Kitabı oku: «The $10,000,000 Texas Wedding»

“Gabe! Come over,” the matchmakers yelled. “We’ve figured out the perfect man for Katie to marry so you’ll be off the hook.”

“There’s a rancher with four children. He needs a mother for them. Katie—”

“No! She’s already raised her brothers and sisters.” Gabe remembered Katie’s face when he’d asked if she’d gone to college. His heart ached for her lost dreams.

“There’s the minister. Katie would make an excellent minister’s wife,” Florence said.

“No, I don’t want—” Gabe stopped, frustrated. “Damn! Isn’t there someone who would let Katie be Katie? Who would help her? She deserves the best!”

“Well, of course she does,” Edith said. “I told them that, but they argued with me.”

He nodded eagerly at Edith. “Yeah? Who did you think would do for Katie?” He wasn’t going to marry Katie off to just anyone.

“Why, Gabe, dear, the perfect man is you.”

The $10,000,000 Texas Wedding
Judy Christenberry

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Judy Christenberry has been writing romances for fifteen years because she loves happy endings as much as her readers. Judy quit teaching French recently and now devotes her time to writing. She hopes readers have as much fun reading her stories as she does writing them. She spends her spare time reading, watching her favorite sports teams and keeping track of her two daughters. Judy’s a native Texan, but now lives in Arizona.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Chapter One

Cactus, Texas.

Gabe Dawson carefully pulled into a parking space on the town square. He didn’t want to have a wreck on his first day back in town. With memories pouring into his head, he feared he might be too distracted to drive.

He’d grown up here, learning about life, sharing, hunting, camping, riding with his friends. Falling in love for the first time. Katie.

“Gabe!”

The man standing by his car door waited for him to acknowledge his presence. Gabe opened the door and got out. “Mac Gibbons!” he replied, grabbing one of his best childhood friends into a bear hug. “How did you know I was here?”

“I’d been to see Cal. Your new Mercedes caught my eye. Nice car.”

“Yeah, thanks.” The car was a result of his recent success. “I was on my way to see you.”

“About your grandmother’s will?”

Gabe nodded.

Mac reached out and squeezed Gabe’s shoulder in silent sympathy. “Come on, let’s get it over with. Then we can visit.”

Mac Gibbons knew Gabriel Dawson was in for a shock. He decided it would be better not to procrastinate. He hoped Gabe would take some time to think, not make a quick decision.

He led his old friend into his offices. After introducing him to his secretary, an efficient middle-aged woman, he took him down the hall, stopping at the first door.

“Alex, let me introduce an old friend, Gabe Dawson. Alexandra Langford is my partner.”

“Langford?” Gabe repeated, a question in his voice.

Mac nodded. “And Tuck’s wife.”

Gabe smiled. “Tuck always was a lucky man. But I’ll admit, I never thought he’d marry.”

Mac chuckled. “One look at Alex, and he was a goner.”

Alexandra gave her partner a knowing look. “You don’t have room to talk, Mac.”

“Yeah,” he agreed with a contented sigh.

“You remarried?” Gabe asked, astounded. He’d been around when Mac had lived in Dallas. He knew how badly his friend had been hurt.

“He married and is a daddy twice over,” Alex added.

Mac’s grin only widened. “Never mind that. We’ll catch up later. First, we’ve got some business to conduct.”

He led his friend into his office and shut the door.

Before sitting down, he pulled a legal file from his file cabinet. “Your grandmother changed her will last year.”

Gabe’s head snapped up. “Do you mean I’m not the heir?”

It wasn’t that he needed his grandmother’s estate. As an attorney with a large firm in Dallas, he earned a more-than-healthy salary. Then he’d taken a risk on a personal injury case and had won big. Big enough that he’d never have to work again.

But he’d loved his grandmother. He wouldn’t want to think he’d disappointed her.

“You’re still the heir,” Mac assured him, “if you meet certain conditions.”

“Certain conditions?” Foreboding filled Gabe. His grandmother had fussed about his lifestyle. Surely she hadn’t—

“You know how amazed you were that Tuck and I were both married?”

Gabe stared at his friend. What did their marriages have to do with anything? “Well, yeah, Tuck was determined never to marry and you, well, I was there when you went through your divorce. I remember how bitter and hurt you were.”

Mac nodded. “Spence and Cal are married, too,” he added, naming two other friends. “It seems our mothers were frustrated that we hadn’t married, any of us, and made a bet to see who would get the first grandbaby. They were so successful, they inspired a lot of other mothers…and grandmothers.”

