by Karen Rock
“How’s your ma?” Cole asked when she ended the voice message.
“Her arthritis is bothering her, and she’s caring for a household of my siblings and nieces and nephews.”
“Not to mention overseeing a cannabis operation.”
His laughing blue eyes set her heart aflutter. In his fitted green shirt and Wranglers, he’d never looked more handsome. Yet what she appreciated most was hearing him mutter “better” when she’d emerged from her room makeup-free, in an old T-shirt and borrowed jeans after her shoot.
For so long she’d believed the spotlight made her real. Visible. Now she questioned if the camera captured someone else—not her, after all. Cole was reminding her of who she used to be, of her authentic self...a person she might be wrong to cover up or be ashamed of. What was so bad about being regular like everyone else, anyway?
Her family situation was a case in point. Her mother had a tough time fitting Katlynn into her busy life...so what? It didn’t mean Ma didn’t love her. From now on she’d just drop by on her free time and arrange her schedule around her family’s instead of the other way around like a normal person.
Not a star.
“Who’d have thought...my mother, a drug kingpin?”
“Leader of the Church Lady Posse,” Cole deadpanned, cupping her elbow as they climbed stone stairs.
She laughed. “That actually sounds terrifying. No one messes with the church ladies.”
“I know I don’t.”
They ducked inside the cool, quiet building and headed for the Historic Documents Library.
“How may I help you?” asked a short, fastidiously dressed man with a poof of blond hair.
Katlynn read the clerk’s nameplate. “Hi, J.D. I’m Katlynn Brennon with Scandalous History.” She shook the man’s stiff hand. “My producer requested old surveys of the Cade and Loveland properties.”
J.D. pressed his hand to his heart. “It’s you.”
Katlynn shot him one of her lower-wattage smiles since he looked ready to keel over. “Yes. It’s a pleasure to be back in Carbondale. Would you have the documents ready for our review?”
J.D. strode around the desk and stopped in front of Katlynn, staring. “You’re even prettier in person.”
“Okay, buddy.” Cole stepped in between them. “Let’s leave the lady in peace.”
J.D. emerged from his stupor to glare at Cole. “I’m not bothering anyone.” He peeked around Cole’s broad shoulders. “Am I?”
Katlynn shook her head. “Not at all.” Though it was a bother, she admitted, then instantly took back the guilty thought. She wanted to be a star, and inconvenient attention came with the job. It rarely irritated her before. Cole’s influence?
“I’m your biggest fan.” J.D. tapped his shoulder. “I even have a tattoo of you.”
“Really?”
Lord, don’t let it be a naked one...
“Let me show you.” He rolled up his sleeve to reveal an inked image of her sitting on a world axis. As cheesy as tattoos of her went, it wasn’t half-bad.
“Very nice.”
“Would you sign it?”
“We’d like to get on with our work.” Cole widened his stance and hooked his thumbs in his belt loops.
Undeterred, J.D. raced to his desk, retrieved a Sharpie marker and passed it to Katlynn. “Please?”
“Of course.” She scrawled her name on his biceps. “Now. If it’s not too much trouble...”
“Right this way, Katlynn. You’re welcome, at least.” J.D. shot Cole a look so withering she nearly laughed. Cole shook his head and heaved out an exasperated sigh.
“Lifestyles of the rich and famous,” he muttered under his breath.
“‘Champagne wishes and caviar dreams,’” she whispered back, earning her one of Cole’s traffic-stopping smiles.
“Here we go.” J.D. gestured to a large oak table covered with oversize books open to property maps. “Last year we recovered files thought lost when the town office burned in 1922. Turned out they were stored in a councilman’s basement and forgotten when he died. A recent homeowner discovered them.”
“Lucky us!” Katlynn rubbed her hands together and sat in the chair Cole held out for her. “Thank you,” she said to a hovering J.D. by way of dismissal.
The clerk remained, his feet seemingly glued to the floor.
“Scat.” Cole rose to his feet, sending a squealing J.D. running for the front desk.
