“Are you surprised?”
Katie shook her head. She wasn’t. Nora and Aaron had their love of the feud in common. “It’s amazing the families haven’t killed each other before now.”
Jack leaned against the counter. “It’s not so bad,” he told her. “Over the years some of the Darbys and Fitzgeralds have managed to keep the peace. Some of us even went further than that.”
His low voice didn’t give away what he was thinking, but Katie felt a trickle of something hot and sweet ripple through her. This was the first time Jack had referred to their previous, more intimate relationship.
Before she could respond, he straightened and spoke again. “If you don’t need my help, I’d like to go visit with my mom.”
“Not a problem. Dinner will be ready in about forty minutes.”
He gave her a nod and left, which was good because she was within seconds of having her knees buckle. How humiliating was that? Katie shook her head and resolved to have a long talk with herself that evening when she was alone. Obviously Jack had managed to put the past behind him with no trouble at all, and she needed to do the same. Number one, she’d sworn off men. Her recent relationship had convinced her of the wisdom of going it alone until her son was at least into high school. Number two, she’d already had her heart broken by Jack Darby. What was the old saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. She would do well to remember that.
An hour later the four of them gathered around the oval oak table in the dining room. Light from the overhead fixture gleamed on sparkling glasses and flatware. Between the plaid place mats and serviceable stoneware, nothing on the table was fancy, but it was quality and new. But more impressive than the nice things was the ease everyone had with each other at the Darby table.
From the moment Shane had raced into the kitchen to wash his hands and help by laying out napkins and plates, the boy had been chattering nonstop. About how he and Misty had played ball and then a game of chase. Misty had knocked him down a couple of times, but the Lab-shepherd mix was gentle when she did it. Hattie’s arrival-a slow one, with her using her walker and her son hovering at her side-hadn’t silenced Shane one bit. If anything, he’d talked more.
As Katie dished lasagna onto her son’s plate, she marveled at the contrast of this happy, open boy to the silent child who graced her father’s table.
“Tell me about school,” Hattie instructed Shane. “Do you like your teacher?”
“Yeah, she’s real nice. It’s different, ’cause they don’t have so many computers and stuff, but today Miss Everly found out that I know how to work on a Web site, so she said I could be in charge of the one the class is going to do.” Shane glowed with pride. “I’m head of a committee!”
Jack finished with the salad and passed it to Katie. He gave her a wink. “That’s a lot of responsibility,” he said. “Miss Everly must be real impressed with your abilities.”
“She is.” Shane took a bite of garlic bread. “She told me that-”
Katie looked meaningfully at her son. Shane looked confused, then guilty. He mumbled, “Excuse me,” then finished chewing before continuing with his information.
“She told me that there’s gonna be a contest between all the different classes and that she wants us to win. I could get a trophy with my name on it and everything.”
Shane shoved his glasses up his nose with one hand and reached for his milk with the other. “And Billy invited me to come play at his house after school on Monday. You think I can go?”
The question startled Katie, then warmed her even more than Jack’s nearness. She’d been worried that her slightly bookish son wouldn’t fit into a community dominated by ranching families. “Of course. I’ll need to speak to his mother first, but once she confirms it’s all right with her, it’s fine with me.”
“Great.”
Katie watched as Jack served his mother lasagna. Hattie flashed him a smile. They had an easy, comfortable relationship that Katie envied. She and her father only seemed to fight.
Her gaze returned to her son. She’d moved back to Lone Star Canyon for Shane-thinking that being close to family would be good for him. But she wasn’t sure she’d made the right decision. Maybe if he started to fit in they would both be happier.
“If things go well with Billy, you can invite him back to Grandpa’s ranch for the afternoon,” she said.
Shane didn’t look at her. He finished chewing and swallowed, then smiled at Hattie. “Me and Misty played all afternoon. She’s a real cool dog. Did she ever have puppies?”
Hattie answered, but Katie wasn’t listening. Her son would never come out and tell her he was miserable in his grandfather’s house, but she knew the truth.
“You’ve gone away,” Jack said, leaning close and lowering his voice. “What happened?”
Katie touched her fork to her salad, but didn’t take a bite. She motioned to Shane. “He’s not like this at home. When my father’s around, he barely speaks.”
“Aaron’s an intimidating man.”
“I know, and Shane is just a child. Unfortunately, my father isn’t big on changing to accommodate others. It can be difficult.”
Jack didn’t respond, for which she was grateful. After all, what was there to say? Aaron Fitzgerald’s stubborn, temperamental ways were legendary in the county. People either accepted them or had nothing to do with the man. But Katie was his daughter, and her choices weren’t so clear.
Later that evening Katie sat on the front porch steps of the Darby house. She knew that she and Shane should make their way home, but Hattie had challenged the boy to beat her at video games, and Katie hadn’t wanted to refuse his pleading look. Any underlying hope she’d had that she and Jack could spend a little time together had been quickly squashed by him shooing her out of the kitchen so he could take care of cleaning up. So she found herself alone in the relative silence of the night, staring at stars that had been her frequent companions since she’d been a child.
At least the heavens looked the same from this vantage point, she thought humorously. Sometimes the Darby ranch seemed to be at the other end of the universe…or so she’d believed when she was growing up. Keeping her budding relationship with Jack a secret had consumed much of her energy. Still, she’d managed.
How many times had she, as a teenager, stared at the stars and wished Jack would join her, or that she could join him? She’d wanted to sit next to him, to talk, maybe even hold hands. Now, many years later, she found herself wishing for the same thing-that a specific handsome man would step onto the porch and share the solitude with her. Compared to the turmoil at her house, this was paradise.
But instead of Jack’s even footsteps, the quiet was broken by the sound of a car engine. Lights swept across the porch, then the engine was silenced and a car door opened. Katie recognized the woman even before she spoke. A tall, leggy brunette stepped out into the night. Shopping bags filled her arms, but they didn’t slow her down as she hurried to the front porch.
“What are you doing here?” Nora Darby demanded. “I know you’re my mother’s physical therapist, but your work is done for the day.”
Nora was only a couple of years younger than Katie. She had the Darbys’ dark good looks and was pretty enough to be a beauty queen. The two women had known each other all their lives, yet Nora would rather have her tongue ripped out than offer a civil greeting.
Katie sighed. “Hello, Nora. Your mother is making amazing progress. She’s going to be back to normal in no time.”
Nora glared. “You’ve eaten dinner here, haven’t you? Dammit, I don’t make this food for the likes of you.”
“And I didn’t even choke on it,” Katie said lightly. “That must be disappointing to you.”
The screen door squeaked open behind her. Jack stepped onto the porch. “Nora, Mom raised you better than this, and we both know it. Katie is our guest. Besides, what’s she ever done to deserve your rudeness?”
Nora glared at them both. “I don’t have to explain myself to either of you.”
She hurried up the stairs, swept past her brother and entered the house. The screen door slammed shut behind her.
Katie turned to look at Jack. “Shane’s in there. Do I have to worry?”
Jack shook his head as he settled next to her on the top step. “No. Nora won’t say a word in front of the boy. For all her faults, she’s crazy about kids.” He jerked his head toward the house. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s nothing compared to what Aaron would say if he found you on our front porch.” She drew her knees to her
