A Country Affair(98)

“I don’t know,” Luke barked. “Why would you?”

Before Kate could answer, he stormed out of the apartment, leaving her so frustrated she could have cried.

“You should’ve told him how you feel,” she reprimanded herself. “Why are you such a fool when it comes to Luke Rivers? Why? Why? Why?”

“I saw Luke yesterday,” Rorie said, watching Kate closely as they sat across from each other in a booth at Nellie’s.

“That’s nice,” she said, pretending indifference and doing a good job of it.

“He was with Beth Hammond.”

Kate’s breath caught in her throat at the unexpected rush of pain. “I...see.”

“Do you?” Rorie inquired. “I swear I could shake the pair of you. I’ve never met two more stubborn people in my life. You look like one of the walking wounded, and Luke’s got a chip on his shoulder the size of a California redwood.”

“I’m sure you’re mistaken.” Kate concentrated on stirring her coffee and avoided Rorie’s eyes. Her heart felt like a ball of lead.

“When’s the last time you two talked?”

“A couple of days ago.”

“Honestly, Kate, I can’t understand what’s wrong with you. Clay and I thought...we hoped everything would fall into place after you moved to the apartment. Now it seems exactly the opposite has happened.”

“Luke’s free to date whomever he pleases, just the way I am.”

“There’s only one person you want and that’s Luke Rivers and we both know it,” Rorie said with an exasperated sigh. “I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just that I hate the idea of you two being so miserable when you’re in love with each other.”

“Is love always this painful?” Kate asked, her question barely audible.

Rorie shrugged. “It was with Clay and me, and sometimes I feel it must be for everyone sooner or later. Think about it, Kate. If you really love Luke, why are you fighting the very thing you want most?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted reluctantly.

When they parted shortly afterward, Kate felt a new sense of certainty and resolve. She did love Luke and if she didn’t do something soon, she was going to lose him.

She drove to the Circle L, her heart in her throat. Luke’s truck was parked behind the house, and she left her car beside it, hurrying through the cold to the back door. Luke didn’t respond to her knock, which didn’t surprise her, since it was unusual for him to be in at this time of day. But she couldn’t find him outside, either, and even Bill didn’t know where he was.

Making a rapid decision, she let herself into the house and started preparations for the evening meal. It gave her a way of passing the time. Dinner was in the oven and she was busy making a salad, when the back door opened and Luke walked into the kitchen.

Apparently he hadn’t noticed her car because he stopped dead, shock written on every feature, when he saw her standing at the sink.

Kate held her breath for a moment, then dried her hands on the dish towel she’d tucked into her waistband. She struggled to give the impression that she was completely at ease, tried to act as though she made dinner for him every evening.

“Hello, Luke,” she said to break the silence that had been growing heavier by the second.

He blinked. “I suppose you’re looking for an explanation.”

Kate wasn’t sure what he meant.

“Taking Beth out on Friday night was a mistake.”

“Then why’d you do it?”

“So you’d be jealous. The night you and I went out, I was furious at the way you started laughing, and talking as if you were never going to marry me. I wanted you to know you weren’t the only fish in the sea. Only my plan backfired.”

“It did?” Not as far as Kate was concerned—she’d been pretty darn worried.

“That wasn’t all that went wrong. Beth saw I was in town on Saturday and started following me,” he explained. “I swear I had no intention of seeing her again, but before I knew it, her arm was linked with mine and we were strolling through the middle of town together.”

“Beth’s a nice girl.”

He frowned. “Yes, I suppose she is. I’d forgotten it doesn’t bother you who I date. You’ve never been one for jealousy.”

“I was so jealous I wanted to die.”

“You were? You could’ve fooled me.”

“Believe me, I tried to,” Kate murmured.

“So what are you doing here?”

“I made dinner,” Kate said sheepishly. She’d admitted how she felt about Luke seeing Beth and she couldn’t stop there. “I’ve got pork chops in the oven, along with scalloped potatoes and an acorn squash,” she rattled off without pausing for breath. Then, gathering her resolve, she casually added, “and if you’re still asking, I’ll marry you.”

Luke stared at her. When he finally spoke he sounded strangely calm. “What did you just say?”

“There’s pork chops and potatoes and—”

“Not that. The part about marrying me.”

She struggled to hold on to what remained of her tattered pride. “If you’re still asking me to marry you, the answer is yes.”