Now and Always (32 page)

What in your life has made you give up, Katie Addison? And
whom have you given up on?

The last thought grabbed her attention. Who indeed. God? She would never give up on God. Gypsies, yes, but never on God.

A squad car pulled up when she was leaving the coffee shop later. Bill Parker, one of Ben's deputies, got out.

“Hey, Katie. Glad to see you up and around. You had us pretty worried for awhile.”

“Thanks, Bill. Happy New Year.”

He touched the brim of his hat. “The same. You got big plans?”

Oh yeah. Really big ones. Changing diapers and making milk
toasts.

“Plan to spend a quiet one this year.” She smiled.

The deputy walked on, and Katie slid behind the wheel and started the engine.

Bill suddenly shot out of the café. Katie watched as he jumped into the squad car and flipped on his emergency beacon. Rolling down his window, he called, “My CB's acting up. Can you tell Ben we got an emergency at the high school?”

“Sure — ”

With siren screaming, the deputy screeched off.

Katie's heart sang
. Tell Ben they have an emergency.
Perfect timing. She could wish him a Happy New Year free of ulterior motive. Well, almost free.

She veered out of the drive and drove to the sheriff's office. Ben's car wasn't in his parking space. She exited the jeep and entered the cinder block building. The dispatcher looked up.

“Ben around, Ruby?”

“Think he's at the high school.”

Rats.
He'd already gotten the message.

“You going that way?”

Katie turned. “I can. Why?”

“Tell Ben when he's through at the school, the Barclays are having another marital spat. He needs to get out there as soon as he can.”

Nodding, Katie closed the door and jogged back to the jeep, hope renewed. Minutes later she pulled up beside Ben's squad car parked at the entrance to the high school gym. The car was empty and the school dark.

Katie sat for a moment, lost in memories. She and Ben had graduated here. He'd been right there in plain sight all of these years. Katie remembered the childish Valentines they'd exchanged and the football and basketball games they'd attended. After a minute she pecked on the horn, then hit it with a resounding blast to get his attention.

Ben opened the door, dressed in a black tux, and held up a sign that read:
Come inside?
Katie's heart shot to her throat. He looked . . . fantastic
.
He had a date with that nurse tonight.

She didn't have a sign to object, but she wouldn't have anyway. All she wanted was to walk into his arms. He opened the door wider and called, “Come on, Katie! You have to see this.”

Oh, I see this clearly. You, looking better than a pizza banquet to a starving woman. Stretching the truth, she'd say, “Have a wonderful time at the party tonight.” She would smile and wish him a Happy New Year. How far could her graciousness extend to the man she suddenly knew was Mr. Right? A man who was now ready to move on without her?

He pitched the sign aside. “Are you coming or not? It's cold out there!”

“I'm coming!”
Fool. You're going, but you shouldn't. Help
me, God, to extend the courtesy this man deserves. With love so
pent up inside me, I'm terrified it will spill over and I' ll make a
bigger fool of myself.

Oh. He probably needed his tie adjusted. That's what he wanted. His cummerbund tightened? Maybe advice. Was his cologne too strong, not strong enough? Did he look okay?

And she in her Piccadilly world would straighten his tie, adjust his cummerbund, and make an honest assessment of his cologne — though he'd smell good no matter what.
I can
only take so much, Lord.

Sarcasm, Katie? Aren't you the culprit, not Ben?

Crawling out of the jeep, Katie yanked the hood of her coat over her ball cap and trudged to the gym entrance. Ben's tux made her sweats stand out like a hen in a stockyard.

“Grandma was old,” he teased when she took her time stomping snow off her boots.

“I thought you threw away all your signs.”

“I did — except for one. Stop grousing and get in here.”

“Don't hurry me,” she warned, on the verge of tears now. She swallowed the lump crowding her throat.
God, is this fair?
Punish me some other way, but not like this, here with him so
close I can smell his aftershave, yet planets apart.
“Ruby said to tell you the Barclays are into it again, and you need to get out there as soon as you can.”

“Already have it covered.”

Katie trailed Ben through the dimly lit building.
Katie,
say something nice, compliment him on his looks because he looks
smashing.
And tall. Funny, she was three inches taller but the difference wasn't all that noticeable. “You look nice.”

He turned to glance over
his shoulder. “Yeah, you too.”

Her hand flew to her ball cap, and she thought about the sweats with a Chrissy burp on the shoulder. Yeah, she looked Kate Moss ravishing.

“What happened? Kids break in?”

“No, looks like the work of adults.”

“Adults. Why would adults want to damage the school when they pay taxes for the building?”

“If I could read people's minds, my job would be a lot easier.” The soles of his high sheen black dress shoes clicked on the polished hallway.

Katie's scuffed boots hardly made a decent squeak.

They reached the gym door, and he leaned to pick up something off a nearby table. She caught a glimpse of a corsage — white gardenias. He turned back, his tone softening. “Katie Addison, you're going to shoot me, and I admit this is an underhanded way to take you to your prom, but would you do me the honor of the first dance?”

Katie's jaw dropped when he bent and pinned the flower to her coat lapel.

“Ben . . .”

“I know what you're thinking. What is that lovesick fool up to now? There's no prom — that was twenty years ago. This is New Year's Eve, and he's too old — we're both too old for a prom.”

Her chin rose. “I wasn't thinking that.”

“If the next words out of your mouth are ‘go fly a kite' so help me — ”

“No!” Her hand flew to cover his lips — sweet kissable lips. “Ben . . .” The scent of gardenias — and him, made her heady. “What have you done? How did you accomplish this?”

