Praying for Daylight (6 page)

I laughed, remembering, “No, although it does sound like potential for a good time. I was thinking about the alley.”

“I’m not much of a bowler if you remember.”

“It’s a café during the day, and club at night now. They do line dancing too if you like that sort of thing. No pressure, just two friends catching up.”

I wanted to talk, that was all; get to know this new Kate, and figure out how much of the old Kate was left. She had to be hiding in there somewhere. Question was, why in the hell had she changed so much? What made her look so on edge that she might crack?

“That would be nice, but I can’t really be seen in public if I want to keep my cover.” She glanced back at the door, like she was debating running inside. “You could come over for a bit, and we could hang out.”

I nodded, “Okay, sounds good.”

“Good,” she echoed. “Well, bye.”

She gave me another hug, and didn’t stay put for long. She whipped around, ran into the house, and slammed the door behind her.

I rode Colt home, feeling like I was in an alternate universe. After more than two years I’d finally seen Kate. We were going to talk, hang out. I was happy about that. I mean, I’d wanted to talk about what happened for so long. She broke me. The one girl that I trusted above anyone, broke me into pieces that I thought I’d never be able to put back together.

I wasn’t mad or angry, and I didn’t feel like I could never speak to her again. I’d felt all those emotions for about a minute, and then the truth settled in. She didn’t have to tell me. I had eyes. I saw how hard life was for her and Cheyenne. They were desperate. Ben’s dad left. It was all so hard for them. I was selfishly begging for the girl I loved to stay, to give up an opportunity to pull them out of the hell they lived in.

So when she showed up on my porch in tears, kissing me like she was never going to again, I let her go.

I watched her run down the drive and climb onto the bare back of a horse.

There were so many times I almost went after her, but I knew this was what she wanted. I tried to reason with her that she could have me and the singing career, but she cried even more each time. So I let it go. I let her go.

But now she was back.

And hell if I wasn’t tempted to ride right back to her house, kiss her like I’d never kissed her before, and tell her that I would never let her leave me again.

That was a stupid idea though, one that was likely to get me slapped.

So I rode home. I fought my instinct to turn back, even as I stabled Colt. I pushed the screen door open and went into the kitchen. My mother was at the stove watching a pot of something that smelled like stew, and my younger sister was sitting at the table putting a puzzle together. She had a thing for jigsaws with pieces so tiny I felt like a giant trying to pick them up.

“Hey baby doll,” I ruffled Maria’s hair and she scowled up at me. “What?”

“You smell like a cow.”

I frowned. “Thanks, kid.”

“Mamma,” I kissed her on the cheek and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Got a visitor,” she said, nodding toward the living room.

I smirked, “Really?”

“Behave,” she snorted. “Else I’ll have Josh here next. I know you two used to fight over her.”

Ah, Ellie was here. “It was a game, mamma. No big deal.”

I headed for the living room and found a pair of brown boots propped on the coffee table. Ellie leisurely sipped a glass of lemonade that must have been provided by my mother, and flipped through a magazine. “About time you showed up.”

I took the chair across from her, rocking back. “Yeah, had I known you were waiting I would have hurried. So what’s up?”

Her eyebrows rose, “Oh, a lot…can we take a walk?”

“Uh, sure.” I got up and held the door for her, following her out onto the front porch.

“Don’t want anybody dropping eves, if you know what I mean.” She smiled, swirling the lemonade in her glass.

I leaned against the railing, watching a couple of the dogs play in the yard. “So what brings you all the way out to O’Brian territory?”

“Well, I was just feeling like we could talk.” She sighed, staring into her glass. “We’re friends, and I know that when a friend needs something, sometimes you have to tell another friend. You know, because you can’t help them or you don’t know how…or maybe they won’t let you.”

“Are you and Josh okay?” I asked, wondering if there was trouble.

“Oh, we’re great,” she smiled.

“Is it Tuck? Briar or Chase? Hell, is it Willa?”

“No, none of them…” She shrugged, looking a little nervous. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. I told my friend I wouldn’t say anything for two days. So I should have waited until tomorrow…but I can’t make myself.”

