there in a few minutes."

  He hung up, grabbed his gun and started out the door.

  "What now?" Evelyn asked.

  "Homer's barn burned down."

  She snorted. "Probably one of those environmentalist groups. I bet he hadn't cleaned that place out in years. Probably ought to've burned down his house, too." She picked up a form and turned back to her computer to begin laboriously entering the data.

  Luke settled his hat on his head. "I think you're right about that. It wouldn't surprise me if some of the rats and mice living in that barn got together and decided to burn it down as a community service."

  Evelyn laughed. "Those two old men ought to be ashamed of themselves, fighting and carrying on like that when they used to be best friends."

  "Any idea what happened to end their friendship?"

  She shook her head. "Not really. I always thought it was jealousy. Seems to me like the trouble started when Seth got married. I was just a kid then, but I remember my mama and daddy talking about it, and Mama said she thought Homer was jealous of Seth's wife coming into the middle of their friendship. If that was right, though, you'd've thought after that woman left, they'd make up, but they didn't. They still hate each other. Beats the heck out of me."

  "Me, too. When Sheriff gets back, tell him I'll be at Homer's place listening to him complain."

  It was the last place he wanted to be. He'd hoped to get off early today and see what else Katie had found for his house. He'd been amazed at the progress she'd made yesterday in only half a day. It was really taking shape, starting to feel like a home.

  And everything she chose was warm and comfortable and fit right into the old house, completely unlike her ultra-contemporary condo that seemed to have come straight out of the pages of a magazine but had no warmth or personality to it.

  Katie had been more like her old self last night, too. The two of them and Sheriff had worked hard getting things hauled inside and moved into place. By nine o'clock, they'd been starving and too tired to go out for food, so Katie had made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches served with potato chips...the only things he had in his kitchen besides sardines and coffee.

  Tonight, as much to keep Sheriff from overexerting himself as anything else, he and Katie assigned him to pick up a pizza on his way over while they did the furniture moving.

  That would, of course, mean he and Katie would be alone in the house for a while even after Rusty Bob Wahr helped him unload whatever she'd found to buy today. Fortunately, they'd be too busy and too tired for him to spend much time lusting after her, to ruin the tenuous bond that was growing between them.

  He went out the back door of the Sheriff's office whistling Tonight from West Side Story.

  ***

  "Move it a little to the left," Kate instructed as Luke held the landscape painting above the sofa in his living room. "Right there." She stepped over the coffee table and knelt beside Luke on the hunter green sofa to hold the picture while he marked the spot for a nail.

  She had surprised herself by the speed with which she'd been able to furnish his house in a day and a half. Of course, the furnishings weren't elaborate. She'd tried to match the overall tone of the way she remembered the house. That was, she thought, what Luke would want.

  He seemed pleased with the result and, she had to admit, she was too.

  He finished hanging the painting and stood back to look. "You did good, Katie."

  "Thanks." She brushed a strand of hair back from her face and blew out a long breath. "You can say what you like about the good old days, but I sure am glad you put in some modern air conditioning. This furniture moving business is hard work."

  He laughed then squinted at her face. "Hold still a minute. You've got something right there."

  He drew one finger along her cheekbone, halting near her chin as his pupils dilated. She could feel her own breathing accelerate at his touch.

  Abruptly he jerked his finger away.

  "What was it?" she asked, hoping her voice didn't sound as husky to him as it did to her. "What wa
s on my face?"

  He grinned. "A clean spot, but now it's covered with dust from my finger."

  Kate rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I fell for that again. You must have done that to me a hundred times when we were kids."