A Country Affair by Debbie Macomber

Six

Kate felt good. The lethargy and depression she’d been feeling since Clay’s wedding had started to dissipate. She’d completely adjusted to the idea of her father’s impending marriage. And even the sale of the Circle L—to Luke of all people—no longer seemed so devastating. Clearing the air between them had helped, too.

“Evening, Nellie,” Kate called as she entered the small, homey café. She’d arrived home from school to discover a message from her father suggesting she meet him for dinner at Nellie’s at six sharp.

“Howdy, Kate,” Nellie called from behind the counter.

Kate assumed her father would be bringing Dorothea so they could discuss last-minute plans for their wedding, which was scheduled for Friday evening at the parsonage. Minnie Wilkins, Pastor Wilkins’s wife, and Dorothea were close friends. Kate would be standing up for Dorothea and Luke for her father in the small, private ceremony.

Carrying a water glass in one hand, a coffeepot in the other and a menu tucked under her arm, Nellie followed Kate to the booth. “I’m expecting my dad and Dorothea Murphy to join me,” Kate explained.

“Sure thing,” Nellie said. “The special tonight is Yankee pot roast, and when your daddy gets here, you tell him I pulled a rhubarb pie out of the oven no more than fifteen minutes ago.”

“I’ll tell him.”

“Nellie, I could use a refill on my coffee,” Fred Garner said. Sitting at the table closest to the window, he nodded politely in Kate’s direction. “Good to see you, Kate.”

“You, too, Fred.” She smiled at the owner of Garner Feed and Supply and the two ranchers who were dining with him. Glancing at her watch, Kate realized her father was a few minutes late, which wasn’t like him.

To pass the time she began reading the menu; she was halfway through when the door opened. Smiling automatically, she looked up and saw Luke striding toward her. He slid into the booth across from her.

“Where’s your dad?”

“I don’t know. He asked me to meet him here for dinner.”

“I got the same message.”

“I think it has something to do with the wedding.”

“No,” Luke muttered, frowning. “I’ve got some bank forms he needs to sign.”

Nellie brought another glass of water, then poured coffee for both of them.

“Evening, Nellie.”

“Luke Rivers, I don’t see near enough of you,” the older woman said coyly, giving him a bold wink as she sauntered away with a swish of her hips.

Astonished that Nellie would flirt so openly with Luke, Kate took a sip of her coffee and nearly scalded her tongue. Why, Nellie had a good fifteen years on Luke!

“Does she do that often?” Kate asked, in a disapproving whisper.

“You jealous?”

“Of course not. It’s just that I’ve never known Nellie to flirt quite so blatantly.”

“She’s allowed.” Luke gazed down at his menu and to all appearances, was soon deep in concentration.

Kate managed to squelch the argument before it reached her lips. There wasn’t a single, solitary reason for her to care if a thousand women threw themselves at Luke Rivers. She had no claim on him, and wanted none.

The restaurant telephone pealed, but with four plates balanced on her arms, Nellie let it ring until someone in the kitchen answered it.

A minute later, she approached their table. “That was Devin on the phone. He says he’s going to be late and you two should go ahead and order.” She pulled a notepad from the pocket of her pink uniform. “Eat hearty since it’s on his tab,” she said, chuckling amiably.

“The roast-beef sandwich sounds good to me,” Kate said. “With a small salad.”

“I’ll have chicken-fried steak, just so I can taste those biscuits of yours,” Luke told the café owner, handing her the menu. “I’ll start with a salad, though.”

“I got rhubarb pie hot from the oven.”

“Give me a piece of that, too,” Luke said, grinning up at Nellie.

“Kate?”

“Sure,” she said, forcing a smile. “Why not?”

Once Nellie had left, an awkwardness fell between Kate and Luke. To Kate it felt as though they’d become strangers, standing on uncertain ground.

Luke ventured into conversation first. “So how’s school?”

“Fine.”

“That’s good.”

