by Devney Perry
“They’re having a baby boy in a few months,” I said.
“And you?” Aria asked Kat. “Are you happy?”
“Of course.” Kat shifted in her chair again, reaching for her wine.
My heart sank. Maybe Aria had bought the lie but I’d heard the truth in Kat’s voice.
Why wasn’t she happy? Didn’t she like her job? Didn’t she like life on the ranch? Or was it just stress from the past three days I was hearing?
“That brings me to this visit,” Kat said, continuing on. “Gemma hired a PI a while back to look us all up. She was curious and wanted to know where we’d all landed. I hope you don’t mind. I—we—drove the Cadillac here to find you.”
“Not Karson?”
“No.” Kat shook her head. “I’m never going back to California.”
Because of her mother? Because of the memories? Hell if I knew the answer. More than I wanted anything from Kat, her body or her friendship, I craved her trust.
“I can understand that.” Aria gulped the rest of her wine and refilled her and Kat’s glasses. “I’m not going back either.”
“Oh.” Kat’s shoulders slumped. “Damn. We were hoping that you might take the car to Karson.”
“Is he in California?”
“According to Gemma’s PI, yes.”
Aria hummed and twirled the wine in her glass. “You know, I’ve thought of doing the same, with an investigator. Except for the fact that I’m a gardener and can’t really afford that sort of thing.”
“You’re a gardener?” I asked.
Aria touched the tip of a tulip in the vase on the table. “Everything around the hotel has been grown by me or a member of my team. I cut these flowers this morning in our offsite greenhouse after I saw you in the lobby.”
“I wondered about that.” Kat smiled and looked to me. “Aria was always growing things in the junkyard. She’d buy a packet of seeds and find an old egg carton. Then we’d all get a plant or a flower for our own, usually in an empty can of green beans. I was sad to leave them behind when we left.”
Aria’s face soured. “I hate green beans. But don’t worry, I took care of your flowers. I found these industrial buckets and I made Karson help me fill them with dirt. Then I replanted everything and staged them all around the junkyard. I’ll never forget the look on Lou’s face when he came out of his shack one day to see all the green leaves and pink flowers I’d put beside his front door. It was this hilarious mix of shock and disgust and pride.”
“Poor Lou.” Kat laughed, fondness in her gaze.
Poor Lou? That man had let a bunch of kids camp out in his junkyard, living in abandoned cars and ramshackle tents. But that reverence that Katherine and Gemma had for the junkyard, for Lou, was written on Aria’s face too.
“Remember that time your cat destroyed all my seedlings?” Aria asked.
“She didn’t destroy them.” Kat rolled her eyes. “She just knocked over a couple.”
“All of them. That animal was an evil, orange beast. I still hate cats to this day.”
“Did, um . . . did Lou feed her after I left?”
Aria nodded. “And all of her kittens. When I finally left the next year, there were like twenty cats living around his shack. But no mice.”
“You had a cat?” I asked. Another thing I wished I had known.
“Just this stray that kept coming by.” Kat shrugged. “She wasn’t really mine. I fed her a few times and then she didn’t leave. We didn’t let her sleep in the tent with us, but she kind of gravitated toward me.”
“She only gravitated toward you,” Aria said. “That cat would hiss and scratch the rest of us if we tried to pet her.”
It was strange to observe Kat with someone else from her youth. For the first time, I was the outsider. Gemma and Kat didn’t talk about the junkyard. If they did, it was done at their weekly girls’ night because whenever they were around the family, conversation was focused on life and happenings on the ranch.
But Aria had no connection to the Greers. I’d learned more about Kat in the past few days than I’d learned in a decade.
The waiter arrived with our dinner and conversation halted as the three of us began eating.
“Wow.” Katherine’s eyes widened after the first bite of her steak. “This is amazing.”
I swallowed my own bite, hating to admit that it was good. I’d also cut that bite with my fork.
“Do you still paint?” Aria asked as she fluffed her baked potato.
Kat shook her head. “No, not anymore.”
“You paint?” My fork froze in midair. “I didn’t know that.”
She shrugged and popped another bite into her mouth, chewing and avoiding eye contact.
“She’s talented,” Aria said. “She did this mural inside the tent of this meadow with wildflowers and birds and butterflies. It was so bright and cheerful. Whenever I had a bad day, I’d go into the tent and just lie down in the common area, close my eyes and be surrounded by the colors.”
“Why’d you stop?” I asked Kat, not caring that my knowledge—or lack thereof—was showing.
“It got harder and harder to do. With work being so busy, it was one of those hobbies that fell away.”
Did she have other former hobbies I didn’t know about? Besides working at the resort, she didn’t do much for herself. She’d go horseback riding at times. She’d hang out and watch a basketball or football game with me at home.
How had I known her all these years without knowing she’d had a cat in the junkyard or that she’d been a painter? So much for me being the all-knowing best friend.
“What happened after we left?” Katherine asked Aria.
“Nothing much. It was boring without you guys there. Karson stayed until we turned eighteen, but he wasn’t around much. He worked a ton, we all did, trying to save some money. Then on our birthday, Clara and I packed up our stuff and took a bus to Las Vegas. Karson hugged us goodbye, we left a note for Lou, and that was it.”
