This Old House

Katherine was so engrossed in their conversation, they might have been entirely alone for all the notice she gave the people in the cafe. As they lingered over their coffee, she wanted time to stand still. Then in an abrupt change of mood, Ross suddenly looked over at her. His eyes slid down to linger on her lips. She felt her stomach clench with a sensation riding a lot lower. “If I offer you the position of nanny, will you accept?” Katherine’s heart felt like it was in her throat. She hadn’t had a chance to meet the boys, yet. But then, did it matter? She needed this job, and after all, they were just little boys–taking care of them didn’t require a brain surgeon. With the tip of her tongue she moistened her lips. “Are you offering me the position?” “I want to. I’d really like to have the boys settled into as near a normal home as possible. But we’d be fooling ourselves if we think there won’t be some adjustments that will have to be made.” Katherine didn’t quite know how to phrase what she wanted to say. “I, uh...” she hesitated. “You want to make it clear that you want the job of taking care of the kids, not sleeping with me,” Ross broke in abruptly. Had he read her mind? Katherine nodded and looked down at her hands. This was so embarrassing. He probably thought she was acting like a child. After all, most people wouldn’t think twice about taking whatever gratification they wanted. Wasn’t this the age of, “If it feels good, do it?” She could feel Ross’ eyes on her but didn’t look up. “Katherine, I won’t deny I find you attractive. Even if you weren’t as beautiful as you are, I’d find your spunkiness a challenge. You’re quite a lady. But you have my promise I won’t do anything you don’t want.”

Asylett Press Edited by: Michele Stegman Copy Edited by: Sandra Dugas Cover Art by: Imaginusional Graphics and Web Design

Senior Editor: Rhonda Bennett Acquisitions Editor: Fredrick Hunt

(www.imaginusional.com)

All rights reserved. Copyright © 2007 by Lavada D. Sprout ISBN 1-934337-07-2 Names, characters and incidents depicted in this novel are the inventions of the author, derived from his imagination. Any resemblance to persons (living or dead), organizations, locales, or events is coincidental. Any actual historical figures, locations, events, organizations or products that may be mentioned are done so in a fictitious manner, without intended harm or malice. No part of this book may be reproduced or copied, electronically, mechanically, or manually, to include photocopying, scanning, recording, or transcribing; nor may it be transmitt express written permission of the publisher. If you received this book from any source other than the publisher, or a publisher-approved vendor, please be aware that it is a pirated copy, and neither the publisher nor the author received any payment for it’s sale.

Published in the United States Of America September 2007 Asylett Press 3616 Devils Three Jump Road Little Plymouth, VA 23091 www.asylett.com

 To my mother who loved reading romance and whose support and encouragement has made writing a joyful experience for me. To my critique partners Regina and Kathie who have gifted me with their generous time and support. To my friends Barbara and Larry who laugh with me and help me keep life in perspective and remind me to stop and smell the roses. And, to my family who share, encourage, support and believe in me. Without them I couldn’t experience this wonderful joy of writing to it’s fullest.

 atherine finished pulling the last box across the floor where it joined the others filled with Joanne and Diven's

clothes. She wiped her eyes and groped for another tissue but the box was empty. She had already shed so many tears. Packing up personal items that had belonged to her late sister and brother-in-law was really hard, especially since there was no one to help her. The shrill ring of the phone pierced the silent house, interrupting her thoughts. Darn! She'd just gotten Jodi down for her nap. Katherine gave the box a final shove and dived for the phone. “Hello,” she panted into the receiver. The voice at the other end was a deep bass, and if the man was a bit taken aback at the exuberance in which the call was answered, it didn’t show. “Hello, this is Rossiter Huntington and I’m returning a call from Ms. Alexander.” Katherine took a deep breath. “This is she. Please excuse me. I was moving boxes and I’m a little out of breath. I called you about a possible position for a live-in housekeeper and nanny.” For a moment there was silence, then the deep sexy voice said, “Who did you get my name from?” His abrupt question caught Katherine unaware. He didn’t sound very friendly, but it was best to be cautious. These days one couldn’t be too careful and of course the man would ask how she knew he was looking for someone to take care of his kids. She hadn’t thought to ask her neighbor if it would be all right to give her grandson’s name 

 but it was too late now. “My neighbor’s grandson, Charles Bragin, gave me your number. I understand he’s your co-pilot.” Taking a deep breath she willed herself to slow down. “My sister and her husband were recently killed in an accident and I’m trying to find employment and a place to live for my niece and myself. It will be better for Jodi if I can find a job where I can stay at home with her.” Katherine paused to catch a breath before adding, “At least for a while.” The line went silent for a few seconds before Katherine heard his reply. “I’ve been looking for someone to care for my boys, but I’m really not interested in employing someone short term. It rather seems most women find homemaking stifling. The boys have had three different women taking care of them in this past year. I’m sure you can understand how hard this can be on small children.” Katherine heard the dismissal in his voice. “Yes, I agree Mr. Huntington. A short-term arrangement wouldn’t be good for Jodi either. I’ll be more than willing to commit to a time frame that will work for both of us.” Katherine felt completely out of her element. She was used to being in control. Feeling vulnerable, she silently bit her lower lip and decided to be completely honest. “You’re the first person who hasn’t immediately rejected me because I have a child and I desperately need a job.” 

oss felt the woman’s desperation as he listened to her. She had a rich, soft voice. It wasn’t hard to imagine her reading stories to his boys. The light from the lamp would shine down on them as they cuddled up on the sofa. Shifting the phone, he held it casually between his chin and shoulder while he finished tucking a plaid shirt into the unbuttoned waist of his jeans. In spite of himself, he felt a glimmer of hope. After all, he mused, Charlie 

 wouldn’t have given this woman my number if there weren’t at least a possibility of working something out. Ross formed an image of what Katherine would look like. He guessed her to be around forty and a bit on the hefty side. Why, he didn’t know, except there was a certain amount of security in the image. The last thing he needed was someone close to his age. Someone who might get the wrong idea of exactly what he wanted, which was only a nanny. He certainly didn’t need the complication of a live-in romance. It was better to keep that part of his life out of the small town he lived in. Ross had no trouble attracting the opposite sex. Of course, the pilot’s uniform didn’t hurt. Dating was one thing, a permanent relationship another. Not that he wanted one. His first marriage had ended in disaster. Maybe Mom is right, I probably don’t look in the right places. But then he wasn’t the only one. You only had to look in the paper. The divorces filed column was a mile long. It didn’t take a genius to see that a lot of other guys weren’t making the right choices either. Oh yeah, he thought, fat and forty might be just the ticket. “Getting a little cynical in your old age aren’t you?” he mumbled before catching himself. Hopefully she hadn’t heard him. Doug, one of the other pilots, passed through their crash pad giving him the thumbs up sign. Probably thinks I’m lining up a hot date. Boy, would he be surprised, Ross thought. With all his musings, he suddenly realized the line had been silent for a while. Afraid she might have hung up, he cleared his throat. “You still there?” With relief he heard her reply. “Yes, Mr. Huntington, I’m still here.” “Okay, Ms. Alexander, I’m just finishing up a flight assignment and have a few days off. Would you like to come out to the airport for an interview? I don’t know if Charlie mentioned it to you or not, but I don’t live in Spokane. I live about three hours drive south of here in the small town of Silverton.” He could hear the hesitation in her voice as she answered him. “I don’t have anyone to watch my niece for me. I 

 don’t want to bring her with me because her parents were killed in a plane crash and I don’t think being at an airport so soon would be good for her.” At her words, Ross remembered Charlie telling him about the accident. Her soft voice continued. “I hate to ask a favor like this, but maybe you could come over to the apartment. I’m in the middle of moving and it’s a real mess, but it would give you a chance to meet Jodi.” Ross heard the pain in the woman’s voice. She was having it hard. No doubt about it. What the heck? It wasn’t that far out of his way.



 lowly Katherine replaced the receiver.

“Oh my God, what have I done?” She looked around, seeing the apartment as he would see it. The old chrome table in the kitchen was literally on its last legs, its surface so scratched up it looked dirty. No amount of elbow grease would help it. Even in the best of times the apartment was dreary, now with boxes and trash strewn all over, it was downright depressing. “I knew I should have been cleaning it at least a little as I moved,” she muttered. It went against her grain, but Katherine had made the decision not to bother with cleaning. Within a week her sister’s apartment and anything left in it would be bulldozed under with the rest of the complex. She knew it would have been a futile waste of her time to clean. To make matters worse, the apartment was horribly hot and stuffy. Spokane in August was no place to be without air-conditioning. The old stand-alone cooler didn’t put out much cool air even when it worked, which was only about half the time. Katherine wiped the sweat off her face. She’d probably left dirty streaks across it. Packing wasn’t the cleanest of jobs. She was going to have to hurry to get cleaned up. It would probably take the man less than a half-hour to get from the airport to the apartment. 

 Galvanized into action, she tore into the bathroom pulling her tee shirt off as she went. The cool shower felt good but she gave herself only a minute under the refreshing spray. Pulling the khaki colored blouse and pant outfit over her damp body, she hoped she would look cooler than she felt. Thankfully she didn’t need much makeup. A touch of coral lipstick, a dash of her favorite Cier perfume, and she was ready. Well, except for her hair. She bit on her lower lip, trying to decide what to do with it. She’d put it in a ponytail that morning and hadn’t bothered to do anything since. With a sigh she gave up and pulled it up into a soft knot on top of her head. A few strands escaped almost immediately and floated around her face. As Katherine went by, she took a quick peek in Jodi’s room. The little five year old lay sprawled out on her back with her arms above her head. Her blond curly hair, wet with sweat, stuck to the side of her face. Barely more than a baby. “Poor little lamb,” Katherine whispered. Since losing her parents, Jodi didn’t sleep well when it got dark. She spent most of her nights catnapping. Then, when daylight came, exhaustion overtook her and she’d sleep much of the day away. Katherine swallowed the lump in her throat and whispered softly to the sleeping child. “Sweet baby, it will get better for us. We’ll make a home. I promise.” 

raffic was light driving across town to the address Ross had gotten from Katherine Alexander. He turned up

the CD and let the music drift through the Bronco. Life was good. Now if he could just get the boys settled in with someone he trusted, he could continue working at what he loved. This was certainly worth a shot. 

 Too bad marriage wasn’t an option. Maybe he was a cynic where marriage, in particular, and women, in general, were concerned. One thing for certain, if his ex-wife had left him nothing else, she’d left him with a great deal of experience in the marriage game. Ross gripped the steering wheel as tension rippled through his arms. Thinking about his marriage always did this to him. Slowly he took his left hand off the wheel and flexed it opened and closed. As he remembered it, it really hadn’t been much of a marriage. Miriam had set out to use him from the first. She only wanted someone to take care of her. He could blame her, but in truth he was as much at fault as she was. He had naively believed her when she told him she was taking care of the birth control. What a fool! He always figured double protection was the only way to go. So why had he been so careless? Even though he hadn’t planned on marriage, he had been ready to settle down. They were living in New York and he’d tried to convince her to move to Silverton or even Spokane. He’d argued that they could buy a home. Miriam had been adamant in her refusal to leave New York. The months before the baby was born weren’t all that bad. Miriam was good in bed and even pregnancy didn’t change that. She liked a good time and most nights they went out. When the baby had been born, however, things had begun to get really bad fast. He’d hired a nanny. That didn’t seem to help. He’d again tried to get Miriam to move from New York and apartment living, reasoning that if they had a house and yard things might be easier. No way! He’d known when she’d started running with the other guy. He still thanked his lucky stars for the nanny. Even with everything like it was, he was still surprised the day he came home to find Miriam moved out. Hell, what kind of woman could just up and leave her baby? He loved his two little boys. The second one was literally left on his doorstep eight months after Miriam left him. He hadn’t even known she was pregnant. She’d left a note in the baby’s carrier and the following day he got a call from a lawyer. Miriam had signed all parental rights away 

 to both boys. He couldn’t forgive or forget what he termed the ultimate in betrayal. He knew he wasn’t easy to live with, but leaving the boys was something he would never understand and he didn’t plan to put himself–or them–in that position again. Glancing at the directions he’d written out, Ross made a mental effort to pull himself back to the present. Enough of dragging up old memories. This was a new day and he wasn’t going to ruin it by dredging up all the old baggage. He slowed the car, noting that the area wasn’t much of a residential one. There were a number of large office complexes with some still under construction. The entire neighborhood seemed to be in a flux of upgrade. As Ross pulled up to the apartments, he could see that at one time this had been a middle class housing district. In its heyday, the old apartment building would have been a pretty nice place to live. The apartments had been painted white with red shutters. Now the paint was peeling and a lot of the front shutters were missing. The concrete walks were cracked, and uneven portions of cement posed a real danger to anyone not paying attention to where they were walking. It wasn’t hard to see why they were being torn down. Even with renovation they wouldn’t fit in with the current infrastructure. Skirting around a pile of junk, Ross went up to the apartment address Katherine had given him. He looked around for the doorbell. Giving up, he pulled open the screen door wondering why they had left the darn thing on. It was disintegrating with rust. What a worthless mess. He knocked. The door opened. And he had a fleeting vision of fat and forty winging off into oblivion. Cripes, how far off could I get? Ross’ body leaped in instant reaction. If this was nanny material he was ready to go back to childhood. With a sinking feeling, he knew no one in his small hometown was going to believe she was only the nanny. The woman standing at the door was a perfect fit for his six-foot frame. He’d seen a lot of beautiful women. 

 The airport had its share flying in and out, not to mention the flight attendants, but this one was exceptional. She had clear skin that was tanned to a light golden perfection. Her blond hair was a couple of shades lighter than his own and curled softly where it escaped the knot she’d pulled it into. Only her chin, which had a bewitching dimple, kept her from being a classic beauty. He found himself liking the stubborn set of it. Ross struggled for breath. This woman would stand out in a crowded room. Never had he seen anyone look more out of place than she did standing in the doorway of the dilapidated apartment. He wasn’t thinking of his boys or their needs as he stepped back so she could open the screen for him. 

atherine, catching her lower lip between her teeth, swung the door open, inviting Ross in.

“Thank you for coming out here. I really appreciate it.” She offered him a seat on the worn sofa. “Would you like something to drink? I have iced tea or juice.” “A glass of iced tea would be nice.” She felt the impact of the voice that, less than an hour ago, had held her spellbound on the phone. With a sigh of relief she made an escape to the kitchen. She opened the fridge. A wave of dizziness swept over her and she grabbed the edge of the door. She steadied herself as she poured iced tea from the pitcher, wishing she had a lemon slice to add to it. Mr. Huntington may not expect much with her moving but she was thankful she’d left out a couple of glasses when she’d finished packing the kitchen items. If she hadn’t, they would have been making do with Styrofoam cups. Taking a deep breath, Katherine worked at composing herself before returning to the living room and the man who waited for her. “For Pete’s sake, you’ve seen good-looking men before and didn’t act like a moon struck 

 schoolgirl. Snap out of it, get in there, and make this job interview as professional as possible,” she mumbled to herself as she slammed the refrigerator door. She returned to the living room. Handing one of the glasses to Ross, Katherine moved past him and sat down on the opposite end of the sofa. It wasn’t as though they had a big choice of where to sit. The overstuffed chair that matched the sofa had the clothes she’d been sorting strewn all over it. “I hope you won’t judge my housekeeping on the condition of this apartment. I only have a couple of hours of packing left. With the apartments being torn down, it seemed a waste of time to cleanup as I packed.” Taking a long drink of his tea, Ross leaned forward, a scowl on his face. “It’s stifling in here. It must be well over a hundred degrees. Didn’t they put air conditioning in these apartments? I don’t know how in the hell you’re managing to pack in here, let alone clean.” Katherine hated the apologetic tone of her voice as she tried to explain. “All the apartments had air conditioning when they were built, but as they broke down I guess the owners didn’t want to go to the expense to fix them. Jodi doesn’t seem to mind the heat, and I manage. You do what you have to do. It isn’t a perfect world, Mr. Huntington.” Ross got up from the sofa and stalked over to the small front window. Turning, he looked straight into her eyes. She could hear the tick of the kitchen clock as the seconds passed. Finally he broke the silence. “Look, before we go much farther with this, I have to tell you...” Breaking off he continued in a softer tone. “I’m sorry I came on pretty strong there.” “It’s okay, Mr. Huntington. You don’t have to explain.” “Yes, I do have to explain or least try to. It’s just that you’re not what I was expecting. Silverton is not a real small town but it isn’t a city like Spokane, either. People tend to know their neighbors more. Ms. Alexander, I have to be frank and tell you that there isn’t a ghost of a chance that anyone is going to believe I hired you to take care of 

 the boys without an ulterior motive. Hell, even my own family may have a bit of trouble when they see you. While I can certainly handle that, I don’t think you, or the kids, need any more complications in your lives right now.” Katherine didn’t know what to say. He was right of course. Why hadn’t she stopped to think a little? If she’d asked the ages of the boys it would have given her a clue to how old their father was. She frowned at the scenario he painted. Single good looking male, single good looking female, three young kids. The room fell silent. Ross passed a hand over his mouth. He seemed to be waiting for her to say something. She ducked her head at the threat of tears. Oh no, I can’t do this. I wouldn’t be so weepy if I wasn’t so darn tired. After all I didn’t really get my hopes up. Even as she thought it, she knew it wasn’t true. She really had been getting her hopes up, especially after he’d called, because it just seemed so right. “It’s all right,” she managed to get out. “Please excuse me. I don’t usually get emotional like this. It’s just that with the heat and all, I’m afraid I’m just tired out.” Katherine waved her hand in a sweeping motion taking in the room and apartment. “Anyway I’ve been thinking of taking Jodi and going back to Western Washington where I was living and working before all of this happened. At least the weather will be easier for me to cope with. I’m so sorry you spent the time to come over, but I guess we both hoped it would work out.” Wanting desperately to get him out the door before she really fell apart, Katherine jumped up from the sofa. As her feet hit the floor, the room tilted. Her last thought as she slowly sank into unconsciousness was, Please don’t let me be sick.



 atherine felt like she was looking through the wrong end of a telescope. She was lying on the sofa and a

noticeably shaken man was holding a wet cloth to her head. "Can I get you something? You’re not pregnant or anything are you?” Katherine tried not to laugh. It wasn’t funny but the look on Ross’ face gave her a mental picture of what he must have looked like getting the cloth wet. He certainly hadn’t rung it out. It was dripping. This was awful. Here the guy had come all the way out to the apartment, probably hoping as hard as she was that he’d found someone suitable to take care of his boys, and now he probably wished he was anywhere but here. They both started talking at once. She tried to apologize and explain that she was as healthy as a horse. Ross tried to reassure her, saying it wasn’t her fault. They both halted, and after a second she tried again. “It’s just this heat and...” Hesitating she confessed. “I hate to say this because it sounds so stupid but I was so busy I put off eating.” The room became silent again as Katherine looked up and stared into Ross’ eyes. He was so close, sitting on the edge of the sofa. He still held the dripping cloth but thankfully this time he held it away from both of them. She reached up to take the cloth from him. As she did, her raised arms pulled the fabric of her blouse against her 

 breasts clearly defining them through the wet fabric. She touched his hand and quickly pulled back from the heat of the contact. He was right. This would never work. Her mouth was suddenly dry and she moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. Ross bit back a groan. “Charlie should have known better. Cripes he has eyes. Neither one of us needs this.” “No, and please don’t say anything to him. It isn’t his fault, if there’s any blame it’s mine. I got your phone number from his grandmother. I haven’t even met the guy.” “Look, I hate to leave you like this. Maybe we can think of something. My job takes me away from home for a week or more at a time, so if we could maybe get you and Jodi an apartment while I’m home, we could keep up appearances. Anyway, let’s give it a chance. It’s early enough. If we get started right away, we could drive down to Silverton and I could still get you back here tonight. It might be a long day but you can meet the boys and see the house, and then we can talk about where to go from there. Okay?” She didn’t have to think about it. She immediately agreed. Katherine wanted to hurry and wake Jodi, but this time she took a little more time standing up. She didn’t want to give Ross time to change his mind but she didn’t want to pass out again either. Silently, she made her way to Jodi’s bed. The room was so hot, not even a hint of a breeze came from the open window. It seemed impossible that anyone–even a child–could sleep in such heat. Katherine bent to brush her lips across Jodi’s forehead in a feathery light kiss and felt her heart lurch when she saw the tear dampened pillow. The little girl clung to the battered old blanket she was curled around. Staying in this apartment was not helping Jodi. She needed to be resettled as soon as possible. Katherine wondered for the hundredth time how she was going to make the type of home for Jodi that would allow the healing to begin. Am I making the right decision in going with this man? What if I like what I see, and worse, what if Jodi likes it? Then, it will be harder to come back if things don’t work for us. 

 Katherine gently got Jodi ready for the trip. She was such a little girl, so precious and vulnerable. Jodi’s future happiness was dependent on her ability to again trust the adults in her life, and building that trust was going to fall solely on Katherine’s shoulders. Never had she wished more for a family. If only she had parents, grandparents, or even an aunt or uncle who would help her build a family for Jodi. She could only imagine how it would be to have a Thanksgiving dinner with a real family around the table, or a Christmas where there would be so many family members they would need to draw names for gift exchange. She couldn’t wait to get Jodi away from this apartment. If it didn’t work out with Ross, she vowed she would have them heading across the mountains within the next two days. Maybe after they were resettled Jodi would again be the carefree, coquettish, little imp she’d been before the accident. 

ess than an hour later, Katherine and Ross left Spokane. Jodi, comfortably settled in the back in her toddler seat,

was busy chattering away to her doll. “Mr. Huntington, I...” Ross interrupted her. “I think it’s about time we dropped the Mister. Let’s just make it Ross and Katherine, okay?” “Yes, I’d like that.” She took a deep breath. “I want to thank you for helping me get ready. I appreciate you packing the extra clothes and toys for Jodi.” Taking his eyes from the road, Ross smiled over at her. “And what about my insistence that you eat something? I didn’t want to take a chance on a repeat of you getting sick. Once in a day, or for that matter, once in a life time, is enough for me.” 

 Katherine nodded her acceptance. After all, he was right that she had needed to eat. She just wasn’t used to anyone taking care of her. Silence settled in around them as the Bronco ate up the miles. Katherine glanced into the back seat to check on Jodi. There was just enough room back there for the toddler seat because Ross had an assortment of clothes, a VCR and various other items piled in the Bronco. Ross explained the mess. “I maintain a crash pad in Spokane with two other pilots. I fly long flights to both the East Coast and Europe and have a work schedule with seven days on and six days off. Since I’m out of town most of the time, I almost never drive down to Silverton while I’m on a shift. The mess you see back there is part of moving back and forth.” “What do you do if the boys get sick or when minor emergencies come up?” “Well right now, the boys are staying with my folks. When I have someone taking care of them, the folks are just a couple of blocks away, so if there’s an emergency, or the sitter needs help, they’re close by. My sister is handy, too. She lives a few miles out of town on a ranch.” Ross looked over at her. “So I bet you’re wondering why, with all this family around, I need a nanny for Doug and Timmie? The fact is, I want the boys to have grandparents and aunts and uncles. That can only happen if they aren’t full time parents to them, and they would be if they took care of them all the time. I really appreciate help from the family but it isn’t fair to expect them to raise the boys full time. The boys need a home of their own and I want to provide it for them.” Katherine smiled over at Ross, “I understand and agree. You’re very special and the boys are lucky to have a father like you. A lot of guys wouldn’t have thought all this out like you have.” Blushing, Katherine quickly brought the conversation back to a less personal level. “Your family sounds wonderful. My sister and I always fantasized about a large family.” She smiled to herself as she continued. “When we were kids, we played paper dolls a lot and both of us always had large families. All complete with grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles and oodles of cousins. 

 Oh, and of course, dogs and cats. We literally filled the house and yard with them.” 

oss looked over at Katherine. He liked what he saw. In fact, he liked it too damn much, if this was going to work.

He still couldn’t believe he’d agreed to take her to Silverton. Who did he think he was fooling when he had told her they should give it a chance? Sir Galahad I’m not, he reminded himself. Maybe not, but it wasn’t in him to walk out of that dreary, hot, little apartment and leave her and the little girl to fend for themselves. They had both looked so vulnerable and in need of a friend. Katherine needed help with Jodi as much as he needed help with the boys. That part was good. But his instant attraction to her wasn’t. When Katherine bit her lower lip, Ross could tell his lapse into silence was worrying her. He tried to relax so he wouldn’t look like he was shutting her out. Breaking the silence, she asked, “Do I bother you with my chatter? If you would rather I be quiet and watch the scenery that’s okay.” “It doesn’t matter to me. Silence or conversation, whatever.” “Well then, I would rather hear more about your family.” Ross pulled himself back from his thoughts with an effort. She deserved better than an attitude. “Okay, you got it. I guess I am pretty lucky even though I don’t stop to think about it much. I have two brothers and a sister. I’m the oldest, then Wes. He’s married, and he and Lucille live in Walla Walla where they both teach school. Midge and her husband Darrel have three kids. Their oldest is seven, the same age as my oldest son, Doug. They have a little girl, five, and the youngest, Jimmy, who is just three. It gets pretty lively when all five of the kids get together. Midge 

 is two years younger than Wes, and then there’s Yogi. His real name is Christopher but everybody calls him Yogi because he always has a baseball with him. Anyway, he’s in Korea with the Air Force.” Katherine kept asking questions and the conversation flowed easily between them. Ross found himself laughing as he shared stories of his family. After a while, he asked, “So what about you? What do you do over there in that wet country of Western Washington?” Katherine laughed. “Wet country? It’s not that bad.” “Hey I’ve heard the stories about all you guys having web feet.” Katherine looked down and wiggled her bright red painted toes. “Nope, no webs.” Ross’ eyes left the road, his gaze running down over her legs. He didn’t consider himself a foot man but... With an effort he brought the road back into focus. “Okay, you made your point. A little hard to put polish on webs.” Katherine shifted in her seat and brought the conversation back on track. “I work at the hospital as a Sterile Processing Tech. We sterilize the instruments and set them up in surgical sets.” “Do you like your job?” “It’s okay. It pays a decent salary but I don’t intend to make a career of it. I work nights on a seven-ten shift. We work for seven days and then have seven days off. I took it so I could go to school days. I’ve completed all the prerequisites for radiology, the rest will be easy for me.” Ross’ voice showed compassion as he asked the obvious question. “How is your sister and brother-in-law’s death going to work in with your plans?” Katherine shook her head. “I’ll get there. It will just take longer. Right now my immediate concern is Jodi. She isn’t sleeping well at night and getting someone to sleep over, or take her in, will be hard to find on this shift. To complicate things, I don’t live alone.” 

