Kate hadn’t found being carried off the least bit romantic but she smiled kindly, made no comment and returned home without a word.
“What’s this I hear about you and Luke Rivers?” The moment Kate entered her classroom Monday morning, Sally Daley appeared.
“Whatever you heard, I’m sure it was vastly exaggerated,” Kate said hurriedly.
“That could be,” Sally admitted with a delicate laugh. “You certainly know how to keep this town talking. First Clay’s wedding reception, and now this. By the way, Clay and Rorie are back from Hawaii, and I heard they both have marvelous tans.”
“That often happens in Hawaii,” Kate said, sarcastically, barely holding on to her composure.
No sooner had Sally left than Linda showed up. “Is it true?” she demanded, her eyes as round as quarters.
Kate shrugged. “Probably.”
“Oh, good grief, the whole thing about squelching rumors backfired, didn’t it?”
Miserably Kate nodded. She was afraid she’d dissolve in a puddle of tears the next time someone mentioned Luke’s name. “After what happened to me Friday night, well… I just don’t think it’s possible to feel any more humiliated.”
“I thought you said you hadn’t met Eric,” Linda said, clearly puzzled.
“I hadn’t when you and I talked. Eric and I ran into each other at the grocery not ten minutes after you mentioned his name.”
Linda slumped against the side of Kate’s desk. “I try for months to meet a new man and nothing happens. It doesn’t make sense. A few minutes after you decide to look, one pops up in front of you like a bird in a turkey shoot!”
“Beginner’s luck.” Except that Friday night could in no way be classified as lucky.
“Oh, Kate, you’ve really done it now.”
“I know,” she whispered in a tone of defeat.
Kate’s day ended much as it had begun, which meant that by four o’clock she had a headache to rival all headaches. After school, she stopped at the pharmacy and bought a bottle of double-strength aspirin and some antacid tablets.
When she left the pharmacy, she headed for the library, wondering if Rorie would be back at work so soon after her honeymoon. Her friend’s smiling face greeted Kate the instant she walked through the doors.
“Kate, it’s so good to see you.”
“Hi, Rorie.” Kate still felt a little awkward with Clay’s bride. She suffered no regrets about bringing them together, though it had been the most painful decision of her life.
“Sally Daley’s right,” Kate said with a light laugh as she kissed Rorie’s cheek. “You’re so tanned. You look wonderful.”
Rorie accepted the praise with a smile that shone from her dark brown eyes. “To be honest, I never thought I’d get Clay to laze away seven whole days on the beach, but he did. Oh, Kate, we had the most wonderful time.”
“I’m glad.” And she was. Rorie radiated happiness, and the glow of it warmed Kate’s numb heart.
“I was just about to go on my coffee break. Have you got time to join me?” Rorie invited, glancing at her watch.
“I’d love to.” Kate crossed her fingers. She hoped Rorie hadn’t heard any of the gossip—no doubt colorfully embroidered by now—about what had happened Friday night. At the moment, Kate needed a friend, a good friend, someone she could trust to be objective.
While Rorie arranged to leave the library in the hands of a volunteer assistant, Kate walked over to Nellie’s Café, across the street from the pharmacy. She’d already ordered their coffee when Rorie slipped into the red upholstered booth across from her.
“What’s this I’ve been hearing all day about you and Luke? Honestly, Kate, you know how to live dangerously, don’t you? And now Luke’s buying the Circle L and your father’s marrying Mrs. Murphy. We were only gone seven days, but I swear it felt like a year with everything Mary had to tell us once we got home.”
Kate tried to maintain a stoic expression, although the acid in her stomach seemed to be burning a hole straight through her. There were no secrets in this town.
“To tell you the truth, Luke and I haven’t been getting along very well lately,” she admitted, keeping her eyes lowered so as not to meet her friend’s questioning gaze.
Rorie took a tentative sip of coffee. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Kate nodded. She felt embarrassingly close to tears and paid careful attention to the silverware, repositioning the fork and the spoon several times.