Love's Deception (8 page)

She reached for him. “I see that. I’m on the ground.”

“That is where tackled people usually end up.” He pulled her to her feet, his forehead creasing. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Cat touched his arm. “No, but were you this concerned about the guys you tackled back in high school? Because if you were, I can’t imagine you were very good at it.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “I wasn’t worried about any of those guys. In fact, I used to hit them as hard as I could. But I’ve never tackled a girl before. Probably shouldn’t have, but . . .”

“But what?”

“But you’re hard to resist.” Ty turned to Danny. “Hey buddy, let’s check the steaks. We don’t want them overcooked.”

Cat folded her arms and watched Ty and Danny flip the steaks.
Is he for real?
Did guys who looked like Ty really hang out with six-year-old kids? But he was a natural when it came to fathering Danny. On top of all that, Ty genuinely seemed to like it. At first, she had wondered if he was using Danny to get to her, but he had proved himself a gentleman. She was attracted to him, but then again, what woman in her right mind wouldn’t be? The real question was how she would break up with him and when. Each time she mentioned their relationship, he changed the subject. Or kissed her. And kissing him turned her brain to mush. She needed to figure out a better plan.

Ten

Saturday, after Ty kissed her good night, he said, “I’ll see you tomorrow for church. Don’t leave without me.”

Cat had put her break-up plan on hold for the sake of the missionary effort. She couldn’t dump the guy when he’d committed to attend church with her. He had been at her house four times this week, but never once mentioned going to Sunday meetings—until now. She smiled. “I promise I won’t leave without you.”

Kneeling to pray that night, she asked the Lord to bless Ty with an open heart and mind as he heard the message of the gospel. Since tomorrow was Fast Sunday, she started her fast and petitioned for special blessings on her mother, as well.

When Cat awoke, she rolled to her side and looked out the window at the gray light of early dawn. Ty’s words flashed through her mind, twisting her stomach into a knot. Only once had she invited a friend to church, a high school girlfriend. Cat hadn’t even considered her an investigator. Her friend had a crush on one of the boys in Cat’s ward, and there was never any real interest in the gospel on her part. Perhaps this was no different. Cat knew Ty liked her and that his attending meetings with her would probably be a passing whim. When his churchgoing phase ended, so would the relationship.

Cat tossed and turned for the next hour before giving up on sleep. She dressed and went out to feed the horses. then came back inside and opened all the windows, hoping to cool the house. It would no doubt be stifling when they got home from meetings. With time to spare, she curled up on the couch and reviewed her Sunday School lesson. She wasn’t close to being ready to go when the bell rang a few hours later. If that was Ty, he was over half an hour early, but in case it wasn’t, she’d better be there when Danny opened the door. She pulled the towel off her head and shook out her wet hair. Surprisingly, her son hadn’t run for the door. She passed him on the stairs, careful not to step on his elaborate Lego contraption. He could slip into his own world of make-believe, oblivious to what went on around him. Cat turned the deadbolt and yanked the door open.

Ty stood on the porch in a starched white dress shirt and a yellow tie, with a charcoal-gray suit coat slung over his shoulder. He was clean-shaven, with perfectly styled hair. Stunned, Cat stared at him. With one hand in his pocket, he looked like he’d stepped out of
GQ
magazine. She shook her head at his miraculous transformation. And here she had worried he wouldn’t fit in. Judging by looks alone, he could pass for a returned missionary.

He smiled. “Do I get to come in?”

Cat stepped aside. “Of course.” She looked him over as he walked past her, from the broad shoulders down to the polished black shoes. “I thought you told me you owned a suit.”

“I do.” He held out the suit coat.

“You do now. But I’d bet money that suit is brand new.”

Ty narrowed his eyes. “What makes you say that?”

“There’s a price tag on the back of your pants.”

“What? Where?” Cat smiled as she watched him try to find it.

She stepped forward. “On the waistband, under your belt.”

“Can you get it for me?”

He stood still while she examined the tag. “Let me get a pair of scissors,” she said. Ty followed her into the kitchen and rested his hands on the counter, waiting. “You’re early,” she added.

“I was hoping to see you with no makeup and your hair wet. I’m glad you didn’t disappoint me.” He chuckled as if amused with himself.

“You’d better watch what you’re saying, mister. I’ve got scissors and I’d hate to see a hole in this fancy new suit.” Cat carefully severed the first of four sets of threads holding the tag to his waistband. “Why did you tell me you owned a suit, if you really had to buy one?”

“Let’s just say the suit in my closet at home hasn’t been worn for almost five years. It didn’t fit anymore.”