“Are you telling me Gran changed her will to—to force me to marry?”

Mac nodded. “Yeah. I tried to talk her out of it, but you know how hardheaded she was.” He lifted several papers and passed them to Gabe before sitting down behind his desk. “You might as well read it yourself.”

Gabe took the will, his brows furrowing. He couldn’t believe Gran would try to force his hand. He’d been engaged once, but Gran hadn’t seemed too pleased with his choice. So why would she try to rush him into something?

He quickly read the papers, noting the requirement that he return to Cactus for one year. Outrageous, but not impossible. It would take him that long to sell her house. In the meantime, he would live there.

But it was the last requirement that had him leaping to his feet. “Marry Katherine? Was she crazy? Katie married over eight years ago. This is insane. When did she write this?”

“About six months ago. Katie is a widow now.”

Gabe swallowed. “I can’t believe she’d agree to this blackmail.”

“I don’t know whether she agreed or not. And there is a provision, saving you from that requirement if Katie marries someone else.”

“Where is she? I’m going to share a few facts of life with Miss Katherine Peters!” he exclaimed, turning to charge out of the room.

“Katherine Hill. And you’ll find her at The Lemon Drop Shop,” Mac obligingly told Gabe, a speculative look in his eyes.

“The what?” Gabe said, coming to an abrupt halt.

“It’s a bakery on the other side of the square. That’s how she supports herself these days.”

Gabe had avoided seeing Katie when he’d come back to visit his grandmother. His trips had always been brief and far apart. He hadn’t even visited the guys very often. He was always too busy.

Gran had come to stay with him at Christmas every year, preferring his bachelor apartment to his parents’ pretentious house in one of those neighborhoods in Dallas where the houses were huge and the lots small.

“She must not have been of sound mind when she made the changes,” Gabe protested.

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to prove that,” Mac assured him.

“Then Katie must have put her up to it. She probably needs the money and thought I’d be easy plucking.” He paced back to Mac’s desk. “Is she still supporting half her family?”

Mac nodded. “Most of the kids are grown. Two are still in high school. And then there’s her mother.”

“That’s what it is. She planned to cash in. Well, she turned me down once. She won’t get that chance again.” This time, when he turned to storm out of Mac’s office, his friend didn’t say anything to stop him.

Gabe stepped onto the sidewalk and saw the bright sign across the square. The Lemon Drop Shop. Every letter was lemon yellow on a white background. There were small tables and chairs in front of the store, with lemon-yellow umbrellas to provide shade. It looked clean, fresh, delectable.

He charged across the street, jogging through the square, past the band shell and onto the opposite sidewalk. His mind was whirling with the news he’d received.

But even more upsetting was the intense anticipation that filled him. Katie Peters. No, Katie Hill, a widow. She’d probably be fat and dumpy, desperate for his grandmother’s wealth. He prayed she was. He didn’t want to see her.

Which didn’t explain why he was running.

Anger, that was it. He was angry that she’d swayed his sweet grandmother to act so irrationally.

A bell jangled as he swung open the door to The Lemon Drop Shop, and he wanted to strangle it. But almost no one paid him any attention.

Until he roared her name. “Katie Hill? Where are you?”

KATHERINE HILL WAS DECORATING a large tray of cookies. She enjoyed making the first few as she transformed the pale dough into bright butterflies. But as her back began to ache from bending over the counter, and she repeated the same designs again and again, she wished she were done.

Especially when someone yelled her name.

Startled, her hand jerked and the blue icing missed its mark. Instead, it shot across the wax paper onto the cookie beside it.

“Damn!” Katherine muttered softly. She took a knife to scrape off the wayward icing. Then she wiped her hands on the big apron she wore and pushed open the door that led into the front room. The friendly smile on her face disappeared, however, when she faced the man standing in the middle of the shop, his hands cocked on his hips.

Gabriel Dawson.

Katherine immediately shut away the memories that wanted to come cascading down through her mind. Another time, another life.

She purposefully swept emotion from her face. “May I help you?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know me, Katie!” he ordered, his voice a threatening growl.

“Oh, sorry, Gabe. The sun made it hard for me to see you. What are you doing in Cactus?”

“You know what I’m doing here!”

The customers in the shop, those sitting at the small tables and others in line to be waited on, were staring at them. Even the two women who worked for Katherine were frozen.

She didn’t know what he was talking about, but she knew she didn’t want to discuss it with an audience. “Why don’t you find a table outside? I’ll bring us some drinks and a snack.”

“It won’t do you any good to try to sweeten me up. It’s not going to work!”

