Meant for Each Other Page 3

  "Shall we tell her now?" Clyde whispered to his wife, but Kathryn couldn't help overhearing.

  "Tell me what, Clyde?" She chuckled in spite of her nervousness about what was coming. "You're obviously bursting with something important to say. I'm all ears."

  His grin encompassed the entire family. "Well," he drawled, "if it meets with your approval, we're going on vacation tomorrow. All of us. For three whole days we won't do anything but lie around, fish a little and eat as much as we want."

  Kathryn panicked. When he said all, he meant Wade, too. "I don't understand. I thought July and August were your busiest months and you couldn't afford to take time off for a trip."

  He made a gesture that told her not to worry. "You remember Jack Burns?"

  "The police chief's son?"

  "That's right. Well, he's started working for me part-time, and he does a good job when I want to take time off." A tender expression appeared on his face. "Now that we've got you home, we're not going to waste a single minute. Of course―" he broke off to exchange glances with Alice "―if you'd rather have privacy and not go anywhere for a while, we understand. You can have the house to yourself for a few days."

  Kathryn wouldn't have dared disappoint Clyde; she didn't need the rapier-sharp reminder coming from Wade's eyes, telling her to go along with this, or else. "Of course I want to vacation with you. Where are we going?" she asked in a quiet voice.

  "Elk Island!" Laurel cried with her usual enthusiasm.

  It was what she'd feared. Elk Island had to be the most wonderful place on earth, as far as Kathryn was concerned. But too many memories of Wade and other family outings were connected with it. The island, which boasted no bears and few campsites, could only be reached by boat, and you had to obtain a permit from the park service months ahead of time to camp there. It rose out of Jackson Lake, the clearest and bluest of lakes, with the Teton Mountains towering overhead like giant sentinels. Much as she loved the place, she didn't know how she'd be able to stand going there again. But it seemed she had no choice.

  "Wades bringing the parasail and the kayaks," Laurel was explaining. "And I've got a new three person spring-bar tent I bought in Cheyenne. You can bed down with me, Aunt Kathryn."

  "I have a dome tent Kathryn can use." This from Wade, who knew better than anyone the battle going on inside her. "Assuming you might like your privacy."

  "Then it's settled," Alice announced as she began clearing the table.

  "Will your fiancée be joining us?" Kathryn asked in a deceptively calm voice, hoping she sounded interested without making it obvious that she was consumed with curiosity about the woman he'd chosen to marry.

  "Not this time, I'm afraid," Wade answered in even tones so that she couldn't tell how he really felt about his fiancée's absence.

  "Amy's in Florida showing horses and won't be back for a few more days," John supplied moodily, diverting Kathryn's attention. "Her family raises quarter horses on their property near the mouth of Alta Canyon in Salt Lake."

  Kathryn's glance darted back to Wade, who remained silent, eyeing his brother speculatively. She realized Wade had probably gone to his fiancée's ranch that morning to pick up his horse. A strange pain twisted her heart at the knowledge that this Amy was already so intimately involved with the family. Evidently she had won everyone's approval, particularly John's, which was no small feat, since from adolescence he had considered himself a connoisseur of women.

  "How did you meet her?" Kathryn asked Wade before she could think twice about it.

  "They met at a horse show in the Salt Palace. She's a fabulous rider."

  Once again John had spoken for Wade. If she didn't know better, she would have thought John was engaged to Amy.

  "And her family is loaded!"

  "Laurel!" Alice stopped scraping dishes at the sink to reprimand her daughter. "Enough of that talk!"

  "It's all right, Allie," Wade said, studying Kathryn while he finished a second piece of pie. "One day, when Laurel's a little older and more experienced, she'll understand that men―and women―who equate the size of a bank account with something as intangible as love have questionable principles."

  Kathryn had the uncomfortable feeling that Wade wasn't referring to Laurel at all, and she sat straighter in her chair. Surely he didn't think she, Kathryn, had married Philip because he had money....

