A Country Affair(62)

If Sally was expecting a lengthy response, Kate couldn’t manage it. “Thank you. That’s...really good to know,” she said in a faltering voice. To hear Sally tell it, Kate was close to a nervous breakdown.

“We’re prepared to help as you pick up the shattered pieces of your life. And furthermore, I think Luke Rivers is a fine man.”

“Luke Rivers?” Kate repeated, nearly choking on her bite of rye crisp. A huge lump formed in her throat at Sally’s implication.

“Why, yes.” Sally smiled serenely. “Everyone in Nightingale saw how the two of you were gazing into each other’s eyes at the dance. It was the most romantic thing I’ve seen in years.”

“Dance?”

“At the wedding-reception dance,” Sally elaborated. “From what I understand, Beth Hammond’s been so depressed she hasn’t left her house since that night.”

“Whatever for?”

Sally laughed lightly. “Surely there’s no reason to be so reticent—you’re among friends. Everyone knows how she’s had her eye on Luke for years.”

Susan nodded vigorously. “Apparently they dated a few times a year ago, but Luke’s kept her dangling ever since.”

“I don’t have a clue what you mean,” Kate said faintly, her heart beating hard enough to pound its way out of her chest. She’d hoped that with her father’s engagement, the rumors about her and Luke would naturally fade away. So much for wishful thinking.

Sally exchanged a meaningful look with the other teachers. “Well, I thought that, you know...that you and Luke Rivers were involved.”

“Luke and me?” Kate gave a short, almost hysterical laugh. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Luke’s a dear friend, and we’ve known each other for years, but we’re not romantically involved. There’s nothing going on between us. Absolutely nothing.” She spoke more vehemently than necessary, feeling pleased that for once Sally couldn’t get a single word in.

After a moment, she made a show of looking at her watch. “Excuse me, ladies, but I’ve got to get back to my classroom.”

As she left the faculty lounge, she heard the whispers start. Groaning inwardly, Kate marched down the hall and into her own room. Sitting at her desk, she snapped the cracker in half and examined it closely before tossing it in the garbage.

“Don’t you know it’s wrong to waste food?” Linda Hutton said, leaning against the doorjamb, arms folded.

“I wished I’d never talked to that woman,” Kate muttered, feeling foolish for allowing herself to be manipulated into conversation with a known busybody.

“Well, then,” Linda said, with a grin, “why did you?”

“If I knew the answer to that, I’d be enjoying my lunch instead of worrying about the tales Sally’s going to spread about me...and Luke Rivers.”

Linda walked into the room.

“The least you could’ve done was rescue me,” Kate complained.

“Hey, I leave that kind of work to the fire department.” Linda planted her hands on the edge of Kate’s desk. “Besides, I was curious myself.”

“Curious about what? Luke and me? All we did was dance a couple of times. I...was feeling warm and went outside for a little bit. Luke met me there and after a few minutes, he...drove me home. What’s the big deal, anyway?”

“A couple of dances... I see,” Linda said, her words slow and thoughtful.

“I’d be interested in knowing exactly what you see. Everyone keeps making an issue of the dancing. Taylor came into class this morning and the first thing he said was that he’d seen me at the wedding. He didn’t talk about running into me at the grocery store earlier that day.”

“Did you have your arms wrapped around a man there, too?”

“Don’t be silly!”

“I wasn’t. Honestly, Kate, nearly everyone in Nightingale saw the way you and Luke were dancing. You acted as though there wasn’t anyone else at the reception. Needless to say, rumors were floating in every direction. Everyone was watching the two of you, and neither you or Luke even noticed. Or cared. I heard the pastor mumble something about maybe performing another wedding soon, and he wasn’t referring to your father and Dorothea Murphy—which is another matter entirely.” Linda paused to suck in a deep breath. “Are you sure you’re going to be able to handle this on top of—”

“Clay and Rorie? Yes,” Kate answered her own question emphatically. “Oh, I had a few bad moments when Dad first told me, but I got over it.” The comfort she’d found in Luke’s arms had helped her more than she cared to admit. He seemed to be making a habit of helping her through difficult moments.

Linda eyed her sceptically. “There’s been so much upheaval in your life these past few weeks. You know, sometimes people go into shock for weeks after a major change in their lives.”

“Linda,” Kate cried, “everyone keeps looking at me as though they expect me to have a nervous breakdown. What is it with you people?”

“It isn’t us, Katie girl, it’s you.”

Kate pushed her hair off her forehead and kept her hand there. “What do I have to do to convince you that I’m fine? I’m happy for Clay and Rorie. I consider myself resilient and emotionally strong, but this makes me wonder why you and Sally and the others don’t.”