Campaigning for Love (6 page)

* * *

Nick released the dogs from their leashes once they reached the woods. The dogs took off, barking and chasing squirrels. He and Katherine jogged to keep up but were no match for the dogs’ exuberance. They found a place to rest against a fallen tree.

He watched Katherine as she ran her fingers over the rough bark of the tree trunk. “Are you really serious about never getting married?”

She glanced up. “I think marriage should involve love, but I...” Her voice trailed off.

“You what?”

“Nothing.” She slid from the log and walked farther down the path toward where the dogs circled a tree, eyeing a squirrel out of their reach.

He went after her. “There’s no
nothing
now. What were you going to say? Come on, Kat—you said you could handle the questions.”

With her back to him, she balled her fists at her sides and took a deep breath before she faced him. Her eyes were vacant, cold. “My mother loved my father, too much. And then I let myself care about someone. But he wasn’t who I thought he was. He did help me realize the level of emotions involved in our relationship were very uneven. I thank God every day I found out before I did something too stupid to take back. So, you see, I’m not a good long-term risk. I can’t commit because I’m not capable of loving a man the way you should for a relationship to work. I would never trust that he loved me that much.”

The hurt in her eyes matched the quiver of emotion in her voice. But he knew she showed her capacity to love every day. She poured her heart, her soul, into those kids she helped, one case at a time.

“Is that why you dump all your love into your work?” He kept his voice quiet, almost gentle. Her answer was important. Somehow, he believed the world would be dimmer if she gave up hope.

She looked at him in bewilderment. “My work? What has my job got to do with love?”

“Uh, you think what you do doesn’t require love?”

“No, what I do involves compassion. There isn’t room for love in my job. I deal with abandoned, neglected children who have tender emotions. I’m a temporary fixture in their lives. I can’t let them get too attached to me or they’ll be hurt even worse when they get transferred.” Her voice was raw, edged with the emotions she fought to control, but they flickered across her face, reflecting in her expressive eyes.

“No, reading their case files and making a recommendation for their care is your job. Driving a little boy to see his grandmother on weekends goes beyond an act of compassion.” He stepped away, then turned back. “I get that you want to keep your heart safe. You only share your emotions with the revolving door of cases you handle because you think it will stop you from getting hurt.”

He drew in a deep breath, while she stood motionless. “But there will come a day when a guy takes one look at you and that big marshmallow of a heart you have and he’ll recognize what a treasure you are. He won’t be able to let you go.” He walked up to her and cupped her cheek in his hand, his words a whispered plea. “When he does, at least give him the chance to love you as much as you deserve.” He dropped his hand and moved toward the dogs.

“I can assure you, no man is going to walk into court and decide I’m his dream come true. I live in the real world. I’m happy being alone. My life is full. You’re the one looking for a partner, not me.”

The anger and bitterness in her words caught him by surprise and he called her bluff. “You’re right. I’m the one who doesn’t want to spend the rest of my life coming home to an empty apartment. I want someone who’s not afraid to share my dreams, my love. You’re hiding from the real world. So keep on volunteering and avoid living life and stay safe. No one will ever be able to touch that precious heart of yours.”

Her chest was heaving. She flung each word at him like a rock meant to do him harm. “I’m not hiding from anything. Do you know how many kids I help doing what I do? How many battered women I give free legal advice? I am living. I don’t need a man to tell me I’m worth something. My worth shows in the people I help. The lives I change for the better.”

Buster and Bruno reacted to her distress. They whined and pawed at her for attention. She reached down and rubbed their backs until they quieted.

He didn’t want to fight with her. He cared about her. But it wasn’t in his power to make her happy. He asked God to give her peace, to comfort her. To show her there was someone out there for her. That she wasn’t meant to be alone.

“I’m sorry.” His voice gentled. “But I think you sell yourself short. You’re worth far more than the job you do, as great as you are at it. Has anyone ever nominated you for Citizen of the Year?”

She growled and looked like she was going to scratch his eyes out.

“What? I’m serious. You do so much to help the people of this community. That’s what the award is for, isn’t it?”

“What is it with that stupid award?” She threw her hands up and stalked back toward the house.

He jogged to catch up with her. “What’d I say?”

Once they reached the house, Nick hurried to clean up before coming into the kitchen, ready to help and talk to her some more. Now that she was finally opening up, he wasn’t giving her a chance to slide back into her shell.

“What are we making?”

“
I’m
making a strawberry pizza.”

