Forever Together (4 page)

“You’re family,” Anna said. “And families are
never any bother. The car’s sitting in the garage gathering dust.
It hasn’t been driven for ages so it will probably cough and
splutter when you first start it.”

Kate wasn’t sure what to say. Anna’s offer
was generous. More generous than she deserved.

“It’s okay to say yes.”

“Okay. Thank you. I’d like to borrow your
car.”

Anna lifted a set of keys off a hook on the
wall. “Put these in your pocket. After
lunch,
we’ll give the car a test run to see if she still
runs smoothly. There’s a front and back door key on there as
well.”

Kate hadn’t expected to be welcomed into her
stepmom’s life. It was humbling to know that for whatever reason,
Anna cared about her. But her nonexistent relationship with her
father was a different story. Kate didn’t know how things would
turn out, but she had a feeling she’d be long gone before she
understood her father.

“We tried looking for you after Tom and I got
married. Every phone number and address we found didn’t belong to
you.”

Kate was surprised they’d thought about her.
“I’ve moved a lot over the last ten years.” She wasn’t going to
tell Anna about the months she’d spent living on the street, or the
people that had turned her life around.

She put a slice of cheese on top of the
sandwich in front of her. “When did you meet my father?”

Anna poured Kate a mug of black coffee. “I
met him about ten years ago at a rodeo in Billings. What a night
that was…” Anna stared across the room and smiled at the memories
forming in her head. “I tripped on the stairs and Tom came to my
rescue. It turned out we had some friends in common and it all
began from there. A year later we were married and another twelve
months after that Kaylee was born.”

Anna seemed happy. Kate hoped her marriage
lasted longer than her mom’s had.

“Don’t look so skeptical. Your dad’s a good
man.” Anna smiled around a mouthful of sandwich. “If you want to
stay here for longer, after the transplant, there’s nothing
stopping you. We’ve got plenty of
room
.”

Kate hadn’t wanted to stay any longer than
the original two weeks. The thought of living here for months gave
her goose bumps. “I’ll think about it.”

Anna grinned. “I’m sure you will. While
you’re thinking about things, do you want to help around the ranch?
We’ve got lots of jobs that need to be done each day.”

Kate glanced at her purple nail polish and
manicured nails. They wouldn’t last a day on the ranch. “As long as
you’re happy to show me what to do, then I’m all yours.”

“You’d better have a slice of chocolate cake
after your sandwich, then. We’ve got horses and chickens to look
after and a vegetable garden that needs tending. And if we have
enough time, I’ve got some meals to drop off to Dan before we see
Kaylee.”

Kate didn’t mind about the animals or the
garden, but she did have a problem with the man. And unfortunately,
she thought she always would.

***

Dan closed the cabinet drawer beside his
desk. The guys in the office constantly ribbed him about his
antiquated filing system. Each document had been stored on his
computer, but there was nothing like a paper copy to keep him
happy. He could match the consistencies in each case, focus on the
differences and find answers. He didn’t care if they thought it was
old fashioned. It worked for
him,
so it would stay for as long as he was there.

He’d printed off the information sitting on
his computer and added it to the file in his drawer. Kate Jennings
had been a busy person.

The photo on their national database was ten
years old. It showed a sullen
eighteen-year-old
staring down the lens of a camera. Her
hair was short, sticking up in dark spiky tufts as if someone had
gone mad with a pair of scissors. But it was her attitude that
shone through. He’d seen it too many times, tough
kids
who thought they knew better than everyone
else.

Her list of life skills was impressive.
Burglary, disorderly conduct, assault. Nothing that would land her
in prison, but enough to get her noticed.

A judge must have seen some redeeming
qualities in her behavior. She’d been put into a rehabilitation
program in San Diego. There were a few case notes, mostly positive.
She’d finished high school and earned good grades in the other
courses she’d completed.

The psych evaluation made him frown. A lack
of trust, anger issues, inability to empathize with people….shit,
he could have been looking at his own report.