  Anxious to change the subject, she switched her attention to John, whose behavior was peculiar, to say the least. "Is there a special girl in your life right now?"

  "Could be."

  "You sound positively mysterious," Kathryn teased, attempting to humor him, because she sensed strange undercurrents here. And she certainly hadn't imagined the glance Laurel exchanged with her mother.

  "But now you're back, I'd just as soon be on vacation with you," John spoke in shades of his former self. "Let's face it, you always did look better in a bathing suit than any other female on the beach, and you're a lot more fun."

  Now Kathryn knew something was wrong. "You're overdoing it, Johnny-boy."

  Everyone laughed except Wade, whose features had remained impassive throughout the meal. Suddenly he pushed himself away from the table, announcing to no one in particular that he was going outside to finish loading the motorboat. John mumbled something about getting his wet suit to fix the tear in it, and Clyde followed Wade out the door.

  Kathryn told herself she was glad of the respite. While Alice washed dishes, Kathryn dried them, turning her attention to her niece while she put the plates away in the cupboard. "How about you, Laurel? Alice tells me you've been dating a fraternity boy quite regularly."

  "I have. But now he's working in Alaska for the summer, so I won't see him until fall."

  "But just think about the letters you'll be getting all summer," Kathryn said, admiring her niece's small frame and pretty features.

  "I hope," she murmured, communicating with gestures that she didn't want John, who had brought down his wet suit and was busy glueing a rip, to hear the details.

  "Fix that outside please," Alice urged. "The fumes make me sick.''

  Grumbling softly, John did her bidding. When he'd gone out the back door, Alice looked at Kathryn over Laurel's head, and they both smiled in secret understanding. "Kathryn, it's getting late and I know you've had a long day. While everyone else is still busy down here, feel free to shower and go to bed. Clyde wants to leave by seven tomorrow morning."

  "But what about all the food we usually make?" she asked as the phone rang. Laurel rushed to answer it.

  "I've been cooking for days. Everything's packed and ready to go."

  "You're sure?"

  The older woman nodded. "You look dead on your feet."

  "Wade said the same thing, so I must be a sight!" She darted her sister a wry grimace.

  "If anything, you're even more beautiful than you used to be. Don't let what Wade says bother you. He's always been the type to notice everything, and in spite of the fact that he hasn't seen you in five years, he cares a great deal for you. That's why he picked you up today, so he could make up for lost time."

  Kathryn moistened her lips nervously. "I have to admit I was surprised when he showed up at the airport, but it was...good to see him again."

  "I'm glad," Alice said, cocking her head pertly to the side. "For some strange reason, Clyde has this feeling you two weren't getting along before you left for San Diego, but I told him he was crazy."

  "He is. Wade and I have always been friends," Kathryn assured her sister, but she wondered if Alice believed her. Clyde was a sensitive man. How much did he really know and understand about her relationship with Wade?

  Judging by what Wade had told her during the drive to Afton, Clyde's concern stemmed from his worry that Kathryn didn't think his home was good enough for Philip. But Alice's comment put a totally different construction on things, one that hit too close to the mark.

  Maybe it was Wade, and not his father, who believed Kathryn was a snob and didn't consid
er their home up to her husband's standards. That would make the most sense. Particularly since she suspected that Wade believed she'd married Philip for the material things he could give her.

  The ironic part was that Philip didn't even have that much money. Yes, he was a professor who made a good salary, and because he was an only child, he'd inherited some money and the beach house from his parents. But he was by no means a wealthy man.

  "If there's nothing more for me to do, I think I'll go upstairs. A shower sounds heavenly."

  "Good." Alice continued to wipe off the counters. "I'll see you in the morning."

  Kathryn couldn't resist hugging her sister good night. "Tell me something before I go. What's wrong with John? He seems different. Kind of sullen and moody."

  "He is." Alice smoothed the bangs off her forehead. "The truth is I'm very much afraid he's fallen for Amy. It happened the first time Wade brought her to dinner."

  "What?"