Had the man gone stark raving mad? She hadn’t seen him since she’d turned down his marriage proposal ten years ago. Well, that wasn’t quite true. She’d occasionally seen him from a distance and hastily run in the opposite direction.

But he hadn’t come to visit Mrs. Dawson all that often. For which she’d been grateful.

“I’ll be right out,” she muttered, avoiding everyone’s stare. “Mary, Evelyn, I believe some of our customers are waiting.”

The two ladies snapped out of their stupor and began waiting on the customers again, and Katherine returned to the workroom. She didn’t look to see whether Gabe had followed her suggestion. If he decided to storm out as abruptly as he’d stormed in, she wouldn’t object.

She didn’t need any grief from him.

Putting several of the butterfly cookies on a plate, she loaded the plate on a tray and added two glasses of lemonade, along with napkins and straws.

After taking a deep breath, she pushed her way through the swinging door. She paused when she realized Gabe wasn’t still standing in the middle of her shop.

“He’s outside,” Evelyn whispered.

Katherine gave her employee a calm smile and walked to the glass door. One of her male customers immediately sprang to his feet to hold the door open for her. With a quiet thank-you, she stepped outside.

It was spring in Cactus, when a cool breeze kept the air pleasant and everything was still green. In summer it got hot and the grass turned a dingy brown-green.

But Gabriel Dawson didn’t look like he was enjoying the season. He glowered at her, standing as she approached the table.

With fourteen years experience as a waitress behind her, Katherine set the two glasses and the plate on the table, then added the napkins and straws. She handed the tray to her brother, Paul, who worked for her in the afternoon.

“Thanks, Paul.”

Her words gave her companion pause.

“Paul? Is that you?” Gabe demanded.

When he’d left, Paul had been a seven-year-old who idolized him, following him around whenever he saw him.

“Yeah, Gabe,” Paul said with a grin. After a sharp look from Katherine, he added, “I mean, Mr. Dawson.”

Gabe glared at her again. “I think Gabe will be just fine, Paul. It’s good to see you.” He stuck out his hand and Paul took it.

Katherine was proud of her brother. He worked hard for her without complaint. After her shop closed, he returned home and did the chores. Then he attacked his homework with the same fervor.

He would graduate this year as the valedictorian if his grades held up this last semester.

“You’re all grown-up,” Gabe told her brother, smiling for the first time.

Katherine quickly looked away. That smile had been her world, once upon a time. It hurt too much to see it now.

“Yeah. It’s been a long time,” Paul returned, then glanced hurriedly at his sister. “Well, I’d better—I’ve got things to do. Let me know if I can get you anything.”

“Sure. Thanks. Maybe we can visit later.”

Paul gave a quick nod, followed by another wary look at his sister, before he nodded again and grinned.

Gabe said nothing until Paul had disappeared inside the shop. Then he sat down at the small table and took a drink of lemonade.

Katherine did the same, hoping the liquid would make it easier to talk. When he still said nothing, she ventured a question. “What has upset you?”

His features, somewhat softened by Paul’s presence, hardened, and he looked like a man on a death mission. “Cut the BS, Katie.”

“No one calls me Katie these days. Please call me Katherine.” She didn’t need to be reminded of her youth, when everything had seemed possible.

“Katherine?”

She sighed. “Gabe, tell me why you’re angry. And what it has to do with me.”

“I don’t know how you convinced her to do it, Katie, but I won’t stand for it. You won’t win.” His hands clenched into fists.

It had to be Gran—Mrs. Dawson. She was the only connection between Katherine and Gabe. “What did your grandmother do?” she asked softly.

“You know exactly what she did. She wouldn’t have done such an awful thing if you hadn’t put her up to it.”

“I visited your grandmother, Gabe, because—because she was lonely sometimes. But we never discussed you.” Never, except for once. And Mrs. Dawson had promised never to reveal what Katherine had told her.

“Yeah, don’t try that sob story on me. I talked to Gran every week.”

“I know you did. She was very proud of your accomplishments.” While they’d never discussed Gabe, Mrs. Dawson had always bragged on her grandson. Katherine had figured that was her due.

“So proud she didn’t want to leave me anything?”

Katherine stared at him. When they’d dated, she’d known the Dawsons came from the wealthy side of town. His parents had had a nice house. His father had worked in Lubbock.

It wasn’t until after Gabe left that her world had fallen apart, that she’d discovered his grandmother had money, too. While the Dawsons weren’t as rich as some of the oil-rich families in town, Gabe’s grandmother was well provided for.

“Did she leave it to your father?”

“Don’t play games with me.”