“You’ve got visitors.” Colin O’Grady, Patrol
Sergeant and
royal
pain in the
butt, stood in his office with a smirk on his face. “Your weekly
dinner rations have arrived. You’d think Anna might have gotten the
hint by now and started adding something in there for me.”

He minimized Kate’s record on his desktop.
“She’s my sister. You’ve got your own.”

“Except my sister lives on the other side of
the world. Huckleberry pie and venison steak wouldn’t last the
journey.”

“I’ve met Laura and she lives in Jersey. It’s
not exactly the other side of the world.”

Colin shook his head. “It is when she doesn’t
believe in food parcels.”

Anna appeared from behind Colin’s wide
shoulders. “If you’ve finished trading sister stories I’d suggest
you let us through. I’m sure you’ve got more important Police
business to do.” She poked Colin in the ribs and handed him a foil
wrapped dish. “I made lasagna. I seem to recall you mentioning how
good it smelled last time I dropped some off.”

Dan remembered too. Colin must have slipped
his favorite dish into the short conversation they’d had about ten
times.

Colin looked incredibly pleased. “You
shouldn’t have, but I’m glad you did. Next
time
you need anything, all you have to do is ask.” He
took the dish and headed toward their small staff room, holding it
in front of
him like
the crown
jewels.

Dan looked at his second visitor. Kathleen
Elizabeth Jennings looked about as comfortable as a wasp in a
beehive. Given her past history, it didn’t come as a surprise.

He glanced at his sister. “You need to stop
dropping food off. I can manage on my own.” His sister raised her
eyebrows. He didn’t mean to sound peeved, but having Kate in his
office annoyed him. Especially when her police record
was
sitting on his computer.

Anna sent him one of her superior
stares
. “I wouldn’t be here at all if you’d
been home. Why are you back in the office? I thought you started
early today?”

“I’ve got work to do.”

Kate’s gaze landed on the certificates and
commendations on his wall. He didn’t react when her eyes shot back
to him. He hadn’t wanted to put them up, but his boss had insisted.
He thought they added weight to the position Dan held. All it did
was remind him of things he’d sooner forget.

Dan stared at the plastic container Anna left
on his desk. If it contained chocolate chip
cookies,
he’d have to hide them from the rest of his
squad.

Anna rearranged her bag on her shoulder and
gave him one of her ‘I know best’ stares. “You work all hours, then
go home to an apartment the size of a shoe box. Someone has to look
after you.”

He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I
don’t need babying.”

Anna wasn’t listening. “How was Kaylee this
afternoon?”

“She’s doing okay. Talked non-stop about
Kate.” Anyone would think Kaylee’s sister was her fairy godmother
and Santa Claus all rolled into one. He’d convinced himself that
his niece was tired of the same company. Kate was new. All Kaylee
saw was the polished woman standing in front of him. With her tight
jeans, knee high brown boots and
purple
sweater that matched her nails, she could have
been anyone.

Except she was the only person that could
save Kaylee’s life. And that would probably put her in line with a
fairy godmother.

“Kate’s brought Kaylee a special treat.”

Dan figured Kate’s presence in Bozeman would
be enough to put a smile on his niece’s face. It had worked for his
sister. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Anna looking
so relaxed. It wasn’t happiness exactly, but something so close
that it made the worry inside of him so much worse. If Kate left
Bozeman before the
transplant,
it
would be devastating for everyone.

Kate shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not much
of a gift. I’m taking my makeup with me. Kaylee wanted a lipstick
to match her princess dress.”

She glanced at his desk. Even though she
couldn’t see her
file,
he felt
guilty for prying into her past. “Don’t let me hold you up. Kaylee
will be waiting.”

Anna stared at him. “If I didn’t know better,
I’d say you were trying to get rid of us.”

He stared straight back. “If there’s another
serving of lasagna in the basket Kate’s carrying, I’m grateful. Now
go and see your daughter before I have to escort you out of
here.”

“It’s just as well you’re my little brother,”
Anna said. “Your cute and adorable phase wore off a long time
ago.”