  Alice would have said more, but just then Wade came in through the back door carrying an empty cooler. His eyes met Kathryn's. "I hope you're planning on an early night. You obviously need the rest. Think you'll be able to sleep?"

  What did he mean by that? "Of course."

  "Even without the sound of the surf?" One dark blond eyebrow lifted in question. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Alice stare at Wade with a puzzled expression on her face. For some reason Wade seemed intent on reminding her of her life with Philip, a fact he didn't bother to hide from Alice.

  "Have you forgotten I was born and raised here in Afton? The peace and quiet of Star Valley are more conducive to sleep than any number of waves pounding against the sand. Good night, Wade, and thanks for picking me up at the airport."

  After a long silence he said, "My pleasure. See you tomorrow."

  She felt his eyes on her retreating back as she headed for the stairs off the living room. She ran up both flights and flung herself, breathless, into the attic bedroom. But instead of gathering the things for her shower, she opened the window in time to see Wade's truck and trailer pull away from the house and disappear down the highway. For the longest time she simply stood there, breathing in the scent of honeysuckle on the warm night air, filled with a gnawing emptiness she couldn't explain.

  Not liking the mood she was in, she hurried down to the bathroom. She stood under the cool, cleansing spray, wondering how she was going to get through the next three days with Wade continually around. Her only consolation was that he, too, dreaded the prospect of spending so much time in her company and would do everything possible to avoid unnecessary contact.

  While she dried herself, she could see her image reflected in the mirror. She used to worry about being too curvy, but now she was too thin and would look terrible in a two-piece bathing suit.

  Since the moment Philip had told her it was no use, that he wanted a divorce, she had lost interest in a lot of things, because she realized she was to blame. From that point on she didn't give much thought to her physical appearance. No wonder Wade had reacted so strongly when he first saw her. She bore little resemblance to the woman who had run away from Afton and from him.

  She pressed a hand against her flat stomach, scarcely able to believe she had once been five months pregnant. Oh, how she had wanted that baby, praying it would draw her and Philip closer together! But her wishes hadn't materialized. At least the doctors had convinced her that although this miscarriage was unavoidable, there was no reason she couldn't have a successful pregnancy in the future.

  Since she'd been given a small taste of impending motherhood, she ached to become pregnant again and to actually give birth. But only if she was married to the right man-a man with whom she was deeply in love, a man she would always welcome into her heart and her bed. She had wanted that man to be Philip, had tried to be the perfect wife to him. But unlike her experience with Wade, the fire wasn't there, and in time she and Philip grew apart.

  Rebuking herself for allowing thoughts of Wade to drift to such dangerous channels, she put on her nightgown and hurried upstairs. But as soon as she slid beneath the covers, she was painfully reminded of the night Wade had brought her to this room. She could still feel the way his mouth clung to hers.

  And though everything about their relationship had been wrong, the passion he had aroused in her had been so overwhelming, she didn't know how she'd found the strength to pull away from him before it was too late. Even now she was haunted by his husky voice telling her he'd been in love with her forever. She shivered, remembering how he had pleaded with her to stay, how he had begged her to let him make love to her, claiming she wanted it, too―and he'd been right.

  Every so often, she tortured herself wondering what would have happened if she had spent the night with him. In her heart of hearts, she knew they would never have been satisfied with one night. From the very beginning it seemed their lives had been on some kind of collision course, as if the change in their relationship, from affection to intimacy, was meant to be. Before she left for San Diego, the one thing―the only thing that consumed either of them was the burning desire to make love. Surely a baby would have resulted. Their baby.

  Kathryn lay there in a cold sweat. As soon as the trip to the Tetons was over, she would leave Afton. Not only because she couldn't take being around Wade any longer, but because she had no wish to meet his fiancée, the woman who had the right to receive his love and to be the mother of his children.

  And later on, would meeting Amy as his wife make it any more palatable? a tiny voice in her head persisted in asking.

