Finding Kate

by Pollitt, Julie

“You won’t even step in a muddy gutter on a city street. I have a hard time picturing you working on a ranch. But, I’m impressed.”

  “I’m helping Emma.” Kate knew her offer had started out as a desire to assist a dying woman. But after this morning, she really wanted to learn more about the ranch. And about Will.

  “You do have a big heart for people.” Trevor said. He reached across the table and placed his hand on top of hers.

  Kate smiled. His hand felt warm, but it didn’t shoot sparks of electricity through her body in the way she always imagined it would with the love of her life.

  “Why don’t you join us?” Trevor asked Will.

  Please say no. Kate wasn’t sure she could deal with her conflicting feelings for these two men if they were both with her at the same time.

  “Thanks for the invite, but I’m meeting someone,” Will said.

  Kate wondered who. A woman? A friend? Her mind began to race.

  “I’ll catch up with you later then,” Trevor said.

  Will shook his friend’s hand. “Kate.” He nodded at her and walked away.

  Trevor looked over the menu. “I met Victoria up on a trail several months ago. She loves to hike, ski, and ride horses. Pretty much everything you don’t like to do.” He laughed.

  Two days ago, his comment would have sent her reeling. Now she didn’t feel anything. All she could think about was who Will was meeting at the restaurant.

  “Excuse me for a minute. I have to use the ladies’ room.” Kate placed her linen napkin on the table.

  As she rounded a corner, she scanned the room for Will, but couldn’t find him. A young, blindingly beautiful blonde, sat alone at a table and Kate wondered if that might be his date. Her hair was pinned back, with thick wisps falling around her neck.

  The woman smiled at her. Kate forced a return smile in an effort to convince herself she didn’t like Will and didn’t care if he was there with someone else. It didn’t work. It felt as though the wind had been sucked out of her. Why should she care? She loved Trevor, right?

  She turned toward the bathroom and a tray full of drinks and food met her neck. Everything crashed to the ground, including her and the waitress.

  Chapter Seven

  Kate figured every eye in the Mountain Vista restaurant was glued to her and the waitress as they both lay flat on the floor, covered in food. The sound of shattering plates tumbling off the tray could have woken up a deaf man.

  She looked down at the garlic sauce splattered across the front of her shirt. “I’m so sorry for running into you,” she muttered to the waitress. “I guess I wasn’t watching—”

  The young woman shot her a razor sharp look.

  The nearby bathroom door swung open. A man in a pair of cowboy boots emerged and walked toward Kate. She closed her eyes for a brief second. Please don’t be Will. She craned her neck up and opened one eye. “Hi Will.”

  He shook his head as a grin crept across his face. “When I heard the crash, I should’ve known you’d be involved.” He laughed and stretched out his hand. Kate let him help her to her feet. She gritted her teeth and faked a smile.

  Will reached for the waitress. “Are you okay?”

  She stood without assistance. The waitress slid her hands along the front of her apron, slinging red sauce and noodles to the floor.

  Trevor walked into view and stopped in his tracks. His eyebrows rose and his jaw dropped as he surveyed the mess. Green shreds of lettuce were tangled up with steak. Sour cream splattered out of a small dish across the floor. Mashed potatoes spewed onto the carpet smothering a piece of chicken. Not one piece of food remained on the broken plates.

  “Are you OK?” Trevor asked.

  “I was just looking for the bathroom.” She laughed uncomfortably, hoping someone would believe her white lie. She couldn’t admit that she’d been distracted by the idea of Will sitting at a table with an attractive blonde.

  Will chuckled again. “Having a hard time staying out of trouble, aren’t you?”

  She couldn’t do anything right.

  Beads of sweat built up on her face and tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She took a deep breath to keep them at bay. Her heart ached for home. At least in Chicago she could avoid returning to a restaurant after such humiliation. Wintervale only had three.

  Resisting the desire to search for a rock to crawl under, Kate bent down on one knee and picked up shards of glass with her fingers, dropping them one by one on the tray.

