The Next Mrs. Blackthorne (Bitter Creek Book 6)

by Joan Johnston

  “You going back in?” Donnie asked.

  “No, I’m going shopping with my mom.” She glanced over her shoulder at her mother, who’d stopped at the top of the steps to answer her cell phone. “How ’bout you?” Kate said.

  “Yeah. Might as well see how this all plays out. I heard the lawyers are going to do their summations tomorrow. I dread facing that all alone. I mean, my mother and brother are no comfort at all.”

  “Want some company?” Kate asked.

  “That would be great,” Donnie said. “I’d really like to have you there to hold my hand. Not really hold it, I mean, just be there for support.”

  “You can count on me to be there.” She might even manage to come without her bodyguard, whose enormous gun, she knew, made Donnie nervous. She could tell her bodyguard that her uncle Owen was going to keep an eye on her. She’d done that a couple of times in the past.

  Kate looked into Donnie’s relieved, freckled face and said, “See you at 9:01.”

  Kate had always enjoyed shopping with her mother, but she felt guilty as she began trying on wedding gowns. She came out of the dressing room wearing a strapless white creation that was beaded with pearls across the bodice and fell in an A-line to the floor. She was also wearing a simple net veil that dropped to her waist in back, held in place by a crown decorated with pearls.

  “Ta-da!” she said as she twirled in a circle before the mirrors that dominated the showroom. “What do you think, Mom?”

  She turned to her mother, who was sitting on a couch nearby, and realized her mother’s eyes were brimming with tears.

  “Don’t cry, Mom,” Kate said, hurrying to her mother and stooping down so they could see eye to eye.

  “You’re so beautiful,” her mother said, stroking Kate’s hair where it fell away from her bare shoulders. “I can’t believe my baby is going to be a bride.”

  Kate’s heart sank. She felt a surge of guilt so strong she nearly blurted out the truth. She reminded herself of her ultimate goal—to get her mother into a wedding gown—and remained silent. “Thank you, Mom.” She smiled mischievously and said, “But to tell you the truth, this dress pinches!”

  Her mother laughed through her tears. “Then I guess you better go try on something else.”

  Kate came out next in a gown with puffy sleeves and a full skirt with a thousand layers of net that made her feel like a fairy-tale princess. She twirled for her mother and said, “Jack would have to be waiting for me at the altar wearing a suit of shining armor if I showed up in this.”

  “Jack won’t even see your dress,” her mother said. “He’ll only be looking at you.”

  Kate forced a laugh. “I had no idea you were such a romantic.”

  “Once upon a time—” Her mother stopped and laughed awkwardly. “Is there anything else back there you’d like to show me?”

  Kate tried on several more dresses, but seeing how her mother was affected by the whole experience made it one of the most uncomfortable hours she’d ever spent. She managed to get through it by remembering the way her father had looked at her mother that morning in his chambers. And by reminding herself that, because of her charade as a bride, her parents had agreed to spend an entire weekend together at Bitter Creek. Surely once they were alone together, nature would take its course.

  As she and her mother were leaving the bridal shop, Kate said, “Actually, Jack and I aren’t staying with you and Daddy at Bitter Creek.”

  “Oh?” her mother said warily.

  They’d arrived at her mother’s rental car, and after she unlocked the door and opened it to let the heat out, her mother stood looking across the hood of the car waiting for Kate’s explanation.

  Kate filled her voice with enthusiasm and said, “There’s this really neat cabin on Bitter Creek where President Eisenhower once slept, and I thought you’d love it, so I talked Summer and Billy into putting you and Daddy there.”

  Libby’s lips flattened. “So I’m not welcome after all.”

  “They weren’t overjoyed that I wanted you to come,” Kate admitted, which was a whopper of an understatement. Grandpa Blackjack had nearly had a cow. “I just thought having you and Daddy stay at the cabin would make it easier on everyone.

