Courting Katarina Read online

  A few minutes later, he was right there with her. The surprise on his face was genuine. “Hi. I guess you didn’t hear me calling. I gave up looking for you and decided I’d come sit in the ‘zebro’ for a bit.” Alex smiled. “I didn’t realize you were out here. Do you mind if I join you?”

  Very funny, God. I meant out of the house for good, not out here, now. Despite Alex’s naturally loud voice, it was still awkward trying to carry on a conversation. Katarina felt the hearing aid in her hand. “No, I … I took my hearing aid out. Did you need something?”

  He sat down on the step and looked at her, raising his voice. “I need to unload the truck, and noticed some things in the garage. I thought I’d better see if there is a specific place you’d like me to put my tools.”

  Katarina took a step to the arched entrance, and Alex stood, letting her pass. That usual spark of attraction ignited within her. She immediately extinguished it and headed for the house.

  Alex said something, but it was all garbled.

  Brilliant idea taking your hearing aid out, Kat. Now how do you expect to carry on a semicoherent conversation with the man? And you can’t exactly put it back in now without explaining why you took it out in the first place.

  Katarina stopped and turned her better ear to Alex. “I missed that. What did you say?”

  He stepped far closer than necessary and gently repeated his question. She felt the warmth of his breath on her neck. “I didn’t notice a car anywhere. What’s going on with the insurance?”

  “It hasn’t been settled yet.” Katarina raised her gaze to meet his and felt her breathing quicken. She fingered her hearing aid, wishing this obsession to avoid Alex would stop getting her into trouble. “Let me go get my hearing aid back in, and I’ll meet you in the garage.”

  A few minutes later, she went out there, half in anticipation, half in dread. She read the gauge on the kiln, opened a peephole and turned to Alex.

  “Now, what were we talking about?” Katarina asked, hopefully masking her inner turmoil with a deceptive calmness. Katarina carefully removed the molds from the doll heads she’d poured after supper.

  “You’ve been without a car for nearly two weeks?”

  She nodded casually. As Alex talked, she cut holes into the heads for the teeth and eyes, and set them on the shelf to finish drying so she could fire them in the morning. He stared at her, his blue eyes sharp and keenly observing her every move.

  Alex’s voice was soft, as if the sound would break the greenware. “What’s that divot for?”

  “Dimples, silly.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Hmmm. Amazing. So, why’d you return the rental?” Alex lowered his gaze and his voice. “I told you to keep it as long as it took to replace your car, Kat.”

  “I’ve managed just fine. There was no need to run up a huge bill. Besides, it’s been good incentive to stay home and get back on schedule. I’ve almost caught up with my orders after the move.”

  Alex studied her face with his tender gaze and Kat realized she had to conquer her involuntary reaction to that gentle, loving look of his. “Be careful, Katarina, working overtime is habit-forming. I thought you were going to hire some help.”

  “I have two interviews lined up for tomorrow.”

  Without lingering on his advice, or arguing about her not keeping the rental car, Alex proceeded to ask where he could set his equipment without it being in her way.

  The two worked side by side late into the evening. When they’d finished, Alex looked at his watch. “It’s nearly ten already. If there’s an ice cream place still open, I’d like to take you for dessert.”

  Surprised by his suggestion, Katarina wondered if he knew she loved ice cream. “Sure, I found a great little parlor on my way to the grocery store the other day. It’s just a few blocks away. I think they close at ten-thirty. If we hurry, we can make it.”

  Alex closed the garage door and went into the house. “It would be a nice night for a walk. If there’s time.”

  “It would,” she said softly, afraid to let herself enjoy Alex’s company. Katarina pocketed her keys and joined him at the front door.

  Because there were so many cars lining the narrow streets, they crowded onto the sidewalk next to each other, falling into a synchronized gait. Katarina felt her heart beat faster with each step she took. “So you went back to fight fires, huh?”

