Barri Bryan - Return to Paradise.html

by Return to Paradise (NCP) (lit)

  "Tell the lady goodnight, Beau." Hank did know how to intimidate with his uncompromising stare.

  "Good night, Kate." Beau grinned from ear to ear before he turned, and headed for the bar.

  Furiously, Kate turned on the man who had come to her rescue. "What was that for?"

  Hank pulled Kate back onto the dance floor. "Problems, Kate? Couldn't Taylor perform this afternoon? Is that why you were coming onto that young stud?"

  "I was coming on to him?" Kate was furious. "You insulting..." words failed her. "Let me go!" She tried to pull away, and found she was held in a grip that made escape impossible.

  "Will you calm down, you little spitfire?" Hank was dancing her toward the front of the ballroom.

  Under the circumstances, she had little choice. After a few struggling minutes, Kate reined in her run away temper. "I suppose I should thank you. Can you believe it, that boy asked me for a date? After I told him I had children his age. The very idea! Honestly!"

  Laughter rumbled deep in Hank's chest. "Welcome to the real world, Kate."

  A discreet, but well-aimed kick let the toe of Kate's shoe connect with the top of Hank's boot. "Don't you dare laugh at me."

  The rumble in Hank's throat erupted through his mouth. His laughter rippled out over the room.

  "Stop it," Kate hissed, "People are staring."

  Hank led Kate toward a little alcove near the front of the ballroom. From the corner of her eye, Kate saw York's brows knitted together in a perplexed frown. But he sat in his chair, as if he had been glued there. "Let me go. York is waiting for me."

  Through clenched teeth, Hank gritted, "Will you shut up? Somebody needs to take you in hand. It's clear that Taylor can't control you."

  "Control me?" Kate shouted, then dropped her voice to a whisper. "What the hell do you mean control me?"

  By now Hank had succeeded in pulling Kate into the alcove and out of the view of the ballroom. "Will you shut up and listen?"

  "Listen?" Kate rammed her finger into Hank's chest. "Me? Listen to you? When donkeys fly, Mr. Sinclair, when donkeys fly."

  "Will you shut up? I have something to say."

  "I will not! Just because I work for you don't get the idea you can run my life"

  A pulse beat erratically at the base of Hank's throat, but his words were conciliatory. "I'm sorry, Kate."

  "You are?" That was a change, and a surprise. "For what?"

  "For York's inadequacies. If you don't get rid of some of that pent up frustration, I don't know if I can live with you."

  Fiery anger exploded through the top of Kate's head. "You over sexed, middle-aged, egotistical, cowbo..."

  Hank stopped Kate's tirade by folding her into his arms, and bringing his lips down over her mouth.

  Kate stood rigid and still, fighting the liquid fire that swept through her veins, knowing if she moved, she would melt into his embrace.

  Hank used his tongue to tease her lips apart, then invaded her mouth with practiced expertise to sweep the inner recesses with possessive tenderness.

  Kate's heart jumped into overdrive. She responded with a fervor as intense as her anger had been a few seconds before. Lacing her fingers through his hair, she moved seductively against him.

  It was Hank who broke the kiss, and moved away. He rubbed the back of his neck with a hand that was none too steady. "My God, woman, you're a walking time bomb. Want to go upstairs?"

  Blushing scarlet, Kate stepped back. She had never responded with that kind of fervor to a man before. "I..." She swallowed again. One kiss, and she had gone up like wildfire. "Excuse me."

  Kate caught the door facing of the alcove entrance. Her heart was racing, and her knees threatened to give way. With her back to Hank, she tried to compose her face. "What are you trying to prove?"

  "Why do you keep fighting it, Kate? Sooner or later, it's going to happen."

  He sounded so self-assured, so in control, and she had made a complete fool of herself.

  She could feel his odious grin. "I'll be at the line shack Sunday morning. See you there."

  Turning, Kate stared at him for what could have been a second, or an eternity, before she lifted her skirts, and ran for the safety of the ladies room.

  By the time Kate had made it past the bar patrons and into the dimly lit ladies room, she had found some of her self control, but she was still shaking like a leaf in a windstorm. Hank Sinclair could make her angrier than any human being she knew, besides Mamma. She ran her hands through her hair, and pressed a tissue to her mouth.

