“Some of them, yes.” Mam gave her a one-armed hug. “But your personality and skill will weed those types out. Other than Mr. Woodward, you’ll be the most sought after instructor.”
Kat grinned. “I’m the only instructor other than Mr. Woodward.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about.”
“To celebrate our new jobs tomorrow,” Da said with a grin, “I’m going to take the two most beautiful women in the country out to lunch. No arguing about the cost. We’ve a bit set aside.”
“That sounds wonderful.” Mam slipped her arm in his. “I’ve a hankering for fried chicken cooked by someone else.”
Spirits lifted by her parents’ joy, Kat stepped outside and into the strong form of Brad. “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you attended this church.”
He smiled down at her, his eyes shadowed. “I like the intimacy of a smaller church.” He glanced up. “Where are the O’Connor’s off to this fine day?”
“That restaurant on the corner,” Da said.
“A fine choice.”
“Join us, Mr. Woodward. It would be our pleasure.” Da cocked his head.
“I would enjoy that. I’ve never liked eating alone.” He fell into step next to Kat. “You look lovely this morning.”
“Thank you.” She smoothed a hand down the sea foam green skirt. With the white shirtwaist, the ensemble reminded her of spring and cooler days. Summer tended to be a mite muggy in New York. With Brad by her side, she was doubly glad she wore something cool. Perspiration would have added an unpleasant element to what promised to be an enjoyable day.
Brad stepped forward and opened the door for the others. “I’d like today to be my treat.”
“I won’t hear of such a thing,” Da said with a frown. “I had planned on taking my family to lunch and am pleased to include you. Especially after all that you’ve done for us. Please do not disrespect me by refusing my offer.”
Brad nodded. “I wouldn’t dream of it, sir.”
Da’s chest puffed with Brad’s show of respect, raising Kat’s estimate of Brad to a higher level. Men with wealth and humility were rare, at least in her world. What Kat wanted now was to be a part of Brad’s world, and not as his employee.
After they ordered, she watched as Da and Brad conversed like old friends. Brad didn’t put on airs, rather, he listened with rapt attention and responded with simple answers. Da replied with intelligence. Other than the cut and price of their suits, no one would know the two men were from different walks of life.
“He’s a fine man,” Ma whispered, leaning close to Kat.
“Yes, he is.” She smiled and ducked her head to prevent Brad from catching a glimpse of her emotions.
7
For the third time, Kat told her client, a young fashionably dressed woman in her twenties, that she was gripping the golf club wrong. “You don’t need to choke the poor thing. Place the flat face of the club against the ball.”
“Face?”
“The flat end.” Kat bit her tongue to keep from saying what was really on her mind. Did the silly woman expect there to be eyes and a nose? “Then, place your left thumb here and your right one like this.” She demonstrated the grip again. “Pull back, swing at the waist, and send the ball soaring.” Her ball flew down the driving range.
“It’s too hard!” Her client threw the club to the ground and stomped away like a petulant child.
“I’ll see you next week. Same time.” Unfortunately. Kat picked up the discarded club. The woman’s husband insists that she learn to golf. So, the unpleasant task fell on Kat’s shoulders, but the money made it almost worthwhile.
She pulled her Da’s pocketwatch from the pocket of her white skirt with blue pinstripes and noticed it was time for lunch. She grinned and stepped lively toward the kitchen, wanting to see Mam in her new element. She pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Mam and Mrs. Oglesby looked like old friends as they chatted and laughed. “Thank you, daughter. This job is more like play than work. My new friend, Gertie, is like a sister.”
Kat hugged them both. “I’m so pleased, and starved.”
“Sit.” Mam waved her toward the table. “Mr. Woodward will return in a moment. He says he enjoys the noon meal in the kitchen rather than being bombarded in the dining room.”
Kat’s heart leaped, as it did every time the prospect of being in Brad’s company presented itself. She poured herself a glass of tea from the pitcher in the middle of the table, then tugged her form-fitting blue vest snug across the front of her. The navy and white of her uniform complemented her hair and skin, making her fairly certain she would project an attractive picture to anyone looking.
She cut a sideways glance at Mam. Vanity was a sin, she would say. Maybe so, but Kat couldn’t help but want to look her best around Brad.
“Good day to the three most beautiful women in New York.” Da kissed Mam, then Kat, and smiled at Mrs. Oglesby. “A good place to work.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Brad entered the room and took a seat across the table from Kat. “Happy employees are productive employees, my Pa always said.” His hazel gaze settled on Kat. “How is your first day of instruction?”
“Frustrating.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
He laughed. “Why not? I asked a question, you answered.”
“Truthfully, this time.” She gave a sheepish grin.
His second laugh rang through the kitchen. “Instead of a cheeky lad, you’ve become quite a witty woman.”
“We told her that the deception was a bad idea,” Da said, sitting at the table. “But, with all the good that has come from it, I cannot complain. My Katherine is a good girl.”
Brad lifted a glass to his lips and smiled around the rim. He gave a wink, sending Kat’s heart racing. How she wished his mild flirtations were more than teasing.
“The Woodwards were very forgiving. For this, I am eternally grateful,” she said.