  “It only took a couple to decide it’s time I moved on.”

  “I thought that was your plan when you went to Montana…to come back here, I mean.” She stopped, her feet suddenly anchored to the sidewalk. “I feel responsible for…”

  Alex looked surprised. Then amused. “Responsible for what?” He stared at her with a warm intensity, waiting.

  She blinked. “I don’t know really, for—” Katarina shrugged, then laughed nervously “—scaring you out of coming back, I guess. I don’t know. I’m sorry…forget I said anything.” What was she thinking? Alex had done nothing to imply he had a personal interest in her.

  Without answering, he touched her arm and started them walking again. “We don’t want to miss our ice cream.”

  A light breeze cooled the evening and filled the air with the pungent aroma of a flower garden. A block had passed and Alex hadn’t spoken. Katarina was even more embarrassed that she’d said anything.

  “For the record, God and I had a few things to work out before I could come back.”

  “Oh, that’s a relief.” It wasn’t a relief at all, as now she felt even more ridiculous for thinking he’d stayed away because of her. “Turn left here.” She motioned, accidentally brushing her arm against his.

  He pivoted and rested his hand on her back while the traffic cleared, then let it drop to his side when they’d crossed the street. Finally they made it to the front of the line in the crowded ice cream parlor.

  Alex waited while she ordered a dip of chocolate chip mint on a waffle cone. “I’ll have one scoop of bubble gum, and a dip of Rocky Road—in memory of our road trip.”

  Katarina cringed as she laughed. “Rocky Road and bubble gum?”

  “Yeah,” he drawled. “Keeps life interesting.”

  She pulled a ten-dollar bill from her pocket.

  Alex covered her hand with his. “It’s my treat. That was a delicious dinner.”

  “It was just leftovers.”

  He raised one eyebrow. “Must have been a pretty special dinner the first time around, then.”

  She licked her ice cream and smiled. “You probably don’t want to hear about it.”

  Alex pocketed his change and took a bite of the Rocky Road. “Probably not. Next week I’ll fix dinner, and you can spring for dessert.”

  Alex tiptoed around the kitchen the next morning so as not to wake Katarina. Anxious to start back to work, he settled for a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice. After an unsuccessful search for a coffeepot, Alex decided to get a cup of java on the way to the office. Since he hadn’t taken time to stop at the market the night before, he’d have to grab a quick lunch today.

  Knowing he’d be home at six was a luxury he’d almost forgotten. Two fires, and it was no longer something to be taken for granted. He stepped into the garage, surprised to find Katarina already working. “You been out here all night?”

  “Off and on,” she said without looking up.

  He studied her organized mess. “Is my truck in your way? I’ll be glad to leave it in the driveway, if it is.”

  Katarina pasted a smile on her lips. “I’ve managed to keep from getting any additional ‘mud’ on it.”

  He laughed, looking at the splattered truck. “You making fun of my truck?”

  Kat didn’t say a word, just kept scraping the doll arm. She moved it closer. Alex leaned forward to see what she was concentrating so intently on. Her blue eyes narrowed behind the protective glasses, and her tongue poked out from the corner of her mouth.

  Alex sent up a quick prayer of patience, reminding himself that he was here for Kevin and his ow
n future. If he won Katarina’s heart in the process, all that much better. Who am I kidding? All I ask, God, is that You protect both of us if this isn’t meant to be. He waited until she looked up again.

  Katarina smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were talking to me.”

  “I didn’t want to startle you and make you drop what you were working on. I’m surprised to see you up already.”

  “I couldn’t sleep last night, and decided I may as well get some work done.”

  He stepped over to his truck. “I’m going to the store on my way home tonight. Do you need anything?”

  Her expression brightened, then she squashed it, as if unwilling to accept his help. “No, I’m fine.”

  He shook his head. She was one stubborn woman. “You need some way to get around and it is my fault you’re without a car.”

  “I’m managing, but thank you for the offer.”

