Until I Found You (18 page)

That love glistened in Gayle’s eyes now. “Sammy, I’m so sorry.”

When she sniffed back tears, Sam glanced helplessly around the room, then snatched a paper towel, and handed it to her. She dabbed her eyes but didn’t look at him until he gripped both her hands in his and held tight. “Do you know how much I love you?”

She flung herself into his arms. “I love you too—so much.”

A little choked up himself, Nick slipped unnoticed into the garage. Thanks to a clogged sink, he knew now how to be the man Kate needed. He simply had to love her more than he loved himself. He called her, smiling when she answered in a breathy voice. “Hey there.”

“Hi,” he replied. “I want to officially ask you about New Year’s Eve. We’re going to the chamber dance together, right?”

“I was counting on it.”

“Good,” he said. “Just so you know, this isn’t business. It’s a date.”

“K
ate!” Dody called
from the bottom of the stairs. “Nick’s here.”

“I’ll be right down.”

Kate did a final inspection of herself in the full-length mirror and liked what she saw. Her New Year’s Eve dress was a pale aqua that matched her eyes to perfection. It was short enough to make Nick look twice, but the long sleeves and high neckline conveyed a swan-like elegance. The cut complimented her curves, but what Kate enjoyed most was the sparkle of a floating heart necklace—her Christmas present from Nick.

Fingering the gold charm, she thought of his second gift to her—a leather motorcycle jacket that fit perfectly. She loved it as much as Nick loved the Buck knife engraved with his initials. Christmas Eve had been special, but the plan for Kate and Leona to accompany Nick to Sam’s house had fallen through. Leona had a bad cold and was still coughing. Kate had considered cancelling tonight’s date, but her grandmother wouldn’t hear of it. Instead Leona had invited Dody for a Paul Newman marathon, and they were downstairs now.

As Kate turned to check the back of the dress, she thought of last year’s party at Roscoe’s house. A year ago she didn’t have a care in the world. Now, despite her new trust in God’s providence, she worried about Leona’s health, paying the bills, juggling the
Clarion
, and her final obligations to Sutton and Eve’s Garden. The changes in her life were overwhelming. But Leona reminded her daily that God had created all creatures, great and small. If He could run the universe, He could handle Kate’s worries. When Nick said the same thing, she believed him.

Shivering with anticipation, she touched up her lipstick, dropped the tube in her little purse, and then descended the stairs, where Nick was waiting at the bottom. His gaze traveled from her spiky heels to the shimmery dress, and finally to her face. A glint smoldered in his eyes, but the serious set of his mouth conveyed respect. A man like Nick could look without leering, a subtle difference that made her feel beautiful from the inside out.

When she reached the last step, he offered his hand. “You look amazing.”

“So do you.” His charcoal suit emphasized his broad shoulders and slim waist. With that “gotcha last” smile, he could have been on the cover of
GQ
.

As they turned to the living room, Leona hoisted herself to her feet. “Honey, you’re beautiful.”

When she teared up and couldn’t speak, Dody indicated the coffee table. “Look what Nick brought us.”

Kate saw three bouquets of roses—yellow, pink, and white.

Inclining his head, he murmured into her ear. “Pink for Dody, yellow for Leona . . . white for you.”

Not red—the traditional color for romance. But white—the color of purity, the bridal rose. Blushing, she turned to him and smiled. “I’ve never received white roses before.”

“Good,” he replied. “There’s a first time for everything.”

When Dody approached with a white faux fur jacket, Nick took it and helped Kate put it on. They said their good-byes and drove away, trading glances but saying nothing, because just being together said everything. At the stop sign, Nick turned to her. “Have I told you how incredibly beautiful you are?”

Kate laughed, and they began chatting like the good friends they were. Happiness flowed from her heart like a babbling mountain stream, and she enjoyed every sight and smell, every sound, every word Nick said. She couldn’t always sense God’s presence, but Nick was a hundred-percent real to her. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but they were already on the long driveway that led to the Oak Glen Country Club. When they rounded the last curve, the headlights revealed the brown sedan that belonged to Ben Caldwell, a semi-hermit who opposed the condor recovery project as vocally as possible and at every opportunity.

Kate let out a groan. “Oh no. It’s Ben.”