 That statement caught Ross off guard. “You don’t?” “No, I share a place with two other people. It’s a small three bedroom, two bath place. Jack is a student and works part time. Anne works at the diner down the road. Neither are going to be thrilled with having a young child around and I know they won’t want to be responsible for her while I’m at work.” Ross let out a breath. “And, I thought I had problems.” The miles flew away as they drove over isolated roads. It was about an hour and a half drive and it would be a long day for all of them, but with Ross traveling from Spokane frequently, he knew the back roads to shorten the trip. The land swelled in mounds not quite big enough to be called hills. Ranchers grazed cattle on the arid land. “Eastern Washington is so beautiful in a quiet, peaceful way,” Katherine said. “It’s different from the lush foliage and forests that make the other side of the state so green. I’m more used to the cooler climate of Western Washington. The heat over here is hard to get used to.” “Yeah, but it’s a dry heat. You’ll find yourself acclimatizing before you know it. Also remember, the other side of the mountain is a lot more populated. Here, it’s pretty isolated.” That was all too true. They hadn’t seen another car on the road for quite a while and the farmhouses were set well back from the road. Most of them you couldn’t even see, the only evidence of their existence the mail boxes at the end of the lanes. The day flowed around them in peaceful harmony. Ross liked to drive and Katherine was easy to be with. Sharing her thoughts, Katherine said, “I often think about how it must have been for the pioneers when they crossed this land. I wonder, too, why some of them chose a particular spot to settle down in. Just think, they wouldn’t have had a nice smooth road like this to travel. It had to have been awfully hot moving at the pace they would have been going in the wagons. Here we are sitting in comfort in an air-conditioned car. I know it must be at least a 

 hundred degrees outside. They had to be made of awful strong stuff to have endured the weather and hardships.” Ross glanced over. “Strange how you should say something like that. I do the same thing–daydream, that is. Like you, about how it must have been when this land was first settled.” He tore his eyes off her, focusing on the road again. “We’ll be following along the old Lewis and Clark trail in just a bit, and it will take us all the way into Silverton. This area is rich in Northwest history. Did you know that the Whitman Mission is not far from here? They have about a hundred-acre site full of displays. There’s a visitor center with dishes and household things salvaged after the massacre. You can walk along paths that take you to a reconstructed campsite with a covered wagon. I’ve been meaning to take the boys up some weekend.” Katherine’s voice echoed her interest. “I’ve read about the Mission. According to the book it must be just east of Walla Walla. It would make a nice day trip. Maybe I can take the kids out there if this all works out for us.” Ross was enjoying Katherine’s company. She was an intelligent, interesting conversationalist. She had a natural innocent beauty that was, he noted, enhanced by the absence of makeup. Ross’ mind formed a vision of how she must look first thing in the morning. More precisely how she would look waking up in his bed. He framed a picture in his head. Her magnificent head of hair would be tousled, and her mouth would be full and swollen from his possession. A very painful sensation in his groin reminded him where he was. To dispel the picture he was forming in his mind, he thought of Miriam, his ex-wife. She had been a stunningly beautiful woman, but unlike Katherine, wouldn’t have been caught dead without her usual beauty make-over every morning. Thinking back, Ross realized he had rarely seen Miriam without her makeup. She had loved big cities and was in her natural element in New York. As usual, when he thought of Miriam, Ross’ mouth tightened and his face took on a closed grim look. Caught up in his own thoughts he noticed Katherine’s reaction. She looked confused. Well why not? Here he was one minute enjoying himself as he told her about his family and sharing the history of the area. The next, he’d clamped his jaw shut so tight he could feel a muscle pulsing. 

 She was no doubt wondering what had happened and if she had annoyed him in some way. As she fell silent and gazed out of the window watching the beautiful, quiet landscape slide by, he decided to let it go rather than try to explain himself. Katherine kept nodding off. Ross figured the late nights and worry over Jodi, plus the hot weather, were taking their toll. The Bronco was cool and refreshing and he could see it was an effort for her to keep her eyes open. Suddenly, she was wide-awake. “Darn, Jodi is so quiet, I forget I have her.” She glanced into the backseat. Ross did, too, by way of the rearview mirror. The little girl had fallen asleep and was leaning over in her booster seat at an uncomfortable angle. With a sigh, Katherine unclasped her seat belt so she could lean over the front seat to settle Jodi more comfortably. Ross might have been lost in his own thoughts but he would have had to be senseless not to be aware of the picture Katherine’s well-rounded derriere made as she bent over the seat. Cripes, she was more alluringly sexy in the innocent act of settling a baby in a car seat than a stripper was on the dance floor. And a whole lot more unapproachable. Too bad this wasn’t the kind of woman who would settle for a cursory relationship a guy could enjoy for a couple of nights and move on. He knew instinctively that this lady was open and honest and would give all of herself to a man when she made a commitment. Not for him, that was for sure. No, she was the type that would demand love in an intimate relationship. His experience had taught him well. Love was an illusion, at least for him. He gave a mute groan as he anticipated the pain and joy of having Katherine in his home. This is certainly not going to work if I can’t even be in a car for two hours with her without wanting to take her in my arms and... He mentally shook himself wishing fervently for the traffic of a big city to concentrate on. Refastening her seat belt, Katherine asked, “How much farther to Silverton?” “About a half hour or so, how about some music?” 

 Katherine reached over to turn the radio on for them. It was set on a country western station. “Hmm, we’re going to get along real well if our taste in music is any measure.” They made small talk as the sound of Garth Brooks filled the Bronco.



 atherine lazed back enjoying the music. Her heart filled with yearning. This feels so right, if only Ross will let

me stay. I know I will love the boys and it will be so nice for Jodi. Hopefully, his parents will accept us. The road stretched for miles through a series of low rolling hills. Katherine glanced over at Ross. He was intent on his driving. He’d been relaxed for most of the drive but for the last few miles he was anything but relaxed. She wasn’t sure he’d welcome conversation but decided to risk it. “It’s so isolated out here. We haven’t seen another car in almost an hour.” Ross didn’t look away from the road. “This is the most dangerous stretch of road in Eastern Washington. The rolling hills give it a roller coaster-like feel and the local kids love it. The trouble is, it’s deceptive. You think you can see for miles but a car can be hidden in one of the dips. Not knowing the road, a driver may try to pass and not see the other car until too late.” Katherine instinctively straightened up. “How much longer until the road levels off again?” “Only another two to three miles. In fact, we’re only about twenty miles from Silverton.” As they crested another hill, Katherine felt her stomach give a little jump. Not unlike coming off the crest of that roller coaster Ross had mentioned. Katherine placed her open hand over her stomach. “Wow, I felt that one and 

 you’re not even going fast.” The words were no sooner out of her mouth when she heard Ross utter a muffled curse. A truck appeared out of nowhere. It was almost sitting on the left back bumper of the Bronco. Katherine could see the passenger’s face as, at the last minute, the truck veered over into the left lane and sped past. Katherine’s voice was shaky. “I saw the guy in the right passenger seat as they a passed. They’re just kids. You’d think he’d look scared but he looked more like he was having fun.” Ross and Katherine watched as the pickup truck disappeared over the next hill. Ross shook his head. “Hopefully this woke the driver up at least. By the age of the pickup I’d bet it’s some farm kid that just got Dad’s old one when it was replaced by a new one. And I’ll also bet if his Dad catches him he’ll not only lose the license, but will be grounded for a month of Sundays.” “What makes boys do crazy things like that?” Ross laughed. “I’m just hoping with two of them I’ll get to be dignified grey before I lose all my hair.” Katherine nodded. “With everything in the mess it is, I haven’t given much thought to Jodi growing up. It isn’t only the boys that do crazy things. Girls have a time of growing up, too. Do you think bald is a problem for the moms of teenage girls?” Ross’ voice was soft and low when he answered. “What I think is you have enough on your plate to worry about without borrowing from eight years in the future.” The pickup appeared on the hill ahead of them. Katherine gave a gasp at the surreal image it made with the heat waves shimmering up from the pavement around and in front of it. The truck picked up speed going down the hill. It was about midway down the hill when it suddenly swerved onto the right-hand shoulder sending up a spray of gravel. Ross and Katherine watched in horror as the truck spun around. The force of the spin opened the passenger door and a body propelled out. Still in mid spin the truck flipped over, barely missing where the body had landed. 

 When the truck started going out of control, Ross pulled over to the side of the road and grabbed his cell phone. His hand shook as he punched in the 911 number. Telling them the location he added, “Alert the MEDEVAC people. If these boys are alive, at least one, and maybe all three, are going to need to be airlifted to a trauma center. I’ll confirm that request as soon as I reach them.” The pickup had come to rest nose down in the drainage ditch. Ross was speeding toward it before he finished the call and was there within seconds. As he braked to a sudden stop, he instinctively put his arm out to brace Katherine. She gave a little gasp as he brushed her breast. If he heard, he understandably didn’t bother with an apology. The Bronco was barely stopped before he was out and running toward the accident. Katherine wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t want to leave Jodi but she knew the boys needed all the help they could get. Ross had left the keys in the ignition. Starting the Bronco back up, she pressed the power window button, bringing them all the way down. Stepping out of the Bronco, Katherine was hit with what felt like a blast furnace. “It must be over a hundred degrees out here,” she said out loud to a still world. Jodi would be all right with all the windows down but she wouldn’t be very comfortable if she woke up. As she pondered whether to wake Jodi or leave her sleeping so she could help Ross with the boys, the little girl took the decision out of her hands. Sleepily rubbing her eyes, she stuck her little tongue out, wetting her lips. “Are you thirsty?” Katherine reached behind the seat and opened the cooler where she’d put some juice on ice. Jodi unhooked her seat belt and reached for the drink Katherine offered. Her eye’s were big and round as she peered over the seat at the scene in front of her. “Are those people going to be dead?” Katherine’s heart hurt. Jodi shouldn’t be thinking of death as the first alternative. Shaking her head, she tried for an honest answer to Jodi’s question. “They’re hurt but help is coming.” “Will they fix them?” 

 “I hope so.” Katherine finished unfastening Jodi from the booster seat. If she sat with her on the far side of the Bronco she’d be able to shield her from most of what was happening in front of them. She grabbed a blanket and helped Jodi out of the vehicle, then started to spread the blanket on the ground in a little patch of shade. When Katherine heard the sound of an approaching vehicle she immediately thought of an ambulance. The absence of a siren made sense in this remote area and she was thankful its mournful cry wouldn’t echo in Jodi’s memory. Glancing up from the blanket, she was surprised to see a big motor home pulling in behind them. An older man got out, and with a brisk nod at Katherine, walked rapidly toward the wreck. A few minutes later a woman stepped out and came over to Katherine and Jodi. Carefully choosing her words she asked, “A bad one?” At Katherine’s nod the woman dropped the subject and turned toward Jodi. “Whew, it’s pretty hot out here isn’t it?” Like Katherine, Jodi just nodded. Smiling, the woman said, “You’re not much for long talks, I take it. I’m Mrs. Humphry but all my grand kids call me Nana. Do you like cookies?” This got another nod. Mrs. Humphry turned toward Katherine. “Why don’t we take your little girl into the motor home? There’s air conditioning in there and maybe she’ll stay with me so you can see if the guys need help.” “Thank you. I wanted to help but I couldn’t leave Jodi.” “Naturally not, and this way I can be of help too.” The two women quickly got Jodi settled in with cookies and a coloring book that magically appeared. As Katherine went by the Bronco, she grabbed the bottle of ice water and a towel she had put in for Jodi. When she got to the accident, Ross was bending inside the truck on one side and the man from the motor home was on the other. “What I can I do to help?” 

 Ross pulled his head out from the truck. “It’s pretty bad in here. Both boys are semi-conscious, which is a blessing. The motor is sitting on their legs. It’s going to take a jack to get them out.” Katherine remembered what she had read somewhere about people badly hurt or dying being able to hear. “Did you call it in to 911 to give them an update or do you want me to get a little ways away and do it?” “I called it in. The boy that was thrown from the truck is conscious and doesn’t look to be seriously injured. Though I wouldn’t bet on it. It would help if you could stay with him.” Katherine half-slid down the ditch to the young man. He was sitting with his head in his hands. Blood dripped from his fingers. He rocked back and forth mumbling. “My dad is going to kill Tommy and me. My dad is going to kill Tommy and me.” What he was saying had taken on a rhythm as he repeated it over and over. The heat was excruciating. There wasn’t a hint of a breeze. It was pressing down, giving everything an unreal, nightmarish feel. Blood continued to flow from the boy’s head wound making the air sickly sweet with its smell. Katherine wet the towel with water and gently moved the boy’s hands so she could apply some pressure to his wound. He was deathly white and swayed toward her. For a second she thought he was going to pass out but he pulled himself upright and helped her with the towel. Wetting her lips, she managed to get her voice out without it cracking with emotion. “What’s your name?” Surprisingly, he volunteered more than she expected. “Jimmy Tucker. My brother’s name is Tommy. He was driving.” “What about the other boy?” “Oh, that’s Dude. He didn’t want to come with us today.” Katherine knew he was going to regret coming even more if he got the chance to regret anything. It seemed like hours before the ambulance and police car arrived, followed almost immediately by two more. Looking at her watch, she was surprised to see that it had been just over twenty minutes. 

 Katherine moved out of the way as a medic slid down beside them. It wasn’t long before another one joined them and began working on Jimmy. The scene that unfolded before her was organized chaos. The team from the Sheriff’s Office and the medical team had taken over the accident site. She looked around for Ross and saw him sitting in the open door of the medic unit. Walking over, she gave him a shaky smile. “I see you lost your job too.” “Yeah, and a good thing. We were way over our heads. There wasn’t a thing we could do for those two boys except be there.” His voice was tired and resigned. Katherine felt his pain. She knew as well as he it was going to take a miracle to get those boys out of this alive. She tried to lighten her voice. “It was sure nice to have that motor home couple. Mrs. Humphry took Jodi so she’d be in air conditioning and I could help. Still, I was torn about leaving her with a stranger. I ran up to check on her every few minutes. In hindsight, I probably wasn’t all that much help. Well, I better go get her. Those people will probably want to get going.” Ross shook his head. “I think it may be a while before any of us can leave. The sheriff will want to talk to us first. But, I think we can wait up by the Bronco or motor home, and that way we’ll be by Jodi.” When Ross stood up, he swayed. He was covered in blood. Until then Katherine had assumed it was from the boys, but on closer look the stains on his pants were soaking through from his leg. “Oh my gosh, you’re bleeding. What happened?” Ross waved her away. “It’s nothing. I just caught my leg on a piece of the truck and tore it up a little.” “A little? I don’t think so. This looks like it’s deep and you’re losing a lot of blood. Does anyone know?” “Max, the guy from the motor home does. He left to get something to make a pressure bandage.” Max was a little out of breath when he got back. He handed a roll of bandages to Katherine and instructed Ross to face the truck. Taking the scissors he had in his hand he cut Ross’ pants leg let off to the knee. No big loss as the metal had ripped the pants before getting to Ross’ calf. Katherine winced when she saw the deep wound. 

 Max noticed Katherine’s reaction. “Don’t worry, Miss. He won’t lose his leg. It’s going to need stitches and maybe there’ll even be a scar he can entertain his grand kids with some day.” As Max made butterfly stitches to close the wound, he talked to keep their minds off what he was doing. “These, and the bandage, will hold the wound closed until you get someone to stitch it up for you. You might need a tetanus shot as well. That old truck was pretty rusty in places.” Katherine held her finger on the end of the bandage while Max ripped off tape. “Are you a doctor or medic? This bandage looks professional.” “Nope, well at least not for a very long time. A life time ago, I was a medic in the army.” Ross straightened up and thanked Max. “Guess we’d better see to Jodi.” “Nana was reading her a story when I got the bandages. Why don’t we see if the sheriff is free enough to let us know what he needs from us. I’d sure like to get off this road before it gets dark.” Katherine turned to Ross, holding out her hand. “I’ll drive to the hospital.”



 atherine stretched one leg out from under the sheet into the cool room. White frilly curtains blew gently in from

the open window and brought in the fresh clean smell of morning air. It was a luxury to wake up slowly. It had been raining last night when they’d come in and the storm brought a welcome relief from the heat the area had been experiencing. She could hear lilting laughter from down the hall. Could it be Jodi? When was the last time she’d heard her laughing like that? With a rush, memories of yesterday came flooding into her mind. What time was it? Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, she saw it was just after nine. I must have died when I hit the bed, Katherine thought. It had been almost midnight before they’d gotten to Ross’ folk’s, and then they’d stayed up for over an hour talking. Ross had called his dad before they had left the accident site and asked him to meet them at the hospital. He’d explained that he had Katherine and Jodi and asked if they could put them up for the night. “Of course,” his dad had agreed. The emergency room had been full. True to form, it had looked like a long wait. It was decided that Katherine and Jodi would go home with Ross’ mother, but when a nurse had taken a look at Katherine and all the blood she 

 had on her, she’d insisted she stay and have a doctor check her over. Katherine had argued that she’d know if she was injured but the nurse hadn’t been buying it. Ross’ dad finally interceded. “You might as well stay. You can keep Ross and I company while we wait.” “But I don’t think Jodi will go without me. I was surprised she went into the motor home at the accident site.” Ross’ mother had taken Jodi down the hall to get a drink from the vending machine. Coming back up the hall she’d heard what Katherine was saying, and had assured her that Jodi would be fine with going home with her. When Jodi had slipped her little hand in Ross’ mother’s, Katherine could only stare in surprise. Katherine gingerly moved over to the edge of the bed. Yesterday she’d used some muscles she didn’t know she had. She glanced down at herself. Last night Ross’ mother had given her an oversized tee-shirt to sleep in. Her clothes had been a mess. The blouse had been soaked with blood clear through to her bra. At the foot of the bed she now spotted her freshly laundered clothes. She swallowed a lump in her throat, such thoughtfulness brought tears to her eyes. Katherine hurriedly dressed and made her way down the hall to the kitchen. Ross’ mother was shushing the kids and looked up as she came into the room. “Oh dear, I was hoping you could sleep a little longer. You were so tuckered out last night.” “Actually this is late for me. Nine o’clock? Whew, the pills the doctor gave me must have been pretty potent.” “Well you needed them. You look a hundred percent better this morning.” Pushing back a stray bit of hair, Ross’ mother gave Katherine a wide smile. “I was just about to leave you a note. I thought I’d take Jodi with us out to my daughter’s place. I promised her I’d help her put up some string beans today. We should be back around three this afternoon.” “Pease, Aunt Kathy,” Jodi piped in. “Dougie and Timmie’s aunts gots baby kitties and they said I could hold 

 them.” Katherine looked up at Mrs. Huntington. “I have to move out of the apartment and only have a couple of days left to do it. I’ll need to make arrangements to get back to Spokane.” Ross’ mother nodded her head in understanding. “Ross is still sleeping. I think the Doctor gave him the same medicine he gave you, plus probably something for pain. He should be awake shortly. Dad and I talked this morning and we thought if Ross didn’t feel up to the drive, we’d run you home this evening. Either way you’ll get home so don’t go worrying about it. Just relax and use the day to get a little more rest.” “Ross and I have to go down and talk with the sheriff. He took our statements out at the accident but only covered the minimum. It will be nice for Jodi to go with you. That way she won’t have to sit with me at the sheriff’s office.” To have Jodi happy and looking so healthy, well, it was almost too good to be true. Squatting down she put her arm around her niece. “I guess you can go, but you have to hold a kitty for me, okay?” Jodi wrapped her little arms around Katherine’s neck and gave her a fast hug before running out the door. “I gets to go wiph you,” she yelled to the boys. Katherine smiled after the little girl. Jodi still had a baby lisp, especially when she got excited. Katherine couldn’t help herself, she loved listening to it. She looked up at Ross’ mother with tears in her eyes and whispered, “Thanks.” Ross’ mother gave Katherine’s shoulder a squeeze and headed out the door. As the screen door banged shut behind her, Katherine thought, there goes a woman who understands with her heart. Katherine poured herself a cup of coffee and went to sit on the back steps. The backyard was small. She could see that someone tended it with love. Flowers bloomed along the fence and a swing sat lonely in the morning quiet. 

 The lawn chairs looked naked without the cushions that had obviously been put away when the storm moved in. “Peaceful, huh?” Ross sighed as he settled down on the steps beside her. He held a steaming mug in his hands. “I always like this time of day. I need to take more time to enjoy mornings like this.” Katherine’s senses were giving off signals she wasn’t used to feeling. Her body seemed to have a mind of its own when she was around Ross. She wished she had more experience to help her deal with it, but with working a full time job and carrying a full class load, she hadn’t had time to date. To top off being shy, she didn’t share her feelings easily and she wasn’t the type to be satisfied with the fleeting romances that some of the other students enjoyed. She wasn’t into the groping around that the guys seemed to expect at the end of an evening out either. At least, that’s what she called it. She couldn’t understand or get into exalting the passions of romance. The whole concept seemed to be out of her element. The fact was, she had quite a reputation for being a freeze out act, and wasn’t sure she even cared. Katherine swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. She could feel her heart increase its rhythm. Ross’ hair was still damp from his shower and he hadn’t bothered shaving. He had the appearance of a very handsome rogue. The shadow of his beard made his eyelashes look sinfully long. Dark and thick, they emphasized his steel gray eyes. He wore walking shorts that stretched tight across his thighs when he sat down. He seemed perfectly at ease and thankfully unaware of what was going on in her mind. “Well, we got off to quite a start yesterday.” “Yes, we certainly did.” She could see where the blood had seeped through the bandage on his leg. “How is your leg feeling this morning? Would you like me to change the dressing?” His gaze met hers. Clearing his throat, he said, “The leg can wait. Guess the first thing we ought to do this morning is go down to the sheriff’s office and tie up any loose ends. I imagine Carl will have a few questions.” Katherine agreed and took the keys Ross offered. A few minutes later they were seated in Carl’s office asking 

 how the boys were doing. All Carl knew was that the two boys who had been pinned in the truck had been airlifted to Seattle. The other boy was in Silverton General and was expected to be released today. It was almost noon, and what seemed like a hundred cups of coffee later, before they finished going over everything at the sheriff’s office. Katherine liked Carl a lot. He’d gone through school with Ross. The men had been best friends since the first grade. Ross stood and waited for Katherine to join him. “Well, if that’s all?” “Yeah, that’s about it,” Carl answered. “Except, welcome to Silverton, Katherine. We’ll get together for a barbeque after you get settled in.” As they turned to go, Carl assured them he’d let them know how the boys were doing as soon as he heard anything. It felt good to be out of the sheriff’s office. The sun was out but there were still some high white clouds in the sky from the night’s storm. The vulnerability Katherine felt with Ross was foreign to her. She had never depended on anyone except herself. She’d been close to Joanne, but even though she was two years younger than her sister, she’d been the one that took care of them when their parents had been killed. From the very beginning Katherine had felt in tune with Ross. Now she felt a strong urge to move close to him and loop her arm with his so they would be walking almost as one. She wouldn’t, of course. Even with his bad leg she instinctively knew he’d resent the intrusion into his space for one thing, and for another he’d made it clear he wanted no personal relationship. Business Only. Those were the key words. They’d parked a few blocks up the street from the sheriff’s office. Ross was noticeably limping but shrugged off Katherine’s attempts to make him slow down or head back home so he could get off his leg. As they went by a small café, Ross put his arm around Katherine’s shoulder and turned her toward the door. “Let’s catch a bite to eat.” “That’s a great idea. Your mother left the breakfast things out but I’m not much of a morning person and usually 

 don’t do breakfast. Now that we have the business at the sheriff’s office over, I’m starving.” “You should be, do you realize you haven’t eaten anything since that little bit you had before we left Spokane?” “I remember you insisting I eat.” They both laughed. Yesterday morning seemed like a long time ago. The cafe was old, with chrome tables covered in red and white checked tablecloths. This time of day it was crowded with lunch groups. Ross touched Katherine on the elbow, steering her toward a table along one wall. Her arm tingled where his fingers lightly held her. During lunch, Ross talked about Silverton. “I was born and raised here. I have aunts, uncles, and cousins to spare. In fact, my grandfather only passed away a little over three years ago and Grandma is still living in her own place just a few blocks over from my folks.” She could tell he was proud of his family. It was evident in his voice and the way he described them to her. “You’re lucky.” “Yeah, and I don’t always remember it, either. You would have enjoyed my grandfather. He was quite a guy. He always had time for me. I grew up on stories of how the Huntingtons were one of the founding families in Silverton. He always felt, and I might add strongly, that the town should have been named Huntington.” Katherine was so engrossed in their conversation, they might have been entirely alone for all the notice she gave the people in the cafe. As they lingered over their coffee, she wanted time to stand still. Then in an abrupt change of mood, Ross suddenly looked over at her. His eyes slid down to linger on her lips. She felt her stomach clench with a sensation riding a lot lower. “If I offer you the position of nanny, will you accept?” Katherine’s heart felt like it was in her throat. She hadn’t had a chance to meet the boys, yet. But then, did it matter? She needed this job, and after all, they were just little boys–taking care of them didn’t require a brain surgeon. With the tip of her tongue she moistened her lips. “Are you offering me the position?” 

 “I want to. I’d really like to have the boys settled into as near a normal home as possible. But we’d be fooling ourselves if we think there won’t be some adjustments that will have to be made.” Katherine didn’t quite know how to phrase what she wanted to say. “I, uh...” she hesitated. “You want to make it clear that you want the job of taking care of the kids, not sleeping with me,” Ross broke in abruptly. Had he read her mind? Katherine nodded and looked down at her hands. This was so embarrassing. He probably thought she was acting like a child. After all, most people wouldn’t think twice about taking whatever gratification they wanted. Wasn’t this the age of, “If it feels good, do it?” She could feel Ross’ eyes on her but didn’t look up. “Katherine, I won’t deny I find you attractive. Even if you weren’t as beautiful as you are, I’d find your spunkiness a challenge. You’re quite a lady. But you have my promise I won’t do anything you don’t want.” Katherine tried to recover the moment. “Thanks. Apart from the obvious problems with a relationship, I read somewhere that couples who were friends for years and later became intimate, well, many times it didn’t work out for them and they ended up with nothing. Not only were they left with a broken relationship, they also lost their best friend. I know we aren’t friends but I hope we will be.” Hardly pausing for a breath she rushed on, “As for your offer of a job, I can’t thank you enough for this chance.” Ross smiled and gave her a saucy wink. “Okay, and as much as I hate to admit it, I agree–sex can put a wrinkle in here and there.” Katherine felt herself blush. Was he making fun of her inexperience? She was kept from asking when Ross picked up the check and headed toward the cashier, leaving her to follow.



 

blast of hot air hit Katherine as Ross opened the Bronco's door. Motioning for her to wait, he reached inside the car for the cellular phone. "I want to call home and let Mom know we’ll be home later, then let’s drive down by the river and discuss some details. The car will cool off as soon as we get going.” Katherine watched him as he talked with his mother. Ross gave off signals that said he didn’t want to be tied down or committed. Yet, he took his responsibility for his boys very seriously. A lot of men in his situation would have just turned the boys over to his folks to raise. More and more she liked what she saw. Her gaze rested on his hands as they held the phone. His fingers were long and tapered. She could imagine them playing over a piano keyboard. She carefully schooled herself not to think of them playing anything more intimate. Ross rang off and turned to Katherine. “Well, hope you’re ready for this.” A grin played across his mouth. “It seems Jodi has adopted a kitten.” “Please say you’re kidding. I don’t know a thing about kittens. Joanne and I were never allowed to have pets when we were little.” Ross laughed. “For starters, you can get the worried look off your face. It will have to stay on the farm for a 

 while. Its eyes are just barely open.” “A kitten will be nice and Jodi will love it but this better work out for us. I don’t think it will be easy to find an apartment that takes pets, especially baby ones.” Ross’ eyes held Katherine’s for a minute. “Don’t worry, we’ll make it work, and be good friends to boot.” Playfully, he reached over and tapped her chin with his finger. Katherine drew in a breath at the jolt she felt. Being just friends was going to take some doing. A few minutes later, Ross parked the car at a waterside park on the Snake River. The river was wide and lazy as it wound its way through Silverton. On the other side, Katherine could see big beautiful homes. She quickly opened her door before Ross could even think about doing it for her, and stepped out. Making like a gentleman was ridiculous with the way his leg had to be hurting. Ross climbed out and joined her. He stretched and pointed toward the river. “At one time the river was called Lewis River. It’s famous for its Hell’s Canyon river runs. Tourists come for day or week long rafting and boating excursions. I worked on one of the boats with my uncle and dad while I was in high school. Sometimes, I still fill in during their busy season. I love being out on the river, and enjoy meeting new people. I find people on holiday are at their best.” Ross stared out at the river. “The canyons are beautiful. They’re forever changing and yet always unchanged.” She could hear the love of this country in his voice. It was hard to picture him in places like New York. He seemed to fit more into this land around him. A comfortable silence settled around Katherine and Ross.There was a soft breeze blowing across the river, putting moisture in the air and cooling the temperature. Today, just after the storm, it was a little chilly, but Katherine could imagine that being this close to the river would be a welcome relief when the temperatures got into the hundred’s. Katherine was curious, “How long have you lived here with the boys?’’ 

