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“No, I’m not. He said I must have persuaded her to write her will that way. But I didn’t, I swear, Alex. We never discussed anything like that. I took her some cookies occasionally, and I would rent movies for her. We visited because sometimes she got lonely. But that’s all, I promise.”
“I believe you, Katherine,” Alex said soothingly. She scratched her forehead. “So you want to know if you can reject the estate if you and Gabe don’t marry?”
“There’s no if. Gabe hasn’t spoken to me in ten years, Alex. The only reason he approached me now was to chew me out.”
“I’d like to see the will, but if Mac wrote it—” Her gaze flew to the closed door. “Wait a minute. I think I hear him.” She slid around her desk and went to the door. Opening it, she called, “Mac?”
“Yeah, Alex, I’m back.”
“Can you spare a minute?”
“Sure.”
Alex moved back to her desk, and Mac came through the door, a smile on his face.
Until he saw Katherine.
“Uh-oh.”
Even Alex seemed surprised by his reaction. “You know why Katherine is here?”
Mac sat on the edge of Alex’s desk, facing Katherine. “I assume it has something to do with Mrs. Dawson’s will. Right?”
Katherine nodded. “I don’t want to take—how can I get my name out of it?”
“You can’t.”
His simple answer, without any legal mumbo jumbo, was what made Mac Gibbons such a popular lawyer. People wanted to hear the bottom line, without all the reasons.
“But there must be some way. He won’t—a marriage between us is preposterous. He shouldn’t have to give up his grandmother’s estate because—surely, she didn’t intend to harm Gabe.” Katherine couldn’t imagine the sweet woman she’d known doing anything to negatively affect her beloved Gabe.
“No, I don’t think she did.” Mac shot a look at Alex and rubbed the back of his neck before he said anything else. “Look, Katie, when our mothers did their matchmaking, a lot of ladies in town got the idea to follow in their footsteps. I tried to warn Mrs. Dawson that her idea would backfire on her…and Gabe. But she wouldn’t listen.”
“That’s what the will says, that she has to marry Gabe? Or what happens?” Alex asked.
“If they don’t marry, half the estate goes to Katie and the other half goes to charity. Unless Katie marries someone else before the year is up. You seeing anyone?” he suddenly asked, slewing around to face Katherine again.
“No! I’m not.”
“I heard Jack Ledbetter was hanging around your house a lot,” Mac said, a speculative look on his face.
Alex frowned. “But Jack’s over fifty, maybe older. He’s too old for you, Katherine.”
“He’s fifty-six,” she said calmly. “And he is hanging around our house. But it’s not me he’s interested in.”
Mac frowned. “Then who—your mother?” He grinned. “If you need any advice about this situation, let me know. Aunt Florence and Doc got married a year ago, you know.”
Katherine grinned. “Thanks, but they’re managing just fine without any assistance on my part.” In fact, her mother’s romance was one of the best things going in her life right now.
Alex brought them back to the topic at hand. “So, if you’re not seeing anyone, and you won’t marry Gabe—”
“As if he’d ask,” Katherine muttered, interrupting.
Alex looked at Mac for confirmation. “Then there’s nothing to be done?”
“I’m afraid that’s true, Katie,” Mac concurred. “Gabe said something about trying to prove his grandmother was incompetent when she made these arrangements, but I don’t think he can.”
“But if half of the estate comes to me, can I give it back to Gabe? Just return it?”
“Not without paying some taxes.”
“But I can’t afford that!” She was doing well with her shop, but there were a lot of demands on her income.
“What size estate are we talking about?” Alex asked quietly.
“She and her husband owned about a hundred and fifty acres and several wells were drilled on her property. The total, with land value and everything else, is around ten million,” Mac said calmly.
Katherine almost fell out of her chair. “Good heavens! Taxes on half of that would bankrupt me for life.”
Mac nodded, though he added, “If you inherited it, of course, you could pay the taxes out of what you inherited.”
“I can’t,” Katherine said firmly. The money didn’t matter. Taking his heritage from Gabe was the issue. And she couldn’t do that.
Shaking his head, Mac said, “Well, I’m not sure how this is going to work out. You sure you don’t want to marry him?”
The way he asked his question made Katherine’s heart ache. And made an answer impossible. What she wanted didn’t matter. She’d rejected his marriage proposal when she was eighteen. He wouldn’t ask again.
