Praying for Daylight (5 page)

Shame all that property went unused.

I spurred Colt out of the water onto the bank, staying in the shade of the overgrown trees. Keeping an eye on the Kelly property was something I felt I had to do, make sure it stayed quiet, untouched.

As I rode closer, I peered through the trees, thinking the house looked lost and sad without a family occupying it. Maybe one day the Kellys would come back. Maybe I’d see Kate again.

But it was all just a bunch of silly maybes that would never happen.

Kate was gone for good. And I’d only ever see her again if I turned on the country music station or watched one of her music videos.

And I’d done that too many times to count.

I sighed, thinking it was time to head home. Daylight was fading fast, and I was hungry. I turned, looking at Kate’s house one last time, only to find a light on.

I nearly fell out of the saddle.

There was a light coming from the second story window.

Damn, who was in the Kelly house?

I turned Colt back and he galloped up the hill, through the trees until we reached the curved driveway. His hooves clattered over the pavement, but I doubted anyone would hear him.

The only person who might come to the house was Grandpa Kelly. But he was so sick and old now, that he never left the nursing home.

So then who was it?

I tied Colt to the porch railing, and pulled my shotgun out of the saddle, just in case. No telling who was here, or even if they had a right to be.

It was kind of strange the power was on, maybe like someone who had the authority had turned it on.

So in case it wasn’t a trespasser, I kept my rifle relaxed at my side, and walked up to the front door.

What the hell was I doing?

I didn’t know why, but I had a feeling that whoever was inside wasn’t supposed to be there.

I lifted my hand and rang the bell.

The familiar chime was almost eerie. I hadn’t heard that sound in years.

I must have waited five minutes before ringing the bell again.

Then I knocked.

“Go away,.” someone shouted from the other side of the door.

I stepped back, surprised. “Sorry, I just saw the light, and—”

“Get the hell off my property before I shoot you.”

Wow. I was not expecting that.

I backed up with my hands in the air, rifle awkwardly tucked under my arm. “I don’t mean any harm.”

“Go!”

I almost backed down the porch, but there was something too familiar, a tingling awareness. With a heavy sigh, I stopped, let my gun fall to the porch with a thud, and looked directly at the eyehole in the door. “Look, I just wanted to see who was up here. This house has been empty for years, and I didn’t want anyone squatting here or doing anything illegal.”

“How nice of you, but you can still leave.” It was a girl’s voice. Clearly. “Or I will shoot!”

“No way.” I stepped closer. “Open the door.”

“No!” she shouted.

“Open the door…please?” I moved closer, thinking that it was impossible, but I knew exactly who was on the other side of the door.

“Get gone!” she screamed.

“Ten bucks says you don’t even have a gun.” It was a gamble, but I also knew that I wasn’t in any danger of being shot.

“Ten says I do. Now you’ve got ’til the count of five.”

I smiled, crossing my arms. “I’ll call the sheriff.”

“No!”

“Well, that’s a funny turn on things. Normally when you want someone off your property,
you
call the cops.” I was right in front of the door, my boots touching the threshold. “Open up, honey, or maybe I’ll kick down the door.”

There was a heavy sigh. I heard the lock click. Then the chain slide. It creaked open just a hair, and a hand flew out. I nearly jumped. But then I saw what it held.

“A spatula, really?” I snorted with laughter. “What are you going to do? Flip me to death?”

The door flew open and my suspicions were confirmed. “What do you want?”

“Well, for starters, a hello would be nice, Kate.”

She’d gone with her sister to Nashville. Two years ago. I wasn’t expecting her to be back. I hadn’t been looking for her…but there she was, right in front of me.

“Hello,” she drawled, crossing her arms.

I grabbed my gun off the porch, stomped the dirt off my boots, and pushed past her into the house. It was the same, mostly. Different furniture, and it smelled like cookies. I went toward the kitchen to investigate.

“Hey, what are you doing?” the front door slammed, and I heard Kate’s bare feet stomping after me.

“Looking for a snack…” Bingo. Cookies right out of the oven. I snagged one and made myself comfortable on a kitchen stool. “So, when were you going to tell me you were back?”

