“I didn’t really know for sure. Just took a shot.” Caroline smiled, a pleased expression on her attractive features. “I’m so glad.”
Now she was confused. “You are?”
“Absolutely. What?” the other woman questioned. “You thought I’d be upset?”
“Maybe.” Kate shrugged. “At the very least I thought you’d be protective of him.”
“Oh, I am. When the situation calls for it. But this isn’t one of those times.” Caroline’s expression was soft and maternal. “You’re good for him, Kate.”
“I am?” She blinked, then gripped her coffee mug so tightly her knuckles turned white. “Could have fooled me.”
“He’s very closed off since his wife left. She really did a number on him.”
“She still is doing a number on him,” Kate corrected.
“You know she passed away?”
“I do.” No way would Kate share about being with him when he got the call because of having spent the night in his bed. “And he wanted me to stand by when he broke the news to Ty.”
“You’re good for that boy, too,” Caroline observed. “So explain to me how that woman is still messing with him.”
“He’s in love with her and always will be.”
“Did he tell you that?” Caroline’s blue eyes narrowed skeptically.
“Almost. He told me his father never stopped loving his mother even though she left. He was a one-woman man and Cabot takes after him.”
“In a lot of ways he does,” Caroline agreed. “They both have a connection to the land and family. But not in relationships. That woman walked out and left him with a newborn. It took him a while to get through all the steps of grief over it, but I’d bet everything I’ve got that he stopped loving her a long time ago.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“He’s different with you,” Caroline persisted. “He’s lighter somehow—his spirit, I mean. He hired me to run the camp when Ty was a baby and he had his hands full with everything. But this is the first summer I’ve seen him so involved. And Diane told me how he acted on the campout. The only difference around here is you.”
“I’m having a hard time believing that,” Kate confessed. “He’s really resistant.”
“He’s built up some pretty high, thick walls, but if you give it time, I think they can be penetrated.”
“If it’s not in the next couple weeks, I won’t be around to see that.”
“Why not? You could stick here if you wanted to. After all, if your life was firing on all cylinders, you wouldn’t be here in the first place.”
Kate couldn’t dispute that. And she wasn’t looking forward to leaving, which was pretty telling. She loved Blackwater Lake, and that had nothing to do with Cabot and how she felt about him.
“You have a point about that. But two wrongs don’t make a right.”
“And giving up without a fight is the coward’s way out. What if he’s your soul mate?”
“What if she was his?” Kate shot back.
“Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith to get what you want.”
“A little encouragement from him would make it a lot less scary.”
“No pain, no gain.”
Kate knew the other woman was sincere and began to wonder if she might be right. Caroline certainly had known him a long time. What if Kate was giving up too soon?
“I’ll give it some thought,” she agreed. “And thanks for talking with me. I really do feel a lot better.”
“Good.” Caroline smiled. “I love playing Cupid. It’s so rewarding when—”
A strange sound interrupted her, something completely out of place. Usually the quiet here by the lake and mountains was absolute, but Kate swore the noise was the whap whap of helicopter rotors and it was moving closer and getting a lot louder. She and Caroline looked at each other and without a word walked to the door, then went outside onto the porch.
Sure enough, they weren’t the only ones who’d heard. All the kids and counselors were gathered outside, watching as a helicopter set down in the open area by Cabot’s house. On the side of the chopper were the letters ESPN.
Kate made an educated guess that this had something to do with her and took off at a run up the slight rise. She stopped beside Cabot, and both of them watched as a man in an expensive suit and tie stepped out of the chopper. He approached with hand outstretched to Cabot and the two shook.
“I’m John Crowley, vice president in charge of televised sports for ESPN.” He looked at her. “You’re not an easy woman to locate, Miss Scott. But I’ve got a proposition for you, and I think you’re going to like it.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Dad, is Kate going to fly away on that helicopter?”
Cabot saw the anxiety in his son’s eyes. The boy had come running with everyone else from the camp when the guy in charge of sports for ESPN had arrived. He’d asked to speak with Kate privately, and Cabot had offered his house. They were still talking, as far as he knew. He was in the barn with his son, fielding questions that he had no answers for.
“I don’t know, Ty,” he said. “I could sure use your help mucking out this stall.”
The boy only nodded, but the wheels were turning. Cabot had no illusions that the interrogation was over. This was just the eye of the hurricane, and he was bracing for the storm to come.
He and Ty assembled shovels, a wheelbarrow and a pitchfork to remove the dirty hay and replace it. The work was messy and sweaty, but sometimes a guy needed something like this. Now was one of those times.
Ty shoveled up some muck. “That man must be pretty rich if he could come here in a helicopter.”
That thought had also occurred to Cabot. “Yeah.”
“Why do you think he wants to talk to her?”
“He said he’s in charge of sports broadcasting, so it probably has something to do with that.”
