Chapter Ten

 

A fitful night of sleep proved Josef’s early morning wake-up a difficult task, but he took care of chores before returning to the house. With no life in the kitchen or living room, he went to the room she slept in. The door stood open. He stared into nothingness at the reality—Cat was gone. Did she leave the ring behind, or were they still getting married. He blinked rapidly and hustled to the bathroom. She didn’t shower, and no ring lay on the counter.

There was hope for a wedding after all. His heart beat a little faster.

In the kitchen, he glanced at the countertops. No ring. Warmth spread through his heart. She still wore the ring. Did she leave, embarrassed by her behavior last night? Nah, not Cat. Maybe she ate and went to feed the dogs. Damn, maybe she’s having second thoughts? He opened the refrigerator to make lunch, reminding him Cat’s fridge was broken. She’s got to be hungry. Lunch out would give them the opportunity to talk about marriage. Without her making a scene.

Out the back door, he crossed the road and spotted her standing on the back steps of Elaine’s house. “Cat,” he yelled as he stretched into a light jog. She turned in acknowledgement. “Let’s grab some lunch and talk before picking up your truck.”

“You may not want to come any closer.” Her hand stopped him. “I should probably shower first. Do you mind?”

“Nope. Grab your things and come on over. We’ll go when you’re ready.” He smiled as she disappeared in the house to get clean clothes and stuff for her shower.

She opened the door. “I was just headed your way.” The wave of her hands gestured him to start moving. “Josef, is this for real? Are we really getting married?”

“We’ll talk later,” he stated a few steps ahead of her. “I’m hungry.”

The wait for Cat to shower didn’t take long, and they were on their way. Bright sun filled the cab, and Cat’s black hair reflected a sleek shine. He glanced to her hands where she twisted the ring around her finger, as though contemplating her decision.

“What are you hungry for?” He focused back to the road in front of them.

“Let’s go to The Watering Hole.”

“I’d rather not.” It escaped as a bit snide, and he swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.

“Why? Did I embarrass you last night?”

“No, but as you said, we were just there. How does pizza sound?” He didn’t want questions by the staff at The Watering Hole. They knew him all too well. Leaving with Cat last night would raise more questions.

“Fine.” It came out like a submissive whatever-you-say-but-I’d-rather-have-something-else fine. The kind of fine a woman says when it’s not fine.

On the main road, he drove the short distance to Pizza Hut and glanced at her. “It looks nice.” She continued playing with the ring.

He parked the truck, while an awkward silence vibrated in the air. Once he killed the engine, he turned and took her hand in his. “Cat, will you marry me?”

“Yes.” She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” The apprehension in her voice couldn’t be missed.

“It’ll be okay.” He released her hand. “Let’s go in.”

Once seated at a table, he would wait to bring up wedding arrangements until after they ordered.

“We have to wait a minimum of five days after applying for a marriage license before the wedding,” she said, then picked up her menu and hid her face as though seeking shelter.

So much for waiting to approach the subject. “You’ve looked into it then.” This surprised him because of her lack of enthusiasm about the whole idea.

“This morning. Can I move forward with barn renovations?” She showed emotion at last. Concern. Not the emotion he wanted her to have, but an emotion nonetheless.

“Of course.”

She set the menu down and played with the napkin-wrapped silverware. Something bothered her.

He took her hand in his with hopes of soothing away her worries. “I’d like to be married at St. Michael’s and have Father Tim officiate. I think there are classes we have to take.” The church played a major role in his life, and there was no other place he’d rather get married.

“You talk to Father since you know him. I need to take care of other things.” She removed her hand from his and twisted a section of hair.

“What do ya need to take care of?” He struggled to understand why she pulled away and distanced herself.

“I have a life back in the cities to figure out,” she said disagreeably. She averted her eyes by glancing out the window then at the tabletop. Anywhere but watching his reaction.

“Okay, no need to be snotty.” He would approach further discussion about their marriage carefully.

