Chelsea was animated as she said, “Daddy’s promised to buy me my own show horse as soon as we can find the right one.”
Kate cringed inwardly, but forced a smile to her face. She didn’t want to be the bad guy when the time came to tell Chelsea a new horse wasn’t in the cards, but Travis had insisted she wait and let him find the best time to inform her that they’d decided there wouldn’t be a horse in the near future. Truthfully, Kate suspected he was hoping to win Kate over to his side, but the longer Chelsea went on believing she was getting this expensive horse, the more difficult it would be for her to accept reality.
This was their first major challenge, and already Kate and Travis disagreed on how to parent Chelsea. How many other things would they clash on? It had been a lot easier when she had sole responsibility and made every decision concerning Chelsea. Not necessarily better, though.
Kate walked up behind Chelsea and squeezed her shoulders before taking a seat on the bench next to her daughter and facing Travis’s sisters. Chelsea gave her a sidelong glance and smiled. “Mom’s a great trainer. She’s going to let me work with one of her best horses this week, Chula. This one might make it to Louisville someday.” Kate had always dreamed of a run for the World Championship.
Hoping to keep the conversation light, Kate said, “Chelsea’s one of my best students. I hope to have her competing regionally in the coming year.” Kate had no shortage of horses like Chula who needed to compete in order to raise their potential for sale later on, and Chelsea should be able to bring home a number of ribbons. On this point, she and Travis could agree. Chelsea would begin competing this fall. “Perhaps you’ll get a chance to see her compete sometime.”
Emmy was the first to speak, directing her comment to Chelsea. “We’d love to be there to watch, Chelsea.”
“For real?” Chelsea seemed shocked and excited at the same time. “That would be a-maz-ing! How about Aunt Tanya? When will I get to meet her?”
“She’s the Chief Operating Officer for an international corporation in Chicago,” Emmy said, “so she can only make it to Louisville a few times a year.”
“But she already knows about you and is excited to meet you,” Shania added. “Maybe she can make it to one of your shows, too, with enough notice. Especially if it’s not far from Chicago.”
“Mom, are there any shows I can do up there?”
“Sure. Lots are held in Illinois and even Wisconsin.”
“Awesome!” Chelsea’s excitement was contagious. She hadn’t realized how eager Chelsea was to compete, but then it was probably because she expected to own a prestigious show horse any time now.
Shania squeezed Chelsea’s hand. “As soon as you have show dates and times set, let us know so the whole family can block them off on our calendars. Trust me, the Coopers will be there in force.”
Emmy added, “I hope we’ll get to see you outside the horse arenas, too.” She glared at Kate before schooling her features, taking her by surprise a moment. Up to this point, everyone had been extremely polite, but soon Emmy smiled at Chelsea again. “Anytime you’d like to stay at our place for a sleepover or girls’ weekend, you’re welcome.”
Chelsea looked toward her mom, waiting for Kate to give a nod of approval. Once she did, Chelsea faced her aunts again. “Hanging out with you sounds like a lot of fun. We can play Clue again. I can’t wait!”
“We have a ton of board games,” Shania said. “And can play with makeup and hair. Maybe even go shopping.”
Chelsea squealed with delight. “I can’t wait!”
When Travis called Chelsea over to the grill, the girl jumped up without a second glance. “Be right back!”
Kate wrung her hands in her lap—out of their sight under the table. Hoping to ease her anxiety, she first met Shania’s gaze before turning to Emmy. “Thanks for making Chelsea feel so welcome. She’s over the moon.”
Neither woman smiled back. “She’s part of our family…finally,” Emmy said.
Ouch. Not totally unexpected—or undeserved—but at least the rest of the family hadn’t treated her with such scorn. The triplets were only five years younger than Kate. If she’d married Travis all those years ago, they’d have become sisters to her. She’d already been growing fond of the three of them while dating Travis. Probably not much chance of that bonding happening now.
Why not deflect their anger toward a more professional conversation?
