Kentucky Rain (7 page)

Somehow, he would take the place of that cat. Sooner than she realized, Katherine Cox Lawrence would be holding and kissing him instead.

Chapter Seven

The next day, while Reagan was at horse camp, Kate carried Spike to the Walters Small Animal Clinic where she had an appointment. Scott had shocked her last night. He’d been good with Reagan, letting her daughter keep the kitten and giving them food and litter for the night. More importantly, she’d been stunned by her response to a side of him she hadn’t known. The man owned a beautiful, well cared-for cat that was evidently well-loved.

Good with her daughter. Cat owner. Was there a softer side to the man?
Careful, Kate, you’ll be swept away.

She couldn’t afford to feel any sympathy toward Scott. He was too manly and sexy for her good. Jerry hadn’t been. Maybe, that’s why she’d married him. He’d been safe, not sexy, and he’d made her feel as if he needed her, too—as if she’d been enough for him at that time.

But there should have been more. For a very long time, she’d been without the considerate support Scott had offered her and Reagan. With Jerry, she’d always worried about pleasing him, helping him, walking on eggshells so she and Reagan didn’t disturb him when he needed his quite time and space. When had Jerry given her the same sort of caring?

She realized the hollowness of her relationship with Jerry. It was a profound revelation.

“Good morning,” Dr. Mandy Sullivan said, entering the exam room. Married to the retired, famous bull rider, Judd Romeo, Mandy had kept her maiden name professionally. “It’s good to see you again, Kate.” The veterinarian wore a white lab coat and khaki slacks. Her dark hair was pulled back at the nape of her neck, and she had a rosy glow about her.

A quick glance explained Mandy’s look of contented happiness. Dr. Sullivan was very pregnant.

Kate placed Spike on the metal exam table, holding him so he wouldn’t jump off. “It’s good to see you again. I see congratulations are in order.”

Mandy blushed. “Yes, but I’m not sure I like pregnancy. It’s too limiting. I feel so awkward. Judd tells me I’m as clumsy as a bull in a china shop.”

“Men! They should try being pregnant.”

“I totally agree.” Mandy smiled and turned to the small, orange patient. “So, this is what brings you in today.”

“Yes, Sarah Gray at Supreme Stables gave the kitten to my daughter yesterday at horse camp. We want to make sure he’s healthy.”

Mandy shook her head as if to indicate she’d seen this situation many times. “That’s Sarah for you, always rescuing some little creature. Let me call my technician.”

A young girl in blue scrubs entered the room and took over at the table for Kate, who moved out of the way.

“Your kitten is a boy,” Mandy confirmed.

“I thought so, but wasn’t sure.”

“I’ll give him a good checkup,” Mandy explained as she worked. “And I’ll test him for feline leukemia and FIV before vaccinating him.”

“We’ve never had a cat, so we don’t know anything about caring for them.”

“They are pretty self-sufficient,” Mandy said. “All you need is good food, a little water, a litter box, a few toys. You’ll need to bring him back in three weeks for more shots and in four to six months to neuter him.”

“I suppose that’s better for him,” Kate observed.

“And you too. You don’t want the complications of a male cat in your house.”

“Male anything,” Kate said under her breath.

Mandy heard her and grinned but didn’t comment. She finished giving the vaccinations. “We sell the items you need in our shop out front. I recommend flea control for a few months, but if you keep him indoors, which I suggest, you won’t need it all the time.”

“Sounds good.”

“Here you go.” Mandy returned the kitten to Kate. “You have a healthy animal.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“My pleasure. I enjoy helping Sarah with her ‘pet’ projects.” They walked to the waiting room together. “You know Sarah works for my brother-in-law, and my daughter, Georgia, helps with her horse camp.”

“Oh, I saw your daughter at camp. She’s a beautiful girl.”

“She is,” Mandy acknowledged, “especially after what she went through several years ago finding her birth mom. But that’s a story for another day.” She set Spike’s new chart down on the receptionist’s desk. “The point is, we may have some used boots and jodhpurs that your daughter can wear, if you’d like to have them.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful. Reagan is new to riding, and I’m afraid I don’t know much about it.”

