Promise Made (The Callahan Series) (3 page)

“How in the world are you?” he asked, his broad face beaming.

They grinned at each other. They’d been high school sweethearts. Once she’d started seeing Dugan in college, however, that was the end of any romantic relationship with Scott.

“What brings you to town?” he asked.

“What can I say? Got lonesome for Gram, so here I am.” She looked him over. He still had his football wide shoulders, but was beginning to get a little paunch. “You look good. How’s Wanda?” He’d married Wanda Jackson shortly after Kate started dating Dugan. She often wondered if he’d been in such a hurry because they broke up or if he truly loved the girl. She hoped it was the latter.

Some of the light went out of his dark brown eyes. “Wanda’s fine. Visiting her parents in San Antonio this week.”

“Good for her. Lonely for you.” Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Dugan walking out of his office and turning their way. “Gotta run. Good to see you.”

“Maybe we can have dinner. You know, reminisce. Talk about old times.”

If there was one thing Kate had no intention of doing it was to start tongues wagging about her and Scott. Though they were barely acquaintances now, they had once been a twosome. Here in Oaktree, you didn’t go out to eat with a man you once had a relationship with whose wife was out of town. “My stay will be a busy one. So I doubt I’ll have time, but just in case, have Wanda call when she gets back in town. I’d love to see the two of you.”

She escaped before Dugan crossed the street. Once inside the courthouse, she paid her ticket. It took only minutes to fork over the hefty fine.

Even here, nothing much had changed. The building had seen better days, but Martha, the county clerk, kept fresh flowers on a table out front and the dark wood gleamed.

Outside, Kate shaded her eyes from the glare of the sun. Gram would be back from her walk soon and they could talk. Until then, she’d indulge in her second-favorite sweet treat at Molly’s and catch up on the latest gossip.

As she opened the door of the diner, the aroma that was uniquely Molly’s assailed her. A mixture of bacon, home fries, and homemade cinnamon rolls made her mouth water. The place hadn’t changed since the day she’d arrived in Oaktree. Hopefully, it never would.

Oaktree was too small to support a McDonalds or a Sonic or any other fast food place. Molly’s and Gino’s Pizza further down the street, along with a small deli in Buddy’s ice-cream store were it. But Kate’s favorite was Molly’s.

Though Molly’s and Gino’s were the meeting places for the kids after school, Molly’s was the older folks’ favorite locale for morning coffee and breakfast, cinnamon rolls, and conversation.

Several booths were still occupied. She stopped at each one to say hello. Not everyone was friendly.

Dusty Potter, owner of Potter’s Mercantile, stopped her. “Heard you were back,” he said. “Grace all right?”

“She’s fine, thank you. I’m on a much needed vacation.” It was almost the truth and as good a story as any.

By the time she’d made her rounds, she was ready for a cup of Molly’s coffee, more than ready for one of her cinnamon rolls.

Molly greeted her with hands on her hips. “Good to see you, Kate. I should be upset.” Her grin took away the threat. “You didn’t stop in to see me when you were here for the Easter holiday.”

Kate circled her arms around the big woman’s waist, planted a kiss on her wrinkled cheek. “I apologize. It was a short visit.”

“This is a longer one, I hope.”

“Maybe.”

“Make it one. Do you want your usual?”

“What else?” Kate laughed.

“Cinnamon roll and coffee, coming up.”

Kate sank into a burgundy vinyl booth. She’d worry about the sugar high and the calories later.

She was taking her first bite when the door opened and Dugan walked in. The diner that had been buzzing with conversation fell silent. A dozen pairs of eyes swept from Dugan to Kate then back again. Everyone here knew their history.

Which made it a wonder anyone spoke to her.

Dugan took his time. He stopped at each booth to shake hands and say a word. You’d think it was election year and he was politicking.

When he got to the table where Emma Wells, Sadie Hicks, and Missy Koch, the postmistress sat, he bent to the ladies, made a show of kissing each of their hands.

They were all aflutter. Dugan hadn’t changed. He was the same charmer and mischief-maker he’d always been. She wanted to be anywhere but here. Maybe he wouldn’t see her.

Then he was next to her booth. “Mind?” Oh, yeah. She minded. His presence made her breath catch.

