You’re scaring me.”
“Someone needs to. Even if your brother-in-law handles most of the property on the lake, you shouldn’t be going into someone else’s house when they aren’t there.”
“I admit that was pretty stupid. But actually, this is my house and I came over to talk you out of it.”
“This is your cabin?” When she nodded, he pulled a chair around and straddled it, facing her. “Danny didn’t tell me.”
Danny knew the history between Kat and Seth. Maybe he’d thought to let sleeping dogs lie. “Would it have mattered?”
“Nah.” He shook his head. “Should it?”
“Nah,” she said imitating him. “But the lake ranger’s house is down near the public entrance. Why aren’t you living there?”
“The place needed renovations. The last ranger kind of let things go. After living there for a while, I made a deal with the town to have some work done. I pay for this one while they fix that one. And in my spare time I do as much of the work myself as I can.”
“Ahh. Well, since you only need a temporary place, I’m sure Danny can find you something suitable.”
He gave her a funny look. “This place suits me fine.”
“But I’m back and I want my house.”
“I have a lease.”
“For how long?”
“Longer than your vacation.”
“I’m not here on vacation.”
He jacked an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”
“I’ve moving back.”
An odd fire backlit his green, green eyes. A fire Kat could not interpret. “As in permanently?”
The familiar ache of indecision started up inside her head. She rubbed at her temples, confused and uncertain. Dr. Kathryn Elizabeth Thatcher was a highly skilled doctor who made decisions about other people’s lives all the time. Why couldn’t she figure out what to do with her own?
“Let’s just say I’m here for some much needed R and R while I figure out some things.”
“That’s what I figured. So why not stay with Susan?”
Why did everyone keep asking her that? “Remember the old saying that fish and friends stink in three days? I’ve been there four.”
Though she’d slept through most of them.
“Then ask Danny to find you a place.”
He was starting to tick her off.
“Seth,” she said as reasonably as possible. “I have a place. This place. Want to see the deed?”
“Want to see my lease agreement?”
“Why are you being so stubborn?”
“Why are you?”
“This is getting us nowhere.” With a huff, she jumped out of the chair and stalked to the long row of windows, gazed out at the breathtaking view for a moment and then turned to try again. “I’ll pay the rent on another cabin of your choosing.”
“I like it here.”
“I don’t remember you being this difficult.”
His jaw twitched and the fiery glint returned. “Time and experience changes a man, Kat. I’ve learned to fight a lot harder for the things I want.”
Surely he wasn’t referring to their long-ago relationship. They hadn’t seen each other for years, and the man had married someone else.
“It’s only a house, Seth. You can find another.”
“That’s what I keep telling you. Now if you don’t mind…” He let the sentence trail away in cool dismissal.
“You’re not going to give me back my cottage,” she said incredulously.
“Nope. I’m not.” He opened the front door and stood to one side. “Bye Kat. See you around.”
What else could she do? With one final, scathing glance, she gathered her dignity and left.
With a mix of admiration, amusement and regret, Seth watched Kathryn stalk off through the woods, straight brown hair swaying against her shoulders, long lean legs churning the ground with purpose.
That was Kat. Always on the go, always filled with purpose and aware of exactly what she wanted. A long time ago she’d wanted him, but she’d wanted to be a doctor much, much more.
He shook his head at the thoughts. He hadn’t seen Kathryn Thatcher in years. What did he know of her now?
Nothing. Not one thing other than she was still as pretty as an Easter lily and still had the uncanny ability to make him want to take care of her.
For one minute there, after he’d lowered the Glock 44 and while she gazed at him with shock and fear, he’d wanted to take her in his arms. For comfort purposes only, of course.
Kat. He hung his head for a moment and contemplated the wooden porch. Long ago he’d dealt with losing his first love, but seeing her again stirred some deep and elemental longing to set things right. They’d left a lot of business unfinished.
His conscience began to nag.
Finding Kathryn in his kitchen had been a shock he hadn’t been prepared for. He’d come in, guns blazing like some Wyatt Earp cowboy and scared her to death, but that hadn’t been enough for the big-city cop. Oh, no. He’d had to intentionally bait her about the cottage, too. He still hadn’t figured that one out yet.
He studied his reaction for a minute, wondering if, in some juvenile way, he wanted to hurt her. He didn’t. She had been hurt far more than he by their carelessness as teenagers. After the baby, they’d drifted apart, too guilt-ridden and ashamed to discuss what they both must have been feeling. He hadn’t understood the reaction then. All he’d understood was Kat’s abandonment.
He didn’t blame her for that. Maybe he once had, but not now. Interesting how fifteen minutes with Kat had resurrected a memory he’d buried for years.
From the local talk, he knew she had never married, never had more babies. He had. God had blessed him in a thousand ways, even if Rita had killed him and their marriage with her infidelity.
As a Christian he should have been able to make his marriage work, but he’d failed somehow. Failed Rita. Failed his daughter. Most of all he’d failed God, but he didn’t know what to do about it. Rita had been the one to file for divorce, and as hard as he’d tried to stop her, she’d divorced him anyway. Nothing much a man could do about that, Christian or not.
But in truth, their
