A Country Affair by Debbie Macomber

Ten

Kate was carrying the last of the cardboard boxes to the recycling bins outside the apartment building on Thursday evening when she saw Luke’s pickup turn onto Spruce Street. He came to a grinding halt at the curb, vaulted out of the cab and stood there scowling. His features were contorted, but for the life of her Kate couldn’t understand why he was so irritated. Didn’t he tell her to move? Wasn’t this what he wanted?

She was about to make her presence known, but before she could act, Luke brought his fist down on the bonnet. She heard the sound from where she was standing. It must have smarted because he rubbed his knuckles, gazing intently at the redbrick building. Then, tucking his hands in the back pockets of his jeans, he squared his shoulders and strode toward it. He stopped abruptly, then retreated to his truck. Opening the door, he balanced one foot on the side rail, as if he was about to leap into the cab.

Kate leaned forward on the tips of her toes and stretched out her hand to stop him. It took everything in her not to rush forward. She was afraid she’d burst into tears. Viewing Luke’s behavior had touched something deep within her.

If Luke had planned to drive away, he apparently changed his mind, because he slammed the door shut and resolutely faced the building again.

Knowing that the time to make her move was now, Kate casually turned the corner.

“Kate.”

“Luke,” she said, pretending surprise.

For a moment, Luke didn’t say a word. “I just got back to the ranch and discovered that the main house was empty. I thought you’d be there when I returned.”

“Mrs. Jackson said I could have the apartment Monday, and since Rorie, Clay and Skip were able to help me move, I couldn’t see any reason to delay.”

“You might’ve told me.”

Kate lowered her eyes, feeling a little guilty, since they’d parted on such unfriendly terms. “I tried, but you’d already left for New Mexico.”

“Bill did say you wanted to talk to me,” he conceded.

“Would you like to come inside?” she asked, opening the door for him.

“All right.” He sounded reluctant.

Once in the apartment they stood looking at each other, and Kate felt suddenly awkward. Luke’s eyes were dark and luminous and his face had never seemed so dear to her—familiar, yet in some exciting new way, not fully known. She would’ve liked nothing better than to walk into his arms. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was about the way they’d parted, to tell him she was ready to accept his proposal on any terms. But her pride made that impossible.

“Nice place,” he said when the silence became painful. He tucked his fingers in his back pockets again.

“Can I take your coat?”

“Please.” He took it off and gave it to her.

She motioned toward the sofa. “Would you like to sit down?”

He nodded and sat on the edge of the cushion. Leaning forward, he balanced his hands between his knees and rotated his hat with his fingers. Luke had sat on this very same sofa a thousand times, but he’d never looked as uncomfortable as he did now.

“I came to apologize for the last time we spoke.”

“Oh, Luke,” she whispered, sitting in the overstuffed chair across from him. “I felt bad, too. Why do we argue like that? Some days I feel we’re growing further and further apart, and I don’t want that.”

“I’d like to suggest we put an end to this nonsense, but you’ve made your views plain enough.”

“You still want to take care of me?”

“I don’t think that’s so wrong.”

“I know.” She sighed, tired of repeating the same arguments. “But I’m fully capable of doing that myself.”

“Right,” he said with deadly softness. “You took care of yourself pretty well during that snowstorm, didn’t you?”

“Why don’t you throw Eric Wilson in my face while you’re at it? I thought you came because you regretted our last argument, but it looks to me as if you’re trying to start another one.”

“All right,” he shouted, “I’ll stop! You asked me not to bring up the distasteful subject of marriage and I agreed. It’s just that—” He clamped his mouth shut. “We’re better off dropping the subject entirely,” he finished stiffly.

“I hate when we argue,” Kate said.

“So do I, Princess.”

Although his tone was light, Kate heard the distress in his voice. It filled her with regret, and she longed for something comforting to say, something that would ease this awkwardness between them, and restore a sense of balance to their relationship.

“Do you need anything, Kate?”

“No. I’m fine,” she rushed to assure him. She might occasionally date the wrong men and take foolish risks in snowstorms, but she could manage her own life!

Luke glanced around the room, then slowly nodded as if accepting the truth of her words.

“It was kind of you to stop by... I mean, it’s good to see you and I really am grateful you wanted to clear the air, too.”

“Are you saying you missed me while I was away?”

She had, terribly, but until that moment, Kate hadn’t been willing to admit it, even to herself. Unconsciously she’d been waiting for Thursday, hoping to hear from Luke—but not really expecting to. For the past few days, she’d worked frantically to unpack her things and make her apartment presentable. And all along it had been an effort to prove to Luke how efficient and capable she actually was. After falling on her face so many times, she wanted this transition from the ranch house to her first apartment to go off without a hitch. It was a matter of pride.