He stood and took the basket out of Kate’s
hands. “Thank you and goodbye.”

It didn’t surprise him that Kate made the
first move. She was halfway through the door before he’d put the
basket on his desk.

Anna scowled at him. “The
lasagna’s
for tonight. Tom’s expecting you
tomorrow for a barbecue. Try not to be late.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He leaned forward and kissed
his sister’s cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She gave him one last glare before heading
out of his office.

He turned back to his computer and opened
Kate’s file. If she went back to her old habits, they’d all be in
trouble. And his sister would have more to worry about than his bad
manners and cooking skills.

***

Kate sipped her mug of coffee. After they’d
left the hospital, Anna had brought her to a small café in town. It
was closed to everyone except a group of women who were organizing
a fashion show to raise money for Kaylee’s medical bills.

Nicky and Emily were sisters who worked out
of the same building two stores down from the café. Nicky was a
management consultant and Emily designed most of the clothes in her
boutique.

Emily opened a spreadsheet in front of her
and ran her finger down the columns. “We’ve got ten days before the
fashion show. Flavio will be here for a dress rehearsal next
Thursday. Have all of the designers sent in their outfits?”

“The last one arrived this morning,” Nicky
said. “They’re all hanging in the storage room in the boutique.
Alex and Cody are going to give me a hand to take them across to
the Emerson Center on Wednesday.”

“That’s good.” Emily pulled the spreadsheet
closer. “What about the catering?”

“All under control.” Tess, the tall blonde
owner of the
café,
smiled. “The
Emerson Center was happy for me to provide the food as long as they
supplied the wine and juice. I’ve asked some of the girls from a
local high school to help waitress so we’re all ready.”

Emily put a tick beside another box. “I
called Gracie this morning. She’s spoken with Flavio and they’ve
selected the music for the show. She’ll have it ready for the
rehearsal.”

Anna refilled everyone’s coffee cups. “I’m
impressed. I didn’t think she’d have time to put the music
together, not with a new baby.”

“Gracie could have given birth to triplets
and she still would have had the music ready in time,” Emily said.
“She’s a human dynamo on steroids.”

Nicky smiled. “A five-foot-one human dynamo.
How are the ticket sales?”

Anna looked at the piece of paper in front of
her. “As of lunchtime today there were only thirty
tickets left
. The newspaper’s running a story
about some of the designers, so that should help give us a full
house.”

Emily put her pen down. “We’re nearly there.
Is there anything we’ve forgotten?”

“Models?” Tess asked.

“Don’t worry,” Nicky said. “You won’t be the
only one on the catwalk. Gracie and I will be right behind you.
We’ve got another fifteen girls from the modeling school in town
helping out.”

“There’s one more thing from me.” Anna
reached for a slice of chocolate brownie. “The Bozeman Chronicle
said they could publish a couple of stories for us. One would be
about the fashion show and another about Kaylee. Are you happy for
them to do that?”

“Works for me,” Emily said. “The more people
know about
Kaylee
the better, and
the designer’s will be thrilled. What about you, Kate? They might
want to interview you about being Kaylee’s sister and her
donor.”

The last thing Kate wanted was to be
interviewed by a reporter. But everyone was gazing at her with such
expectant looks on their faces that she couldn’t say no. Not
without Anna wondering what was going on.

“That’s okay, I don’t mind being interviewed.
Do you need another person to help with the models’ hair and
makeup? I’m a qualified beautician.”

“That would be great,” Nicky said. “I’ll let
Mary-Liz know you can help and ask her to give you a call.”

Emily closed the spreadsheet and smiled.
“We’re on track for the best fashion show Bozeman has seen.”

Tess raised her mug to the group. “Here’s to
great friends, beautiful clothes, and no last minute
disasters.”

CHAPTER THREE

Four days later, Dan walked across the hospital
parking lot, talking on his cell phone. Mrs. Kramer had gone
missing from her nursing home again and no one could find her. She
was eighty-five years old, as sweet as apple pie, and had stage
five dementia.