KATY HAD A busy week at work—the Rawhide Chamber of Commerce had gotten its act together and she must dutifully report the story. She didn’t get a chance to drop by to visit the baby until Friday after work—at least, she told herself she was visiting the baby. Actually she needed to vent, and Laura was the only one who would understand.
Once at the Reynolds’ house, however, she found it hard to find an opening when there was so much cooing and gooing to be done.
This time she made no protest when Laura placed the precious bundle in her arms. Holding the sweet-smelling baby, Katy buried her nose in the curve of the little shoulder.
“Want one?” Laura asked with a smile. “They’re easy to get.”
Katy groaned. “Maybe for you. For me, we’re talking impossible.”
“The best way is to get married,” Laura advised, straight-faced. “Of course, that’s not the only way but it’s the one I recommend.”
“Ain’t gonna happen.”
“Maybe not tomorrow, but someday.”
“Maybe never.” Katy couldn’t put a good face on it, even for her best friend
Laura looked alarmed. “But I thought there was hope for you and Dylan, since you’re getting along much better. Matt and I talked about it and we were hoping maybe you two might really end up being perfect for each other.”
Katy concentrated on smoothing the dark fluff on K.C.’s head. “That’s over.”
“What do you mean, over? Didn’t you say your grandmother is coming Saturday?”
“Yes.” Filled with despair, Katy finally looked up. “But Saturday night…things almost got out of hand between me and Dylan. So we’ve called it off.”
“Out of hand…?” Laura cocked a brow. “I take it that means you almost went to bed with him.”
“Laura! I didn’t say that.”
“But you meant it.”
“Well…yes.” Katy squeezed her eyes closed. “Oh, it’s so complicated and confusing! The only time I feel comfortable around the man is when we’re fighting.”
“That’s the only time you don’t have to confront the attraction between you—now, don’t deny it. It’s obvious to the most casual observer.”
“It is?” Dumfounded, Katy stared at her friend.
“After all the years the two of you have made public spectacles of your quarrels, why do you think people have been so willing to accept you as a couple?”
“Because they’ll believe anything?”
“No! Because there’s always been this underlying tension…a kind of sexual tension.”
Katy groaned. “I don’t want to hear this.”
“Perhaps you need to hear it. I’m not trying to make matters worse, Katy, really I’m not, but if there’s a chance for you and Dylan you should grab it.”
“No chance at all.” Katy’s stomach clenched when she said it. “Look, I don’t want to talk about Dylan anymore. It’s over and that’s that. Let’s change the subject.” She stroked K.C.’s cheek. “I’ll bet it’ll be hard for you when you have to leave this angel and come back to work.”
“About that…”
Katy looked up sharply. “Laura, please don’t tell me you’re not coming back.”
Laura looked apologetic. “I’m sorry. I just don’t see any way I can go back to work when my maternity leave is up. I’ve pretty much decided to stay home until she starts school.”
Katy felt sick. Everything was changing. Her old adversarial relationship with Dylan was at an impasse, her best friend wouldn’t be coming back to work, Katy herself was probably going to give her grandmother a heart attack—
For a moment she stared sightlessly through the window, belatedly focusing on…snowflakes?
October 23 and it was snowing?
Somehow, she thought, a fitting metaphor for my life, which is also bleak and out of control.
When Dylan realized he’d have to come into town early Saturday morning for supplies, he called Matt to meet him for coffee at the Rawhide Café. Matt arrived with Zach in tow.
Matt pulled out a chair for the boy. “I’m taking my son to the hardware store after we leave here,” he said with pride. “A kid can’t start learning about hammers and saws any too early.”
“Guess not,” Dylan agreed around an unexpected tightening in his chest. Damn, he envied Matt! He reached out to ruffle the boy’s hair and a grinning Zach evaded the hand. Dylan laughed. “I wouldn’t mind having a great little kid like Zach,” he admitted.
“There’s an easy way to do it,” Matt pointed out. “First you find a wife and then you go to work on the problem. I might add, it’s nice work, if you can get it.”
“Yeah.” Dylan felt uncomfortable agreeing, after what had happened last weekend with Katy, whom he hadn’t seen since. He’d been perfectly willing to get in a little baby-making practice until she’d all but spit in his eye.