  “It’s all right. You can go ahead and go back to your table.” The waitress knelt in front of the mess and lifted the palm of her hand. “I can pick the rest of this up.”

  “Can I at least pay for this?” Kate felt the heavy weight of responsibility on her shoulders. If she hadn’t caved in to her desire to see Will’s date, this never would’ve happened.

  “I’m so sorry.” Kate felt humiliated.

  “I think our meal was on that tray.” Will turned to the blonde Kate assumed was his date and shouted, “Looks like dinner might be awhile, Sarah.”

  Not wanting to see the likely irritated reaction on the woman’s face, Kate slunk back to her table, gaze downcast. Everyone in the restaurant must now know the crash had been her fault.

  “You gonna be OK?” Trevor asked as he sat back down in his chair.

  “Once I get over the embarrassment. You’d think I’d be used to that feeling by now.”

  Kate picked up her purse off the chair and gripped the strap in her hand. “Trevor, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go home and call it a night.”

  “Sure.” Trevor nodded. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Kate nodded and threw her hand up in a wave and left the restaurant. She couldn’t hold back the tears long enough to reach her car.

  As Kate sped home, she replayed every moment of the restaurant disaster in her head. She arrived at the house, slipped her shoes off inside the door, and sank down into the living room couch. Thoughts of Will kept entering her mind, like a catapult with the wind at its back. She couldn’t get him out of her mind.

  The phone rang, stirring Kate from her thoughts. The cell phone screen identified the caller as Trevor.

  “Hey, girl. After you ran out of the restaurant, I came up with an idea for a news story.”

  She took a deep breath. “Let’s hear it,” Kate said. She grabbed her notebook on the side table next to the couch.

  “After you left, Will mentioned that the Mesa Verde staff are on fire watch up in the park. I thought it might be interesting for you to take a tour, and he can explain some of their selective burning procedures at the same time.”

  Kate choked. “Me? Ride with Will?”

  “Yeah. He loves talking about his work. I bet he’d get a kick out of showing you around.”

  “OK.” Kate’s insides jumped with anticipation at the thought of spending more time with Will. But she forced herself to think about Trevor. She vowed to stick to the original plan. She came to marry Trevor.

  ***

  Kate turned onto the gravel parking lot in front of the red log church, and pulled her car into a spot. People were already filtering into the building for Sunday morning church service.

  For a moment she sat in her car thinking back on her father’s desire that she attend church every Sunday. She admired that about him.

  One thing remained the same, she was thankful for his consistency in making her go. She couldn’t imagine life without Jesus at the center.

  As she stepped out of the car, she longed for someone to stand by her side, making the lonely trek into the building a little more bearable.

  Her feet shuffled along the gravel as she walked toward the entrance. When she neared the front door a hand slid into hers and she turned to see Emma.

  “If you’re not meeting someone, I’d love to have you sit with me.” Emma hunched over, placed her hand on the small of her back, and waited for her response.

  “I’d be delighted.”

  Emma led Kat
e into the foyer and introduced her to what seemed liked the entire congregation, never letting go of her hand. The small sanctuary looked as if it might sandwich two hundred people on a busy Sunday. Today, maybe half the amount attended. The wall behind the pulpit was covered in river rocks, lending a rustic feel to the room. The church fit right in to the surrounding scenery.

  The two women took their seat in the middle of the sanctuary on the edge of the aisle. Emma squeezed Kate’s hand and rested her hands in her own lap. The gesture set Kate at ease.

  This dear woman faced cancer and the end of her life, yet she was concerned about Kate feeling comfortable. How could she love so tenderly in the midst of her circumstances?

  Kate glanced around the room at the faces. Will’s was not among them. Should she ask Emma about him? Nah. It might give her the impression she had romantic feelings for the man.

  An elderly woman tapped the keys on the piano, the notes echoing through the sanctuary. Comfort washed over Kate, soothing her. She missed her home church and the friends she’d eaten lunch with every Sunday before she left Chicago.

