A Country Affair(97)

If only she’d been listening to her heart instead of her pride...

She tried phoning Luke, but there was no answer, so she decided to do the shopping first. She put on her coat, hat and gloves, and walked the few blocks to the Safeway store.

It must’ve been her imagination, but it seemed that everyone stopped to watch her as she pushed her cart down the aisles.

When she’d finished buying her groceries, she headed over to the pharmacy and bought a couple of scented candles. Once again, everyone seemed to stop and stare at her.

“Kate,” Sally Daley said, hurrying toward her. The older woman was shaking her head, eyes brimming with sympathy. “How are you doing, dear?”

“Fine,” Kate said, puzzled.

Sally’s mouth fell open. “You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

“Luke Rivers took Beth Hammond to dinner yesterday, and the two of them danced all night at the Red Bull. Why, everyone in town’s talking about it. People are saying he’s lost patience with you and is going to marry Beth. Really, dear, every woman in town thinks you’d be crazy to let a man like Luke Rivers get away.”

Kate was so shocked she could hardly breathe. “I see,” she murmured, pretending it didn’t matter.

“You poor child,” Sally said compassionately. “Don’t let your pride get in the way.”

“I won’t,” Kate promised, barely able to find her voice.

“I do worry about you, Kate. I have this terrible feeling that you’re going to end up thirty and all alone.”



Eleven


Thirty and all alone. The words echoed in Kate’s mind as she walked the short distance to her apartment. Tears burned her eyes, but somehow she’d dredged up the courage to smile and assure Sally that Luke was free to date whomever he pleased. In fact, she’d even managed to laugh lightly and say that she hoped Luke’s dating Beth would finally put an end to all this wedding-lottery nonsense.

Moving at a fast pace, she kept her head lowered and went directly back to her apartment, clutching her purchases. By the time she let herself in the door, her face was streaked with tears.

No doubt Sally would spread the story of her meeting with Kate all over town by evening. Not that it made much difference. By now, the residents of Nightingale should be accustomed to hearing gossip about her and Luke.

Luke. At the mere thought of him, her heart constricted painfully. He’d given up on her and now she’d lost him. Only it hurt so much more than when Clay had broken their engagement.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she struggled to take in everything that had happened in the past few weeks. It seemed every time she found her balance and secured her footing, something would send her teetering again. Would it never end? Was her life going to be an endless struggle of one emotional pain after another?

She set her bags on the floor, and without bothering to remove her coat, slumped into the overstuffed chair.

“Okay,” she said aloud. “Luke took Beth Hammond out to dinner and dancing. It doesn’t have to mean anything.”

But it did. In her heart Kate was sure Luke planned to do exactly as Sally suggested. He’d made it plain from the first that he wanted a wife, and like a fool Kate had repeatedly turned him down. He loved her, or so he claimed, and Kate had doubted him. Now she wondered if perhaps he didn’t love her enough. But over and over again, Luke had insisted she needed him—and he’d been right.

Closing her eyes, she tried to picture her life without Luke. A chill ran down her spine as an intense wave of loneliness swept over her.

Someone pounded at the door, but before Kate could answer it, Luke strode into the apartment. Having to face him this way, when she was least prepared, put her at a clear disadvantage. Hurriedly she painted on a bright smile.

“Hello, Luke,” she said, trying to sound breezy and amused. “What’s this about you and Beth Hammond?”

“You heard already?” He looked stunned.

“Good heavens, yes. You don’t expect something like that to stay quiet, do you?”

“When...who told you?”

“I went to the grocery store and ran into Sally Daley.”

“That explains it,” he said, pacing her carpet with abrupt, impatient steps. He stopped suddenly and turned to study her. “It doesn’t bother you that I’m seeing Beth?”

“Not at all,” she lied. “Should it? Would you like some coffee?”

“No.”

Desperate for a chance to escape and compose herself, Kate almost ran into the kitchen and poured herself a cup, keeping her back to him all the while.

“You seem to be downright happy about this,” he accused, following her into the small, windowless room.

“Of course I’m pleased. I think it’s wonderful when two people fall in love, don’t you?”

“I’m not in love with Beth,” he said angrily.

“Actually I think dating Beth is a wonderful way to kill all the rumors floating around about us,” she said, finally turning toward him. She held her coffee cup close.

Rubbing his neck, Luke continued his pacing in the kitchen. “I thought you might be...jealous.”

“Me?” She refused to admit she’d been dying inside from the moment Sally had told her. “Now why would I feel like that?”