{Chapter 23}

Katie sunk down in the tub of hot water with her hair piled on top of her head and scrubbed every inch of her body. She had dearly missed the luxury of a bath.

She looked down at her chipped and cracked nails in dismay. Her face had a deep tan and her arms were even worse. She felt so ugly. She had calluses all over her hands, which were once smooth and soft. She was nothing like she used to be. Yet there was no sting of regret in coming along on this trip. She had left Sundance as a bitter, hurting woman. She had arrived at Grayson City as a tolerable, happy woman. She had no one else to thank but the Lord and Adam. How she could ever have harbored hate in her heart for that man seemed so unfathomable to her now.

Laying back to rest her eyes for a moment, she reopened them to a darkened room and cold bathwater. She jerked up with a splash. Looking back at the clock on the wall, she let out a squeal.

She was supposed to meet Adam downstairs five minutes ago! Drying herself off quickly, she jerked on her undergarments and a robe before running to her wardrobe. Flinging open the door, she withdrew the only clean dress she had, a pale pink gingham, and threw it on. Pulling pins out of her hair with both hands, she wound her tresses into a haphazard braid and tied it off. She ran out of the room pinching her cheeks and locking her door.

Stepping down the stairs as gracefully as she could force her flustered self, her eyes sought out Adam and found him. If she hadn’t had a good grip on the stair rail, she would have tumbled the rest of the way down. His eyes didn’t catch hers at first, giving her time to appraise him. The man cleaned up nicely… more than nicely. Why, she would even go so far as to think he was the best-looking man that she had ever met. He wore a faded plaid shirt rolled up to the elbows that tucked into a pair of dark denims. His hair was pulled back into his signature ponytail, and Katie had never hated it more. If it weren’t for that ponytail, he would outshine every man that ever was and ever would be. He didn’t look any different than he normally did, yet he had never looked so good to Katie. His eyes latched onto hers and held, a slow smiled spreading across his face.

Katie didn’t remember how she did it, but she somehow landed in front of him.

“S-Sorry I’m late. I fell asleep,” she told him.

“Don’t worry about it,” Adam waved her apology off with his hand.

He extended his elbow to her. “Shall we?”

Katie looped her arm through his.

Sitting at a table for two in the local restaurant, called “Susie’s Diner”, Katie and Adam had eaten and were now enjoying cups of coffee in the comfy little place.

“This sure brings back some memories, huh?” Adam smiled over at her.

Katie smiled. “We used to meet every Saturday afternoon and go to the Claire’s café in town to have a glass of lemonade. She had some good lemonade, too.”

“It was good. Especially when you weren’t wearing it,” Adam sent her a playful, pointed look.

Katie huffed. “Are you never going to forget about that? Someone bumped me.”

“Sure they did. How convenient that you were bumped just as I finished insulting your knitting skills.”

“It’s true, Mr. Sterling. I knew that I have always failed at the whole concept of knitting. Remember that scarf I made you? It was horrendous.”

“It was pretty ugly,” Adam agreed sweetly, talking a sip of coffee.

“You wore it to the school Christmas party, too.” Katie smiled at him. “That made me feel so good.”

“I’m glad. I had to risk getting beat up by wearing it,” Adam grinned.

Katie slapped at his hand. “That was mean.”

“I’m dead serious. You remember Silas Bryant don’t you? He could have drove me into the ground like a thumbtack and no one would have been the wiser. I was scared of ‘im.”

Katie smiled.

Adam shook his head. “The things I used to do to impress you,” he murmured.

Katie looked at him. “Impress me?”

“Sure. You don’t think I wore that scarf because I was cold, do you? Or walked through the middle of town carrying your parasol more times than I can count for my own well-being? Or letting you climb up onto my shoulders so you could see if two of your matches were hitting it off or not because I enjoyed it? Or…”

“I get the point,” Katie huffed. “Guess you have done a lot for me over the years.”

There was a moment of silence. “

“Can’t believe I let five of them go by just like that,” Adam said distantly.

Katie looked across the table. “That was something neither of us could help. You know how my pa is. He’d scalp us both if he knew we saw each other one last time before I left, let alone if he knew we were back together now.”

“W-We’re back together?” Adam asked.

Katie’s heart jumped into her throat. “Aren’t we?”

**********

Mark opened the door to his room with his hand hovering over his gun on his hip. He relaxed when he saw the four men he was expecting.

“Get in here,” he whispered.

They filed in and stood around the room, all staring at him.

“Okay, Curtis. Tell us what we do,” Brant demanded.

“Before I do, let me help you remember a few things.” Mark pointed at Marshall Heath. “You were broke, half dead, and drunk when I found you, and you best not forget that.”

Marshall shuffled his feet.

