AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Call me Ralph. We are like family whether we want to be or not.”
“I want you to come and visit Josh. I’ve talked with him, and we need to all get together.”
There was a moment’s hesitation. “You’re certain about this?”
“Positive.”
“Well…sure. I’ll let you know. Thank you, Katie.”
“And thank you.” She hung up, wrote Josh a quick note in case he got home before she returned, then flew out to the car. She needed to talk to Luke and tell him how she felt. She had to swallow her pride and, no matter what happened, admit that she loved him.
Once behind the wheel, she took a deep breath, then jabbed her key into the ignition and prayed that she hadn’t let the one man in the world she needed slip through her fingers.
* * *
Luke, pounding nails that had worked their way out of the stable’s old siding, raised his hammer again and heard the Jeep before it rounded the corner of the lane. He half hoped it would be Katie driving out to see him, but told himself he was being a fool. Whatever they’d shared was over. Somehow he’d have to get used to living in the same town with her and knowing they’d never be together.
“Tough,” he muttered to himself and slammed the hammerhead into the siding so hard as to leave a dent. A whirlpool kicked up dust in the corral, spinning a few dried leaves and blades of grass in a crazy dance. Overhead a hawk circled lazily.
Katie’s Jeep appeared, and for a moment Luke thought he was seeing things. What could she possibly want? Probably another story—now that the Isaac Wells mystery was cleared up she’d need another topic. Maybe she wanted to do a piece on this place. The concrete foundation had been poured; in less than six months he hoped to be open for operation.
He slid his hammer into a loop on his jeans and walked across the gravel lot to the spot where she’d ground to a stop. She hopped out of the cab and marched up to him.
“Do you have anything to say to me?” she demanded.
“Such as?”
“I just got a call from Ralph Sorenson.”
“And—?”
“He seems to think he’s going to send Josh some money for a trust fund.” She threw up one hand, and he couldn’t tell if she was furious or pleased. “I think this has something to do with you.”
“I told Ralph I was out of it.”
“Well, you’re wrong, Gates,” she argued, her eyes crackling like green lightning. “You’re in it big-time.”
“How’s that?”
She drew in a long breath, and he braced himself. Her cheeks were rosy, the pulse at the base of her throat beating erratically. The fingers of one hand opened and closed as if she was so nervous as to be tongue-tied, and the scent of her perfume tickled his nostrils. Damn, but she was beautiful. And she didn’t seem to know it. “Because I want you to be,” she said, her voice a little softer.
“You do?”
“Yes.” She licked her lips, and he found the movement ridiculously provocative. “I—I want you in my life, Luke.” She seemed embarrassed but held his gaze. “I love you.”
He didn’t move, didn’t feel the wind play with the tails of his shirt or ruffle his hair. “What?”
“I said, ‘I love you.’”
He couldn’t believe it, and before he could respond, she started to turn. “Wait.”
“Why?” She was halfway to the Jeep, when it finally hit him. He caught up with her before she reached for the door handle.
“Katie—”
She shook her head, and disappointment darkened her eyes. “Look, just let me go, okay? I’ve embarrassed myself enough as it is, and—”
“I love you.”
