Wife Wanted in Dry Creek (8 page)

“Oh,” Katrina said in surprise as she put down her knife.

Conrad nodded. “I know. It wasn’t very emotionally healthy. You might have been mad at God, but I spent all my time worrying. And it wasn’t just about my father. I thought the mailman might be dying if he had a little cough. I wondered if my uncle was going to be able to come the next weekend. I had a lot to work through, let me tell you.”

“I’m sorry,” Katrina said softly. “I had no idea it was so hard for you.”

Conrad swallowed. “I just wanted you to know.”

He’d never told anyone about those tables except his
uncle Charley. “I missed my mother more than I would have thought possible. She’s what made our house a home. My father and I, we didn’t know what to do without her.”

Conrad set the dried plate down on the counter and looked at Katrina. “I imagine you felt the same way when your parents died so unexpectedly.”

He saw the emotion grow in Katrina’s eyes.

“I’ve never told anyone before how bad it felt,” Katrina finally said. “It was a long time before I cared about anything or anyone after they died.”

Katrina looked away from him and started cutting carrots again. He understood she needed some quiet. He turned back to the dishes.

After a few minutes, his aunt spoke.

“Conrad, I was hoping you might spend the night here. We have the sofa even if the boys are in your room. They’re predicting thunderstorms and everything just seems so unsettled,” Edith said.

He nodded. “I was planning on it. I’ll need to go back and get my toothbrush, though.”

Until recently when he’d bought the old Gossett place and started fixing it up, he’d been staying with his aunt and uncle.

“Keep dry,” Katrina said quietly.

He nodded. The truth was he wouldn’t mind going out in the cold and wet. He wasn’t used to telling someone about his mother’s death and he still felt raw inside. For him, storms were sometimes more comforting than a sunny day. At least he knew the bad weather
was already here so he didn’t need to wonder when it was coming.

“Bring some clothes for church tomorrow,” his aunt called out as he walked toward the door.

He nodded.

“I’ll need to get my camera, too,” Katrina said. “To take pictures of the heart sign.”

“We can get that tomorrow,” he said as he turned the handle on the door and then stood there. “I usually stop by the station on my way to church anyway so I’ll just go early. I don’t open up, but it’s habit. I like to check anyway.”

“You’re careful about everything,” Katrina said.

“I suppose so.” He opened the door and stepped out quickly so the cold would not come in the house. He looked up and saw that the sky was deep gray in the east. They probably were in for some thunderstorms.

He put his jacket collar up for the walk back to the station. He wished he had more comfort to offer Katrina. All he could do was pray, though. He was glad that no one had ever told him that his mother’s death had anything to do with the will of God. He didn’t have any good answers for Katrina on that, but he knew God never intended for her and her sister to feel as though they’d been abandoned.

He opened the door to his gas station before he realized the reason he was so intent on making a home here in Dry Creek was because he’d never had one with his father after his mother died. Fixing up that old house was taking a lot of energy, but he felt hopeful with each
nail he hammered. He wasn’t just remodeling a house; he was remodeling himself. Someday soon, he’d be a new man and his house would be a true home.

K
atrina woke up with a start. She didn’t know what had awakened her. The curtains on the bedroom were closed, but it was dark outside anyway. There was no rain or traffic noise. She lay stiff in the bed until she remembered she was in Edith’s home. Then her cell phone rang. It must have rung earlier.

She thought it might be from the sheriff so she quickly flipped on the night-light and stood up. Edith had given her a cotton flannel nightgown to wear and she was grateful for it because of the temperature. The wood floor was chilly on her bare feet, but she didn’t hesitate to walk over to the dresser where she’d put her purse last night.

She pulled the cell phone from her purse. She saw it was five o’clock in the morning. Then she pressed the talk button. “Hello.”

There was a moment’s hesitation and then a whispered voice asked, “Katrina? Is that you?”

“Leanne!” Katrina was wide awake now. “Where are you?”

“I can’t talk loud,” her sister continued in a low voice. “I don’t want anyone to hear me. I stopped to get gas and I opened your glove compartment and found your business card. I would have called earlier, but I—”

Leanne paused and Katrina could hear the sound of men’s voices.

“Are you all right?” Katrina asked.

“Yeah, they were just a couple of truckers,” her sister finally answered. “I’m somewhere along the I-90 freeway heading east. At a pay phone by the restroom.”

“Get off at the Dry Creek exit,” Katrina said. “I put a sign up with the boys’ names on it so you’d see it.”

“Oh, no,” Leanne hissed. “You’ve got to take it down. I need to find you before Walker—”

The men’s voices came closer again.

“Are you all right?” Katrina asked. “Did Walker threaten you?”

The voices receded.

“He just got really mad when I told him I’d lent you the car,” Leanne said. “I’ve never seen him like that. He punched a hole in the wall and almost hit me. Then he said I needed to leave or I could be hurt bad. I was scared. That car is so old it’s not worth anything. I took off in your car. He tried to follow me. I think he thought I was going to meet you, but I didn’t know where you were.”

“Is Walker still following you?” Katrina asked.

