"I should have taken you to my house," Zach said as he lifted his head.
And she would have gone without question, because since she'd stepped off the plane onto Kentucky soil, she'd completely lost her mind.
"Second thoughts already?" Zach asked slowly, as he studied her face. "Your pulse hasn't even slowed down yet."
"I don't know what came over me. I forgot..." Her voice trailed away as she tried to remember everything she'd forgotten.
"You forgot who you were kissing?" he asked tightly, misunderstanding her hesitation. "Well, let me refresh your memory. I'm a farmhand, Kat. I'm a dirty, sweaty, illegitimate son of a con artist, who got left at the altar by the last girl who momentarily forgot who she was kissing."
She drew in a sharp, painful breath at the bitterness in his voice. "I didn't forget who you were, Zach. I forgot who I was, and why I was here in Kentucky." She paused, wondering how it had gone wrong so fast. "Weren't you the one who told me yesterday that we should concentrate on our goals, on your horse and my father?"
He let out a breath. "Yeah, that was me.”
"What changed?"
"It's easy to forget things when you're around," he admitted, his jaw tight, his eyes angry. "Here's the deal, Kat. If you want a mind-blowing fling, then I'm your man. But I'm not looking for anything else -- no church service, no white rice, no honeymoon cottage. I tried that once. I won't try it again."
"Got it," she said, happy that he walked away before she could tell him that a mind-blowing fling didn't sound all that bad.
Chapter Eight
Katherine returned to her car but didn't start the engine right away. She needed a minute to catch her breath. Zach was a sexy mix of pride and tenderness and one hell of a kisser, but he'd made it clear he wasn't interested in taking things further and she should be happy about that. But as she turned the key, she couldn't help thinking she felt more disappointed than relieved. It had been a long time since she'd felt so alive. But there was living and there was living dangerously and messing around with Zach definitely fell into the latter category.
Starting the car, she pulled out of the lot, her passion cooling as she drove down the quiet winding roads that surrounded Stanton Farms. It was beautiful here with the sun shining through the trees, the pastures green for grazing, the gentle hills promising new wonders beyond each rise.
She slowed the car as a riot of color invaded her vision. Off to the right, toward the top of one hill, she saw a bevy of wildflowers, reds and yellows and purples, bright and flamboyant against the green bushes and thick, sweeping trees. It was so amazing she couldn't stop herself from hitting the brake. Before she knew it, she was out of the car and climbing the hill.
She had no idea if she was trespassing, but there was no one around to ask for permission. The canopy of trees prevented any view of what was beyond. When she reached the top of the hill, she expected to see more white fences, more pastures, but instead she saw the entire valley spread out before her, like squares on a patchwork quilt--her quilt.
An odd tingle ran down her spine, accompanied by the tantalizing scent of lavender. She turned her head as the scent grew stronger with the breeze. There was a path off to the right that wove through a forest of trees. As she moved along the path, a wrought-iron gate appeared before her, wildflowers weaving their stems around the metal bars.
Feeling a little like Alice chasing the white rabbit, Katherine stepped closer. She pushed the gate open and walked into an unexpected bower of flowers. Irises, lavender, lily of the valley, roses, camellias, the list went on and on and on. She couldn't believe the sight in front of her, a spectrum of color blooming wildly among the weeds and overgrowth. A cobblestone path wound its way around the flower beds, leading to a cement bench set in the center next to an old dried-out water fountain with --what else -- a horse atop the spout.
She walked over to the bench and sat down, feeling the cool cement beneath her hands. The air was heavy and still, filled with perfume. The garden had obviously been designed, yet neglected. She couldn't imagine who had gone to such trouble, only to let the garden descend into madness. Another moment and she was on her hands and knees, pulling the weeds away from the edges of the path, digging her fingers into the dirt, feeling the pleasure in unveiling a tiny flower that had been suffocating beneath the weeds. When she was done, she sat back on her heels and contemplated the plant in front of her. Now that the flower had been unearthed, the lavender scent wafted toward her, sensual, mysterious, caressing...
