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  If Sally was expecting a lengthy response, Kate couldn’t manage it. “Thank you. That’s…really good to know,” she said in a faltering voice. To hear Sally tell it, Kate was close to a nervous breakdown.

  “We’re prepared to help as you pick up the shattered pieces of your life. And furthermore, I think Luke Rivers is a fine man.”

  “Luke Rivers?” Kate repeated, nearly choking on her bite of rye crisp. A huge lump formed in her throat at Sally’s implication.

  “Why, yes.” Sally smiled serenely. “Everyone in Nightingale saw how the two of you were gazing into each other’s eyes at the dance. It was the most romantic thing I’ve seen in years.”

  “Dance?”

  “At the wedding-reception dance,” Sally elaborated. “From what I understand, Beth Hammond’s been so depressed she hasn’t left her house since that night.”

  “Whatever for?”

  Sally laughed lightly. “Surely there’s no reason to be so reticent—you’re among friends. Everyone knows how she’s had her eye on Luke for years.”

  Susan nodded vigorously. “Apparently they dated a few times a year ago, but Luke’s kept her dangling ever since.”

  “I don’t have a clue what you mean,” Kate said faintly, her heart beating hard enough to pound its way out of her chest. She’d hoped that with her father’s engagement, the rumors about her and Luke would naturally fade away. So much for wishful thinking.

  Sally exchanged a meaningful look with the other teachers. “Well, I thought that, you know…that you and Luke Rivers were involved.”

  “Luke and me?” Kate gave a short, almost hysterical laugh. “Nothing could be further from the truth. Luke’s a dear friend, and we’ve known each other for years, but we’re not romantically involved. There’s nothing going on between us. Absolutely nothing.” She spoke more vehemently than necessary, feeling pleased that for once Sally couldn’t get a single word in.

  After a moment, she made a show of looking at her watch. “Excuse me, ladies, but I’ve got to get back to my classroom.”

  As she left the faculty lounge, she heard the whispers start. Groaning inwardly, Kate marched down the hall and into her own room. Sitting at her desk, she snapped the cracker in half and examined it closely before tossing it in the garbage.

  “Don’t you know it’s wrong to waste food?” Linda Hutton said, leaning against the doorjamb, arms folded.

  “I wished I’d never talked to that woman,” Kate muttered, feeling foolish for allowing herself to be manipulated into conversation with a known busybody.

  “Well, then,” Linda said, with a grin, “why did you?”

  “If I knew the answer to that, I’d be enjoying my lunch instead of worrying about the tales Sally’s going to spread about me…and Luke Rivers.”

  Linda walked into the room.

  “The least you could’ve done was rescue me,” Kate complained.

  “Hey, I leave that kind of work to the fire department.” Linda planted her hands on the edge of Kate’s desk. “Besides, I was curious myself.”

  “Curious about what? Luke and me? All we did was dance a couple of times. I…was feeling warm and went outside for a little bit. Luke met me there and after a few minutes, he…drove me home. What’s the big deal, anyway?”

  “A couple of dances…I see,” Linda said, her words slow and thoughtful.

  “I’d be interested in knowing exactly what you see. Everyone keeps making an issue of the dancing. Taylor came into class this morning and the first thing he said was that he’d seen me at the wedding. He didn’t talk about running into me at the grocery store earlier that day.”

  “Did you have your arms wrapped around a man there, too?”

  “Don’t be silly!”

  “I wasn’t. Honestly, Kate, nearly everyone in Nightingale saw the way you and Luke were dancing. You acted as though there wasn’t anyone else at the reception. Needless to say, rumors were floating in every direction. Everyone was watching the two of you, and neither you or Luke even noticed. Or cared. I heard the pastor mumble something about maybe performing another wedding soon, and he wasn’t referring to your father and Dorothea Murphy—which is another matter entirely.” Linda paused to suck in a deep breath. “Are you sure you’re going to be able to handle this on top of—”

  “Clay and Rorie? Yes,” Kate answered her own question emphatically. “Oh, I had a few bad moments when Dad first told me, but I got over it.” The comfort she’d found in Luke’s arms had helped her more than she cared to admit. He seemed to be making a habit of helping her through difficult moments.

