The Source: Book III of the Holding Kate Series (22 page)

He read it.

Candol,

I don’t know how else to say this. There is no easy way. I am leaving you. I am running off with Kate. We are madly in love and want to start a family. She is the most beautiful creature I have ever met and I simply could not resist her. We have been having an affair for fifteen years now and it is time we leave and be together. I know you have always had a thing for Drayse, so I hope he will be a comfort to you. Not too worried about Corey, he seems to have moved on already. Don’t grieve me, move on and live a happy life. I plan to do just that with Kate.

Stealthlin

Corey folded the letter and waited for Candol to turn. Her face was dry.

“They’re not his words, are they?”

She sighed and shook her head. “But they still hurt.”

“Yes, they do,” he agreed. “How do you know they aren’t his words?”

“I have never had a thing for Drayse. Brashtor? Maybe. There was a time long ago that I thought Brashtor and I would get together, but we didn’t. Then Stealthlin and I fell in love.” She thumped the letter. “He would never have said Drayse. And fifteen years? Spht! There is no way.”

Corey chuckled. “Yeah.”

Her face grew serious. “Who did this? Where are they?”

“They aren’t in the village. Three horses were taken from the stables.”

“Three?”

“Yeah, I don’t know how she did it, but I think Najwa is behind this.”

Candol scowled. “I always knew that woman was trouble.” She pressed her brows together. “What is the plan?”

“We are having a council tonight. Will you feel well enough to attend?”

“Of course!”

“Okay, see you there.”

THE HORSE SNORTED
and flicked his flank. The crunch of leather kept rhythm as the saddle shifted beneath Kate. She rode in the lead, anxious to get to the cabin and be reunited with Corey. Anger churned in her breast. The whole mess just seemed so ridiculous. Kate kept wishing she would wake up from this nightmare. Corey with another woman? It couldn’t be true. She turned in the saddle and saw that Najwa had fallen behind. She led the pack horse and stopped repeatedly to adjust the load.

Good grief! This is taking forever. Why do we need so many supplies?
How long are we going to stay in the cabin?
She didn’t think Corey would want to be away from the hospital that long. Maybe the supplies were for Najwa. Maybe she was moving away and everything she owned was packed on that horse. Kate’s lip twitched and she almost smiled at the thought. Or maybe Corey reckoned it would take more than just an apology for Kate to consider things okay between them again.

Kate had been ruminating over the whole situation all night as she swayed in the saddle. She just couldn’t believe anything had happened between Corey and Najwa. Tara was right, it was ridiculous. But here seemed to be the proof that somewhere inside of her she did believe it. She was riding through the night with his lover to have some discussion about who he would spend the rest of his life with. If she didn’t believe some part of it was true, then why would she have left with Najwa? That half of Kate felt deep sorrow and shame for even considering the notion.

Kate had never known Najwa to be a liar. She didn’t seem the type that would make up such grand delusions, but Kate had known Corey for a thousand years and he was not the cheating type—the loving, forgiving, perfect type, but not someone who would become involved with a woman who was not his wife. Kate could not reconcile the two opposing ideas in her mind.

Corey was the epitome of love. Would he cheat on her? A memory flashed through her mind. The two of them stood on a platform raised to the moon on a beautiful festival night. Passion filled Corey’s eyes. He longed for her, a woman who was not his wife. Kate’s insides squirmed just recalling it. That moment was still the single most passionate moment of their entire relationship. After waiting for her for 1,220 years, Corey finally had the woman of his heart in his arms. Kate had traveled across a planet and dimensions to find him, and there he stood looking down at her with pure love and intense desire. She wanted him so badly in that moment and had made the decision to be with him when she turned and looked straight into the eyes of his wife, Taylia.

A burning lump of coal singed her stomach. He would have made love to Kate that night if Kate had not insisted he go home with his wife. He would have cheated on Taylia. With Kate! Of course he had Taylia’s blessing, and they were only husband and wife in name, not deed, but did that really matter? Was Corey the cheating type?

Did that mean he would cheat on Kate? He had never once in all of their married years shown any interest in anyone other than Kate. Why would he start now?

