by Mari Carr
Of course, like Rex, he was used to women being intimidated by him and his size. In this case, he had to be nearly a half-foot taller than Kate and at least a hundred pounds heavier, so he assumed some of her apprehension was due to the situation and the rest due to him.
Trying to put her at ease, he flashed an easy smile, secretly wishing Wes had been the one to conduct this interview. Wes Robson, his best friend since middle school, was one of those men women flocked to. His charming smile and devil-may-care attitude never failed to leave a trail of horny women in his wake. Where Rick was big and broad and built like a linebacker, Wes was a couple inches shorter and more compact and muscular, like a soccer player.
“Well, Kate.” He sat in the chair across from her and leaned back. “Fact is this was not really an interview, but more an introduction. Jill’s word is certainly good enough for me and having met you, I have no doubts at all you’ll take good care of the house. Would you like to take a tour of the place?”
He watched as the breath Kate had apparently been holding since entering the house escaped and she gave him the first genuine smile he’d seen since meeting her. He was surprised to see how much it transformed her face from plain Jane to plain pretty.
“I don’t know how to thank you for letting me do this.” She rose from her chair so quickly he nearly got whiplash watching her move. “I was at my wit’s end, trying to figure out what to do next. I really couldn’t spend one more minute with Jill. Although God knows I love her dearly. How we managed to co-exist for the first eighteen years of our lives together is absolutely beyond me. Mind-boggling. Do you have any idea how long you’ll be gone?”
“Hard to say.” He stood up to join her and struggled to take in her rushed speech. As he could only recall the last question, he said, “Anywhere from six months to a year. I suppose Jill told you what Wes and I do?”
“All she said was you were in law enforcement.”
“Drug Enforcement,” he clarified.
“DEA agents. Must be an exciting job.”
“Sometimes,” Rick answered, “but lots of times it’s non-stop, painstakingly boring stake-outs.”
“How will I reach you if there is an emergency?”
“I’ll give you a number to a messaging system Wes and I check in with periodically and we’ll call or email whenever we can. You don’t mind staying out here all by yourself?” Rick kicked himself for asking the question. Fact was the house, despite its fairly close proximity to town, was basically in the country. Completely isolated. If Kate refused to take the job, he and Wes would have to put Rex in a kennel—which the dog would hate—in addition to worrying about vandals or the old pipes leaking or freezing.
However, the thought of Kate staying out here alone was starting to worry him more than the idea of vandals wrecking his belongings. Deep inside he knew Kate would be just fine. Madison was a small town with little to no crime. It was one of the main reasons they decided to settle here rather than remain in the city after nearly a decade with the agency. He and Wes decided it was time to put down some roots, invest in some property and start looking toward the future rather than merely living in the present. He sensed his time at the DEA was running out. More and more he resented the extended assignments away from this home he had come to love. Once he retired his badge, he was looking forward to doing a bit of farming and operating his own little fix-it shop from the garage out back. He’d stashed away a nice nest egg due to thrifty living and good investments and he was ready to start enjoying it.
“I’m used to being alone.”
Kate’s answer dragged him back from his thoughts before they headed to the foyer and upstairs. Rick wondered why a married woman would be used to being alone—before remembering Summers’ infamous infidelity. His exploits had been prime fodder for the town gossips since Rick’s move here four years ago.
Had Kate known about her husband’s cheating ways and merely turned her head? Rick couldn’t help but think not, for some reason. Yet, she didn’t seem to possess much self-assurance, if the way she carried herself was any indication. Perhaps she simply hadn’t had the confidence to confront Zack about his steady stream of girlfriends. Rick had encountered the arrogant, annoying lawyer several times and couldn’t picture someone as quiet as Kate married to such an asshole.
“Jill failed to tell me you were so pretty.” He wanted to draw her out of the protective shell she seemed to be encased in.
She snorted with disbelief. “I’m a sure thing, Rick. I need a place to stay—badly. You don’t have to butter me up.”