  She returned to the table to find York nursing a drink, and waiting patiently. "Is everything all right?"

  Kate sat down and let out a long sigh. "Yes, and thank you for believing I had enough sense to handle my own problems. Most men I know would have charged in and embarrassed me. You didn't."

  York studied the contents of his glass before pushing it from him. "Would you care to dance?"

  "I'm a little tired. We have a long ride ahead of us. Could we go?"

  York stood to his feet. "That's a splendid idea." He came around the table, and helped Kate from her chair.

  Kate stared straight ahead, as they made their way through the tables, past the bar, and out the door. The last person she wanted to confront again this night was Hank Sinclair. Sooner or later, she would have to face him. She decided not to think about that now.

  Once inside York's car, Kate leaned her head back, and closed her eyes.

  "Are you tired?"

  "A little, but I had a lovely time." She opened her eyes, and smiled at him.

  "Did Sinclair annoy you?"

  "Not really." Kate didn't want to discuss Hank with York. She wondered why York hadn't ask about Beau Jackson, too. Maybe discretion was the better part of valor. She let the urge to mention Beau pass.

  They had turned off Highway 90 and driven several miles down a farm to market road, when a rumble of thunder in the distance caused York to observe, "It looks like a spring storm is brewing."

  Kate glanced out the car window to see clouds boiling across the dark sky. "It's moving in fast."

  Large splatters of rain began to slap the windshield. York turned on the wipers. "Yes, and it looks like a bad one."

  Jagged bolts of lightening danced across the horizon. "Those clouds look ominous." Kate shivered, and wrapped her arms around her waist. A rain storm that caused creeks and rivers to reach flood proportions in a matter of hours along low water crossings, was not something to be taken lightly. "Maybe we should go back to the hotel."

  "I doubt if we could get back now. We've crossed Rio Medina. The danger now is getting caught and stranded between the river and the low water crossing near Harriet's home." York switched on the car radio.

  The dulcet tones of the announcer broadcast out into the humid air, alerting listeners to a tornado warning, and telling of a twister that had touched down earlier near a little town with the unlikely name of Von Ormy.

  "Is Von Ormy near here?" Kate huddled in the warmth of the plush seat.

  "It's several miles south of here. I don't think we need to worry. The storm is moving in that direction." York squinted against the force of the driving rain that lashed against the car, and made seeing anything beyond a few feet in front of him impossible.

  Kate was becoming more and more apprehensive. "Maybe we should stop under an overpass."

  "There are no overpasses along this road. We're very near Harriet's ranch now."

  The water washed across the bumper of the car as they drove through a low water crossing. Kate could feel the pull of the swirling stream against the powerful automobile. She watched York's tense facial muscles as he fought to keep the car from being swept away by the swift, rapidly rising current.

  Only after they had driven out of the churning waters, and on to higher ground, did Kate breathed a sigh of relief. "We barely made it across."

  "We're safe now." York leaned forward, and strained to see the road. "Harriet's home is less than a mile away.
"

  The car finally pulled down a long winding driveway, and stopped before a huge ranch house. The area was ablaze with lights. "They're expecting us." York set his

  emergency brake, and reached for Kate's overnight bag. "Let's go inside."

  The woman who greeted Kate and York at the door, spoke to York in a rapid staccato of Spanish, as she gestured with both hands.

  Nodding, York answered with, "Si, si."

  After a lengthy exchange, York made introductions. "Kate, this is Mrs. Sanchez, Harriet's housekeeper."

  The rotund woman greeted Kate in Spanish. "Buenos tardes, Señora."

  Kate struggled to remember her high school Spanish. "Good evening."

  After another lengthy, often heated exchange with Mrs. Sanchez, York guided Kate into the large living room, and motioned for her to sit down. "Harriet called an hour or so ago. She says Elroy has decided it's not safe to try to make it back to the ranch tonight. They're going to stay in San Antonio. Mrs. Sanchez has been quite upset. She was afraid we had been caught in the high water. I instructed her to call Harriet and assure her we are safe."

  Kate sat down in a chair that had elk horns for arms. and thought that this room had to be a decorator's nightmare. "I hope Mamma isn't worried about me."