“Travis says you’re working on finding my mom. I guess no news is bad news in my case.”
Shania’s shoulders relaxed; she’d never been confrontational or around anyone who was. “I’m sorry, but we haven’t been able to locate her yet.”
Emmy chimed in, “We’ve tracked her to Reno in about 2000, but the trail ended with no clue where she went after that. She may not be using the same name.” The two of them shared a knowing glance before turning to her again. “How far do you want us to take this search?”
Did they know something they didn’t want to share? “Well, I’d love it if you dug up any information about her. I’d especially like to know if she’s still alive. The last contact I had with her was a letter she wrote in the Nineties, and she lived in Escondido then.”
Emmy nodded. “Yeah, she showed up in the utility records for about three years there. She seemed to move around a lot.”
Which was one of the reasons her mom left her and Daddy in the first place.
“I can take bad news as well as good.”
They merely nodded. “We’ll let Travis know what we find.”
“I’d prefer you tell me. Can I share my phone number with you?”
They conferred silently before Shania said, “Well, we found something this morning that we haven’t told Travis about.”
Kate’s spirits lifted. “Really? What?”
They exchanged another cryptic look, making Kate more nervous before Emmy said, “Did you know your mother was a prostitute?”
“What?” Kate’s heart pounded so loudly she didn’t even hear the word she’d spoken, but when Shania opened her mouth to answer her, Kate knew she must have.
“She was arrested on the charge in Reno, but jumped bond before being convicted.”
Her mother had a warrant out for her arrest? Somehow this was the last thing she’d expected to learn about her. Or was this some kind of sick game they were playing? Obviously, the two sisters were angry at how she’d broken it off with Travis, but surely they wouldn’t concoct such a story out of spite. Their professional reputations were at stake.
“She completely disappeared before her trial,” Emmy added. “My guess is that she’s assumed a new identity, which is going to make it even harder to find her. If you still want to.”
Kate’s hands grew numb before she remembered to breathe. Did she still want to find her? What had her mother become—or had she been a questionable character all along that Daddy had tried to shield Kate from?
Somehow, though, Kate couldn’t mesh the image of a street hooker with the fresh-faced, free-spirited, joyful woman in the photos she cherished.
“We’ll have to tell Travis something. After all, your mother is Chelsea’s other grandmother, so he has a right to know what she’s like before he allows Chelsea to meet her.” Emmy smirked as if she found some kind of sick joy in this.
“I’ll inform Travis when you find out more.”
“Keeping more secrets from him, Katie?” Emmy asked.
Perhaps she needed to clear the air with these two if they were going to remain civil for Chelsea’s sake. Kate leaned forward, keeping her voice low. “I’ve apologized to Travis for keeping Chelsea to myself all these years. We’ve decided it’s best for her if we move forward and not dwell on the past.”
Emmy glanced in the direction of the grill—whether at Travis, Chelsea, or both, Kate didn’t know—then directed her attention to Kate again. “You broke him.”
Travis was the most together person she knew, other than Chelsea. “What are you talking about?
”
“He’d never have gone into the Guard if you hadn’t dumped him. He hasn’t been the same since.”
Susan had said something similar, so apparently it was no secret to family members whatever had happened. Hadn’t he told them about the 9/11 Memorial and the people he’d met in New York City who had influenced that decision to enlist? If not, it wasn’t Kate’s place to enlighten them. If they blamed her for putting him in harm’s way, no wonder they had such animosity toward her.
“I suggest you talk to Travis sometime about his reasons for joining.” The Army National Guard was one of the things he was most proud of. How dare his sisters make it sound as though he’d only joined on the rebound from their breakup?
Mayze whined as if sensing Kate’s discomfort. She reached down to absently dig her fingers into the dog’s thick fur and took a breath before saying anything more. Yet something gnawed at her. Hadn’t Travis enlisted on the 9/11 anniversary? The internship would have ended six weeks earlier.