They were like polite strangers with each other. Kate couldn’t think of a single clever remark or probing question to reduce the tension between them.

“Have you eaten?” Luke asked brusquely. “I thought I’d take you to dinner. I realize I’m not giving you much notice and I read somewhere that women don’t like a man to take things for granted, so if you don’t want to go, I’ll understand.”

He sounded as though he assumed she’d reject his invitation. “I’d love to have dinner with you,” she said, unable to hide a smile.

Luke seemed shocked by her easy acquiescence.

Kate stood up, stretching luxuriously. “If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll freshen up.” She couldn’t keep the happiness out of her voice.

Luke rose then, and his presence seemed to dwarf her small living room. Only a few scant inches separated them. With one finger, he tilted up her chin and looked deep into her eyes. “You honestly missed me?” he whispered.

For some reason, her throat squeezed shut and Kate was forced to answer him without words. She cradled his face between both hands and gazed up at him, nodding fervently.

Luke’s eyes darkened and she thought he meant to kiss her. Just when she was prepared to slip into his arms and raise her mouth to his, he pulled loose from her light grasp and stepped back. Kate swallowed her disappointment.

“I was thinking about that pizza parlour in Riversdale,” he said gruffly.

“Pizza would be wonderful,” Kate said.

“Then it’s settled.”

Kate didn’t bother to change clothes, but ran a brush through her hair and refreshed her make-up. A few minutes later, she was ready to leave. Luke stood at the door, and as she approached him, his appreciative look sent small flutters of awareness through her body.

Companionably they drove the thirty miles to Riversdale. By unspoken agreement they avoided any subject that would cause them to disagree.

The restaurant, Pizza Mania, was known throughout the county for its excellent Italian food. The room was dimly lit, and the wooden tables were covered with red-checkered cloths. Since it was a weeknight, the restaurant wasn’t especially busy.

Luke guided her to a table in the middle of the homey room. Service was prompt and they quickly placed their order for a large sausage-and-black-olive pizza. Kate also ordered a raw vegetable platter with yogurt-herb dip, and she laughed at the disdainful expression on Luke’s face. Then she laughed again.

“What’s so funny now?”

“I was remembering the last time I ate pizza from here. It was when Rorie had just arrived, and she and I were making dinner for Clay and Skip. I made a lemon meringue pie and Rorie spent the entire afternoon preparing this fancy seafood dish.”

“Where does the pizza come in?”

Kate told Luke about the disastrous dinner, and he smiled slightly, shaking his head. “Rorie must’ve been devastated.”

“Actually she was a pretty good sport about the whole thing. We called Pizza Mania, ordered two large pizzas that Skip offered to pick up, and afterward we sat around the piano for a while.”

That night was when she’d realized how hard Clay was fighting not to fall in love with Rorie. All evening he’d tried not to even glance in her direction. Then, later, when he drove Kate home, he’d said barely a word and gently kissed her cheek after he’d walked her to the door. A peck on the cheek, the way he’d kiss a younger sister.

“What’s wrong?” Luke asked.

“Nothing.” Kate summoned a smile. “What makes you ask?” She was relieved at the appearance of their vegetable appetizer, immediately reaching for a carrot stick.

“Your eyes looked kind of sad just now.”

Kate concentrated on munching her carrot, astonished at the way Luke so often seemed to know what she was thinking. But then, sometimes he didn’t.... “That night was when I knew I was losing Clay to Rorie. My whole world was about to fall apart and I felt powerless to do anything about it. It didn’t mean I stopped trying, of course—it hurt too much to accept without putting up a fight.” She paused and helped herself to a zucchini strip. “Enough about me. It seems I’m the only one we ever discuss. How was your trip to New Mexico?” she asked brightly, determined to change the subject.

“Good.” He didn’t elaborate. His eyes held hers, the mood warm and comfortable. “There are going to be a few changes around the Circle L in the coming months. I don’t want you to be surprised when you find out I’m adding a couple of outbuildings and doing some remodelling on the house.”

Although he spoke in a conversational tone, Kate wasn’t fooled. “The Circle L belongs to you now. I expect there’ll be plenty of changes, but don’t worry about offending me or Dad.”

He nodded and his eyes brightened with his dreams for the future. “I intend to turn it into one of the top cattle ranches on the West Coast.”

“I’m sure you’ll do it, Luke.” And she was.