 “We lived in Spokane for the first two years after Miriam left us. Living up there, I didn’t even have the folks to check in on them for me and it was really hard to find someone I felt confident to leave them with when I was out of town. The last straw was one night when I came home unexpectedly about two o’clock in the morning to find the boys alone. Just after I’d gotten in the house, the woman I had staying with them came in so drunk her boy friend had to help her up the front steps. That was the closest I ever came to hitting someone in anger. Even Miriam had the decency to not leave the boys alone.” Ross stared out over the river, his face set in anger. “Thoughts of a fire came rushing into my head and the drunken smiles on the faces of that woman and her boyfriend were just about my undoing. As it was, I woke up half the neighborhood ‘helping’ them both out of my house. After that, I loaded the boys in the car and moved down here where they’d be closer to family. The boys and I have been in Silverton about six months now.” Ross stopped and skipped a rock out over the water. “Believe me, Katherine, you can’t guess how hard it is to find competent help, let alone someone who goes that extra mile and furnishes a little love. Of course, I realize it would be easier if I had regular hours and wasn’t out of town. As it is, I don’t know what I would have done without family. Being a single parent gets a little tough at times.” What he was saying wasn’t news to Katherine. Hadn’t she thought of all these things herself? “If you’re trying to worry me more than I already am, you’re doing a great job of it. I know this job won’t last forever and then I’ll have to face the same problems myself. At least this way Jodi will be older when I have to deal with it.” Ross clenched his jaw. Katherine could see the muscle tense. “Hey, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight just then. I wish I hadn’t come on so strong. Cripes, you have enough to worry about without me scaring you with my horror stories.” “It’s okay. Anyway it isn’t you, it’s me. This whole thing is scary and it makes me overreact.” Katherine smiled up at him. She had wondered about what kind of mother Ross’ ex-wife had been to leave the boys. Now, after only 

 a few hours in Ross’ company, she wondered how any woman could just walk away from a man like him. Each lost in their own thoughts, they walked along for a few minutes. Ross broke the silence. “Well, to continue on and answer your question, I own a few rentals and the boys and I live in one of them. It’s only a few blocks from the folks’. The boys and I stay there when I’m off work. It sort of gives Mom a break. We can go by and I’ll show it to you on the way home, but I have to warn you–it’s pretty small. It only has three bedrooms and no family room.” The conversation moved into the particulars of the job. It wasn’t hard to come to an agreement on wages, days off and responsibilities. Katherine’s main objective was to get a stable loving environment for Jodi. Wages were secondary. However with what Ross was offering, she would have enough to save toward the time she and Jodi would be on their own. It was nice to be walking along like this. Katherine only came to Ross’ shoulder and she felt protected in a way she wasn’t used to. Ross’ deep voice continued, “I’ve always been a planner, and maybe if I’m honest, a bit of a dreamer, too, but I don’t usually go on about things like I’m doing with you.” A few minutes later he stopped abruptly. He narrowed his eyes and pointed up the hill where a number of beautiful old homes looked grandly over the river. “What I’d really like to do is buy an older house and renovate it. I’d want a big old place with lots of cubicles and nooks. In fact, that one up on the hill is for sale and I’ve been toying with looking into it.” Katherine tried to follow his direction but couldn’t see which one he was referring to. Ross stepped behind her and gently tilted her head up so she could see which house he meant. Katherine felt her blood rush as her back pressed into Ross’ chest. She stiffened so she wouldn’t lean back into him. Ross released her at once, moving back a step. He drew away so abruptly, Katherine felt rejected. I’ll be more careful in the future, she vowed. After all, Ross had warned her he didn’t want any physical relationship between 

 them. A few awkward moments passed before Katherine pulled herself together. “Would it be possible to drive up and look at the old house?” Ross didn’t look like he liked the suggestion. “You don’t want to drive up?” “No, that’s not it. From the riverside, the old house is impressive with its graceful lines commanding attention. But I’m afraid it hasn’t been lived in for quite awhile and...” “And what?” “It’s pretty run down. Up close it doesn’t look so great.” Ross ran a hand through his hair. “I guess after all my going on about it, I don’t want you to see all the neglect its suffered. But what the heck, I’ve been wanting to get a closer look myself and now is as good a time as any.” They drove down the river road for a few miles before cutting up to the street where homes stood behind large manicured lawns and had beautiful views of the river. Katherine fell in love with the street on sight. Big, old maple trees lined both sides of the extra wide avenue. She could see expensive cars parked in driveways and wondered if Ross had the money to purchase something like this. Ross pulled over to the curb. “The house is only half a block away. My leg is stiffening up so let’s walk. The doctor said it wouldn’t hurt it and besides it’ll give us a feel for the neighborhood.” With a breeze blowing from the river and the trees providing their shade, it was even cooler up here on the hill. Katherine felt at peace as she stepped out of the Bronco. I feel as if I’ve come home, she thought. Parking and walking might not have been such a good idea. Ross was favoring his leg, and even though the doctor might have told him he could be on it, Katherine was sure he hadn’t meant to this extent. But he seemed eager 

 to continue so she decided she wouldn’t say anything, just keep a close eye on him. The house sat back from the road. Its lawn was mowed, probably because of some neighborhood covenant, but the flower gardens and shrubbery were in a sad state of neglect. The concrete driveway was covered with dry weeds pushing themselves through cracks. The iron entry gate was loose from the hinges and hanging at an angle. Thankfully, the house was constructed from granite and would never require painting. However the front porch was not so fortunate. The steps sagged and were filled with moss. It had once been painted cream with green trim. Now it was peeling and they had to look closely to see the original colors. Ross glanced over at Katherine. “Even with all the neglect, the roof and general structure seem to be intact.” Katherine nodded as she continued to peruse the house and grounds. “I’ve loved this house for what seems like forever,” Ross said. “When I was a kid, I had a friend who lived in one of the houses down the street. The house was kept up then, so I guess I can see around the condition it’s in now, but I can also understand how it must look to you.” Katherine felt, rather than saw, the change that suddenly came over Ross. One minute he was excited, the next disappointed, evident in the way he was now scowling. “Pretty much of a mess, huh?” he growled. Even in the face of Ross’ defeat, however, Katherine couldn’t keep her feelings confined. Her enthusiasm was ready to bubble over. Tilting her chin she looked straight up into his gray, long-lashed scowling eyes. “I love it! Do you think we could possibly look inside? I know it’s dreaming but I’d love to see all of it!” Two full hours later, Ross and Katherine sat on the back porch of the old house. They were silent as they looked out over the river. The house had indeed been a mess. Someone had painted the hardwood floors in the entrance hall an ugly dark green. The stairs that gracefully swept up from the front hall were missing over half of the banister and rails. The whole house smelled musty and the baths and toilets were never going to be white again. 

 Katherine saw all this, but she also saw the house with her heart. What she saw was the beautiful bay window in a breakfast area off the kitchen, six big bedrooms, and a very functional pantry. She didn’t see the ugly paint on the mantel; instead she saw the graceful, beautiful hand carving. It was apparent to her that Ross shared her joy in the house. As they went from room to room she could see they both saw the old house not as it was today, but as it had once been and could be again. Ross edged off the porch. “I’m going to get the car. You can stay here and dream a little longer.”



 

few minutes later, Ross pulled the Bronco up in front of the garage. It was an old converted carriage house with plenty of room for three cars and a work area. There was even enough room over the garage for an apartment if he wanted to put one in. He sat for a few minutes looking it all over. Leaving Katherine on the back porch, and removing himself from her proximity, made it possible for him to do a reality check. Would she stay, and for how long? If he could get her to stay until the house was finished and an apartment done, he might be able to get an older couple to live in the apartment and watch over the boys when he was out of town. Mentally, he went over the kids’ ages. Both Jodi and Timmie were five. It would be beneficial for her to stay until Jodi was at least ten. Five years. Would she stay and help him for five years? Slowly he got out of the car. His leg was beginning to throb, big time. As he went around the house, he saw Katherine sitting on the porch. Strands of her hair had come loose from her ponytaiil and wisped around her face. Cripes she was beautiful, but off limits if this arrangement was going to work. Katherine looked up. “Hi, I found some paper and started making a list. There’s an awful lot to do and even though it will take money, there’s a lot that can be done with elbow grease.” “I really appreciate the support you’re showing. I’m going to need all the help I can get to put this place together. 

 You know, I’ve been thinking about buying this house since it went on the market, and when we opened the front door this afternoon I think right then and there my mind was made up. I’m going to make an offer for it.” Katherine’s smile lit up her face. “I can’t believe it. You’re really going to do it?” Ross had to rein himself in. He wanted to pull her into his arms and make the afternoon complete...but she’d made it clear it wasn’t what she wanted. 

hen Ross and Katherine got back to his folks, Jodi was so excited about the kitten that it was over an hour

before things settled down. With all three of the kids finally settled in front of the television with hamburgers, Ross sat in the kitchen explaining to his dad and mom what he and Katherine were planning to do. Ross’ dad sat back pondering for a few minutes. “You know, Ross, this is a small town with small town ways. Things are different here than they are in Spokane or, say, New York.” He stopped to sip his coffee. “You’ve always been your own man and I know you’re only going to let me say so much. But son, think things out a little. You know whatever you decide to do, Mom and I are always here for you.” Ross’ mother carefully folded the towel she had been drying dishes with. “Dad’s right, we’re here for both of you. In fact, Katherine, if you want to finish moving out of Spokane, you can leave Jodi here with us. She’s so good and we all enjoy her.” Ross was sure that wasn’t the point his dad had been trying to make but decided to play along with the thread his mom had set. But before he could say anything Katherine broke in. “Thank you, I do need to finish getting things settled at the apartment and I’m not sure Ross should be driving with that leg. I can catch a bus tonight and drive back down in a few days. It would be wonderful if Jodi could stay 

 here but I’m not sure she’ll let me get that far away from her.” Katherine looked over and Ross frowned at her. “My leg isn’t that bad,” he growled, “and I’ll drive you up in the morning. With both of us working, we should be able to wrap things up and be back here by late evening.” Katherine looked like she was considering objecting. Ross sensed her hesitancy. Already getting cold feet, he thought, but didn’t want to confront her with his folks in the room. “On second thought, let’s drive up now. It’s early enough. If we get started we can be back earlier tomorrow.” Ross’ body language set up a barrier of defensiveness. “Ready Katherine?” Ross’ mother started to say something but with a warning look from his dad turned back to the sink. Katherine talked to Jodi. Surprisingly the little girl wasn’t a bit interested in going back to Spokane with her. Walking back to the kitchen she shook her head. “You must be magic. Jodi would rather stay here.” Ross’ mother laughed. “It’s called grandmothering.” Less than fifteen minutes later, Ross and Katherine had kissed the kids goodbye and were heading toward Spokane. He could feel the tension in the car. Katherine hadn’t said more than a couple of words. Oh well, he’d made this trip hundreds of times before without conversation. He bent over and turned the radio to the country western station he always listened to. Katherine reached over and turned it off. “What the hell?” he growled. Katherine’s eyes were flashing as she rounded on at him. “We have to talk.” It had been a long day of ups and downs. She looked like she’d more than had it as she almost spit the words out at him. “I want to work with you, not just for you. I want to be consulted, not ordered around. I shouldn’t have come with you tonight, or more to the point, I should be going back to Spokane alone. Your leg has to be hurting, and you have business you need to do about getting the house. In addition to all this, I need to bring my car back so I easily 

 could have caught a bus up to Spokane. You know what it seems like to me? It seems like you don’t trust me.” Ross stared straight ahead, trying to make sense out of the feelings surging through him. Katherine was so angry. If possible, it made her even more beautiful. Ross warred with his growing attraction. He gave a low groan realizing that her outburst excited him. He could smell her perfume. He wanted to pull her against him, feel her around him. He was so caught up in his fantasy, some of what she said went over his head for a minute. As his senses cleared he thought, Trust? Of course I don’t trust her! It was in her best interest as well as his to work together, but it wasn’t as if he needed to trust her faithfulness. If she was discreet, what did it matter to him? After all, she’d be working for him. Who do I think I’m fooling? It will matter. In fact, if he caught her with anyone else he’d feel like punching the guy’s lights out. Katherine waited, ready to continue the argument. Ross’ jaw was clenched. “Okay, you’re right. I didn’t like the way you seemed to hesitate. I thought maybe you were having second thoughts. I guess if I’m honest, I didn’t really think you would come back if I let you go by yourself. Of course, if I’d been thinking rationally, I would have remembered that Jodi was staying with Mom and I know you wouldn’t leave her.” Raking a hand through his hair, he gave her a sheepish grin. Katherine leaned back in the seat. “I’m...” Ross waited silently as she searched for words. “This is different for me. I guess I didn’t expect so honest an answer. You were exerting control and I guess I overreacted to that. You’re quite a guy to give over in such an honest forthright way.” Katherine bit her lower lip; her voice was low and husky, “Thank you.”



 t was past midnight and the little apartment was still unbearably hot. Katherine tried to push her hair back. It was

wet with sweat and clung stubbornly to her face. She pulled her tee-shirt away from her body noting it was streaked with dirt. “What I wouldn’t give for a shower,” she mumbled. Ross pushed the last box across the floor with his foot. “Well, that’s just about it. Doesn’t seem like you’re taking much with you.” “I didn’t have much and I’m not keeping a lot of my sister’s things. Just personal stuff that Jodi may want someday. It’s kind of nice we could get everything in the two cars. The Salvation Army should be happy with what’s left.” Katherine straightened up, rubbing the small of her back. Ross was favoring his leg more. He’d worked right along with her and looked exhausted. No wonder, with the lack of sleep last night and the amount of blood he’d lost. Then he had insisted on doing all of the driving back to Spokane. With all that, the hot dirty job of packing up had to be taking a toll. Ross confirmed it when he hollered over at her. “Katherine, I’ve just about had it. The phone is still working, why don’t you call over to one of the motels and get us a couple rooms for the night?” 

 Katherine readily agreed. Neither of them were in any condition to drive back down to Silverton at this time of night. Getting into an air conditioned room with clean towels and a bath was more than inviting. An hour later, Katherine sank blissfully down on the motel room bed. The shower had felt like heaven. She thought of Ross in the adjoining room. He’d looked so tired when she’d checked them into the motel. When she’d gone back to the Bronco with the keys, his head was resting on the steering wheel and at first she thought he’d gone to sleep. Worry began to nag at her. She needed to help him change the bandage. She knocked on the adjoining door. He didn’t answer and she had a sinking feeling that he’d fallen asleep. Then she heard him answer from just on the other side of the door. She felt a big wave of relief. She’d been more than half expecting him to sleepily holler from the bed. He unlocked and opened his side of the door. One look at him and her relief quickly vanished. He’d just gotten out of the shower. His hair was damp and mussed from toweling it dry. The only thing he had on was the towel wrapped around his waist. Her pulse leaped and she felt the now familiar sensation low in her stomach. Ross stood there slightly swaying. His hair hung over his forehead giving him a rakish look. As her gaze moved lower, she took in the damp curling hair on his chest. “I thought you might need some help with the bandages,” she whispered. Ross sighed and stepped back to let her in. His eyes were ringed with exhaustion and he looked like he was working hard just to stay on his feet. Katherine immediately got down to business. She went into the bath to get a towel, then to the overnight bag for dressings. “Lay back on the bed. We’ll get these changed, and I think a pain pill is in order.” With a sigh, Ross gave way to her ministrations. “I’m sorry. We really pushed it. These last two hours have been hell and I knew way before we called a halt that it was time to quit for the night.” Their eyes met and Ross said quietly, “Those apartments were awful, with their used up look, no AC and the 

 oppressive heat that’s so oppressive without air conditioning. I’m glad we got you out of there.” He closed his eyes. Was that why he had driven them so hard to get things packed up? Or did he want her safely back in his hometown where there wouldn’t be so much of a chance that she would leave, and if this was so, why? After all, she was little more than a stranger. Before she was quite done, Ross drifted into a deep sleep. Katherine was sure he didn’t feel anything as she finished changing the dressings. Placing a feather light kiss on his brow, she gently pulled the cover over him. She set the temperature to “cool” and silently crossed his room into her own. She was reluctant to leave him and finally gave in by leaving the door between the adjoining rooms open a crack so she would be able to hear him if he called out. 

right sunlight signaled a late morning as Ross slowly opened his eyes. His mouth felt like dry cotton. I hate

pain pills, he thought. He slowly swung his leg over the side of the bed. Even with a pain pill, Ross was surprised he had slept as long as he had. He stifled a groan as he moved his leg. Lord it hurt, worse than yesterday. He was going to have to get up, he had to use the bathroom. Besides it wasn’t going to get any better lying here. It took a little time, but he finally managed to get both legs out and over the bed. Looking up, he caught his breath. What the hell? The door between his and Katherine’s room was open. And it must have gotten warm in her room during the night because she’d thrown off the covers and was lying on her stomach showing a firm, tight 

 behind clad in red bikini underpants. Cripes, she couldn’t wear white ones? Even before he thought it, he knew how unreasonable it was. Now he had another problem surfacing. “I better damn well get to the bathroom,” he mumbled to himself. 

atherine rolled over, punching the pillow. It couldn’t be time to get up. What a night! First she hadn’t been able

to sleep because she was all keyed up from packing. Then she’d discovered that Ross snored. Not a bad snore. In fact, it was sort of sexy listening to him. Katherine lay back, savoring a warm fuzzy feeling. Mmm, maybe I’m not such an ice maiden after all. What was it Matt had called her? “Frigid?” For the first time, Katherine looked on that long ago experience with a different perspective. At first she’d been hurt and ashamed. Matt had been her friend, or so she had thought at the time. He’d been studying with her, and they’d shared pizzas over many late night study sessions. She closed her eyes, remembering. Matt had so much in common with her. They could laugh at the same things, and both of them were struggling with the rigid courses. Then one night, after a particularly long study session, things had gotten a little heated. At first she’d responded. Then it had gotten beyond where she was prepared to go. As Matt’s hand had slid under her shirt, Katherine had pulled back and gotten off the couch. He had been unreasonably angry. His face red with rage, he had grabbed his coat and yelled names at her. The thing that still stuck in her mind was his accusation, “You’re not normal. You’ll never be woman enough to get a man!” Later, he’d spread tales of the incident around with the other guys. Katherine hadn’t really cared much at the time, but when she never seemed to care enough for anyone to go any 

 farther than a good night kiss, she’d worried that what Matt had said was true. Maybe she wasn’t normal. One thing for sure, she didn’t trust her choice in men anymore. With a groan, she rolled off the bed. All at once her eyes opened wide. The door to Ross’ room was open. In a flash she forgot all about her sore muscles and raced across the room to shut the connecting door. 

y the time Ross and Katherine made their way over to the adjoining cafe, the sun had already heated the asphalt

outside the motel. Being too late for the breakfast crowd and too early for the lunch one, the coffee shop was all but deserted with only an older couple sitting a few booths down. Ross sipped his third cup of coffee, silently watching Katherine over its rim. She wore faded blue jeans. Her blue plaid shirt was tucked into them, showing off a waist he was sure he could span with his hands. The top two buttons on her shirt were open, leaving just enough showing to be inviting. They’d pretty much covered all the details of the job, like salary and days off, the day before. Now Ross was trying to open up a new area for discussion and he wasn’t finding it as easy as he’d hoped. He knew his dad was right about Silverton being a small town with small town ways. It would be so much easier if he brought a wife home rather than a nanny. Katherine might be easy to talk to, but he could only imagine her reaction when he opened up this topic. He looked over at the empty ashtray. He’d given up cigarettes almost a year ago. Right now one would sure taste good. He cleared his throat. “Katherine?” She brought her gaze from the window at the sound of his voice. They hadn’t spoken more than a few words since they’d come in about a half-hour before. Neither of them had been ready for breakfast but the coffee was 

 hitting the spot. Ross continued, “I’ve been thinking, and I have a proposal for you. Dad’s right about people in Silverton being of a small town mind-set. They, or at least my immediate family and friends, may be a little old fashioned, and things like living arrangements that would go unnoticed in, say Seattle or even Spokane, might cause talk in Silverton.” Katherine interrupted. “Are you trying to tell me you’ve changed your mind about hiring me because of what people will think?” Personally, he really didn’t give a damn what people thought, in or out of Silverton, but the kids and Katherine, that was another matter. “No, well, not exactly. I want to run something else by you, but if you reject it, our deal still stands as far as I’m concerned.” Ross took a deep breath. She looked relieved with his last comment but definitely wary. He better get this out before he said to hell with it. “What I thought is...that it might be better if we got married. Idaho is just a few miles down the road and they don’t have a waiting period. We could get married before we drive back to Silverton. Of course, we could do the same thing at home but this way it won’t be in the paper.” Katherine gasped, her thoughts whirling. Almost immediately what Ross was saying sunk in and a tide of depression settled over her. In all her dreams she had never envisioned a marriage proposal like this. To say it was not romantic would be a gross understatement. And yet, had she ever really thought she would marry? Such a thing was only a fantasy to her. Yet, here she was sitting across from an incredibly handsome man, and he was asking her to be his wife. Then again, who was she kidding? Ross wasn’t asking her to really be his wife. He was just trying to provide as normal a home as possible for his boys. Katherine paused and looked up, meeting his eyes. Katherine’s hurt gave fuel to anger. “Well this is certainly a new twist. Let me get this straight. You want to marry me? What is this supposed to mean to me? Do you expect me to set aside the salary we agreed on? And what 

 about conjugal rights? Or is that just another convenience you expect?” Ross sat back. Well you knew you were taking one heck of a risk blurting it all out like this, he thought. Still, he hadn’t exactly expected this reaction and he felt his temper involuntarily flare to match hers. “Forget I even said anything! But for your information, lady, I was mainly thinking of your reputation and, of course, the kids’ feelings. If we were married, you could intercede freely in school functions. As for salary, we’d simply classify it as an allowance. And furthermore, I have never, nor do I ever intend to become, so hard up for physical satisfaction that I have to get married for it. Quite the opposite! It’s been my experience that it can get pretty cold in bed after a woman has your signature on a license.” Ross stood up. Throwing down some money to cover the coffee he stalked toward the door, not bothering to see if she was following. Katherine silently followed him out of the restaurant. When they got back to the motel, Ross went into his own room slamming the door behind him. He jerked his overnight case off the floor and threw it on the bed. Next, he attacked the bathroom, throwing toothbrush, toothpaste, and combs in the case. “Damn!” he cursed under his breath. He’d been a fool to think up such an incredible scheme. What he wanted to do was get in the car and just go home, but that was impossible. For one thing, Jodi was at his home and besides, he couldn’t just leave Katherine. The wounded look she’d had on her face when he’d proposed haunted him. At first she’d looked so happy. He loved it when Katherine blushed. Her innocence made him feel ten feet tall and brought out an urge to protect her. It wasn’t often women blushed in his world. Then, when he’d lashed back at her, she’d looked like he’d struck her. As the scene flashed back at him, he felt mean. It really wasn’t her fault. He’d sprung the whole idea on her without any forewarning. What did he expect? Analyzing all their discussions–and disagreements–to date, Ross realized Katherine didn’t seem to have a 

 natural defense mechanism for herself. It was almost as if she didn’t have a feeling of self worth. Yet, she could be fiercely protective if the need arose, like out on the highway the other day, and the way she’d just lit into him. No, she certainly was no weak-kneed maiden in distress, that was for sure. Well, he’d made a mess of it so now he’d just have to march into her room and fix it. “I hate this. Saying I’m sorry is the pits,” Ross grumbled to himself as he started for the connecting door. 

atherine was angry with herself. Why hadn’t she told that egotistical pig of a man to go take a flying leap?

“I should have told him what I would do, instead of asking him what the arrangement would mean to me,” she mumbled, as she paced back and forth across the room. Tears stung her eyes. Angrily she swiped them away. Now what? She didn’t want to just meekly wait for Ross. That left one choice. She’d call a taxi to take her back to the apartment so she could pick up her car. With a sigh of regret, she took the telephone book out of the drawer and ran her finger down the list of taxi companies. Better to get this over quickly and move on. It didn’t seem possible things could have gone so wrong in such a short time. One minute she’d been planning her dream home and the next she was back to being without a job or a place to live. To make matters worse, she was running out of money. As she reached for the phone, a movement across the room caught her eye. Straightening her shoulders, she turned to see Ross standing in the connecting doorway, his eyes slowly moving over her. “Sorry.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “That scene downstairs was completely out of line. I don’t usually display a temper like that. I wouldn’t blame you if you picked Jodi up and headed back across the mountains.” He hesitated and ran his hand through his hair. “Hell, Katherine, I don’t know what else to say. I’m really 

 sorry.” He looked like a little boy standing there in the doorway. His hair was rumpled from where he’d been running his hands through it. He didn’t look like a man who’d had much experience apologizing. Her anger melted away and, on impulse, she crossed the room, stood on tiptoe, and gently kissed him on the cheek. He took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. Slowly, he lowered his gaze to her lips. Katherine held her breath. Her pulse raced. Time stood still. Ross finally broke the spell with a playful smile. “Does this mean we’re going to get married, or am I being presumptuous?” Katherine stepped back and sat on the edge of the bed. Moving over, she gave him room to sit beside her. “I...” she began and stopped. “Go on, Katherine.” Ross’ voice was deep and gentle. “It’s important we be able to talk to each other. Heaven only knows, this isn’t a normal situation, but I really feel like we can make something good out of it. Something that will give all three of the children a good start. But the key to doing this just may be how well we can learn to communicate.” Unable to look at him, Katherine focused on the floor in front of her. He was going to think her either a complete idiot or, at best, a full-blown prude. “I agree, it would be a lot easier for me to maintain a home as your wife than it would be as an employee. Especially with you being out of town so much. But...” Katherine took a deep breath. Her words spilled out in a rush. “This is so hard. Would it be possible to have only a platonic relationship? I don’t think I’d be very good at being intimate without love.” Katherine suspected Ross found this all amusing, but sensed that he realized this wasn’t a bit funny to her. Putting his finger under her chin, he gently forced her to look up at him. “Honey, let’s just relax about that part. 