“He drank heavily for a month after he’d been sent home early from the internship,” Shania said in a whisper, her eyes brightening with unshed tears. “We were afraid we’d lose him one night.”
Wait. Early? “He didn’t finish the internship?” Why hadn’t he told her that?
“How could he?” Emmy said. “He was devastated. He’d planned this whole perfect life—one that included you. Suddenly, that was yanked out from under him.”
No! They had it all wrong. They had to. “But all he ever talked about was that internship leading to something more. About moving to the city to make a name for himself.” Kate had never promised to be a part of a life in the big city. Sure, they’d talked about marrying one day, but in truth, she’d never expected it would happen because their dreams led in opposite directions. One of them would have had to make a huge sacrifice so she’d decided to make it for him.
Perhaps breaking it off with him had more to do with her inability to commit to a life away from her farm than her trying to save Travis from giving up on his dreams.
Kate needed some space but would extend an olive branch before going inside. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going inside to freshen up before we eat.” She started to climb off the bench. “Travis is probably planning to be at my farm most weekends. You’re welcome to arrange visits around the same time.” With her training schedule and a bit of luck, Kate hoped to be away during those times.
“We have a lot of lost time to catch up on,” Emmy said, narrowing her eyes, “and we don’t see Travis nearly enough anymore, either.”
Kate forced a smile and nodded before starting toward the house. Mayze followed her to the patio and inside. She was determined to weather the bombardment of information just as she always did—by compartmentalizing her emotions and grinning until her cheeks ached.
Then she’d have a talk with Travis about what she’d learned.
As for Travis’s sisters, future contact would be minimal. Chelsea would be the one to set the tone. She obviously adored her newfound family. Kate would do nothing to tarnish their image for her daughter.
Please, God, let the rest of this day hold no more surprises. She was done and just wanted to go home. How much more would she have to deal with before she could crawl into bed tonight?
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Dad insisted on showing Chelsea his trick to grilling the perfect hamburger. Travis had been given the same lesson a dozen times in his teen years.
“Daddy, why don’t I come stay with you over the Fourth of July weekend?”
What would Katie say? Should he consult with her first?
“Please,” she begged. “I want to go fishing with you on that lake you told me about.”
“Not only is the fishing good there,” Dad said, “but so’s the swimming.”
“Oh, I’ve never gone swimming in a lake before. And I’ll bet the fireworks there are way bigger than the ones in Frankfort or Georgetown.”
Travis glanced over at the picnic table where Katie sat with his sisters. They seemed to be talking civilly. He didn’t want to intrude. He’d already gotten permission to see her that weekend at the farm. What difference would it make if they hung out in Nolensville instead?
“Sure, Chels. I don’t see why not.”
Chelsea squealed and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back and glanced over her shoulder at Katie. Judging by the rigidness of her back, something was going sour. Abruptly, Katie stood and walked toward the house with Mayze in tow. Emmy and Shania met his gaze and shrugged innocently.
Not good. Despite his warning them over the phone and Mom’s assuring him she’d had a talk with them earlier, too, he feared they hadn’t listened to either of them. Especially Emmy, who could be as tempestuous as a badger when riled up. Emmy had harbored a grudge against Katie since the day she’d heard that the relationship had been broken off. A lot of bitterness had built up inside her over the years.
When his sisters headed toward the house as well, he let Chelsea go. “Why don’t you continue with your grilling lesson? I need to check on something with Mom.”
He excused himself and was on the patio a minute later. Even with the kitchen window closed, he heard Emmy’s raised voice yelling Katie’s name. He opened the sliding door to enter the great room his parents had built across the back of their house years ago to find his mom, sisters, and Katie standing around the island in the adjoining kitchen. Katie’s ramrod straight back was turned toward him, her hands clenched at her sides.
“Remember your manners.” Mom glared at both of his sisters, so maybe Shania had gotten a jab in, too. Emmy opened her mouth to say more until she saw Travis standing behind Katie and promptly took a sudden interest arranging the sliced tomatoes on the fixings platter.