“How long were you in Vegas?”
“About a month. I hated it. Too many fake people. Too much desert. Clara liked it and stayed for a while before moving to Welcome, Arizona. But I had to get out of there. So I started calling hotels along the coast, seeing if there were any jobs open. I started as a housekeeper here at The Gallaway for about a year. Then one day, the head groundskeeper found me weeding one of the flower beds. He took me under his wing, showed me everything and taught me a lot. When he retired a few years ago, I took over.”
“We both started as housekeepers then,” Kat said. “That’s how I started at the resort.”
“What do you do, Cash?” Aria asked.
“I work with horses. I do some guide trips. Train the younger animals. Do whatever ranch work needs to be done.”
“So you’re a cowboy?” She leaned back to look under the table. “Boots and all.”
I chuckled. “Something like that.”
“Cash has a real gift with horses,” Kat said. “They’re building a brand-new training and breeding facility that he’s going to run.”
“With Gemma,” I added. “She came to my rescue and saved me from the office work.”
“I’ll have to come and visit the resort one of these days. I’m intrigued.”
“You’re welcome anytime,” Kat said.
Conversation turned light as the three of us focused on our meals. Aria told some funny tales about catching couples screwing on the beach when they thought no one was looking. She raved about the hotel’s owner and how he was the best boss she’d ever had and the kindest rich man she’d ever met.
When her plate was clear, Aria set her napkin aside, leaning forward to focus on Kat. “I love this visit. I love the whole idea for your trip. What if I took the Cadillac?”
“To California?” Kat asked. “I thought . . .”
“No, to Clara, in Arizona. I’ll be next up in the daisy chain. Once she hears about how the handoffs have worked with the car, I’m sure she’l
l take it to Karson.”
“Really?” Kat’s face split in a huge smile.
“Sure. As long as you’re not in a hurry. Work is crazy right now, but as soon as I can get away, I’ll do it.”
“There’s no rush. For either of you. If Clara doesn’t want to drive to California, we can leave the car in Arizona. Gemma will come get it at some point. Or Londyn.”
“Then it’s settled.” Aria clapped. “Though I’m not worried about my sister. Clara will love the idea even more than me.”
“Thank you,” I said. Not only because that would save us a long drive home, but because of the smile she’d put on Kat’s face.
“You’re welcome.” Aria yawned and checked the time on her phone. “Okay, I’d better get home. I have to be back at five thirty. We try not to let the guests see us with our hands dirty.”
I signaled the waiter for our check, having him charge it to our room. Then we stood from the table and before Kat even had her feet, Aria had pulled her into another hug. “God, it’s good to see you.”
“You too.” Katherine squeezed her, then let go.
“What are you up to tomorrow?” Aria asked as we weaved past tables, making our way toward the exit.
“Not much,” Kat answered.
“I need to get some work done first thing in the morning but come and find me whenever you get up. Just tell the front desk to page me.”
“Okay.” Kat hugged Aria again, then waved goodbye as her friend walked through the lobby. Katherine stared at her until she disappeared behind a door marked Employees Only, her shoulders sagging as it closed.
“You okay?”
“I wish I hadn’t lost touch with her. With all of them.”
“You found her now. And you’ll always have Gemma close.”
Katherine hummed. Was that a yes? A no? I used to understand her hums.
“Should we go up?” My mouth went dry as I finished the question. There would be no more escaping the bed or the fact that what I really wanted to do was kiss her again. To worship her body until we both passed out.
“Actually, I think I’m going to take a walk.” Kat tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’ll be up in a while.”
“Mind if I join you?”
“I was going to go to the beach. I thought you didn’t like the smell.”
Was that why it had taken her so long to get that stamp for Grandma’s postcard earlier? Kat had probably escaped to the beach.
“The beach is fine.” Not as good as Montana, but it was a sight to behold. My irritation earlier hadn’t been with the smell but with how Kat had seemed to instantly fall in love with the place. “Lead the way.”
She crossed the lobby and the moment we walked outside, the evening breeze picked up the loose curls of her hair. She’d spent an hour twisting it into soft waves, a style I’d seen more times on this trip than I had in the past five years combined.
My God, she was sexy. The clothes. Her hair. The dark, smoky shadow on her eyelids and the peach on her cheeks. My attention was so fixed on her that I barely registered the stairs as we descended the long staircase off the deck and I tripped over a few, catching myself on the railing before I fell. The steps led us down the cliffs to the beach below and though there was much to see, my eyes were glued to the sway of her hips and the way her hair swung across her shoulders.
Finally, when we hit the sand, I looked out and let the power of the ocean hit me square in the chest. It really was magnificent, like Kat. When I stopped fighting it, when I pulled the blinders down, it was spectacular.
Our feet dug into the beach as we made our way across the sand. Then we stood at the edge of the surf, staring out at the dark water, its waves catching the silver moonlight in diamond glitters.
“I like the beach,” she whispered, so quietly I wasn’t sure she was talking to me or simply telling herself.
“I didn’t know you had a cat at the junkyard.”