“Strawberry pizza? You mean strawberries with tomato sauce?”

She laughed. “Think of it as a big cheesecake with a strawberry glaze.”

“O-kaayyyy, that’s better. But I still don’t know where the pizza comes in. But you’re the boss. What do you need me to do?”

“I need four cups of sliced berries.”

They worked in companionable silence. He split his attention between slicing berries and watching her make the glaze. But when she opened the fridge and set the pot from the stove on one of the shelves, his curiosity won out. “What are you doing? That’s a hot pot you put in there.”

“I know. I put a trivet on the shelf. Trust me, it’ll be fine.”

“If you say so.

She shook her head and offered him a rueful smile. “It’s the judge’s favorite. Alice always made this for him on his birthday.”

“I’ll wait until I’ve taste it before passing judgment.” After a long pause, he continued his questions. “Where did you learn to cook?”

She was stirring graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together in a bowl. She stayed silent so long, he wasn’t sure she’d answer. “I volunteered for kitchen duty at the group homes where I stayed. The bullies wouldn’t be caught dead doing KP so it was a safe place. The cooks always appreciated an extra pair of hands, no matter how inept. Eventually they shared techniques and recipes.” She dumped the mixture into a glass dish and smoothed it out with a spatula before popping it into the oven.

She carried the bowl she’d used to mix the ingredients over to the sink, turned on the faucet, and grabbed the soapy sponge. “The hardest thing after I was out of foster care was remembering to reduce the recipes. I was used to feeding twenty people.”

Nick took the bowl from the drying rack and wiped it with a towel. “Well, we always had a cook. Unless she left milk and cookies on the table, the kitchen was off limits. I learned how to microwave frozen dinners and boil water while away at college, but that’s as good I can do.”

They stood next to each other, working in tandem. She washed and rinsed. He dried and stacked. When she handed him the last dish, she said, “Maybe you should add cooking to your list of requirements for that partner you’re after. She’s sounding more and more like a hostess. I hear Abby Blackmon’s available. Tell her you’re nice to small children and you’ll score some extra brownie points.”

He clenched his jaw, but held his tongue.

“Dinner’s almost ready. Nick, I was teasing.” The ding of the oven timer distracted her.

He left while her back was turned.

Their meal consisted of a beef roast she’d cooked in the crockpot with vegetables. Dinner conversation, however, was subdued and stilted. The judge pounced on their lack of communication. “Anything happen while you were out with the dogs?”

“No, we were fine.” She shifted the carrots around on her plate. “Nick thinks someone should nominate me for Citizen of the Year.”

The judge choked on his food. Nick leaned back out of the line of fire.

“Well, you should be nominated.” The judge pounded his fist on the table like a gavel.

“I completed that volunteer history because of emotional blackmail. I’m still not happy with you.”

The judge ignored her and turned toward Nick. “I have friends on the committee that selects the Citizen of the Year. This year they’ve asked me to speak. I thought it would be a good idea to have Katherine and other volunteers document the work they do so the committee can see how many charities benefit from the volunteers’ hard work within our community.”

“I think Abby Blackmon is the ideal nominee,” she said. “Her father donated a truckload of money to build that new children’s wing. She speaks well. She photographs well. She’s used to being in the limelight and attends charity luncheons. People doing the grunt work belong in the background.”

Uncle Charles nailed her with a stern glare. “Well this time you will be front and center, young lady. I have a table reserved with your name on one of the place cards. It starts at six Friday night. You’d better not be late.” With a smile, he motioned to Nick. “Would you care to join us?”

Nick took the opportunity to score a point of his own. “My father wanted me to call and see if Abby Blackmon was available.”

Kat’s glance jumped to his. He smiled. “I told him I could arrange my own dates. I’ll be happy to go and I won’t need a date. I’ll bring Kat, to make sure she arrives on time,” he promised, without taking his eyes off her. “You don’t mind riding with me, do you?”

“Don’t put yourself out on my account. I’m more than able to drive myself.”

He leaned forward. “That’s okay. I don’t mind. Besides, it’ll free up a parking space.” His eyes twinkled with laughter in answer to her glare.

The judge missed the undercurrent, or maybe not, because he gave his hearty approval. “That’s an excellent idea. Katherine, you’ll ride with Nick.”

“Fine. Who wants dessert?” She rose from the table, tossed her napkin over her plate and stalked toward the kitchen.