Travis wrapped his arm around Katie and pulled her close as he bent to whisper in her ear, “You okay?”
Katie nodded, pulling away from him. “Everything’s fine, Travis. You should be with Chelsea.”
One thing he’d learned about Katie was that, when she said something was fine, it was far from it. Today should be filled with love and happiness—hell, his family was complete at last. Instead, the harmony was being ruined by petty blame and sniping. He needed to fix this.
First, he’d neutralize the oldest of the triplets. “Emmy, if you have a problem, you bring it to me. Leave Katie alone.”
Katie turned to glare at him. “Travis, I can handle this,” she gritted out. “Go back out to Chelsea. We’re just having a little family disagreement here.”
“You aren’t part of this family, Katie,” Emmy shouted. “You made that choice a long time ago.”
Katie cringed, the blood draining from her face, although Emmy probably couldn’t see she’d made a direct hit on her target.
“Emmylou Cooper,” Mom began, “if you weren’t twenty-nine years old, I’d take you over my knee myself. Today is difficult enough for Katie without you making it impossible with your insensitive remarks. If you can’t show our guest some compassion and understanding, then you need to leave my home and come back when you grow up. You weren’t raised to—”
Emmy’s eyes and mouth opened wide at the same time. “Mom, how can you pretend not to be hurt by what she did to Travis? To our whole family?”
Mom set down the head of iceberg lettuce carefully, as if afraid she’d crush it to a liquid, and took a deep breath. “Because today I met my oldest granddaughter for the first time, and I couldn’t be happier. Don’t you dare take away my joy by sullying this occasion in any way.”
God, I love that woman.
“I will thank Katie to my last breath that she chose to have Chelsea.” Apparently, Mom hadn’t finished having her say yet. “She had other options, but chose to keep and raise her to be the fine young girl we’ve all welcomed into the family today. I’d say she did a finer job mothering Chelsea than I’ve done with you two girls, given your remarks today. But I want you to remember that Katie is just as much a part of thi
s family as Chelsea is—or you are.”
As his sisters sputtered apologies to their mother, Mom’s words made one thing crystal clear to him. As soon as he could get Katie alone, he’d explore it…which might be sooner than expected. “Would you like to leave now or right after we eat?” he asked Katie.
“We aren’t leaving until Chelsea’s ready to go.” Katie’s words were slow, deliberate. “Your mom and dad went to a lot of work to have this get-together. And Chelsea’s having a great time. If I get my feelings hurt in the bargain, so be it. I can deal with it myself.”
So she had been hurt by his sisters. He turned to them. “You two owe Katie an apology, too.” When they met his gaze, fire spit from their eyes, but he gave as good as he got until they averted their heads in shame. “Not tomorrow—now,” he demanded.
“Travis, please, stop this,” Katie pleaded. Her hand shook in his as she fought to pull away from him.
“Not until they apologize.”
Mom cleared her throat. “Katie, I’m sorry that my daughters have made you feel unwelcome and uncomfortable in my home.”
“Thank you for that, Mom,” Travis said for her, “but you aren’t the one who needs to say you’re sorry.”
The standoff dragged out as the tension mounted. When Emmy opened her mouth to speak, he didn’t know if she’d erupt in more anger or do what he wanted. But peacemaker Shania was the first to spit out the words he wanted Katie to hear.
“I’m sorry, Katie. I don’t want you to feel unwelcome here,” Shania said.
Katie relaxed a little. “It’s all right. No need to—”
“Your turn, Emmy.” Releasing Katie’s hand, he rubbed her back up and down in long strokes to try and ease her shaking. He just hoped things didn’t go any farther south in here and that Chelsea stayed outside until this ruckus was over. He could never predict what would come out of Emmy’s mouth.
Emmy shot a few more daggers at him then Katie before grudgingly directing her attention toward Katie. “I’m sorry if you’re feeling hurt, Katie.”
Kate's Secret (Bluegrass Spirits Book 2) Page 32
