Part 16:

When the Gold Bar opened for dinner, Joseph Fatone and Christopher Kirkpatrick were the first people through the door. "Why were you not open for lunch today, if you don’t mind me asking?" Chris asked.

"We were at the mayor’s house and I do," Heather said, refusing to say anything else.

Both ordered a meal and ate heartily. Joseph looked out the window and then looked again. He had to be seeing things. It was getting dark and a storm was moving in. He turned back to his meal, trying to convince himself that he was imagining things. After all, he thought he’d seen the same thing so many times. He shook his head and ate, then paid for his meal and went straight back to the hotel. He fell asleep holding the picture to him.

 

Chris walked down the quiet, darkened streets. He could go home tomorrow. He had finished the business and he knew the client would be pleased. He reached the end of town, within sight of Miss Beckie’s and started to turn around. He gaped as he saw the mayor’s wife leaving the place. He wondered what on earth she could be doing there. Surely if her husband . . . well, he would be chasing after her . . . .

 

Sarah walked slowly home, knowing in her heart that Katie wouldn’t be there. Amanda was staying with Lance and Sarah. She knew Josh would be home eventually. They had decided to leave town as soon as possible. It was the only way to put an end to all the pain. She had told him to stay and say his good-byes. Try as she might, she had never been able to hate Beckie, or Josh either. She loved them both dearly, and she knew it was never their intention to harm her. She could only hope, from deep within her soul, that the good-bye he said wouldn’t be to her.

 

Angel and Luke weren’t sure what to do. Katie wasn’t at home. She hadn’t come back to Miss Beckie’s. Neither of them was willing to go back without her. They decided to go get Justin and Anna to help. Anna’s note had been brief, simply stating that she thought she could prove Justin was innocent and they would be leaving in the morning to do just that.

The wind was picking up as they got closer. By the time they reached Justin’s, it was howling and the rain was only minutes away. Justin and Anna were both asleep, but Justin was instantly awake when he found out Katie was out there somewhere. The four decided against splitting up with the storm. Bandit and Outlaw went too. It was Bandit that found her. Justin nearly had a heart attack. The rain had started, accompanied by hail. Apparently, she had slipped and hit her head. She was lying limply on the ground, breathing shallow. Her lips had taken on a bluish tint and she was soaked through and freezing. Justin wrapped his coat around her and carried her all the way back to the house, refusing to let anyone else touch her.

He carried her straight into his house and carried her into the bedroom. He left her long enough for Angel to get her out of her wet clothes and into one of his shirts. Then he went in and sat beside the bed, watching her intently. Bandit came in, the puppy trailing behind her, and both curled up on the bed, keeping her warm. Outlaw was right behind them, carrying one of the kittens from the barn. He put the kitten gently on Katie’s chest then curled up on her feet. Any time Justin moved even a fraction of an inch closer to the bed, the kitten hissed and all three dogs growled. They didn’t do anything of the sort to Angel, moving out of her way when she came to check on the girl. "Well, I guess they know she’s mad at you," his sister told him with a laugh. The humor of it all was lost on Justin. It was a long night. Justin sat in a chair on one side of the bed, Luke on the other. Angel stretched out on the floor, waking up every little bit to check on Katie. Anna slept fitfully on a cot beside Angel’s.

 

Josh was still at Miss Beckie’s early in the morning. He had talked to her for a long time. For the first time in years, that was all they did. "I do love you Beckie."

"I know Josh. And I love you too. I always have. But you don’t belong to me. Sarah needs you. And I know you love her too. I could see it every time you looked at her tonight." Beckie knew that all she had to do was ask him to stay and he would, but she just couldn’t make herself say the words. She loved Sarah too. Like a sister. Sarah was family, and had been long before Joshua Chasez had ever come between them. Besides, she had hurt herself as much as Sarah. With every stolen moment, every secret kiss, she had died a little more. She did what she had to do. She let him go.

 

Katie blinked as the sunlight streamed through a crack in the shutter. She looked around her. There was a small calico kitten sleeping on her chest. And a fluffy puppy on the pillow beside her. Outlaw was sleeping on her feet. She turned, groaning at the pain in her head, and found herself staring into light blue eyes. Bandit’s tail thumped against the covers and she let out a happy whine when Katie looked at her. Justin’s eyes snapped open at the same time Angel shot up from her place on the floor.

Luke was the first to speak. "Ah, Sugar . . . baby girl, you’re awake." before muttering a prayer of thanks. She smiled weakly at him, groaning as her head throbbed. His relieved smile was reflected in his dark eyes. Angel shooed Luke and Justin out of the room as she and Anna looked Katie over before helping her get dressed.

Justin and Anna left while Angel cooked breakfast. They were already a few hours behind schedule. Katie looked up at Angel. "I need to go home," she said softly. "But I don’t know where home is anymore." Angel smiled at her sadly.

"You’ll figure it out Sugar."

Katie stared at her empty plate for a moment. Without lifting her head, she asked the question that had been buzzing around in the back of her mind ever since Anna had appeared in front of Justin’s house the previous day. "Who is she?"

"What?"

"Anna. Who is she to Justin?"

"Who do you think she is?" Angel wasn’t being cruel or making a joke. She honestly wanted to know. Katie’s only answer was to shrug. Angel simply waited. "Well, he sure likes her a lot," Katie muttered.

"Yes, I suppose he does." Angel was about to continue when Luke walked in.

"Miz Angel, I’s all ready to go if’n you is."

Angel nodded and she and Luke helped Katie outside. They didn’t have a buggy or wagon and they only had 2 horses. Riding jostled Katie too much and made her head pound. In the end, they all decided to walk.

[::-::Back::-::] [::-::Next::-::]