“Gabe, what are you talking about? I swear I don’t know.” And she was getting tired of being accused of something she didn’t understand. “Now, you either explain what has upset you, or go away and stop bothering me.”

“So you didn’t know that she left me her estate on the condition that I marry you?”

His skepticism told her he didn’t believe it. But she was too stunned by what he’d said. Finally she muttered, “That can’t be true.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s true. And you know what’s even better? If I don’t comply with her terms, you get half her estate and the other half goes to charity.” He stood up, putting his fists on the table and leaning toward her. “But don’t think you’ve won. I’m a pretty good lawyer. I’ll find a way around it!”

Then he stalked back across the town square.

Katherine buried her face in her hands. Dear God, what had Gran done? Why? She knew Katie’s secret. But that was no reason to—was that why? Because she’d broken down one day and let her think… She’d talk to Mac. If she refused the bequest, surely that would solve the problem.

Because Gabe was right.

Mrs. Dawson’s solution wasn’t going to happen.

GABE RETURNED to Mac’s office because he didn’t know where else to go. Would he be allowed to go to his grandmother’s house without fulfilling the terms of the will? Should he see if the bed-and-breakfast on the square could take him? What was he going to do?

By the time he reached the reception room, he’d run out of steam. Fortunately, the secretary wasn’t in sight, and he sank down in one of the leather chairs that filled the room.

Lordy, Katie looked good.

As good as she’d looked when she was eighteen and had broken his heart. Maybe even better. She had a woman’s body and face, but she was still slender, with curves in all the right places.

The surge of desire that his anger had hidden hit him full blast. Damn it, he didn’t want her!

Like hell he didn’t.

He had to pull himself together, figure out what to do. He damned sure wasn’t going to let Katie Peters have his grandmother’s money. No way.

“You okay, pal?” Mac asked.

Gabe looked up to find his friend leaning against the door that opened onto the hall, sympathy on his face.

“Yeah, sure, I’m fine. It’s been a shock, of course, but I’m fine.” He was used to role-playing, hiding his weaknesses. A successful lawyer had to.

“Good. I called the other guys, and we wondered if you’d like to have dinner together. Cal married Jessica. You remember Jessica Hoya, don’t you?” At Gabe’s nod, Mac continued, “She’s got a great restaurant, The Last Roundup. We can have steaks and catch up on everything.”

“Yeah, fine, great idea. I’d like to see all of you before I leave town.”

“Leave? You’re not going to do what your grandmother asked?” Mac drew a couple of steps closer, concern on his face.

“Hey, I’m a lawyer. There’ll be a way around it. I’m going to find a way.”

Mac crossed over and sat down in the chair next to Gabe. “Buddy, I’m sorry, but she insisted I fix it so it couldn’t be broken.”

“Come on, Mac, you can’t be serious. She can’t force me into a marriage I don’t want.”

Mac sighed. “She left you an out—if Katherine marries someone else. But if you refuse and Katherine remains single, you lose everything.”

“My marrying Katherine, as she calls herself now, isn’t an option. So just cross that off your list. It’s not going to happen.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. Can I stay at Gran’s place?”

“Sure. You’ve got a year. You don’t lose anything for a year.” He stood up and headed for his office. “I’ll get the keys for you. I’ve had someone go in once a week and open up, dust a little. So everything should be in good shape.”

Gabe sat there, waiting. When Mac came back into sight, he said, “I have another request.”

“What’s that?”

“I want to visit with your mothers.”

“Mothers? Why? I mean, they’ll be glad to see you, of course, but…”

“I need some lessons on matchmaking. Mrs. Katherine Hill is going to marry before the year is out…one way or another.”

Chapter Two

“Alex, this is Katherine Hill at The Lemon Drop Shop.”

“Hi, Katherine. How’s everything going?”

Katherine didn’t bother to pretend. “Not well. I have a problem. Do you have time to see me this afternoon?”

There was a pause and Katherine held her breath.

“Yes, I can talk to you at four-thirty. Does that work with your schedule?”

“Yes, thank you.” The school rush would be slowing down by four-thirty, and her two employees could handle the business. She didn’t think her talk with Alex would take too long. She’d asked for Mac, but he was booked for the rest of the afternoon, and Katherine couldn’t wait that long to get legal advice.

AT FOUR-THIRTY, she crossed the square and entered the law office of Gibbons & Langford. She’d removed her apron, of course, but she wished she’d dressed up. Only, this morning, when she’d started her day at six, she hadn’t expected to need legal advice.