Bile rose in Kate’s throat and she wanted to scream. She couldn’t bear thinking these thoughts about him. No! It wasn’t possible! Everything she knew about Corey, and she knew everything, screamed inside her that he was faithful.

Did it even matter? If it turned out that Corey had succumbed to the temptation of Najwa, would she reject his apology? Could she even fathom a life without Corey?

No.

She would forgive him anything. If he wanted her—and she prayed to the Beautiful One that he did—she would rush into his arms and make him forget Najwa.

The sun peeked over the horizon in the east and splashed vivid oranges and pinks across the sky. Her heart was ragged from the past week and the colorful sunrise stirred hope. Sheer exhaustion from a night in the saddle made her back ache and her head pound. She shifted to take the pressure off her pained muscles. The cabin was just a few more hours away, and as sore and weary as she was, Kate didn’t want to stop. She needed to make things right with Corey. The sooner she felt his arms around her, the better. In the past thirty seven years they had never slept apart and the last week felt like an unholy thing.

Kate guided her horse down into a ravine where a fresh stream beckoned. She dismounted, led him to the edge of the water and rubbed him vigorously under the saddle pressure points while he drank. When he was sated, she washed herself in the ice cold water then drank her fill and filled her canteen. By the time she finished, Najwa had caught up with her.

“There is a shortcut over that rise.” She pointed to the west. “Do you plan to take it?”

“I have never been that way before,” Kate said, refusing to look at her.

“I will lead. It will shave an hour off our time.”

“Lead on.” Kate was eager to get there. A shortcut sounded wonderful to her heart and her back side. “Do you want me to lead the pack horse for a while?”

“No.”

“Fine.” Kate held her hands up in mock surrender.

Najwa watered her horses, shifted the packs a bit and then led across the stream toward the west. Kate gave her a good head start, then followed warily behind.

The horse didn’t need much prodding, content to follow behind the others. Kate found herself nodding off in the saddle. She had surrendered to a beautiful dream where she and Corey made love under a canopy of fireflies, when a shout jerked her out of her bliss.

She startled and bolted upright. For a moment she couldn’t find Najwa and scanned the horizon in every direction. Another shout came from over the rise and she nudged her horse forward. When she crested the rise she found Najwa on the ground with tears in her eyes. Her feet were angled against a sheer drop. The horses whinnied and pranced, eyes wide with panic.

“What happened?”

Najwa’s shoulders rose and fell as she tried to catch her breath. “Lost the packs.” She pointed to the pack horse who was now bare back. “His back leg shifted some of the stone and he almost went over with the supplies.”

Kate jumped down from her horse and ran to peer over the edge. The ravine was deep and there was nothing in sight. Whatever supplies had been on that horse were irretrievable.

“Oh, well. We can hunt for food and there is plenty of spring water at the cabin,” Kate said shrugging it off.

“Yeah.” Najwa stood and dusted herself off. “We’re almost there.” She pointed to the distance. The cabin, in view now, nestled between two oak trees, smoke rising from the chimney. Kate’s heart skipped. She and Corey had spent several nights in that cabin. Her skin flushed with the memories of their getaway trips. She loved this place. Corey was waiting for her just down in that valley. She felt a sudden urgency, a need that rose from a deep longing.

“Corey,” she breathed.

She ran to her horse, mounted, and kicked his sides. He shot down into the valley and raced across the tall grass. Kate pulled him up short of the front door and flew out of the saddle. Her mind told her to slow down, get a grip, be mature about this! But her heart trumped her head and all she could think about was throwing herself into Corey’s arms and begging him to forgive her for her arrogance.

She burst through the door calling his name. “Corey! My love.”

“Hello Kate, darling.”

Kate skidded to a halt.

Gregorvitch Mattovdzky lifted his cane, pressed a button, and a sphere consumed them.

DONNIE DROVE TO
the post office in the center of Heartwork Village to take Pops some of Mel’s famous meatloaf. He parked at the Staying Well and walked past the new construction at doc’s place, waving at Chaps who had traded his Stetson for a hard hat.