Rick was overcome by two emotions at once and they stopped him in his tracks. Her words “sure thing” sent all the blood surging to his surprisingly aroused cock. He certainly didn’t feel an attraction to the poor little mouse, did he?
However, the other emotion—anger—won out. “Don’t call me a liar, sweetheart. It’s the one thing you never want to do.”
Kate seemed taken aback by his harsh tone and she blushed. “I-I didn’t call you a liar.”
“You are very pretty.” He repeated the words, daring her to refute them again, yet unsure why he felt compelled to push her on the subject.
“No.” Her voice was showing its first real bit of strength and her back stiffened even more, inviting Rick’s cock to do the same. “I’m not. But thank you for the compliment.” Turning around, she started up the stairs without awaiting his invitation and Rick struggled to follow with his painful erection rasping against the zipper of his jeans. Nope, he thought, Kate definitely did not know about her husband’s cheating.
Once he caught up to her, he led her to the first room on the left. “This is the guest room where you’ll be staying.” As Rick opened the door, he watched Kate’s eyes widen.
“This is the guest room?”
Rick smiled at her awed response. He and Wes worked well into the night trying to make it enticing enough that Kate would agree to stay. When Jill called to suggest her sister as a house-sitter, they threw themselves into making the room presentable and inviting. Given her wide-eyed response, he would say they were successful.
“It’s lovely.” She stepped farther into the room, running her hand along his grandmother’s handmade quilt on the bed. Rick had opened the window earlier to air the room out and with the mid-morning sun shining through and a light breeze blowing in, he had to admit the room did look homey.
“A window seat.” She walked over and was going to sit on the light green cushion when she glanced out into the backyard. “Is that Wes?”
Moving behind her to look over her shoulder, Rick could see Wes hosing off the John Deere tractor. “Looks like he’s finished with the yard. He should be in soon.”
“Are you sure, um, I mean is he okay with the idea of a stranger staying in the house?” Kate was no doubt afraid she could still be denied.
“It was his idea, Kate,” he reassured her. “He’ll be thrilled to have someone here to look after Rex and the plants.”
Kate grinned. “Well, you don’t have to worry about a thing. I’ll take care of the house like it was my own, I promise. And, of course, R-Rex.”
Rick returned her smile, imagining Kate puttering around his house, walking the dog, cooking and cleaning, sitting on this seat to read a book, rocking on the porch swing in the evenings, sleeping in the room next to his.
The image of a naked Kate sleeping under a cotton sheet in the summer heat flashed through his mind. Christ, first thing he was going to do when he and Wes left town was find himself a willing woman. His libido was playing tricks on him. Kate Harper was definitely not his type. Women who attracted him did not blush or stammer and if Kate knew half the games he liked to play with his lovers, she would hop on Rex’s back and make a break for it.
“Come on,” he said, taking her hand, “let’s finish the tour and then you can join Wes and me for some lunch. Give Rex a chance to get to know you.”
At his words, he watched Kate struggle to stifle any qualms she had
about meeting the dog and was impressed with her determination. “I can do this,” she mumbled in self-encouragement all the way down the stairs. Her ego may have taken a beating from her soon-to-be ex, but she was clearly a strong woman and Rick had a feeling she’d land on her feet in the long run. He also trusted she would take good care of his beloved farmhouse.
Smiling, he led her downstairs to the kitchen, pleased with the day’s events. If he felt a slight regret niggling at the back of his mind, he chalked it up to the fact he hated to leave Madison, not that he hated to leave this shy, intriguing young woman.
Chapter 2
Early June
“Hey Kate!” Scott waved wildly from the tractor.
“Hiya Scott!” She smiled as the young boy turned the corner. She and Scott went way back since she and his mother belonged to the same book group, in addition to being colleagues. He clearly loved doing lawn work, although she was concerned about the speed at which he drove the John Deere tractor. She was sure Rick and Wes would have a fit if they knew, but she wasn’t about to tell on the sweet boy. Mainly because she was exceedingly glad not to have to mow acre after acre of land.