  “I see.” Determined. Independent. And he admired her far more for both.

  She kept her feelings in tight control. “Have a good day, Alex.”

  “I’ll see you tonight,” he said lightly. He got into his truck and opened the electric garage door.

  “I’ll be here,” she mumbled.

  “On the other hand, I think I’ll come home and clean up before I go to the store. I forget, I’m not thirty miles from nowhere anymore. If you’d like to ride along, that’d be fine.” He started the engine and backed out, letting her have the day to think about the suggestion.

  On the way, Alex made a quick stop at the convenience store to fill the tank with gas and get a cup of coffee. Kevin glanced up from the desk when Alex walked in. “Morning, stranger.”

  “Morning. How’s the medical clinic coming along? Almost done?” He’d enjoyed working on the project and looked forward to seeing the crew again.

  Kevin clicked on the print icon and folded his hands behind his head. “Final walk-through today. Why don’t you come along, see what you think? Then we have an interesting project to discuss.”

  By noon they’d completed the walk-through and made assignments on the touch-ups, then stopped for lunch. “Did you ever take that seminar on log homes?”

  Alex nodded. “I even bought the land, just never got around to building. Helped Greg with his in our spare time. Haven’t had another winter mild enough to get mine done.”

  “Adam is going to build onto the ranch. Wants log and river rock, to blend in with Grandma and Grandpa’s home. He has an outlandish bid from some company out of Aspen, and asked if we’d like to give it a shot. He has the building permit approved and has a plan picked out. The kit could be there next week. What do you think?”

  Alex looked his brother in the eye. “You’re the boss. Is that something you want to tackle?”

  “Combine some family time with work. Sounds like more fun than work.”

  “What about Emily’s schedule and Ricky? You sure you want to be away so much?” Alex took a bite of enchilada. They discussed the other bids they wanted to take on. Helping their youngest brother won hands down. “I don’t want to see you putting work before your family.”

  Kevin smiled. “I appreciate that. I was actually wondering if you’d like to take the lead on this one? I could juggle the projects here.”

  Alex felt a smile spread from ear to ear. “I’d love to. When do you want to start?”

  “You want to go out and take a look now?”

  Alex jumped from his seat and grabbed the bill. The drive to Loveland took a little over an hour, which made it even more appealing to stay with Adam and get the job done as quickly as possible. He wondered if that was why Kevin and Emily had suggested he and Katarina share the house in the first place, knowing Alex would be out of town a lot.

  After Adam told them the plans he had for his dude ranch, they went over the blueprints and possible time line for the project. Alex jotted down notes to use in the figuring of a bid. The three stopped at their mother’s house on the north side of the creek for a glass of tea and some of her famous molasses cookies before Alex and Kevin headed home.

  On the way, Kevin brought up the conversation Alex had hoped would take a long time to resurface. “What’s this about you settling down? Who’s the lucky woman?”

  “I didn’t say a thing about a woman.”

  “You didn’t have to. There was that sparkle in your eye. I…wouldn’t happen to know her, would I?”

  Alex shook his head. “Don’t put the cart before the horse, Kevin. There are a few mountains to move before I could even venture a guess on that one.”

  “She’s stubborn, huh?”

  Alex chuckled. “You could say that,” he admitted before catching his slip.

  Kevin had a mischievous grin on his face. “It runs in the family.”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  Kevin laughed. “Well, if Kat hadn’t come home from your trip ready to spit nails, it might have slipped past us.” His brother tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, then shook his head. “Nah, I take it back. I think the wedding was when I figured it out.”

  “And Emily?”

  “I had her figured out long before that,” Kevin said with another chuckle.

  “I mean, what does she think about it?”

  “We both decided that’s between the two of you.”

  Alex laughed. “That’s the biggest cop-out I’ve ever heard.”