“Uh-oh.” Matt glanced significantly at the boy who was taking in every word. “Does that mean you and Katy are having problems?”
“When haven’t we had problems?”
“Good point. Uh…Zach?”
“Yes, Daddy?”
“You’re always asking if you can sit on the stools at the counter. There aren’t too many people here today so I don’t think it would bother anyone if you gave it a shot.”
“Goody!” The boy jumped up.
“Just don’t fall off,” Matt warned. “You’ve already lost enough teeth.”
Zach grinned broadly and for the first time, Dylan realized the boy was missing his two front teeth.
“Way to go, Zach!” Dylan gave him a high five. “Did your dad come up with some bucks for those teeth?”
“The tooth fairy did!” Zach turned and trotted across the room to the counter with the swiveling stools before it.
For a minute, the two men remained silent. Then Matt returned to the subject at hand. “I kinda thought K.C.’s birth was bringing the two of you closer together.”
“Yeah.” Dylan shrugged and looked away. “I thought so, anyway. But last time I was at her house we both…got pretty worked up. Then she just turned it off, told me the whole deal was over and that was that.”
“You have no idea what made her do that?”
Dylan wished Matt wouldn’t look at him with so much speculation in his eyes. No way did he intend to tell even his best buddy that the real issue had been sex.
Although Matt probably guessed.
So Dylan copped out. “Why does a woman do anything? She told me to hit the road so I did, end of story.”
“Damned shame.” Matt signaled to the waitress for coffee. “I know this started out as a sham but you two coulda been good together.”
“Yeah, sure, like oil and water.”
“Like apple pie and ice cream.”
“Like sheep and coyotes.”
“I was thinking more like Kate and what’s-his-name in The Taming of the Shrew.”
Dylan recoiled. “Katy’s a pain in the butt most of the time, but I wouldn’t call her a shrew.”
“Defending her, huh?” Matt chuckled. “You may think you’re through with her, but trust me on this—you’re not.”
Which, Dylan thought, just went to show that Matt didn’t know everything, even if he thought he did.
By the time the Andrews’ family van pulled into the driveway Saturday afternoon, Katy was pacing the floor and looking out the window every two minutes. What she was going to do Sunday when her family expected Dylan for ice cream and birthday cake, she had no idea. Perhaps by then, she’d have found a way to break the bad news to her grandmother…gently.
Squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath, she went out to meet her visitors through the light flurry of snowflakes that had begun only minutes earlier.
Her mother was first out of the van, which had been driven by Mack. She came forward with arms outstretched.
“Do you believe this weather!” she exclaimed, hugging her daughter. “All the way up from Denver, I kept remembering why we moved down in the first place.”
Katy returned the hug. “Don’t worry, it won’t amount to anything,” she said. “Even for Colorado, this is a bit early for a major storm.” She turned toward the van from which her grandmother was emerging, assisted by Josh.
“Grandma!” she exclaimed, opening her arms.
Josh pressed a cane into Grandma’s hand and Katy stopped short. “What’s happened? You weren’t using a cane when I saw you at the family reunion.”
“It’s nothing.” To prove it, Granny waved the cane in the air. “I’ve just got a hitch in my get-along.” She looked around with quick, anxious concern. “Where’s that handsome fella of yours, Katy? I’ve been looking forward to giving him a big hug!”
“Give it to me instead, Granny.” Over her grandmother’s shoulder, Katy’s gaze met her brother’s. He frowned, a question in his eyes. She made a face that was supposed to say, “I’ll explain later!” and kept on hugging her grandma.
Katy’s little two-bedroom house really wasn’t big enough for five people, but the Andrews were a hardy clan and making do was not a big problem. She installed her mother and grandmother in her bedroom, moved herself into the smaller second bedroom which she normally used as an office, and the boys would sleep in the living room, one on the sofa and the other on the floor.
Knowing that in advance, they’d even brought a sleeping bag. It would be all right, she assured herself—although still somewhat anxiously. They’d probably be tripping over each other a lot but it wouldn’t be the first time.
While Granny and Mother unpacked, the boys cornered Katy in the kitchen.
“Okay,” Mack said, “where is he?”
It seemed pointless to reply, “Who?” Katy gritted her teeth. “God only knows,” she said shortly. “I don’t.”