Standing, she offered her hand to Alex first and then Mac. “Thanks for your help. Will you send me a bill? Or shall I leave you a check?”
Alex smiled. “I’ll send you a bill. If there’s anything else I can do, let me know.”
“I will, thanks.” Then she left their offices, still with no answers. And a lot of fears.
“What are you doing here?” Gabe growled, moving in front of her as she stepped outside.
She jumped, surprised by his sudden appearance.
“Well?” he demanded, his hands on his hips, glaring at her.
She had no intention of explaining what she’d been doing, and she knew Mac and Alex would be discreet. “Excuse me,” she murmured, and tried to step around him.
He reached out and grabbed her arm.
She thought she’d forgotten how her body responded to his touch. She thought the shivers that had coursed through her body the first time he’d touched his lips to hers, many years ago, couldn’t possibly reoccur. She thought that part of her life was over.
Someone forgot to tell her body.
Jerking away, she retreated, her back coming up against the door she’d just closed. She lifted her chin and glared at him. “I have to go.”
“You got someone waiting for you? Someone you’re planning on marrying? Maybe you’ve promised some man a cushy life if he hangs around until the year is over.”
She knew of only one way to escape him. And she was angry and scared enough to lie. “Yes, I have a man. What’s it to you?”
“So marry him! That would solve my problem.”
With sarcasm dripping from her words, she said, “Of course, solving your problem would be my first concern.”
“It should be, since you caused it.”
As he spoke, the door behind Katherine opened and Mac reached out to steady her as she almost lost her balance.
“Hi, there, Gabe. You’re early.”
Neither of them spoke, and Mac moved to Katherine’s side and looked at them. “Everything okay?”
“Sure, everything’s fine. I was trying to convince Mrs. Hill to marry her latest man and solve my problem.”
Mac frowned and looked at Katherine.
She didn’t bother explaining the contradiction of what she’d told him in Alex’s office. With a smile, she excused herself, knowing Gabe wouldn’t try to stop her with Mac there.
“Thanks again, Mac,” she said hurriedly, and headed back to her shop.
Gabe turned to watch her walk away. He couldn’t help it. A hunger raged through his body as his gaze followed her movement. What was wrong with him?
She’d so easily dismissed his love, his desire, ten years ago. And he’d vowed then never to get near her again. With good reason. He still couldn’t trust his body. He wouldn’t allow his heart to be put at risk again.
He spun around, anxious to dispel such thoughts. “What did she want?”
Mac shrugged his shoulders. “You know I can’t tell you that. What a client says to her lawyer and her partner is privileged information.”
“Well, maybe this man she’s got will marry her before the end of the year.” He should be glad about that idea. But the words he’d spoken troubled him. “Who is he?”
“Come on,” Mac said, putting a hand on Gabe’s shoulder and turning him toward The Last Roundup. “Let’s go get a beer while we talk.”
Gabe didn’t fight Mac’s suggestion. But he wasn’t going to let his question drop. “Well? Who’s she dating?”
Mac kept walking.
“I’m not asking for privileged information, Mac. I know how it is in a small town. Everyone knows what’s going on.”
They reached the restaurant.
The hostess seated them in the back, at Cal and Jessica’s special table, and Mac asked her to have the waitress bring two beers.
“It’s not that it’s privileged information, exactly, but we did discuss her, er, her personal life, and I feel a little uncomfortable—”
“Hey, Gabe, how are you?” Cal asked, interrupting Mac.
Gabe stood and shook hands with Cal Baxter, the sheriff in Cactus.
“Good to see you, Cal. I hear you’ve joined the married ranks with the other guys.”
“Yeah. You should give it a try. We’ve all found it amazingly wonderful.”
Gabe shook his head and sat down again.
The waitress arrived with two beers and Cal sent her off again to bring three more. “No sense in waiting until Spence and Tuck get here. We know they’ll want one, too.”
Gabe smiled and nodded.
“Now, what did I interrupt? What were you saying, Mac?”
Mac shrugged his shoulders again, not looking at either friend.
“He was being a lawyer,” Gabe complained. “I asked him a question, and he didn’t want to answer it, afraid he’d be violating lawyer-client confidentiality.”
Cal cocked one eyebrow. “You’re a lawyer, Gabe. I guess you understand that.”
