by Sharon Sala
“I’m always in a good mood,” she said.
“Are you in a good enough mood for a drop-in visitor?” Duke asked. “I had to pick up some chicken feed and didn’t want to leave Blessings without getting a chance to see your pretty face.”
“That flattery will certainly get you in the door. Are you on the way?” she asked.
“I’m already in town at the feed store loading up.”
“Well then, if you don’t have other plans, come eat dinner with me. It’s roast and vegetables, and it’s almost done.”
“I have no plans beyond you, and I would love to eat with you. Can I bring anything?” Duke asked.
“Just yourself,” Cathy said.
“Then I’ll see you soon,” Duke said, and disconnected.
She was still savoring I have no plans beyond you, when it dawned on her she needed to hurry. All of a sudden, her solitary meal had taken on a whole new vibe.
She threw some butter in the potatoes and started mashing them, adding seasonings and cream, then turned the fire off from under the pan of green beans and made a dash to the refrigerator to get the makings for a salad.
Cathy hadn’t planned on all of this, but she wanted everything to be nice. This was the first thing she’d been able to do for him as thanks for all he’d done for her.
She had everything ready except dressing on the salad when she heard his footsteps on the front porch. Her heart skipped with anticipation, and she paused in front of the little mirror in the hall to eye her appearance.
A few curls had taken flight, and the sprinkling of freckles across her nose could have used a little powder, but the long-sleeved blue T-shirt she was wearing matched the color of her eyes, and her cheeks were flushed with excitement.
Then she reached toward the mirror and touched her reflection.
“Calm down, girl,” she whispered. “Don’t let your heart outrun your good sense here.”
And then he knocked, and she stuck her tongue out at herself and hurried to the door.
“As always, your timing is perfect,” she said. “Come in, come in.”
Duke took one look at her and wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. Instead, he crossed the threshold, letting her shut the door behind him. But when she turned around to take his jacket, he put his hands on her shoulders.
“I’m not sure if it’s the curls or the freckles or the smile on your face, but fair warning here, lady. I’m about to kiss you hello.”
His mouth was on her lips, and the newness of it made her heart skip a beat. He didn’t let himself linger, but the kiss was delivered with unapologetic fervor before he stepped away and took off his jacket and laid it across the back of the sofa.
Cathy’s cheeks felt hot, but the smile on her face was total reflex.
“Am I still invited to dinner?” he asked.
“I think it’s safe to say you’re definitely welcome here…anytime,” Cathy said. “Come with me while everything is still hot.”
Duke grinned.
“Are we referring to food here?”
That’s when she realized what she’d just said, and laughed out loud.
“Just shut up and follow me,” she said, and led the way into the kitchen.
“Hey, you’re not limping,” Duke said as he paused to wash his hands at the kitchen sink.
“I know. I returned the walker to the pharmacy this morning, too.”
He frowned. “You didn’t have to do that. I would have taken it for you.”
She eyed the frown on his face and shook her head.
“You do everything for everybody, don’t you, Duke Talbot? Dinner is ready, so sit yourself down, and let someone do something for you.”
Duke was so touched by what she’d said that he sat without another word, watching as she dished up the food and began carrying it to the table.
“Do you want coffee or sweet tea?” Cathy asked. “I have both, so take your pick.”
“It’s Georgia. Unless it’s breakfast, I’ll always pick tea, and my afternoon drink is ice-cold Coke,” he said.
Cathy took note of that information as she removed the pitcher from the refrigerator and set it on the table, then iced two glasses and set them at their places before joining him.
“This is exciting,” she said. “You are the first guest I’ve entertained since I came here. Welcome to my kitchen, and please help yourself.”
He eyed the juicy slices of beef roast on the platter and took two, then added mashed potatoes and ladled gravy she’d made from the pan drippings over both. He scooted the platter and bowls closer to her, then added green beans to his plate and salad to the small bowl.
“I only have two kinds of salad dressing,” Cathy said. “Italian and the traditional ranch dressing I have come to appreciate here in the South.”
“And I like both of them,” Duke said, and reached for the Italian dressing as she chose the other.
He didn’t hesitate as he cut off a bite of roast, swiped it through the brown gravy, and popped it in his mouth, then chewed. Seconds later, he was rolling his eyes in delight.
“Mmmm, Lord deliver me. The lady is adorable and she can cook, too.”
Cathy sighed. Success. Now she could enjoy her own meal, so she started eating.
The first couple of minutes were fairly silent, and then Duke finally paused to take a drink of tea.
“We had a bit of exciting news out at the farm a couple of days ago. I’m gonna be an uncle,” he said.
Cathy gasped. “Hope’s pregnant? Oh, that’s wonderful!”
“Yes, she and Jack are so excited. I’m just an onlooker, but it’s still cool to know our family is going to grow.” Then he took another bite, chewing thoughtfully as he watched her.
“Is she feeling okay, or has morning sickness hit?” Cathy asked.