The boys stared at her, mouths agape. Josh recovered first.
“You’ve had a lovers’ quarrel,” he guessed.
“Since we were never lovers, that would be a stretch.”
“You’ve had a little misunderstanding,” Mack took his shot at mind-reading.
“It wasn’t little and it wasn’t a misunderstanding. It was a full-blown, out-and-out, no-holds-barred disagreement. We’re finished.”
Mack groaned. “How could you do this to us?”
“To you?”
“Okay, to Grandma—but us, too. How fed up do you think we are of hearing her and Mom carrying on night and day about our old-maid sister? It’s enough to make a man sick.”
“Well, gee, fellas, that’s a good reason for a girl to get married.” Katy knew her voice dripped sarcasm, but by this time didn’t care.
“You got everybody’s hopes up,” Josh accused. “You shouldn’t have said anything until you were sure.”
Mack added ominously, “This could kill Grandma.”
“Don’t exaggerate!” Katy swung on them. “I’m doing my best to keep Grandma alive. I don’t need my brothers telling me how I’ve messed up. I know I’ve messed up, but I’m doing the best I can.”
“Please,” Josh said, “don’t cry! Can it be fixed?”
“Can what be fixed?” she snuffled.
“You and Dylan, what else?”
“No. No, it can’t, and I don’t want you two sticking your noses into it.”
“At least tell us what happened.” Mack’s eyes narrowed and for a moment, he looked like a stranger.
A big, strong, dangerous stranger.
Josh chimed in. “If he did anything to hurt our big sister, we’re prepared to beat the sh—stuffing out of him. Just tell us how bad he did you so we know how bad to do him.”
“Joshua Andrews!” Katy grabbed him by both shirt lapels. “If you harm one hair on that man’s head, I swear I’ll kill you! Do you clearly understand what I am telling you?”
Josh looked past her and she supposed he was communicating with his brothers as much as with her. “Sure, Katy,” he said in a soothing voice. “I know what you’re telling me—that you still love the bum.”
“That’s not it at all. I don’t love him, I never loved him—”
But she was shouting at thin air; her brothers had thrown open the back door and dived out into the few flakes still falling.
Dylan had no damned business going to the Painted Pony Saloon Saturday afternoon, but he was in too bad a mood to stay home alone.
When one of his hands invited him along, he shrugged and said, “Why the hell not?”
Now he stood at the bar with a beer in his hand and blackness in his heart.
What was the matter with the woman, anyway—and why couldn’t he stop thinking about her? He hadn’t suggested anything she hadn’t thought of herself. Katy Andrews might be a major pain, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew what this new and exasperating pull between them was, as well as he did.
What did she think, that he liked this new state of affairs? He didn’t like it! He didn’t like being tied up into knots by a woman he’d spent his life disliking. Fighting with. Needling. Fending off.
Whatever: he just plain didn’t like it.
“Gimme another beer, barkeep.” He held up his empty mug. She served beer in fancy glasses. Sheesh! “Barkeep!” He banged his mug on the bar. “Another beer here.”
Hands closed over his arms from both sides and a voice said, “Skip it, barkeep. The gentleman’s got business elsewhere at the moment.”
Then those damned big Andrews boys picked him up off his feet and more or less carried him over to a table, where they deposited him none too gently.
Josh and Mack sat down on either side of him. They did not look friendly.
Dylan glared back, more as a matter of form than anything else. They were as alike as two peas in a pod: big, broad-shouldered, square-jawed, with short-clipped hair. They moved with a confidence that bespoke athletic backgrounds.
Mack—or was it Josh?—leaned forward and spoke in a low but serious voice. “We hear you and our sister have split up.”
“Pretty much.”
The brothers exchanged narrow-eyed glances. “That’s what she said, but we didn’t believe her.”
“Believe her.”
Josh cocked his head. “Is something wrong with you?”
“Not a damned thing!” Dylan sputtered.
“Something wrong with our sister?”
“I never got close enough to find out.”
“That’s good. If you’re gonna love her and leave her, I’d just as soon you never—”
“I didn’t love her and leave her. I never had any intentions of loving her and leaving her.” That was true. Love had never entered into the equation.
“Then what happened?”
Dylan considered. “You’re aware that Katy and I have known each other practically our entire lives, right?”
