“Actually, you wrote that.”
“I did? Sounds cheesy. Cliché.”
“A very overused cliché, and as with all clichés, it makes us publishers cringe, but fortunately the rest of your writing makes up for a few of your ghastly truisms. Anyway, don’t you remember writing it? Your book, Heart Anew. Cherish loses her husband...oh, dear. Sorry, my bad.”
“I wrote that book before I lost Robert, Stephanie, and Mitchell. Do you think that perhaps I was writing about my own life and didn’t know it?”
“No. I don’t believe in that kind of negative karma and neither should you. Still, while I may not believe in negative karma, I do believe that good and bad things happen for a reason.”
Kathryn smiled, “Well, I haven’t quite discovered what good could come out of my losing my entire family.”
“Maybe you can’t see the reasons now; but maybe one day you will. Now, let’s get down to business. Hand over your manuscript.”
“You’re going to like this one.”
“Not as depressing as the last, I hope.”
“No. In fact, it could easily be categorized as a Romantic Comedy.”
“Leave the genre categorization to me, dear,” Janet said, placing the envelope in her satchel.
“Aren’t you going to look at it?”
“I will,” Janet said, standing, “as soon as I return to my office from my next meeting. You’re my friend, Kathryn, but you’re hardly my only client.”
Kathryn shook her head and smiled.
“I’ll send the proofs over for your review next week by courier. In the meantime, try to get some rest. Unless you’ve already got another book in the works?”
“Actually, I do.”
“Ah, that’s wonderful. I only wish that all my authors were as predictably prolific.”
“I like keeping busy.”
“No arguments from me on that point normally, but today I have to object. I have a friend who’s a doctor. I’ll give him a call. Let him write you a prescription for Valium and sleep through to next week.”
“No, thank you, but I promise to get some rest, if you promise to stop harping at me.”
“Good. I’ll see you at the Grayson’s this weekend?”
“No.”
“Come on, Kat...”
“No,” Kathryn said, adamant. “I’m simply not ready to mingle with people.”
“It’s been a year-and-a-half...”
“I know how long it’s been, Janet. I don’t need you to remind me.”
“Still too touchy.”
“Then stop touching and go meet your other client.”
“I am your friend, you know.”
“I know.”
“I’ll talk to you later, then. Do try to have a relaxing afternoon,” Janet said, and then turned and headed toward an approaching cab.
Kathryn lifted her second cup of cappuccino and took a swallow, and then flagged the waiter again, “Thanks for offering to buy lunch,” she called sardonically to Janet’s taxi, retreating from the curb.
CHAPTER FOUR
September 2060
Wind River, Wyoming
“Do you think that you can manage while I’m away?” Dalian sat at his desk signing the requisition forms brought to him by his foreman. When he didn’t receive a reply, he glanced up at Harvey. “Well?”
“Oh, no problem, Dalian,” his foreman replied.
“Have you got something to say, Harvey?”
“No, no, I was just thinking is all.”
When Harvey paused, no further information forthcoming, Dalian sighed, “Care to share?”
“The men and I, well...,” Harvey said, stammering. He’d been Dalian’s foreman for nearly ten years, but he’d been his friend much longer, and he’d never had this much difficulty talking to him about anything.
“Just spit it out, will you?” Dalian couldn’t recall a time he’d had to bark at his dear friend, and could only surmise that his churlish reaction was due to the inkling he had about from where Harvey’s reticence stemmed.
“Sorry. The men and I were just wondering if you were, well, if you’d decided to...”
“Let me help you out, shall I? Especially as I need to be leaving sooner than you seem willing to speak. I’m returning to The People to visit my mother. I’m not turning Indian on you, and yes, I will return with the spring thaw, so you and the men can rest assured that your employment is secure. Is that what you had on your mind?”
