The Widows of Braxton County (14 page)

Chapter 23

K
ate sat on Rose’s front porch watching the storm clouds roll across the distant horizon, and the air was thick with moisture. They’d have rain by noon, she thought as she sipped her coffee. At one point during the day, she needed to go into the office and finish a few last-minute statements, but for now, she wanted to sit and enjoy the quiet.

Her thoughts drifted to Joe. She’d had no contact with him since their last appointment with Dr. Mike. No phone calls, no text messages, nothing but silence. Was he ashamed of the way he’d broken down after admitting to the violence he’d witnessed as a child? She hoped that wasn’t the case. If anything, it made him more of a man in her eyes.

Her cell phone rang.
Joe.
He wasn’t avoiding her after all.

She hit the Answer button. “Hi, Joe.”

“Kate,” he said without preamble, “I saw Dr. Mike again after our last appointment . . .” His voice trailed away.

She was stunned. “And?”

“And we had a long talk about why I get angry and what I can do about it. Well . . . I . . .” He cleared his throat. “I wanted you to know that I’m not going to press you about moving home again. Dr. Mike helped me see that I need to work some things out before I can ask that of you. I think it’s good if you stay with Rose for now. Ah, I do have one question.”

She heard him draw a deep breath.

“After all that’s happened, do you still love me?” he asked quietly.

Kate hesitated. Did she? She knew the man underneath all the anger was worth saving, and that was the man she loved. But Joe needed to find that part of himself on his own. She couldn’t do it for him.

“Yes, I do,” she finally said, “but I don’t know if I can trust you again.”

“That’s okay.” His voice sounded relieved. “I understand. I’m not the man you need right now, but I’m going to work very hard to become him. Dr. Mike’s given me a prescription for antidepressants and I’m taking them. Ma and I also need to fix some things about our relationship.”

He’d shocked her again. “You’re going to persuade Trudy to go to counseling with you?”

A warm laugh sounded in her ear. “Come on, we’re talking about my mother. She’s not going to change, but I can.”

“If it’s important to you, I know you can do it.”

“It is. Dr. Mike helped me see that growing up, it was always me and Ma against a common enemy.”

“Your father.”

“Yeah, and I’ve always felt guilty that I couldn’t protect her, but I was a kid. It wasn’t my job to keep her safe.”

“Maybe your mother felt she had to stay with him. Maybe she thought she had no other choice.”

“You might be right but, damn it, Kate,” he said, his frustration apparent, “I grew up feeling like I owed her. That somehow I had to make it up to her for all the beatings he gave her.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Get her into her own place.”

“Do you think she’ll agree?”

“It might take some talking, but I think she’ll come around. We’d both be happier. And with her out of here, I’ll have a better shot at working on
my
problems.”

“Your plan sounds good, Joe.”

“You think so?” His voice sounded excited, like a little kid’s. “If I carry through with all of this, do you think our marriage has a chance?”

“I hope so. It’s what I want, too, Joe.”

“God, Kate,” he exclaimed, “there’s so many things that I want to say to you, things that I should’ve said weeks ago. Is there any chance you’d agree to see me this afternoon? I swear, it’s just to talk.”

“Where? It’s not a good idea to come here.”

“Right,” he replied, then chuckled. “Rose standing over me with a shotgun makes me nervous. Could you come to the farm?”

“I wouldn’t want to run into your mother.”

“You wouldn’t have to. You could pull in the back drive and meet me in my office.” He paused. “Tell you what—if it doesn’t rain, we could have a picnic in the apple orchard.”

Kate thought for a moment. She didn’t know if she felt comfortable being alone with him, or that Trudy wouldn’t spot them and confront her.

Joe caught her hesitancy and broke in before she could answer. “I don’t blame you for saying no.” He sounded disheartened. “I haven’t given you any reason to trust me. Maybe we can do it some other time.”

“A picnic sounds fine. When do you want me to meet you?”