He seemed pleased by her confidence in him. Kate couldn’t help believing in Luke. In the ten years he’d worked for her father, he’d initiated several successful breeding programs. With each passing year, Devin had turned more and more of the ranch business over to Luke. Her father had become a figurehead. Kate had often heard Devin say that he couldn’t understand why Luke would continue working for him when he was completely capable of maintaining his own spread. At one time, Kate had thought money was the issue, but that obviously wasn’t the case.

“Why’d you delay buying your own ranch for so long?” Kate asked, just as their pizza arrived. Their waitress remained standing at their table and studied them so blatantly that Luke turned to her.

“Is something wrong?” he asked sharply.

“No...not at all. Enjoy your dinner.” She backed away from their table and hurried over to the counter, where two other employees were waiting. Almost immediately the three of them huddled together and started whispering.

Luke chose to ignore their waitress’s strange behavior and lifted a steaming piece, thick with melted cheese and spicy sausage, onto her plate. Then he served himself.

“Now, where were we?” Luke murmured.

“I asked why you didn’t buy your own ranch before now.”

“You don’t want to know the answer to that, Princess.”

“Of course I do. I wouldn’t have brought it up otherwise,” she insisted.

“Fine.” Luke settled back in his chair. He looked at her, eyes thoughtful. “I had a minor problem. I was in love with the boss’s daughter and she was crazy about me, only she didn’t know it. In fact, she’d gotten herself engaged to someone else. I was afraid that if I moved away she’d never realize how I felt—or how she did—and frankly, I didn’t think I could ever love anyone the way I do her.”

Kate focused her attention on her meal. The lump in her throat was almost choking her. “You’re right about...me not loving Clay,” she told him softly. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t raise her eyes high enough to meet his.

“What did you say?”

“I... You were right about me and Clay. I could never feel for him the things a wife should feel for her husband. I’d adored him for years, but that love was just a teenage fantasy.”

She was well aware of the seriousness of her admission. The room seemed to go still; the music from the juke box faded, the clatter from the kitchen dimmed and the voices from the people around them seemed to disappear altogether.

“I didn’t think I’d ever hear you admit that,” Luke said, and his face filled with tenderness.

“I tried to tell you the night after I had dinner with Clay and Rorie, but you were so angry with me...because I was moving.” She laughed, hoping to break the unexpected tension that had leaped between them.

“Does this also mean you’re admitting you love me?”

“I’ve never had a problem with that—”

Kate was interrupted by an elderly man who strolled up to their table. With considerable ceremony, he lifted a violin to his chin and played a bittersweet love song.

“I didn’t know they had strolling violinists here,” Kate said when the man had finished. Everyone in the restaurant stopped to applaud.

“This next song is dedicated to the two of you,” the man announced, “that the love in your hearts will blossom into a bouquet of May flowers.”

It wasn’t until he’d finished the third song that Kate noticed he didn’t go to any of the other tables. He seemed to be playing only for them. Some of the customers had apparently noticed this, too, and gathered behind Luke and Kate in order to get a better view of the musician.

“Thank you,” Kate said as the last notes faded.

The man lowered his instrument to his side. “You two have become quite a sensation in Nightingale and beyond. We at Pizza Mania are honored that you’ve chosen our restaurant for a romantic evening. We want to do our part to bring you together in wedded bliss.”

“And you’re suggesting the month of May?” Kate asked, referring to his comment about a bouquet of flowers.

“That would be an excellent choice,” the violinist said, grinning broadly.

“It’s time we left,” Luke said, frowning. He pulled out his wallet, but the violinist stopped him. “Please, your pizza’s on the house. We are delighted that you chose to dine in our humble establishment.”

From the tight set of Luke’s mouth, Kate could tell he wanted to argue, but more urgent was his need to escape. He took her by the hand and charged for the door.

“Your leftover pizza!” Their waitress ran after them, handing Luke a large white box as she cast Kate an envious glance.

Luke couldn’t seem to get out of the car park fast enough. Kate waited until they were on the road before she spoke. “So this is the first time that’s happened to you?”

Luke laughed shortly. “Not really, only I didn’t pick up on it as quickly as you did. Several people have made odd comments about certain months, but until now, I didn’t get what they were actually saying.”

“It’s funny when you think about it. Half the county’s got money riding on our wedding day, and Fred Garner’s making a killing raising and lowering the odds.” Suddenly the lottery was the most hilarious thing Kate had ever heard of, and she started to laugh. She slumped against the side of the cab, holding her sides. She was laughing so hard, her stomach hurt. Tears ran down her cheeks and she wiped them away as she tried to regain control. The wedding lottery and everyone’s interference wasn’t all that funny, but Luke’s disgruntled reaction was.