“It was only a stray but I loved it. I named her Patch. She was my companion. Londyn and Gemma were always the closest. Londyn dated Karson so the three of them were together a lot. And Aria and Clara were inseparable. I was normally the odd one out and that cat . . .”
That cat had been hers and hers alone. “Why didn’t you bring Patch to Montana?”
“A wild cat on a bus?” She scoffed. “Yeah, that would have gone over well.”
“Do you want to get a new cat?” We had a ton of barn cats roaming around free because they kept the mice away. There were constantly litters of kittens. Or I’d take her to a pet store and get her one from there.
“Maybe someday.” She shrugged. “When I get my own place.”
“You know, you don’t have to move.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No, you don’t. Look”—I turned to face her, taking her shoulders in my arms so she had to turn and face me too—“I know things are strange right now. I don’t regret what happened, but I’m not going to lie and say it hasn’t fucked with my head. You’re my friend. My best friend.”
“I know.” She stepped out of my grip and wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing at the bare skin of her arms. “I’m cold. I think I’ll go back inside.”
Without another word, without acknowledgement that I was trying to muddle my way through this, she spun away and marched toward the staircase.
“Fuck.” I let her go, watching until she was halfway up the stairs before turning to the water.
The waves crashed on the sand, then retreated into the dark depths of the ocean. If I reached down and gripped the edge, no matter how hard I pulled, the wave would slip away. It was that way when I was training a stubborn horse. The harder I tugged on the reins, the longer the fight, and inevitably, I’d lose.
Maybe I was pulling too hard on Kat. She’d asked to forget about the sex and pretend it hadn’t happened. Maybe we should.
She could keep her secrets.
And I could keep mine.
I stayed on the sand until the moon was far above my head, then slowly made my way to our room. The lights were off when I eased the door open except for the lamp on my nightstand. I hurried through brushing my teeth and pulling on a pair of cotton pajama pants, then I eased under the fluffy comforter, savoring the feel of the cool cotton on my naked chest and back.
“Kat.” I turned on my side, facing her. She had her back to me and had stuffed a pillow in the center of the bed. “You asleep?”
“Yes.”
I grinned. “Can I ask you a question?”
“No.”
I asked it anyway. “Why don’t you want to go back to California?”
Tell me. Please, talk to me. I was pulling again, something I’d convinced myself on the beach I wouldn’t do, but I was desperate. I craved information even more than her luscious body.
She shifted, inching farther away and burrowing deeper under the covers. We didn’t need the pillow between us. She was already miles and miles away. “Good night, Cash.”
Chapter Ten
Katherine
“When I said come and find me in the morning, I didn’t expect you to get up this early.” Aria dragged a long hose across the deck of The Gallaway, moving down the row of potted flowers.
I tugged the hose, giving it slack. “I was up.”
After next to no sleep last night, I’d snuck out of the hotel room while Cash had snored quietly into his down pillow. Before dawn, his arm had crept over the divider I’d placed in the center of the mattress and when his hand had rested on my hip, I’d slid from the sheets and tiptoed my way out of that bedroom.
It was supposed to be a dream, sleeping side by side with Cash. Except in the dream, he cuddled me in his arms as I drifted off to sleep. There was no need for his and her sides of the bed. We’d wake together in the morning to share a kiss. The stark gap between the fantasy and reality had sent me scurrying to the lobby this morning after dressing in the dark bathroom and tying my hair into a knot.
I’d been on on
e of the cushioned benches in the lobby, waiting for the espresso bar to open, when Aria had arrived promptly at five thirty. She’d let me tag along with her as she’d worked.
We’d been watering flowers for the past hour. Before that, I’d carried a garbage bag behind her, following as she pruned flower beds and deadheaded hanging baskets.
At least someone wanted my help. I’d checked for emails and texts and missed calls from Montana and to my increasing disappointment, there’d been none.
I shouldn’t be so annoyed that things were running smoothly at the resort. That was what I’d worked for, right? Maybe if this vacation hadn’t gotten so tragically off course, I would have enjoyed the break. But right now, I needed to feel useful. I needed the constant of work, something familiar to focus on when everything else was upside down.
Gardening with Aria had been a salvation.
The sun was up and the sky was more white than blue. The sound of the ocean was a constant calm in the background.
“What’s up with you and Cash?” she asked as we walked down the deck.
“I’m surprised you waited this long to ask.”
She laughed. “It’s been killing me. Spill. That man is hot. Mega hot. So why are you best friends?”
“And coworkers.”
She clicked her tongue. “And roommates.”
“It’s complicated.” I groaned.
“Sleeping with your best friend tends to complicate things.”
I blinked. “How did you know we were sleeping together?”
“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “I was at the dinner table last night. Best friends who aren’t having sex don’t emit that kind of sexual tension.”
I groaned again, my shoulders slumping. “It just happened on this trip. It was the first time and . . . ugh.”
“Please don’t tell me that man is bad in bed. It’ll break my heart.”
“No. Definitely not bad.” The memory of his hands running over my skin, the way his mouth was hot and wet and so fucking talented, made me shiver. And that beard. That goddamn beard. My cheeks heated. “Really, really not bad.”