She shot Cole a narrow-eyed look.
“What? Too much?” he asked, all innocence as he took his seat again.
“It might be fine in a WWE wrestling ring.”
“Then I guess I nailed it.”
She playfully punched his shoulder and he laughed. And oh, man, she loved the sound of his laugh. Deep. Rich. “You’re too much.”
“Too much for you, maybe,” he said with a wink that set her heart aflutter.
With an effort, she dragged her attention from one very tempting cowboy and focused on her work. They studied the oldest survey, dated 1887, for the next few minutes.
“Cole. Look!” She pointed to a shaded area running from Loveland property, straight through Cade land, to the Crystal River.
Cole picked up a magnifying glass and peered at the tiny lettering beside the area. “Says easement.”
Shock momentarily slackened Katlynn’s mouth. She snapped it shut. “That means official access to the Crystal River was granted to the Lovelands when property lines were drawn. Cole. Your family has water rights’ access.”
Cole’s nose flared and a muscle jumped in his jaw as he moved on to a survey map dated thirty years later. “It’s gone here. What happened?”
“Strange.” She cupped her hands and called, “J.D.!”
The clerk sprang from around the corner like a jack-in-the-box awaiting her bidding. “How can I help?” He held out a bag of red licorice. “Candy?”
“No, thanks. Can you explain why this easement disappeared?”
J.D.’s head whipped from one map to the other as he gnawed on a licorice stick. “Most unusual. Only a federal judge could have reversed a government-granted easement.”
“A court case?” Cole’s biceps tensed, hard as a rock, beneath her hand.
“Yes,” J.D. answered, his eyes on Katlynn. “I can do some research, see if I can find any old lawsuits about it.”
At Katlynn’s smile, he flushed scarlet. “We’ll credit you and the Historical Documents office in the show.”
Dots of perspiration slicked J.D.’s brow. “I won’t let you down,” he vowed, ripping off the end of another red stick.
“Thank you, J.D.”
Back out in the hallway, Cole swept her in his arms and spun her in a circle. She was breathless and laughing when he set her back on her feet, his large hands spanning her waist.
“Do you know what you’ve found...what it means to me and my family? Getting back our water rights could save Loveland Hills.”
“Cole,” she warned, not wanting to burst his bubble, but needing to manage expectations. “It might not change anything.”
He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers, his breath warm and peppermint fresh on her cheeks. “Or...it could change everything.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“TWO OUTS. NOBODY ON,” muttered Travis, pacing inside the softball dugout the following weekend. “Game’s lost on the next pitch.”
“Don’t count out Katie-Lynn,” Cole observed as he crunched sunflower seeds. “Pa was right to invite her to play.”
Cute in denim shorts, a baseball hat pulled over her bright hair and a softball T-shirt with Loveland Hills emblazoned on the back, Katie-Lynn fit in with the locals competing in Fresh Start’s fund-raising tournament. She took a couple of practice swings while standing at the plate, projecting confidence. To look at h
er, you’d never know it was the bottom of the seventh inning, fourteen to eleven, Cades.
“She’s the last in our batting order and hasn’t had a hit all day.” Daryl pulled off his hat and dumped water on his flushed face. “She’s doing her best, but let’s face it. The Cades got us.”
“We’ve beaten them plenty of times, too,” Pa drawled, leaning on the dugout post.
“Whose side are you on?” Travis stopped pacing, his question an accusation, in full-on sheriff-interrogation mode. “You want us to lose so you don’t upset your fiancée.”
“It’s only a game,” Heath muttered, ever the family peacekeeper. “We’ll get ’em next time.”
“This is the last game of the tournament,” Sierra reminded him. “Final inning.”
“Who’s got the last out?” hollered Justin Cade from shortstop. He crouched, ready for the easy ground ball he expected.
Cole spit out the salty seeds and stood. After a long, sweltering day competing to reach the finals, they faced their bitter rivals. The Cades had no call to shame Katie-Lynn...making her “out” a foregone conclusion.