Kate kicked off her sandals at the front door and walked toward the kitchen with Rex literally dogging her heels. It had taken her only one short week to get over her fear of dogs. Well, actually just Rex, who in her opinion was more cat than dog anyway. The sweet mutt followed her everywhere and she found it hard to imagine staying at the farmhouse without him. Last night, he curled up at the foot of her bed and she was lulled to sleep by his deep, relaxed breathing. Any qualms she may have had about living out in the country alone were put to rest by Rex’s comforting, protective presence. He was a fierce guard dog and she suspected he could rip to shreds any bad guy who might come her way.
School was out for the summer. She survived yet another “last day” and was looking forward to long, lazy days in the sun with only herself to worry about. She started writing another story last night and ended up typing away on her laptop until nearly two a.m., when she finally forced herself to go to bed. Making up stories had been a salve to the wounds caused by her lonely marriage. When Zack abandoned her in the wee hours, supposedly working late, she would sit down and write out all the unfulfilled dreams buried deep in her heart.
Now as she struggled to come to grips with Zack’s departure, she found herself finding solace in her fictional world once again. Sighing heavily, she considered this mess she called a life. As much as it pained her to admit it, Zack’s infidelity hurt. She felt as though he’d dropkicked her heart all the way into the next state.
Walking by the mirror in the entryway, Kate paused to look at herself. For weeks after Zack’s exodus, she’d been unable to look at herself at all. Now as she studied her reflection, she saw that the years of depression and loneliness had taken their toll. She was carrying around at least twenty extra pounds. Her reddish-brown hair was so limp and lifeless she rarely did anything more than pull it back in a ponytail simply to keep it out of her face. Suppressing a shudder, she realized her outfit was one more suited to her mother’s taste than her own. “God,” she muttered. “I’m a mess.”
Unwilling to look at her reflection any longer, Kate went straight to the kitchen. Grabbing a beer out of the refrigerator, she headed back to Rick’s office. The cozy room with its dark wooden bookcases and plush leather chairs was her favorite in the house—after her bedroom. Her laptop was set up on his large oak desk and she crossed the room to turn it on. Waiting for the machine to boot up, she silently hoped for an email from Rick. He’d emailed her almost daily since he and Wes left and she hated to admit how much she looked forward to his brief, informative messages. They were mainly lists of things he forgot to mention to her in his hasty departure, but in the last couple he’d made small remarks about what he was doing and even asked her a couple questions about herself.
No sooner had she sat down than the phone started ringing.
“Hey Jill,” she answered after looking at the caller ID.
“Happy last day of school!” her sister sang out.
“Thanks,” Kate said with a laugh. “I was basically living for the arrival of this summer. One more day in that library and I thought I would spontaneously combust!”
“I know the last few months have been rough on you.”
“Yeah, well, I’m determined to close the chapter on Zack Summers and the last six years. It’s time for me to move on.”
“Amen to that, sister,” Jill joked. “You know, I’ve been doing some thinking Kate. I wonder if I was wrong to push you to do the house-sitting job. I mean, you’ve become a hermit these last few weeks and I hate to see you hiding out there in the country for an entire summer depressed all the time.”
“I’m not depressed, Jill,” Kate replied. “At least not much.”
“Zack doesn’t deserve a single, solitary minute of your thoughts, you know.”
“I know,” Kate agreed. “But I disagree with you about staying here at the farmhouse. This is the first time I’ve ever lived alone and I’m glad to have the time to think about where I went so wrong with my life.”
“Oh sweetie,” Jill said. “You got married so young. I wish Mama and I had tried to talk you into waiting a bit longer. Zack was your first serious boyfriend and he swept you off your feet. Problem is, you grew up and he didn’t.”
Kate laughed at Jill’s astute observation. “That’s an understatement,” Kate added. “The idiot still swaggers around town like the high school quarterback, hanging out with his equally immature friends. God. How could I have been such a fool for him? I’ve come to the conclusion marrying him was the single biggest mistake of my life.” Unfortunately, Kate thought to herself, she allowed herself to be carried along with the current of that mistake rather than turning the wheel and changing the course she’d sailed for six long years.