“You’ll come?”

“Yes, I’ll come.”

“I’ve got to take care of some business first so would one o’clock work?”

“I’ll be there.”

“Thanks, Kate . . . I love you and I’m going to prove it. See you then,” he said, ending the conversation.

Kate stared at the now-silent cell phone in her hand. “I hope this isn’t a mistake,” she muttered to herself.

“What’s a mistake?” Rose asked, suddenly standing next to her.

“I didn’t see you. Did you hear my side of the conversation?”

“No. I noticed you were on the phone and didn’t step out until I saw you were finished.” She pointed to the phone. “Was it something important?”

Kate placed the phone on the porch railing and ran her fingers through her hair. “It was Joe. I’m meeting him at the farm this afternoon.”

Rose touched her arm, alarm written on her face. “Do you think that’s wise?”

“I don’t know.” Kate tilted her head back and sighed. “He had an appointment with Dr. Mike—”

“He went without any prodding?”

“Yeah,” Kate replied, facing Rose. “He’s also started on antidepressants.”

“That’s a good sign.”

“I thought so, too, and here’s the real zinger—he intends to move Trudy
out
.”

“Humph, that’ll be the day,” Rose snorted.

Kate shook her head. “I don’t know. He sounded pretty determined. He sounded like the man I fell in love with.”

“Do you think he’s trying to manipulate you into coming back to him?”

“Maybe I’m being stupid, but I don’t think that’s the case. In fact, he’s promised not to force the issue and even said it’s good that I’m staying here.”

“And you believe him?”

“Yeah . . . yeah, I do.”

“For your sake, I hope it works.” She looked thoughtful. “I guess for his sake, too. When he was a boy, he always struck me as different from the rest of them. He always seemed kinder, more sensitive than his grandfather or his father.”

“So you think this is a good idea?”

“I guess you’ll find out.” Rose brushed a strand of hair away from Kate’s face. “Just be careful. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Kate decided to leave for Joe’s early so she could stop by the office and finish the billing. She parked in the rear lot and slipped in the back door. Able to work uninterrupted, it didn’t take her long to complete the last of the bills. In a way, she wished it had taken more time. As the minutes ticked by, her nerves accelerated. So much had happened and so much had changed since she’d first come to Braxton County. She sighed. One thing hadn’t changed: she still loved her husband.

Kate shut off her computer and straightened the papers on her desk. It was only a quarter after twelve. Catching up on the billing didn’t take as long as she’d expected. If she left now, she’d be too early and there’d be a greater chance of running into Trudy.

For the next thirty minutes, she futzed around the office. She watered the plants, dumped the wastebaskets, and dusted off her shelves. Finally, she realized that she’d wasted enough time and headed out the door. Looking up, she noticed the sky had darkened. The storm that had threatened all morning was moving in. No picnic in the apple orchard today. She hoped Joe had a Plan B.

A few minutes later, Kate pulled in the back driveway by Joe’s office and saw his pickup. After parking behind it, she got out and glanced up as thunder sounded in the distance. Not wanting to get caught in a sudden downpour, she hurried into the building.

“Hey, Joe,” she called out as she came through the door. “I don’t think we’re going on a—”

The room was empty and the lights were on. She crossed over to his desk. His computer was on, too. Strange. Joe usually didn’t go off and leave it running. She picked through the papers on his desk, checking for a note indicating where he’d gone. Nothing, then a paper with an envelope attached to it caught her eye. Kate picked it up and started reading.

It was a lawsuit naming the plaintiff as Joseph J. Krause and the defendant as Edward A. Rodman. Rodman? The name sounded familiar, then Kate remembered. He was the farmer whose fence line encroached on Krause land. A notation on the document stated when the papers had been filed at the clerk of court’s office. Joe was carrying out his threat and suing him. She wondered if the business Joe had mentioned this morning had anything to do with this lawsuit. She looked at the envelope. It was addressed to Ed.