She laughed nervously. “I’ve started washing down cupboards at the house, clearing out things. I’ve got two piles. What Dad’s going to take with him and what I’ll need when I move.”

Instead of pleasing Luke, her announcement had the opposite effect. “You’re welcome to live on the ranch as long as you want,” he said, his dark eyes narrowing. “There’s no need to move.”

“I know that, but the Circle L belongs to you—or it will soon.”

“It’s your home.”

“It won’t be much longer,” she felt obliged to remind him. “I’m hoping to find a place in town. In fact, I’m looking forward to the move. You know what the roads are like in the winter. I should have done this years ago.”

“You wouldn’t have to move if you weren’t so damn stubborn,” Luke muttered from between clenched teeth. “I swear, Kate, you exasperate me. The last thing I want to do is take your home away from you.”

“I know that.” She hadn’t considered relocating to town earlier for a number of reasons, foremost being that her father had needed her. But he didn’t anymore, and it was time to exhibit some independence.

Nellie brought their tossed green dinner salads, lingering at the table to flirt with Luke again. He waited until she’d left before he leaned forward, speaking to Kate in a low, urgent voice. His eyes were filled with regret. “Kate, please stay on at the ranch. Let me at least do this much for you.”

She thanked him for his concern with a warm smile, but couldn’t resist adding, “People will talk.” After all, Luke had pointed that very fact out to her when she’d made her foolish proposal. The night of Clay’s wedding...

“Let them talk.”

“I’m a schoolteacher, remember?” she whispered. She felt genuinely grateful for his friendship and wanted to assure him that all this worry on her behalf was unnecessary, that she was fully capable of living on her own.

Their dinner arrived before they’d even finished the salads. Another silence fell over them as they ate. Several possible subjects of conversation fluttered in and out of Kate’s mind as the meal progressed. Her fear was that Luke would divert the discussion back to the ranch no matter what she said, so she remained silent.

A sudden commotion came from the pavement outside the café.

“It’s Harry Ackerman again,” Fred Garner shouted to Nellie, who was busy in the kitchen. “You want me to call the sheriff?”

“No, let him sing,” Nellie shouted back. “He isn’t hurting anyone.”

Harry Ackerman was the town drunk. Back in his and Nellie’s high-school days, they’d dated seriously, but then Harry went into the military and returned to Nightingale more interested in the bottle than a wife and family. Within six months, Nellie had married a mechanic who’d drifted into town. Problem was, when he drifted out again, he didn’t take Nellie or their two children with him. But Nellie hadn’t seemed to miss him much, and had supported her family by opening the café, which did a healthy business from the first.

Fifteen years had passed, and Harry was still courting Nellie. Every time he came into town, he took it upon himself to sing love songs from the pavement outside the café. He seemed to believe that would be enough of an inducement for her to forget the past and finally marry him.

“Actually his singing voice isn’t that bad,” Kate murmured to Luke.

Luke chuckled. “I’ve heard better.”

Fred Garner stood up and strolled toward the cash register. He nodded in Luke’s direction and touched the rim of his hat in greeting. “I’ve been hearing things about the two of you,” Fred said, grinning broadly.

Kate concentrated on her sandwich, refusing to look up from her plate.

Luke made some vague reply that had to do with the ranch and not Kate, and she was grateful.

“Be seeing you,” Fred said as he headed toward the door. As he opened it, Harry’s latest love ballad, sung off-key, could be heard with ear-piercing clarity.

Fred left and soon Harry Ackerman came inside. He stared longingly at Nellie, placed his hand over his heart and started singing again at the top of his lungs.

“You get out of my restaurant,” Nellie cried, reaching for the broom. “I don’t want you in here bothering my customers.” She wielded the broom like a shotgun, and before she could say another word Harry stumbled outside. He pressed his forlorn face to the glass, content to wait until his one true love returned to his waiting arms.

“Sorry, folks,” Nellie muttered, replacing the broom.