Cabot had quickly realized that Kate was an even bigger deal than he knew. One picture was worth a thousand words, and the helicopter was quite a visual pointing to the fact that she was way out of his league.
He dumped a shovelful of dirty hay into the wheelbarrow. “Remember I told you she won Olympic medals in skeet shooting?”
“Yeah. That’s her best event.”
“Well, when someone is an expert and a competition is on TV, they like to get that person to explain things to the people watching.”
“Oh.” The boy leaned on his shovel, obviously thinking that over. “If she does that, will she have to go? I mean before summer’s over?”
“It’s probably best not to speculate about that. We don’t even know for sure that’s what it’s about.” But he was pretty sure they wouldn’t send a suit in a helicopter to discuss the summer-camp program.
This was a big deal.
“I don’t want her to go, Dad.”
“I know, son.”
It was official. The talk he’d had with Ty had not prepared the kid for her leaving. Cabot knew better than his son that there was no way to prepare yourself for the void of losing someone you cared about. Tyler cared about Kate and he wasn’t the only one in this family who did.
He’d known that when he stuck that condom in his pocket last night in case he couldn’t make himself walk away after telling her about his talk with Ty. But as soon as he’d pocketed the thing, there was no way he could keep himself from having her. He realized that now. On some level he’d already made up his mind to take her to bed.
Some indefinable thing about Kate Scott drew him like a moth to a flame. And it wasn’t just sex, although that was fantastic. He just really liked her, everything about her. Especially the way she’d taken Tyler under her wing.
“Dad, I have an idea.”
“Oh?” Cabot knew he wasn’t
going to like this. “What is it, son?”
“You should talk to her. Tell her you want her to stay.”
“I didn’t say that.” He saw the boy working up to a protest and jumped in before the words came out. “You said you don’t want her to go and I said I understand how you feel. That’s all.”
“It’s the same thing.”
“No, it’s not.” Cabot couldn’t let himself want her to stay. He couldn’t cross that line; he couldn’t take the chance. If it went badly, and he had every reason to believe it would, he might never make it back. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t tell her how you feel.”
He heard muffled footsteps on the hard-packed dirt path that ran down the center of the barn. Seconds later Kate appeared.
“Here you are,” she said to Cabot, then smiled at Ty. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Hi, Kate. What did that guy want?” The boy was clearly happy to see her.
Cabot wanted to think he wasn’t, but it would be a lie. He couldn’t look at her hard enough or long enough.
“The helicopter was pretty cool, no?” An undeniable undercurrent of excitement hummed through her. “I talked to my brother, Zach, last night. Apparently he told them where to find me. It was about a job offer.”
“They didn’t waste any time.” They must’ve wanted her bad. Cabot knew exactly how that felt. “What’s the proposal?”
“A national championship is coming up in a couple of weeks, and they want me to provide color, context and commentary on my sport.”
“I see.”
“He said they saw the magazine cover and liked my look. They think that people will be interested in my story, and that will boost the ratings for skeet the way Danica Patrick has done for NASCAR. The objective is to get airtime experience before the summer Olympics, which aren’t that far away.”
“You sound excited.” That was the exact opposite of how he felt.
“I’m flattered, for sure. And it’s always nice to be asked.” She glanced down at the front of her legs, the dried dirt on her shirt and shorts. “And they still wanted me, even though I look as if I’ve been dipped in quicksand.”
He thought she’d never looked more beautiful than she did at this moment. But he couldn’t afford to give in to that feeling. “So you accepted.”
“That’s what I’d like to talk to you about.” She grew serious and looked at Tyler, who was listening to every word and soaking it up like a sponge. “Kiddo, could I talk to your dad alone for a few minutes?”
“You’re going to leave, aren’t you?” His voice had threads of anger and hurt mixing together.
“There’s a whole lot to consider, sweetie.”
“Ty, we talked about this. You knew Kate was only staying until the end of summer.”
“But she likes it here,” he cried. “I know she does.”
“You’re right about that, Ty. I do love Blackwater Lake and the ranch. But—”
“She has a career,” Cabot interjected. “And this is a really good opportunity for her. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” But the expression in his eyes said different.
“Just let me talk to your dad for a little bit,” she pleaded. “Then I’ll come find you and let you know what’s happening.”
“You won’t leave without saying goodbye?”
“Of course not. I promise,” she said. “If I go.”
“Okay.” The tone said he would do as requested but wasn’t happy about it. He dragged the shovel behind him as he walked out of the stall and toward the barn door, leaving them alone.
Cabot set his own shovel against the stall fence, then turned back, carefully and deliberately standing a few feet away from her. “So, what did you tell them?”
“I turned it down.”
That shocked him. “Why? Isn’t it a really good opportunity?”
“It’s what I’ve been working for.”
“And you told them no?”
“I did.”
He shook his head. “But you’re ready to go back. All set to rat out the cheating scumbag about what he did. Face the world.”