His weekly letters to the editor were both a joke and a nuisance. Sometimes he ranted about the cost of the condor program, other times he used it as a springboard to predict environmental annihilation in a writing style that was wordy, pompous, and grammatically peculiar. He had very legitimate opinions, but he didn’t know how to express them without rancor.

“Ben’s just plain difficult,” she said to Nick. “I hope he doesn’t try to corner me about last week’s letter.”

“I won’t let him.” He squeezed her hand. “Everyone in Meadows has an opinion, but there’s an unwritten rule for New Year’s Eve, and that’s no politics. If Ben needs a reminder, I’ll give it to him.”

At the clubhouse they were greeted by a valet. They left
their coats at the cloakroom, then walked together into the banquet hall of a club that offered golf, tennis, and equestrian trails traversing the San Andreas Fault. Silver and gold streamers, puffed-up stars, and Mylar balloons sparkled all over the room.

“Kate, darlin’!”

She turned and saw Larry Pfeiffer and his wife, a plump woman wearing what Kate knew was a mother-of-the-groom dress from her son’s wedding a year ago. That was part of the fun of the Chamber dance—seeing people who normally lived in denim dressed up for a night on the town. As the four of them bantered, Geoff from the Acorn joined them. When he joked about Kate planting three hundred daffodil bulbs, she turned to Nick and smiled. “I had some help.”

“Smart guy.” Geoff clapped Nick on the arm. “Kate’s a gem.”

“I think so, too.”

When his arm slipped around her waist, Kate leaned against him. Larry’s wife smiled wistfully, then told her husband they should find a seat. “Let’s leave the young people alone,” she said with a wink.

As the Pfeiffers and Geoff wandered off, Nick steered Kate deeper into the party. “We’ll avoid Ben as long as we can.”

“Good.”

“What would you like to drink?”

She was about to say ginger ale with a splash of grenadine when she spotted Marcus and a woman she recognized as a grad student working at the condor launch site. Kate waved, and the four of them met in the middle of the room.

Marcus shook Nick’s hand, introduced Andrea, then focused on Kate. “I was hoping to see you tonight. There’s news on Wistoyo.”

“You found her?”

“Yes, a few days ago. She’s sick.”

“Oh no.”

“Lead poisoning.” Marcus’s jaw visibly tightened. “We rushed her to the L.A. Zoo for treatment, but it’s bad.”

Kate hurt for the bird. “Do you think she’ll make it?”

“Maybe.” Marcus described finding Wistoyo collapsed by a dead steer the team had put out for food. “She let us put her in the cage without a fight. That’s not a good sign.”

“No,” Andrea agreed. “The initial blood test showed levels close to fatal. We’ll see how she responds to the treatment, then repeat it if necessary and maybe perform surgery.”

“Why surgery?” Nick asked.

“To remove lead pellets from her stomach,” Marcus answered. “At best, she’s in for a long recovery.”

When Marcus traded a somber look with Andrea, Kate slipped her hand into Nick’s and held tight. Without human intervention, Wistoyo would die. The same could be said of the entire species. Just as Wistoyo had to trust the biologists without understanding the treatment, Kate needed to trust God the way a sick child trusted a parent to bring tissues and Tylenol. Such trust didn’t come easily to her.

“Will you let us know how she does?” she said to Marcus.

“Definitely.”

Nick motioned toward a table. “Join us.”

The four of them walked to a round table near the back of the room, then Nick and Marcus left to get beverages. Kate and Andrea chatted about their dresses, shoes, and jobs the way Kate had chatted with Julie at last year’s party. Feeling a bit nostalgic, she recalled everyone making crazy resolutions. She was about to tell the story to Andrea, when Ben Caldwell approached.

“Hello, Kate.” Dressed in a corduroy sports coat and plaid shirt, he looked even more out of place than usual. His dark
eyes glowered at her from below bushy eyebrows, daring her to ignore him.

“Hello, Ben,” she replied with a chill in her voice.

He indicated one of the vacant chairs. “Is this seat taken?”

No way did Kate want to spend dinner listening to Ben pontificate about the cost of the condor program, especially with Marcus and Andrea ready to fight for their cause. She gave him a long look, then raised a brow to show she was on to his plan.

Apparently Andrea didn’t know Ben, because she piped up with, “Sure, have a seat.”