 You’re very beautiful and I have to admit I want you, but I haven’t been out of control since I was in knee britches. In other words, trust me. Okay?” He gave her a wink as he stood up. “By the way, didn’t we cover this ground a few days ago? I promised we won’t do anything that you don’t want to do.” Katherine blushed as she stumbled over the words she wanted. “Uh, you’re right, we did talk about it.” “It? It what Katherine?” She closed her eyes, finally just blurting it all out. “Sex. We agreed not to, but that was when we were only talking about living together not getting married.” “And nothing’s changed, we’re just setting up a facade to make other people comfortable. In about five years we’ll get a friendly divorce and no one will be the wiser.” “Right, and besides you’re probably like the sailors with a woman in every port, except in your case it would be in every airport. You’ll be glad to rest when you get home.” Ross chuckled as he took her arm, propelling her out of the room. “Now where did you hear stories like that? You make pilots sound like real Casanovas. As for the resting when I get home, let’s not go there.” The day was proving to be another scorcher as they drove over the border into Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. Katherine welcomed the cool air coming from the car’s air conditioner. She still hadn’t acclimatized to eastern Washington weather after living for so long on the cool, rainy, western side of the Cascade Range. She knew winter was going to be another problem for her because while western Washington didn’t get as hot, it didn’t get as cold either. There was going to be lot of new things to get used to, and the weather was going to be the least of them. Ross parked the car in front of the courthouse. “Well, are you ready? We can get our blood tests now and then go pick out a ring. It’ll take them a couple of hours to do the blood work. We should even have time to get a bite to eat. I’m starving after you worked me so hard yesterday, and then we did leave the restaurant rather abruptly this 

 morning.” His smile took out any sting his words might have made. Playing right along, Katherine came back with her own reply. “Well, if you had been a bit more romantic. From what I’ve read, proposals are supposed to be made from bended knee.” Ross took Katherine’s arm, helping her out of the car. “There you go again. I don’t know about your taste in reading material. Guess I’ll have to start watching you or you’ll be seducing me next.” Katherine laughed up at him. “Oh, I don’t think you have to worry about that.” He’d been attentive when they signed for the blood test and license. The day had turned golden and with a happy sigh she entered the jewelry store with Ross. She couldn’t miss the way the clerks behind the desk looked at him. They were probably thinking how lucky she was to have such a handsome guy flirting with her. The way he treated her made her feel proud and taken care of, both sentiments foreign to her. This might not be every girl’s dream wedding. Here she was in a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt with tenny runners standing in front of a jewelry counter looking at wedding rings. But the guy standing beside her was a dream, and more. Katherine pointed at a plain gold band. “I don’t want a diamond. I like this one. Will you wear a matching one?” “Do you want me to wear one?” “Yes, I would like that. That is, if it won’t cause problems for you when you’re away. If it does, you could leave it off when you’re not at home.” Ross stiffened a little, but if he took offense at her unspoken assumption of what he’d be doing when he was away from her, he didn’t say so. “It won’t cause me any more problems than the one you wear will cause you. I guess if we’re going to get matching ones, the gold bands would be best.” Ross’ voice was deep. Katherine loved the sound of it. She was beginning to be more and more aware him. 

 Simple things, like the way he walked, the casual way he had of holding her arm, or putting his around her shoulders. The happy feeling went all the way through her, making the day seem sunnier, the air cleaner and colors brighter. It was quiet in the little chapel. Her bouquet of red roses filled the air with perfume. Ross had bought them for her saying that even though neither of them might be dressed for a wedding, the flowers with their beautiful red petals would lend an air of tradition. Katherine smiled, remembering how the little old lady running the flower cart had flirted with him. Katherine could tell she thought Katherine was one lucky young woman to have such a handsome, sexy man for her own. The minister cleared his throat. Katherine jumped, she was supposed to say “I do” but the words seemed stuck in her throat. Ross slipped her hand in his and brought it up so she could see the two clasped together. Her eyes focused on their hands and then rose until she could see herself reflected in his eyes. Finally, Katherine whispered, “I do.” She couldn’t help but smile as she gave Ross’ hand a squeeze. Their life was going to be good. Very, very good. At least for the next five years. Holding her bouquet, Katherine walked out of the wedding chapel beside Ross. He made of motion of wiping sweat from his brow. “Whew, for a while there I was afraid you were going to say I don’t, instead of I do. Want to tell me what happened?” “I don’t know. I just couldn’t get the words out. Would it help if I said I was sorry?” “You don’t have to apologize at all. In the movie didn’t they say being friends means not having to say you’re sorry?” Katherine gave him a playful punch on the arm. Laughing, she said, “You’re a nut, but a nice one. Thanks for being so understanding.” She started down the steps but turned back as he came down beside her. He had one foot on the next step putting her eye level with him. She drew in a breath. His eyes were so incredibly beautiful. She was going to have to get 

 this over with fast before she found herself speechless again. “Ross, I want to thank you for holding my hand when it got a little tough in there.” Ducking her head she breathed in the scent from the roses. “And I love these, thank you for buying them for me.” She reached over and gave him a kiss on cheek. She wasn’t going to tell him how much the flowers really meant to her. They were her first and she would remember them forever. Ross again took Katherine’s hand in his and together they headed toward the car and home.



 oss frowned up at the sky. "Where did these rain clouds come from?" He looked down at Katherine standing

beside him. “With this weather it’s going to get dark early. It’ll take us a couple of hours to get your car and get on the road. What do you think? Do you want to try for home, or stay another night at the motel and get an early start in the morning?” Katherine really didn’t want to stay another night in Spokane. “I’m tired and I know you are but...” “I know, a motel room does lend a certain amount of intimacy and it is our wedding night. So, want to hit the road?” Katherine nodded. She didn’t need Ross to remind her of what tonight it was. The motel with the big king-sized beds weren’t making getting started on this marriage of convenience easy. Besides, she didn’t trust herself with how she was feeling about him. “I guess it would be better if we went on home. But it’s up to you and how your leg is feeling.” As she thought about Ross’ injury she had a flashback to the accident and gave an involuntary shudder. Misinterpreting her response, Ross went on the defensive. “What’s wrong? You’re not afraid of me, are you? Don’t worry, I’m not having any designs on you, and it doesn’t matter if we’re home or in adjoining motel rooms. You can rest assured I’m not going to attack you.” 

 As usual, anything Katherine interpreted as an attack on her desirability left her defenseless. Matt’s long ago accusations of her not being normal sexually had left their marks and it hurt because for the first time in her life, she wanted a man to want her. Katherine lowered her eyes. “No, Ross, I know you don’t think of me in that way. I was just thinking of our last trip down that road. I don’t think I’ll be able to forget it easily. At night I wake up seeing those boys and...” Gently, Ross took her by the shoulders, forcing her to look up at him before stepping back away from her. “Okay, I’ll make the decision for us. Let’s go on home. We should get to the house by midnight, and even if we did stay in Spokane and get an early night, we probably wouldn’t get that much more sleep.” Was it possible he felt some of the same longings she felt? Certainly not, Katherine chided herself. Ross was used to going out with glamorous, experienced women. Why would he want someone like me? Another fear surfaced. What if by some miracle the relationship did become physical? Would she freeze up at the last minute? She couldn’t take a chance on that. Ross wouldn’t understand and would think her a tease, or worse. She still wasn’t sure why she hadn’t gone all the way with Matt. She hoped it was because she wasn’t attracted to him beyond a casual friendship, but what if that wasn’t the case? What if what Matt said was true and she was frigid? If so, it would happen again with Ross and it would jeopardize Jodi’s security. Katherine glanced over at Ross. She was glad he couldn’t read her mind. She couldn’t think why these old memories she’d thought she’d buried were surfacing now. But looking over at Ross she had to be honest and admit to herself that she did know. I’ll have to get my emotions under control if this is going to work, she silently scolded herself. When they got back to the apartment, Katherine asked if they had time to drop in to say good-bye to Mom and Dad Butler. “I don’t know what I’d have done without their help. David, my brother-in-law, didn’t have any family so there was only me. The Butlers helped with Jodi and were a rock of support. By the way, Momma Butler is your co-pilot’s grandmother and the one who told me you might be looking for someone to take care of your boys.” 

 Ross laughed at her trying to talk him into it. “Well, by all means we must let her know how it’s turned out and thank her. Or, on second thought, maybe we shouldn’t tell her everything.” The old folks were understandably upset about losing everyday contact with Jodi. They’d known the little girl since the day she was brought home from the hospital as a new infant, and she’d become a part of their family. Ross impressed Katherine with his compassion and understanding. Even though she knew he’d wanted to get an early start for home, he didn’t seem to be in any hurry as he sat on the steps drinking coffee and listening to Mr. Butler. The Butlers told them stories of happier days in the apartments. With all the talk and reminiscing, it was dusk by the time they said their good-byes. As they stood to leave Katherine reached over and took Momma Butler’s hand. “I know how hard it is for you to leave, and I know you’ll miss Jodi, but I’m certain you’ll be happy once you get settled over at your son’s. It’s the move that’s hard. I have your phone number and address so we’ll keep in touch. This isn’t good-bye, it’s just a see you later.” 

atherine had seen yet another side of Ross that night with the Butlers. As she pulled away from the apartment

following his Ford Bronco, she felt a weight lift from her shoulders. He would be good to Jodi. Of that she was sure. Unlike the Butlers, Katherine felt no sadness in leaving. The apartments might have been Jodi’s first home, but Katherine was glad the packing and sorting were finished and behind her. There was excitement in the air as Katherine picked up Ross’ taillights and followed him down the road that would start a whole new chapter in her life. 

 Ross liked the feeling he got when he looked back to see Katherine’s lights behind him. He’d been alone for a long time, but he’d never thought of himself as lonesome until now. He wished his leg would quit throbbing. He hadn’t taken any of the pain medication the doctor had prescribed because of all the driving he knew he had ahead of him. Glancing down at the clock on the dash, he sighed with relief. Home was only an hour away. Ross drove for another few minutes before giving it up. Putting on his blinkers, he pulled over to the side of the road. Pain shot through his leg. He swore under his breath as he opened his door and carefully straightened up. As Katherine’s headlights picked him up on the side of the road he averted his face. Hopefully, she wouldn’t see the pain he knew was etched on it. Katherine parked her car behind his. When she finally got out he could see she was carrying a couple cups of coffee. His voice carried in the still cold night. “You’re a life saver. I’m glad you thought to get the thermos filled when we stopped for gas.” Making her way over to where Ross was leaning up against his car, she handed him a cup. “Here’s something to wake you up and warm you up, too. Isn’t it a little early to be so cool tonight?” As Ross reached out for the coffee, Katherine saw how tired he was. Keeping his eyes turned up to the sky, his voice came out in a deep whisper. “A blessing, I think. It’s unusual to see the Aurora Borealis in their full glory. The sudden cooling may be the reason we’re so fortunate tonight.” Katherine lifted her eyes up and held her breath at the beauty of the night sky. She could actually feel the lights. Seeing them sensually as well as visually, she felt she was standing on the floor of a cathedral and the sky was the roof. Colors streaked down, changing hues as they lit up the sky. “This must be what it will be like when the world comes to an end,” Katherine whispered. Ross cupped the coffee in his hands as he looked up. “They’re more commonly referred to as the Northern 

 Lights. They aren’t often seen this full in this area. Usually they’re just streaks of light across the sky.” He realized he was whispering. “They make you feel small, don’t they?” “I feel almost as if I’m in a giant church and that speaking out loud would be a real faux pas.” Ross reached over and put his arm around Katherine’s shoulders, pulling her close for warmth. They stood together, as the luminous atmospheric phenomenon continued high above their heads. Katherine snuggled against him making him ache with the need to hold her closer. More than half an hour passed before a pair of headlights in the distance broke the spell. “We better get back on the road.” Ross tossed out the few drops of coffee left in his cup and handed it back to Katherine, indicating as he did that she should get in her car. It was well after midnight before they pulled into the drive of the modest little rambler Ross owned. Katherine would have liked to go to his parents’ house but she knew it was better to wait until morning so they wouldn’t wake everyone up. Driving slowly up behind Ross she turned off the motor of her car. As Ross made his way over to open the garage door she could see how much he was favoring his leg. She rested her hands on the wheel letting her head drop down on them. Ross’ injury had to be telling on him. If she was tired, how much more did Ross feel? Katherine let herself out of the car and walked into the garage. She couldn’t help but note how neat everything was. Shelves built along the wall kept everything in order. Ross stood in the open doorway with light from the kitchen spilling out behind him. “Come on in. It isn’t very big, but it’ll do for us for the short time we’ll all be living here. Hopefully we can get the big house ready before too long.” Katherine liked the sound of the “us” Ross was using. The little kitchen, like the garage, was immaculate. It almost looked like a model home, it was so clean. There wasn’t the usual coffee pot, utensil holder, or even a coffee cup or glass left out on the counter top. Ross braced himself against the counter while Katherine looked everything over. “The boys and I don’t spend 

 much time here. We could almost just stay over at the folks’, but this way I can try to get them out of Mom’s hair for a little while when I’m off.” “Will you rent this place out when you move into the big one?” Katherine asked, before realizing it really wasn’t any of her business. Ross walked around the small kitchen, setting out the coffee pot for morning. “Actually, I am renting it now. But I’m renting it from myself. I own about a dozen and a half rentals around this area. A rental management firm handles them for me so it helps keep their books straight when I officially rent it.” Ross watched Katherine as she walked around the kitchen. “You like this little house, don’t you?” “Yes, I like it very much. If we don’t get the big house I could be very happy with this one.” Katherine couldn’t help herself from adding, “But, Ross, I hope we get it because I already love the old house up on Maple.” “You may be talking too soon about being happy in this one. It only has three small bedrooms.” Ross was standing close, too close. “It could get pretty cozy.” Katherine ducked her head but not before Ross saw the blush staining her cheeks. He was enjoying her. At the age of twenty-five, and in this day and age, she shouldn’t be as innocent as he was finding her to be. There was something vulnerable about her, something that made him want to protect her and at the same time show her a whole new world. With a sigh, he realized now wasn’t the time to even think about it. In fact, if they were going to make this arrangement work, there never was going to be a time to think about it. Ross pulled himself back from his thoughts. It had been a long day. “What do you absolutely need from the car? We can unpack tomorrow.” “I only need one bag and the overnight case. I’ll get them. I packed them up close and know exactly where they are. What about you? Can I get anything out of the Bronco while I’m out?” Ross sank down in the nearest chair, relieved that he didn’t have to go back out to the cars. “The only thing I 

 need is the pain medication in the pocket of my jacket. I think it’s in the front seat.” “I’ll only be a second. You look like you’re about to fall over and the bandage on your leg is seeping again. It absolutely has to be changed before you go to bed.” 

atherine sat back with a weary sigh. Ross’ leg hadn’t looked as bad as she had at first feared. She finished putting

the last of the tape over the bandage. From her position on the floor in front of him, she could see the toll the last couple of days had taken. Ross’ head was tilted back on the couch. His eyes were closed and Katherine took the opportunity to really look at him. There were dark smudges under his eyes that his incredibly long lashes just missed covering. With his face relaxed, even with fatigue showing, he looked younger, more vulnerable. Katherine had an urge to sit down beside him and hold him in her arms but instinctively knew it would be like waking a sleeping tiger. His arms hung loose, resting beside him on the couch. Even with the cool evening Ross had rolled up the sleeves to mid arm, showing corded muscles in his forearms. Katherine didn’t know how long she’d sat looking at him, but all at once she was aware that, as she was watching him, he was very much awake, and under heavily hooded eyes was watching her. Their eyes met and held. Ross’ gaze slowly moved from her eyes down to her mouth, where they stayed. Katherine could feel the pull of his eyes, giving her the sensation he was kissing her with his mind. With a start, she suddenly became aware she was alone with this almost stranger, and he was her husband. For a minute she was tempted to let things happen. What could it hurt? They were both mature adults. Ross seemed aware of the change and her hesitation. With a sigh, he lifted himself off the couch. “Come on. 

 Let’s go to bed before we both fall over.” Before Katherine could voice her question of where she was going to sleep, Ross pointed abruptly toward a door at the end of the hall. “You can have that room for you and Jodi. The boys like to share a room, so that one is an extra.” As he opened the door to his own room, Ross suddenly felt out of sorts. Generous of me, he thought. Too damn generous. Just what is wrong with two consenting adults doing what comes naturally? He softly cursed the attraction that was muddying up making this work. 

atherine stretched her legs under the blanket, slowly waking up to a bright and sunny morning and the smell of

perking coffee. She couldn’t wait to start the day. Hastily pulling on her jeans and tee-shirt from the previous day, she made her way down the hall. Katherine slowed down as she entered the kitchen. Ross sat at the counter looking out into the backyard as he sipped his coffee. Katherine noticed that, unlike her, he had a change of wardrobe readily available and had made use of it. The wash-faded shorts looked good on him. “Ready to go collect the kids and face your folks?” Katherine looked around the kitchen that, just a few hours ago had been so immaculate. Ross must have been up early to unload both cars. Boxes and clothes were strewn from the kitchen door to the living room. “Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you so I only brought the stuff in as far as the door. I thought we could try and find a place for it later. I didn’t realize how much you had until I got it into the house. Amazing it all fit in the two cars, huh?” Katherine smiled at Ross’ look of dismay. “Just let me get a cup of coffee and I’ll help you find a place for all 

 this.” By noon the house looked tiptop again. Katherine and Ross headed out the door to collect the kids. Ross stepped back to let her go through the door first. “I’m glad I took an extra week off work. I called in after my leg was injured to give it time to heal, but now I’ll be able to use the time to negotiate the purchase of the house on Maple Avenue.” Katherine started to get into Ross’ car but stopped. “Do you want me to take my car to your Mom’s and Dad’s? That way you can leave from there and go down to the realty and start the paperwork on the house.” She’d like to postpone the visit indefinitely but she had to get Jodi and she knew Ross wanted to bring the boys home. What were Ross’ mom and dad going to think of this sudden decision of marriage? Katherine hadn’t met Ross’ sister or brothers and had only been with his folks a couple of hours. They knew Jodi a whole lot better than they knew her. “Uh, Ross? How are we going to handle this? Your folks are going to see my ring. Are we going to tell your family the truth?” Ross frowned. “We better talk about this, I guess. I haven’t really given it a lot of thought, but don’t you think it might be better to present as normal a relationship as possible to everybody? If everything goes as we planned, we should be together about five or six years. A lot of real marriages don’t last that long. Believe me. I know.” Ross’ tone projected a bitterness that surprised Katherine. “It’s okay with me. In fact, it might be a lot easier for me if your family and friends think you love me. You know, they uh, might accept me quicker. After all we are on your home turf.” Katherine’s heart felt like it was in her throat. The flip side of doing it this way was the intimacy they’d be forced into. Was she going to be able to casually accept an embrace or kiss and keep her true feelings from showing? And what exactly were those feelings? Ross tipped Katherine’s chin up, forcing her to look at him. As he smiled down, her heart leapt into her throat. 

 “Want me to go over there by myself? I could tell them you were getting unpacked. The realty office can wait until tomorrow or I can go there after I drop the kids back here.” Katherine dug in her purse for her car keys. “No, I’ll go with you, but it’s tempting. If I left it to you to tell them we were married, I’d be able to tell by the climate how well you convinced them of our sudden, undying love.” 

he drive over to the Huntington’s wasn’t nearly long enough. Pulling into their drive she bit her lower lip. But it

looked like her worrying was for nothing when Ross’ mother came out of the house as soon as she turned the motor off. It was pretty apparent they’d been watching for her. Katherine got slowly out of the car and came around the front. Ross’ mother immediately wrapped her arms around her, giving her a big hug. Katherine knew even before she uttered a word that Ross had called ahead and he must have been convincing. With a sigh of relief, she returned the hug. “From now on you call me Mom, or Dorothy,” Katherine was tearfully informed. “How long ago did Ross call you?” Katherine asked. It seemed a little odd they had accepted all of this so quickly. Mom hustled her in and sat a steaming cup of coffee in front of her before she answered. “Ross called early this morning.” That rat, Katherine thought. He knew his folks were happy about their marriage and he had let her worry all the way over here. To her delight and relief, the Huntingtons didn’t seem to have any reservations about the length of time Ross and Katherine had known each other. Ross’ dad was as open and welcoming as his mother had been. Either Ross had 

 answered all their questions earlier, or they just accepted it all as a natural thing. Either way, Katherine sure wasn’t going to rock the boat by elaborating on it. Katherine sipped her coffee. It was so quiet. “Where are the kids? Did you tell them about the wedding?” Katherine hoped they had told them, especially since they seemed to be so happy about it themselves. Maybe their happy acceptance would rub off on the kids, she thought. Ross’ dad chuckled, “Are you kidding? Mom told the whole family.” Ross’ mother dusted her hands off and sat down at the table with them. Looking a little sheepish, she said, “Oh Ted, you make it sound as if I’m the town crier.” Ross’ dad raised his eyebrows and his wife promptly punched him playfully on the arm. “Actually, Katherine,” Ross’ mom paused for a few minutes. “I hope you don’t mind, but Midge wanted the kids to stay overnight and I let them. When I called this morning,” Ross’ mom paused for a second before continuing. “I, well I did tell her the news.” Katherine couldn’t help smiling. “I’m glad you did, and I hope she told the kids. Ross and I both realize this is really sudden. We both appreciate the help and support you’re giving us.” Katherine hoped this first day would set the pattern for the next few years of their lives. Midge came over later with the kids and both women were amazed at their instant rapport. When Ross finally arrived, he put his arm around Katherine and kissed her on the brow. “Well, I did okay, huh?” he asked everybody in general. Katherine gave him a short squeeze, “I’d say we both lucked out.” By the time they sat down to a late lunch, everyone was talking at once in a warm family atmosphere of familiarity. What the others took for granted, Katherine knew she never would. There had been too many empty years. Years when her friends would have family holidays and dinners and sometimes invite the lonely little girls. 

 Katherine and Joanne had always had their basic needs taken care of by their aunt and for that she was grateful, but this family was giving her something she had only experienced in her dreams. She wished with all her heart, she didn’t have to lie to them.



 he days flew by. The old house had been vacant for almost two years and the heirs were anxious to sell. Ross

and Katherine went over the repairs necessary to move in, and priced out the renovations that would bring the old house back to its original grandeur. Katherine could hardly wait to get into the old house. She’d finally talked Ross into renovating while they were living in it. He’d wanted it to be all done before they moved in, arguing that it would be a real inconvenience to have the house torn up, especially the kitchen and baths. “You may have a week or so where you won’t even be able to wash clothes. Going to a laundromat with three kids isn’t going to be easy, and remember, I’m going to be out of town a lot.” Ross’ mother came to Katherine’s rescue on that issue by offering the use of her washer and dryer. “I’ll even do some loads for you.” Ross threw up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Katherine had to agree, the points Ross made were good. It wasn’t going to be a small job no matter which way they went. Katherine conceded a little and they agreed they’d clean it up and make the decision of when to move in on a day-to-day basis. 

 As they waited for the Maple Street House to close, Katherine and Ross, by an unspoken agreement, took to keeping busy and out of each other’s way. The days fell into a peaceful pattern. The weather was cooperating by providing a series of nice days, so they didn’t spend a lot of time indoors in the small rambler. Katherine would get up each morning and, with help from the kids, tidy the little house and take off for the park, Mom and Dad’s, or Midge’s. Midge had become a wonderful friend and together they shopped for school clothes and poured over home decorating magazines to get ideas for The House. It seemed Ross always had business to conduct when he was in town. Even with a manager, there was always something to be done with the rentals. In addition, he usually attended the new listing reviews that his real estate office held each Friday. Many times he found real estate to purchase on these outings. He’d been interested in real estate almost forever. His father had helped him buy a little house for an investment when he was a senior in high school. He had since sold that little house, but it had started him out in what had proven to be a very lucrative hobby. With the rentals and other investments, he was set up so he could retire from the airlines if he wanted to. But the truth was, he’d never really enjoyed being home much. When he was married to Miriam he’d count the days until he could be out of town again. He regretted the time he was away from the boys, but reasoned the continued fighting had to be worse on them than his absence. With all of their activities, Ross and Katherine were usually only together in the evenings. Katherine had taken to letting the kids stay up until she went to bed, so even then they weren’t entirely alone. This arrangement was going to have to stop when school started, but by that time Ross would be back to work. Ross had five more days of his vacation left when they got notice they’d be closing on the house the next day. Katherine was so excited when Ross got off the telephone, she unthinkingly hurled herself into his arms. She wound her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Ross put his hands on her waist and pulled her into him. Before either of them could think, he lowered his mouth on hers. Katherine opened up to him as the room lost 

 substance. Ross opened his mouth fuller, taking hers with him. He lowered his hand down the base of her spine, pulling her tighter into him. There was little doubt that he was fully aroused. Katherine made a little mewing sound as she pressed into him, trying to get closer. There were lights behind her closed lids as she hungrily kissed him back. Her tongue mingled with his, imitating the intimate mating of their bodies. In a surreal distance the telephone rang. With an oath, Ross tore away. “Damn!” he muttered as he turned her loose and reached for the phone. Katherine leaned back against the sink. Her knees felt like water and she wasn’t sure they were going to hold her up. Taking a deep breath she pushed away from the sink and headed out to the backyard where the kids were making mud pies. Safety. So, why did she have this hungry feeling, like she had gone too long without eating and had been interrupted just as she was taking the first bite? She heard Ross hang up the phone and holler from the back door. “Katherine!” Dougie put his hands over his ears. Slowly, he got up and wiped off his mud-caked knees. Trying hard to be a big boy, he went over to where Katherine was squatting down beside the mud pie bin and held out his little hand to her. “I’ll go with you to see Dad.” His little face was so dirty and serious. Unmindful of what it would do to her clothes, Katherine pulled him into her lap and gave him a big hug. Ross came across the lawn toward them. He wasn’t angry, but he was tense. He had almost lost control and didn’t like the feeling. Ross knew Katherine hadn’t meant to start anything in there. He could tell she was appalled and embarrassed at what had transpired. As he reached them, he looked down at Dougie. He’d hoped the last few months had erased some of the little boy’s memories but now, looking down at his son’s solemn little face, he knew 

 Dougie still remembered. “You’re not mad at Katherine, are you Dad?” Dougie was trying hard to be brave. Ross smiled down at the little boy. “No son, I’m not mad at Katherine. In fact, that was your Grandpa on the phone and guess what? He’s making homemade ice cream and wants you guys to come over and give him a hand eating it.” Dougie’s little face lit up. Nobody was mad and he loved Grandpa’s ice cream. In a few minutes all three of the kids were up and wiping themselves off. Katherine smiled as she watched Jodi join in. A stranger watching would never know that she wasn’t the boy’s sister. Ross reached down to help Katherine up. “You’ve got mud on the tip of your nose. Wonder how that happened?” She looked up at Ross through thick dark lashes. “I’m sorry I...” she whispered. He winked at her as he wiped the smear of mud off her nose. “Hey, that’s what cold water is for. The showers ease a lot of tension. And worried little boys put priorities back in perspective. Dougie loves you and for that, I can’t thank you enough.” Katherine smiled her appreciation for his understanding and started off after three muddy kids who were heading for the house. “Hey, it’s going to take a lot more than a few swipes to get all of this mud off you monkeys.” Picking up the hose, she turned it on a soft spray. “I’ll help you hose off the worst of this and then I want each of you to take off your clothes in the utility room. We’re going to have to take the time for you guys to have a short bath.” She picked Timmie to go first and Ross moved on ahead to get the tub ready. 





t was well after ten by the time Ross and Katherine returned home with three half-asleep little ones. Glad that

the kids had their baths before going over for ice cream, Katherine headed down the hall with Jodi. “I’ll get Jodi in her pajamas if you want to help Timmie.” After Katherine settled Jodi in bed she went down the hall to help Ross with the boys. Dougie was trying to be a grownup and get himself undressed, but had a knot in his tennis shoe and couldn’t get it off. She went over and sat beside him on the bed. “Want some long fingernails to help with that knot?” Dougie looked over and gave her a lopsided grin. “Yeah.” As Katherine worked on the knot, he put his little arm around her and patted her shoulder. Ross looked on from the other bed. They really love her, Ross thought. Both of my boys have better sense than I do. What a fool I was to make that marriage agreement. Maybe, but then again maybe not. After all there was a lot of difference between falling in love and falling in lust, and he was sure it wasn’t love in his case. He pondered the outcome if he were to declare his change of feelings. Would she go along with him? Probably not. But then again, she certainly wasn’t making her attraction to him a secret. He knew she wasn’t indifferent to him. He had felt her response to him earlier in the kitchen. She seemed like such an innocent. He didn’t want to risk what they had by rushing her before she was ready. He might be frustrated, but he was happy. He hadn’t had this feeling of home and family since he’d been a kid. Ross got up, leaving Katherine to finish with the boys. As he went out, he caught her eye and gave her a quick wink. 





hen Katherine finished with the boys, she went down the hall to her bedroom instead of joining Ross in the

living room where he was probably watching television. Tonight, more than usual, it didn’t feel like a good idea to be in too close a proximity to him. The bedroom was bathed in the moonlight coming in the window. Katherine could see that Jodi was sound asleep. The little girl lay with her arms stretched over her head. She must have gone out as soon as she hit the pillow. Her bright hair, so like Katherine’s, fanned over the pillow. Jodi had made the miraculous recovery that children can make when they’re surrounded by love. Smoothing the covers around the little girl, Katherine looked down on her and whispered to herself, “You have changed my life completely, little one. What is to become of us in the next few months? If only I had your trust to take a chance on love.” With a sigh, Katherine slipped into a nightshirt and slid into bed beside Jodi. She wasn’t a bit sleepy and staring at the ceiling wasn’t helping. She felt a strange excitement, reminding her of a long ago Christmas Eve when she knew she was going to get the shiny red bicycle she’d been wanting. That was so long ago, before her mom and dad had died, when magic still happened. An hour later, Katherine was still awake. She’d turned over so many times, even her short tee top had twisted around her. Ross’ bedroom was right next to hers and usually she heard him when he went to bed. Sometimes he’d wake her in the middle of the night with his restlessness. Tonight she hadn’t heard him come to bed. I must have dozed off, even if it didn’t seem like it, she thought. Quietly, Katherine pulled the sheet back and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She slowly opened her bedroom door, not wanting to wake Ross. The tall pitcher of iced tea looked inviting as she reached in the refrigerator. Just as her hand closed around the pitcher, Ross entered the kitchen from the backyard. Katherine yelped and almost dropped the container. 