“Yeah, I understand. But I asked something that’s common knowledge. I remember how it is here, even if I haven’t lived here in ten years. Everyone knows everyone else’s business.”
“True,” Cal began, but he didn’t continue because Tuck and Spence arrived. There were several minutes of greeting each other and exchanging comments about their lives. Then the beers arrived and the newcomers stopped talking to take a drink.
Cal leaned forward. “Ask me your question. I’m not a lawyer.”
“Cal—” Mac began, but Gabe ignored his friend.
“I want to know who’s the man in Katherine’s life.”
Cal sat back in his chair and stared at Gabe.
“Which Katherine?” Spence asked, frowning.
Tuck stuck his elbow in Spence’s ribs. “Don’t you remember? Gabe and Katie were—friends,” he hurriedly said after receiving a glare from Gabe.
Cal took his time. He leaned forward and clasped his hands on the table. With a sideways look at Mac, he said, “The only man I’ve heard about is Jack Ledbetter.”
“Who’s that?” Gabe demanded, a sick feeling filling his stomach at hearing a name, forcing him to realize the man was real.
Spence stared. “You’re kidding. He’s too old for Katie.”
Those words got Gabe’s attention. “Too old? How old is he? Who is he?”
“You remember Jack Ledbetter,” Tuck insisted. “He and his wife lived about ten miles out of town. She raised German shepherds. Didn’t your dad buy you one?”
“That’s right,” Gabe said with a frown, recalling old memories. The dog, Jericho, died while he was away at college. “Are they divorced?”
“No. His wife died of cancer a couple of years ago,” Cal explained, but he didn’t answer Gabe’s other question.
“Spence is right. He’s our fathers’ age. What is she doing dating someone that old? What’s the matter with her? Is she looking for someone to—” He broke off abruptly, unwilling to say that he suspected Katie was looking for a meal ticket.
“Yeah, I heard about Jack,” Tuck said, “but I heard it was her mother he was interested in.”
Gabe didn’t want to admit the hope that leaped in his throat at those words. “Her mother?”
“Yeah, you remember her father died her senior year in high school,” Tuck said. “Katie’s mother pretty much fell apart. Katie’s the one who pulled the family together. She’s worked like a dog ever since then to take care of all of them.”
Other comments were made, but Gabe didn’t hear them. He’d forgotten about Katie’s father’s death. He’d tried to comfort her, of course, and she’d assured him everything was fine. He’d been coming home on weekends to see her, but he was finishing his senior year at Texas Tech and had a lot going on.
“What do you mean, she took care of all of them?” Gabe asked abruptly, interrupting Spence, who had made a flattering comment about Katie’s shop.
Tuck raised one eyebrow. “Don’t you remember?”
“We moved to Dallas that summer so I could start law school in the fall.” After he’d proposed to Katie and been rejected, he’d wanted out of town. His parents had decided to move to Dallas, too. His mother had never been happy in the small town.
“And you didn’t keep in touch?” Spence asked, a puzzled frown on his face.
“No.” Nothing more. He wasn’t going to remind his friends that the woman he’d loved had stomped all over him and walked away.
Tuck explained, “Katie took a day job at the grocery store and worked nights as a waitress.”
“Was she saving for college?” She’d talked about going to Tech.
“No,” Cal said. “She was paying the bills. Her dad never was much of a provider, but with him gone, they had a lot of bills. With five more kids and a mother who didn’t know how to earn money, Katie became the breadwinner for everyone.”
A sick feeling was building in Gabe’s stomach. “But she married. I mean, her husband must’ve helped out, brought in money.”
Mac snorted in derision. “Yeah, right. Darrell Hill came to town after you left. He worked at the gas station. After they married, he started showing up for work less and less, until he got fired.”
“Doesn’t seem like he was much help,” Gabe muttered. The protective feelings that surged through him were ridiculous. She hadn’t wanted him, or his help. He’d promised to help her get her college degree, too. But she’d said no.
No one said anything.
“How did he die?” Gabe finally asked.
Without any expression, Cal said, “He hit a tree going eighty miles an hour.”
“Drunk?” Gabe asked, determined to know the worst.
“Oh, yeah. We’re lucky he didn’t take anyone with him.” Cal shook his head. “Drinking and driving is about the stupidest thing I know.”
They all nodded in solemn agreement. Then Tuck asked a question about Gabe’s life in Dallas and the conversation lightened.