She glanced away. “I wasn’t.”

I nearly choked.
“What?”

“You need to leave.” She still wouldn’t look at me. “Now.”

I grabbed another cookie, “How are you Kate?”

“Good.” She was distant. Polite, like she was talking to a stranger.

“Great, things are great with me. Thanks for not asking. I was making my rounds. Been keeping an eye on your property, just in case. And I bought your album. It’s really great.”

She slowly made her way to stand in front of me, leaning on the island counter. The green in her eyes was the most amazing sight I’d seen in a long time. Her blonde hair was still long, her peaches and cream skin tinged pink from the sun. But the rest of her had changed so much. Kate didn’t look like a little girl anymore. It had only been a few years, two years and…three months if I was counting right. But in that time, I know we’d both grown and changed a lot. She was still the shortest thing on two legs, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t pack a punch.

“Thanks for looking out for the house.” She smiled, tucking a lock of golden hair behind her ear. “I appreciate it, and I would be even more appreciative if you’d get out of it now.”

“It was the least I could do, considering.” I couldn’t do anything but stare at her shiny hair. She was even prettier than I remembered. “And I’m not going anywhere. You can cut out the tough act. Just be straight with me. Why are you back?”

She blinked, bit her lip, and faltered, “Dustin, I need you to please, do as I ask. If you ever cared about my feelings you’ll stand up, walk out the door, and not look back.”

I stopped as I was reaching for my third cookie, clued in that something wasn’t right with her. This wasn’t my Kate. She was acting strange, and she was scared. But of me? I doubted that. “What’s bothering you, Katie?”

She crossed her arms, nose in the air. “That’s a little personal.”

“What, my question?”

“Yes.”

“Honey, we used to be joined at the hip,” I fought a grin. “As an old friend, I don’t see how my wanting to know what’s got you so worked up is a problem?”

“You startled me.”

“You’re over that by now.” She was hiding something. That much was clear. So until she gave me an answer, I was going to plant my ass and make myself at home.

She covered her face with her hands, shaking her head. “I didn’t know how to face you. To see you after I’ve been gone for so long. I was nervous. I’m still nervous.”

Despite the fact I hadn’t seen her in years, part of me still cared for her. Kate was my first kiss. My first date. She’d been my first everything.

And now she was lying to me.

Backing up slowly, she shrugged, “It’s good seeing you. I just have a ton of things to do around here, and no time to chat. So that’s why I asked you to go.”

She was not shutting me down that easy, there had to be something I could do or say to get her to warm up and talk to me. “And how is ol’ Ben? He still a trouble maker?”

“He’s fine.” And that was the end of that. She shot me down like a damn bird and marched away, stiff to the point where she looked like she might shatter if she ran into something.

She had always been the chatterer, while I was the quiet one, and now she didn’t want to talk?

There was a time when I couldn’t get her to shut up.

I grabbed another cookie and followed her into the living room. She sat on the couch and seemed sad as she stared at the muted TV. Where was that sparkle? That optimism I hadn’t been able to get enough of? But she kept her head bowed, trying not to look at me.

Something was wrong and damn if I didn’t know what.

Kate was never passive or silent. If she was pissed or upset, she let anyone see. She’d scream and cry in front of the whole town - it’d happened before.

I’d only been fourteen when I found I liked her more than a friend. I’d have followed her to the ends of the earth. My mother and father said it was puppy love. All first loves were like that. When she left, they told me someone else would come along and Kate would be a fond memory.

No one else ever captured my undivided attention as she had. I thought I’d gotten over Kate, like my parents said I would, but with one look at her, feelings that were supposed to be gone, started to resurface.

I had enough to keep me occupied though, and revisiting the past with Kate was one complication I couldn’t afford. It would be better for both of us if I took back my place as her friend and nothing more.

“I’ll leave you, but I’d like to drop by later on, catch up?” Something tugged in my chest, made me want to hug her. I’d never seen her look so distant.

“Okay, call me on the house phone and I’ll see. Like I said, I’ve got things to do.” She was being vague, like she might avoid me. Or be gone when I showed up.