“No problem,” Luke answered, and she threw him a grateful smile, then hurried over to refill their coffee cups.

The disturbance died down when Harry wandered down the street to find a more appreciative audience. Luke sighed as he stirred his coffee. “I don’t think your father has any intention of showing up tonight,” he began. “In fact—”

“That’s ridiculous,” Kate said, cutting him off. “Dad wouldn’t do that.”

“He’s trying to tell you something,” Luke insisted.

“I can’t imagine what.” She could, but decided to pretend otherwise.

For a long moment, Luke said nothing. “You’re smart enough to figure it out, Kate.” He finished off the last bite of his pie and pushed the plate aside. “I’ve got some things to attend to, so I’d best be leaving.” The corners of his eyes crinkled with amusement as he glanced out the café window. “Who knows, you might be singing me love songs in a couple of years if you don’t come to your senses soon.”

Kate ignored the comment. “My father will be here any minute.”

“No, Princess,” Luke said, and the smile left his eyes. He leaned across the table to brush his hand gently against her cheek. “But his message is coming across loud and clear.”

Kate stayed at the café another half hour after Luke had gone and it took her that long to admit he was right. Her father had been giving her a message, this one no more subtle than the rest. Expelling her breath in disgust, Kate dredged up a smile and said goodbye to Nellie.

Kate didn’t see Luke again until Friday evening, when they met at the Wilkins home for her father’s wedding. Kate arrived with Devin, and Luke followed a few minutes later. Kate was busy arranging freshly baked cookies on a tray for the small reception to be held after the ceremony, when Luke walked into the dining room. Dorothea was with Minnie Wilkins in the back bedroom, and her father and Pastor Wilkins were talking in the office.

“Hello, Kate,” Luke said from behind her.

“Hi,” she responded, turning to give him a polite smile. Her breath caught in her throat at the elegant yet virile sight he made. He was dressed in a dark, three-piece suit that did nothing to disguise his strong, well-formed body, and his light blue silk tie enhanced the richness of his tan. Kate suspected that Luke was basking in the wonder she was unable to conceal, and yet she couldn’t stop staring at him.

Her heart skipped a beat, then leaped wildly as his penetrating brown eyes looked straight into hers. She felt the tears well up, knowing that only Luke truly understood how difficult this evening was for her.

Many of her emotions tonight were identical to the ones she’d experienced at Clay and Rorie’s wedding. All day, she’d worried her stomach into a knot of apprehension. The acceptance and strength of purpose she’d so recently been feeling had fled. Tonight, she was reminded again that everything she loved, everything familiar, had been taken from her life. First the man she’d planned to marry, now her father, and soon, so very soon, her childhood home. It was too much change, too quickly.

Just as she had at Clay’s wedding, Kate forced herself to show pleasure, to behave appropriately. She was happy for her father and Dorothea—just as she’d been for Clay and Rorie. But why did everyone else’s happiness need to cost Kate so much?

Luke must have read the distress in her eyes, because he hurried to her side. “Everything’s going to be all right,” he told her quietly. He’d said the same thing at Clay’s wedding.

“Of course it is,” she agreed, braving a smile. She turned back to the flowers, although her fingers were trembling. “I couldn’t have chosen a better wife for Dad myself. Dorothea’s wonderful.”

Luke’s hands rested on her shoulders and began to caress them gently. “So are you, Princess.”

It demanded every ounce of fortitude Kate possessed not to whirl around and bury her face in Luke’s chest, to absorb his strength. But this was exactly how she’d lost control before; she had to remember that.

A sound came from behind them, and Luke released her with a reluctance that echoed her own. She needed Luke now, just as she’d needed him a few weeks before. But this time, she was determined to be stronger.

The ceremony itself was brief. Kate felt almost wooden as she stood next to the woman her father had chosen to replace her mother. Memories of the lovely, soft-spoken Nora, and of their happy, close-knit family, almost overwhelmed Kate. Twice she felt tears threaten, but managed to hold them back. Both times she found Luke’s eyes on her, his gaze warm with empathy.