Gabe, however, couldn’t get the earlier tale out of his head. He still had questions. But only Katie could answer them. And if he asked, if he dug into the past, she’d know that—she’d think that he was even more stupid than her dead husband.
She’d believe he still cared for a woman who’d rejected him ten long years ago.
Chapter Three
The Lemon Drop Shop closed its doors at six o’clock.
For the first time since she’d opened her shop, Katherine was counting the minutes.
“Are my pies ready?” Mabel Baxter asked.
“Yes, they are, Mrs. Baxter. Let me get them,” Katherine replied with a smile. Mabel Baxter had been one of her early supporters and, as a town social lion, where she had gone, others had followed. Katherine owed her a lot.
She brought the two boxed pies from the storeroom and handed them over the counter.
As Mabel counted out the payment, she said, “I heard Gabe Dawson is back in town.”
“Yes, I believe he is,” Katherine said, hoping no one noticed the tremor in her voice.
“His grandmother was so proud of him. She wanted him to return to Cactus to settle down.”
Katherine took the money and thanked Mabel, praying the conversation would end.
“You were high school sweethearts, weren’t you?” Mabel continued.
“We dated my senior year, but Gabe was a senior at Tech. Too many years between us.” A simple explanation. That was the best.
“I guess so. I wonder if he’s married. Well, see you later,” Mabel said, giving her a cheerful smile after delivering the dreadful thought.
Of course he wasn’t married. If he had been, then Gran wouldn’t have written that horrible will. Katherine breathed deeply, calming her rocketing nerves. Until another thought hit her.
That didn’t mean he didn’t have a “significant other.” Maybe that explained his anger. He loved someone and hadn’t told Gran about it.
Poor Gabe.
Ten years ago, when she’d refused his marriage proposal, she’d been proud of her selflessness. Until he left town and the pain set in. But she’d had little choice. She couldn’t have walked away from her mother and brothers and sisters.
“I’ve cleaned the kitchen,” Evelyn reported, disrupting Katherine’s thoughts.
“Thanks, Evelyn. Do we need any supplies?”
“Just eggs. Mr. Stottlemyer brought a delivery of carrots, sugar and flour this afternoon while you were out.”
“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Katherine said, checking her watch. Six o’clock had finally arrived. She walked around the counter and flipped the sign on the door to indicate the bakery was closed, then locked it.
“Mary didn’t sound like she felt good when she left,” Evelyn added with a frown. “If she can’t come in the morning, you call me, okay?”
“Thanks, Evelyn, I will.”
She wouldn’t have any choice. She arrived at six each morning to start the baking for the day. The Last Roundup bought four carrot cakes each morning, freshly baked. Since this restaurant had been franchised in Lubbock, she was in negotiations to provide cakes for all of their locations. Then there were the other baked goods, including cinnamon rolls, for the early arrivals.
After mopping the restaurant area, Katherine turned out the lights and headed for her truck. Actually, it was an old Chevy Blazer. In the back, Katherine’s two brothers had removed the second seat and replaced it with racks so she could deliver large orders. Lately, she’d even baked some wedding cakes.
She pulled up beside the house she’d lived in since she was a little girl. It wasn’t an elegant home, but it had housed her and her family for a quarter of a century. They’d even managed to paint it a couple of years ago, the entire family pitching in.
Katherine smiled. She had a wonderful family. All the kids worked hard, never complained. Except for Susan, she thought with a sigh.
Her youngest sister appeared at her car door, as if she’d conjured her up with that thought. “Are you going to get out, or sit there all night?”
Katherine smiled and opened her car door. “I was just resting a minute. How was school today?”
Susan rolled her eyes and started walking toward the house.
Obviously the wrong question.
Her mother had dinner on the table. Katherine gave a grateful sniff, before she crossed the kitchen to kiss her mother’s cheek. “Everything smells delicious, Mom.”
“That’s because Jack’s joining us,” Susan snapped, glaring at her mother.
“I—I didn’t think you’d mind,” Margaret Peters said, her anxious gaze on Katherine.
Katherine ignored her sister’s reaction and hugged her mother. “Of course I don’t mind. We need to thank him for the work he did on the chicken coop, anyway. I think the chickens have been laying more eggs now that the roof doesn’t leak.”
Susan gave a sound of disgust and left the kitchen.