  “I see.” Her mother slipped into the driver’s side and turned on the ignition to get the AC started. She waited for Kate to slip into the passenger’s seat and asked, “Where will you and Jack be staying?”

  “We’ll be at the Castle,” Kate said. The main ranch house at Bitter Creek was so enormous that someone had dubbed it the Castle. Kate thought the name fit, because like a castle in England, there were lots of old things—paintings and furniture and silverware and chandeliers and knickknacks—that had been accumulated over more than a century by the Blackthornes living there.

  Her mother turned sideways in her seat so she was facing Kate and said, “How far is the house where Clay and I are staying from the Castle?”

  Kate found it hard to hold her mother’s stern gaze. Since the ranch was the size of a small northeastern state, it was possible for all of them to be on Bitter Creek land, yet staying some distance from each other. “Twenty-five miles,” she admitted at last.

  “I don’t like being manipulated, Kate.”

  Kate felt her heart squeeze. She swallowed hard over the painful lump that suddenly constricted her throat. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m not going to sidle up to the Blackthornes with my head hung low in shame for what the beastly Grayhawks have done to the poor, helpless Blackthornes—and then run off to some cabin with my tail between my legs!”

  Kate sat in a miserable huddle on her side of the car, as her mother shoved the car into gear and drove her back to her condo. She’d been telling herself like a mantra that everything she did was aimed at her mother and father’s ultimate happiness, that they belonged together, that all she needed to do was give them a nudge in the right direction and they’d find true love again.

  The truth was, Kate didn’t really know whether her parents wanted to be together. Neither of them had ever confided in her. For the very first time, she felt a niggle of doubt about the plans she’d set in motion.

  When her mother reached the Westgate, she put the car in park, then reached out and cupped Kate’s chin, turning her face so they were eye to eye. “After your wedding I’ll be returning to Wyoming. And I’ll be staying there. There isn’t going to be any reconciliation between me and your father.”

  Kate jerked free. “Mom, why not?”

  “It won’t work, Kate. I gave your father every chance—”

  “But, Mom,” Kate pleaded, scooting forward in her seat toward her mother, “you and Daddy are meant to be together. I know it!”

  “You have to let your father and me find our own way, sweetheart. Right now, our lives are taking us in different directions. I have my guide trips in the mountains around Jackson Hole, and your father has his work in the courtroom here in Austin.”

  Her mother brushed Kate’s hair away from her face, a gesture meant to soothe her, to calm her, to make her accept facts that Kate found totally unacceptable.

  “Then why did you agree to go to Bitter Creek this weekend?” Kate demanded, sitting back and crossing her arms so all contact between her and her mother was broken.

  “Honestly? For your sake.”

  “What?” Kate exclaimed.

  “Your father and I are both worried that you may be making a mistake with Jack.”

  “I’m not! I’m not,” she said, knowing that she was protesting too much, but too agitated to shut up. “Really, Mom. You’re so wrong. Jack is a wonderful man. He’s…He’s…”

  Kate realized she didn’t know much more about Jack McKinley than her parents had gotten him to reveal over dinner a month ago. She knew he’d once been accused of cheating, was in some kind of trouble with the IRS, and had agreed to participate in this charade with her. Which suggested he didn’t have much trouble lying. Which could hardly be consid
ered a positive attribute she could tout to her mother.

  Her mother gave her a sympathetic, loving look that made Kate’s stomach churn. She resisted blurting that she and Jack weren’t getting married, that she wasn’t even sure Jack liked her, and he sure as hell didn’t love her, so her mom could just tuck her tail between her legs and run back to Wyoming and spend the rest of her life alone, like a bitter old spinster, for all Kate cared.

  The meanness of her thoughts horrified Kate.

  She lurched across the seat and put her arms around her mother and said, “I’m so sorry, Mom.”

  “There’s no need for you to be sorry, Kate. Your heart has always been in the right place.”

  Since her mother didn’t know what she’d been thinking, and Kate had no intention of telling her, she simply hugged her mother tighter and said, “I love you, Mom.”