“I don’t think so. I lost him when he had to stop and
get gas in his pickup. Then I pulled off and rested for a while behind a warehouse. I figured if he cooled off some maybe—”

Katrina heard a door slam in the distance.

“Look, I’ve got to go,” Leanne said. “Kiss the boys for me and I’ll be there in a few hours.”

Katrina looked at the clock again. “We’ll probably be at the church.”

“You?” Leanne said in astonishment and then the men’s voices came closer and she hung up.

Katrina pressed the cold phone to her cheek as she listened to the dial tone. She was so glad her sister had finally called. Maybe she did owe someone her gratitude.

“Thank You—” she whispered. She looked up and then she swallowed. “Thank You, God. Whoever’s up there on duty. Thank You for keeping my sister safe.”

Well, that felt strange, she thought. She wasn’t ready to do any forgiving, but she was grateful that Leanne was safe thus far. If God had something to do with that, she’d acknowledge it. That was only fair. Now that her sister knew to come to Dry Creek, she’d probably be here before church was over this morning. Maybe even before it began.

Katrina walked over to the window and pulled back the curtains. It was dark outside. There was an edging of frost around the window, but she could see Conrad’s gas station from here. He had lights over the gas pumps and they lit everything up enough that she could see the whole building. The windows of the garage showed nothing but black inside, though. She wished Conrad
had parked Leanne’s car outside, but he clearly hadn’t. He had brought the key to the car back with him last night and laid it on the dining room table.

The one thing she could do for Leanne right now was to go take that sign off the freeway. She’d need a car to do that. And she’d have to get dressed.

Suddenly, the thought struck her that Conrad might not lock his building at night. It would be foolish not to, she knew that. But Edith had made the remark earlier today that most people didn’t lock their doors around here. At least, the older woman had added, not unless there was a rodeo in Miles City.

Apparently, the rodeo was a big thing around here. Cowboys would come from all over and townspeople took extra precautions. She’d also heard that a woman, Lizette Bowman, came in from the ranch she shared with her husband, Judd, and opened her small bakery. She’d make enough of her legendary doughnuts to keep the rodeo men and everyone else happy for a few days.

Leanne could love this little town, Katrina told herself as she sat down to put on her jeans. If Walker was threatening her, maybe Leanne would keep herself and the boys away from him. Maybe they could come to Dry Creek and make a home here.

It was a fantasy, Katrina knew that. Moving to Dry Creek was what she would like to do if she could. The buildings around here might be a bit weathered and windblown, but the people were rock solid. She’d made the mistake before of thinking that her sister would feel the same way she did; she didn’t want to make that as
sumption again, even though she believed that if her sister got to know people like Edith and Conrad, she would be drawn to them. Of course, life was never that simple. Even for her, half of her was drawn to Dry Creek and the other half wanted to run away.

Katrina finished putting on the same ivory top she’d worn yesterday. Edith had lent her a comb and she tried to straighten out her hair. She’d also given her a toothbrush and Katrina planned to stop at the bathroom and brush her teeth and get herself ready to go outside.

Conrad had a blanket wrapped around himself and he was lying on the sofa. He’d gone to bed in the clothes he’d worn all day long. He didn’t have any nightwear with him and he liked the weight of his clothes, especially when the weather was cold like this. Besides, he wasn’t totally at ease. The wind had blown some earlier and the fate of Katrina’s sister kept twisting around in his mind. That’s why he wasn’t fully asleep when he heard the footstep overhead. It sounded like it was coming from the bedroom Katrina was using and, at first, he thought she had simply gotten up in the night to use the bathroom.

But then he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Even that wouldn’t have caused him to stir as she might have gotten thirsty and wanted a drink of water from the kitchen. But he could tell from the clicks that she was wearing her high heels. Now, why would she wear heels to the kitchen when his aunt had given her those cozy slippers?

Plus, given the way she was tiptoeing around in those heels, it seemed she didn’t want to wake him up. That couldn’t be good if she was going somewhere without telling anyone. She was still under suspicion, at least a little.

There were no lights in the living room and it was dark outside. His aunt had left a small light on by the dining room table, though, so it outlined the furniture around Conrad. He shifted slightly on the sofa so he could see the stairs better. He knew Katrina couldn’t see him, but he saw everything as she crept down the stairs. He noticed that she had her jacket on. Even her hair was combed. He hoped that maybe she was just so excited about that heart sign that she was going to sneak out and look at it again. It would be another hour or so before anyone else would be there, though.

Katrina didn’t head for the front door. Instead, she walked right into the dining room and picked up the keys for her sister’s car. He had left them on the table after searching the glove compartment of the car.

He stood up and Katrina squeaked in alarm.

“Going somewhere?” he asked. The blanket had fallen off him and he took a step closer.

“I thought you were asleep,” she said as though he were the one in the wrong. “You scared me.”

“Maybe,” he noted. “I see you’re going out.”

“I was just going to see if your garage was unlocked,” she started to sputter. “I—

“You
what?
” It had never occurred to him that she
would break into his garage. “I don’t even keep any money over there.”