  Linda eyed her sceptically. “There ’s been so much upheaval in your life these past few weeks. You know, sometimes people go into shock for weeks after a major change in their lives.”

  “Linda,” Kate cried, “everyone keeps looking at me as though they expect me to have a nervous breakdown. What is it with you people?”

  “It isn’t us, Katie girl, it’s you.”

  Kate pushed her hair off her forehead and kept her hand there. “What do I have to do to convince you that I’m fine? I’m happy for Clay and Rorie. I consider myself resilient and emotionally strong, but this makes me wonder why you and Sally and the others don’t.”

  “I don’t think anyone’s waiting for you to fall apart,” Linda countered. “We all have your best interests at heart. In fact, with one obvious exception, everyone’s really pleased you have Luke.”

  “But I don’t have him. Luke isn’t a possession, he’s a man. We’re friends. You know that.” Kate expected Linda, of all her friends and colleagues, to recognize the truth when she heard it. Instead she’d made it sound as though Kate’s dancing with Luke and then letting him take her home meant instant wedding bells.

  Linda shook her head. “To be honest, Kate, you’re doing a whole lot of denying and I don’t understand why. It seems to me that the person you’re really trying to convince is yourself.”

  By the time Kate arrived home that evening, she was in a fine temper. Her father had already left for a meeting at the Eagles Lodge. He’d taped a note to the refrigerator door telling her not to worry about fixing him any dinner because he planned to stop at Dorothea’s later for a bite to eat.

  Kate read his scrawled note, pulled it off the fridge and crumpled it with both hands. She was angry and impatient for no reason she could identify.

  Heating a bowl of soup, Kate stood by the stove stirring it briskly when Luke let himself in the back door. After her encounter with Sally and Linda, Luke was the last person she wanted to see. Nevertheless, her eyes flew anxiously to his.

  “Evening, Kate.”

  “Hi.”

  He hung his hat on the peg next to the door, then walked to the kitchen counter and examined the empty soup can. “I hope you’re going to eat more than this.”

  “Luke,” she said, slowly expelling her breath, “I had a terrible day and I’m rotten company.”

  “What happened?”

  Kate didn’t want to talk about it. Dredging up her lunch-hour conversation with Sally Daley would only refuel her unhappiness.

  “Kate?” Luke coaxed.

  She shrugged. “The other teachers heard about Dad and Dorothea and seemed to think the shock would do me in, if you know what I mean.”

  “I think I do.” As he was speaking, he took two bowls out of the cupboard and set them on the table.

  Kate stirred the soup energetically, not looking at him, almost afraid of his reaction. “In addition, people are talking about us.”

  When she glanced in his direction, Luke nodded, his eyes twinkling. “I thought they might be.”

  “I don’t like it!” she burst out. The least Luke could do was show the proper amount of concern. “Sally Daley told me how pleased she was with the way I’d rebounded from a broken heart.” She paused, waiting for his response. When he didn’t give one, she added, “Sally seems to think you and I are perfect together.”

  Luke grinned. “And that upset
you?”

  “Yes!” she cried.

  “Sally didn’t mean anything. She’s got a big heart.”

  “And an even bigger mouth,” Kate retorted. “We ’re in trouble here, Luke Rivers, and I need to know how we’re going to get out of it.”

  “The answer to that is simple. We should get married and put an end to all the speculation.”

  Kate’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “Luke, please, I’m not in the mood for your teasing tonight. We have to get serious about…”

  Her voice dwindled away as Luke, standing behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders and nuzzled her neck. “I ’m willing.”

  His touch had a curious effect on Kate’s senses, which sprang to sudden life. It took every ounce of fortitude she possessed to resist melting into his arms and accepting his comfort. But that was how they’d got into this mess in the first place.