  Kathryn already knew the answer to that question, and her thoughts drifted to John. If, as Alice suggested, he had fallen for Wade's fiancée, then Kathryn could well understand John's touchiness. She wondered why he chose to work in Afton all summer where he ran the risk of seeing Wade and Amy together. Maybe he couldn't help himself ...

  But Kathryn couldn't bear the thought of seeing Wade with another woman. And she had no intention of putting herself through that particular torture. She stifled her groans with the pillow.

  CHAPTER THREE

  CLYDE SAT AT THE WHEEL of his Dodge station wagon and looked over his shoulder. "Everybody ready?"

  "We're all here and packed in like sardines," Laurel replied. Kathryn, who sat in the back between her and John with a stack of towels on her lap, was already feeling the heat. An outing to Elk Island meant they took everything but the kitchen sink. Even the motorboat, which was on a trailer attached to the car, had been filled to overflowing with camping equipment and supplies.

  Clyde turned to Alice. "How about you, honey? Can you think of anything we forgot? Speak now, be cause I swear I'm not coming back."

  "If we've forgotten something, it can't be important. Let's go. Wade will be wondering what happened to us."

  A quick glance at her watch told Kathryn they were leaving an hour later than originally planned, but that was nothing new.

  Once they were en route north, excitement lit Alice's face as she shifted in the front seat to talk to Kathryn. "You've never seen that piece of property Wade purchased for his ranch, have you?"

  "No." And she didn't want to. The less involved she was with Wade, the better.

  "Three years ago it was nothing but an unwanted parcel of land with a couple of broken-down old cabins. Since Wade took over the property, you wouldn't recognize it. Not only has he rebuilt the cabins, but he's put up two more, plus a barn, and he's working on his own house. Next summer he'll open the place for business."

  Kathryn blinked. "Then how's he earning his living now?"

  "Over the years, he's made some lucrative investments. And he's the accountant for several big companies in the area, including Elliott Lumber. They supply him with materials and labor in return for his services," Clyde explained. "Any spare time Wade finds, he spends fencing his land. The way he sees it, the river running through his property provides some of the best fly fishing in the world, and he figures that in no time at all, people will flo
ck to his place."

  That sounded like Wade, Kathryn mused to herself. He had more optimism, more confidence, than any person she'd ever known. He was also endowed with a steely determination that would take him wherever he wanted to go.

  "He already has horses and camping gear for taking pack trips into the Tetons this fall," Alice continued, making no secret of her admiration for her stepson. "Pretty soon he'll be able to purchase rafts and trucks for white-water trips."

  "Wade works so hard that Amy complains she never sees him," Laurel confided. "I can't say I blame her. If I were engaged, I'd be plenty upset if I was the one who always had to do the running."

  Though she dreaded the answer, Kathryn couldn't help asking, "Have they set a date for their wedding?"

  "No," John interjected quietly. "Not yet."

  Alice hastened to fill in the unnatural silence that followed. "You know Wade. He won't marry her until he can support them with his own income, and since his money is all tied up right now, it could be a while."

  For no logical reason, Kathryn felt a wave of relief spread through her body. "He's always wanted to run a dude ranch," she mused aloud. "In time I should imagine he'll be very successful."

  "And that thrills you, doesn't it, darling?" Alice squeezed her husband's shoulder.

  "I have to admit I'm pleased to know one of my three children will be around to visit their old man occasionally."

  "Daddy!" Laurel was sitting behind her father and flung her arms about his neck. "I'll always come home for visits, no matter where I live. You know that," she said, kissing the top of his blond head.

  "That's very reassuring, but once you're tied to a career, it isn't always that easy to get away, is it, Kathryn?"

  She was saved from responding to Clyde's comment by Laurel's happy squeal. She'd spotted Wade in the distance and despite the air-conditioning had opened her window to wave madly.

  Kathryn's gaze darted automatically to the white truck parked at the side of a dirt road next to the highway. She noticed a couple of kayaks in the back. "His ranch is about a mile from here," Alice said for Kathryn's benefit, pointing west. But Kathryn couldn't make out much more than flowering meadows and pines.