“Great. I’ll send Georgia to your house after camp with the clothes.”

“Thank you, Mandy.”

“Thank you, for letting me meet your new family member.”

* * * *

Kate left the clinic with her cargo space full of cat equipment and necessities. Spike, their new family member, was safely ensconced in a wire-mesh topped carrier with a plastic base. Kate no longer had to worry about him crawling under her feet as she drove. She’d also bought a hooded litter pan at the suggestion of the receptionist and a tall, multi-level, carpeted tree house that had to be assembled.

She’d spent a ton of money, but considered the expense worth it. Besides, her child support check was due in the mail this week. Eventually, she’d have to watch what she spent. She still had to go through nursing school. Money would be tight. It would be many years before she could do without Jerry’s support.

No, she mustn’t think about it that way. The money she’d been awarded was
her
money, too. She’d been his wife for ten years. She deserved it, didn’t she?

Arriving at the duplex, Kate carried Spike in his new carrier into the house. When she returned to unload the car, she found Scott in his sexy running outfit waiting for her beside the Honda.

“Need help?”

“Ah, no, I can manage.”

“Let me help.”

He looked so charming and boyish, and so damn luscious in his running shorts. She took a second look at him and couldn’t say no.

“I see you’ve bought out the store,” he commented dryly as he picked up the bulky box containing the tree house.

“It’s for a good cause,” she quipped, carrying in a bag of supplies—brush, catnip mice, cat grass, hairball remedy, a food dish and water bowl. “I’m helping the economy.”

They made another trip to bring in the heavy bags of cat litter and the hooded litter pan. After depositing them on the kitchen floor, Scott turned on his heel and headed toward the front door.

She didn’t want him to think her ungrateful. She didn’t want him to leave.

“Scott, thank you,” she said hurrying to catch up.

He stopped and turned. The morning sunshine, streaming through the front and side windows, emphasized his long legs and well-muscled body. There was something calm and assured about him, as if he was comfortable in his own skin. His dark gaze surveyed hers with interest until she grew uneasy and looked away.

“You’ve done wonders with this apartment, Kate,” he said in his deep, admiring voice. “In a short time, you’ve turned it into a real home.”

Kate glanced around her living room, so different from Scott’s. It was a woman’s room filled with remnants of her old life. The earthy neutral color palette on the walls and natural lighting made the small space feel open. The tone-on-tone upholstered sofa and matching recliner were anchored with a colorful teal area rug. Funky teal accent pillows, table lamps and the retro coffee table added whimsy and smartness to the sunny room.

Unlike Scott’s masculine space, Kate had softened her living space with ready-made drapery panels. Pictures of Reagan and her dad and other knickknacks cluttered the side tables. The cheery room with its cozy furnishings imparted warmth.

As she saw the room through Scott’s eyes, Kate filled with pride. She had done it on her own without the help of an expensive hired decorator or her picky, hard-to-please husband.
Ex-husband.

What a sweet thing for him to say. Smiling up at Scott, she shrugged her shoulders. “You really think so?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“I’m just trying to do my best for Reagan.”

“You’ve certainly done it here.”

They stared at each other as if time held them captive, that invisible thread of attraction holding them spellbound. Kate’s heart melted. She slowly, unconsciously, licked her lower lip. Scot drew a deep breath and stepped back as if he needed space.

He hesitated a moment and then ran a hand over his dark hair. “Listen, Kate, if you have time, can you help me with my master bedroom?” He took a step toward her. “I don’t have time to decorate it. Can you help me out?”

Caught unaware, she shook her head. “I couldn’t possibly.”

“Why not?” He met her gaze. “I’ve been in my house for over a year, and all I’ve managed to decorate is my living room. I need help.”

“But I’m no expert.”

“At the moment you have what I don’t have…time. I’m going out of town again next week.” He turned his gaze from her to the room. “And I love what you’ve done here. I want something like this for my master bedroom. Something soothing and comfortable.”

Kate stared at him, vacillation inside her growing. Could she really do it? Play HGTV and decorate Scott’s bedroom? Did he really like what she’d done here, or was it his attempt to…what? Get closer to her? Why? She’d told him she wasn’t interested. Time wasn’t right. She was recently divorced.