I rubbed my neck, really confused. “Ellie, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

She nodded, “Yeah, I know. And even I’m not sure that anything’s really wrong. But she…my friend…is scared. I can see it. Really afraid. It made me scared.”

“She?” I motioned for Ellie to sit in a rocker and sat across from her on the porch railing.

“My friend. Yeah, she’s scared.”

“Of what?”

“I don’t know,” she sipped her drink. “She won’t tell me.”

“Okay, so how am I supposed to help if I have no clue who this friend of yours is?”

“Well…” she sighed. “I just…she doesn’t want anyone to know she’s here.”

I blinked. “Really?”

“Yeah, she’s private like that.” She trailed off, eyeing me.

Was it possible she was talking about Kate? “How private?”

“Well, very private.”

“Uh-huh, and I bet she’s being stubborn. Typical for her.”

Ellie’s eyes lit up. “You know?”

“Yup, sure do.”

“Since when?”

“An hour ago,” I laughed, relieved we were talking about the same person. “So what makes you think Kate’s scared? She’s a tough girl, Ellie.”

She sat forward in the rocker and clutched the glass. “Dustin, you didn’t see her face. You don’t know. I’d never seen her look like that. Something is very wrong. She’s hiding. She said it was dangerous. She made me leave because I wasn’t safe. What is that? Why wasn’t I safe at the farm with her? I don’t know what to make of it, and she won’t say anything.”

I knew something was up, but this just didn’t sound right. Maybe Ellie heard wrong, or maybe Kate was just upset by something in the media and was waiting for it to blow over. Might help me figure out why she was so wary though. “Why tell me?”

She smiled, “Kate has very few weaknesses, and you’re one of them. She’ll tell you. She used to tell you everything that she couldn’t tell me.”

“It’s been two years. Things have changed.”

She stood, handing me her empty glass. “That may be true for some people, but I can’t believe you guys have been apart so long that you can’t get her to tell you what’s going on. Just try?”

I nodded, giving her a wink. “Thanks Ellie, I will.”

She let out a breath and smiled. “I feel better now that my duty as a friend is done. I think I’ll go find Josh.”

I watched her leave, thinking about everything she’d said. Kate coming back so suddenly was really odd. But for her to be scared and hiding from something? It just didn’t fit.

I’d eventually find out, and then Ellie would be able to relax a little more.

It was probably nothing. Kate was wary, but after how things ended between us, she was probably just feeling funny or nervous seeing me again. I was sure things would smooth out and she’d be more like her old self.

If that didn’t happen though, I was going to find out what the hell was going on with Kate Kelly.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Kate

Dustin was going to come back over.

What had I been thinking when I actually agreed to that?

Nothing, obviously.

I couldn’t go out with him. People would recognize me. Ellie would have understood my need to disguise myself if we went into town…Dustin, not so much. And it wasn’t like I was going to tell him anything.

I had a serious problem, and the only thing I could seem to do was stand over my suitcase the next night, hating every outfit I had with me. I must have tried on seven shirts before finally deciding on one I liked. It was pink with ruffles on the sleeves, and I paired it with dark jeans. My hair went up in a pony. Then back down. Then I clipped half up. Then I put it back in a pony.

I finally got sick of changing so much that I pulled everything out of my hair and let it hang loose. But I did put on a little makeup and some lip gloss.

Hell, what was I trying to do?

He was coming over to catch up, and I was getting ready like it was a date or something.

I wiped the lip gloss on the back of my hand and stomped into the kitchen feeling like an idiot. I wasn’t sure what time he would show up. So what was I going to do until he did?

I stood there, staring at the stove, thinking I’d make pancakes. It was a calming activity. One I’d perfected to an art form. If I hadn’t become a singer, I probably would have tried to go into the business of making pancakes. Though I’m not sure that would have been the best career move.

With all my ingredients lined up, I hummed one of my songs while mixing the batter together, and poured the first batch in the pan.

Perfect.

Little bubbles started to form on the tops, and a luscious cakey smell wafted through the kitchen. Smelled just like home. This was mom’s pancake recipe, and it felt right to be making them again in her kitchen. It was a little sad, but I found myself smiling when I thought of how she’d smile as I made them all by myself.