 “You scared me! I thought you’d gone to bed a long time ago.” “No, I knew I wasn’t sleepy enough to go to bed. It’s funny how you can be tired but not sleepy. What about you? Having trouble sleeping too, I see.” Katherine turned, offering him some tea. “I think I’m just too excited about the house. I keep going over and over the things I want to do. I can hardly wait to get started on it.” Katherine didn’t want to confess, even to herself, what was really keeping her awake. She was thinking about the house and she was excited about starting to work on it. Except it was Ross, not the house, that entered her mind every night as soon as she started drifting toward sleep. She would feel his mouth on hers, his hands as they caressed her body, his voice as he murmured against her ear. That was when she’d find herself rolling over and turning her pillow to get into a more comfortable position. “You better close that door and sit down.” Ross’ voice sounded rough in the quiet kitchen. “Just in case you aren’t aware of it, the light shining behind you is making what you’re wearing pretty much transparent.” Katherine’s face flamed. “Oh, sorry,” she muttered. Forgetting about the tea she turned and slammed the refrigerator door shut. Ross winced as the door closed with a bang. Katherine noticed and again murmured, “Sorry,” sheepishly hoping none of the kids had left anything precariously balanced inside. “No problem,” Ross said. “Let’s sit outside. The night is warm. I’ll get us both some tea.” By the time Ross joined her and handed her a glass of iced tea, Katherine was sitting in the patio chair with her feet pulled up under her. He settled back in a matching chair. In the silence, the bugs hitting the zapper sounded loud. Katherine took a sip of the tea. “This really tastes good. I wish I’d gotten up a long time ago.” Ross looked across at her. It was as if she was transparent and he could tell what she was thinking. She saw 

 his smile replace the look of arousal he’d been struggling with in the kitchen. Katherine sensed the change in Ross immediately and let out a sigh of relief. He would be her friend. She didn’t want to do or say anything to mess that up. I’ll be more careful in the future, she vowed to herself. “Since the house is empty, we won’t have to wait for the residents to move out. That means after we sign the papers tomorrow we can take possession of it. I wish we could have gotten it done before. I hate it that I have to go back to work in a few of days.” “I know how much you want this house. Is there any way you could take an extra week?” “No, I wish there was but I’ve already taken an extra two weeks. The beginning of school is always a busy time for the airlines. It signals not only college kids going back to school, but vacationers coming home. I may even have to put in some overtime.” Katherine snuggled down in her chair. “You’re going to be surprised. Every time you come home, we’ll be farther along in making it the dream home we planned.” “And every time I come home, you’ll have probably lost another five pounds and be closer to a physical breakdown. Raising three kids is enough without taking on a dinosaur like this one.” Katherine laughed over at him. “Oh Ross, the kids will be in school, and you’re forgetting I have Mom and Dad to help me.” Ross frowned. For once he wasn’t looking forward to being gone for weeks at a time. He had resigned himself to the fact that he was strongly attracted to Katherine. He was equally sure that, if he could get through the barriers she’d erected around herself, she’d respond to him just as strongly. However, the other feelings he had for Katherine were foreign to him. She was fun to be around and made him laugh. God it felt good. He felt more than just a sexual attraction for her. Oh, he felt that, too. She was not only beautiful, she was a class act. Tall, she moved with the grace of a model. 

 Damn, what a mess. Not only do I want her, I actually like her. One of the things he liked about Katherine was her quick mind. She could meet him more than half way on any topic. He enjoyed their discussions and disagreements. She was fair and honest, and that surprised him more than a little. The women in his life, excluding his sister and mother, had been anything but honest with him. It had been his experience that they’d been out for what they could get as much as any man. They just weren’t as honest about it. Sitting out here in the moonlight with Katherine, that life seemed far away. Katherine was different. She seemed so innocent and yet when he held her, he felt her passion and knew there was a lot more to her than what first met the eye. Ross felt alive. He didn’t know when, or if, he’d ever felt so good. Being with Katherine made things different. Everything was intensified, the cool dark night, the anticipation of getting possession of the house tomorrow. Glancing down at his watch he thought, better revise that to ‘getting possession of the house today.’ Ross got up from his chair and held out his hand to help Katherine up. “It’s after three. Want to try to get some sleep? Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day.” Together they went back into the house. It felt warm after being out in the cool night. Katherine yawned. “Guess I am getting sleepy.” At the door to her bedroom she turned. “Good night.” Katherine hesitated. “Thank you,” she whispered, softly closing her door. Ross stood outside her closed door and slowly unclenched his hands. “This has got to get easier,” he murmured to himself as he made his way down the hall to his room. Never had his bed looked so big, lonely, and empty.



 atherine opened her eyes. Everything was quiet. The sun over her windowsill told her it had to be late morning. Slowly, she eased out of bed, taking care not to wake Jodi. No welcome aroma of coffee met her as she made her way down the hall. Sure enough, a quick glance in the kitchen showed there was no coffee started. The novelty chicken clock hanging on the wall said 9:30. Hmmm. No coffee meant Ross was still asleep, too. It felt odd being the first one up. Usually, Ross woke up first, and right after that the kids were up, with Katherine following close behind. Katherine had just put the coffee on when the phone rang. She caught it on the first ring. “Katherine, I need Ross to come over right away.” Ross’ mother sounded slightly out of breath. Katherine tensed. Something was wrong. “Is there anything I can do if I come with him?” Dread made her arms feel weak. Was it Dad? Had there been an accident? “No one is hurt, at least not yet. Don’t let him bring the kids with him and Katherine, tell him to please hurry.” Katherine rushed down the hall to Ross’ room. Ross was lying sprawled out on the bed with one of his arms thrown over his head and the other resting on his chest. The strip of sheet barely covered him. He didn’t sleep in 

 pajamas, that was for sure. Dark blond hair was sprinkled and became thicker as it disappeared under the sheet. Even with the urgency of the moment, Katherine felt her heart leap and her hands itched with the need to touch him. She walked over to shake him awake but just before she reached out her hand, his eyes opened. Their eyes met and held. Katherine’s tongue slipped out, wetting her dry lips. Ross’ voice was almost a groan. “Well this is a great way to wake up, but I can think of a better way, yet.” He started to reach out to her and then came awake with a start as he saw her face. “What’s wrong?” Ross swung his legs over the edge of the bed. The sheet pulled out from under him. At the last second he grabbed for it, taking it with him as he got up. “Your mom called. She wants you to come over right away. Something is horribly wrong. She didn’t say what it was, just that no one is hurt, but she asked you to hurry.” Katherine finished her sentence as she closed the door. By the time Ross was dressed, Katherine had a cup of coffee waiting in a travel mug. He took it from her and started for the door. “Call me as soon as you can,” Katherine called after him. Katherine worried and fretted away the rest of the morning. The kids woke up and she fixed them an extra treat of waffles. They had an appointment with the realtor at three. She wondered if Ross would remember, or if circumstances over at the folks’ would drive it from his mind. Finally at noon, she knew she was going to have to find something to keep her occupied or she was going to go crazy. Already she was thinking the worst. Well, packing would be good. It had to be done sooner or later and was something that would keep her busy. Ross and the boys hadn’t lived in the little rambler long enough to have much of an accumulation, so she knew she was going to have to be careful not to pack something they were going to need. She didn’t have any idea how long it was going to take to get the other house ready, but she knew it was going to need a lot of cleaning at the very 

 least. Even though she’d been expecting the phone to ring all morning, when it did, Katherine jumped. She’d made good use of the time she’d spent waiting. The kitchen stuff they wouldn’t need had been packed up and the emptied cabinets cleaned. Katherine rushed over to get the phone. When she heard Ross’ voice on the other end she closed her eyes and, with a mixture of dread and relief, waited for him to continue. Ross sounded tired. “I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. I know you must be pretty worried by now. No one is hurt. It was a domestic problem at my brother’s. I can’t really talk right now, but everything’s taken care of here and since there isn’t anything more I can do, we need to keep that appointment to close the house. Anyway, call Beth. She just lives a few houses down and baby-sits for me off and on. Her number is under a magnet on the fridge. See if she can come over and watch the kids. I want you to go with me to the realtors.” Ross had made it pretty clear he didn’t want to talk about what had happened. Did he mean now or never? The thought that this was, after all, a family problem, and it was really too soon for her to be considered family, left a feeling of sadness in her as she dialed Beth’s number and arranged for her to watch the kids. Katherine stood at the window watching as Ross got out of the car. He looked exhausted. She opened the kitchen door just as he reached for the knob. Without thinking, she put her arm around his waist, giving him a hug. He reached out, pulling her into his arms. Katherine’s head fit perfectly into his shoulder. “You feel so good.” Ross’ voice sounded husky. “I don’t want to let you go.” They stayed that way, just inside the kitchen, holding on to each other, giving and receiving reassurance and comfort until Ross finally broke away. Katherine remembered reading somewhere that happiness could cure illness by creating a positive energy source. Now I believe it, she thought. 

 Beth arrived a few minutes later and asked if the kids could go to the park with her and her parents. “We’re going to have a picnic. I’ll have them back around nine o’clock.” Katherine nodded and Ross gave his permission. “They’ll like that. Here’s a key just in case you get back before we do. We may stop by the other house for awhile.” Katherine and Ross walked out of the real estate office less than an hour later. Everything had gone without a hitch. In fact, the realtor said it had been one of the smoothest buys he’d conducted. Ross had made the heirs a good offer, one that would allow he and Katherine to fix up the house and still stay well under its market value. The heirs had been anxious to sell and didn’t want to invest the money or time into fixing it up, so they were happy with the reduced price. Like the realtor said, it had been a win-win all the way around. When they got to the sidewalk, Ross handed Katherine the keys the realtor had just handed him. Katherine laughed up into his eyes. “And now the work begins.” “Hey,” he said. “You don’t look the least bit daunted.” Katherine was literally bouncing with excitement. “Ross, I am so happy. I can’t believe we have it. Let’s go out there right now.” “You look just like the boys did when they got their first glimpse of Disneyland.” “Like a kid?” “Like happiness.” Katherine settled down on the ride out to the house. Ross was strangely quiet. The morning at his parent’s house had intruded on their happiness. Even with Katherine’s enthusiasm about the house, Ross couldn’t put the morning he’d just spent with his brother aside. When he’d gotten to his folks’, Wes, his brother, had been sitting at the kitchen table. He had a day’s growth of whiskers and smelled like he’d slept in an alley. Ross hadn’t been far from wrong. Actually, he’d been sleeping it off in the drunk tank at the county jail. Mom 

 had been afraid Wes might be suicidal and Dad wasn’t helping much by yelling at him. Wes was in bad shape, crying one minute and cursing the next. He told them Lucille had filed for a divorce and he’d been served with a restraining order the day before. “A restraining order for cripes sake. What does she think I’m going to do, beat her or something? This way I can’t even talk to her. She has the house and everything. With the damn restraining order, I even have to get a deputy to go with me to get my clothes out of there.” With that, he’d turned and hit the wall so hard, the dishes had rattled in their cabinet. At that point, Dad had had enough and walked out. Even though Ross had been close to Wes all through their growing up years, they’d drifted apart as adults. Wes and his wife Lucille were two of a kind. Both liked their toys. They both had sport cars and liked to dress well. Neither one wanted children. At first this seemed odd because they were both teachers. But then on second thought, they both taught at the university, so they really weren’t around young children. All in all, Ross thought they were pretty well suited to each other. Now, seeing Wes hurting like this, Ross didn’t think of the recent years, but more of the years when he and Wes had shared a room and been best friends, as well as brothers. Wes had cried on Ross’ shoulder quite literally that morning. By the time Ross had finally gotten Wes settled and thinking straight, he’d been even more determined in his resolve to not fall in love. In his own divorce, Miriam hadn’t really bothered him much. He hadn’t been in love with her and he was sure if she hadn’t gotten pregnant with Dougie, she wouldn’t have wanted to marry him, either. She’d enjoyed a good time in bed as much as he had. Remembering back, raw sex was all they’d ever had. But with Katherine, Ross knew it would be different. He didn’t want to risk loving her. He damned well knew he wasn’t going to risk the pain he saw Wes going through. 

 Katherine could see that whatever Ross’ thoughts were, they weren’t putting him in a good mood. She glanced over at his profile. His lips were pressed firmly together and she could see a muscle working in his jaw. Her heart gave a little start. He was so nice to look at. Not handsome in a classic way, but so masculine and rugged looking. He felt her gazing at him. She smiled over at him, her eyes sparkling. “A penny for your thoughts.” “You wouldn’t want my thoughts, and if they were for sale they wouldn’t be worth a plugged nickel.” Katherine hesitated for a minute and then plunged in. “Ross, if there’s anything I can do, even it’s only to listen, I want to do it. Mom sounded so upset this morning and now you seem lost in another world.” Ross looked over at her. “You are a very special lady. Your honesty and compassion mean a lot to me. I not sure I’m going to be able to let you go when the time comes.” Katherine frowned at his last words but forced her voice to be light and teasing. “When the time comes, you’ll probably be sick and tired of me. But that’s years down the road so let’s not even think about it.” “You’re right. It must be this morning’s event that has me thinking thoughts like this.” Turning to Katherine with a smile, he continued. “This is a happy day. Don’t let me spoil it for you.” Just then the house came into view. Ross pulled into the drive and had barely stopped the car before he jumped out and ran around to open Katherine’s door. “Should I carry you over the threshold? No? Well I’m going to anyway, so hang on.” Ross bent into the car and scooped Katherine up in his arms, slamming the door shut behind them with his hip. Katherine screamed in surprise. “Put me down. I’ll break your back.” Ross matched her mood. “If you put my back out, you’ll have to do all the work. Got your key?” Still holding her in his arms, Ross swung her down so she could turn the lock. A push and the door opened, and they were inside. Katherine kept her arms around Ross’ neck as she surveyed the house. She didn’t see the faded worn rug going 

 up the stairs. Instead she saw the graceful sweep of the stairs as they made the curve halfway to the upstairs balcony. Neither did she see the dirty ragged draperies at the dusty windows. Instead she saw the late afternoon sun dancing through the prisms made by the leaded glass on the upper part of the windows. She closed her eyes and breathed in. Maybe the house did smell of mustiness and dust now, but Katherine smelled what it would be like at Christmas when there’d be the aroma of fir, pine, and cedar from the tree and boughs she’d use to cover the mantle and garland stair banisters. Katherine wiggled out of Ross’ arms, anxious to explore the rest of the house. 

s Katherine rushed from one room to the next, Ross followed, drinking in her beauty that was heightened by her

excitement. Her eyes were bright and shining and her cheeks were flushed a pale pink. Ross found himself looking at her as much as the room they were in. He felt an ache in his groin and an overwhelming urge to hold her and kiss her until she turned all her excitement and energy to him. Her enjoyment and enthusiasm were contagious. Ross felt the depression from Wes’s episode falling away, and he was caught up in Katherine’s excitement as they went through the house together sharing their ideas on repairs and redecorating. It was getting dark by the time they’d finished their tour. Ross stepped to the door of the upstairs room they were in. Already it was hard to see down the hall. “We need to call it a day. In a few more minutes we aren’t going to be able to see to get down the stairs.” “I know you’re right but I hate having the day end. I wish we could get started right now.” “We’ll get an early start tomorrow,” Ross promised her. “You’ll have all the time in the world to get your fill of this place.” 

 In fact, with the children returning to school tomorrow, and him leaving for Spokane the next Friday, she’d probably have all she wanted of this house. But then again, maybe not. He hated that he had so little time before he had to go back to work. It was going to be fun seeing this house brought back to life. It was dark by the time they got to the car. Ross started the engine and with a slight hesitation turned to Katherine. “I need to stop by Mom and Dad’s. The kids probably aren’t home yet and if they get there before we do, Beth will get them ready for bed. Will you stop over with me, or do you want me to let you off at the rambler first?” Katherine reached over and squeezed Ross’ hand where it rested on the console. His defenses were down and he seemed stronger, more masculine for it. “I want to be with you and share whatever you’ll let me.” As they drove to the folks’, Ross filled Katherine in on what had happened with Wes and Lucille. Katherine was thankful he could talk about it with her, even though she suspected she was getting the condensed version. Ross’ mom came out of the kitchen as Ross and Katherine came in the door. Katherine noticed how tired she looked. Usually, his mother kept her hair neat and tidy, but tonight it hung in wisps around her face. Ross went over to his mother and put his arm around her shoulders. Giving her a hug, he gently kissed her on the forehead. Katherine hadn’t noticed how short she was before. Her head just barely came to Ross’ shoulder. With a squeeze he let her go. She gave them a little smile that was a ghost of her usually cheerful self. “I’m glad you two came over. Come on out and have some dessert with Dad and me. Wes left about an hour ago. I think he was feeling better. He said he needed to get back to Walla Walla for school tomorrow. He was hoping Lucille would meet him somewhere and drop off at least enough of his things so he could dress for work.” Ross poured a couple cups of coffee. He slid one over to Katherine as he sat down next to her at the kitchen table. “You know, Mom, Wes is a big boy now and, well, being here for him is one thing, but getting yourself upset about something you have absolutely no control over is something else.” 

 Ross’ dad took a sip of his coffee and looked over its rim at his mom. “See, Dorothy, at least listen to Ross, even if you won’t listen to me.” She shook her head. “I know you’re both right, but it doesn’t seem to matter how old you guys get, you’re still kids to me. It’s just harder to kiss your hurts and make them better is all.” “And we love you for it, Mom. It’s just that we don’t want you to make yourself sick over things like this. You know Wes wouldn’t want it either. Heck, they’ll probably kiss and make up before we know it.” “I’m not so sure about that,” Dad said, shaking his head. “You know, I think maybe there are two sides to this story. Wes can be pretty bull-headed when he’s drinking. And even though they’ve been married five years now, we never really have gotten to know Lucille. Heck, we know Katherine better and we’ve known her less then three weeks.” Ross’ mother got up to refill his dad’s cup. “Three weeks,” she mused, smiling over at Katherine. “It seems like we’ve loved you for a lot longer than that.” With that, the topic around the table turned to the house. Katherine described everything in detail until Ross’ parents could hardly wait to see it for themselves. “We’re going to go over to the house as soon as I get the kids on the school bus tomorrow morning. If you’re not at our house by the time we leave I’ll give you a call and you can meet us over there.” Katherine said. Ross reached over to Katherine and took her hand in his. “By the way, Honey, you need to get duplicates made of the house keys. The realtor only had one set. I may come home from Spokane some night and find myself locked out.” Katherine still felt strange when Ross called her honey, but had to admit she liked the sound of it. They’d agreed to use endearments to each other in front of family and friends and it was especially important now when they were supposed to be newlyweds. Like Ross said, “if we don’t act like newlyweds people are going to guess we got 

 married for the convenience of taking care of the kids. I don’t know about you, but I’d just as soon we kept that to ourselves.” Katherine had agreed and they’d decided they wouldn’t make any exceptions, preferring to let everyone– including Ross’ mother and father–think they had a perfectly normal relationship. Ross even seemed to like having her call him honey or sweetheart. But if the way he tensed was any indication, he was having trouble when she gave him a hug or when he put his arms around her. It seemed like he had a hard time turning her loose. Like he wanted more. She couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if they weren’t in front of people when this happened. Ross’ body language didn’t go unnoticed by his mother. Putting her hand on Katherine’s shoulder, she said, “I have a confession to make. At first I was worried about you two. You didn’t seem to be all that interested in each other. I was afraid that you might have gotten married for the sake of the children.” Smiling, she went on. “Now, I can put my worries for you two away. Ross, it’s obvious you’re very interested in your new wife and Katherine if you could only see how your eyes sparkle with excitement. Yes, I can definitely put my worries away.” Katherine gulped back tears. She felt like such a liar. How could she deceive these wonderful people? They were giving her their love and trust and she was letting them believe that she loved their son. Well, that part at least was true, just not the forever after part. A little while later, Ross and his dad were absorbed with going over what they needed to do to ensure the wiring was safe and get hot water in the house. Katherine reluctantly interrupted them. “Ross, I think we should probably be getting home. Your mother looks like she’s about ready to drop, and I need to be sure the kids make it an early night so they’ll be ready for school tomorrow. I’ll bet they can wheedle extra up time when Beth is with them.” Ross closed off the conversation right away and a few minutes later they were on their way out the door. His dad walked them out to the car. “I’ll see you both tomorrow. It looks like it’s going to be a busy day.” 

 Ross’ dad was a big man and easily put his arms around Ross’ shoulders. “Thanks for being here today, Son. Mother and I both appreciated it, and I know it meant a lot to Wes, too.” Katherine was proud of Ross. He was so solid. It felt good to think that, at least for a while, he belonged with her. When they got home, Ross walked Beth back to her house while Katherine helped the kids into bed. Beth had already done most of the bed routine so all that was left were the tuck-ins. It was a good thing because Katherine had been hardly able to wait to start her to-do list for the house. By the time Ross got back, she was already curled up in the corner of the couch with a pad propped up on her knees. “Whew, what a day. Now I really wish I had another week off.” Katherine looked up from her writing. “Why don’t you call and see if you can get some extra time? I know you said you didn’t think it was possible but maybe it is.” Ross sat down on the other end of the couch. Crossing his ankle over his thigh, he stretched his arm along the back. “I would, but I know what the vacation calendar looks like and they’ll be short on pilots as it is without my taking off. In fact, like I said before, I may need to work over, but you’ll be okay. My dad and mom will help you and I won’t be surprised if Midge doesn’t start showing up on your doorstep too.” Ross leaned forward. “Want to share your list?” Katherine straightened up and handed the list to Ross. She’d been working on her plans for the house for the last week. In addition to her list, she’d made sketches. Ross whistled, “This is great, these pictures make the house and gardens come to life. You’ve really been working on this to put this much material together. These sketches are incredible. They draw you in and give you an idea how the completed house is going to look.” Katherine was pleased with Ross’ compliments and scooted over so they could share the book between them. 

 She was so absorbed in documenting the changes they were talking about, she didn’t realize how much time had passed until she tried to straighten up to relieve a cramp in her leg. “Whew, I must be getting old.” Katherine’s leg had gone to sleep and as she started to stand on it, she lost her balance and fell back against Ross on the couch. “Sorry,” she murmured. Ross caught her as she came down. Katherine could see the want and need she felt reflected in him. His eyes had turned steel gray. She felt the strength in his hands as they held hers. Ross’ voice was soft and deep as he whispered into her hair. “I can feel your response, Katherine. I know you’re feeling the same needs I am. Your mind might deny it, but your body is speaking a language of its own. And it’s saying Yes!” Slowly he bent his head and lowered his mouth to hers. He still held both her hands in his so only their mouths made contact. Katherine groaned softly. Gently, he deepened his kiss. His mouth was warm and demanding, while at the same time there was tenderness in his touch. His lips worked to gain entrance into the warmth of her. “Open up to me,” he breathed against her mouth. Katherine felt herself drowning. Her heart was beating so loudly she was sure Ross could hear it. She wanted to get closer. Still Ross held her hands, letting her frustration grow as his was. Finally, she could hold back no longer. Her body felt alive and burning with heat. With a sigh, she opened her mouth to his. Ross’ tongue slid inside, coaxing. Katherine shyly touched her tongue to his and then deeper, exploring his mouth. Ross groaned, encouraging Katherine to probe further. “Oh, yes, Honey, you feel so good.” When he tried to release her hands to free his own, she hung on. What was she doing? She had to stop this and stop it right now. Pressing her hands against his chest, she levered herself up to stand beside the couch. 