“Then, you won’t mind taking a walk around the course with me after dinner?”
Be still my heart. “Is there something wrong?”
Da nudged her under the table with the toe of his boot. “Don’t question your boss’s requests, daughter.”
Brad shook his head. “I should have clarified the women’s course. I’d like your opinion on the progress. We pride ourselves on being open minded and modern. Once the grass is green and cut to the proper length, we’ll be ready to announce that we’re the first country club to allow women into the sport. We hope to open within a month.”
His request for a stroll with her was nothing more than business. She sighed and dug into the chicken noodle soup Mam placed in front of her. Bradford Woodward would never look at Katherine O’Connor as anything more than an employee. Perhaps, after a few more months of employment at Country Acres, it might behoove her to seek a new place to work.
But, that would mean leaving her parents for her to work in the city with the smells of large numbers of humans, horses, and the occasional automobile. Not to mention the noise! No, she much preferred the country. She would have to be strong and guard her heart. Someday, God might see fit to bring her a husband, but it most likely wouldn’t be Brad.
Her hope shattered into so many pieces she feared the others could hear.
~
Kat had been strangely silent throughout lunch and avoiding him the rest of the afternoon. Had she taken offense somehow at his request for her opinion on the women’s course? Maybe she thought the women should play on the same course as the men. While Brad would not have a problem with the idea, many of the guests would. He’d clear up any misunderstanding that evening.
“Hey, brother.” Bobby raised a glass as Brad entered the lounge in search of his afternoon client. “I’ve a question for you.”
Brad frowned to see his brother drinking so early in the afternoon. “Ask.”
“I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful our lovely Katherine i
s. Do you have romantic designs on her?”
“Why?” Brad’s spine stiffened. He pitied any woman Bobby wanted to court.
“Would you entertain the idea of a competition of sorts? If you’re interested in her, of course. Otherwise, the playing field is wide open for me.”
“You mean as in the best man wins?” Was Brad hearing him correctly? The alcohol had finally rotted his brother’s brain.
“Yes.” Bobby grinned. “There’s little entertainment this far from the city, and our little Kat would be a pleasant diversion.”
“She isn’t a play thing, Robert.”
“I agree. But, it’s time you and I settled down. Kat would make a very lovely wife on any man’s arm.” He plunked his glass on the table. “In fact, I’ll go ask her to dinner.”
“I’ve already made plans with her for this evening.”
“Very well. I’ll ask for tomorrow.” He clapped Brad on the shoulder as he passed. “Good luck. Few ladies can resist my charm.”
Brad watched his brother leave the dining room, not quite able to believe what had transpired. He hadn’t agreed to the competition, didn’t agree with it, in fact. But, he couldn’t let someone as sweet as Kat get trapped in Bobby’s clutches.
Was Brad ready to settle down? With the club almost to the point where Pa had wanted it, perhaps it was time. He pulled out a chair and sat down, resting his chin in the palm of his hand, as he waited for his next golf student. He could see himself married to someone like Kat. Still, there was the small matter of her deception. Forgiving and forgetting were two different things altogether.
By the time dinner came and went, Brad was no closer to knowing what to do about Kat and Bobby. Determined to focus on the task at hand, he set off to find Kat. She waited on the driving range, the white of her uniform picking up the colors of the setting sun and giving her the look of being on fire. He smiled at the pretty picture she made and motioned his head to the right.
“Shall we begin?” he asked.
“Yes. My parents will be ready to head home soon.”
A sudden thought came to him. “Why don’t the three of you move into one of the landscaper cottages? We have one empty. The rent is low and can be deducted from your salary. This way, the three of you won’t have to spend an hour to and from the club.”
Her eyes widened as they focused on his face. After several silent seconds, she said, “I’ll discuss it with Da.”
“I can speak with him, if you’d like.” It was the perfect solution. Except…and he wished he had thought of it before opening his big mouth…living on the grounds put Kat right in Bobby’s eager hands.
Kat nodded, stopping at the first tee-off of the women’s course. “It’s growing dark, but this nine-hole course looks just fine.” She turned and gazed up at him. “Why did you really bring me out here? If it is to get my opinion, I apologize, but this is something better done in the light of day.”
The truth hit him upside the head. He only wanted an excuse to be with her by moonlight. “May I kiss you, Katherine O’Connor?” Right then and there, he decided he would give his brother a competition the man would never forget.
“Oh.”
He grabbed her hands and pulled her closer as he lowered his head. He laid his lips across hers, tasting the sweet tea she had drank at dinner. He increased the kiss, almost losing all restraint when a soft moan escaped her.
8
“It’s shameful, I say,” Da told Kat a week after her kiss with Brad.
A kiss she relived at night, under the safety of her bed, relishing in the sweetness of the feel of his lips. Her family had moved to the gardener’s cottage three days ago, and Kat had been inundated with gifts and attention from the Woodward brothers. She gazed upon a bouquet of pink roses as her father berated her.
“It isn’t attention I’ve asked for,” she replied, fingering one of the silky blossoms from Brad. While she welcomed his attention, she cringed whenever Robert came her way. The man was altogether too forward for her taste.