Once the first batch was done, and I had the second on, I found myself staring at the cookie jar.

Of all the stupid places to hide a cellphone, that one was the worst.

I flipped the pancakes, trying to ignore the cookie jar.

Didn’t work.

Next time, I’d put my phone in the freezer.

I marched over, pulled off the lid, and grabbed my phone. It chimed as I booted it up. I had two texts from my sister, wanting to know how I was. That was it.

As I was plating the last batch of pancakes the doorbell rang.

“Wow, something smells amazing,” Dustin said when I let him in.

“Thanks,” I smiled, motioning him toward the kitchen. Blueberry, chocolate chip, banana, and cinnamon raisin pancakes were mounded on two plates on the island counter. “I think I have a problem.”

He nodded with appreciation. “Yeah, but I am just the guy to help you dispose of the evidence.”

“Great, I was hoping you’d be hungry. I just got so bored I didn’t know what else to do…” I grabbed plates, and Dustin got the butter and syrup from the fridge. We sat side by side on stools at the counter eating quietly. It was a teeny bit awkward, but it had been two years. I didn’t expect us to jump back into being friends the second we were alone again.

“So how’s Cheyenne and Ben?” he asked, going back for a second helping of pancakes. Seemed the cinnamon raisin were his favorite.

“Great, Ben’s playing soccer, and getting really good at it. Cheyenne is an amazing interior designer now, and I think she may be getting engaged.”

“Wow, that’s great. Who’s the lucky guy?”

“My manager, Jake. They are perfect for each other.” I felt a little sick, wondering if Jake was the one behind the whole Death thing. I seriously doubted it, and I hated to even consider him as a suspect, but he was super close to us. Close enough to know all the stuff Death knew. Damn, I had to cut it out. Jake was not trying to hurt me or anyone else I loved. He was too sweet. “Ben really likes him too.”

“You okay?” he asked, fork halfway to his mouth.

“Sure, why?”

“You just had this funny look for a second.”

Damn, I needed to be more careful. He’d always been able to read me better than anyone else. “It’s been tough. Going from being surrounded by people every second to being totally alone.”

“Yeah, I wanted to ask you why you came back?”

I avoided his gaze, staring down at my last pancake, suddenly feeling like I’d lost my appetite. “It’s not something I want to talk about. I just need to lay low for a while.”

“Those Hollywood types getting too much for you?”

I shrugged, taking my plate to the sink to clean it. “Something like that.”

“So what’s it like, being famous?”

I focused on scrubbing my dish. “It was really weird at first. Still is sometimes. All these people know you, but you don’t know them.”

“Kate, are you sure there isn’t something wrong?” he pushed.

I shut off the water and grimaced, not looking back at him. “Have you seen Ellie?”

“Maybe, but what Ellie said doesn’t matter. I found it strange the minute you showed up here, alone.” He came up beside me, setting his plate in the sink. “As a friend, Kate, I’m worried about you. You don’t look…good.”

I smacked my hand on the counter and turned to meet his gaze. His eyes locked on mine. He had the richest brown eyes. So dark, to the point where I almost couldn’t see the iris. “Please drop it.”

“Ellie seems to think you’re in trouble.” He frowned. “And the more I think on it, the more I’m leaning toward agreeing with her.”

“If I am, it’s no one’s concern but mine. I’m not telling why I’m here, other than I need to lay low for a while. I don’t want anyone knowing where I am. Chase, Briar, Ellie, and now you know. Don’t tell anyone else.” I stared him down, hoping he got the point.

With a shake of his head, Dustin backed up. “You know, I thought it would be hard for those fancy pants Hollywood types to change you. Not my Katie. She’d never be like them. But I think I was wrong.”

“What does my wanting privacy have to do with me being like them?”

He snorted, “You’re being all secretive, that’s what. Acting like…I don’t know…like maybe you can’t trust us. Why in the world would you act like that toward me or Ellie? Hell, Chase and Briar, even though you don’t know her all that well. But she is with McCree, so that should be proof enough that you can trust her.”

“I think it’s time for you to leave, Dustin,” I said, more calmly than I thought I had in me.