“What kinds of things, Kate?”

She crossed her arms. “Why does it matter?”

“It just does. You have five hundred overgrown acres. No horse, no hands, no dog. You haven’t been in a place like this for a long time. I’m not saying that you’re not smart enough to figure it out, but you have a lot to deal with. I’m offering my help, neighbor to neighbor.”

“You really don’t need to do that. I can manage. I’ll see you later.” She rested her head on the arm of the couch, grabbed the remote, and turned up the volume.

Well this was just perfect. She was acting strange. I was being a pain the ass by barging in, and now I was going to leave with her clearly upset.

I swallowed, giving it one last shot. “My life was all about you since I was four. I’m not going to throw away all our years as friends and just ignore you when it’s clear to me that something is wrong.”

She sat up, turning to look at me over the back of the couch. “You’re not my boyfriend anymore. If there is something wrong, I can handle it. You don’t have to ride in on a horse to save the day.”

That hurt. Big time. “Good to know that you could care less about me. You got your wish. I’m gone.”

She fidgeted, “Uh…could you keep it secret that you know I’m here?”

“Why?”

“Oh, you know, a big star comes to town and no one gives her peace.”

“Sure, I’ll keep it secret.”

“Thanks,”

“But that’s the last thing I’ll ever do for you.” I turned for the door, taking one final look at her. She’d changed, and not for the better. I’d never thought that would happen to her. Not my Katie. But she wasn’t mine anymore. “Have a nice life.”

She didn’t say anything, and I slammed the door behind me. I gave the rest of my cookie to Colt, and mounted him, ready to go home. Cursing my feelings for a girl who cared less about me than Willa ever did. It was clear I went for girls that didn’t have it in them to care about me the way I cared about them.

“Wait.”

At first I kept going, thinking that I was hearing things.

“Please wait?”

But I wasn’t imagining it, Kate was calling after me, and though I wanted to turn back, I kept going. She had to know it wasn’t right to treat someone that way. Just because she was rich and famous now, didn’t mean she was better than the rest of us.

“Dustin, stop!” I turned in my saddle at the frantic cry from behind me.

She was running after me down the driveway, still barefoot.

I sat still, trying not to smile, waiting until she caught up to me.

“What, Kate? You wanna make me feel worse?” I felt a glimmer of hope, but hid it. “I never thought you could be mean, but clearly hanging around those Hollywood types has changed you.”

“I couldn’t forget you.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry.” She cried. “I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to. I tried to call you, but I never knew what to say. I didn’t know how to apologize to you for what I did. I was confused. I never meant to be mean.”

“Are you talking about just now, or two years ago?”

“Both,” she sniffed. “You’re right. I’m a mean, selfish bitch. You deserve so much better.”

I dropped down off of Colt and grasped her shoulders. “Katie, now look. It’s okay. Yeah, you hurt me. But I’m a tough guy. I’ll be okay. And you’re not mean or selfish or a bitch. I was just pissed off, because here I am trying to figure out what’s wrong and how to help, and you kept shutting me out.”

She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me. “Can we start over?”

I stood, shocked, wondering if this was really happening. She was really clinging to me like this?

“No,” I hugged her back, feeling like I could cry too. This was right. She felt right. It was just perfect. “No, I think we started just right. You yell at me, I yell at you, and everything is back the way it should be.”

She laughed, “That’s kind of messed up.”

“Yeah, I know. But you know what else?” I leaned back and smiled down at her, knowing that no matter how right it felt, it couldn’t just happen again. “You’re damn hard to forget too.”

“For now, I think I can do this on my own.” She smiled that same old smile I loved. Finally giving me a glimpse of the real Kate. It was the prettiest sight I’d seen in a long time.

“Sure. But I’m here if you need me.” I inclined my head, letting her go. “Got plans for tomorrow night?”

She eyed me too cautiously for my liking. Kate being so wary wasn’t something I’d ever encountered before. And it was damn unsettling. What’d those Hollywood jerks do to her? “If you suggest anything that involves cow tipping or a tractor you’ll be entertaining yourself alone.”