The hairs on the back of her neck began to tingle. She suddenly felt like someone was watching her. Before she could move, a woman's voice came out of the shadows.
"Margaret?"
She turned to find herself facing a petite, slender woman with silky white hair and bright blue eyes. Her fair skin was almost translucent, tiny wrinkles on her face and weather spots on her hands belying her age. Late sixties or seventies, Katherine thought, but she must have been a strikingly beautiful woman in her youth.
"You're not Margaret." She put a hand to her heart, her eyes widening. "For a moment there..."
Katherine scrambled to her feet, wiping her hands on the legs of her jeans.
"When I saw you kneeling on the ground," the woman said haltingly, "I thought you were someone else. Someone very special.”
"I'm sorry if I'm trespassing. I saw the flowers from the road, and I couldn't resist. I never imagined I'd find a secret garden."
The older woman smiled sadly. "A secret garden. That's what Margaret used to call it. My daughter. She practically lived in this garden." The woman stopped, a startled expression flitting through her eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't introduce myself. I'm Claire Stanton."
Stanton? The owner of Stanton Farms? Katherine obviously hadn't strayed as far away from Zach as she'd hoped.
"I'm Katherine Whitfield." Katherine offered her hand to Claire.
"It's nice to meet you," Claire said.
"And you. Your land is beautiful. Especially this garden. I shouldn't have come in without asking. I hope you'll forgive me."
"It doesn't matter. No one comes here anymore." Claire looked around the garden. "I saw your car on the road and I didn't recognize it, so I came to see who was here. I used to try to keep the garden up -- for Margaret's sake. But my arthritis got so bad I couldn't weed anymore. Now I wish I'd hired someone to do it for me."
"I'm sure you could turn it into the beautiful garden it once was. The flowers are still blooming despite the odds. That's something."
Claire smiled at her. "I saw you weeding.”
"It's a weakness. I have a hard time walking by a weed without pulling it."
"My daughter was the same way. She loved flowers far more than she loved horses." Claire ended her sentence with a sigh. "And this is horse country, you know. Not much else matters."
"So I've been told."
Claire sat down on the bench and patted the seat next to her. "Sit down, Miss Whitfield. There's no need to run off. Tell me how you came to find our secret garden."
She sat down next to Claire, turning slightly so she could look into her warm, friendly, motherly eyes. "I stopped in at the barns to see Zach Tyler. I guess I got turned around on my way out."
"You know Zach?"
"We've met a few times."
"You're the beautiful blonde who ran him off the road." A gleam of curiosity lit up her eyes and her smile. "I should have guessed right away."
"Did Zach tell you about me?”
"No, I think it was Leeanne or Mary Jo or maybe Sharon. I can't recall; I think it was at the quilting. Suffice it to say, news travels fast in Paradise.”
"I can see that."
Claire patted her on the leg. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable with my gossip."
"You didn't. What is a quilting exactly?" Katherine couldn't help the shiver of anticipation that ran down her spine. This woman knew about quilts. She might even know about her quilt.
"A quilting is when we get t
ogether to work on a quilt. It's a big tradition in Paradise. In a sense, every girl begins her quilt from the day she is born, when her mother's friends provide the border squares. But from then on, the girl is responsible for adding squares as she grows up. She'll often use pieces of material from special dresses, first day of kindergarten, first birthday dress, prom dress, all those special kinds of things. We think of them as memory quilts, scrapbooks made out of fabric. I still have the one I made for myself over the years. When I look at it, I can see my entire life."
Her heart fluttered. Was her mother's true life depicted on the quilt? Was everything else Katherine had been told a lie?
"What would the border normally be?" she asked.