She planted a smile on her face. “I’d love it.”

“It’s been a while,” he said as he settled into the booth.

Conversation around them resumed.

The anger she’d heard in his voice last night now glared at her from emerald green eyes. She took a deep breath. Willed her heart to simmer down. Dugan was bigger, broader than she remembered. Plus he was still angry. She hated that. Hated that he still held resentment. Did she blame him? Not really. She’d done the unpardonable.

Still, she refused to let him see how uncomfortable he made her, so she looked around the diner, out the window at the town. “Nothing’s changed.”

“Did you expect it to?”

Those penetrating eyes swept over her. She felt a chill. “I guess not. If things were different, it wouldn’t be home.”

“Exactly.”

He settled in, took off his Stetson, sat it beside him. He looked good. So good he made her throat clog.

She had to do what she should have years ago. But where to start? “Dugan?”

“Yeah?” he snapped, only half surprising her.

“After all this time, you’re still angry.”

“Some things you don’t forget.”

“I guess not.” She looked down, unable to take another bite or finish what she had to say. Instead, she sipped her coffee.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she looked up at him. “Sorry I treated you so shabbily and sorry I couldn’t tell you what made me turn into such a bitch.”

“It wasn’t like you, Kate.”

“I know.”

Amy, the waitress, sat a mug of coffee, a plate of eggs and biscuits down in front of Dugan. “Your usual, Sheriff.”

“Thanks, Amy.”

He made Kate nervous. A headache threatened. She rubbed at the spot between her eyes, willed it away, willed Dugan away. She didn’t want him so close. Didn’t want to say what she had to say.

She looked around. No one in the diner had left. Their gazes would slide back to her and Dugan every few minutes. Kate was well aware the two of them were the center of every conversation. Time didn’t matter. She’d left their highly thought of sheriff high and dry years ago. Some days even she didn’t understand why.

Gram had once told her the town had divided into two camps. Those who wanted the two of them to get back together, and those who were glad they didn’t marry. She wondered how many of each were seated in the diner this morning. She supposed she could figure it out by who had been friendly and who had responded coolly when she’d greeted them earlier.

“Whatever the reason then, Kate. It doesn’t matter now.”

He tackled his food, leaving her dumbfounded. Why didn’t he want an explanation? Dummy! Everyone she’d met had been more than eager to tell her he was almost engaged. If that were the case, she needn’t bother with an explanation for why she'd walked out on
their
wedding.

She pasted another bright smile on her face, looked at her watch. “Oh! Look at the time. I’d better get—”

“No need to run away so soon, Kate,” Dugan interrupted. “You’ve barely touched your roll. Do you want to upset Molly?”

There was a double meaning to the words. She’d run from him once. She couldn’t let him, and the townsfolk think she was running again. She sat back, picked up her fork, and forced herself to take a bite. It smelled of melt-in-your-mouth goodness, so why did it taste like sawdust? Still, she forced down several bites. Drank her coffee.

“Anything new around here?” she asked for lack of anything else to say.

He shrugged. “You’re back. That’s the most exciting thing to happen since we found Piper.”

“Piper?”

“Look out the window. See that good-for-nothing, scraggly dog? That’s Piper.”

“How was that exciting?”

Dugan took the last bite of his breakfast, leaned against the back of the booth. Anger still glinted from his eyes, dimmer now, but still there. “He was a stray. Don’t know where he came from. But one day curiosity got the best of him and he caught his head in a pipe. Wayne Jacobsen found him. Remember Wayne?”

She nodded. Who could forget the wiry rancher with the small spread and six kids?

“Wayne couldn’t get the dog’s head out of the pipe, so he called the office. I sent Jonathan on the call. Thirty minutes later, he was on the phone and hollered for me.”

“What happened then?”

“Took a whole bottle of cooking oil. But out he popped. Called him Piper ever since. Can’t get rid of him.”

Kate laughed aloud at the picture he drew. Then looked out again at the dog lying in wait for his hero. “He’s not a bad looking dog. A bath would do wonders.” She started to offer to take Piper home with her, but she’d bet Piper was happy right where he was. And besides, she wasn't staying in Oaktree—was she?

“He can’t find himself a home. He’s underfoot all day every day.”