She closed her eyes. He didn’t know how he could tell because he could barely see her face. But it was evident in the sudden hunching of her shoulders and the way she looked like she might take flight. “I’m not stealing anything. I just need to go move the sign we put up. Leanne is worried about it being there.”

“You talked to your sister?” Conrad asked. If he thought about it, he knew she wouldn’t steal.

“She saw my cell phone number on one of my new business cards—the ones for my photography business.” Her words were coming out breathless like she was frightened. He took a step closer to reassure her and was relieved that she didn’t move back from him.

“It’s okay,” he said. “Take your time and—”

“Breathe,” she added with a quick smile at him. “I know.”

She took a deep breath and continued. “Leanne took my car and ran away from the house. She said Walker was angry that she’d lent their car to me and she was frightened. I didn’t mean to cause them any trouble. I wonder if he’s threatened her in the past.”

“Did she say where she was?” Conrad asked.

“She was calling from a pay phone at some truck stop along the freeway. I told her where we were, but she said we need to take the sign with the boys’ names down so Walker doesn’t see it.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Conrad said. “Just let me get my coat and we’ll drive out to the freeway and
pick up the sign. Why don’t you write a note for my aunt so she’ll know where we are if she gets up early to fix breakfast. Usually, she doesn’t do that but she might want to make waffles since the boys are here.”

Katrina nodded.

“I think we can wait until it’s light out to call Sheriff Wall. He’ll be glad you heard from your sister. I suspect Walker might be back on the reservation by now anyway. The tribal officials will have to handle him if he is.”

It only took a few minutes for them to be ready to leave. Then Conrad took her hand and they walked out to get his car. The night was dark and there wasn’t even a moon to light their way, but they went arm in arm through the silent town.

“We’re here,” Conrad said as they came to his house and walked up his driveway. “I’m in the process of remodeling everything so—”

“It’s you,” Katrina stopped. She was looking over at his yard. “You’re the one with the garden gnome.”

Conrad nodded. “It’s a bit silly, I know. My uncle gave it to me as a housewarming present when I bought this fixer-upper. There’s a store in Miles City that sells them.”

“You need another one,” Katrina said.

He looked at her.

She shrugged. “Two are better than one.”

Conrad felt a lurch of hope inside himself. But then he told himself she didn’t mean anything by her words. She was talking about a wooden garden decoration, not him.

They walked over to Conrad’s car and got inside. He then backed out of his driveway and they started down the road to the freeway. The car’s headlights cut a path through the black night.

“It’s peaceful out here,” Katrina said.

“There’s not a better place to call home,” Conrad said as he looked over at her. There was just enough moonlight to outline her features. Her profile reminded him of the calendar picture he’d looked at for so long. The funny thing was that, now that he’d gotten to know her, the calendar photo paled in comparison.

“You’re beautiful,” he said without thinking.

She looked startled.

“I mean—everything is beautiful on a night like this,” Conrad said.

It was silent for a moment, and then Conrad cleared his throat. “Tracy called to say she found someone to work with Pete on your picture. Lucy Morgan, the sister to the café owner.”

“Is she old enough?” Katrina asked. “Linda talks about her as if she’s a child.”

“She just turned twenty,” Conrad said. “Maybe you can make her look older.”

As he drove over the hill that led down to the freeway, the sun was starting to rise and the skyline was turning slightly pink.

“It’s going to be a beautiful morning for a picture,” Katrina said. “I hope Leanne gets here in time to watch us take it.”

“I don’t think there’s any truck stops close enough
for that to happen,” Conrad said. “I’d guess she might get here in time for Sunday school, though. Aunt Edith said the boys are looking forward to going.”

Katrina nodded. “I think Leanne would want them to go.”

“But not you?” Conrad asked softly.

Katrina didn’t answer and in a few minutes they were at the freeway. Conrad stepped out and went over to the sign. It was nothing more than a piece of plywood nailed to a stake made from a two-by-four. It pulled out of the ground easy enough and he put it in the trunk of his car.

He tried not to brood over Katrina’s answer about Sunday school. He needed to trust God when it came to her and that was all he could do. He was well-acquainted with the wounds of the heart that she suffered. No child should ever lose a parent. It ripped something right out of them and it was hard to get it back.

He opened the door to the car and climbed back inside.

“You like being with Aunt Edith, don’t you?” he asked as he turned the car around and started back to Dry Creek.

“She’s wonderful,” Katrina said.

“She is like a mother to everyone in Dry Creek,” he said, turning the heat on in the car.

A few minutes later, he asked, “What makes you want to be a photographer?”

They spent the rest of the trip back talking about the photos she loved to take. She even pointed out a couple of shots she’d like to take.

“That sagebrush caught in those two rocks over there,” Katrina said. “If a woman with red boots was sitting on top of the rock and dangling her foot down, it would be stunning.”

Conrad could picture it.

“I keep lots of colors in my studio,” Katrina said. “I have this filing system so I can find them.”

“Like I do with my bolts,” Conrad said. Maybe the two of them had more in common than he’d thought. “In my shop, I keep everything in order so I can find things easily.”