Alex rose and came around the desk to greet her. “I haven’t seen you in a while, Katherine. I had to give up those cinnamon rolls in the mornings. My doctor told me to cut back on sugar.” She gestured to one of the chairs in front of her desk as she sat back down.

Katherine sat as she said, “Oh, I’m sorry. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, but I’m expecting again.” Alex beamed.

“How wonderful! Your little girl is almost a year old, isn’t she?”

“Yes. She’ll be eighteen months when this one is born. But enough about me. Why don’t you tell me why you’re here.”

“Do you have to inherit something if it’s left to you?”

Alex frowned slightly. “Do you mean someone has left you something you don’t want?”

“Yes, that’s it, exactly.” Katherine leaned back with a sigh, glad Alex grasped the situation.

“Do you want to give me details?”

“I guess so. Did you meet Mrs. Dawson?” Katherine thought everyone in town knew Mrs. Dawson, but Alex had only been there a couple of years.

“Yes, several times. Mac drew up her will just a few months ago and—she’s the one who left you something?”

“I’ve been told that she did if…if certain conditions weren’t met by the beneficiary.” It was easier to think of Gabe as an impersonal term.

“What conditions?”

“Is it okay if I tell you? I mean, aren’t wills supposed to be secret?”

“Who told you?”

Katherine licked her lips as she remembered Gabe’s arrival in her shop, his anger, his—sexiness. “The beneficiary.”

“Did he swear you to secrecy?” Alex asked.

“No. No, in fact, he shouted—that is, he intended to talk in front of everyone, but I got him to sit at a table outside and explain what was wrong.”

“And was this person Gabe Dawson? Because I just met him a little while ago.”

Katherine nodded.

“A handsome man,” Alex observed, watching Katherine.

Katherine hated her fair complexion. It gave her away every time she was embarrassed. She looked at her clasped hands and muttered, “An angry man.”

“But I understood he was the beneficiary. Why would he be angry?”

“Gran—Mrs. Dawson left him her estate on several conditions. The worst one is that he has to marry me.”

Alex had been leaning back in her chair. She sat up abruptly, staring at Katherine. “You’re kidding.”

“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.

She’d come to Dallas occasionally. He’d bought her a plane ticket every time he could convince her to leave Cactus. The last couple of years, that hadn’t been often.

Katie had visited her.

That information had slipped out in her protestations of innocence. Which only made her seem more guilty. She’d brought Gran cookies and videos to watch.

He should have known. Even if she did have evil intentions, Katie wouldn’t forget Gran. When the two of them had been dating, they’d spent a lot of time at Gran’s house. His mother hadn’t seemed too welcoming to Katie. She’d wanted her son to date someone at Texas Tech. His own kind, she’d said.

Even though she’d never been rude to Katie, as far as he knew, Katie had sensed his mother’s disapproval. Katie had been reluctant to go to his home. Her home had been a three-ring circus, with her five younger brothers and sisters and her parents present. So they’d come to Gran’s.

Every room in the house held memories.

Some he’d like to forget.

Which explained why he was still sitting on the porch. Not that he’d been here that long. Dinner with his friends had dragged out, as they’d talked about old times.

They were good friends. He’d made other friends in Dallas, while attending law school, but the friendships weren’t as deep, as satisfying, as those he’d made as a child.

But even with them, his best friends, he couldn’t discuss his difficulties.

He stood up, ignoring the creak of the rocker, and strode to the back door. It was locked, which took him by surprise. Gran had never locked her doors, but Mac had had the place locked up, of course. He dug out the keys Mac had given him and unlocked the door.

The house smelled fresh, witnessing Mac’s remark that he’d had someone come in on a regular basis. Gabe reached out and clicked on the overhead light.

The big kitchen was neat and tidy. Too neat. It looked barren, compared to the clutter Gran had always had. Gabe tossed the keys on top of the pine table and went back out to his Mercedes. He’d picked up a few necessities at the grocery.

Waking up in the morning with no coffee in the house wasn’t something he was interested in doing. He could go without food for a while, but not without coffee.

He pulled out Gran’s percolator, a fancy one with a timing device. He’d given it to her last Christmas. Sighing, he realized she’d never used it. The tags were still on it.

Preparing the pot and setting the timer for eight in the morning, figuring he’d sleep in after his long day, he considered going to bed.

But he didn’t think he could go to sleep until he made a plan of action. He’d carried in his suitcase and briefcase along with the groceries. He put his briefcase on the table and pulled out a chair.

With a clean legal pad and pen, he felt more confident that he could find a way out of this mess. The tools of his trade. He began listing the problems. Then he looked for solutions.