She chuckled again. “I don’t think he’s going anywhere. He’s your dog now, Dugan.”

He frowned. “Enough about him. What’s going on in your life?”

She had to get out of there. If he found out what had driven her to Gram’s, he’d either think she was just plain flighty, or needed a psychiatrist. Even she hadn’t figured out which one just yet.

No one had left the diner. No doubt they were still waiting to see what would happen. She slid to the edge of her seat. “Gram’s waiting, Dugan. I really do have to go.”

“I’ll walk you out,” he said. He put a bill on the table and grabbed his Stetson.

Amy hurried over with a small foil-wrapped package. “For Piper,” she said.

He thanked her, followed Kate out. A dozen pairs of eyes tracked their exit.

Out on the sidewalk, Dugan unwrapped the foil packet and hand fed the bits of bacon to Piper, then looked over at Kate.

She shook her head. “And you wonder...” She rubbed Piper’s head. “Good dog.”

Dugan turned on his heel and headed for his office, then changed his mind and came back to stand before her, his eyes flashing. He clearly wanted to say something, but apparently changed his mind, whirled around again, then headed for his office almost at a run.

She swallowed hard and wished with everything in her she could wipe that look off his face. She didn’t want him angry with her. Did she blame him? No. She’d left him stranded. He was right. It wasn’t like her. At the time though, she’d been so confused and upset it seemed the thing to do.

Gram had told her how her actions all those years ago affected him. How he moped around for months. How he lost weight. How he almost lost his job as deputy.

At the time she’d run away, she’d given herself a multitude of reasons. From her perspective now, they sounded weak.

A quick glance at the diner confirmed no one had missed a thing. Oh, Lord.

She found it difficult to pick up her feet and move on before she gave the on-lookers more ammunition.

If she was smart, she’d go right back to Gram’s, get in her car and high-tail it out of here. But where would she go? Back to Austin? She couldn’t. At least not until she got her head straight.

In minutes, she was back at Gram’s, her heart pounding. Darn Dugan anyway. How could he still do this to her? According to Gram and the townspeople she’d seen, Dugan was in love with another woman. If so, why was he still angry? And why did he still look so damn good?

Kate sank into the first chair she came to in the kitchen, her knees weak.

Being around him again had jolted her back to five years ago. The way they’d loved one another. The way they couldn’t get enough of each other.

That was the past. The present was an entirely different situation. Or was it?

The house was unusually quiet.

Gram wasn’t back. Kate looked at the clock. Either she was on a really long walk or…. She didn’t want to think about Gram getting hurt.

Gram was the steadying influence in her life. Had been since the first day Kate arrived in Oaktree to stay. She’d been there for Kate through all her adolescent years. No one could have given her more love and understanding, and Kate loved her with a passion.

Why wasn’t she back? A walk wouldn’t take this long.

Kate jumped out of the chair and headed for the door, not knowing where to look, just knowing she had to find Gram.

By the time she got there the door opened and Gram stepped inside. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright. She looked exhilarated. Was it the walk or did she look exceptionally happy? It took a minute for the tension to leave and be replaced with curiosity. “Gram? What took you so long?”

Gram held up a package. “Ran into Ed Clark. He gave me a big package of fish, then invited himself over for dinner tonight.”

“How nice of him.” Ed had been sheriff when Dugan graduated from college. Ed didn’t waste any time. He’d taken Dugan on as one of his deputies right away. Kate had always admired him. He was a friendly man and a good one. As their former sheriff, the town loved him still. He’d been single since his wife died several years ago. She looked over at Gram again as she put away the fish. Was he the reason Gram looked so glowing? Couldn’t be.

Grandpa had been gone a long time though. So long that Kate had never met him. She shook her head. It was her imagination. The morning was glorious. Why wouldn’t Gram’s cheeks be pink? Why wouldn’t her eyes be bright after a long walk on a day like this?

Gram poured two glasses of water, took them to the table. “You ready to talk?”

“How did you know?”

“I know my Katie-Girl. Now tell me what’s wrong?”

They settled down at the table, Kate in her favorite chair, Gram in hers. “I don’t know where to begin, Gram.”

“Start at the beginning.”

Kate rubbed her forehead, ran a hand through her hair.