“Katie, I don’t think—”
Margaret’s timorous tones ate away at Katherine’s stomach. “Don’t worry, Mom. Suse will get over it.”
She hoped her sister would mature enough to stop interfering in her mother’s chance at happiness. Margaret had wilted when her beloved husband had died. She’d had no idea how to go on. In the passing years, she’d grown stronger, helping Katherine with her business, taking care of the younger children. Katherine had encouraged her to make decisions, a new experience for Margaret.
Just a few months ago, Jack Ledbetter had asked about leasing some of their acreage. Because of Katherine’s hours, he’d come over after dinner one evening.
Katherine recognized the attraction that sparked between the two older people. With Margaret’s shyness, the interest needed some careful nurturing. But Katherine had enthusiastically supported Jack’s efforts.
Susan was the only one objecting.
The sound of a car engine signaled Jack’s arrival and Margaret’s cheeks turned bright red. “I—I think Jack’s here.”
“Yeah. I’ll call the kids.” Only Paul and Susan remained at home.
Once they were all seated around the table, passing bowls of delicious food, the subject Katherine had hoped to avoid came up.
“I hear Gabe Dawson is back in town. Didn’t think he’d come back after burying his grandmother,” Jack said, smiling at Margaret.
The sudden silence made Jack stare at the others.
“What did I say?” he asked, frowning.
“Nothing at all, Jack,” Katherine assured him, but she kept her gaze fixed on her dinner plate.
“He came to the shop,” Paul muttered.
“What did he say? Is he moving back to town?” Susan asked, excitement in her voice for the first time. Like Paul, she’d adored Gabe.
“No!” Katherine snapped, and then moderated her voice. “He’s just here to settle Mrs. Dawson’s estate. I’m sure he’ll only be here a day or two.”
“You talked to him?” Margaret asked.
“Um, yes, I did.” Katherine didn’t add any details. She certainly wasn’t going to reveal Gran’s ridiculous will.
She knew her mother wouldn’t pry, and fortunately Jack asked a question about Paul’s school activities that distracted him. But she could feel Susan’s stare, even though she never looked at her baby sister.
When the meal ended, she sent Jack and Margaret into the living room. Then she turned to Susan. “Which job do you want? Gathering the eggs or cleaning the dishes?”
“Neither one,” Susan protested, her bottom lip protruding.
“I’ll get the eggs, Katie,” Paul hurriedly said. “I have to milk Betsy anyway.”
“And that’s why Susan will gather the eggs,” Katherine said firmly. “We all have to do our share.”
“Raine and Diane aren’t doing anything, and you send them money all the time.”
Katherine pressed her lips together. Then she relaxed them into a smile. “And hopefully I’ll be able to do the same for you. They worked hard while they were growing up. And they both work now, after class every day.”
Susan opened her mouth to protest, but Katherine had had a long day. She wasn’t willing to argue with her sister tonight. “Go get the eggs,” she ordered in a no-nonsense voice and began gathering the dishes.
Susan stood there, and Katherine feared she’d have to have a showdown with her little sister. Finally Susan stomped from the house, her displeasure evident.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with her,” Paul said, worry in his voice.
“It’s okay, Paul. Everyone can’t be perfect like you,” Katherine told him, smiling.
“Aw, sis!” he protested, and hurried after Susan.
Katherine sank down into the nearest chair and buried her face in her hands. Finding solitude was the most difficult feat in her life.
She wanted to examine the feelings that had filled her when Gabe had suddenly reappeared in her life. She wanted to indulge in memories that made her weak with longing.
Maybe it was best that she couldn’t.
Too many chores awaited her.
GABE SAT IN HIS GRANDMOTHER’S rocking chair on the back porch of her home, listening to the silence. Sometimes, in the city, it seemed he never found the silence that the countryside provided.
Or all the glittering stars.
No lights to compete with their brightness. He hadn’t turned on a light. He hadn’t even opened the door to Gran’s house. As if he were afraid to go in.
Ridiculous. He’d gone into her house when he’d come for her funeral. But he hadn’t been alone. His parents had accompanied him. In spite of the fact that his mother and Gran hadn’t gotten along, even his mother had mourned the old lady’s passing.
And they’d all felt guilty.
Gran had been left in Cactus alone. He’d been reluctant to come visit because of Katie. Oh, he’d come occasionally, but not as often, or for as long, as he should have. Gran always said she understood.