  “This will all work out, Kate,” her mother said, patting her back, as she had when Kate had been a small child. “Please don’t worry about this weekend. Your father and I are on better terms now than we have been for a very long time. I’m sure we can manage to get through a couple of days with a crowd of nasty old Blackthornes.”

  Kate laughed, then sat back and brushed at the unaccustomed tears that threatened to squeeze past her guard. “You mean you’re still going? I thought—”

  “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away,” her mother said. “I’m not about to miss the chance to look every single one of those goddamn Blackthornes right in the eye and dare them to say a harsh word against me or any of mine!”

  Kate stared at her mother, astonished at her outburst. Until she remembered how much hurt her mother must have suffered over the years. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Grandpa Blackjack’s face when Libby Grayhawk showed up on his doorstep.

  As quickly as her mother’s rant began, it was over. Her mother put the car in gear, then turned to Kate and said, “Just, please, don’t do any more finagling.”

  Kate didn’t respond, which kept her from having to lie. Anything could happen if her parents were together for an entire weekend. She’d seen herself how cacti could blossom in the desert.

  Kate had a Thursday afternoon class she couldn’t miss, so as her mother headed back to her room at the Four Seasons, Kate hurried inside to pick up her books.

  Kate changed out of her cowboy boots into tennis shoes, slipped her book bag onto her back, and started out the door—where she literally ran into Jack, her breasts coming into contact with what turned out to be a very muscular chest.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, feeling a physical awareness of Jack McKinley that irritated her, because he seemed so totally unaffected himself. “Why didn’t you knock?”

  “We need to talk,” he said.

  “I have class,” she told him. “You can walk with me if you like, and we can talk on the way.” She tugged on a baseball cap and headed down the hall.

  “The campus is a long walk from here,” Jack said, striding beside her. “Let me give you a ride. That way we can talk in private.”

  “I need the exercise,” Kate said, hitting the elevator button to take her back downstairs. They were on the sidewalk a moment later, Kate setting a fast pace so she wouldn’t be late.

  “Something’s come up, and I can’t go with you this weekend.”

  Kate stopped in her tracks and turned to face Jack. “You’re not going this weekend?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “This game was fun while it lasted, kid, but I’ve got work to do.”

  Kate’s whole body turned to ice. A pretty good trick when the temperature was in the eighties. She wanted to speak, but her tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof of her mouth. “So you really have been baby-sitting me,” Kate murmured, her face suddenly flushing with heat as the blood began to flow again.

  “I wouldn’t call it baby-sitting, exactly,” Jack said uncomfortably.

  “What would you call it? Exactly?” Kate said, her hands on her hips.

  “Being nice to a friend’s niece.”

  Kate’s chest ached, and she wasn’t sure why. She was well aware her relationship with Jack had never been anything but a sham. But it still hurt to have him point out how shallow it really was.

  “Sorry, kid. I never meant for this to go on so long. But I didn’t think you could handle—”

  “I can handle anything!” Kate said, poking Jack in his muscular chest with her forefinger. “Despite what you and Uncle North might think, I’m not a child. Not even close to being a child. I’m totally grown up!” Kate swiped at the tears that brimmed in her eyes, furious with herself because she was, in fact, losing control like some kid having a tantrum.

  “Aw, hell.” Jack slid an arm around her shoulders and, despite her resistance, urged her into a nearby alley, where they wouldn’t be so visible to passersby. When she jerked free and started to run, he caught her and pulled her into his embrace. Kate struggled, but it was clear she wasn’t going to get away until he let her go. She finally gave up and stood rigid in the circle of Jack’s arms.

  It was shady and cool in the alley. Kate swallowed once over the lump in her throat, but it hurt. She couldn’t believe how much she’d indulged in the fantasy she’d created. She couldn’t believe how much she’d wished it was real.

  She looked up at Jack, but his face was only a blur through her tears. She felt his large hand slide through her hair as he pressed her cheek against his chest. She couldn’t summon the will to fight. Instead, she closed her eyes and listened to the steady thump of his heart.