  The song leader stood in front of the congregation. “Why don’t you take a minute to say hello to those around you?” More church members surrounded Kate, welcoming her to the fold. By the time the music started again, Kate guessed she had shaken every hand in the place.

  A young man with black hair that touched his shoulders took up the position behind the pulpit. In place of a tie, he wore a turquoise-and-silver bolo. “I’m sure you’ve all heard the story of Isaac and Rebekah,” he said.

  Kate loved that story. God chose Rebekah to be Isaac’s wife. Isaac’s servant traveled for miles across a hot and sandy desert, with thirsty camels, in search of the perfect woman for his master. From the beginning, God planned for his journey to be a success.

  “Turn with me to Genesis 24.” The pastor ambled across the front while holding his open Bible in one hand.

  Kate flipped through the thin pages of scripture, searching for the chapter.

  As the preacher talked, Kate wondered if the Lord had planned a romantic fate for her and Trevor similar to the one He designed for Isaac and Rebekah. Had the two of them also been brought together by a plan etched in the heavens?

  After the preacher finished his sermon, the music started again, and the small grouping of people spilled into the aisles and out to the parking lot.

  Kate stood to help Emma from her seat. Before she could get her arm secure around her, Will walked up from behind to help.

  “What are you doing here?” she sputtered.

  “Am I not allowed in church?” He laughed. His tousled hair was neatly combed, but his five o’clock shadow was still intact. A crisp, ironed dress shirt tucked into beige slacks took the place of his typical forest ranger uniform.

  “I’m just surprised to see you here.”

  He helped Emma rise from her seat and held her hand as she walked between the pews.

  Kate followed the two. “Why are you here?”

  “After your spill at the restaurant last night, I wanted to make sure you weren’t tearing up the church, too.” A grin grew wide across his face.

  “Very funny.” Kate squinted her eyes and tipped her head to the side. She appreciated his concern.

  “Seriously, I’ve been in this church all of my life.”

  “Oh…” Kate’s voice trailed off when the beautiful blonde from the restaurant walked up to join their conversation.

  “Hi, I’m Sarah,” she stretched out her hand to shake Kate’s.

  At least she’s friendly.

  “I’m Will’s cousin.”

  A bolt of joy coursed through Kate. She pushed her lips together. Keeping a smile from plastering across her face wasn’t going to be easy.

  “After your spill, I was a bit worried about you. It looked like you took a hard fall,” Sarah added.

  Kate’s heart practically leapt out of her chest, and she had a hard time concentrating on Sarah’s words.

  So Will is single.

  Chapter Eight

  Kate stood behind Emma’s house and stared at Will as he lifted the sack of feed from his truck bed like it was a feather. She’d come to Emma’s before the blazing sun started to peek over the horizon, long after Will arrived, and he was still going strong.

  The animals continued to scare her a little, but his presence gave her the freedom to keep her worries at bay.

  Emma emerged from her house wearing an ankle-length peach nightgown. “Can I steal her this morning?” she asked Will, pointing at Kate.

  He set the weighty brown sack full of feed onto the ground. “Sure.” Will pulled a red-and-white handkerchief from his pocket and soaked the sweat off his forehead.

  A break would be welcome. Will had just finished showing her how to clean out a stall, the last thing she wanted to do. She laid the shovel against the side of the barn. “I can help you finish cleaning when I get back.”

  “Take your time. She’ll enjoy the company.”

  Mud caked the entryway rug outside the door to Emma’s home. Kate found a clean corner and slipped off her shoes. She followed Emma inside and closed the door, almost tripping over a salt-and-pepper colored Australian Shepherd curled up on a braided rug. A tail emerged and flapped up and down like a flag waving in the wind.

  “Max won’t move out of anyone’s way.” Emma reached down to scratch the dog’s head. “He’s determined that’s his spot.” A contented sigh escaped from the pet.

  As she stood, Emma swayed. She slapped her hand against the wall to keep her balance.