Two heads nodded simultaneously.
“Then maybe you also know that we never got along very well.” He added hastily, “Until recently, that is.”
Again the duplicate nods.
“Hey, no one was more surprised than we were to realize…to realize…?” What the hell had they realized? That a long-simmering sexual attraction lurked just beneath the surface? That it was just waiting to bust loose?
The brothers were waiting patiently.
Dylan grimaced. “Katy’s a great girl but she threw me out on my—she gave me my walking papers. It wasn’t my idea.” Self-righteous indignation felt good, real good.
“What if she changed her mind?” Mack wanted to know.
“She won’t,” Dylan said with finality.
“But what if she did?”
“Well…” What would he do?
Across the barroom, he saw a woman enter clinging to the arm of a tall man he’d never seen before. Brandee Haycox. He’d only got into this mess because he’d wanted to turn her down gently. He hadn’t bargained for anything that had come after.
Anything like the emotional upheaval of K.C.’s birth, or the frightening changes in his feelings toward Katy.
But with her brothers staring at him with unblinking attention, Dylan shrugged and said, “If she changed her mind, I’d welcome her back with open arms.”
“You mean it?”
“Hell, yes. But it’ll never happen.”
“Don’t be too sure.” Both men seemed to relax.
Josh grinned. “Welcome back to the family,” he said. “I figured it was only a misunderstanding.”
“Yeah,” Mack agreed, “and a good thing, too. Grandma’s in no shape to take any bad news. You and Katy breaking up would be the worst news she could get.”
Dylan liked Grandma Andrews. He even liked these two big galoots. “Can I buy you a beer?” he asked.
“Naw, we need to get back and tell Katy it’s up to her.” The big men stood. “We appreciate your honesty, Dylan. If we ever thought you were lying to us—”
The other brother pounded a fist into the palm of his hand, smiling. “It won’t come to that,” he said confidently. “We’ll see you at the birthday party tomorrow, brother.”
“Yeah, brother.”
They turned and marched out of the bar. Dylan sat at his table alone, wondering what on earn those two were going to do if they ever learned the truth.
They weren’t going to learn it from him. Let Katy stand up to their heavy-handed methods. She would, too. No way would she come to him and ask him to pretend they were a happy couple again.
If she did, though, he’d be in a world of hurt.
A woman’s laughter floated through the crowded bar. Brandee, over at a table in the corner with that new guy. It’d been a long time since he’d seen her and she didn’t look half-bad to a man with a bruised ego.
Yeah, she was too aggressive and she’d already been married and divorced a couple of times, and her daddy tended to get real ugly with those who messed with her, but at least if Dylan gave in and hooked up with her, Katy wouldn’t come near him. Besides, Brandee had chased him off and on since high school. Maybe it was time to let her catch him.
Dylan stood and hitched up his Wranglers. With determined steps, he made his way to Brandee’s table. She looked up in surprise, a smile spreading over her face.
“Okay, Brandee,” he said, “you win. Take me! I’m yours!” And he flung wide his arms.
The smile froze on her face. “Uhh…too late,” she said, obviously embarrassed. “Dylan, I’d like you to meet my husband, Basil. Basil, this is Dylan Cole, an…uhh…old friend.”
Katy almost welcomed the return of her brothers, even knowing they would start in on her again about Dylan. Mom and Granny were stuck on the same groove and it was getting harder and harder to be evasive.
She had to tell them the truth, but how? What could she possibly say that wouldn’t prove traumatic, or worse?
Mack wasted no time in dragging her out into the kitchen. “We just talked to Dylan,” he announced in a melodramatic whisper.
Katy groaned. “Will you guys butt out? My love life is none of your business.”
“What love life?” Mack grimaced. “Maybe that’s why you snapped. Women have needs, you know. Men take all the heat on that subject but women have—”
“I don’t need my brother to tell me about women!” She glared at him.
“Sugar, you need all the help you can get,” he said earnestly. “Dylan is sorry and wants to make up.”
“He didn’t say that!”
“Almost. He said the break-up was your idea.” He cocked his head. “Is that right?”
“Well…yes. But he—”
“I don’t want to hear any rationalizations. I just want you to hop on over to the Painted Pony and tell the man you were wrong and you want him back.”