After a player canceled, she’d stepped in and given it her all. No putting on airs or demanding special treatment. She competed without complaint, as eager to win as they were.
All proceeds went to charity, but something more personal was at stake than just winning the championship.
Bragging rights.
Pride.
Priceless to a family about to lose everything else.
“Come on, Katie-Lynn!” Cole hollered, clapping his hands. “Let’s go.”
Only her mouth-twitch showed she’d heard him. After pointing her bat at James Cade, the pitcher, she rested it on her shoulder and bounced slightly on her feet.
“Go easy on her, James!” shouted Joy Cade from the stands. Her navy blouse matched her children’s uniforms.
Cole held his breath when James strode forward. The ball arced against the blue sky. A half beat behind the pitch, Katie-Lynn hit an easy grounder to Justin.
“Son of a gun,” swore Daryl, throwing his hat in the dirt and stomping on it.
“That’s game,” Sierra sighed into Cole’s ear, turning to gather their gear.
Then something incredible happened. A miracle, really. Justin, for all his cocky trash talking, fumbled the catch. The ball bounced off his glove and shot into outfield.
Katie-Lynn’s legs churned up dust as she hauled it to first base. Cole whooped with his teammates.
“Go, Katie-Lynn!” cheered her family from behind the backstop. Knowing how hard she’d been trying to connect with them, Cole had brought them to the game.
On the bag’s edge, a red-faced Katie-Lynn bent at the waist, breathing hard, hands on her knees. When she peered up, she caught his eye and grinned at his thumbs-up.
“That’s my girl!” he shouted, wishing it were true, then focused on their next hitter. Maverick. On break from his PBR bull-riding tour, he’d returned home to help with the fund-raiser.
Best of all, Maverick was top of their batting order.
Did they have a shot at coming back?
Maverick’s arm muscles flexed as he swung a heavy bat.
“Hit it to short,” hollered Daryl. “Maybe he’ll boot another one.”
Justin slammed his fist in his glove. “You’re still down three runs, Lovelands. No more gifts.”
“Shut it, Daryl,” Boyd growled, when Daryl opened his mouth again. “They’re about to be family.”
“Your family.” Travis rubbed the scruff on his face and peered at Pa uncomfortably. “Don’t lump us into this marriage.”
“Ball!” called the umpire when James’s pitch went long.
Two more bad pitches followed. Three and oh. Cole eyed Maverick’s confident stance in the batter’s box, and his spirits lifted.
Come on, Mav, hit or walk... Keep us in the game.
“Just throw it in there!” screeched Jewel Cade from third base. “He doesn’t want to hit.”
“Come on, buddy!” Sierra urged, petting a stray cat who’d wandered into their dugout. An animal magnet, Sierra was nicknamed R. Doolittle by Cole and his brothers long before she earned her veterinary credentials.
“Take the bat off your shoulder,” Jared Cade catcalled from first.
James stared down Maverick for a long, stretched-out moment, the tension building to a knife’s point.
At last, James flung the ball, a smooth, fast arc. Cole waited, hoped, prayed, for the welcome thud of the bat smacking the ball.
It dropped to the ground instead. Short.
“Ball four.” The umpire pointed at first. “Take your base.”
“Good eye, Mav!” hollered Cole.
Katie-Lynn jogged to second base and exchanged a quick glance with Lance Covington, a Cade cousin visiting from Denver. Lance smiled at Katie-Lynn and tipped his cap.
“Looks like they’re going to choke!” Daryl rubbed his hands together.
Travis donned his batting glove, grabbed his bat and hustled to the batting box.
“Come on, Travis!” Cole shouted, clapping. Pumped. They had first and second. A homerun would tie it up.
“The only way they’re going to win is if we give it to them,” hollered Justin Cade, adjusting and readjusting his hat. “These guys can’t hit.”
“They ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” Pa muttered under his breath.
“That’s the spirit, Pa.” Daryl slung an arm around their father’s shoulders. “Good to have you back.”
Pa slid him a side-eyed glance and edged to the front of the dugout, peering intently at Travis.