When Pastor Wilkins closed his Bible and announced that Devin and Dorothea were now husband and wife, Devin took his bride in his arms and kissed her. Minnie Wilkins dabbed at her eyes with a lace hankie.

“You look so lovely,” the woman murmured, hugging her friend.

Soon they were all hugging each other. When Kate’s arms slipped around Luke it felt...comfortable. In fact, it felt too comfortable, too familiar, and that frightened her. She stiffened and let her arms drop. Luke would have none of that, however. Locking his hands on her upper arms, he drew her back to him.

“What I wouldn’t give for a full moon and some champagne,” he whispered in her ear.

Kate could have done without his teasing, but she refused to satisfy him with a response.

The small reception began immediately afterward, and Kate was busy for the next hour, dishing up pieces of wedding cake, passing trays of sugar cookies and pouring coffee.

Her father came to see her in the kitchen, his eyes bright with happiness. “You’re going to be fine, aren’t you, Princess?”

“You know I am,” she said, flashing him a brilliant smile.

“Dorothea and I will be leaving soon.” He placed his arm around her shoulders and hugged her. “Don’t forget I love you. You’ll always be my little girl.”

“You’ll always be my hero.”

Devin chuckled. “I think Luke would like to fill that position and I’d be pleased if he did. He’s a good man, sweetheart. You could do a lot worse.”

“Dad,” she groaned, closing her eyes. “Luke is wonderful, and I understand your concern. You’d like all the loose ends neatly tied up before you leave for your honeymoon, but I’m just not ready for a commitment.”

“You’d make a lovely country bride, Princess. I want you to be happy, that’s all.”

“I will be,” she said, standing on the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek.

By the time Devin and Dorothea were ready to leave, more than twenty close friends had gathered at the parsonage. They crowded onto the porch to send the newlyweds off with a flourish of kisses and enthusiastic waves. Almost everyone returned to the warmth of the house but Kate lingered, not wanting to go back inside when tears were blurring her eyes.

Luke joined her, standing silently at her side until she’d composed herself.

“Your father asked me to see you home.”

Kate nodded and swallowed a near-hysterical laugh. Despite their conversation Devin was still attempting to throw her together with Luke.

“You mean you aren’t going to argue with me?” Luke asked with exaggerated surprise.

“Would it do any good?”

“No,” he said and chuckled lightly. Then, suddenly, his strong arms encircled her stiff body. “It’s been a long time since you let me kiss you,” he said, his warm breath moving closer and closer to her mouth.

Kate stared at his chest, refusing to raise her eyes to his. Gathering her resolve, she snapped her head up to demand he release her. But Luke smothered her words with his mouth. Her hands tightened into fists as soon as the initial shock had subsided and she fully intended to push him away. But once his mouth had settled over hers, he gentled the kiss, and her resolve all but disappeared.

Again and again his mouth sought hers. Luke’s sweet, soft kisses seemed to erase all the pain from her heart. Only a moment before, she’d been intent on escaping. Now she clung to him, tilting her face toward him, seeking more. He deepened his kiss, sending jolts of excitement through her.

When he stopped abruptly, Kate moaned her dissatisfaction.

“Kate...” he warned.

“Hmm... Luke, don’t stop.”

“I’m afraid we’ve attracted an audience,” he returned mildly.

Sucking in her breath, Kate dropped her arms and whirled around so fast she would have stumbled if Luke’s arms hadn’t caught her. Eyes wide, she stared into the faces of the twenty or so guests who’d stepped outside, preparing to leave.

“I thought Taylor Morgenroth should play the lead Pilgrim,” Kate was saying to Linda when Sally Daley walked into the faculty lounge Monday afternoon. The two were discussing the final plans for their Thanksgiving play.

“Taylor’s the perfect choice,” Linda agreed.

“I see you girls are busy,” Sally commented. “This play is such an ambitious project. You two are to be commended.”

