Almost Home (11 page)

"A lot of people come through here, though,"
Justin said, obviously sensing her unhappiness. "I don't know everyone."

"She would have been about nineteen or twenty
back then. She had brown hair and blue eyes, a long face, great smile, really
inviting laugh. She was vibrant, the kind of woman who could make friends
without trying." Justin didn't even blink. His face was a complete blank. "You
don't remember anyone like that?"

"No. Evelyn, you said, right?"

"Yes."

He shook his head. "I wish I could help you, but
I can't. Mind if I ask why you're asking?"

"I found some napkins and matchbooks with the
name Golden's on them in an old chest of my mother's. I think she and her
boyfriend may have met here regularly during the seventies, and I'm hoping to
learn more about her life back then."

"Well, good luck. Let me know if there's anything
else I can get you," Justin said as he walked away.

Katherine took a sip of her water and frowned at Zach's
curious smile. "What?" she demanded.

He lifted the beer bottle to his lips and took a long
draft. "Nothing."

"So he doesn't remember her, so what? It's just
going to take a while."

"Like maybe the rest of your life. You have
nothing to go on, Kat."

"My name is Katherine."

He ignored her complaint and leaned forward, resting
his arms on the table. "Did you happen to catch the bartender's name?"

"Justin Blakemore. So?"

"Justin.
J."

"Oh." She sat back in her chair and looked
over at the bar. "He's about the right age."

"And he worked here in 1972."

"You mean, maybe my mother came here because she
wanted to be with him even if he was working?"

"I don't mean anything," Zach said with a
laugh. "I'm just pointing out the fact that you have one more candidate to
add to your list next to J.T. But I have to say, you have a hell of an
imagination."

She made a face at him. "It could be true."
She lowered her voice. "Is he married?"

"Yep. I don't know how long, but he's got kids
your age, I'd say."

"My age, huh? That means he was probably married
in 1972."

"More than likely."

She cast the bartender another curious glance. "Maybe
that was the reason for the secrecy. Justin was married. He could still be my
father."

"He didn't even recognize your mother's name."

"No." She paused, caught back by that little
fact.

"Don't you have grandparents, aunts, uncles,
cousins—someone you can ask for more information?"

"No one. My mother and I were all alone before
she married Mitchell. She grew up in rural
Minnesota
but her parents died when she was
young. She was raised by a great-aunt who also died when she was about
eighteen. So she came to
California
and started out on her own."

"Everyone died?" Zach took another sip of
his beer and set it back on the table. "That's convenient."

"You think she lied to me?" The words stuck
in Katherine's throat, the thought that her mother could have lied to her
…

"People lie all the time," Zach said.

"Not mothers."

"Especially mothers."

His tone was flat and hard and unforgiving, matching
the stern expression on his face. He could change as fast as a chameleon,
charming and sexy one minute, hard as nails the next.

"I don't think my mother lied to me," she
said carefully.

"And you think her maiden name was Jones, which
happens to be one of the most popular names in the world?"

"Some people
are
named Jones."

"And some people use names that help them fit
into the crowd. People who don't want anyone to know who they really are.
People who want to start fresh without their past biting them in the buff."

"I don't know any people like that. I don't think
we travel in the same circles," she said sharply, surprised by the flash
of pain that raced through his eyes.

"Well, you got that right." He finished his
beer, then set it down on the table with a bang. "I'll see you around."

"Wait," she said as he stood up. "I'm
sorry. I didn't mean that."

"Sure you did, and you spoke the truth. We don't
move in the same circles."

"Sit down—please."

Zach sent her a long look, then reluctantly sat back
down.

She took a breath, then let it out. "I don't want
to think my mother lied to me, but I can't explain why she would have a chest
full of
Kentucky
memorabilia if she grew up in
Minnesota
."

His gaze didn't waver. "Because she obviously
didn't want to be reminded of
Kentucky
.
Doesn't that tell you something? Doesn't that imply that the past should be
left alone?"

Before she could answer, Justin came back to the
table.

"I was thinking about your question," Justin
said. "Did your mother call herself Evie?"

"I don't know if anyone ever shortened it."
Katherine's heart began to pound against her chest. "You remember
something, don't you?"

"A girl named Evie. I think her picture is on the
wall. Would you like to see it?"

"Yes,
absolutely."

Justin took Katherine over
to the wall of photographs, searching the pictures with his finger until he
located the one he wanted. "This is it."

Katherine was almost afraid
to step closer. Would she see her mother's face? Or a stranger? She took a deep
breath while her gaze settled on the photograph of a woman seated at a table
for two. The photo was in black and white, and the woman's face was in profile,
her hair long and straight. She was thin and appeared to be young, although
Katherine couldn't tell her age, nor could she tell if the woman was her
mother. There was some resemblance, but the image was grainy and she couldn't
get a clear look at her face.

"I don't know,"
she murmured.

Zach stepped up behind her
to look at the photo, his warm breath teasing the back of her neck. For a
moment she almost forgot what they were supposed to be doing.

"I recognize the guy,
don't you, Justin?" Zach said.

"Sure do."

"Who is he?"
Katherine asked, reminding herself to focus on the photograph and not on Zach.
The man in the picture had long hair past his collar and an intense, serious
expression on his face, as if he was discussing some world event.

"That's Jimmy
Callaway," Zach said with a smile.

"Jimmy?" Her
heart skipped a beat.

"You heard me."