Cat laughed and clipped another set of threads. “You’ve gained weight, huh? Too many muscles? I knew that working-out–at-the-gym stuff wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. You should be more careful how you spend your free time.”

“Laugh if you want, missy. But we can’t all stay high-school skinny forever.”

He sounded serious, so she said, “Ty, you know I’m teasing you, right? Because I’m quite fond of your muscles.” She gasped and then rolled her eyes. “Did I really say that out loud?” Quickly, she clipped the last thread and stepped back.

He turned and slid his hands into his pockets. “Yes, you did.” He smiled at her while she put the scissors in the drawer.

Heat rushed to Cat’s cheeks. “Before I say anything else to embarrass myself, I’m going to quit talking and get ready, or we’ll be late. You wait here . . . or sit on the couch, or something. I don’t care, just make yourself at home.” Cat darted upstairs. She pulled a brush through her hair while she blow-dried it, then carefully applied her eye makeup.

A knock sounded on the bathroom door. “Cat, are you ready?” her mother asked.

Cat lifted her lipstick and outlined her lips. “Yeah, just about.”

Five minutes later, she stepped into her heels and smoothed her skirt in front of the full-length mirror. She hurried down the steps and around Danny’s Legos. When she stepped into the family room, Ty rose to his feet and picked up his suit coat. Holding his hand out to Danny, he said, “Time for church, buddy.”

Cat glanced at her mother sitting across the room in the rocker. She watched Ty and Danny, a slight smile lighting her face. Cat wondered what had triggered the smile as she gathered her scriptures, Sunday School manual, and purse into her arms.

Danny pulled Ty toward the door. “You look nice, Catherine,” Ty whispered as he walked past her.

She clicked the unlock button to the truck. Ty opened her door, then lifted Danny into the back seat and buckled her son’s seat belt. “Thank you,” she said before climbing behind the wheel.

“No problem,” Ty replied before closing her door.

Cat’s mom moved slowly toward the truck. Ty opened the passenger door and waited. “I’ll sit in back with Danny,” Sally said.

“I can sit in the back,” Ty offered.

“No, you take the front. I want to sit with Danny,” she insisted.

Ty opened the back door of the crew cab and held out his hand to her. “All right, Sally. Your wish is my command.”

That enticed a rare laugh out of Cat’s mother. Ty climbed into the truck and winked at Cat, then promptly put on his seat belt. She turned the key in the ignition, grateful for a truck that started on its own, without any fanfare.

On the way to the meetinghouse, her mother kept up a steady conversation with Ty. After the discussion Cat had with her mother the week before, she worried her mom would give Ty the cold shoulder. But thankfully she seemed to be trying to get to know him better.

“We’re here,” Cat said as she pulled into the church parking lot.

Ty hesitated, not opening his door. “Do you think I’ll need my suit coat?”

It was already stifling hot. “No, you won’t. You can leave it in the car.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”

Danny held Ty’s hand, visibly excited about having his new friend at church with him. With his other hand, Ty carried Cat’s scriptures and lesson manual. When they walked through the foyer and into the chapel together, more than one person did a double take at the sight of the handsome stranger with Cat and Danny. There was no doubt in her mind that her mother would be fielding questions from the Relief Society sisters for the next week.

Prelude music mixed with the low hum of voices as the congregation settled into their seats. Danny led the way to a bench on the left side of the chapel. Ty sat and stretched his arm across the backrest. Cat settled herself next to him, feeling a little self-conscious when his hand touched her shoulder. More fuel for the gossip fires. Her mother slowly lowered herself down next to Cat.

Danny stood in front of Ty, monopolizing his attention with nonstop chatter. He pointed out his Primary teacher and his friends. The bishop stopped at their row and shook her mother’s hand, asking how she was feeling. Danny pulled Ty’s head down where he could whisper in his ear. “That’s the bishop.”

The bishop moved down the row, shaking Cat’s hand and then smiling at Ty. “I’m Bishop Blake. You must be visiting.”

Ty shook the bishop’s hand. “I am. Ty Bradford.”

“We’re glad to have you,” the bishop said, moving on to Danny’s hand. “And we’re glad to have you too, Danny.”

It was fast meeting, and Cat’s mother bore her testimony. She said little about her cancer, choosing instead to focus on the blessings that come from faithfully enduring trials. She spoke of the necessity of adversity in our lives and compared it to a bridge that brings us closer to our Savior. The other testimonies were inspiring as well. Ty seemed to listen intently. That is, when Danny wasn’t trying to talk to him. Cat couldn’t remember how many times she raised her finger to her mouth and whispered, “Shh, no talking.”

Her son spent most of sacrament meeting sitting on Ty’s lap. When the closing prayer ended, Danny hopped to his feet. “Come on, Ty. Do you want to see where Primary is?”