"Well, around here, we usually do a flower or plant, roses, starburst, ivy, whatever that family is partial to. We also do a wedding quilt when one of our girls gets married. The last few weeks we've been working on a quilt we're going to auction off at one of the Derby fund-raisers beginning next week. Will you be here for the Derby?" Claire asked, changing the subject.
"I think so. I've heard so much about it. I'd like to stay and see it."
"Oh, you should. Zach's horse has a very good chance of winning, you know."
"So he told me," Katherine said dryly.
Claire laughed again. "I've never met a horse owner yet who didn't think his horse could win the Derby. Horse people tend to be dreamers, you know."
"Garden people, too,"
"Yes." Her smile faded. "Margaret used to dream here. But look what happened to her dreams. Even the flowers look sad." Claire shook her head. "Don't mind me. I'm an old woman with a lot of nonsense running through my head."
"Your daughter doesn't live here anymore?”
"She died some years ago.”
"I'm sorry."
"So am I. It's the worst kind of pain for a mother to lose a child." She paused. "Are you and your mother close?”
Claire's question tore at Katherine's heart, at the protective shield she'd put up years ago. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time someone had asked her about her mother. She was surprised at how much it still hurt.
"My mother died when I was a child," she replied.
"Oh, dear. I've said the wrong thing."
"It's an old wound. I've come to terms with her death."
Claire got to her feet. "I wish I could do that. All I want is peace, and the older I get, the harder it is to find. I just wish that I could have five more minutes with Margaret."
"I know that wish." Katherine rose, looking into Claire's sad eyes. "I wish I could tell my mother that I loved her, that she was the greatest mom in the world, and that I should have told her that, should have showed her how much she meant to me when I had the chance." She took in a deep breath and let it out. "Sorry. I don't know where that came from. She's been gone fifteen years, but sometimes it feels like yesterday."
"It came from your heart," Claire said softly. "Mothers and daughters share a special bond."
"I never knew how special until it wasn't there anymore. I'm twenty-seven, and when something good or bad happens in my life, I still wonder what my mom would think. I've lived more of my life without her than with her, but it still matters."
"It's been more than twenty years since I saw Margaret, but sometimes I hear a song, and I can see her dancing around the living room. It's the little things, isn't it?"
"Yes." She drew in another breath as she shared a smile with Claire. "I should go." The shadows in the garden had grown longer. She'd whiled away most of the day. Maggie was probably wondering where her car was. "Thank you for sharing the garden with me."
Claire walked over to the gate and opened it. "If you have an urge to weed, you're welcome to stop by any time."
"Really?" Eagerness surged through her. To take this wild garden and turn it into something beautiful would be a daunting but exciting task.
"Feel free. I'd love to see the garden the way it used to be. Not that you have to feel any pressure to do so. In fact, I should offer to pay you."
"Absolutely not. And thank you for the offer. I'd love to take on this garden."
"Good. Let me know if you need anything. In fact, we have plenty of gardening tools in a shed at the back of our house. If I'm not home when you come by, feel free to ask, Zach. He knows where everything is."
And Zach would be the last person who would want to help her find gardening tools so she could dig herself even deeper into the community -- his community.
"Zach is a good man," Claire added, a speculative gleam in her eyes. "In case you were wondering.”
"I'm not looking for a man -- at least not one of that age."
Claire raised an eyebrow, and Katherine wished she could take back her last sentence.
"Whatever do you mean, dear?"
"Well..." Katherine hesitated, not sure how much she should tell. But since her visit to the bank, it was probably all over town anyway. "I think my real father lived in Paradise a long time ago, and I'm hoping to find him. I don't have much to go on, just the initial J."
Claire's smile faded. "Your real father? That's a difficult question to be asking of folks."
"I know, but it's important to me to find him. It's like the last missing piece of a puzzle, and I can't see the whole picture without it."
"Yes, I suppose so. I wish you luck. Good-bye."
Claire walked out of the garden and over to the horse she had tethered by the tree. She vaulted into the saddle as gracefully as a young girl, pulled the reins up, and waved to Katherine as she turned the horse and went down the other side of the hill.