She returned with a dish of fluffy white filling topped with a bright red sauce loaded with berries and set it in the middle of the table. “There’s some spaghetti sauce in the kitchen. I could drizzle some over your piece.” She threw him an impish smile.

“Don’t you dare. I’ll take a serving just like it is.”

“It might taste terrible.”

“No. Sometimes a man knows with one look when something’s perfect.” His gaze locked with hers.

Her hand wobbled when she handed him a plate loaded with a generous serving. With his first bite, his eyes slid closed and he moaned in pleasure.

“If you’re this crazy about food, you need to either take cooking lessons or marry a chef.”

“Why are you so ready to push me down the aisle?”

“You said you were looking for a partner. I’m trying to help you in your search.”

Chapter 6

O
n Sunday morning, Katherine followed the judge and Nick through the atrium and into the sanctuary of Grace Community Church. The judge claimed the aisle seat and waited for Nick and her to settle into their seats. She scooted down until there was enough room for two people to sit between her and Nick.

The judge leaned forward with a frown. He cleared his throat and motioned for her with a crook of his finger. “Katherine, dear, I forgot my bulletin. Would you mind getting me one?”

What could she say? They were in church. Never mind that the old fox was trying to outmaneuver her. She stood and slid past Nick and him as she exited the pew. When she came back with the requested bulletin, an older couple had taken her spot. The only available space was between Nick and the judge.

As she slid back into the pew, the toe of her shoe tapped the judge’s shin. He grunted and looked up. When their eyes met, his twinkled. She mumbled what wouldn’t pass for an apology if he heard it.

She sat through the service caught between Nick and the judge as if they were bookends holding her in place. The judge shifted, forcing her to readjust her position closer to Nick. Her muscles screamed from holding herself rigid throughout the service. She didn’t want to chance prolonged contact with Nick. To block out the scent of his woodsy aftershave, she focused on Pastor Jeremy Walker’s sermon.

He reminded them of God’s love and the importance of men forgiving their brothers, the way Christ forgave us, and tossed our past sins into the sea of forgetfulness.

Her spirit always felt lighter after one of Jeremy’s sermons. But today, his words weighed heavy on her heart. It wasn’t easy to forgive and forget. She knew that. She hadn’t considered forgiving Nick and his father. She just wanted to forget them.

Nick shifted in his seat, reminding her of his presence and the brutal reality that she couldn’t run from her past. She had to face it, and him, before she could move on. She closed her eyes and prayed for God’s guidance in how to do that.

After the service, Jeremy stood at the main entrance. Katherine and the judge moved forward, but Nick lagged behind.

The judge pumped Jeremy’s outstretched hand in a firm handshake. “I enjoyed your sermon. It’s good to remind us how important it is to forget the past so we’re free to embrace the future.”

Jeremy looked at Katherine. The smile on his face reached his eyes when he embraced her. “Katherine, I thought since you couldn’t make it Friday night I wouldn’t be seeing you this morning.”

“I told you I’d be with Uncle Charles.”

“Oh, Jeremy, let me introduce Nick Delaney.” The judge motioned Nick forward. “He’s serving in my court with Katherine for the next month.”

Jeremy extended his hand in a neutral greeting.

“Pastor.” Nick’s response was as cool.

Katherine wondered at Jeremy’s uncharacteristic stiffness. But then, Nick appeared standoffish too. There was no time to dwell on their odd behavior. They were holding up the line of members scrambling for Jeremy’s attention. Jeremy squeezed her hand before Nick grasped her elbow and guided her away.

* * *

Back on the road, Nick cut his eyes to the rearview mirror and watched Katherine.

“He’s your Friday night date?”

A blush stole across her face. “He’s a friend.”

He waited for her to elaborate, but she held silent. “Judge Pierce, are we free to go once we get back to your house?”

“You two have fulfilled my requirements. I trust you will remember this experience and behave with more civility in my courtroom in the future.”

“Absolutely. Yes, sir.” They answered at the same time.

After they dropped the judge at home, Nick stowed both of their bags in his vehicle. He shook hands with the judge, promising to deliver Katherine on time to the awards dinner.

They drove off in silence. He tugged his tie loose then merged with the traffic. “I guess this is two Friday nights you’ll miss seeing Jeremy.”

“He’ll be at the ceremony.” She rotated as much as her seat belt would allow. “In fact, I can ride with him so you don’t have to go out of your way.”

Was that desperation in her voice? He glanced over, but she’d turned away. At a red light, he laid his hand over hers. She jumped and his lips quirked into a half smile. “I don’t mind. Besides, if you don’t show, the judge will blame me.”