As he pulled out a chair, Nick arrived with her ginger ale and a small cavalry: Marcus, Chellie and her date, and Wayne and Becky from the market.

“It looks like the table’s full,” Kate said.

Nick set down her glass and rested his hand on the back of her chair. “Happy New Year,” he said to Ben in a cool tone.

“Happy New Year,” Ben replied. “I was just asking Kate if the seats were available, but I see they’re taken.”

“Yes.”

Ben surveyed the group, honed in on Marcus, and focused back on Kate. “Looks like the condor program has the paper in its pocket. Maybe one of these days you’ll report on how much money is wasted.”

Nick intervened. “This isn’t the time for politics.”

“It’s always time.” The corner of Ben’s mouth curled into a snarl. “Just once I’d like to see the other side printed in your paper. Do you know how much it costs to—”

Marcus put his hands on his hips. “You know what, Ben?”

“What?”

“Some of us believe in protecting the planet. The same things that kill condors hurt human beings. What do you have to say about DDT? I tell you—”

Nick interrupted. “We’re going to put this on hold until later. I’ll buy the beer, and you two can duke it out, but tonight we’re here for a good time.”

Ben smirked at him. “You’re another bird lover.”

“I’m a journalist.” Nick lowered his chin and stared hard. “Now drop it. We’re done here.”

After a huff that hissed through his nose, Ben walked away. When he was out of earshot, Nick sat next to Kate. “That guy needs to learn some manners.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “But you were great.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, very much.”

“I couldn’t let him ruin this evening. Not with you looking the way you do.”

A half smile softened his chiseled features, a counter beat to the shameless intensity of his gaze. They were a breath apart, an inch from a stolen kiss when a waiter brought a tray of hors d’oeuvres. Kate put a few items on a plate and set it between herself and Nick.

“Want to share?”

From across the table, Marcus chuckled. “That’s courtship behavior if I’ve ever seen it. Next thing you know, Nick’ll be dancing like Elvis.”

“No way,” he said to the challenge.

“You don’t dance?” Kate asked, a little disappointed.

“Slow dancing only,” he said in a voice just for her. “I’ll leave the flashy stuff to Elvis.”

“That’s fine by me. Men don’t really like to dance, do they?”

“No,” Marcus and Nick said in unison.

“But we like women.” Marcus raised his glass in a toast. “Here’s to courtship in all its confusing glory.”

Everyone at the table clinked glasses and sipped, then Kate turned to Andrea. “Are Elvis and Moon Girl a couple yet?”

She nodded. “They’ve moved into the cave you saw. With a little luck, we’ll have a hatchling in the spring.”

The conversation settled into friendly banter and dinner was served. Kate enjoyed every minute and felt completely at home. When the band took the stage, Nick inclined his head to her ear. “Let’s wait for a slow one. Just so you know, if Ben tries to cut in, I’m going to deck him.”

“You wouldn’t.” She pulled back for a clearer view of his face and saw the forceful jut of his chin. “Or maybe you would.”

“Just watch.” A sparkle in his eyes indicated he was joking but only halfway. When he took her hand and caressed her knuckles, she basked in the glow of being cherished. At last the dance music shifted to something slow. Nick led her into the crowd and they swayed to the opening lyrics of “Can’t Help Falling in Love,
”
a classic by the real Elvis. With his neck bent and her face titled upward, they danced cheek to cheek until the band segued into a driving beat.

“Not my style,” he said. “But if you want—”

“No.”

“Let’s get some air.” He guided her to a wide arch leading to a glassed-in patio overlooking the golf course. It was too cold to go outside, but the moon and stars shone bright through the glass. Alone in the semidarkness, Nick drew her into his arms, moved to kiss her but stopped an inch from her lips. “We can wait until midnight—”

“No.” Closing the distance, she pressed her lips to his. In that moment, all her feelings crystallized into a single unstoppable truth. She loved him. The words were exploding inside her, but she respected Nick’s one-year vow. Smiling, because she was content to savor their old-fashioned courtship, she said the second best thing. “Do you know how wonderful you are?”

“I’m not wonderful, Kate.” He stood straight, putting air between them. “I’m a hundred percent human. Without God—”

“I know,” she said quickly.

“I mean it. I’m as flawed as any man. Don’t put me on a pedestal.”