Sassy Cowgirl Kisses by Kathy Fawcett

Chapter 52

Number 22 was easy to find in the high-end West Gorge condo complex, but Sassy had a hard time bringing herself to knock on the door. Her hands were sweaty and she fumbled the package in her hand several times.

“Come to my condo for lunch on Tuesday,” Kat said at the cookout before walking away. It was an order, not an invitation.

“If Gunnar and Rowdy will let me leave work…” Sassy attempted.

“They will.” Kat said simply, after handing Sassy a card with the address.

Of course they will,Sassy thought.

All that morning and the entire day before, Gunnar and Rowdy had been acting strangely. They weren’t cold or distant, just the opposite. They were looking at her through a new lens, she thought. Sassy also detected a note of pity, as they must know that she was heading into the lion’s den, and that Kat West was a formidable opponent when crossed.

If two strapping cowboys were shaking in their leather boots, then what chance did little Sassy Tate stand against her?

Ash didn’t know anything yet, she could tell.

Sassy lost her nerve and never did tell Ash the secret she brought with her to Wyoming. The moment came and went. She decided that she would stay small and invisible in the interim, to save her strength for her meeting with Kat. Sassy was cool to Ash, turning down invitations to go on plum ranch assignments, or out to dinner. At home, she ate her dinner in silence then retreated to her room.

“I’m just tired, Freda,” she told her roomie. “Let me rest up and then I want to hear everything about you and Jim… I mean, James Timothy Freemont.”

Freda smiled indulgently. Usually so in tune with Sassy, probing into her every mood, the Lander girl was preoccupied with being reunited with her beau, and making plans for their future together.

Monday afternoon, the girls had rallied and said their farewells to Erik Olsen before the young engineer flew back to Detroit, and his awaiting job at General Motors.

“I’ll never forget you two,” Erik said generously, “or Wyoming. This visit was epic.”

“Epic,” the girls said in unison, and everyone laughed. Ash eyed her longingly, hoping, no doubt, for a private moment with her to find out what had been preoccupying her lately. But Sassy was only focused on her meeting with Kat, and would not be diverted by Ash.

Now, here she was—wondering what Kat’s demeanor would be like today.

Kat opened right away after Sassy rang the doorbell of the condo, and motioned for her to enter. Sassy marveled that her sister owned this luxurious apartment, as well as the large house on the ranch.

“Hey,” Kat said simply. She was barefoot, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. Without makeup, and her hair pulled back at the nape of her neck, Kat didn’t seem menacing at all—she almost seemed… approachable.

Using the spatula in her hand, she indicated the kitchen as she closed the door. “Nothing fancy. Grilled cheese sandwiches and potato chips.”

“Comfort food,” Sassy said without thinking, hoping she hadn’t overstepped. It was a big deal that Kat had asked to meet, and she didn’t want it to end too soon.

“Everyone needs a little comfort, I guess,” Kat said with a shrug. “Grab the drinks, why don’t you, and we’ll take everything outside on the balcony. It’s a pretty day.”

Sassy followed Kat with the two iced teas and sat down at the table. The rushing waters of the West River provided ambient music in the background, accompanied by the beauty of the gorge, resplendent in mid-day shadows.

“You look just like him,” Kat said before taking a bite.

“I’ve never heard that before,” Sassy said. “I’m usually compared to my mother.”

“It’s in the eyes, and the stature,” Kat said. “Your mother is… well?”

Sassy merely nodded. She understood how hard it was, how gracious it was, for Kat to ask this simple question.

“Your mother?”

Kat nodded back.

Sassy took a bite of her grilled cheese and waited for Kat to continue.

“So…” Kat ventured tentatively, “what did he tell you about me, before he died?”

After a lengthy exhale, Sassy answered. “That you existed, for starters. That he hadn’t been in touch since he left you and your mother, but he knew where you lived. He told me about your career and achievements. Jack, my dad… our dad… wanted me to know that you were really smart as well as beautiful. So I could look up to you.”

“Do you want money, is that why you came to the ranch?” Kat didn’t sound accusing—she didn’t need to. The words were accusing enough.

Sassy flinched as if slapped and her shoulders fell in defeat—they had a long way to go if this is what Kat thought. “No, I don’t need money. Jack did all right.” She didn’t want to cry, but felt her lip trembling under the microscopic gaze of Kat. Of course that’s what she’d think, marrying into such an immensely wealthy family. She hung her head to conceal her un-spilled tears.

Kat’s hand reached across the table and covered her own shaking hand. When she looked back up, Sassy could see tears in Kat’s eyes, too.

“I’m sorry, Sassy,” Kat said. “That was crass and cold of me. I hate myself a little for asking that question.”

“Kat, I don’t need money, and I’m not here to mess up your life,” Sassy managed to say, “or even be in your life. I’ll probably pack up and leave after today. I’ve got a life to get back to, now that I’ve handled Jack’s last wishes.”

Kat shook her head sadly at the girl’s words.

“Sassy Tate, I confess I just don’t know how to act around you. I still can’t get over the shock. You’re so young and lovely. I look at you and see my own painful past, but also someone so familiar to me.” Kat spoke as if she had a golf ball-sized lump in her throat. “I really did love him, you know. Even though we never understood each other. Even though he left. When you smile, I’m reminded of happier times that I’d pushed down and forgotten. And just maybe, that creates another type of hurt for me to feel. At all that he and I missed together.”

“I guess Jack had a talent for messy exits,” Sassy said.

Kat nodded.

“I see him in you too, Kat,” Sassy said after a time. “The way you carry yourself, and speak as if the whole world is waiting for what you have to say.”

“Don’t tell my husband that, it will only confirm his suspicions.”

Sassy smiled and relaxed a little. The sisters took a few bites of their sandwiches to allow their emotions to settle.

“Jack made me promise to come and find you,” Sassy said. “Maybe he was afraid to do it himself after so much time, and rightly so. For the past year, I had to wrestle with his lies of omission along with his death. It’s awful to grieve the loss of someone you love and be really mad at them at the same time. But I came to the conclusion that in spite of his failings, part of his legacy is the courage he gave me. And, I think, you.”

As Kat silently regarded the words, Sassy reached into her purse and took out a small box, which she placed on the table.

“He asked me to give you this,” Sassy told Kat, and then stood up to leave. “Do you mind if I… before I go… can I give you a small hug?”

Kat’s eyes were fixated on the box, but when Sassy’s words registered, she also stood and moved towards the girl, awkwardly at first.

Hugging Kat, Sassy thought, was like having a warm quilt hug her on a cold day. She breathed in the scent of her sister’s hair and neck as Kat unintentionally rubbed Sassy’s back like she was a child in need of reassurance. To Sassy, it felt like coming home, and tears filled her eyes again at the sensation.

Making herself break away, she turned to leave. Giving a small wave over her shoulder, she exited #22 and walked quickly to her car.

Sassy was spent. Driving the short distance to the bungalow was an effort, and she wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and cry with relief, in the privacy of her room. She had finally met with her sister—as sisters. And emotionally, she was dry. Physically, she could still feel the effects of Kat’s arms around her, protecting and accepting her as she is, though tentatively.

But rest wouldn’t come anytime soon, she could see. Ash was sitting on her front stoop, waiting for her. His jaw was tense as he eyed her warily, and his eyes were wide and a little wild, as if seeing her for the first time.

Walking as slowly as she could towards the house, Sassy avoided the inevitable until she was standing directly in front of Ash.

“You’re Kat’s sister!”