They sat in silence until the pizza arrived. Her fingers worked the same strand of hair repeatedly around one finger. If her eyes made contact with his, they immediately darted in another direction. He didn’t understand her behavior.

“We can move ya into the house when you’re ready. I know you work, but know you don’t have to if ya don’t want to.” They each took a bite. He picked up his slice while she used a fork.

“I could commute.”

Josef coughed on a bite. “You’re kidding?” How could she be serious about commuting between work and Oak City?

Her brown eyes connected with his. “No,” she stated in a definite determined voice.

“I just thought you’d find work here or focus on your rescue thing.”

“Well, you thought wrong.” Agitated, her mouth opened and snapped around the bite on her fork like a walleye taking a baited hook.

“I’m sorry.” He’d better stop assuming with her and ask questions, or they’d never walk down the aisle. And right now, they both needed this marriage.

She finished chewing a bite. “What are your plans with the house?”

“What house? Mine’s fine the way it is.”

“Not your house, my Aunt Elaine’s.” Her voice radiated irritation while her eyes widened with the unspoken words you’re such a moron.

He hadn’t thought about the house. His only interest was the land. “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought much about it.”

She shoved a forkful of their deep-dish meat lover’s pizza in her mouth.

“When are ya going to tell your mom?” Josef took a long pull of pop from the straw. Although irritated, he continued to ask about their marriage. He gazed across the table at her but kept his smile to himself. Still stubborn and feisty.

“Tell her what?”

To prevent himself from spewing his drink all over her, he swallowed with a small choke. “What? That you’re getting married. Aren’t you going to tell them?”

“Yes, I’ll tell them. I just don’t know when. Can we keep it quiet for a while? You can talk to Father and start the process there. But I don’t want anyone to know.” She took another bite.

“You’re wearing the ring. People will ask.”

“I’ll deal with it then.” She played with a strand of hair.

He tipped his head down at his plate, not sure how she would take what he was about to say next. “My family and the guys know.” He wanted everyone to know. Making it public would make it more difficult for her to back out of the wedding.

“Shit! So much for secrecy.”

“I told them I was going to propose. No one knows you’ve said yes. I hoped you’d be here for the Fourth of July so we could celebrate with my family.”

“I don’t know. Let’s finish, then take care of the marriage license before getting my truck.”

He nodded in agreement.

“You have your driver’s license, and we’ll need a hundred and fifteen in cash. I’ll pay for half, but need to hit a cash machine first,” Catherine said politely.

“I’ll take care of the cost. We go to the courthouse, right?” He picked up his crust and made short work of it in two bites.

“Yes, and you don’t have to pay for it all.” Cat finished her pizza and pushed her plate back.

“Soon enough my money will be your money and vice versa. So I’ll pay.” He had to be careful not to allude to the fact he wasn’t in this marriage for the long haul. He paid for lunch and worked on finishing the last piece of pizza.

“Fine. You can pay for the license.” There was that womanly agreement tone again. “As for our money situation, what’s mine is mine and will be used for Four Hooves and Paws Rescue.” She twisted the drink straw between her finger and thumb.

“Okay, we’ll see how things work out that way. Which I’m sure will be fine. Now if you’re not leaving, come stay at my place. The dogs are welcome, too.”

“Thank you. So … the earliest we could be married is next weekend. I’ll leave you to talk to the church.”

“Did ya want to get married next weekend? I’ll check with Father when I talk to him.” Moving on the marriage quickly would secure the will and land.

“Can we talk about this later?” Her tone and demeanor had softened.

“Yeah.” He signed the receipt and followed her to the truck.

What was going on in that pretty little head of hers? Maybe she had come around to understand this marriage would benefit them both. With her acceptance of his proposal, maybe the moment for her to take the lead had arrived. Timing was of the essence, and Cat was smart enough to know how much she had before losing the trust fund.

Josef wished he could read her mind. Not knowing what she was thinking bothered him.