“So far, she’s doing great and still working like nothing has changed. And, she has informed us that she has big plans for the holidays, so be prepared for a big Talbot-style Thanksgiving dinner.”
“I can help,” Cathy offered.
“I’ll let her know,” Duke said. “But she has Mercy for backup, and between those two sisters, I’m not worried about a thing.”
Cathy thought about her solitary life up in Alaska. She had always wanted a sibling, but it didn’t happen. And now that she was divorced, she had no actual family left anywhere on earth. She’d been so focused on escaping Blaine’s anger that it hadn’t dawned on her how alone she really was in the world.
“What are you thinking about?” Duke asked.
She blinked. “Uh…just what you said, I guess. Why?”
“You looked…not sad, but kind of wistful.”
“Oh. Well, I guess you read my thoughts pretty clearly, then. Mother always said everything I thought could be read on my face, so I guess my emotions are an open book. I was thinking about when I was growing up, and that I’d always wanted a sister or a brother to play with, but it never happened.”
Duke nodded. “I get that. I have a younger brother, but he was enough younger than me that we didn’t have all that much in common until we both grew up. I was his babysitter, and the instructor of all big-brother duties when we were young.”
Cathy smiled. “That was Daddy for me. Growing up in Alaska was a whole other way of life.”
Duke’s eyes widened. “That was your childhood?”
She nodded. “I was homeschooled at first, so my whole world was Mother and Daddy, and his sled dogs. I learned a lot of things early on, not the least of which was how to shoot a gun. It was the difference between life and death there. We were always hunting for food, or protecting ourselves from becoming food for some furry four-foot.”
“I am in awe,” Duke said. “No wonder backpacking across the country did not faze you.”
“It all came back to me when I needed it to,” she said, and then paused. “I need to tell you something that only Dan Amos knows. I had to tell him so he would rent me the house without running a credit check.”
Duke’s stomach suddenly knotted. He’d guessed from the start she had secrets.
“I’m listening.”
“I was twelve when Daddy died, and Mother and I left Alaska. She moved us to Las Vegas. She moved us to a desert, with no forests or rivers, and the shock of desert life was hard on me, but it saved her. I look back now and know she had to leave, because she couldn’t be in Alaska without him. Everything there was a reminder of him. So I began public school, which was a whole other thing I had to conquer after being homeschooled, and she went to work as a hostess in a casino. I finished growing up there.”
“That must have felt like another world,” he said.
She nodded. “In so many ways. But when I got old enough, I went to work in the same casino, and that’s where I met the man I married.”
“Was he an employee there, or a customer?” Duke asked.
Cathy hesitated, but if they had any kind of chance of making this friendship into a relationship, she wasn’t keeping secrets to make it happen.
“No. He owned it…and had interests in two others. His family goes four generations back into the history of Nevada. From silver mines to the gambling world of Las Vegas. I lived in a mansion. I had servants. And we traveled the world…when he wanted to. At first, I was seduced by the money and the lifestyle, and it took Mother away from hustling drinks for gamblers and into her own house on the estate, but it didn’t take long for the shine to wear off. He was often verbally abusive when something displeased him, so I didn’t displease him.”
She didn’t know there were tears in her eyes until Duke reached across the table and took her hand. She took a breath and kept talking.
“I lived that life for many years…too many. And then Mother died. And I no longer had to pretend his anger was okay. And I no longer had to pretend I didn’t know about all his other women. It took a couple of years for me to get the courage, but I finally filed for divorce, and when I told him, he went nuts. He wasn’t a man who lost at anything. He didn’t want me anymore. He didn’t love me. But I belonged to him, and if anyone was going to make life-changing decisions, it would be him.”
“Did he hurt you?” Duke asked.
“He tried. I locked myself in the bathroom and called the police. They escorted me and the bag I already had packed out of the house, and I got my own apartment. He fought the divorce every step of the way because he didn’t want to give me alimony. He kept saying I had abandoned him. But I knew stuff about his lifestyle he didn’t want made public, and Nevada divorce laws were in my favor. We hadn’t signed a prenuptial agreement, and the judge ruled a huge settlement in my favor. It was a pittance compared to what he has, but it was millions—literally millions—way more than I would have ever expected.
“And then the day it was final, he threatened my life—said I knew too much about the people he did business with—and hinted that I needed to watch my back and that my days were numbered. The divorce turned him into something of a stalker. I knew he had someone watching everything I did, so I legally returned to my maiden name, waited until I knew he was out of the country, moved all the money from my divorce settlement into three different banks across the country, then disguised myself, and took a bus to Denver, Colorado. I left every credit card, my driver’s license, everything of mine that had his name on it in the apartment I had leased, plus all the clothes, all the jewelry, and disappeared. I’m sure he knows by now I skipped out, and that all the money is no longer in that account, and I don’t know if he’s going to just let me go…or if he might try to find me.