That tirade snapped Harvey from his timidity, “You realize how absurd your comment was? Turning Indian? Really, Dalian? In this day and age?” Harvey retorted, unable to stop the color from seeping from beneath his collar and creeping up his neck into his face. “We couldn’t care less whether you want to go visit The People. Our concern is...well, it’s just that you haven’t exactly shown the same diligence and care you used to since...well, you know. It’s almost as if you want the place to fold. You’ve been here since your early twenties, and never returned to the Blackfoot reservation before. I guess I just wanted to make sure you were all right, you know?”
“And you consider returning to my heritage a sign of mental instability, do you? Good heavens, Harvey, now whose making it sound as if we’re still living in the eighteen hundreds? Do you really think I’d choose to live on a reservation where the Federal Government dictates my life instead of on the ranch that I built with my own two hands?”
“Well, I didn’t quite mean that...”
“Listen, Harvey,” Dalian sighed. “You’re my friend, but you’re way off the mark here. Yes, the loss of Carolyn and my baby took its toll, but I’m better now. It did make me appreciate however, how much family means, and that in turn, made me think of my mother. I haven’t seen her in decades.”
“That was her wish, not yours. Besides, what if you go all that way, and she doesn’t remember you, or worse, doesn’t want to see you? She did tell you to stay gone.”
“It’s a chance I’ll take. I have a need to see her.”
“Well, do you have to make it an extended trip?”
“By the time I arrive at the reservation and pay my respects, if, as you say, she’ll allow me to do so, the winter snows will have started and I’m not of a mind to journey back through fifteen feet of snow, especially not on horseback.”
“Horseback! Now who’s stuck in the eighteen hundreds? Geez man! A horse! In this day and age! You can take the train, drive, or fly for that matter. Of course, if you take the train or fly, then snow or not, you can return when you like, and we’ve never had fifteen feet of snow.”
“I know that, and no,” Dalian said, sighing, “I need to ride. It’ll be good for me. A way to clear my head once and for all. I’m ready to let Carolyn go, but the memories are holding on tight. The ride will help.”
“Then ride your horse around here. Good gracious, Dalian! You have two hundred acres if you need to clear your head. Riding through the mountains at this time of year is foolish, at best. It’ll take you a good month just to get there. And let’s say that you do manage to make it to Montana without injury to you or your horse, what good is it going to do you if your mother does refuse to see you? You’ll be stuck out there with your horse and no way to get home. Why don’t you at least buy a ticket and that way if things go sour, you’ll have a way back.”
“Why don’t I just book a hotel room, and then if my mother refuses to see me, I can just hang out...never mind.” Dalian sighed, “Okay, Harvey. I’ll ride into town today to purchase passage for me and Swift – just in case.”
Harvey smiled, “Smart decision. I’ll hold things together here, until you get back.”
“I know you will. It should be easy enough since we don’t open the dude ranch until spring. The biggest concern you’ll face is getting the cattle to market. Placing that burden solely on your shoulders does give me a pang of guilt.” Dalian grinned.
“Oh, I’ll just bet it does,” Harvey quipped. “Still, we have enough hands to see the
m safely there, and I’d say our timing is decent too. Checked the price per head this morning and it’s on the upswing.”
“What’s our estimate?”
“$215 per head.”
“Decent, but prices sure haven’t gone up much over the last few decades. Twenty years ago it was sitting around $184 a head.”
“Yeah, well it’s better than a poke in the eye.”
“True.” Dalian handed the requisitions across the desk. Harvey took them, and stood to leave. Dalian noticed a renewed hesitation and spoke before Harvey could. “My mother never had a choice but to let me go. You know that.”
“Do you know that?” Harvey countered, took his hat and jammed it on his head, then left the house.
“She didn’t have a choice,” Dalian repeated to the empty room. “I only wish I knew why she didn’t have a choice.”
CHAPTER FIVE
“Dalian! Wait!”