She glared. For the rest of the drive, he left her to her own thoughts. He set her overnight bag on the porch at her house and waited until she’d unlocked the front door. “I’ll see you Tuesday morning in court, Miss Harper. Have a good night.”

“Thanks. You too.”

As he backed out of Katherine’s driveway, Nick pulled his cell phone out and punched speed dial. His basketball buddy answered on the second ring.

“I thought you might call,” Jeremy said, his voice tinged with laughter.

“Funny, very funny. Are you home or did you take some single parishioner out to lunch?”

“Actually, I went to lunch with Senator and Abby Blackmon. She’s very beautiful.” Jeremy sighed.

“I’ve heard that. Are you at home? We need to talk.” He didn’t bother disguising the edge in his voice.

“Ah, so the new attorney who’s driving Katherine Harper crazy is you. I had no idea you two knew each other that well.”

“We haven’t seen each other in a long time.” Nick pulled over on the side of the road for safety. “It’s complicated. Can I come over or not?”

“There’s no service tonight so I’m free for the afternoon. We can watch the game while we talk.”

Not twenty minutes later, Nick pulled up in front of the ranch-style parsonage Pastor Jeremy Walker called home. Before he could ring the doorbell, Jeremy opened the door.

“Come on in.” Jeremy stepped back and threw his arm out in an open gesture. As soon as Nick stepped inside, Jeremy nailed him with the question he’d expected. “Tell me why you didn’t want Katherine and Judge Pierce to know we’re friends.”

Nick followed him into the den, where a flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall. He sat down in the twin to the leather recliner Jeremy called his “quarterback-coaching” chair. “I didn’t know you were the Jeremy she volunteers with on Friday nights. I finally have her where she’ll open up to me and I thought if she knew about our connection, she’d clam up again.”

Jeremy folded his arms across his chest. “Uh-huh. That makes so much sense.”

“What did you mean when you said I was the attorney making Kat’s life crazy?”

“Oh, no, you don’t.” Jeremy wagged a finger at him. “I will not betray one friend to another.”

“It’s not a betrayal.” Nick was on his feet, moving to stand by the bookshelf. He fingered the neat rows of books. “I want to learn more about her and it’s a constant battle.” He looked back at his friend.

“Maybe you should start at the beginning.”

“When did y’all meet?” Nick said, not happy with the obvious concern Jeremy was expressing over Kat.

“That meant
you
were supposed to start at the beginning, not me.”

“I will, but I want to know how far back you two go before I fill in any gaps.”

“Katherine and I met in junior college in Psychology 101. I was dabbling in a lot of volunteer work. Mrs. Harper had just adopted her. She and Judge Pierce had her volunteering a lot so Katherine could improve her chances of acceptance into law school. She and I volunteered at Grace Community. Her friendship and encouragement are the main reasons I stayed. I’ve never seen someone with so much love to give.” Jeremy finished his story with a fond smile on his face.

“Well, don’t get any ideas about her giving you that love,” Nick warned.

Jeremy quirked an eyebrow. “Excuse me? I thought you two were at war?”

“I’m working on that.”

“The war or the peace treaty? Maybe you should tell me how
you
met Katherine.”

“We went to high school together. My dad handled some advocacy cases. He found out my new best friend was a kid in foster care and flipped out. He demanded I stop seeing her. When I told her I was starting college a semester early, she bailed. I never saw her again. I called her the next week. They said she requested a transfer.” Nick rubbed the back of his neck. “She didn’t even tell me goodbye.”

“I don’t think she does goodbyes very well,” Jeremy offered. “She’s heard too many of them. I was so worried about her at Alice’s funeral. Everyone she’s loved has left her. But she seemed better today, even after a weekend spent with your ugly mug.”

He ignored Jeremy’s slam. “When did she die?”

“Alice? About a month ago. I did the service. Katherine stood there all alone, looking so lost. Even Judge Pierce couldn’t get her to go home with him and his wife. She came by my office last week, more upset than I’ve seen her in a long time. The judge was pushing her for the volunteer paperwork and some guy from her past wanted to be her best friend. She made it sound like he was harassing her. You wouldn’t possibly have become obsessive in your attempts to get her to talk to you, would you?”