 “Please. We can’t.” Katherine held up her hand as if to defend herself. Ross stood up beside her. It was evident he was aroused and he didn’t try to hide it from her. “What do you mean we can’t? For cripes sake Katherine, we’re both adults and no, don’t tell me you don’t want me as much as I want you. I’m no schoolboy who doesn’t know when I’m holding a passionate woman in my arms. A woman who wants the same things I want.” “That’s just it, Ross. I don’t want to be just another one of your women. I don’t sleep around. It has to mean more to me than just a physical release.” “I’m not going to tell you I love you and all that crap. If that’s what you’re after, you’d best get another man,” he growled as he stalked out the door, letting it slam behind him.



 oss woke with a start, not sure what had awakened him. He raised up off the pillow listening. It sounded like

a small animal caught in a trap. The window was open and he crossed over to it. The sound wasn't coming from outside. He headed for the bedroom door, pulling on his jeans as he went. The hall was pitch black. It must be around three in the morning. The darkest part of the night. The noise was louder now and it wasn't coming from the boys’ room. Ross flipped the switch bathing the hall in light as he hurried down the hall to Katherine’s room. Taking a breath against what the noises coming from the room meant, Ross silently swung the door open. His eyes immediately picked up Katherine’s form. She’d curled herself into a fetal position and was rocking in her sleep. The sounds were coming in intermittent moans and whimpers. Ross took in the entire scene in seconds and was thankful Jodi had made her usual trek into the boys’ room for the night. Ross sucked in his breath as he touched Katherine’s shoulder. She was soaking wet, her hair had curled against her temples and the little cotton tee she’d worn to bed was wet clear through. Ross slid his arm under her head. “Shush. Shush,” he whispered as he tried to gently wake her. Katherine stopped her rocking, but was still making little mewing sounds. He didn’t know if waking her was the right thing to do. He’d read somewhere that you 

 shouldn’t wake someone when they were in the middle of a nightmare. Or was it sleepwalking? It didn’t matter. She had to get out of the wet clothes before she caught cold or worse. Whispering encouragement to her, Ross slid onto the bed beside her and pulled her tight into his arms. He knew when she woke up because he felt her body relax from its rigid position. She was still breathing hard but he could see her eyes were open. Ross gently smoothed the wet hair off her forehead. “Welcome back to the real world. That was one heck of a nightmare you were having.” Katherine’s eyes weren’t quite focused but she was awake. She tried to scoot across the bed to put some distance between them but Ross held her firmer against him. “Honey, you’re soaked through. Let’s see what we can find for you to put on.” Katherine’s voice trembled. “I’m sorry, you need your sleep. It seems like you’re always rescuing me. Oh Ross! I’m so sorry to be such a royal pain.” Ross gave her a squeeze and then took her by the shoulders, holding her away from him. “Let’s not worry about me, let’s just get you taken care of.” Getting up, he opened her dresser drawer. “Umm, this should do.” He pulled out an oversized tee-shirt and handed it to her. Katherine hesitated. Ross didn’t like the way she looked. There was no color in her face and her teeth were beginning to chatter with chills. In a firm voice that brooked no nonsense he said, “I’ll turn my back. You get out of the wet nightie before you catch cold.” Katherine shed her wet shirt and pulled the dry one over her head. Ross waited to turn around until she gave him the okay. When she did, the light from the hall shone on her face. Most of her fear appeared to be gone, although she still seemed a little disoriented. “I’m okay now. Please. You need to get back to sleep. Really, I’ll be okay.” Ross ignored her and climbed back 

 into bed beside her. He took both pillows and propped himself up against the headboard, pulling her up against him. “Come here. I just want to hold you until you warm up a little.” Katherine settled back, laying her head on Ross’ shoulder. She was still shaking a little but she felt a little warmer. Ross sighed. This felt so right. He wanted to ask her about her nightmare but waited, willing her to initiate the conversation. The light was still shining through the open door. Katherine seemed to like it being on. But maybe tonight she wouldn’t be so anxious, he thought, as she settled more comfortably against him. Ross was almost asleep when Katherine moved her head so she could see his face. “This was the worst one I’ve ever had. Between Jodi’s odd sleeping habits and now my nightmares, you must think you’ve really gotten a hold of a couple of loonies.” Ross bent and lightly kissed her on the forehead. “You know I don’t think anything of the kind. With what you two have been through, I think you’re a couple of very brave, courageous ladies.” Katherine snuggled back down. “They, the nightmares, started about a month after I found my friend, Betty, in the parking lot. There had been a series of attacks on women at the community college where I was attending a night course and we’d been warned to do the buddy system so we wouldn’t be walking out to our cars alone. That night Betty wasn’t feeling well and left early. I would have left, too, but she didn’t say anything. It wasn’t until after the class that I realized she’d left.” Katherine paused, swallowing she continued, “I don’t remember hearing the attack, but in my nightmare I always hear his breathing. According to the police the attack happened within minutes of my finding her, so it’s very possible I did hear him. Anyway, they always start the same, first the breathing then the moaning. This one was different.” Katherine stopped. Ross could feel her heart beating as she relived her nightmare. 

 “It’s okay, Sweetheart,” he murmured as he gently stroked her arm. “How was it different?” Katherine swallowed the lump in her throat. “Oh Ross, there was so much blood. It was dripping off my hands onto my shoes.” She turned her face into his shoulder and cried softly. Ross was quiet for a while. He felt anger that he hadn’t been there to protect her. “Your memories of the accident we witnessed the other day may be getting mixed up with the attack on Betty. I’m here now. Just lay back and try to relax.” Katherine snuggled closer and in a few minutes had fallen back to sleep. Ross shifted and pulled the blanket over them. Hopefully, the nightmares would stop once she started work on the house. If not, he would strongly suggest counseling. Or maybe it would be better just to have her move into his room with him. Yeah right, like she would do it. Still it was a nice thought to sleep on. 

t was early. Katherine could tell because she was becoming familiar with the way the sun came up in her window.

She moved slowly, not wanting to wake the man beside her. His breathing was deep and steady beneath her head as she lay cradled against him. During the night Ross had slid down, taking the propped up pillows and Katherine with him. Katherine tilted her head just enough to be able to see his face. She lay still watching him. With him sleeping, she could get her fill of looking at him. His dark lashes fanned out on his cheeks. They were almost too long to be on a man. A woman would kill for eyelashes like these, Katherine thought. Her eyes traveled lower to where his mouth was loosely closed. Katherine knew the beautifully sculptured mouth covered even white teeth, and when he smiled he had a deep dimple on the left side. Katherine’s word to best describe Ross was “beautiful” even though she knew that wasn’t a term one usually used to describe a man. Especially a man like Ross. 

 Ross’ breathing was even and deep. All at once Katherine realized he was simulating sleep. “How long have you been awake?” Ross slowly opened his eyes. “Long enough. Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?” Katherine felt Ross’ gaze following much the same path as hers had followed earlier on him. Her voice husky, she asked a question back. “Did you know your eyes are the color of the sky on a bright sunny day?” Ignoring her question about the color of his eyes, Ross let his gaze rest on her lips. “I remember the sweetness of your lips from last night.” Katherine nervously darted her tongue out to moisten her lips as Ross continued to look at her. Ross shut his eyes. He looked like he was in pain. Katherine blinked. One minute Ross had been lying beside her, and the next he was out of the bed heading for the door. In that one instant, the bed seemed empty and bigger than it ever had before. Ross bellowed in at the kids as he made tracks for his own bedroom. “Better get a move on. The bus will be here in about half an hour.” With a jolt back to reality, Katherine smiled. It was going to be a beautiful day. It was going to be the first day of the rest of her days with the house. 

atherine was anxious to get out to the house. It was almost ten o’clock. Darn! The day was getting away from

her. After she’d gotten an excited Dougie onto the bus, she’d herded an equally excited Jodi and Timmie to their first day at kindergarten. Katherine had talked to their teacher, Miss Emmons, about the afterschool daycare program the school offered. Miss Emmons had said the two little ones could take the afterschool program which would allow 

 them to stay until three in the afternoon when Dougie would be home from school. Ross had suggested this, and Katherine had gratefully agreed. I love all three of them, Katherine thought as she drove. But sometimes having three kids all at once is a bit much. This morning for instance, Dougie had been close to tears as he looked for one of his shoes. “Okay,” Katherine had said. “One shoe never takes off by itself. It always– Dougie look at me! It always takes the other one with it. Unless it can find a prettier one.” She wiggled her bare toe with its bright red toenail paint at him and he’d started giggling in spite of himself. A few minutes later she was lying flat on her stomach, reaching to the furthest corner of the floor under his bed. “How do shoes do this?” she mumbled as she handed the shoe to Dougie. All thoughts of the morning left as Katherine slowed and turned onto the tree-lined street. There in front of her was the gate. She could hardly wait to park the car and finally, pad in hand, she ran up the front porch. Ross and his father were already in the kitchen as she called a cheery hello. Ross came out and bent down to give her the expected welcome kiss. “How long does the honeymoon period last, anyway?” Katherine whispered. “Surely old married couples don’t still kiss hello when they only said goodbye a couple hours ago.” Ross grinned down at her. “Oh, I don’t know. Mom and Dad are pretty taken with you. They may expect me to show the proper respect to a loving wife for a long time.” Turning away he mumbled, “These quick pecks are like giving a thirsty man a sliver of ice. It evaporates before it ever reaches the vitals.” “Good news, Honey.” Dad rounded the corner beaming at her. “It looks like the wiring and plumbing are in good condition. These old houses were built to last. Not like the new ones they’re slapping up.” Ross rolled his eyes at her. “We need to get a circuit box in to replace the old fuse box, and you need a new hot water tank. That’s about all 

 the essentials this beauty needs to get started.” Dad said. Katherine looked over at Ross to confirm the news. He gave her a reassuring wink. “Don’t worry, I’ll get them in before I go. Or, if not, close enough so Dad can finish the job.” This was so perfect. Katherine couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she started going over the house with her list. Yes! It was going to be a beautiful day. 

oss slammed down the plate he’d been washing. The kids were finally tucked into bed and he’d decided to start

clearing the kitchen. Where the devil was Katherine, anyway? Supper was over two hours ago and she still wasn’t home. He had a mental picture of her when he had left her. She had been down on her hands and knees trying to reach the nether regions of a kitchen cabinet. He should have known better than to leave her at the house. That woman just doesn’t know when to quit. He was mad at himself for letting her talk him into coming home without her. He hadn’t wanted to leave but she’d begged him to let her stay just a little longer. She’d been so convincing, even using the fact that she’d had to quit early the day before to take care of something at school for the kids. Yesterday was the kids first day at school and he had to admit she was always sensitive to their feelings. No matter what she was doing or how busy and tired she was, Katherine always took time to listen to them or run them somewhere. Ross smiled in spite of himself. The kids had been so excited yesterday and, of course, each had a list of shopping that absolutely had to be done that night. Katherine had taken them out and then come back for him so he could share in the trip to the ice cream parlor. He was touched by her generosity in including him. Her cheerfulness in giving up working at the house last night had clouded his better judgment to bring her home 

 when he’d left tonight. Plus her pretty pleading had certainly entered into the equation. She had really wanted to stay for a while longer. “I’ll probably be home right behind you. I promise I’ll only finish what I’m doing, then I’ll be home.” Ross just hadn’t had the heart to make her stop, even though he’d been planning to quit early and take the whole family out to dinner. To what? Celebrate my returning to work the next day? Get real, Ross. Ross reflected back on the night before. Katherine had worked so hard that by the time she sat down to eat she’d almost fallen asleep in her plate. Tonight probably wouldn’t be any different, so going out would have been a waste anyway. Well, at least they hadn’t had any repeats of the incident a few nights before when they’d been going over the work list of Katherine’s. There hadn’t been a chance for things to get out of hand again because now, except when they happened to be working on the same area in the house, he hardly even saw her. Pacing around the kitchen, Ross finally gave in and called Beth to come over to watch the kids. “They’re already in bed, so all you need to do is just be here,” he told her. By the time he turned into the drive of the old house, he’d built up a real head of steam. Sure enough, her car was parked in the drive. “For Pete’s sake,” he mumbled to himself, “it doesn’t look as if she’s even started to leave.” Ross’ anger turned to fear when he realized that she could have fallen or turned something over on herself. With his heart pounding in his throat, he hit the porch at a run and swung the door open. Briefly it registered that the door hadn’t been locked. Darn, how many times had he warned her to lock up when she was here by herself? Ross was in such a hurry he almost knocked Katherine down as she came out the kitchen door. The relief at finding her okay immediately turned his fear back to anger. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing? I thought you were hurt!” Ross gripped her by the shoulders. 

 Katherine nervously moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and glanced down at her watch. “I didn’t think it was this late. I know you’re furious with me and, worst of all, I deserve it. I’m sorry. I should have left with you.” She looked so beautiful with her big eyes and moist lips. Ross ignored the stab of pain in his groin. “That does it! I’m going to get a contractor to do this house, and no argument. It’s a plain and simple fact that I can’t trust you to use a little common sense. Katherine, you don’t know when enough is enough.” Ross’ voice had risen until he was shouting at her. Katherine tried to talk but Ross wasn’t listening. She’d never seen Ross so mad. She could feel him trembling as he gripped her shoulders. As quickly as he’d started, Ross dropped his hands from her shoulders, ran his hands through his hair, and started for the front door. Katherine ran after him. He seemed not to notice her. Finally, she grabbed his arm and propelled herself into his path. Ross stopped and looked down at her. Wisps of hair had escaped from the clips holding it off her face and there was dirt on her cheek. “You’re absolutely beautiful,” Ross groaned as he pulled her against him, burying his face in her neck. “What am I going to do with you? One minute I’m so mad at you I could break your neck, and the next I’m scared to death you’ve gotten hurt, and the next...” He trailed off as he took her mouth with his. The moment his lips touched hers, something broke open. He tightened his arms around her, crushing her against his arousal. This time the kiss wasn’t gentle, but hot and demanding as he parted her mouth with his and drove his tongue into the moist center. The fear he’d felt earlier turned into a wild fierce need. He couldn’t get close enough. Pain slammed into him in sweet suspense of what it would feel like to bury himself in her. Katherine moaned low in her throat and opened her mouth to allow him more access. Then she met his tongue 

 with her own. Ross ran his hand under her shirt to her breast, releasing the front clasp of her bra. He bent his head and took her hardened nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his teeth. Katherine moved her hips against him, trying to get closer through their jeans. Ross’ hands roamed over her. “Your skin is so soft and warm.” Katherine ran her fingers through the crisp hair at the base of his head and murmured his name as she twisted to give him better access. Ross brought his mouth up from her breast and returned it to her mouth. This time she was ready. She parted her lips and met his tongue with her own. Ross gasped as he felt himself losing control. “Sweet, oh yes, yes.” All at once he stopped. Pulling away he lifted his head. Katherine wasn’t ready for him to leave her and, with a soft whimper of protest, tried to pull him back against her. Ross’ heart pounded so hard he could hardly speak. “Someone is coming. I just heard a car door slam. It’s probably Mom and Dad. When it got so late, I called them to see if you’d stopped over there. I’ll bet they’re coming to make sure you’re all right.” Ross pushed her behind him to shield her state of undress as both his parents burst through the door. They’d have to be blind not to notice what had been happening. Katherine ducked into the kitchen to put herself back together. “I had to come back and pull Katherine out of here.” Ross’ voice sounded strange even to him as he bumbled through an explanation. If his folks thought he’d been using unusual tactics to get his wife home, they sure weren’t going to say so. Instead, Dad suggested they go out and finish the night with some dessert. 

 “Sure, why not? Beth is with the kids. How about it, Honey, you up for an ice cream run?” Ross called into the kitchen. As they went out the door, Ross bent over to Katherine and whispered in her ear. “Don’t think you’re off the hook. We’re going to talk about this house thing when we get home. You better believe I’m not going to go back to work and be worrying about your health every minute I’m away.” A few minutes later, they were all seated in the local ice cream parlor. Katherine hadn’t stopped working long enough to eat lunch and, by not being home when she was supposed to, she’d missed dinner, too. She’d been too busy to think about being hungry until now when she realized she was starving. Ross knew about dinner of course, but she wasn’t about to let him know she was hungry or that she’d missed lunch also. She was going to have her hands full convincing him not to hire a general contractor to do the house as it was, and the less fuel he had for the argument the better. Her skin heated up as she remembered how their argument had ended at the house. Ross’ mom announced she wasn’t hungry and, in the interest of watching her weight, would just have a cup of flavored coffee. Rats! Katherine thought. His dad didn’t help her either when he ordered a small sundae. Ross looked over at Katherine waiting for her to place her order. “I’ll umm, have an order of French fries with a brownie sundae with chocolate ice cream and a cup of coffee.” Ross’ dad laughed. “Now Hon, if you order a pickle to go with that, Mom and I are going to start wondering.” Katherine felt her face burn. She noticed Ross was watching her. Putting his arm around her, he gave her a quick hug. “Better yet, why don’t we order you a hamburger with that? We need to fatten you up a little or you won’t have any strength to move in when the house is finished.” The two couples always had fun and enjoyed each other when they were together and this night was no exception. They discussed the kids’ school, the upcoming holidays and, of course, the house. Katherine was surprised when 

 she looked at her watch and discovered it was after ten o’clock. “Ross, we need to get home so Beth can get to bed. Tomorrow is a school day for her, too, and you have to get up early, as well.” Thinking of the long drive Ross would have bright and early the next day brought a pang of guilt. While Ross took Beth home, Katherine checked on the kids and put fresh clothes out for them for the next morning. The boys always seemed to appreciate the clothes she laid out for them, but Jodi almost always selected something else to wear. Katherine smiled as she softly shut her bedroom door behind her. Jodi would be so happy when she could have a room of her own and wouldn’t have to share with Katherine. She’d changed back into the happy energetic little girl she’d been before the accident. I love her so much, but I’ll be as glad as she will be when she has her own room, Katherine thought. Katherine had just finished setting the coffeepot for morning when Ross walked in the back door. He shook his head. Katherine still had dirt smudges on her chin, and her hair was softly curling where it had escaped the ponytail she’d tried to confine it to. “What am I going to do with you? Never, even growing up in the same house with a tomboy like Midge, have I known a woman like you.” Ross ran his hand through his hair as he started into the living room. Katherine stayed right where she was, backed up to the kitchen sink. “Come on into the living room and sit down, Katherine. I’m not going to attack you, and we need to get some ground rules laid down.” Ross strode into the small living room and sat down on the couch, indicating she should sit next to him. Katherine shook her head and chose the only other seating in the room, an old overstuffed chair. Ross frowned. “Okay. Ground rule number one, I guess. Don’t get too close.” Ross continued to look across at Katherine, giving her a chance to speak first. She looked so forlorn, if anyone so beautiful could be termed that. With a visible effort she collected herself. Ross knew she wasn’t timid. She’d 

 revealed that side of her nature the few times she’d rounded out at him. Katherine was a paradox to him. One minute she could be so quiet, almost shy, and very agreeable bordering on submissive. The next she was gregarious with a titillating vivaciousness. He knew she could also display an amazing amount of stubbornness and courage. She excited him as no other woman ever had. It was imperative they talk this out unemotionally so they could reach an agreement but he wasn’t finding it easy to deny his pulsing need for her. Talking wasn’t what he wanted to do. It’s a good thing I’m heading back to work for a few days, he thought. While he didn’t live a life of abstinence, he did keep that part of his life in perspective. Maybe getting back to his other life would help him get this marriage back to what both Katherine and he had first agreed it would be. The sudden image he had of Wes sitting so forlornly at the folks the other day only reinforced his determination. With a visible effort, Katherine squared her shoulders and sat back in the chair. “As I told you earlier, I’m sorry for overstaying at the house. I let the time get away from me and it was inconsiderate of me to leave you worrying. But Ross, that’s all I’m going to apologize for. If I work too long or too hard, that’s my business. I’m a big girl now, and as long as I live up to my end of the bargain in taking care of the kids, what I do isn’t your concern.” Ross blinked back his surprise. He hadn’t expected this. All at once he was fighting back an angry retort. After all, he’d been thinking of her welfare when he’d seen her so tired. He stood up and paced to the end of the room. “You don’t think it’s my business, huh? Well, let me tell you this, Katherine. It is my concern when you get yourself too tired to take proper care of my children. It is my concern when the reason you’re so tired is because you’re redoing a house I happen to own, and when I can only benefit from your work.” His voice had risen and, realizing it, he immediately lowered it so she had to strain to hear his next words. “Hell, I don’t want to worry about you, or care about you or, most of all, ache for you. Katherine, that was the stupidest agreement we ever made when we decided to get married.” 

 Ross had been speaking specifically about the agreement to maintain a platonic relationship, but Katherine didn’t hear it that way. Tears sprang to her eyes as she stood up to confront him. “I’m sorry you feel that way about me and that you’re sorry we got married. I just don’t know what you want from me anymore. You hardly talk to me unless we’re with your sister or folks. You don’t ever come in until dinner is on the table, and then you immediately disappear, either back over to your folks’ house, or back to the big house or, barring getting out of here, you go to your room and either listen to TV or work at your desk.” Katherine took a breath and wiped at her eyes, which by this time were streaming. “You really don’t know, do you? You don’t even have a clue. Sit back down Katherine. No. Back over in the chair. I don’t trust myself to finish talking this out if you sit on this couch with me.” Ross pushed his hand through his hair. Forcing himself to relax, he reclined with his arm along the back of the couch. Katherine wet her lips trying to ease the dryness in her mouth. He looked so incredibly sexy sitting that way. His arm pulled the top of his shirt open, revealing the mass of curly hair on his broad chest. Ross swallowed. “To start with, try not to look at me that way or I’m going to come over there and show you why it’s so painful to me.” Ross put his arm down and rested both elbows on his knees. The silence stretched out making seconds seem like minutes. Finally Ross raised his head and started again. “Okay, this is the way it is, Katherine. You aren’t like Miriam or, for that matter, like any other woman I’ve ever been with. You fit so well into life here in Silverton. My family loves you, the kids love you. You’re a woman any man would be proud to spend his life with. I don’t know of any other woman outside of my mother or sister who wouldn’t take advantage of the monetary resources I have. Most of the women I know could never live in this small of a town. I don’t mean there aren’t functioning families in the bigger cities. I just mean I don’t live in their circle. When I’m not working or here at home, I don’t sit around 

 some hotel room.” He could see the hurt his words were causing her. Katherine swiped at her eyes. “You’re right. I don’t understand what you’re trying to say to me. Would it make you happier if I spent more of your money? And Ross, what do you want me to do about it anyway? I can’t very well quit. This isn’t like other jobs where, if you’re not happy with me or I don’t like the work, we can just sever our relationship. Or is that what you do want? Do you want me to take Jodi and just leave?” “Oh, for crying out loud, Katherine. Of course I don’t expect you to pack up and leave. This has gotten entirely out of control. We started out to discuss how we’re going to go about getting the house done so we can move without you undermining your health. Let’s just try to forget everything else and concentrate on that. But first, why don’t you go take a shower and get ready for bed? That will help both of us cool down and get our thoughts back on track.” With a sigh of relief, Katherine got up from the chair. “Thank you. That’s an excellent idea, and Ross–I really don’t want to make you miserable. I really and truly don’t. I just get busy and forget the time and everything else.” Ross watched her go out of the room. She was driving him crazy. He knew she wasn’t purposely trying to antagonize him but it didn’t make him feel any better that she could so easily put him out of her mind. A little part of him was jealous. He wished it was as easy to forget her. It was bad enough he thought about her all day, but lately she was filling his dreams, as well. What she’d said was right. He had been avoiding her. And, was he wrong about how she felt? He could have sworn back at the house that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her.



 atherine stepped out of the shower. She felt refreshed and not as emotional as she had earlier.

As she padded back down the hall she could see Ross seated at the desk in his room. "Come on in a minute." Ross motioned her over to stand beside the desk. He handed her a checkbook. "Let’s start over with this. I’ve put four thousand dollars in this book for you. I’ll put that amount in the first of every month.” Katherine started to protest that it was too much and that she didn’t need that much. Ross interrupted her. “No Katherine, I want you to finish listening to me and then you can let me know if you have any problems with what I’m saying. I want you to use this for a household fund. You know, groceries, and to remodel the house. I want you to hire as much of the work done as possible. For example, Dad and I have been working all week to cut back that jungle surrounding the house and we still aren’t done. Try to find someone to do the yard work. Find someone to wash the windows. Use yourself to oversee things, to make decisions, to shop for things you need. In addition, I’ll arrange for you to have a credit card for things like carpets and furniture.” Finished, he leaned back in the chair. “Okay, go ahead and shoot.” Katherine walked over and sat on the side of his bed. “Ross, this is very generous. I’ve never had money like this to work with and I don’t know what to say.” 

 “It isn’t generous at all. I knew it would cost money to get that old house up and running.” Getting up from his desk he walked over to the bed and held out his hand to her. “Friends again?” Katherine took his hand. “You’ll be gone early tomorrow, won’t you?” “Yes. I want to get up about four. Even if you hear me, I want you to stay in bed. I’ll see you in two weeks and three days. But who’s counting? You have the phone number where you can reach me, and I’ll leave an address on the desk in the kitchen before I go. Call me if you need anything or if anything comes up.” Gently, he pulled her up and followed her to the door of his bedroom. “Goodnight. See you in a couple of weeks.” He stood watching her walk down the hall until she reached her bedroom door. The way he was feeling it was going to a very long night. 

atherine reached over and turned off the alarm. Stretching out, she could feel soreness in muscles she didn’t

even know she had. The house was quiet. “I must have slept clear through the night. I didn’t even hear Ross when he left,” she mumbled to herself. She turned over intending to wake Jodi, but as usual the little girl had gotten up in the middle of the night and gone into Dougie and Timmie’s room. It felt strange to be starting a day knowing Ross was hundreds of miles away and might be halfway across the world by that night. Katherine cuddled back on the bed and let herself think of him. He’d have looked so handsome this morning with his flight uniform on. But then again, he probably wouldn’t wear that until just before he went on board. She smiled, thinking of how much he hated to wear a tie. I’m going to really miss him this next couple of weeks, she admitted to herself. 

 The morning may have started out quiet, but it took a turn fast. It all began with trying to get the kids up and out of the house for school. The little devils seemed to sense things were different with Ross being gone, and without his backup, Katherine had to be a little tougher than she usually was. First, as usual, Dougie lost one shoe. How it had gotten into Ross’ room she’d never know, but by the time they found it, all the kids had missed their bus. Next, Jodi had spilt her milk and needed a complete change of clothes. Jodi only had two outfits she’d wear to school. If Katherine suggested anything else, there was World War Three to deal with. Katherine often wondered if the teacher thought they were too poor to afford more than the two outfits. Anyway, as luck would have it, the other outfit was dirty. Katherine always washed every day, or at least every other day, but with all the work over at the house she’d let it go, and this morning she was paying for it. Katherine tried reasoning with Jodi, but finally had to be firm. The result was that Jodi looked like a small dark thundercloud. Timmie was the only one who hadn’t really had a disaster, but he was out of sorts and Katherine swore if they all got through the day it was going to be an early night. After Katherine dropped the kids off at the school, she decided to stop over at the folks’ for a quick cup of coffee and, she had to admit, a little sympathy. Parking the car in their drive, she went around to the back door. In this small town, folks still didn’t lock their doors and Katherine just rapped and hollered in as she opened the door. Ross’ mother looked up. “Boy you must have had quite a morning. Here. Sit down and I’ll pour you a cup of coffee.” “I look that bad, huh?” Katherine ran her hand over her hair to smooth it down. “Gosh, I wouldn’t want many mornings like this one. If those kids don’t improve, I’m going to be ready for a vacation by the time Ross gets back.” 