Dalian pulled Swift to a halt and turned the reins back toward the house. He sought out and found the person calling him, and then wished he hadn’t. Marsha Canton was running down the drive toward him. When she reached his side, her breathing was exaggeratedly shallow. He sighed. He knew it was an act, for she was in top physical shape. He also knew why she pretended exhaustion, for the heavy breathing drew his attention to her well-endowed assets; assets that would topple from her low-cut t-shirt if she bent too far over. For reasons he couldn’t fathom, she supposed that drawing attention to her physical attributes would impress him. It didn’t. He liked his women to be confident, intelligent, over twenty, and beautiful – foremost on the inside. Like Carolyn had been.
“I’m glad I caught you,” Martha huffed, placing her hand on her chest, another ploy to divert his gaze. He kept his gaze firmly on hers.
“Marsha,” Dalian said, tipping his hat respectfully. “What can I do for you?”
“I came over to see if Mrs. Guthrie could use a hand with the cooking and cleaning,” she said, smiling shyly, “and saw you leaving.”
“Doesn’t your father give you enough chores to occupy your time, Marsha?”
“Oh, but we have plenty of help to take care of things over at our place, and poor Mrs. Guthrie is all alone here.”
Dalian sighed again. Would she never stop trying to make him feel discomfited for evidently understaffing his household? Well, he certainly wasn’t going to offer her employment, or worse, propose marriage to her. If Mrs. Guthrie felt overwhelmed, she’d say something and he’d hire on additional help, as he did when the dude ranch opened to visitors in the spring. “So why are you glad you caught me, if you came here to see Mrs. Guthrie?”
“Well, I ran into Harvey and he said you were going on vacation.”
“And?”
“And I wanted to say goodbye and let you know I’ll miss you.”
Dalian arched his brow. Now that was blunt, he thought. Prior to now, she’d only hinted at her affections. “I’m sure I’ll see you when I get back, Marsha.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely be here. Of course, if you think you’ll miss having company, I can always ask my dad to let me go with you.”
Uh-oh, more directness. Something is up, and I bet it has to do with her father. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he said yes,” he muttered.
“Does that mean?”
“No, it doesn’t mean. Go on home, Marsha. I’m sure Mrs. Guthrie has everything under control at the house and since I’ll be gone for several months...”
“Several months!”
“Yes, several months. Maybe by then your father will find you a decent-aged fellow and you’ll be happily wed before I get back.”
“That’s not funny, Dalian. You know I only have eyes for you.”
Oh, Lord. She’s really going for broke today. “Listening to your Greatest Hits of the Eighties CD again?”
“You shouldn’t make fun of me, Dalian. It isn’t right.” She placed a faux pout on her too-thin lips, “Especially when you know how I feel about you.”
Well, she finally spoke what I always suspected aloud. Her father must be getting desperate. “Listen, Marsha. You may think you know how you feel, but there is a huge difference between lust and love; although I highly doubt you feel either one for me. However, once you’ve found the right man, you’ll see that what you think you felt for me was nothing more than hormones run amok.”
“That isn’t true. I know what love is.”
“All teenagers think they know what love is, but they don’t. Not really.”
“How can you say that, Dalian? You know I’d do anything for you.”
“That isn’t love, Marsha.”
“What makes you think I don’t love you, Dalian? You can’t see inside my heart.”
“Because of how hard you try to get my attention.”
“I don’t understand.”
“And I don’t have the time to explain it to you. I need to get going, but do us both a favor, will you?”
“What’s that?” Marsha huffed, the exaggerated pout more pronounced.
“Go back to your dad and tell him he’ll have to find another way of laying claim to my land and to stop wasting his time, and yours, on trying to snare me. I’m not on the market and neither is my property.”
“That’s just plain wrong, Dalian.” Marsha stomped her tennis shoe lightly on the ground and Dalian shook his head in wonder.
She’s such a child, he thought, but refrained from speaking it aloud. He wasn’t in the habit of deliberately hurting children. Instead, he just shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. But I’ll make a deal with you, Marsha. Come see me in ten years. If you still feel the same way after growing up a bit, I’ll give you a second look.”