And then she remembered the day before when she brushed the horse, and Scott basically held her in his arms.
O.M.G!

Do it.
You have nothing to lose.

She forced herself to nod, heat blooming in her face. “Okay. I do have time until school starts in late summer. Surely, we can get it done before then.”

“Great! I’ll count on you.” Scott’s smile was a mile wide. He started to the front door, and then turned. “I’ll have to show you my bedroom.” He paused, letting the implication hang between them. “When Reagan is at horse camp. Tomorrow morning.”

Chapter Eight

The door had barely closed behind Scott when the trembling inside Kate started. What had she done to herself? Decorating her home was totally different from the responsibility of decorating Scott’s. And his bedroom, for God’s sakes!

Antsy, unable to concentrate, she sprang into action, unpacking Spike’s new equipment. She filled his shiny water dish and put kibble in the bowl, placing them both on the kitchen floor. Kate arranged the new litter pan on top of a plastic sheet in the guest bedroom/study. She added dustless litter that had been recommended by the receptionist and put the curious Spike into the middle of the hooded pan to make sure he understood his responsibility.

Next she tackled the assembly of the tree house. That’s where her father found her thirty minutes later, sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor amid the carpet-covered pieces of cedar and studying the directions that appeared to have been written in Chinese.

“Katy, you here?” Ben Cox wandered into the kitchen. “What in the hell are you doing?”

“Hi, Dad.” Kate looked up, pleased he’d returned safely from Ohio. “Glad to see you, too.”

“Get up from there, girl. Let me do that. You don’t know nothin’ about putting stuff together.” He shooed her away from her construction project. “What is this thing anyway?”

Happy for her father’s help, Kate scrambled to her feet. From her childhood, her dad had always ridden to her rescue. Too bad he’d been unable to save her from herself and her poor decision ten years ago. He’d warned her against marrying Jerry. She hadn’t listened. All water over the dam, of course.

Kate let out a breath of relief. “It’s a climbing contraption for a cat,” she told him.

“You guys don’t have a cat.” He eyed her suspiciously. “Or do you?”

Spike chose that moment to appear, springing from his hiding spot under the kitchen table and attacking Ben’s shoe strings.

“That’s no cat,” he pronounced gruffly. “More the size of a damn rat.”

“Don’t let Reagan hear you say that,” Kate warned, smiling. “She loves that kitten.”

“‘Bout time the kid got a pet.” Ben pulled up a chair and picked up the instructions while Kate made him a cup of coffee in the Keurig coffeemaker.

She brewed one for herself, liberally added milk to it, and settled down on a kitchen chair to watch. “How was your trip?”

“Good.” Her dad wasn’t much for words, but added, “Bud and I are getting too damn old.”

“But you guys are still healthy and active.”

“Humph. Don’t kid yourself. Growing old ain’t for sissies.”

Kate sipped the hot coffee, cupping the mug in her hands. Her father’s hair wasn’t completely gray, mostly salt and pepper. His middle had thickened over the years, but his attitude was upbeat, and he remained spry. She dreaded the day when he was gone. Her divorce had made her face reality far more than she wished, and she knew someday she’d be without his support, without his shoulder to lean on.

“I found out from Reagan that Jerry is getting married this weekend,” Kate said softly.

Ben didn’t even pause at her announcement. He screwed the square base and the first pole together and set them upright.

“I wondered when that was going to happen,” he muttered. “Didn’t take the bastard long.”

“Dad!” Kate put the mug down on the kitchen table. Her hands were shaking too badly to hold it.

Ben shook the screwdriver at her. “The man never had no morals. Wouldn’t surprise me if he wasn’t banging some woman on the side.”

“Dad!” His words were ugly, but they reflected exactly what Kate suspected.

“You know I’m right. You were sleeping with him before you married him,” he said plainly. “I told you Scott was the honorable one. You should have married him.”

Kate jumped up and marched to the sink to pour out the coffee. Like her father’s words, it was too bitter to drink. She fought tears of anger, finally collecting herself and turning back to admit, “Scott never asked me to marry him.”

“Then the man is dumber than I thought.”