“Thanks.” Linda answered for them both, trying to ignore the other woman as much as possible.

“Wasn’t that Rorie Franklin I saw you with the other day, Kate, dear?”

“Yes. We had coffee at Nellie’s.” She resumed her discussion with Linda, not wanting to be rude to Sally, but at the same time, hoping to dissuade her from further conversation.

But Sally refused to be thwarted. She settled in the chair opposite Kate and said in confidential tones, “You’re completely over Clay Franklin now, aren’t you, dear?”

Kate shared an exasperated look with Linda and nearly laughed out loud when the third-grade teacher playfully rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. To hear Sally talk, anybody would think Kate had recently recovered from a bad case of the flu.

“Sally!” Kate exclaimed when she realized how avidly the other woman was waiting for her reply. “How am I supposed to answer that?” She covered her heart dramatically with one hand and assumed a look meant to portray misery and anguish. “Do you want me to tell you that my pride’s been shattered and I’ll never love again?”

Sally shook her head. “I wouldn’t believe it, anyway.”

“Then why ask?” Linda prompted.

“Well, because we all love Kate. She’s such a dear, and she’s been through so much lately.”

“Thank you,” Kate said graciously, then returned her attention to the Thanksgiving project.

“Most of the fuss about you and Eric Wilson and Luke Rivers has died down now,” Sally assured her, as if this should lessen the embarrassment of that Friday night.

“I take it you haven’t talked to Eric lately?” Linda asked, surprising Kate with her sudden interest. There’d been plenty of opportunity to inquire about him, but Linda hadn’t done so until now.

“Talked to him?” Kate echoed with a short, derisive laugh. “I don’t even shop at the Safeway store for fear of running into him again.”

“I don’t think you need to worry,” Sally said blandly. “From what I hear, he’s avoiding you, too.”

Linda snickered softly. “No doubt. I’m sure Luke Rivers put quite a scare into him.”

“How do you mean?” Kate demanded, already angry with Luke.

“You don’t know?” Sally asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Know what?” Kate swung her gaze first to Linda, then to Sally. “Did Luke threaten him?” If he had, he was going to hear about it from her.

“I haven’t got the foggiest idea what Sally’s talking about,” Linda said quickly.

“I didn’t hear anything specific,” Sally confirmed sheepishly. “I thought maybe you...” The older teacher’s expression suggested that she hoped Kate would fill in the succulent details herself. “My dear, surely you understand that everyone in town is speculating about you and Luke,” she continued.

“Rumors have been floating around since Clay’s wedding,” Linda added.

“But Sally just finished telling me those were dying down,” Kate snapped, irritated with the entire discussion.

“The rumors aren’t about you and that Wilson fellow,” Sally rushed to explain. “As far as your one date with him is concerned, it’s history. He’s too smart to cross Luke.”

“I’m sure he is,” Kate said, anxious to quell the woman’s gossip. “Aren’t we about finished here, Linda?” she asked pointedly.

“Ah...yes.”

“Now folks are talking about seeing you and Luke together at Nellie’s last week, just before your father’s wedding, and there’ve been a few rumors flying about the two of you at Pastor Wilkins’s, too.”

As fast as her hands would cooperate, Kate gathered up their materials. Sally seemed to accept that she was about to lose her audience. If she’d come to pump Kate for information she’d just have to realize Kate wasn’t talking. Standing, Sally gave a deep sigh, clearly disappointed. She collected her purse and headed out the door, pausing to look back. “Frankly, I think Fred Garner’s carrying this thing about you and Luke a bit too far. I consider what he’s doing in poor taste.” With that, she left the room.

“Fred Garner?” Linda echoed after a stunned second. “What’s that old coot doing now?”

“Fred Garner owns the feed store,” Kate said in a puzzled voice.

“Yes, but what’s he got to do with anything?”

“Beats me.” Still, Kate couldn’t help wondering. Fred had seen them at the restaurant, and he’d been at the reception for her father and Dorothea. Although she hadn’t seen him on the porch when a number of guests had found her in Luke’s arms, she had very little doubt that he was there.