 Ross’ dad laughed. “Used to be that way around here every time Ross left. Took a few days for the boys to get the hang of the idea that there was more than one boss.” He reached over and patted Katherine’s hand. “It’ll get better. Probably by tonight everything will be back to normal.” I don’t think I like normal without Ross, Katherine thought. Soon she was repeating the morning’s episodes to Ross’ parents. As laugher filled the kitchen, Katherine regained her perspective and was laughing with them. “You should have seen Jodi’s face when she got out of the car.” Katherine mimicked it. “Uck, you do a good imitation.” Mom laughed as she passed warm muffins fresh from the oven over to Katherine. 

hat evening, worn out from working all day, Katherine walked into Ross’ room and sighed. First day down and

sixteen more to go until Ross got home. She glanced over at the clock on the bedroom stand in Ross’ room. Ten o’clock already? The day had gone by all too fast and, like always, she was never completely satisfied with what she’d accomplished at the house. Tonight was no different except Ross wasn’t here to go over the day with her. On the bright side of things, the kids, true to their grandparent’s prediction, came home from school in a wonderful mood, and tomorrow was Saturday so they wouldn’t have a repeat of this morning’s fiasco. Katherine had first thought starting the school year on Wednesday was a bit strange, but as it turned out it worked well. Kind of like dipping your toe into a cold lake before taking the dive in. Katherine slipped into Ross’ bed and snuggled down. When had she decided she’d sleep in his room? When the house seemed unusually quiet? When she started listening for the sound of him coming in the back door? Whatever, 

 it felt wonderful. Maybe, just maybe I’ll dream tonight, she thought as she snuggled deeper into Ross’ pillow. Katherine was just dozing off when the phone rang. She fumbled with it, almost knocking it off on the floor. “Uh hello,” she murmured sleepily. Ross sounded wide-awake and cheerful. “Hello, Katherine? Uh oh. Did I wake you up?” “Noooo, well not really.” Katherine looked over to see the time. It was only ten-fifteen so she really couldn’t have been asleep yet. “Where are you?” “I’m in New York, just got in a while ago. How did it go today?” Katherine chuckled. “Well, this morning with the kids was...well, it was different. By the time I finally got them to school I needed to refuel at Mom and Dad’s. You know, I’m glad we don’t have any more. Kids that is, not Moms and Dads.” Ross felt himself growing uncomfortable. Just talking to Katherine was more sensual than being with anyone else. The guys had invited him out for pizza, beer and whatever tonight. He’d even gotten as far as the pizza and beer but just hadn’t been able to get in the mood for more and decided to come on back to the apartment. He hadn’t been exactly happy with himself. Katherine had made it clear she didn’t want to broaden their relationship. Or had she? Ross listened to Katherine’s voice more than her words as she told him about her day at the house. “I took your advice and, starting Monday, I have a cleaning person coming in to work with me. I also hired out a few of the bigger jobs like the windows. Oh, and I hired a guy to do the garden and handyman stuff.” Ross woke up a little when she was talking about the handyman. “Who did you say you hired? Do I know him?” “I don’t know if you know him but you probably do. He looks like he’s about your age. His name is Adam Page. He’s about six feet tall and has dark hair. You can tell he works outside because he has a fabulous tan.” Ross felt his stomach clench. He didn’t like the vibes he was getting. For one thing, he didn’t know anyone by 

 the name of Adam Page. Ross knew he wasn’t the jealous type. Naw, he’d never been jealous in his life. But then he’d never cared enough to be jealous either. Caring was new to him and this open relationship with Katherine was definitely making him feel insecure. “Couldn’t you get old man Carson for the gardening? He’s good and I’ve had him do jobs for me before.” “Your dad did say something about Carson, but then I went to the grocery store and Adam had an ad on the board so I called him, and he said he had plenty of time for us.” Probably more like time for you, Ross thought. As he sat on the bed in the apartment, his long fingers played with the cord on the telephone. He knew they were dangerously close to a disagreement again. Ross didn’t want to end their conversation with discord. With a real effort, he forced himself to put aside any more questions about Adam what’s-his-name. “Um, what else did you do today?” Ross asked, leading her back into safer territory. Katherine spent the next half-hour going over everything at the house. She’d spent quite a bit of time hiring help, and more time yet arranging for the utilities to be hooked up. “Enough of what I’ve been doing. Here you called me and I’ve been going on like a magpie. How was your flight?” “The flight was the same as hundreds of other ones. And I called you to find out how it was going there.” Ross rested his head back against the bed in the small apartment he rented with two other pilots. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her he’d called just to hear her voice. He loved to feel it wash over him. It made him want more. He could picture her curled up on the end of the sofa with the phone nestled against her shoulder, but then he remembered her voice when she answered the phone. It had a sleepy sound, making him think of dark rich coffee. “Um, Katherine? Where are you?” He heard a breathy little pause then, “I…uh…well, I’m in bed. I went to bed a little early tonight. I took your advice and didn’t work as long over at the house. In fact, the kids came home from school about three and they 

 helped me until six, then I took them out to dinner.” A little laugh escaped. “I’m sorry I know I’m babbling.” Ross ignored her comment about babbling. “Yeah, I’ll bet it was a McDonald’s night. Better you than me.” “No smarty pants. In fact it was an O’Farrell’s night. We all love that place with its red carpet and pseudo antique interior, and most of all, of course, its wonderful, decadent ice cream menu.” Ross laughed. “Decadent, huh? With three little kids?” He wanted to get closer. “Is Jodi in bed with you?” Katherine released her breath, making another soft breathing sound into his ear. “No Ross, no one is sleeping with me tonight.” Ross stifled a groan. I need to get off this subject. About that time, Ross’ bedroom clock chimed eleven. Ross’ voice deepened. “Katherine...” He could see her lying back against his pillow with her hair spilling out around her face. So this was why she was so nervous. All of a sudden her babbling became endearing. He wanted to be there beside her, pulling her into his arms and crushing his mouth against hers, claiming it for his own. He felt blood rush into him and bit his lip to keep silent against the sensual pain in his groin. Clearing his voice, he started again. “I’m picturing you in my bed right now. Am I right?” “Ross, do you mind?” “Mind? Mind? Oh no, I don’t mind a bit,” he said under his breath. “Excuse me? I...uh...can’t hear you. It seemed a shame for the room to go to waste while you’re gone, but if you’d rather I didn’t sleep in it I can move back in with Jodi.” Ross dragged his mind away from the visual picture of Katherine in his bed, promising himself he’d pull the image out later when he could savor it. “No, Katherine, of course I want you to use the room. It’s just I wish I were sharing it with you, that’s all.” If she 

 heard the last part of what he said she ignored it in her answer. “Thanks. I know I should have asked you first.” As an after thought she added, “And Ross, I’ll have it all ready for you when you get back. The sheets will be all washed and fresh.” With a whispered “I’m sorry,” she hung up the phone. “No problem, except if I have a choice I’d rather you have the bed ready by still being in it.” The sound of the dial tone told him she hadn’t heard him this time either. 

he next week passed in a blur. On Saturday, Katherine left the boys with their grandpa while she, Mom, Midge

and Jodi went over to Walla Walla to shop. Katherine found a wonderful bedroom set for the master room. It had a king-sized bed and a beautiful big armoire built into a full wall unit. To top it off, it was in a luxurious dark cherry wood. She hadn’t been sure of how Ross would feel about paying the exorbitant sum the unit cost, or how he’d take to giving up his bed. She needn’t have worried on either count. When Ross called that night, she told him what she’d done. He wasn’t a bit concerned. In fact, he seemed as excited about her day’s purchases as she was. It was fun sharing things with Ross. He’d called every night and Katherine found herself looking forward to hearing his voice. That he always called late was an added bonus, because she had him all to herself. But she was always careful when she gave him reports on the progress of the house. She wanted to surprise Ross and be moved in by the time he got home, so she had to be careful not to give too much away. Tonight she’d been late getting in and had just gotten the kids to bed when he called. She let them get up to talk with him. After they rang off she felt unsettled, and wandered into the kitchen in hopes a glass of wine would relax 

 her enough for her to get to sleep. She hadn’t gotten the satisfaction out of Ross’ call she usually did. Maybe it was selfish but she liked the privacy of the late phone calls when she was snuggled down in his bed. As Katherine turned out the light, feeling guilty, she promised herself she’d take the entire next day with the kids. I haven’t been spending nearly enough time with them, she thought. Katherine lay in Ross’ bed and tried to think of someplace special to go. I could take them down by the river, or maybe go to a movie? As she drifted off to sleep, it was hard to concentrate on the next day’s venture. Instead, she kept picturing Ross as he told her about the day’s flight and described the New York City lights he could see from his bedroom window. Ross could make scenes come alive for her. It was like she was lying next to him, seeing and hearing the sights and sounds he was describing. She could almost feel him next to her as she drifted off to sleep. The next morning started out with a bang that was usually reserved for weekdays; first Dougie spilt his milk, which was unusual for him. He grumbled as he sopped up the mess. “I don’t know why we can’t have pancakes. Aunt Midge always makes pancakes on Sunday.” Jodi and Timmie gave up their fight with each other to chime in. “Yeah, and Grandpa makes pancakes on Sundays too.” Katherine sighed as she looked out the kitchen window. I’m not equipped for being a mother. I run late picking them up from school, forget to wash the only jeans the boys want to wear and Jodi’s favorite outfit. I don’t even have a set time for dinner. With an even louder sigh that sounded a lot like a moan, Katherine turned away from the window to stare straight into three sets of eyes. For a minute she was afraid she might have said her thoughts out loud, then she realized they were watching her to see what she was going to do about the smoke billowing from the toaster. Just then the smoke alarm went off. Katherine pushed the toast up as she grabbed the towel and started fanning 

 the breeze under the alarm. The kids gleefully jumped up and down, waving their hands in the air to help her. Of course they couldn’t have cared less that they were at least three feet too short to make any difference. With a final blurt, the shrieking noise stopped. “Whew! Now, aren’t you all glad I didn’t try for pancakes? Just think what I might have done to them.” Timmie hugged Katherine around the waist. “Yuck, I’m glad it wasn’t pancakes.” Katherine laughed as she bent down to give him a big hug. “I love you, all of you. What say we clean up this mess, jump in the car and go down to the pancake house for breakfast?” It didn’t take any convincing at all. They all pitched in and it took less than a half-hour to straighten the kitchen and finish getting dressed. Katherine checked to see that everything was turned off and, as a last minute thought, turned on the stove light. “There. That’s just in case we don’t get back until after dark.” “How long do you think it will take us to eat breakfast, Aunt Kathy?” Jodi asked, looking a little worried. “Well, not that long, Sweetheart, but I thought we might run over to the Whitman Mission after we finish breakfast. We could scope it out and, if we have fun, maybe we could take Daddy over to it when he comes back. You know, we could be like, uh...” “I know! We could be spies.” Dougie was fast getting into the day. “Well, I was thinking more like being scouts. You know, like the old wagon trains used to have.” Timmie looked up, his big brown eyes looking serious. “Do you think there will still be Indians at the mission? My teacher said the Indians mass, uh massss...” He finally gave it up. “Anyway, they killed all the white people.” Jodi’s eyes got bigger as Timmie talked. “Do’s you think they’ll kill us?” “No, Honey, that was a long, long time ago and the Indians were scared. They thought the white men would take all their land and bring sickness into their families.” It was almost ten by the time the small band got on the road to Walla Walla and the Whitman Mission. The kids’ 

 little stomachs were full and they were unusually quiet as they drove through the farmlands on small country roads. Katherine soaked in the beautiful countryside. She wished, not for the first time, for Ross to be here sharing all this with her. She’d been so busy she hadn’t noticed the nights had gotten cold enough for frost, turning the leaves bright red and gold. The world was full of fall colors. Katherine made a note to herself to not let this happen again. They not only needed to get out as a family and keep in touch with each other, they also needed to take time to stop and see the beauty surrounding them. Life was too short. They needed to take time to play, as well as work. It was cool as they stepped out of the car at the Whitman Mission. The leaves rustled under their feet as they made their way across the parking lot. Katherine decided it would be better to let the kids blow off some steam from the drive by seeing the grounds first, saving the Visitors’ Center for later. She pulled her jacket closer around her as she followed the kids up the hill to the old cemetery. The paths were well marked and there were talking recordings at each point of interest. The kids didn’t make it all the way to the cemetery. There was a reconstructed covered wagon and campsite along the way, and when Katherine caught up to them they were engrossed in talking with an old man attired in western clothes. Jodi, as usual, was charming everyone around with her questions and big-eyed responses. Timmie added all the appropriate accompaniments. There were two other families complete with moms and dads, and a lone woman with a little boy who looked around Dougie’s age. All of them were gathered around the campsite listening to the old man tell of wagon train days. Katherine squeezed in beside the young woman and gave her a warm smile. “Think we lost our kids to the old west, yet?” Katherine whispered. “From the look on Patrick’s face, I think my guy might be quite lost.” When their cold toes signaled it was time to move on, the kids started up the hill to the cemetery. It seemed natural for Katherine to fall into step beside the young woman. They moved up the trail behind the children in 

 companionable silence. “I should introduce myself. My name is Anna. I live about five miles past Silverton.” “That’s not far from where we live.” Even though Katherine had never been one to make friends easily, she found it hard to keep quiet around Anna. Katherine guessed Anna was probably a couple of years younger than she was. She was small and petite, and once she got started, she talked a mile a minute. It wasn’t long before Katherine had been told about how she was a single mom and worked at the school. She confided that Patrick and she were pretty much on their own. Listening to Anna, Katherine felt lucky and secure knowing Ross would be home in about a week. Her life had changed so much in such a short time. If she hadn’t met Ross, if he hadn’t come to the apartment that day, she’d be lucky to be in half as good a condition as Anna was. “Who takes care of Patrick when you work?” Katherine was curious how Anna could be so happy when she had so much responsibility. She knew she would have been scared to death. “Oh, that part is easy because of working at the school. You know, when the kids are out of school I’m off work. At first it was really hard. Mostly because I was so scared. But you get used to it. Maybe we don’t have much, but we’re safe and always have enough to eat. Most of all, we have each other.” Anna fell quiet a minute, than spoke, almost in a whisper. “There are worse things than being by yourself. At least Patrick and I don’t have to worry about being hit and knocked around.” Before Katherine could hold it in, she heard herself gasp. “You mean your husband hit you?” Of course she knew things like that went on. She’d just never known anyone personally who had suffered abuse. Thinking of women and children battered and bleeding sickened her, and this was the first time she’d actually spoken to someone who had suffered that way. She wished she’d held back her comment when she saw Anna’s face. It must be hard to admit to something like this. Katherine couldn’t help comparing her life with Anna’s. Even when Ross lost his temper she 

 was never scared of him. She knew with absolute certainly that he would never strike her or the kids. Katherine put her hand out and touched Anna’s arm. “It’s behind you now, and you’re awfully brave to be able to talk about it.” Anna gave Katherine a sunny smile. “You’re right. It is behind me. I don’t know what got into me. I don’t usually talk about it at all, and now here I am telling a stranger. I’m sorry Katherine.” Katherine stopped and turned toward Anna to get her full attention. “Sometimes you meet someone for the first time and they’re not a stranger. I think that’s a gift that has been given to us this afternoon. Let’s count it as the blessing it is.” Both women hurried to catch up with the kids. For the next couple of hours they wandered along the paths. Along the way there were recorders set up to describe what had been at the site. The park had constructed foundations to depict long ago buildings, and with the recordings, the kids’ imaginations took over. When they got to the site where the little Whitman baby had wandered over to the creek and drowned, the kids fell silent. Dougie scuffed his shoe along the bank, trying to see a little more of the creek. Finally, breaking the uneasy silence he whispered, “This creek doesn’t seem big enough for anyone to drown in.” Katherine explained that the friendly little creek they were looking at had been much bigger back then. “Now it’s just a trickle, but a hundred years ago, when the Whitman’s lived here, it was a swiftly rushing creek.” Jodi took hold of Katherine’s hand. “I guess even creeks get old, huh Aunt Kathy? Will it someday go away like peoples do?” Katherine squeezed her hand. “I don’t know, Jodi. This little creek is well over a hundred years old, so maybe it will just go on and on.” Katherine hugged Jodi to her, thinking maybe they should have skipped this part of the tour. “Let’s go inside 

 the Visitors’ Center, shall we?” The kids were starting to get cold and quickly agreed as Anna and Katherine hustled them toward the center. When they reached the door, Anna looked over the top of the kids’ heads at Katherine. “I guess everyone has some baggage they carry along, huh?” The two women smiled the sharing smile of friends. It had been quite an afternoon. Katherine hurried with Anna into the Center feeling somehow lighter and younger than she had this morning. The warmth in the Center was a welcome change from the nippy afternoon outside. The kids wandered through the displays showing what the mission looked like in its heyday. Katherine explained some of things they were seeing, but it was pretty apparent the highlight of the day had been outside. With a sigh, she turned to Anna. “I guess we’d better wrap this up. I’d really like to wander through the museum, but I don’t think it will hold the kids’ interest much longer.” “It will when they grow up a little more, but I think you’re right. Want to follow me out and we can stop along the way and have dinner?” “Well, how about it guys, think you can handle eating in a restaurant two times in one day?” That got all four of the kids’ attention and they responded in unison, and then found their “Yeah,” “Yeah,” “Yeah,” “Yeah,” funny and collapsed against each other as they got to the door. Laughing, Katherine playfully hugged them to settle them down. “Lead on, Anna. We’ll be right behind you.” Katherine thought of Ross and the nightly phone calls. She realized that he had been with her all day. Maybe not in person but she had thought about him constantly. Even being with Anna, she felt lonely without him. “I’ll have so much to tell him tonight,” she whispered to herself. It had been a full day. Katherine felt the tension from the long drive in her shoulders and sighed with relief as she pulled the car into the drive. She was really tired, but a good tired. Jodi was fast asleep in the back seat. Katherine reached in and gave her a gentle shake. No luck, Jodi wasn’t going to wake up enough to walk into the 

 house. Giving it up, she picked the little girl up in her arms. “Boy, Jodi you weigh a ton,” she said as she fumbled to unlock the back door. Finally getting the door open, Katherine made it into the kitchen with two very sleepy little boys following her. “Whew, I’m glad I left that light on over the stove for us to see by.” It didn’t take Katherine long to get the kids tucked in. As she made her way back toward the kitchen, picking up the trail of clothes along the way, she thought about Ross. Hopefully he’d call tonight. She had so much to tell him about the day and the new friend she had found. Katherine was enjoying a long hot shower when the phone rang.



 he air sizzled with the sound of Ross’ voice. “Where were you? I was just about to hang up.”

Katherine pulled the towel tighter. “You sound out of sorts.” “I probably do, I was a little worried. It’s nearly ten o’clock. You don’t usually keep the kids out when they have school the next day.” “I was in the shower and didn’t hear the phone ring. We went over to the Whitman Mission and spent the whole day. We had the best time.” Katherine hardly took a breath as she told him about the mission. Ross was glad they’d all had a good time, but he felt left out and wished he could have shared the day with them. Again, like the other night, he felt the old green-eyed twinge of jealousy. I’m not going to waste energy on such a worthless emotion, he thought. Actually, he wanted Katherine and the kids to get out and have fun. He blew off his attitude with the thought that he was probably just worried when no one answered the phone. Feeling a little better, he leaned back on the bed and closed his eyes as he listened to Katherine tell about her day. “And Ross, I made a really neat friend today and we took the kids out to dinner after we left the mission.” As usual, Ross hadn’t been listening so much to what Katherine was saying as he was to her voice. He loved the 

 sound of it. But now she had his full attention. He remembered what he’d said about their being discreet if either of them went out with someone else. After all, this wasn’t really a marriage; it was only an arrangement for both of their convenience. He felt a sick feeling in his stomach. He didn’t want to hear anymore from her about this “Friend.” Katherine continued on, seemingly unaware of the turmoil Ross was going through. “Ross, you’d really like her.” Her! Her! Damn. He’d almost blown it again. Why couldn’t he trust? He wanted to trust her, but then visions of Miriam with other men would pop into his head. So many of them and, more recently, Wes’s troubles with Lucille. He could still see Wes that morning. His eyes had been bloodshot and swollen as he’d sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands telling Ross about how Lucille wanted a divorce because she wanted to be free to be with another teacher. The other guy had been a colleague of both of them, and Wes had considered him a friend. Ross interrupted her. “Are you still standing in a wet towel?” He could visualize her standing there and the picture in his mind wasn’t of her cold and wet. More like hot and naked. Katherine wasn’t cold. “Yeah, pretty silly of me, huh?” She missed Ross so much. The words “I Love You” were on the tip of her tongue as she nervously ran it over her lips. “Ross...I...” Ross could hardly breathe. His voice came out almost as a sigh. “Katherine, I...” Ross’ apartment door banged open with force as one of the other pilots walked in. “Hey man, it’s cold as hell out there tonight.” Ross muttered an oath under his breath as he turned his attention back to the phone. “Uh, guess I have company. I’m glad you and the kids had such a good time. I just wish I’d been able to be with you. Get some clothes on before you catch cold and I’ll talk with you tomorrow night.” 

 

hew, Katherine sat at the kitchen table the next morning collecting herself after the kids had gotten off to

school. They had really been great this morning, but with baths to take and clothes to get ready, she’d barely gotten them out of the house in time to catch the bus. She made a mental note: the next time they spent the entire Sunday away from home, she’d take that extra half hour to get organized for the next morning. “Oh well, I’m learning,” she muttered to herself. Grabbing another cup of coffee, Katherine got out her notebook and started going over her lists. So much to do and it wasn’t going to get done with her sitting on her rear. Or, thinking about last night. What had Ross been about to say? For that matter, what had she been about to say? Sometimes, when she was talking to Ross it felt like he was right beside her. She’d get that sensation low down, just under her stomach. Not cramps, but sort of a hurting tenderness. It’s all just so silly of me, Katherine thought. Silly, maybe, and yet it felt so empty in the house with him being so far away. “I couldn’t be missing Ross. Of course not,” she chided herself. We really never have much time anyway, especially when he’s home. Actually we spend more time together over the phone, she thought. A little over an hour later she was just finishing at the grocers when she remembered she was supposed to meet with Adam, the guy she’d hired to do the gardening. They were scheduled to go over the job on the house this morning and she’d forgotten all about it. “So much for making lists,” she mumbled to herself. As she pulled into the drive, Adam came around the house whistling. Katherine glanced down at her watch. Not too late. Oh, well, he didn’t seem to be minding the wait. The weather certainly made it easier. It was Indian summer and, oh, what a glorious day. Adam came up to open the door for her. “I’m anxious to get started. There aren’t many jobs like this one. The 

 house is really beautiful. It sure was my lucky day when I placed that ad at the grocery.” As they walked around the outside of the house, Adam bent down to inspect the cobblestones. The house had been built before concrete or asphalt drives were popular in Silverton, and thankfully they hadn’t replaced the cobblestones later. There was a lot of moss around the edges of the drive and grass growing up between the stones. “I’ll put some weed and moss killer on the drive and check the walks.” Adam pointed up at the ginger bread trim on the porch and shared his ideas about painting it with just enough trim color to set off the beautiful carved swirls. As he leaned up against the old maple, colorful leaves gave up their hold and fluttered down around him. “Boy, this is the life. I’d give my right arm to own a house like this. You and your husband are really lucky to have this great place.” Balancing the grocery sack on her hip Katherine swung the door of the kitchen open. She was glad Adam was getting such an early start. The weather wouldn’t hold forever and there was an awful lot of outside work to be done. His enthusiasm was a plus. Adam took the grocery sack full of cleaning supplies from Katherine and put it on the counter. “I took the extra time this morning to make a list of things I think should be done. If you have time, I’d like you to go over it with me.” Looking around the kitchen, he let out a whistle. “Man, you got a lot of work to do around here.” Katherine smiled. “I guess it does look a little rough. The cabinets are all made of oak. I know you can’t see it because they have about three or four coats of paint on them. Anyway, they were better than we could have ever gotten new, so I had a guy come in and take the fronts off to refinish them. They should be back by Wednesday. The counter tops will be finished by then too, so hopefully the kitchen will be taking shape by the weekend.” Adam walked around Katherine and ran his hand over the beautiful oak on the inside of the cabinets. A look of reverence came over his face. “You don’t see wood like this every day.” Nodding, Katherine smiled at his look of pleasure. “I can tell how you feel just looking at your face. Bet you 

 don’t play poker well.” “Well, now, I don’t know about that. Not everything affects me like the feel of good wood.” Lightening the mood, he asked, “When do you think you’ll move in?” “Well, at first I wanted to surprise Ross, and be moved in by the time he got off this flight session.” She paused, feeling a little foolish. “After I got into cleaning, I realized I’d been a little optimistic about how much work is involved.” Adam looked around and nodded agreement. “Boy, that’s an understatement. Let’s see, you’d have to completely clean and paint this whole house, plus move, all in about two weeks, right?” Katherine laughed. “Not too smart. But it didn’t take me long to do a reality check. Now, I’m just taking each day as it comes. As long as we can be moved by Christmas. Christmas is an absolute must do.” Her voice was light and soft but well enunciated, making it easy to understand her even though she spoke quietly. “Oh, can’t you just feel Christmas in this house?” Adam sucked in a breath. “Ma’am, I think you might just be in love with a house.” “No Adam, I’m in love with a home, and this house is going to be the home it was built to be when we get done with it.” Adam started out the door but turned back as the knob turned in his hand. “You know, it’s been my experience it isn’t the house that makes a home, but the people who live in it.” Katherine turned away at his words. He’s right, she thought as she got out the paint for the kitchen. She could see in her mind the three kids as they trudged out to the bus that morning. They squabbled and bickered, but already they were forming a bond. And what about Ross and her? She wished she had easier feelings about Ross. She finally admitted to herself now, that she missed him. But what did he feel? Well, there had to be some reason why he called every night. The little demon on her shoulder bent over and 

 whispered in her ear, He just worries about his kids. It was almost two when Adam knocked on the back door and let himself into the kitchen. “Whew.” He whistled as he looked around the kitchen. “Hey, Mrs. H., you in here? The fumes from the paint are pretty strong. Maybe you better step outside and get some air?” Adam opened the back door a little wider just as Katherine came out of the pantry. Adams eyes widened at the sight of her. “Jeez, Mrs. H., you get any of that paint on the ceiling?” Katherine gave him a sheepish smile. “Guess I am wearing quite a bit of it, huh?” “Well, let’s just say the flannel shirt you started the morning with has changed color a bit. If I remember right it used to be red and black plaid.” Adam stepped back reading the label on the side of the paint can. “Ummm, Linen Flirt. Oh well the shirt matches your hair and that stripe running down your cheek.” Katherine dabbed at her cheek. “Guess saying wearing a little of it is an understatement.” “Well, maybe just a little, but it’ll wash off. Oh, before I forget, I just came in to let you know I’m going to run out and pick up something for lunch. Do you want me to get something for you?” Katherine got her purse from one of the cabinets, and handed him a ten. “I’m glad you came in, I’m half starved to death. I have this habit of working right straight through lunch. If Ross were here, he wouldn’t like it. Let’s see, I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger with fries. Don’t get anything to drink; I have coffee and cold pop here if you want to come back and eat.” It didn’t take Adam long to make the fast food run. When he got back, they took their lunch and sat on the floor in the dining room. Even in its unfinished state, the room was beautiful. Sunshine streamed in the bare windows and chased beams of light across the floor. As they ate lunch they talked about the house, what colors Katherine was going to paint the rooms, what the 

 grounds needed and what Adam wanted to do. Katherine looked down at her watch. “Gosh, where has the time gone? She started to rise from the floor but Adam’s next words stopped her. “I like your house. It feels and looks like you.” “What? Old, but nothing a little fixing up won’t cure?” Adam wasn’t embarrassed at her words. “Fishing for a compliment, are you?” He flashed her a smile as he held out his hand to help her up. “Seriously, Adam, thank you. What you said is a compliment.” Adam dropped her hand and stepped back. “You know, I’ve never really had a woman friend. I mean, I’ve had girlfriends of course, but never just a friend. Thank you for taking the time this afternoon. I really enjoyed it.” The rest of the afternoon passed without incident. Ross’ dad came over and brought some of the things Katherine had boxed up from the other house. “Mom wants you and the kids to come over for dinner tonight. Say around five?” “I’d love to, but we were gone all day yesterday and I need to get some washing done, and the kids need to get to bed a little earlier tonight.” Ross’ dad wasn’t going to be put off. He’d been sent over here on a mission, and by gads he was going to complete it. “You won’t need to stay late and you have to eat.” Katherine walked him to the door with her arm around his waist. “Okay, you twisted my arm. You and Mom are so good to us.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek, commenting as he did that it was a little hard to find a place that wasn’t painted. “We love you, but you better already know that,” he flung over his shoulder as he went down the walk. That night when Ross called, Katherine told him about the day. After they hung up she went back over their 

 conversation. They’d talked about the bare facts of the house and that after today it was going to get a lot more hectic. There were going to be a number of workmen working at the same time and Anna was going to come over Friday after school and stay with her to help over the weekend. Ross seemed happy about how hectic it was going to be with all the extra people. Katherine was afraid he’d be concerned about her over doing it, but if he’d felt that way he sure hadn’t sounded like it. “Oh, I just don’t know about you Ross Huntington,” Katherine grumbled into her pillow. 