She stared after her for a long time, wondering why Claire had ended the conversation so abruptly. In fact, her eyes had gone from warm and friendly to ice-cold. Did Claire know something? Or was she simply uncomfortable with the idea that one of her friends or neighbors might be Katherine's real father?
* * *
Zach opened the door to his one-bedroom cottage and winced at the blast of heat. The afternoon sunshine had blazed through his windows for hours, and even though the sun had finally gone down, the warmth remained. He hurried to open a few windows, hoping that the early evening breeze would cool things down.
The house was small, but it was all he needed. Best of all, it had come with the job, so he didn't have to spend money on rent. Not that he couldn't have afforded a much larger house. His salary as farm manager was more than adequate for his needs, but he spent every extra cent on Rogue. The horse was his investment in the future, and in the meantime, he had a roof over his head and running water. It was more than he had had at other times in his life.
Making his way into the kitchenette, he pulled a beer out of the refrigerator and popped the cap, then drank deeply, until it was almost gone.
Better, he thought. Marginally better.
It wasn't just the weather that was making him hot, it was Katherine. He never should have kissed her. He could still taste her on his lips, feel her body in his hands. He'd expected her to protest, to resist, not to kiss him back as if she were starving and he was her next meal. She never did what she was supposed to do.
He'd simply gone too long without a woman, he told himself for the tenth time that day. If he had any sense, he'd drive into Louisville and find some beautiful stranger to spend a few hours with and take his mind off Katherine. Katherine was all wrong for him, a woman who would want a wedding, a marriage, babies... that kind of life was not for him. He'd had a brief lapse in judgment when he'd let Crystal talk him into believing in a future, but he wouldn't let that happen again.
He finished the beer in one long swallow and tossed the bottle into the recycle bin. He needed a cold shower, time to get his head together, to remind himself that he had a mission to follow, and it had nothing to do with Katherine Whitfield, or her incredible blue eyes, or her seductive lips. He had a farm to run and a horse to get to the Derby.
A hard knock came at the door, sending a rush of blood through his veins. If Katherine h
ad been foolish enough to come back, she wouldn't be leaving any time soon.
He flung open the door, his jaw dropping. The person standing on his step was not Katherine. It was a man, tall and square, dark brown hair, cunning blue eyes, a gentleman and a thief, a sinner and a saint, depending on his mood. It was the last person Zach expected to see, the last person he wanted to see -- Jackson Tyler, his father.
"Aren't you going to invite me in, son?" Jackson asked, with a smile that had conned many a sucker into saying yes.
His hands clenched into fists. He wanted to say no. He wanted to slam the door in his face. But the man was his father. His blood.
"You said you weren't coming back," Zach reminded him, unwilling to budge just yet.
"I missed you, boy."
"Sure you did. I'm your shill, not your mark, remember? You don't have to pretend with me."
"You're my son."
"When it's convenient."
"Well, it's convenient now. Invite me in, Zach. I have some news for you."
"There's nothing you can tell me that I want to hear."
Jackson's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Really? How about I tell you about your sister?"
"I don't have a sister," Zach said firmly, but his nerve endings began to tingle the way they always did when his father was about to cause trouble.
"Sometimes life throws a few surprises our way, son. I don't suppose you've met Katherine Whitfield."
His heart dropped to his feet. "You're crazy. There is no way in hell Katherine is my sister."
Jackson simply smiled. "It's time we had a little chat. Invite me in."
He stared at his father in disbelief. "You're not coming in until you answer my question."
"Oh, you mean about your sister? You didn't notice a resemblance between Miss Whitfield and myself?"
"No, I didn't." Although he had to admit Katherine's eyes were the same blue as his father's. He shook the thought away. A lot of people had blue eyes, it didn't mean a thing. "And how do you know about Katherine Whitfield?"
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