"Jimmy Callaway runs
the First American bank,"
Justin volunteered.
"He's lived here pretty much all of his life."

Katherine nodded as her mind processed the
information. Both Jimmy and Justin started with a
J.
Either one of them
could possibly be her father. She looked at Justin again. "Are you sure
you don't remember an Evelyn Jones?"

He shook his head. "Sorry."

"Thanks anyway."

Justin started to walk away, then paused. "You
know, my father has some old photos stashed away in the office, and probably
down in the basement, too. He's the one who took all the photos. Loved to
capture people having a good time in his bar. He was pretty good about writing
down people's names. All the racing folks come in here, too, especially when it
gets close to the
Derby
.
It's a tradition. If your mother was around during the
Derby
, she's probably in a photo somewhere. I'll
have to dig 'em out for you."

"That would be great." Katherine felt the
hope return to her heart. "I'm staying at the hotel. If you want me to
help you look through the photos, I'd be happy to."

"I'll give you a call. I'm not sure if they're
still there, but I think they might be, because Pop never threw anything away."

"Well, that's a start," Katherine said,
turning to Zach. "Not bad for a few minutes work."

He laughed. "You sure do like to look at the
bright side. As far as I can tell, you got nothing."

"Maybe photos," she pointed out. "And
Jimmy Callaway. Evie is about as close to Evelyn as you can get. I think I'll
go pay Mr. Callaway a visit. Do you want to come with me?"

Zach shook his head. "I don't think so. I've had about
all the excitement I can take for one morning."

She made a face at him. "It's exciting to me."

"I can see that."

"I know it seems silly to you, my searching for
my father, but it's something I've thought about for years."

"Why now, Katherine? What made you decide to do
it now?"

"Because of the letter. I grew up thinking that
my father didn't want me, and my mom was afraid to tell me so. But when I read
the letter that she wrote to him, that she was too afraid to send, I realized
that he hadn't rejected me. He didn't even know about me."

"Are you sure your mother didn't just call him on
the phone and tell him?"

"Of course I'm not sure. I'm not sure about
anything," she said passionately. "Except that I need to know. You
asked me why now. That's why. Because I've spent my whole life wondering why I
wasn't good enough, why my father didn't want me, why all the people who were
supposed to love me were gone. First my father, then my mother."

Zach didn't say anything, but his expression had
softened. His eyes held a hint of understanding, and it was that little hint
that kept the words pouring out.

"I remember this one time when the housekeeper
took me to the park after my mom died," she said. "We were sitting on
a bench when this father jumped out of his car and came running over to his
little girl who was just getting off the swing. He had this incredible crown of
pink roses in his hand, with purple and pink ribbons trailing off either side.
He put it on his little girl's head and said, 'You are my princess.'"
Katherine felt her voice catch in her throat. "Then he picked her up and
spun her around and around and around, and all I could hear was her laughter
and him telling her how much he loved her. I wanted to be that little girl so
badly. Silly, huh?"

"You saw one minute in that little girl's life.
The rest could have been terrible."

"Or it could have been wonderful." She
tucked her hair behind one ear, feeling embarrassed. "I'm a grown woman
now, and even though you probably think I'm a complete idiot, I'm really not
expecting my father to instantly love me. I know that relationships can take
time."

"You are such a bad liar," he said, suddenly
reaching over to cup her face with his rough-edged hands. His eyes bored into
hers with an intensity she couldn't begin to fathom. "You want to have it
all."

"Don't you? You are trying to win the Kentucky
Derby, aren't you? I mean, that's no small feat, is it?"

He hesitated. "I guess I do want to have it all,
but only where Rogue is concerned. I don't have any illusions about the rest of
my life, and I know firsthand that the word
family
is overrated."

"You don't really mean that."

"I certainly do." Zach's eyes darkened. "The
truth doesn't always set you free. Sometimes it becomes a prison from which you
can never escape. Believe me, I know."

"I can't think that way, Zach."

"I don't know whether to feel sorry for you or
admire you. Just be careful that dream of yours doesn't take you places you don't
want to go."

Katherine licked her lips. His mouth was so close. His
breath was so warm. Then Zach's thumbs spread across her cheeks, caressing her
skin, and she closed her eyes, waiting for his kiss, waiting for the hot touch
of his mouth against her lips. It was too soon, too fast; she barely knew him,
and still she wanted
…

He pulled away his hands, and her eyes flew open. She
saw the look of amusement in his eyes and felt like a fool—again.

"I've got a horse to run, Kat. And you've got a
father to find. Maybe we ought to concentrate on those two things."

"You wanted to kiss me," she said boldly.

"I still do." He tipped his head. "But
sometimes I think before I act. And I imagine once you start putting your list
together, there will be a dozen or more good reasons why you shouldn't kiss me."

"I'm never going to kiss you," she said with
annoyance. "So get that idea out of your head right now."

He threw back his head and laughed. "Did I ever
tell you my favorite saying?"

"What?"

"Never say never."

* * *

Leeanne Callaway pulled the belt of
her raincoat tighter as she paused inside the front
door of the First American Bank. She felt a delicious thrill of anticipation.
Jimmy would be surprised to see her. Especially when he found out what she was
bringing him for lunch. Leeanne walked into the bank, nodding and smiling at
the loan officers and tellers on the main floor. Then she walked down the hall
to the president's office. Jimmy's secretary, Shirley, whose desk was right
outside Jimmy's door, was pulling her purse out of her desk.