  Kate threw her hands around Emma’s waist. Beads of sweat balled up on Emma’s pale face. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, hon. I just have moments of dizziness now and again.” Her eyelids closed. “Don’t worry about me.” She waved her off with the flip of her hand.

  Kate waited a moment before releasing her grip. Max stood at their feet whining. His tail wiggled back and forth, waiting for a response from Emma.

  “I’m OK,” she said, looking down at the dog.

  Emma led Kate across the large living room filled with log furniture. Blanket-sized burgundy and teal Native American rugs hung on the walls below the vaulted ceilings. White threads zigzagged throughout the rugs, resembling ancient designs.

  “Would you like some coffee?” Emma entered the kitchen and shuffled to the stove.

  “I’d love it.” Kate slid into one of the wooden chairs at the round tiger oak table.

  Emma poured coffee from a carafe into two white teacups with gold accents on the rims and handles. Delicate, just like Emma.

  Emma sat down across from Kate and said, “Thank you for your help.” She placed her warm palm on Kate’s hand. “Not many people are that kind to strangers.”

  She wanted her faith to shine through her actions. It was a challenge at times, but she found it easier to show through her actions, rather than talk about her beliefs. “It’s been hard working on the ranch. I won’t lie about that. Plus, the animals kind of scare me.”

  “They can be scary at times, but they want attention as much as anyone. Believe it or not, even chickens can be lovable.”

  Kate laughed.

  Emma rubbed her temples with trembling hands.

  “Are you sure you’re OK?” Kate leaned in to see Emma’s pasty white face.

  “I do feel a little…” Emma’s eyes fluttered. “Queasy.” Her body fell forward and her head slipped onto the table with a thud against the wood. Her arms dangled down by her sides.

  “Emma!” Kate jumped from her seat, grabbed her, and laid her on the floor. Kate stood abruptly, ran to the back door, and slung it open. “Will?”

  He rounded the corner behind the barn, carrying a full sack of feed. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Emma. She collapsed.”

  The bag slid off his shoulder and dropped to the ground, spilling seed.

  Will sprinted up the wooden porch steps. Kate stepped to the si
de to get out of his way.

  When she returned to the kitchen she found Max whining and lying next to Emma, his head resting on her stomach.

  Will’s knees hit the floor beside the unconscious woman. He leaned his head down and placed his ear near her mouth. “She’s not breathing. Call 911.” Will pointed to the phone on the kitchen wall.

  Kate’s hands began to shake as she lifted the receiver. She placed the phone to her ear but heard no sound. She tapped the button several times. “There’s no dial tone.”

  “My cell phone’s in the truck. On the passenger seat.” Will rested his fingers on Emma’s neck. “Hurry!”

  Kate dropped the phone and ran outside. As she hit the bottom stair, her ankle buckled beneath her and she stumbled to her knees, skidding forward into the dirt. She scrambled to her feet and continued running. When she reached the truck she opened the door, grabbed the cell, and started dialing.

  “911, what is your emergency?” asked a woman dispatcher.

  Kate’s voice cracked. “We have a woman with no pulse. We need an ambulance.”

  “What is the address?”

  “I don’t know. Hold on.” Kate gripped the phone and ran back inside. She found Will breathing into Emma’s mouth. “Emma’s address?”

  Will rattled off the number and leaned back down to breathe in her mouth again. Kate repeated it into the phone.

  “The ambulance is in transit now. She may need CPR—”

  “Someone’s doing it right now.”

  Will interlaced his fingers over Emma’s heart, pumping up and down. “I need your help.”

  Kate set the phone on the counter and raced to his side.

  “Close off her nose and breath into her mouth two times,” Will said, as he waited to do another set of chest compressions.

  Kate followed his instructions. Her own heart thumped against the inside of her chest, pounding with force.

  They continued CPR until the ambulance arrived several minutes later. It felt like an eternity. The front door opened. Max barked as two paramedics entered the kitchen.

  The taller paramedic set a black box on the floor, flipped it open, and pulled out a mask and bag-valve device for breathing.