Cole cupped his hands around his mouth. “Keep this rally going, Trav.”
The first pitch dropped at the last minute onto the back of the plate, leaving Travis staring.
“Strike!”
“Come on. Come on. Come on,” chanted Sierra, her face flushed, blond hair hanging down her back in a messy ponytail.
Another ball flew deep, pinging off a rear corner.
“He’s a looker!” shouted Jewel Cade, triumphant, white teeth flashing in her freckled face.
“Put this one away,” Jared yelled to James, pointing his glove at Travis. “Let’s go home!”
James curled in all but his index and pinky fingers and waved them overhead. “Two down. One more to go.”
“Don’t pop the champagne yet!” Sierra jeered. The cat leaped from her arms and strutted to the stands.
Restless energy trembled through Cole’s limbs. They needed this hit. All or nothing. “Crush it, Travis!”
Travis adjusted his grip on the bat and leaned in, ready to hit anything close. Meanwhile James stalled, rolling the ball in his hand, tossing it slightly as he squinted at the plate.
At last, James let loose. Strike.
“One more!” shrieked Jewel.
“You can do it, Daddy!” Javi, jumped up and down beside Joy and James’s wife, Sofia. “You’re Superman!”
On the next throw, Travis swung at the short pitch, ripping the ball far into center field. Katie-Lynn flew to third base, Maverick flat out running for second.
Every bit of air rushed straight out of Cole’s lungs. Yes!
Cheering erupted from the dugout and their stands. “Wooo-hooo!” screamed Sierra, practically deafening Cole.
The fielder scooped up the ball and hurled it to James, keeping the runners from advancing farther as Travis took first.
Bases loaded!
Cole handed Daryl his bat and clapped him on the back. “You got this.”
Daryl nodded, face set, and jogged to the batter’s box.
For once, the smug Cades appeared sober and grim. They’d led all game and had seemed on the brink of handing the Lovelands a humiliating loss. Now momentum was against them.
&nbs
p; James launched his first pitch and bam, Daryl, impulsive and impatient as ever, swung, hitting a rocket straight over the left fielder’s head.
“Get gone!” Cole roared, heart in overdrive. A homerun would win the game.
The ball smacked the wall and bounced back infield. Katie-Lynn sprinted for home. Their third base coach, Uncle Emmitt, pinwheeled his right arm, waving Maverick on, then Travis. James held up his glove, catching the throw, cutting off Daryl at second base as Katie-Lynn, followed by Maverick then Travis raced across the plate, scoring the tying runs.
Cole caught Katie-Lynn in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in her natural, earthy smell. His blood swam.
“I did it!” she gasped when he reluctantly set her down. Her blue eyes sparkled, filled with delight. All around them the fired-up Lovelands, and Katie-Lynn’s family, whooped.
“Proud of you.” He tipped down her cap brim to stop himself from kissing her hard and fast.
“Hey,” she protested, laughing, as she stumbled slightly, temporarily blind.
When her hand landed on his abdomen, he froze as did she. His eyes squeezed shut and his heart felt like it’d fly out of his chest. No matter where she touched him, even if it was just his hand in an innocent way, he felt it everywhere. The euphoria of her spread from his head to his toes, electrifying every inch between, making him want to grab on to her and never let go.
“Sorry.” She eased back, her hat now twisted back on her head so the brim pointed down her neck.
He grinned at the picture she made. Sweaty. Red-faced. Ready to kick butt. He loved this side of Katie-Lynn.
No denying, he was falling for her again, and he was powerless to stop it. He could feel it, like a train with no brakes, coming faster and faster, straight for him. Soon, it was going to crash, and it wasn’t going to be pretty.
His head called him an idiot and a glutton for punishment. Not because of his feelings for Katie-Lynn, but for letting down his guard when a future together wasn’t possible. Yet his heart insisted she was his girl, his other half—the one he’d been waiting for all the time she’d been away.
“We can do this!” Maverick pumped a fist in the air as Cole grabbed his favorite bat.