“Come on, Luke,” she said, still chuckling. “There’s a lot of humor in this situation.”

He snorted.

“Don’t be such a killjoy. I’ve been getting free advice from the butcher, Sally Daley, the paperboy and just about everyone else in town. It’s only fair that you put up with a few of their comments, too.”

“One might think you’d take some of that free advice,” he muttered.

“What?” she cried. “And ruin their fun?”

Luke was oddly quiet for the remainder of the trip into Nightingale. He stopped at her building, walked her to her door with barely a word, then turned and walked away. No goodnight kiss, no mention of seeing her again.

This was the last thing she’d expected. For the entire drive home, she’d been imagining how good it would feel when Luke kissed her. She’d decided to invite him in for coffee, hoping he’d accept. But this was even worse than Clay’s peck on the cheek all those months ago.

“Luke...”

He stopped abruptly at the sound of her voice, then turned back. His eyes seemed to burn into hers as he came toward her, and she stumbled into his arms. His mouth, hot and hungry, sought hers in a kiss that scorched her senses.

His fingers plunged into her hair, releasing the French braid and ploughing through the twisted strands of blond hair.

Instinctively Kate reached up and slid her arms around his shoulders, feeling so much at home in his arms that it frightened her. She trembled with the knowledge, but she didn’t have time to analyze her feelings. Not when her world was in chaos. She clung to him as though she were rocketing into a fathomless sky.

Luke broke away from her, his face a study of hope and confusion. “I never know where I stand with you, Kate.” With that, he stroked her hair and quickly returned to his truck.

Kate was still reeling from the effects of Luke’s kiss. If she hadn’t leaned against her door, she might have fallen onto the walkway, so profound was her reaction.

“Luke,” she called, shocked by how weak her voice sounded. “Would you like to come inside for coffee? We could talk about...things.”

Slowly a smile eased its way across his handsome features. “I don’t dare, Princess, because the way I feel right now, I might not leave until morning. If then.”

Flustered by his words, Kate unlocked her door and let herself inside.

She gulped a deep breath and stood in the middle of the living room with her hand over her rampaging heart. “You’re in love with him, Kate Logan,” she told herself. “Head over heels in love with a man and fighting him every step of the way.”

Groaning, she buried her face in her hands. She didn’t understand why she’d been fighting him so hard. She did realize that Luke wouldn’t have spent years building up her father’s ranch if he hadn’t loved her. He could have left anytime, gone anywhere to buy his own ranch, but he’d stayed at the Circle L. He honestly loved her!

Now she knew what she wanted, but she didn’t know what to do about it.

She guessed Luke was planning to court her, to use that charming old-fashioned term. If so, one more dinner with him would be enough. They’d be officially engaged by the end of the evening. She’d bet on it!

To her disappointment, Kate didn’t hear from him the following day. Fridays were generally busy around the ranch, so she decided the next move would have to come from her.

Early Saturday morning she compiled a grocery list, intent on inviting Luke over for a home-cooked meal. She was reviewing her cookbooks, searching for a special dessert recipe, when she was suddenly distracted by the memory of their kiss. Closing her eyes, she relived the way she’d felt that night. She smiled to herself, admitting how eager she was to feel that way again.

If only she’d been listening to her heart instead of her pride...

She tried phoning Luke, but there was no answer, so she decided to do the shopping first. She put on her coat, hat and gloves, and walked the few blocks to the Safeway store.

It must’ve been her imagination, but it seemed that everyone stopped to watch her as she pushed her cart down the aisles.

When she’d finished buying her groceries, she headed over to the pharmacy and bought a couple of scented candles. Once again, everyone seemed to stop and stare at her.

“Kate,” Sally Daley said, hurrying toward her. The older woman was shaking her head, eyes brimming with sympathy. “How are you doing, dear?”

“Fine,” Kate said, puzzled.

Sally’s mouth fell open. “You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

“Luke Rivers took Beth Hammond to dinner yesterday, and the two of them danced all night at the Red Bull. Why, everyone in town’s talking about it. People are saying he’s lost patience with you and is going to marry Beth. Really, dear, every woman in town thinks you’d be crazy to let a man like Luke Rivers get away.”

Kate was so shocked she could hardly breathe. “I see,” she murmured, pretending it didn’t matter.

“You poor child,” Sally said compassionately. “Don’t let your pride get in the way.”

“I won’t,” Kate promised, barely able to find her voice.

“I do worry about you, Kate. I have this terrible feeling that you’re going to end up thirty and all alone.”