  “It’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Katarina closed her eyes and silently fumbled with the words that were tearing her apart. Words too painful to say out loud. How could she forgive the man who had walked out on his responsibility? How could she let go of the pain? The anger? I don’t know what to do, God. I don’t know if I can do this alone. Emily’s busy with her job and new family. Lisa’s hardly even accessible by phone anymore. And Mom doesn’t understand. She’s never had time to listen to me. Ron listens, but… I may as well be talking to a wall. I want to believe that You’re hearing me. And once in a while, I think You’ve answered my prayers, but then I find a way to reason it out to circumstances, to coincidence.

  She woke in the night, burdened by the feelings she had for her father. She’d stretched and tied Emily’s advice into knots for the past week. Yet no matter how she tried to contort His word, the truth always snapped back at her like elastic. “God will not leave you,” Emily had told her. “You are His precious child.”

  I want to believe that, God. I want to understand. Let me open my heart to others. Teach me to trust.

  “I’ll be glad to do this, Katarina.” Alex took a step toward the lawn mower.

  She jerked the cord again. Nothing happened. “There must be something wrong with it. You sure there isn’t one of those key thingies somewhere?”

  “Sorry, my brother’s a little less extravagant, I guess. Here, let me show you.” Alex stood behind Katarina and placed his hand over hers. He wrapped her fingers firmly around the handle of the pull cord and yanked.

  The mower started right up. “Now if you press this lever…” He looked at Katarina, who was pointing to the ear protector in her good ear, indicating she couldn’t hear him. Taking hold of the handle, Alex pushed the lever forward and engaged the power drive. It pulled both of them across the middle of the yard. When she reached the first corner, he showed her how to lift the front drive wheels off the ground and make the turn, then he let her go on her own while he edged the lawn.

  Alex felt they had made decent progress in the past week. She was no longer hiding out in the gazebo or finding excuses to be occupied when he came home from work. Until today, he’d successfully maintained a comfortable and “safe” distance between them. Even that hadn’t stopped sparks from flying. And tonight he felt as if lightning was about to strike. He’d come home after work to find her dressed in grubby jeans and a pretty pink tank top, ready for her lesson on how to run the mower.

  The motor died, and Alex looked up.

  “Why is it dr
opping clumps of grass everywhere? Did I break it?”

  He smiled warmly and shook his head, then stepped close so she could hear him. “Nothing’s wrong. It just means the grass catcher is full.” It took him five minutes to figure out how to detach the catcher. She held the bag, then insisted on continuing with the job herself. She managed to get it started after a couple of tries. Before she could argue, he carried the bags of clippings to the curb.

  By the time Alex finished the edging, cleaned the equipment and put everything away, Katarina was grilling teriyaki chicken for the two of them. “I thought we had an agreement about meals.”

  Katarina had changed into shorts and a T-shirt. “The recipe makes far too much for just me. I thought it might be nice to simplify things for one night, since you were kind enough to help me with the yard. It took much longer than I expected.”

  Alex felt his willpower slipping away with her sudden change of heart. “The grass was pretty long. If one of us mows every week, it shouldn’t be so bad. Do you mind if I go clean up?”

  Katarina shrugged. “Go ahead. This’ll take a while.”

  Alex returned downstairs as Katarina started setting the table. “Why don’t we sit outside. Enjoy the hard work you put into the yard before this storm moves in on us.”

  Katarina served up her plate and handed him an empty one to serve himself. “What would you like to drink?” The rasp in her voice hadn’t been there earlier, and he wondered if it was a reaction to the dust from the mower, or intentional.

  He wiped the cool perspiration from his brow and forced his mind back to the food. “I’d have lemonade if it’s made. If not, water.”

  Katarina poured them both glasses of lemonade and carried them outside to the porch. They lingered over dinner, as if neither were as hungry for nourishment as they were for each other’s company. They moved to the swing in the gazebo to watch the sun being chased out by the electrical storm. A few minutes later the landscape lights turned on, giving the yard a gentle glow.