  “The gossips are having a field day and I hate it.”

  Luke drew her away from the stove and turned her toward him. He searched her face, but his own revealed not a hint of annoyance or distress. “I don’t mind if folks talk. It’s only natural, don’t you think?”

  “How can you say that?”

  “Kate, you’re making this out to be some kind of disaster.”

  “But don’t you see? It is! There are people out there who actually believe we’re falling in love.”

  “You do love me. I told you that earlier. Remember?”

  “Oh, Luke,” she cried, so disheartened she wanted to weep. “I know what you’re trying to do and I appreciate it with all my heart, but it isn’t necessary. It really isn’t.”

  Luke looked baffled. “I don’t understand.”

  “You’ve been so sweet.” She laid her hand against his clean-shaven cheek. “Any other man would’ve laughed in my face when I made him promise to marry me, but you agreed and now, out of consideration for my pride, my feelings, you claim you’re going through with it.”

  “Kate,” he said, guiding her to the table and gently pressing her into a chair. “Sit down. I have something important to tell you—something I’ve been trying to tell you since the night of the wedding.”

  “What is it?” she asked, once she was seated.

  Luke paced the floor directly in front of her chair. “I should’ve told you much sooner, but with everything else that’s going on in your life, finding the right time has been difficult.” He paused and frowned at her as though he was having trouble choosing his words.

  “Yes?” she coaxed.

  “I’m buying the Circle L.”

  The kitchen started to sway. Kate reached out and gripped the edge of the table. She’d hoped it would be months, at least, before a buyer was found. And it had never occurred to her that Luke might be that buyer. “I see,” she said, smiling through her shock. “I…I’d have thought Dad would’ve said something himself.”

  “I asked him not to.”

  Her troubled gaze clashed with Luke’s. Despite her shock she felt curious. How could Luke afford to buy a ranch, especially one as large as this? She knew he’d been raised by an uncle, who had died years before. Had there been an inheritance? “Luke,” she ventured shyly, “I know it’s none of my business, but…”

  “How did I come by the money?” he finished for her. “You have every right to ask. I inherited it from my uncle Dan—I’ve told you about him. He owned a couple of businesses in Wyoming, where I grew up. There was also a small sum left to me by my grandfather. I invested everything, together with most of what Devin’s paid me over the years, and I’ve got enough now to buy the ranch outright—which’ll leave your dad and Dorothea in good financial shape for their retirement. I’ll be able to expand the operation, too.”

  Kate nodded absently. She hadn’t known much about Luke’s background, apart from the fact that he had very little family, that he’d lost his parents at an early age. She supposed those losses were the reason he’d been so sympathetic, such a comfort to her and Devin, at the time of Nora’s death.

  It still seemed too much to take in. Her home—it was going to belong to Luke. He’d move his things from the small foreman’s house, though she knew he hadn’t accumulated many possessions. But it meant that soon she’d be sorting through and packing up the memories of a lifetime…. She bit her lip.

  He knelt in front of her, grasping her fingers with his warm, hard hands. “I realize you’ve been through a lot of emotional upheaval lately, but this should help.”

  “Help!” she wailed. “How could it possibly—?”

  “There’s no reason for you to be uprooted now.”

  For a stunned second she didn’t react. “I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Once we’re married, we’ll live right here.”

  “Married!” she almost shouted. “I’m beginning to hate the sound of that word.”

  “You’d better get used to it, because the way I figure, we’re going to be husband and wife before Christmas. We’ll let Devin and Dorothea take their vows first—I don’t want to steal their thunder—and then we’ll wait a couple of weeks and have the Reverend Wilkins marry us.”

  “Luke, this is all very sweet of you, but it isn’t necessary.” Kate was convinced that this sudden desire to make her his wife was founded in sympathy. He felt sorry for her because of all the unexpected jolts that had hit her recently. Including this latest one.