When Kate drove home an hour later, Luke was working in the yard. She climbed out of the car, took two steps toward him and halted abruptly. The lump in her throat was so large she could hardly swallow, let alone speak.

The trembling had started the minute she left Garner Feed and Supply. She’d dropped in at the store following Sally’s remark, and from then on everything had grown progressively worse. The way she felt right now, she could slam her bag over Luke’s head, or do something equally violent, and feel completely justified.

“Kate?” he asked, looking concerned. “What’s wrong?”

She knew her emotions were written on her face. She’d never been more scandalized in her life, which was saying a great deal, considering the fiasco with Eric Wilson.

In fact, the blow her dignity had been dealt by Luke Rivers during that incident paled in comparison with this latest outrage. There was only one thing for her to do. She’d have to move away from Nightingale.

“This is all your doing, isn’t it?” she demanded in a shaking voice. She held her head high, although it was a struggle to preserve her composure. Her pride was all she had left, and that was crumbling at her feet.

Luke advanced several steps toward her. “What are you talking about?”

She ground her fist into her hip. “I just got back from the feed store. Does that tell you anything?”

“No.”

“I’ll bet.”

He frowned. “Kate, I swear to you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She made a doubting noise that came out sounding and feeling like a sob. Yet he appeared so bewildered. She didn’t know how any man could cause her such life-shattering embarrassment and maintain that look of faithful integrity.

The tears wouldn’t be restrained any longer, and they fell from her eyes, running down her face. They felt cool against her flushed cheeks.

“Kate? What’s wrong?”

Kate turned and walked rapidly away from Luke rather than allow him to witness her loss of control. She hurried into the house and slumped in a chair, hiding her face in her hands as she battled the terrible urge to weep hysterically. The painful sensation in the pit of her stomach grew more intense every time she took a breath.

The door opened and she said, “Go away.”

“Kate?”

“Haven’t...you...done...enough?” Each word rolled from her tongue on the end of a hiccuping sob.

He knelt in front of her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, but she pushed him away, refusing the comfort he offered.

Kate’s shoulders still heaved. With an exasperated sigh, Luke got up. He stood back on his boot heels and buried his hands in his pockets. “All right, tell me about it.”

“Pastor... Wilkins...bet...twenty...dollars...on... December,” she told him between sobs. Her fingers curled into fists. “Even... Clay...put in a...wager.”

Seeing his name on that huge blackboard had hurt more than anything.

“Kate, I swear to you I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Furiously she wiped the tears from her face and tried to marshal her self-control enough to speak clearly. “The...feed store,” she managed.

“What about the feed store?”

“They’re taking bets—it’s a regular lottery,” she cried, all the more furious with him because he was making her spell out this latest humiliation.

“Bets on what?” Luke’s frown was growing darker, and Kate could tell that he was dangerously close to losing his patience.

“On us!” she wailed, as if that much, at least, should be obvious.

“For what?”

“When we’re going to be married!” she shouted. “What else? Half the town’s gambling on the date of our wedding.”

Luke moaned, closing his eyes, as if he couldn’t quite believe what she was telling him.

“You honestly didn’t know?”

“Of course not.” He was beginning to look perturbed as only Luke could. His dark eyes took on a cold glare that would intimidate the strongest of men. “How’d you find out?”

“Sally Daley said something about it after school, and then in the school car park one of the mothers told me March is a lovely time of year for a wedding. March sixteenth, she said. Then...then I made the mistake of stopping in at the feed store on my way home to...to check out what was going on.”

Luke nodded, but Kate had the impression he was only half listening to her.

“As far as I’m concerned, there’s just one thing for me to do,” she said, gaining strength from her decision. “I’ll offer my resignation to the school board tomorrow morning and leave the district this weekend.”

Luke sent her a quick, angry look. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll take care of this my own way.”