“You.” Mark shoved a finger at Joe Blake. “You were about to be hanged when I happened to come along.”

Joe pressed his lips into a thin line.

“Harrison.” Mark pointed at Alex Harrison. “You were spending your days chasing after women and drinking yourself to death. I made something out of you.”

Mark turned to Brant Alexander. “Let’s not forget about you and your brother. Ya’ll were like two urchins, running around that little town stealing anything you could get your hands on. I’ve taken each one of you and made something out of you. The least you four could do is show some trust in me.”

The four men sighed.

“Now,” Mark took a seat. “Here’s the plan.”

**********

“Aren’t we?” Katie was scared to breathe as Adam looked deep into her eyes.

Had she really just told him they were back together? What could have possessed her to…?

“I guess we are.”

Katie breathed deep. She realized that was exactly what she had wanted to hear. They were both silent for a while, neither of them knowing what to say. It was an awkward silence, not at all as it used to be.

“What happened to us, Kate?” Adam asked suddenly.

She looked up at him. “You know my father.”

“Yeah, but the people we were, the relationship we had… it wasn’t like us to give up that easily.”

Katie searched his face for some hint of what was going on in his head.

“What were we supposed to do, Adam? I couldn’t openly defy my father. I wanted to so badly, but I couldn’t do that to my family.”

“And I couldn’t ask you to,” Adam agreed. “I can’t help but wonder if we could have sorted something out.”

Katie boldly reached across the table and took his hand in her own. “I believe that God had a plan for separating us those years. I had my chance with Ben and you had those years of working for the Sheriff. A wife would have distracted you no doubt and you wouldn’t know the law as well or carry out your job as effectively. In my opinion, it’s all worked out good.”

Adam sighed. “I know. I suppose I just regret the lost time.”

Another few moments of silence. Katie didn’t let go of his hand.

After a time, she failed at an attempt to stifle a yawn.

“You tired?” Adam asked.

Katie shrugged. “Long day, I suppose. I don’t even know if I can sleep on a regular bed now. I’ve grown so used to the ground.”

Adam smiled. “You’re tougher than I remembered you being, you know.”

Katie grinned. “I can’t believe I made it. Mark didn’t think I could do it, but I showed him, didn’t I? Speaking of which, have you heard much from him?”

Adam shook his head. “Not a word. He’s avoided my like the plague, and I don’t blame him. I’m going to get to the bottom of what he’s up to.”

Katie drew her eyebrows close together. “Have you found something else?”

“No, nothing else. I fully intend on watching him closer than ever now. We’ll be traveling back with all that money. If he’s the least bit crooked he’ll find his niece’s money irresistible.”

“What are you planning to do about it?” Katie asked.

“Waiting and watching until he does something. That’s all I can do.”

“What if…” Katie gulped. “What if he decides to take you out before he makes his move?”

Adam breathed deep. “Then we’ll hope I’m the faster gun.”

Katie shook her head and looked down at their intertwined hands. Mark was a low man. Low enough to shoot a man in the back if he wanted.

**********

Toni stood by the window that overlooked the main street of Grayson City, swaying gently to ease Justin to sleep. She hummed softly to herself and watched a few people travel up and down the street, all of them in a hurry. It was the way people were living these days. Always running, always having somewhere to be, and never just being. Toni didn’t understand that. Why keep yourself busy doing senseless things? It occurred to her that if more people took the time to sit and think awhile that there would be a lot less trouble in the world.

“What’re ya thinking’ about, honey?” Erik asked from there he stood by the window on the other side of the room.

“What makes you think I’m thinking about anything?”

Erik looked over at her and smiled. “You stopped humming.”

Toni nodded. “I was just thinking about people. Seems like they rush around too much to me.”

Erik agreed. “People have too much to do. I remember sitting on the front porch on a summer evening in Georgia with all my family gathered around my grandparents. We’d talk for hours. None of us cared about the humidity or the sweat rolling off our foreheads. We were just glad to be with family. Emily, Judd, and I would run around and play in the dirt until we were caked with mud.” Erik smiled.

“Those were good times, huh?” Toni asked.

She never had much of a childhood. Her mother made her scrub the house day and night, and when she wasn’t cleaning the house, she was working in the barn while Pa was gone working. Once she and Erik married, he made sure she took time off to sit and cool off. She began to appreciate the quiet then. Erik made sure of it.

“They were. But I’ve had quite a few since,” Erik walked up behind her and put his arms around her and the now sleeping baby.

Toni smiled and looked down at her child. She would provide her children with more of a childhood than she was given. She was dead set on it.

Thanks so much for reading! I'll dedicate and put tags in later, because I've got a sink of dishes to wash and church to get ready for! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!