  "I'll call my house and tell my foreman to send someone over first thing in the morning to assure her you're safe."

  Mrs. Sanchez's heavy tread heralded her approach long before she appeared in the doorway, arms akimbo, as she rattled off words in Spanish.

  With each outburst, York nodded his head and looked a little more distressed. "Si, yes, yes. Yo comprende."

  York's face creased in lines of concern. "The phone lines seem to be down. Mrs. Sanchez is upset. She can't reach Harriet to assure her we made it through the storm."

  Gusts of wind swept around the house, rattling windows, and shaking doors.

  A web of weariness spun itself around Kate. "The storm is getting worse."

  "Would you like a drink?" York asked.

  "I'd like to go to bed." Oh, Lord, Kate thought, what a field day Hank would have had with a remark like that. "I'm very tired."

  "I'll have Mrs. Sanchez show you to your room." York hastened to search for the housekeeper.

  Kate folded her arms and waited. She wondered if the guest room had stuffed heads mounted on the wall.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Belle poured coffee into a mug, and handed it to Kate. "What was it like being isolated on a ranch in the middle of nowhere with York Taylor for two whole days?"

  "Mamma," Kate put cream in her coffee, "Don't start."

  Belle poured herself a second cup of coffee. "Cody and I were ready to go to St. Agnes to meet the bus when York's foreman came riding up to tell us you were marooned on the other side of Rio Medina with his boss."

  "I hope you didn't worry, Mamma."

  "You left Paradise last Friday, and here it is Tuesday morning. Of course I worried."

  "We had to wait for the water to recede." Kate took a quick sip of the hot coffee.

  Belle reached for the sugar bowl. "Cody made your ride yesterday."

  Kate set her cup down and grimaced. "I forgot all about that damn ride. Who made it Sunday?"

  Belle dumped a spoon full of sugar into her coffee. "You got a letter from Suzie. Hank's mad. Don't swear, Kate."

  "A letter? From Suzie?" Kate moved the sugar bowl to the side of the table. "You don't need that sugar, Mamma, and what the hell is Hank mad about?" She put the lid on the sugar bowl. "I'll swear if I damn well want to."

  "I need the energy sugar gives me. And it's not ladylike to swear. My Grandma Donovan used to say, 'No lady swears, it's not ladylike." Belle's mouth widened in an aggravating grin. "Maybe after two days alone with York Taylor, you're no longer a lady."

  Kate threatened, "Mamma..."

  The back door opened, and Cody came inside, followed by Lady and a gust of wind. "The prodigal has returned. Welcome home, Kate." He pushed the door shut. "Did you have a nice trip? How long have you been home?"

  "Long enough for Mamma to start giving me the third degree," Kate complained.

  Cody ran his fingers through his damp hair. "I see things are back to normal around here."

  "Are you ready for breakfast?" Belle stood.

  "I smell those biscuits." Cody sniffed. "Let me get washed up, and I'm ready."

  Lady rested her head in Kate's lap, and wagged her tail in friendly greeting. Kate patted the dog's damp head. "Did you miss me?"

  Lady's tail thumped the floor.

  Belle bustled about, preparing Cody's breakfast. "We all missed you, even Hank. He came over Sunday night in the rain to see what had happened to you."

  Remembering her last encounter with Hank made Kate stiffen with resentment. "I am not accountable to Hank Sinclair." She cut her eyes in Belle's direction. "What did he say?"

  Belle set a plate heaped with scrambled eggs and bacon on the table. "Katie baby, do you want breakfast?"

  "No, Mamma, I want an answer, but I see I'm not about to get one."

  Ignoring Kate, Belle spoke to Cody. "I saw that the clouds were clearing when I opened the door for Kate. Do you think the rain is over?"

  Cody buttered several biscuits and stacked them beside the eggs on his plate. "The rain's not over, just postponed. That's the way it is in the Brush Country in spring time, the rain comes and the rain goes, then the rain comes back again."

  Mamma was in one of her moods. Kate tried to think why. The reason hit her like a blow to the head. "Mamma, where is my letter from Suzie?"

  Belle stirred her coffee as her lips thinned in displeasure. "Suzie is coming back to Paradise for another visit. She'll be here next Friday."