“Sure.” He rose to follow Danny.

When they passed the bathroom, Cat said, “Danny, why don’t you go to the bathroom first.” Ty disappeared into the restroom with him.

She felt a hand on her shoulder as she waited. “So, who’s the cute guy?” her friend Clarka asked. Clarka was a returned missionary and still not married, and she had recently gone back to school to get her master’s degree. Since she was one of the few younger single people in Cat’s ward, they had quickly become friends.

Cat smiled. “He is cute, isn’t he?”

“Duh,” Clarka said. “Where did you find him?”

“He’s a farmer. We bought hay from him this year. His name’s Ty Bradford.”

Clarka laughed. “Girlfriend, I’m gonna have to get me a horse and start buying hay. I can tell I’m in the wrong line of work. I’ll call you later. I want details.”

She watched Clarka weave through the crowd to her Primary class. The bathroom door opened, and Ty bent to tuck in the back of Danny’s shirt. “You missed a spot,” he said quietly.

After they said goodbye to Danny at the door to the Primary room, Cat turned to Ty. “I’ve got to teach a Sunday School class. I guess you can go to Gospel Doctrine with my mom.”

“Can’t I come with you?”

Cat glanced away for a second and then smiled. “I’ve got to teach the teenagers. You’ll probably make me nervous.”

“You shouldn’t be nervous. I promise I won’t do a thing. I’ll behave perfectly.”

She let out a sigh. “Okay, come on then.” He followed her to the library, where she borrowed a set of scriptures and handed them to him. “You’ll need these.”

He was true to his word. He sat in the corner and listened, frequently looking down at the scriptures he held in his hands. The lesson covered the story of Alma the Younger. Cat always went around the room, giving everyone an opportunity to read. When they came to Ty, he took his turn and read the next verse. He wasn’t the only quiet one that day. Cat taught the fourteen-year-olds, and all the girls gazed in Ty’s direction, apparently too shy to do their usual giggling and talking in front of him. The boys behaved in the midst of his imposing presence, not daring to goof off or crack jokes.

When the room cleared at the end of class, Cat stood to erase the chalkboard. Ty moved behind her. “You did a nice job, Catherine.”

She lowered the eraser and turned. “Thank you.”

“You didn’t seem nervous. Were you?”

She thought about it for a moment while she finished cleaning the board. “No, I guess I wasn’t.”

He gathered up the books and opened the door. “That’s good. Where to now?”

“I’m going to Relief Society, and you can go to priesthood.”

“Can’t I go with you?” he asked as they began weaving through the crowded hall.

Cat laughed. “No, you can’t. Relief Society is only for the women. You’d be the only guy there.”

“I can handle it,” Ty said with a grin.

She stopped at the library and returned the scriptures she’d borrowed. “I’m sure you can, but I don’t think I can. All those ladies would think I’d lost my mind bringing you into Relief Society. I should show you where priesthood meets.”

“That’s okay. I’ll walk you to Relief Society and you can tell me where to go.” He said Relief Society like words from a foreign language.

The wholehearted effort he put into going to church brought a smile to her lips. She stopped at the open doorway. “I’m in this room. Priesthood starts out in the chapel, where we were at the beginning, and then they divide into quorums. I suppose you should go to elders quorum. Just look for the guys your age and follow them. Maybe I should help you find someone to ask. It might be confusing.”

Ty shook his head. “I can figure it out. If not, I’ll ask somebody.” He leaned his head into the Relief Society room. “You sure I can’t come with you? This doesn’t look so bad.”

“No. Now go already.” She gave him a playful shove in the direction of the chapel.

“All right, I’m going. I’ll see you after your Relief Society.”

Cat answered questions about Ty from half a dozen people on her way to the front of the room, where her mother was saving a place for her. Relieved, Cat slumped into the chair and pressed her fingers to her forehead, feeling the first twinges of an oncoming headache.

By the time church ended, she had a full-fledged migraine. She picked Danny up from his Primary class and went to the foyer, expecting Ty to be waiting for her, but he was nowhere to be seen. She looked outside, thinking perhaps he’d gone to the truck. He hadn’t. She sat on the couch and rested her head in her hand, thinking she’d wait for him. Her mother was still visiting with people in the hall anyway.

Ten minutes passed as Danny restlessly raced around the foyer. Cat stood and put out her hand. “Danny, come on. Let’s go find Ty.”

They walked through the church, unable to find him in the halls. The chapel was empty. A few kids were running through the gym, but no Ty. The only people in the Primary room were the Primary president and her secretary.
Did he leave?
Cat wondered with a sigh. She opened her purse, looking for her phone.