atherine breathed in the early morning air as she headed for the old house. Anna was meeting her this morning

to help and she was looking forward to it. She felt excited. Ross would be home in a few days. In her mind she rationalized it as an excitement to show him the house he had always dreamed of having, but in her heart she knew her feelings weren’t about the house. Fear mingled with joy and hope. Did he feel anything for her? Was he having difficulty falling asleep after their phone conversations like she was? Sighing she turned into the drive of the house. If she took the chance and told Ross how she felt about him, and he didn’t feel anything in return, could they salvage their working relationship? The kitchen was finished. The round oak table looked as if it had been made for the eating area in front of the bay window. It was another extravagant purchase, but again Ross had pushed away Katherine’s guilt in spending the money. He didn’t seem to be surprised at the cost of furnishing the house. Anna stood back from the newly hung curtains and admired the room. “Oh Katherine, I love this room. The curtains are just perfect.” Katherine had picked out a crisp white eyelet with just hints of blue. The same shade of blue was in the slate 

 floor. To further bring out the colors, Katherine had painstakingly painted a thin strip called Forget-Me-Not-Blue around the molding on the ceiling. Adam came in to survey the finished product and let out a low whistle. Katherine had been noticing that he seemed to be paying a bit more attention to the inside of the house since Anna had come that morning. Katherine had talked off and on with Adam when they’d taken breaks, and knew he was lonely. She liked Adam; he treated her like a favorite sister and she was comfortable around him. Of course, she’d come to love Anna in the short time they’d known each other. Katherine was happy to see a budding relationship developing between her two new friends. The holidays were coming and Katherine knew how lonely they could be without a partner or family. This year was going to be so different and wonderful for her, and she hoped with all her heart the holidays would hold magic for Adam and Anna too. Katherine couldn’t keep the pride out of her voice. “I can’t believe we are ready to move in. With this room done, and the hardwood floors all redone, we can take our time doing the rest of the house a room at a time. Ross was so right when he told me to hire some help, and you two have done so many extras.” Her voice tapered off with regret that Ross wasn’t sharing the triumph of moving with her. With an effort she covered her disappointment. “I feel like celebrating. What do you say, you two? Beth has the kids and I’m sure they won’t mind if we go out for a while. We could stop by with pizza for them, and then go out to eat ourselves. What do you say?” Adam looked over at Anna and gave her a wink. Katherine knew neither one of them would have been able to refuse her, even if they’d wanted to and she suspected they were as ready for the little outing as she was. It was three happy, beautiful people who finally made it back to the pizza place that night. The restaurant was crowded and noisy with its Friday night regulars. Time whizzed by as they laughed and talked while sharing one of the big, famous pizzas. Yawning, Katherine looked down at her watch. “Whew, I hadn’t realized it was this late.” She laughed at her 

 comment as she realized that she made it almost every time she was in the place. Anna and Adam both looked as surprised as Katherine did over the time. They hadn’t meant to stay out much past nine, and here it was eleven. Katherine hurried to pull on her coat, and then saw the humor in it all. Laughing, she turned toward Anna. “You know, we’re either getting awfully old or awfully settled. Really! It’s only eleven. You’d think the way I’m hurrying that it must be at least one or two o’clock in morning.” Anna looked over at Adam. “You must think Katherine and I are a couple of nut heads, huh?” Adam helped Anna up, shoving her chair back under the table. “Nut heads? No! And even if it is only eleven o’clock instead of the wee hours of the morning, it has been a long day. Think you’re relaxed and wound down enough to sleep yet, Katherine?” “Oh, yes. I still feel a happy glow over getting the kitchen all done and being able to see the other rooms going together so well.” Yawning again she covered her mouth. “I don’t think I’ll have any trouble falling asleep tonight.” She laughed. Anna pulled on her coat and opened the door to a crisp, cold night. “Burr, we’re going to get snow real soon if this keeps up.” They’d left Adam’s car at the house and Katherine pulled up to let him off. The house was already beginning to feel more like home than the little rambler. As Katherine backed out of the drive, she wished she could have found a way to leave Anna and Adam alone for a while. No doubt they would have exchanged at least a goodnight kiss. Oh, well, they’d have tomorrow night. She was going to take care of Anna’s son, Patrick, while they went to a movie. Katherine smiled to herself as she thought of her two friends. When Ross got back, they could make some foursomes. It would be so nice to have another couple for friends. She just knew Ross would like them as much as she did. Beth was curled up on the couch watching a late movie when Katherine and Anna let themselves in the house. 

 “Oh Katherine, Ross called about an hour ago, and then he called again about ten minutes ago.” “Did he say he’d call back again tonight?” “No, he didn’t say, but I sort of got the impression he would.” Katherine paid Beth and walked her out to the sidewalk where she could see Beth enter her house a few doors down. When Beth got inside, she signaled Katherine by blinking her lights. Katherine wrapped her arms around herself as she made her way back inside. It was so much colder here in Eastern Washington than it had been in Seattle. In Seattle it rained a lot more, but usually didn’t get this cold. She made a mental note to look for a heavier winter coat the next time she was out shopping. As Katherine opened the back door, she heard the phone ringing. Anna had headed right for a hot shower so she hadn’t heard it. Katherine hurried to catch it with eager anticipation. “Where the hell have you been? This phone rang at least a dozen times.” Ross didn’t sound a bit happy. “I just stepped outside to make sure Beth made it home okay.” Katherine explained. “And what about you? Who sees that you get back into the house safe? For cripes sake, Katherine. Even in small towns there are weirdos out there.” Katherine tried to defuse the situation by carefully reminding Ross there was a three-hour time difference between Washington and New York. Then all of sudden the time sank in. “What are you doing up at four o’clock in the morning, anyway? Are you checking up on me? What about flying tomorrow? Ross, you make me feel like you don’t trust me.” “For your information, I got in early and took a nap. Furthermore, I don’t have to fly out of here until eight o’clock, so when I sleep is my business.” Katherine tried to not get angry, but it wasn’t what Ross said that bothered her. It was more the tone of voice he was using to say it. 

 She’d just about had enough. The night had been so much fun and now Ross was spoiling it. “Well for your information, when I get in is my business. But just so you don’t think I was out on the town, Ross, I’ll tell you what I was doing. We got the kitchen finished today, complete with table, and even curtains at the window. I was so happy I suggested that Anna and Adam come out with me for dinner. We brought pizza in for the kids, so it was after seven before we got to dinner ourselves. Big night out, huh? And at the local pizza place yet.” Katherine choked back a sob. “Oh and guess what? Anna and Patrick are sleeping over tonight, even though they only live a few minutes from here. We thought it would be fun. Yep, a really big night, huh?” There was dead silence on the phone. For a minute she thought Ross had hung up on her. She could barely hear him. Holding her breath, she listened. She was always the one to apologize. So far, Ross had never said he was sorry when he got angry. “Katherine, I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say. I’ll try to do better. And Honey, I’m glad you had someone to celebrate with. I just wish it could have been me.” Katherine felt tears gather and roll down her cheeks. How selfish of me, she thought. I have the kids, the house, Ross’ parents, and now friends to share it all with. Her voice choked with tears as she softly spoke over the many miles separating them. “Oh Ross, I’m sorry too. I’ve never had anyone who wanted to share anything with me, let alone someone who worried about me. And even though I know you only worry about me because of the kids, I want you to know I do appreciate it. And I’ll try to do better, too. Beth knew where we were. We only went down to the pizza place by the bowling alley for dinner.” Katherine knew she was babbling, but she didn’t want to fight with Ross. If only he were here. It was so much easier when they weren’t a continent apart. Ross took a deep breath. “Hey, let’s just let it go. Don’t even think about it. You know I overreact sometimes. Hell, lately I overreact a lot. Don’t let it get to you. I shouldn’t have worked these extra days. You know I didn’t 

 want to, but there really wasn’t much choice.” His voice sounded strained as he tried to reassure her. “Anyway, I’ll be home the day after tomorrow, and I’ll have ten days off this time.” Katherine brightened at this. She didn’t want to tell him she missed him. The fact was she missed him a whole lot more than she’d thought it was possible to miss anyone. As she filled him in on the progress of the house she could feel his excitement building even over the phone, and by the time she finished they were laughing and all was right with their world. As they said goodbye, Katherine was biting her lip not to tell him to hurry home because she missed him, and at the last minute she couldn’t hold back a whispered, “I love you,” but the dial tone buzzing in her ear signaled that he hadn’t heard her.



 atherine smiled at the sight of the kids as she tiptoed past them into the kitchen. As the night had gotten colder, all four of the kids had scrunched down in their sleeping bags. Now all Katherine could see was the top of their heads and a tangle of bedding. Katherine felt, and not for the first time, the peace of knowing she had a real treasure for a babysitter. The night before, Jodi and Patrick, Anna's little boy, had both wanted to sleep in with Dougie and Timmie. After some hassle to make space with the available beds, Beth had finally came up with the idea of putting several sleeping bags together. The kids thought her idea was great and all four had ended up sleeping on the floor in the living room. As Katherine set the thermostat up to start the furnace and put the coffeepot on, she couldn’t help but think of how her life had changed over the last couple months. Jodi had changed back into the happy healthy little girl she used to be. Katherine knew losing her mother and father would always be a part of Jodi. But now it was only one part of the little girl’s life, not her whole life. If there was a shadow hanging over the kitchen as the coffee sent its aroma wafting through the room, it was knowing this wasn’t going to be a forever thing. And, thought Katherine, how am I ever going to leave? Each brass fixture polished, each hardwood floor brought back to life, and each window cleaned and draped brought that big 

 old house on the hill alive. All it needed was for the family to move in, bicycles parked on the wide front porch, tennis shoes lying by the back door, the smells of supper cooking. The sounds and presence of a home. Katherine slowly sipped her cooling coffee and gazed out the kitchen window. Leaving that house was going to be hard, even harder would be leaving the boys, but Katherine was through fooling herself. As much as she’d hate to leave the big house and boys, when the time came, she knew the real heartbreak would come when she’d have to turn away from Ross. How had she let herself fall in love with him? He was difficult, to say the least, but then there was such a caring, sensitive side to him, also. When Ross first presented his plan to her, it had sounded like the answer to a prayer. It was supposed to solve all of their problems. It most certainly had done that. Katherine and Jodi fit right into the Huntington family. As Katherine was getting more active in the kids’ school activities, she was making friends in the Silverton community just like they’d planned. “I should be so happy,” Katherine sighed, “and I would be if only... Oh Ross, why did I have to go and fall in love with you?” Katherine bit her lip as she poured another steaming cup of coffee for herself. She wanted to laugh; here she was feeling lonely with a house and life absolutely filled to the fullest. She knew the boys had fallen in love with her as much as she had with them. But she also knew with certainty that, without Ross in her life, all the family in the world wouldn’t take away the yearning, empty feeling lodged in her heart. Anna broke the mood as she cheerfully came into the kitchen. “Can you believe the time? Golly Katherine, I slept like a log. I didn’t even hear you get up.” As she poured herself a cup of coffee, the noise of four healthy, happy young ones drifted into the kitchen. Katherine smiled over at Anna. “Well my friend, the day begins.” What was left of the morning flew by. Katherine saw Anna and Adam off for a day to themselves. As they were leaving, she called after Anna, “I don’t think I’ll work at the big house today. I promised myself I’d take at least one 

 day for the kids. If we’re gone when you and Adam get back, I’ll leave you a note telling you where we are.” Katherine’s earlier melancholy mood had all but vanished when Ross’ mom called to invite them out to Midge’s. “Dad’s going to help Darrel with some barn work, and I thought I’d take a ham out for supper and help Midge put up some apples.” Katherine eagerly accepted. The kids, as usual, were excited to go out to the farm and it wasn’t long before they were all settled in Katherine’s little Nissan and heading out of town. Jodi could hardly contain herself as she tried to sit quietly in her car seat. “Do’s you know what Papa said?” Katherine smiled to herself at Jodi’s calling Mr. Huntington her version of grandpa. Jodi didn’t wait for anyone to answer her but continued without pausing to take a breath. “We can pick us out a jack-o-lantern,” she chirped. Anna’s little boy, Patrick, leaned forward against his seat belt. “Do you think they’ll have one for me, too?” Katherine glanced back in the rear view mirror, meeting Patrick’s big brown eyes with hers. “I absolutely know there will be a very special one just for you, and you’ll be able to pick it out because Aunt Midge and Uncle Darrel’s farm has a whole field of pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns.” Jodi piped in, making sure they’d all heard what she’d said the first time. “We gits to pick one for our very own self’s.” Katherine laughed as Dougie and Timmie joined in, telling of how they were going to make scary faces and put a lit candle in theirs. It wasn’t long before they were turning into the long drive up to the farmhouse. As soon as the car stopped, all four kids spilled out and ran to join Grandpa, Uncle Darrel and the other children. “Whew,” Katherine exclaimed as she came in the back door of the kitchen. “There’s sure a lot of energy with those four.” Midge wiped her hands and gave Katherine a hug. “Well, Hon, you came into this mother business kind of in 

 the middle. Most of the time, nature gets you warmed up to five and seven year olds. Believe it or not, they’re born needing a little more sleep.” “Yeah,” Mom put in. “Even if the sleep is never at night or meal times.” Midge rolled her eyes. “Oh, how well I remember.” Katherine dug right in to help and the hours flew as the boxes of apples were cut and cooked into applesauce and pies. It was fun working with Midge and Mom. In fact, like working on the house, it didn’t seem like work at all. They could hear the kids out in the yard and occasionally hear Papa or Darrel yelling over to them. Dusk set in, and the kitchen was rosy with the lights newly turned on. Midge rubbed her back as she straightened up from putting the last two pies she’d saved out for dinner into the oven. “Well that’s about it, ladies. Let’s sit down and have an uninterrupted cup of coffee before we put supper on the table.” Settled at the cleared table, Midge looked over her cup at Katherine. “Okay, tell me about this gardener you hired. When my Darrel comes in and says he’d like to be a mouse in the corner the first time Ross sees him, well, I get a little curious.” Katherine hesitated. She really liked Adam and had been so anxious over her relationship with Ross she’d barely noticed his looks. But she had to admit to herself, he was what some women might call a hunk. She told Midge as much. “In fact, he looks a lot like that motorcycle cop on TV a few years back.” Mom knew at once who she was talking about. She’d met Adam last week and agreed with Katherine’s description. “Midge, Katherine is absolutely right. Adam does look like that actor. His last name was Estrada. I don’t remember his first name.” “Wow. No wonder Darrel finally commented. He rarely notices anything outside the farm stuff. But if this Adam guy has a smile like that, well I wonder if there’s a corner big enough for two mice.” Katherine laughed. “Oh you guys, you make him sound like Adonis. And guess what? You’re going to get the 

 chance to see for yourself. Adam will probably bring Anna out to pick up her son.” Dinner was nearly over when Midge got her chance to see Adam for herself. He drove in with Anna just as she was serving the fresh apple pie. Katherine introduced Adam to Midge; the others had all met him at the big house. Adam flashed Midge his smile guaranteed to melt the coldest heart. As Midge’s heart could never be considered cold at the worst of times, Adam had her in a bit of a fluster. Katherine watched the whole scene with wonder. She honestly had never noticed how much sex appeal Adam had until she saw Midge’s reaction. It gave Katherine a jolt. Golly, if he could do that for someone as stable and down to earth as Midge and without even trying, what could he do if he really put his mind to it? Looking at Adam from a fresh perspective, Katherine all at once had serious doubts about Ross’ reactions when he met him. Then almost immediately, she dismissed her doubts. After all, Ross had made it perfectly clear he didn’t want any romantic ties to her. She remembered almost his exact words when he’d told her it was okay to have a relationship with someone else as long as she used discretion. Katherine bit her lip against the pain remembering caused her. She knew it would never be okay with her if Ross were in comparable circumstances. Dad had been working with Adam and had come to really respect and like him. Adam’s looks didn’t hold water with Dad. In a very short while, Adam and Anna were seated at the table and joining in on the conversation and fun. All too soon the evening drew to a close. When Anna realized it was getting close to six thirty, she hesitatingly broke into the animated conversation. “I’m going to have to get going. Patrick and I both have an early school day tomorrow morning.” Everyone seemed surprised the day had gone by so fast. With promises of doing another day again soon, they all started clearing up. Katherine suggested Adam ride back to town with her since his place was on her way. “That 

 way Anna won’t have to double back.” “I hate to put you out to take me back. If I would have been thinking, I would have followed Anna out in my truck.” Adam said. “Nonsense, I have to go back that way anyway. But we can’t leave for a few minutes because I want to help Midge start the dishes.” Midge protested that she and Mom could do them, but Katherine was insistent. After all, she reasoned with them, Ross wouldn’t be home until the day after tomorrow so, except to get the kids home, she really didn’t have any reason to rush. “This way it won’t be such a long evening for me,” she finished wistfully. 

oss was anxious to get home. Home had a new meaning now that Katherine would be waiting there. It had been

a three and a half week stretch of flight duty this time. Usually the schedules were for two weeks, but students flying to school, vacationers coming home, and the pilots taking vacation had all combined to make a mess of the airline’s otherwise consistent and organized flight duties. Ross wasn’t at all surprised as this usually happened a couple of times a year, and all the pilots pitched in to ensure safe flights for their customers. Before Katherine I would have enjoyed the extra flights, he thought. Flying was important to Ross and a big part of his life. He never thought of it as a job. He remembered his grandfather telling him, “There’s something out in that world you can do better than the average man. The trick is to find it, and if you enjoy it so much it isn’t work, well then son, you are a success.” Ross thought of how things had changed. Flying didn’t have the same priority it did before. The house was dark when Ross drove up to the neat little rambler. There was a note tacked to the door saying 

 Katherine, the kids and Patrick were out at Midge’s. The note didn’t make a lot of sense to him. He knew it couldn’t have been written to him because Katherine hadn’t known he’d be home this early. He remembered that Patrick was Katherine’s new friend’s little boy. Maybe she was leaving a note for her. With a shrug he dismissed it, then turned on the house lights and started out to Midge’s. Even as tired as he was, he could barely keep his excitement contained. After three and a half weeks of restless nights, he’d finally decided to come clean with Katherine and tell her he loved her. Hopefully, she felt some of what he felt. He knew she was physically attracted to him. The evidence had been too strong to deny. It had been a long week. After he’d finally admitted to himself he was in love, he’d impatiently waited for his flight schedule to end so he could get home to tell her. All his doubts and fears of marriage seemed small in comparison to spending his life without Katherine. The only risk he could see was that, if she didn’t have any feelings for him, his declaration would end their agreement. It didn’t matter because if that was the case, there was no way he could continue to live like he was. He didn’t even want to think about that possibility. The boys would never forgive him, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to forgive himself for messing up their lives again. With a thankful sigh, he finally turned the Bronco into Midge’s driveway. The vehicle bounced up the rutted drive, its headlights picking up the figures of people getting into their cars. Ross’ eager gaze immediately found Katherine’s Nissan. Suddenly, the whole scene took on an unreal dimension. Katherine was standing beside the open driver’s door. All three kids were secured in their seat belts. But it was the tall dark man who had just taken a box from Mom and put it in the trunk of the car who drew Ross’ attention. As he watched, the man walked around to the driver’s door and helped Katherine in before going around to get into the passenger’s side. Ross felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach. The pain was so intense, he gritted his teeth to keep from crying out. He could hear the words he’d spoken to Katherine only a few months ago ringing in his ears: “If either of us 

 become involved with someone else, we agree we’ll be very discreet.” Well, for one thing the scene before him was hardly discreet, and for another, how dare she cheat on him in front of his whole family? Even in his pain he knew this wasn’t fair. Not knowing their arrangement his family wouldn’t see the things he was seeing. Ross gripped the steering wheel, willing his heart to slow down. Ross felt like he was moving through molasses and the world before him turned in slow motion. He moved to open his door with hands that had suddenly lost their strength. Katherine was the first in the group to recognize him. As she hurled herself into his arms, he closed his eyes and drew her close against him. He could smell the clean scent of her hair as he held her. He swallowed the huge lump that formed in his throat. If only this were true, not all an act they’d concocted between them to give credence to their marriage. The kids were out of the car in a flash. Being no respecters of the moment like their elders, who’d hung back giving Katherine and Ross a few minutes, they tore into Ross like three small homing missiles. Katherine stepped back, giving the kids a chance. The next wave to hit Ross was his Mom and Dad. They greeted him a little less exuberantly than Katherine and the kids, but it was obvious they were glad to have him home. Ross finally found his voice. “If this is the welcome I get, I’ll just need to go on these extended schedules a little more often.” He wasn’t ready to turn Katherine completely loose and hugged her to him as he clapped Darrel on the back and bent down to give Midge a kiss. Ross’ dad finally broke everything up as he announced the time. “Son, you need to get home and get some rest. We’d planned to start moving Katherine and the kids into the new house early tomorrow. This wife of yours wanted to surprise you. She’d about given up on being ready but the last couple of days have shown some real progress. Well, guess you were the one with the surprise. However,” he added as he held one finger up, “now Adam, Darrel and I will have another set of strong hands for the move.” 

 Turning to Katherine, Ross’ dad gave her a tweak on the nose. “I’m sorry your surprise didn’t come off, Honey. But it looks like this guy of yours loves you just as much anyway.” Katherine gave Ross a squeeze as she left his embrace. She was a little nervous after talking about Adam with the other women. Motioning Adam over, she made the necessary introduction. After just a little discussion, it was decided Adam would ride back with Ross’ parents. Whatever Adam was to Katherine, Ross could see he was no fool. Grabbing the pie Midge had given him out of Katherine’s trunk, Adam looked like he was more than ready when Ross’ parents started for home. 

y the time Katherine finally had the kids settled down, she was nearing the end of her rope with frustration. For

one thing, Ross had been acting strange ever since they’d stepped into the house. She could tell he was tired. The day’s growth of a beard only made him look sexier. It wasn’t his physical appearance bothering her, it was his eyes. They were always so alive; tonight it looked like something in him had died. Oh, he’d helped her in with the kids, helped with the baths and with picking up the scattered clothes, but there was something missing. It was like he was only going through the motions. Finally, with the last kiss and hug in place, Katherine thankfully closed the kids’ bedroom door and made her way back to the living room. She expected to find Ross waiting for her, but he wasn’t. The room looked barren and empty with the moving boxes all over the floor and the walls bare of pictures. Maybe he just couldn’t stay awake anymore, she thought with disappointment. Quietly, she made her way down the hall. She hated to disturb him, but she needed to get her night things out of his room. Even her toothbrush was in the master bath. 

 As she pushed open the door to the master bedroom, Katherine’s heart gave a lurch. The light from the hall fell across the bed where Ross lay, fully clothed. Lying crossways on the bed, he had one arm thrown over his eyes. It sounded like he was having trouble breathing. Katherine rushed over to him and gently tried to move his arm. He pushed her from him and rolled off the bed. Turning his back to her, he stared out the window. “Don’t push it, Katherine. If you touch me, you’d better mean it or you’re going to get more than you bargained for tonight.” Katherine could barely make out his words. She came up as close as she dared, afraid to reach out and touch him again. Something was wrong. “Are you sick? Can I get you anything?” She had never seen Ross like this. Suddenly, he turned and grasped both of her arms. “Can you get me something?” he taunted. “Or, little wife, better yet how about giving me something?” Katherine, amazingly, wasn’t frightened. It was all too clear Ross was hurting, and all of a sudden, she saw the night through his eyes. What had seemed so innocent to everyone else wouldn’t have, under their circumstances, seemed that way to Ross. With overwhelming certainty, she knew he thought she was involved with Adam. Katherine didn’t hesitate more than a second. This wasn’t a time for words. Words would never heal Ross’ hurt, but she knew instinctively what would. She loved him and it was time she took a chance with love. Katherine leaned into Ross’ grip, forcing him to let her closer. She couldn’t use her hands because Ross had them held down at her sides, but the light from the hall allowed her to use her eyes as she held his. Slowly they both moved into the kiss. It felt like the room was melting away and only the two of them remained in the universe. Ross moved his hands from her arms down to her waist. Still only using his mouth to show her his desire, his hunger, his need, he didn’t pull her closer. Katherine gave a little moan as she lost herself in Ross’ kiss. She spoke softly to him. “You are everything to me, and have been since the first time I saw you.” 

 She felt him trembling as he pulled away enough to look into her eyes. “I love you,” he whispered. With those simple, age-old words, Katherine’s life began. Ross carried her over to the bed, whispering his love over and over. Katherine whispered, “I love you, I love you so much it hurts.” Ross struggled to keep control. He wanted everything to be perfect for Katherine. He didn’t want to hurry this first time, but it was proving to be harder than anything he’d ever done. With super human strength he pulled away. Katherine was confused. “What’s wrong, don’t you want me?” Ross gently took Katherine’s chin and tilted her head up so she was looking directly into his eyes. “Katherine, this is for real. If we continue, it won’t be a marriage of convenience anymore. I want everything. I won’t share you with anyone.” Katherine nodded, “And how about you? Will I be enough for you, or will you still want other women when you’re away?” Ross let his eyes fill with Katherine, drinking in her innocence and beauty. All at once he knew there had never been any other man before him. He couldn’t have told how he knew, but he did. “There hasn’t been anyone since I met you. I promise to hold our vows sacred from this moment on and beyond.” Katherine closed her eyes and took the initiative from Ross and lowered herself back on the bed, pulling him with her. “And, I promise to love you forever and ever and...” The night wouldn’t be long enough, but there’d be tomorrow and many more tomorrows after that. Katherine’s last thought before she gave herself up to pure physical joy, was that the master bedroom in the big house was ready for her and Ross. 







cross town, moonlight played on the river below the old house. A new day was beginning and the house was ready for it. From its fresh paint to its newly curtained windows, it shone with a life given to it with love. No more would it be This Old House, from now on it would be called “Home.”



 Lavada Dee lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Her goal is to write books that cross genres, taking the reader on different paths with equally enjoyable and captivating stories. When not writing, Lavada enjoys reading, web development, and being with her husband, and their very alpha Jack Russell Terrier.

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