  “I’m sorry, kid,” he said.

  Kate swallowed a sob. He thought she was a kid. He’d never been the least bit attracted to her. She’d been a fool. She’d been an idiot.

  Kate shoved at Jack’s shoulders, and he let her go. He stood with his hands at his sides, looking almost as miserable as she felt. She wiped at her tears with her sleeves. Jack handed her a folded handkerchief and she blew her nose. She offered it back to him and he said, “Keep it.”

  She sniffed and said, “What’s so important that you can’t come with me this weekend?”

  “My business is private.”

  Kate lifted a brow. “So your problems with the IRS—”

  “Are none of your business.”

  “You must owe North a great deal of money to have taken time out from your busy schedule to baby-sit me,” Kate said, disgusted by the self-pity she heard in her voice.

  “I owe North more than I can ever repay,” Jack said.

  “I’ll bet,” Kate muttered.

  “There’s been a development. I’ve got to follow up on it this weekend.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Kate said with a sigh. “As long as Mom and Daddy don’t find out we aren’t going to Bitter Creek until after they’re already there.”

  “You never give up, do you?” Jack said.

  “They belong together,” Kate said fiercely. “They always have, and they always will.”

  “I guess this is good-bye,” Jack said.

  “You’ve said it. Now go.” Kate didn’t know how much longer she could hang on to her composure.

  “I do have one last piece of advice,” Jack said.

  “What’s that?”

  “Stay away from Bomber Boy.”

  “I asked you not to call Donnie that. He’s not—”

  “—like his father,” Jack finished for her. “The point is, this Bomber Brown character hates the world, and he’s got friends out there somewhere who would be happy to kill your father, or hurt him by hurting you.”

  “But Donnie’s nothing like his father,” Kate repeated. “He doesn’t agree with what his father did.”

  Jack shot her a strange look. “How do you know that? Did he say something to you?”

  “No. But he never sits near his father. He never talks to him—or to his brother or mother—who do sit with his father.”

  “Just do me a favor and stay away from him,” Jack s
aid.

  “But Donnie asked me—”

  Jack grabbed her arms roughly and pulled her up on her toes. “Weren’t you listening to me? The kid’s dangerous.”

  “You aren’t my mother, my father, or my fiancé,” Kate retorted through clenched teeth. “You can’t tell me what to do!”

  “If I have to, I’ll tell your uncle you’re consorting with Bomber Boy and see what he has to say.”

  “You wouldn’t dare!”

  “Try me.”

  They stared at each other, both angry, both determined, until the tenor of their looks changed. Kate felt it. The shift from anger to desire happened so quickly she hadn’t realized it was happening.

  Jack stiffened. And let go of her like she’d caught fire.

  Kate stumbled as her feet landed back on the sidewalk. Jack reached out to steady her, but she jerked backward and almost fell over. A second later he was holding her close again. She looked up at him, saw the flare of desire in his eyes, felt the heat and hardness of his body and realized he was fighting what he felt.

  “Don’t go near him,” he said.

  “You say that like you expect me to obey you.”

  “I do.”

  Kate was glad she hadn’t told Jack she would be sitting with Donnie Brown in court in the morning. She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of agreeing to stay away, even if what he’d said made her doubt the wisdom of what she’d agreed to do. There would be plenty of cops around if she needed to call for help.

  He let go of her as though it was the hardest thing he’d ever done. Once again, Kate was standing on her own two—wobbly—feet.

  “What I’m asking is for your own safety, Kate.”

  Kate shot him a mulish look.

  Jack sighed. “It’s obvious you aren’t going to listen to me. We’ll see if your uncle—or your father—can talk some sense into you.”

  He started to stalk away, and Kate grabbed his arm. “No. Wait! You can’t go to Daddy. If you do, he’ll know the truth about us, and he’ll cancel the trip to Bitter Creek this weekend.”