“You don’t really think I’m going to wait ten years for you, do you, Dalian Rivers? Well, I’m not. In ten years, you’ll be kicking yourself in the ass for not catching me when you could. You know what? Go on your stupid vacation, and I hope you never come back. I don’t care if I never see your ugly mug again,” Marsha huffed, turning and heading back toward the house.
“I only wished it was that easy to get rid of you, Marsha,” Dalian whispered to her retreating back, “but something tells me you’ll be back the very day I return. Unfortunately, your dad wants my land too much to quit that easily.
CHAPTER SIX
March 2061
Covington, Georgia
“The book signing is set for next week,” Janet said, settling in across from Kathryn. “Honestly, Kat, I think this is one of your best yet. It’s only been out for a month, and already it’s receiving rave reviews. Good work!”
“Hello to you too, Janet,” Kathryn said. “I’m glad that the book is being well-received.” She pulled out her pocket calendar from her purse and flipped it open. “Days and times on the book signing?”
“Next Tuesday through Thursday at the Reader’s Nook bookstore around the corner,” Janet said, consulting her own calendar. “Two o’clock to four o’clock each day. I’ll have information on your book tour later this afternoon. I’m just waiting to hear back from Covington Today.”
“Okay,” Kathryn said, slipping her calendar back into her handbag. “Perhaps one day though, you’ll see fit to ask me before actually scheduling anything. Just in case.”
“Why? It’s not as if you ever do anything, anyway. Except write, that is.”
“Funny.”
“True.”
“Well, I may have been that way once, but no longer,” Kathryn said. “In fact, I’ll be leaving week-after-next on an extended vacation.”
“Knowing you, you’ll take your laptop and continue pounding away on whatever idea you come up with while you’re away.”
“Possibly, or maybe I’ll actually put writing behind me for a change and take an honest to goodness holiday,” Kathryn quipped.
“Doubt it! Now, when did you say this so-called vacation of yours was going to take place?” Janet asked, pulling her electronic organizer from her briefcase.
“Week afte
r next,” Kat said.
“Oh, that’s just great! I was hoping to get you on the Covington Today show week-after-next. Perhaps you need to be filling me in on your forays before I start scheduling things. Maybe I can get in touch with Tara. See if she can’t squeeze you in next week, or maybe we can do it after you get back. How long will you be gone?”
“Eight weeks.”
“Eight weeks! Where are you going? An African safari? Now I’ll definitely have to schedule a bulk of your promotional tours next week, so you better prepare to stay busy.”
“I will, Janet. I promise.”
“Where exactly are you going that has to take eight weeks, anyway?”
“You’ll laugh.”
“Now, that’s an odd thing to say.”
“You will.”
“Well, fine! Tell me, I’ll laugh, and then we can finish our conversation like the grown-ups we pretend to be.”
“Cute.”
“Yes, I know. Peter told me how cute I was last week, but I won’t go into details.”
“A dude ranch, okay?” Kat blurted out.
“A dude what?”
“There’s a ranch out west that caters to extended vacations for people wanting to get away from city-life; to experience the life of a cowhand.”
“Out west. Cowhand.” Janet shook her head as if it would help the information fall into the correct mental location and thus make sense to her. It wasn’t working. Instead, she pinned a Kat with perplexed stare.
“Oh, stop looking at me like I’m the one with no brain. It’s just a dude ranch.”
“A dude ranch.”
“Yes, a dude ranch,” Kat sighed, wondering why she’d even bothered telling her friend, especially when that friend also happened to be her publisher. She should have known that Janet would receive her announcement with sarcasm. “I figure the fresh air and sunshine will do me good.”
“I thought you were over your loss, Kat,” Janet said, leaning back in her chair and eyeing her friend with concern. “Are you saying now that you aren’t? I mean, the man that killed your family is serving twenty-five years for vehicular manslaughter, his trucking company paid you a bundle in restitution...”
Whispers of the Heart Page 2