“You need to put a stop to such foolishness,” Da said.
“Why?” She turned her attention from the flowers in the center of the table.
“They’re above your status. We’re immigrants, new to this country.”
“They immigrated from England.”
“The boys have been here for several years, daughter. They’ve built an empire. It isn’t the same. Not to mention their wealth.” He motioned around the small cottage. “We live here. They live there.” He pointed out the window to the main house. “The two should not mix.”
“We’re all created equal in the eyes of God.”
“But not in the eyes of man. How many jobs were you turned down for because of your accent alone?”
More than she could count. She sighed and stared out the window. Was Da right? Did she carry foolish hope in her heart?
“People will say things about you. Your reputation will be ruined.” He shook his head. “People will think you are after their money.”
“What if their attention is real?” She cast him her most imploring look.
“It isn’t.”
“Can’t I be the judge of that?”
“The matter is closed.” He stood and grabbed his hat. “Hurry. It is time to start the work day. Remember what I have said.”
Kat blinked back tears. With Mam already in the clubhouse kitchen, she had no one to listen to her worries. It was either follow Da’s advice or risk all that he had said could happen. When she caught a glimpse of Brad’s long-legged saunter across the grounds, she decided to take the risk. But…she would go slow, refuse Robert’s attention, and do her best to see how Brad felt about her. Did he have romantic feelings toward her, or did he merely toy with her affections? She wished she were more worldly and could easily tell.
She sighed and headed outside, skirting around the building to prevent him from seeing her. If she stayed out of his reach, but kept a close eye on him, she would be able to see whether he flirted with the other female employees as his brother did.
“Boo!” Robert leaped around the corner of the clubhouse. “Why are you sneaking around?”
“Why are you?” She tried to move past him.
He planted his hands on either side of her, pinning her to the wall. “I wasn’t sneaking, only following you, hoping for a moment alone.”
“I’ve work to do.”
“I’m your employer. I can excuse you from that work.”
She ducked under his arm and marched away, tossing over her shoulder, “My ethics are better than that. Please leave me alone.”
“You don’t seem to mind my brother’s affections.”
Her face heated. He must have seen the kiss…or heard of it. She gasped. Was Brad the type to kiss and tell? Did he and his brother share everything…including her?
She sagged against a front post. Mortification flooded through her. Da was right, only it was too late. Word had spread. Her reputation was ruined. She glanced at the winding drive.
She would need to find new employment immediately and leave her heart at Country Acres. She plopped to a step, her blue and white skirt billowing around her. She covered her face with her hands and let silent tears fall. What did it matter if someone saw? Her embarrassment couldn’t be more complete.
“Kat?”
She opened her eyes to see Brad kneeling in front of her.
“Are you all right?” The false concern in his eyes was the last straw.
“As if you care!” She bolted to her feet. “Cancel my lessons.” She whirled and raced back to the cottage. Her actions were immature, but she didn’t care. There was no strength left to tell him how she felt.
She banged the door open, slammed it shut, then stomped to her room and threw herself across the bed. Smashing the pillow across her face, she screamed and vowed to never allow her heart to fall for anyone ‘above her status’. Golf would be all she needed. After all, the sport was what got her in trouble in the first place
.
~
Brad made a move to follow Kat.
“Let her go, son.” Mr. O’Connor carried a box from the small storage shed. “It’s best the two of you maintain a strict professional relationship.”
Brad cocked his head. “Why is that? Are you against me courting your daughter?”
He set the box on the top step. “Yes, I am.” He squared his shoulders. “I won’t have my girl toyed with like a rich man’s plaything. I appreciate the job and house here more than I can say, but Katherine is off limits.”
“Because I’ve money in the bank?” The man made no sense. What father didn’t want a better life for his child? “You of all people should know that discrimination is wrong.”
“I do. That’s why I’ve said my peace and expect it to stand.” He hefted the box back in his arms and continued to the back of the building.
Brad dragged his hands over his face and wondered whether Bobby had gotten the same lecture. He glanced in the direction Kat had fled. Not seeing the reasoning in her father’s request, he vowed to somehow prove the man wrong and to show that his growing feelings for Kat were not a passing fancy.
If the man wanted their relationship strictly professional, well, there were ways of expressing affection within the work place. A tender glance, a flirtatious wink, secret gifts without a card. He smiled. Where there was a will, there was a way, and Brad’s will was strong.
His smile faded. What if Kat agreed with her father’s words? No matter. Brad would show her exactly how much she mattered to him. Starting immediately.
He headed for the luxurious gardens and picked a single red rose. He placed it on the doorstep of Kat’s home, knocked, and hurried away. Juvenile, perhaps, but romance was never a lost cause no matter how silly it made a man appear.
He peered around an oak tree as the cottage door opened. Kat stepped out, picked up the rose, and glanced around. From where he stood, Brad could tell she’d been crying and fought the urge to take her in his arms and promise everything would be all right. In time, he could do that, but with her father’s views, he would have to move slowly. He smiled and stepped into the shadows of the trees until he was out of sight of the cottage.
Love's Sporting Chance: Volume 2: 5 Romantic Sporting Novellas Page 4