“Mistake or not, you need to get past it, Kate. Get out there and live a little. It’s not healthy the way you hide yourself away from the world,” Jill argued. “You aren’t the first young girl to be taken in by the attentions of a charming, handsome man and you won’t be the last. Zack Summers may have been the first man to really notice you, but Kate, he will not be the last. Trust me.”
“I know all that, Jill. I’m just not ready to show my face in town yet. Give me some more time.”
“How much more time?” Jill was tenacious and clearly not backing down from her argument.
“I don’t know how much more. Why are you pushing me on this?”
“Because I care about you,” her sister retorted.
“Right, you cared so much you didn’t bother to tell me about my husband screwing the hairdresser from hell.”
“What?” Jill asked, obviously shocked by the vehemence in Kate’s voice. Kate never raised her voice to Jill. She hated confrontation of any kind.
“Jill, you are Gossip Central in Madison. Do you honestly expect me to believe you didn’t know about Zack and his girlfriend?”
“Yes.” Jill’s voice was laced with fury. “I do expect that. I’m your sister, Kate, and if I had known for one second what that lying, cheating bastard was doing, I would have run over him with my truck!”
Kate sank down on the chair behind her at Jill’s words. For months, she’d worried Jill had kept Zack’s infidelity a secret along with the rest of the town. Finding out her worry was unfounded relieved her more that she could say.
Guilt over her accusation consumed her. “Oh Jill, I’m sorry. I was so afraid that you—” The rest of her words lodged in the lump in her throat.
“Never, Kate.” Jill’s voice was calmer though still hurt. “I would never do that to you.”
Tears began to flow as Kate tried to explain her cruel suspicions. “God, I’m such a wreck, Jill. I don’t know who to trust anymore.”
“I know that, Angel May.” Jill still called Kate by her childhood nickname and Kate found solace in the playful name. “Don’t think about it anothe
r minute. Just believe me when I say I will never lie to you.”
“I do,” Kate hiccupped. “Honestly, I do.”
“So take your time. Get your act together and if you need a shoulder to cry on, you better call me.”
“You’re on speed dial.” Kate was filled with relief mixed with the lingering sadness that never seemed to completely leave her.
“Good. I love you, Kate.”
“Love you too, Jilly.”
As she hung up the phone, Kate grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. For months she’d avoided Jill’s attempts to help her, so afraid her sister had known about Zack and kept the secret. Knowing her sister hadn’t betrayed her lifted a burden from her shoulders Kate hadn’t realized she was carrying and before she knew it, she was smiling. Perhaps she wasn’t as alone as she feared.
She knew Jill was worried about her, but for the most part Kate was relieved the marriage was over. She didn’t have to worry about dealing with Zack anymore—not that she ever had to deal with him much, given his long work hours and the time he spent hanging out with his friends.
“Long hours,” she mumbled. “Yeah, right.” The one thing Kate had truly not anticipated was Zack’s cheating, although God only knew why she hadn’t. She supposed it was because she was a trusting soul and when Zack said he was going golfing or hanging out at a friend’s house to watch the football game, she believed him—and deep inside, she was secretly glad not to have him at home.
Glancing at the desk, Kate saw the computer blinking at her and demanding a log-in. Leaning forward, she typed in her username and password. She started to open up the story she’d begun writing the previous evening, but decided to check her email first. Once she started writing, it would be hours before she came up for air. When her marriage started to go to hell, Kate had turned to writing stories to escape the misery of her real life and in a lot of ways it had helped. Jill was the only person who knew about her obsessive writing and her sister often accused her of using the hobby to hide from reality. Maybe there was some truth to that. But sometimes it felt more like therapy. There were a million feelings and ideas bottled up inside her and putting them out on the page relieved some of the intense pressure building up in her so she could make it through another day.