  “I can’t understand why you’re arguing with me.”

  Her hand caressed his jaw. How square and strong it was, and the eyes that gazed at her had never seemed darker or more magnetic. She smiled sadly. “Don ’t you think it’s a little…odd to be discussing marriage when you’ve never once said you love me?”

  “I love you.”

  It should have been a solemn moment, but Kate couldn’t help laughing. “Oh, Luke, that was terrible.”

  “I’m serious. I love you and you love me.”

  “Of course we love each other, but what we feel is what friends feel. The kind of love brothers and sisters share.”

  Fire leaped into his eyes, unlike anything she’d seen in him before. With any other man, she would have been frightened—but this was Luke….

  “Instead of looking at me as if you’re tempted to turn me over your knee, you should be grateful I’m not holding you to your word.”

  “Kate,” he said loudly, “we’re getting married.” He spoke as though he was daring her to disagree with him.

  She lowered her head and brushed his lips with her own. “No, we’re not. I’ll always be grateful to have a friend as good as you, Luke Rivers. Every woman deserves someone just as kind and thoughtful, but we’d be making the biggest mistake of our lives if we went through with this marriage.”

  “I don’t think that’s true.”

  “I’m sane and rational, and I’m not going to disintegrate under the emotional stress of Clay’s wedding or my father’s remarriage, or the sale of the ranch. Life goes on—I learned that after my mother died. It sounds so clichéd, but it’s the truth. I learned to deal with losing her and I’ll do the same with everything else.”

  “Kate, you don’t get it. I want to marry you.”

  “Oh, Luke, it’s so nice of you. But you don’t love me. Not the way you should. Someday, you’ll make some lucky woman a fantastic husband.” Kate had grown accustomed to his comfortable presence. But while she felt at ease with him, she experienced none of the thrill, the urgent excitement, that being in love entailed. Well, of course, there was her reaction to Luke’s kisses—but that was an aberration, she told herself.

  With Clay, the intensity of emotion had wrapped itself around her so securely that she’d been sure it would last a lifetime. Kate hadn’t fooled herself into believing Clay felt as strongly for her. He’d been fond of her, and Kate had been willing to settle for that. But it hadn’t been enough for him. And she wasn’t allowing Luke to settle for second-best, either.

  “People are going to talk, so
we both have to do our best to put an end to the rumors.”

  “I don’t intend to do any such thing,” Luke said, his jaw rigid. His eyes narrowed. “Kate, darling, a marriage between us is inevitable. The sooner you accept that, the better it’ll be for everyone involved.”

  Four

  “The way I figure it,” Kate said, munching on a carrot stick, “I’m only going to convince Luke I don’t intend to marry him by dating someone else.”

  Linda looked as if she were about to swallow her apple whole. The two were seated in the school lunchroom on Friday afternoon, reviewing plans for the Thanksgiving play their two classes would present the following month.

  “Dating someone else?” Linda echoed, still wearing a stunned expression. “A few days ago you said you were finished with love and completely opposed to the idea of men and marriage.”

  “I’m not expecting to fall in love again,” Kate explained impatiently. “That would be ridiculous.”

  “You talk about being ridiculous?” Linda asked, setting down her half-eaten apple. “We were discussing Pilgrim costumes and suddenly you decide you want to start dating. I take it you’re not referring to Miles Standish?”

  “Of course not.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  Kate supposed she wasn’t making a lot of sense to her friend. Luke and the issue of marriage had been on her mind all week, but she’d carefully avoided any mention of the subject. Until now. The rumors regarding her and Luke continued to burn like a forest fire through Nightingale, aided, Kate was sure, by the silly grin Luke wore around town, and the fact that he was buying her father’s ranch. True, he hadn’t pressured her into setting a wedding date again, but the thought was there, waiting to ambush her every time they were in the same room. She used to be able to laugh and joke with Luke, but lately, the minute they were together, Kate found herself raising protective barriers.