“I didn’t know she was facing all that.” Nick threw his hands up, guilt over the added pressure he’d put on her heavy on his conscience. “My first day in court, the judge suggested a postponement, but she refused. I had no idea she’d lost her mom.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “I thought it was the shock of seeing me. Ahhhhh. I must have been the last person she needed to face right then. No wonder she freaked when I kept trying to talk to her.”

“Yeah, well, not all the ladies think you’re Mr. Wonderful. When I met Katherine, she made it clear she didn’t want anything beyond friendship. She said she would never be stupid enough to care about a guy again. Want to tell me what you did to her?” Jeremy hit him with an accusing glare.

“Me? Why do you assume it was me?”

“Let’s see, it was our freshman year in college and I know how busy she was the last few weeks before graduation so the last guy she admits to coming in contact with was...you.”

“I don’t know what I did or said that made her feel that way. Maybe it was the fact I was going away to school and she had to stay behind.”

“I don’t think so. This smacks of something personal. Were you two dating?”

“I wish, but no.”

His response earned him another raised eyebrow. “Care to elaborate on that?”

“I was going to ask her out. But before I could, my dad ordered a ‘cease and desist’. I never got the chance. She was very shy. It took me weeks to get her to agree to tutor me in math, and she knew how bad I’d bombed our last exam. The whole class knew.”

“I don’t know if you want some friendly or godly advice, but I’m going to give you both. Pray—a lot—and then talk to her. Ask her if you did something to hurt her. If she’s willing to tell you, then ask her to forgive you. Then your conscience is clear and she’ll see you’re sorry you hurt her and maybe her heart can heal.”

“You assume I hurt her.” He glared at Jeremy. “I cared about her. I wouldn’t have done anything to hurt her.”

“Maybe it’s an imagined slight that grew over time.” Jeremy walked over to him. “All I can tell you is the young woman I met in college bore some deep emotional wounds. I wanted to go out with her, but God helped me see she needed a friend more than she needed a boyfriend. I’ve never regretted my choice. And even though I’m your friend, if you hurt her, I’ll do more than skunk you on the basketball court. I mean it, Nick. You be gentle with her.”

Nick listened in astonished silence as his friend and teammate threatened him with bodily harm. Jeremy was a man of God. Yet he’d all but said he’d take Nick out behind the woodshed if he even thought about hurting Kat.

“You’re sounding a little too protective for a guy who claims he’s only her friend.”

“Yeah, well, if she’d given me a chance to be more, I’d have taken it. She’s something special and the guy she gives her heart to will have it forever.”

“You’re right, he will.” Nick let out a deep sigh. “I’ll talk to her. But I’ll give her time to recover from putting up with me all weekend before I try.” He turned to leave. “Thanks for caring enough about her and me to be honest with me. I can see how much she means to you. She means a lot to me, too. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt her.” He shook Jeremy’s hand at the door.

Nick drove home, his mind busy examining every word and gesture from the past weekend. He mixed in all the facts Jeremy had shared with him about their college days and fought against the green-eyed monster over the time he’d been away, in another state, trying to forget her—the girl who’d left him. He was in awe of the woman she’d become, and disheartened that she couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him.

* * *

Sunday evening, Katherine’s nerves wouldn’t settle enough to allow her to work on the case files she’d brought home. Jeremy’s sermon and Nick’s repeated claims that he cared for her made her uneasy. Jeremy had said you had to forgive your brother for the pain his actions caused you, or the hurt would keep you from drawing closer to God.

That wasn’t fair! She was the one they lied to, the one they threw away like trash. Why did she have to be the one to forgive when they weren’t sorry for what they did? She didn’t want anything to keep her from having a closer relationship with God, but she sure didn’t feel ready to forgive. She gave up on work and stuffed the paperwork back into her briefcase, turned out the lights and went to bed.

Snuggled under the covers, in her own house, far away from Nick Delaney, her body and mind relaxed, and she fell asleep. But one night of sound sleep didn’t make up for a weekend spent on constant guard against Nick’s attempts to charm her. She awoke almost as tired as she’d been when she’d gone to bed.

Fortified with two cups of coffee, she arrived at work to find Gina too perky for a Monday morning. “What’s got you already buzzing like a bumblebee this morning?” Katherine asked after she walked in on Gina humming along with the radio playing through the speaker system.

“It’s not me—it should be you.” She pointed toward Katherine’s office.

Katherine glanced back as she headed toward her door to see if Gina would say any more. At Gina’s unusual silence, she stepped inside with trepidation. Smack dab in the middle of her desk sat the most exotic orchid with satin petals in lavender and pink.