“I was running for my life when I stumbled into Blessings. I didn’t expect to do anything more than winter here, but it has begun to feel like the home I once had with my parents. A place where I felt like myself. A place where I felt like I might belong. I’m living under the radar now, so if all this is horrifying to you, and you want nothing more to do with me, I understand. I might never have told you this, but then you kissed me, and I won’t deceive you in any way.”
Duke had heard enough. He got up, circled the table, and took her in his arms and just held her. He was so angry on her behalf he couldn’t speak, but she’d just broken his heart.
Cathy felt the first tears finally rolling down her face as she leaned into his strength. He was so big and so strong, and he was holding her tight—so tight.
God help me. I’m already too attached to this man to let go.
“Is this hello or goodbye?” she finally asked.
Duke kissed her again, and this time, he held nothing back. There was no mistaking the passion, and no way to tell where the moment would have taken them until he made himself stop. His voice was rough with emotion as he wiped the tears from her cheeks and then cupped her face.
“I’m never going to tell you goodbye again. I don’t quite know what to do with a rich woman, but there’s also the fact that I didn’t know what to do with a poor one, either. I had a serious relationship that ended when my parents died. She had planned on me following her to Oregon. Her job was with the National Park Service.
“But I couldn’t leave Jack in limbo. He was still in college. And I wasn’t going to sell the farm, because that’s all Jack ever wanted…to come home and take over when our parents retired. I guess if I had loved her enough, I wouldn’t have let her go, but I chose my family and the farm and let my life slide.” He brushed his thumb across her cheek, and his mouth across her lips. “I don’t want to be on the sidelines anymore. I’m in your life for as long as you’ll have me, and we’ll go from there. If it’s all right with you?”
Cathy’s breath caught on a sob.
“It’s beyond all right and more than I could have hoped for,” she said, and then threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, but it wasn’t until she heard him groan and then wrap his arms around her that she knew there was no longer a need to keep running.
* * *
Cathy was still walking on air long after Duke had gone home. The kitchen was clean and the leftover food had been put away, but she was restless. She needed something to do. She was still thinking about leasing a car when it occurred to her that while that service wasn’t available here, maybe renting cars was. She grabbed her phone and made a quick call to her landlord.
“Hello, this is Dan.”
“Dan, this is Cathy Terry. Nothing is wrong at the house. I just have a question.”
“What’s up?” he asked.
“I already know there’s no place here to lease cars, and I’ll have to go to Savannah to do that, but by any chance is there a place here that rents them?”
“Yes, there is. It’s downtown in the same office as the insurance agency. I’ll give you the name and number, and you see what they have on hand. Give me a second to look that up for you.”
“Oh, thank you,” Cathy said, and then wrote down the information.
“You’re welcome. If you need a ride down there, give me a call back. I’m heading to Bloomer’s Hardware in about thirty minutes. I can swing by and pick you up on the way.”
Cathy sighed. “You must be the best landlord in the world,” she said. “If they have anything, I’ll give you that call.” Then she heard him chuckle.
“I don’t know about best landlord, but it is truthfully the best job I’ve had. Way better than arguing court cases.”
He disconnected, and she quickly made the call. After a brief conversation, she realized she had her choice of three different cars, but since she didn’t have insurance of her own anymore, she’d have to get insurance to go with it. Whatever it took to be mobile again was fine with
her, and she called Dan right back.
“I’ll be needing that ride,” she said.
“Pick you up in about ten minutes.”
“I’ll be watching for you, so don’t get out. Just honk.”
“What about your ankle?” he asked.
“Oh, it’s all better. No problems there.”
“Okay, then I’ll see you soon.”
Cathy disconnected, then went to get her purse and make a quick change of clothes. The first thing she was going to do after she got wheels was go shopping in Savannah. All the clothes she owned now were what she’d had in that backpack.
She was sitting out in the porch swing in a clean pair of jeans, a white tee, and her jean jacket when Dan pulled up into her drive. She picked up her purse and headed down the steps to his work truck and got in.
“I’ve ridden in this truck before,” Cathy said.
Dan grinned. “Yes, I remember. I picked you up in front of Crown Grocers and took you to look at houses.”
She grinned. “House. I picked the first one you showed me, remember?”
“That you did. Are you settling in okay here in Blessings?” he asked.
She thought of Duke and smiled.
“Yes, I’m settling in just fine.”
Chapter 8
“Thanks for the lift,” Cathy said, as Dan dropped her off in front of the insurance agency.
Dan grinned and gave her a thumbs-up, then drove away as she went inside.
She smiled at the woman sitting at the front desk.
“Hello. I’m Cathy Terry. I just called about renting a car.”
“Oh. Yes. We have three cars. A white Ford Focus, a black Jeep Cherokee, and a tan Hyundai…our economy model.”
“I think the Jeep Cherokee,” Cathy said. “And as I mentioned, I haven’t had a car of my own in a while, so I don’t have insurance. We’ll need to take care of that through the rental agreement.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the clerk said. “I’ll need your driver’s license and a credit card.”
Cathy had a couple of credit cards, but she had yet to use them. “I’ll use a bank debit card for that,” she said.