“But I don’t want that world anymore.” Her eyes pleaded with him to understand. “Staying here on the ranch, here in Blackwater Lake, is what will make me happy.”
Call him cynical, but his wife had said she wanted to stay, too, and that hadn’t worked out so well. “What would you have said to this offer if you’d never come here?”
“But I did.”
“Humor me. Think about this. What if you hadn’t driven into Blackwater Lake in your wedding gown and stayed for the summer camp? What would you have said to a sportscasting gig that you’ve worked really hard for?”
She thought about it for a moment as emotions swirled in her eyes. “I would have said yes. But I did come here and stay for the summer—”
He held up a hand to stop her. “That’s what I thought.”
“Cabot, listen to me. Being here with you and Ty has changed my perspective and priorities. What we have is special and I’m not willing to give that up.”
“It’s a summer fling.”
“You don’t mean that. Not after last night.”
He met her gaze and forced himself not to look away so that she would see this was for the best. He also fought the overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms and beg her not to go. But if he did that and she stayed, missing out on all the opportunities waiting for her, eventually she’d resent him. He would lose her either way, so why prolong the inevitable?
“Yeah, I do mean it. We both know this isn’t going anywhere. You have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and should take it. You should go.”
“You’re only saying that because circumstances made ranch life your career choice. Maybe you feel deprived of having the option or this is about the fact that your wife wasn’t satisfied with her decision. But for some people, the life you live every single day is a dream.”
“Dreams are nothing but a romantic notion before reality hits you where it hurts.”
Kate stared at him for several moments, surprise and hurt filling her eyes. Then a single fat tear rolled down her cheek, and he nearly lost his resolve.
“Don’t, Kate,” he pleaded. “You’ll see. This is the best thing for both of us. A clean break.”
“There’s nothing clean about this.” Anger chased the wounded expression from her face. “You think you’re being noble, preserving that nice-guy image by helping people who are down on their luck. And when you didn’t know about me, everything was fine. I fit into the mold of acceptable, someone who got through the barrier.”
“Look, this is—”
She held up her hand. “You had your say—now it’s my turn. All was well until you found out I could actually take care of myself, but you started putting up different walls. Taking me to bed was okay as long as it was just temporary. But you’re so worried about taking another chance that I think you’re glad about this offer. It takes the heat off.”
Her words hit very close to the mark, and he didn’t like that at all. “Is psychobabble part of your Olympic regimen? If so, you need more training. You’re way off target.”
“Is that so?” She glared at him. “Well, even Olympic gold medalists miss what they aim at from time to time.”
Without another word, she turned and walked out of the barn, head held high.
Cabot stared at the space where she’d been standing just a moment ago. He had that feeling of making a spontaneous purchase, then having buyer’s remorse. Before he could puzzle that out, he heard a noise.
“Is someone there?”
“It’s me, Dad.” Tyler walked into the stall.
“I thought you went back to hang out with the other kids.”
The boy shook his head. “You’re probably gonna be mad and I’m sorry, but I had to.”
“What did you do?”
“I listened to you and Kate talking.”
Cabot read disappointment and censure in the eight-year-old’s eyes. He saw a maturity far beyond his years, something Cabot had had in his own gaze as a kid.
“You know it’s wrong to eavesdrop,” he scolded.
“I had to,” Ty said again. “No one tells a kid what’s going on and I really needed to know.”
“So you’re aware that Kate is leaving.”
“You told her to go,” Ty accused. “She wasn’t going to take that job. She told the helicopter guy no. She wanted to stay here because she cares about us.”
“It’s complicated.” He winced as the words came out of his mouth. He’d proved what his son had just said about adults talking down to him.
“Yeah. That’s what grown-ups always tell kids. And maybe I don’t understand everything, but I get this. You really blew it, Dad. Girls sure aren’t your best event.” Then he turned and walked out, too.
Cabot lifted his Stetson and dragged his fingers through his hair before replacing his hat. He looked at the dirty hay around him and thought it was ironic that the whole crappy scene had happened here.
Ty was right. Love wasn’t his best event, but heading off trouble was, and that was just what he’d done. Although the sinking feeling in his gut was starting to feel like a different kind of trouble.
* * *
The day after Kate left the ranch, Cabot was getting the cold shoulder from his son and dirty looks from everyone else. Or maybe he was imagining that because he felt lower than a snake’s belly. Ty did say that Kate had kept her promise and said goodbye to him. He also shared that she’d told the boy she was taking the job and if he wanted to know why she couldn’t come back here when it was over he should ask his dad.
But Ty hadn’t asked him anything, apparently assuming that Cabot was completely hopeless with girls. That was what he’d been trying to tell everyone, so why was it such a big surprise when it all imploded?
The Rancher Who Took Her In (The Bachelors of Blackwater Lake) Page 17