“Simple. Tottie and her crew decorated the gym. Ruby sent Bill to get you. Janet's going to take the milk home. By the way, the milk wasn't bad. That's the only excuse Tottie could think of to get out of the house. But since you insisted on going for coffee, they invented the housekeeping story. The town just wanted something to do on New Year's Eve, so I invited them to our prom.”

He turned, opening the double set of gym doors. Inside party streamers, balloons, and banners hung suspended from rafters. Familiar faces swum before her: Tottie, Janet, Ruth, Meg, Mary Hoskins, a teacher or two she recognized, the principal, and former schoolmates, all townspeople she'd known and loved most of her life. In the center of the gym, a large crystal ball slowly rotated, scattering tiny stars across the gymnasium walls.

Ben reached for her hand. “Your prom, Katie. Twenty years late, but if we're going to start over, I can't think of a better night for new beginnings.”

Katie sagged against him, and his arm protectively closed around her. Bending close, he whispered, “I've been meaning to correct my confusing statement — the one I said when you asked if we could continue our friendship.”

Katie nodded. “The one where you said no, that you were going to move on?”

“That one.” His arm tightened possessively. “I'm not willing to continue as is. But I'm more than willing to start over, and this time we know our mistakes and won't repeat them.”

“Oh, Ben.” She turned to kiss him, the way Mr. Right should be kissed, and should have been kissed years ago. His grip tightened as the crystal ball bathed them in sparkling light. Clapping broke out, and the Platters began to sing “The Great Pretender
.
” Couples moved to the gym floor and the celebration began.

“I don't know what to say,” Katie whispered when she caught her breath.

Ben's gaze softened to a silent plea. “Just say you're willing to start over.”

“I'm so willing,” she said.

“Good, I would hate to throw you in jail until you came around to my way of thinking.” He kissed her long and thoroughly, and then pulled her onto the gym floor. “Come with me. I want you beside me when I tell Ruth the news.”

“What news? Her daughter? Does it have something to do with her daughter?”

“You'll see. Come with me.” They approached Ruth, who turned from the punch bowl smiling. Immediately the smile faded. “What? Has something happened — ” Her face drained of color. “My husband — he knows where I am?”

“No.” Katie reached out to support her. She glanced at Ben. “At least I don't think so. Ben?”

“Ruth, come over here.” He led her to the sidelines, and Katie followed.
Oh, please Lord. The night is so perfect. Please
don't let what Ben is about to say spoil it
. Ruth turned when they reached the row of folding chairs, eyes bright with unshed tears.

Pulling her gently into a seat, Ben said quietly, “A fax came in late this morning concerning your husband. I'm sorry, Ruth. He's been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It's terminal.”

Ruth caught her breath and tears rolled from the corners of her eyes. Katie reached out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“How long?”

“The doctors say he won't leave the hospital. You're free to pick up your daughter. She's staying with his parents, but they've asked that you be notified. They feel she should be with her mother.”

Ruth burst into tears, burying her face in her hands. Katie glanced at Ben, and she knew that love shone brightly in her eyes. He couldn't have given Ruth a more precious but bittersweet gift. Janet and Tottie came to sit with Ruth, and Ben led Katie to the gym floor.

Katie gazed into his beautiful hazel eyes. “I love you.”

“For what? I just had to do one of the hardest jobs in the world. Tell someone her husband is dying.”

“I know, and Ruth still has feelings for him. But now she'll have her daughter back. She can rebuild her life.” Katie suddenly remembered she was wearing ratty sweats and a ball cap. “Ben! This is my prom!”

“You look beautiful.” His voice rose to a shout. “You're beautiful, Katie Addison. And I love you!”

Commotion at the front door interrupted their conversation. Two men wearing dark sunglasses commanded the doorway, arms piled high with week-late Christmas gifts. Katie recognized the newcomers as Clara's people. She hurriedly moved to meet the newcomers. “May I help you?”

“Katie Addison?”

“Yes.”

In a monotone, the man indicated the boxes and explained. “Clara Townsend sends her Christmas wishes to the shelter.”

Katie stared at the pile of gaily wrapped foil packages.

“There's fifty more in the trunk and backseat,” the second man said.

Clara
. The ice queen!

“Senator Townsend sent this personal note.” The first man handed her a beautiful, foil-embossed envelope smelling faintly of cigarette smoke. Katie opened it, and her eyes misted when she read the handwritten message. “Merry Christmas to my shelter family. May God's blessing be upon you.” Enclosed was a check for twenty-five thousand dollars. Katie's eyes teared
. Well, I guess there's more than one kind of simple white
sari in this world.

Ben stepped closer, his arm encircling Katie's waist. “Enough there to possibly buy those horses, if you're still in the market?”

“The horses?” Katie's mind whirled. “I can't — the owner wants them back.”

“She does, but from what I hear, she loves those animals. But when I call and tell her what they've done for the shelter women, the therapy they provide, and shoot her a fair offer, she might see the wisdom
of leaving the horses right where they are.”

Katie stepped into his arms with every intention of remaining there the rest of her life. Color flooded her cheeks, and the sudden image of the plaque hanging over Grandpops's desk flashed through her mind.
I believe.
The gypsy made a lucky guess, but Grandpops hit the nail on the head. Katie wished he could be here today to witness this miracle.

She whispered a silent pledge to her Maker, her Redeemer — but most of all, her friend. “I'll never take my eye off you again.”

Texas, 1865

Willow Madison and her friends Copper and Audrey were schoolmarms until the Yankees rode into the area and burned everyone out. Now penniless, Willow vows to care for her friends and her ailing uncle by moving to Thunder Ridge and marrying a man 30 years her senior, wealthy Silas Sterling. If only handsome saw mill owner Tucker Gray wouldn't get in her way with his looks and headstrong manner…