“But I wasn’t wrong and I don’t—” She stopped, chewing her lower lip.
“Can’t say it, can you?” He nodded his head wisely. “You do want him back—admit it. He wants you back, too—and this time, let nature take its course?”
He gave her a knowing stare and left her standing there in front of the sink, wondering what he and Josh had said and done to Dylan, and vice versa. Whatever it was apparently hadn’t resulted in bloodshed, which was a relief.
“Katy? Katy, dear, we must discuss your party.”
“In a minute, Mom.”
Should she take a chance and go to the Painted Pony? Was he waiting for her to come to him?
She wanted to! Her heart beat faster at that realization. She missed him terribly; she even missed their fights. Did he miss her—and them—too?
Grabbing her jacket from the hook near the back door, she strode into the living room, pulling it on. “Mom, Granny, I’ve got to go out for a few minutes. I won’t be long, I promise.”
“But your party!”
“Let her go, Mom,” Josh advised. He added softly, “I’ll tell you what’s going on later.”
Katy just bet he would.
The Painted Pony was crowded so she didn’t see him right away. It took two complete turns of the room before she realized he simply wasn’t there. Frowning, she stood in the middle of the room and considered her options.
That’s when she saw Brandee Haycox, alone at a table. If he’d been here, she would know.
Working her way through, Katy slipped into an empty seat across from Brandee. “Hi,” she said. “Have you seen Dylan here tonight?”
“Sure have.” Brandee looked amused.
“Did he leave?”
“I’m not sure. Probably.”
“You spoke to him?”
“That’s right.”
“Brandee,” Katy said in exasperation, “it’s like pulling teeth to get anything out of you tonight.”
“Sorry. I was just curious to see how you’d handle this.”
“Handle what?”
Brandee shrugged. “Obviously, you and Dylan are having problems. I was curious to see how you were going to approach me.”
“Now you know,” Katy said shortly. She couldn’t help looking around, still hoping she’d see him because no way was she going to drive all the way to his ranch in a potential snowstorm.
“After the way he went to bat for you with my father, I figured you’d give the man a little more slack,” Brandee said.
Katy’s head snapped around. “What are you talking about?”
Brandee’s blue eyes went wide. “You don’t know? I’m talking about that hatchet job you did on the Chamber of Commerce a while back.”
“I have never done a hatchet job in my life,” Katy said. “Of course, any story that isn’t one hundred percent favorable is always called a hatchet job, even when it isn’t.”
“Whatever.” Brandee shrugged. “That’s what Daddy called it, anyway. So he went to Dylan all in a huff and told him to call you off. Dylan stood right up for you, though. He actually told Daddy not to run around town bad-mouthing you.”
Katy stared at the other woman, big-eyed. “He did?”
Brandee nodded emphatically. “And Daddy said, ‘Are you threatening violence?’ and Dylan said, ‘Hell no! I’m promising retribution!”’
“Were you there?” Katy could hardly believe her ears. Dylan needed to keep on the right side of Banker Haycox.
Brandee laughed. “No, but Daddy gave me a blow-by-blow description. He was really shocked that Dylan would talk to him that way. But when he cooled down, I think he got a kick out of it.”
“That’s a relief.” It was, too. She hadn’t wanted her work to cause problems for Dylan.
“Daddy got in his licks, too.”
“He did?”
“He said he told Dylan that it was easy to see who wore the pants in that relationship and Dylan laughed. He said you were a match for any man, including him.”
Katy felt almost dizzy with surprise and pleasure. She’d had no idea that anything like this had happened, and she felt a warm glow hearing about it.
“You know,” Brandee said in a musing tone, “you and me and Dylan go way back. I never would have believed you guys as a couple in a million years, if Daddy hadn’t told me about that. I guess it must be love.”
Was it? Katy swallowed hard. “Thanks for telling me, Brandee. I had no idea. I’m actually a little surprised you’d…you know, be so candid about it.”
“With reason. I probably wouldn’t have said anything except when I saw Dylan earlier, he was in pretty bad shape, plus—here comes my real reason now.” She smiled at the tall man who’d just approached the table. “Basil, I’d like you to meet Katy Andrews. Katy, this is my husband Basil.”
Brandee was married.
Dylan’s reasons for cooperating in the first place had just flown out the window.