  Kate's spoon clattered to the table. "You opened my letter?"

  "It was addressed to me, too. The envelope said: Mrs. Kate McClure and Mrs. Cody Carter."

  "What else did the letter say?" The contents of the letter had obviously upset Belle.

  "Where is the letter?"

  "Your daughter has a nerve."

  "She's your granddaughter, too." Arguing with her mother was like trying to whistle and drink at the same time. "Where is the damn letter?"

  "Don't swear, Kate. You can read the letter for yourself, if you want to."

  Through clenched teeth, Kate ground out, "Not if I don't know where it is."

  Belle scooped a bite of eggs from Cody's plate. "It's on my dresser, by that little music box Michael and Sharon gave me last Christmas. It's just a note. It says that she will be here Friday, and that she's bringing some man named David Gardner with her." Belle pushed another forkful of eggs into her mouth.

  "What do you mean, some man?" Kate demanded indignantly. "David Gardner is the man Suzie is going to marry."

  "She doesn't have to bring him down here to do that."

  "She wants us to meet him." Kate searched for some reason for Belle's objection to Suzie bringing David Gardner to Paradise, and came up with a blank.

  "Sometimes, Kate, I wish you had a little less intelligence, and a little more common sense." Belle pierced her daughter with a stiletto stare.

  Cody stood to his feet. "I got work to do, so before the fireworks start, I think I'll head for the barn." His features softened. "Belle doesn't want Suzie to bring that David fellow here. When you find out why, Kate, let me know."

  "Why does Suzie want us to meet David?" Belle's eyes flashed with suppressed fury. "It took me a while to unravel that one. When I did, I was mad enough to spit."

  Cody opened the back door. "I think I'd best get out of the line of fire. Good luck, Kate." He closed the door just as Lady's tail cleared the opening.

  Belle poured another cup of coffee, looked defiantly toward Kate, then dumped the remains of the sugar bowl into her cup. "Your daughter is downright devious."

  "Maybe she came by that trait honestly, Mamma. And maybe you're mistaken. I don't know what you think Suzie is trying to do, but..."

  Belle po
inted her spoon toward Kate. "I know what Suzie is trying to do. Suzie has some idea of getting her parents back together. She thinks she's responsible for separating them, so she should be the one to get them back together."

  It was not like Belle to borrow trouble, but that sounded like what she was doing. "Mamma, that makes no sense at all. How can Suzie's wanting us to meet David have anything to do with trying to get Jim and me back together?" Kate used the back of her hand to push the sugar bowl to the other side of the table. "I've told Suzie that I don't intend to move back to Dallas, or to reconcile with her father."

  "Oh, Lord, Kate." Belle slapped her forehead with the heel of her hand. "Do you think Suzie believes that?"

  "Why shouldn't she? It's the truth!" Kate clamped down on her exasperation.

  "What's the truth today, may not be the truth tomorrow. Suzie doesn't intend to give up. Bringing David here is just another way to try to break down your defenses."

  "I can't see how meeting David would influence my feelings about Jim." A surge of love for her mother swept through Kate. "Mamma, I know you are thinking of what's best for me, but I can't tell Suzie not to bring David here."

  "I know that." Grasping Kate's hands in a tight hold, Belle begged, "Kate, don't let them hurt you again, and don't do something you don't want to do because of what Suzie and Michael want. The rest of your life belongs to you. Don't let the past steal it away."

  "Mamma," Kate's heart overflowed with compassionate understanding. "I won't go back to Jim, ever." She attempted a laugh. It came out a gasp. "Jim hasn't asked me to come back to him. He probably never will."

  "Kate, you know..."

  Several loud bangs on the back door interrupted Belle's reprimand. "Answer the door, Kate."

  Kate took the sugar bowl with her. "I'm coming, I'm coming." She set the bowl on the cabinet and opened the door.

  Hank Sinclair stood on the back step, water dripping from the brim of his hat, and a scowl marking his weather-beaten face. "If it isn't the wandering Mrs. McClure. When did you get home?"

  Kate squared her shoulders. "Would you like to come in?"

  Belle smiled her brightest smile. "Hello, Hank. Do come in. Kate finally got home, and none the worse for wear."