A flash of fear overcome her. Had Ed showed up with his letter and confronted Joe? After the last meeting Joe had with Ed Rodman, he’d struck her. Her attention darted to the door. She should leave.

She had taken a step toward the door when a rustling sound came from over by the filing cabinet. Rats? Kate moved another step away from the desk. Then she heard a pitiful mewling. Rats didn’t sound like that. Cautiously, she rounded the desk.

An animal carrier sat next to the cabinet, and Kate watched as a tiny yellow paw with soft pink pads came out from between the bars. She went to the carrier and crouched down. Two amber eyes peered back at her. The carrier held a kitten with a big red bow attached to its collar.

As Kate watched, the kitten began twisting its head back and forth while tiny white teeth tried to gain purchase on the red bow. It was so intent on getting at the bow that it lost its balance and tumbled over. Not giving up, the kitten continued its wrestling match, rolling from side to side.

Kate laughed. “Poor thing. You really don’t like that bow.”

After unlatching the door, she scooped up the kitten, and holding it close, removed the bow. Then she saw the note attached to the ribbon.

“Hi, Kate. My name is Topaz.”

Joe had got her a cat. She clutched the kitten gently to her chest and rubbed her chin on its head. The kitten began to purr and snuggled closer to Kate’s body.

Touched and amazed by his thoughtfulness, Kate prayed Rose liked cats. She wanted to thank him for his gift.
Where is Joe?

She grabbed her cell phone and quickly dialed his number. “Country Boy,” Joe’s ring tone, sounded from the top of the desk.
He went off without it. Another oddity.
He usually had it clipped to his belt. He had to be returning soon.

For the next twenty minutes, she amused herself by playing with her new pet, then she began to worry. Should she go or should she stay?

A boom of thunder made her decision for her. The storm was getting closer and she needed to leave before it hit. Kate placed the kitten in the carrier, securely fastening the door. With the carrier in hand, she swiftly crossed the room but paused at the window. Too late. The rain came pouring down, pinging against the metal roof and sheeting across the windows. Wind rattled against the door while lightning flashed.

Kate watched the branches of the apples trees whip back and forth until a bright flash made her draw back, away from the window. She rubbed her eyes. Right before the burst of light, she thought she had seen a shape standing under one of the old trees. Drawing closer to the window, she peered out. Whatever had been there was gone now.

The lights flickered twice, then went out. Kate stood in the darkened building, clutching the cat carrier while a shiver prickled the hair on the back of her neck. This was a bad idea.

Her cell phone rang and showed Rose’s name on the display.

“Hello,” she answered quickly.

“Kate,” Rose exclaimed, “where are you?”

Kate could barely hear her above the raging storm. “I’m still at the farm,” she said loudly.

There was no response.

“Rose? Rose? Are you there?” The phone crackled in her ear.

“ . . . hospital . . . Joe . . .”

Kate felt a rush of panic. “What? You’re breaking up.”

“I said Joe’s in the hospital in Flint Rapids.”

Kate ended the call and rushed into the storm.

As Kate drove into the parking lot of the hospital, she spotted Trudy’s car. She pulled up next to it, parked, then ran through the rain to the entrance for the emergency room. Once inside, she tore up to the counter, her loafers squishing across the floor. Wiping the rainwater out of her eyes, she searched for someone to help.

“Excuse me,” she said, taking the arm of the first nurse she found. “I’m Kate Krause. Is my husband, Joe, here?”

“This way,” she replied, motioning for Kate to follow.

The nurse led Kate down the long hallway, then stopped in front of a door marked Family Waiting Room.

“In here,” she said gently as she opened the door.

As Kate stepped inside, the faces turned toward her. Trudy sat on a couch with a handkerchief held tightly to her mouth while a man dressed in a sheriff’s uniform knelt before her. Another man, also in a uniform, stood next to them. The man standing stepped forward.

“You must be Kate?”