Taming Kate

Chapter Two

Richmond, Montana

“What? Are you kidding me?” Kate’s horror mounted as she listened to Blanche’s confession.

Blanche shook her head mournfully. “I’m sorry, Katy.”

Kate fought back her tears of frustration and disappointment. “Damn you, Blanche!” She narrowed her eyes at her sister. “I trusted you with that money! How could you just leave it there?”

“I’m sorry, Kate. Really, I am. I just got so muddled when everything happened at once.”

“Happened at once? You were at the movies, for God’s sake! What the hell could possibly have happened?”

“I dropped my purse as the lights came on, and Dennis was pulling my arm to get out of there before the crowds. I didn’t have time to make sure the money hadn’t fallen out. I’m sorry!”

“You were the one who asked me about making the deposit. I trusted you.” Kate leaned over the counter and glared at her, shaking an upraised fist. “That money was for the children! I trusted you!” She waved her hand around the store, its shelves and racks of clothing crowding the small space. “I don’t take a bloody penny in profit from

this place. It all goes to the hospital,” she snarled. She felt crushed, unable to bear the thought of those sick little ones not getting everything they needed to recover.

“I know!” Blanche wailed. “It won’t happen again!”

“You’re damn right it won’t happen again. That was the first and last time I trust you with the deposit.” Kate slammed shut the drawer of the register. “Now get your Donna Karan-wearing, red-nail-manicured ass out of my store!”

Just then, the bells on the front door jingled. She looked up to see Dennis Halligan, Blanche’s fiancé. Kate narrowed her eyes. God, the sight of him made her blood boil. He wasn’t a man, really, but a snake in a monkey suit after her father’s money. And Blanche was too stupid, too taken in by Dennis’s angelic appearance --the streaky blond hair and baby-blue eyes --to see it. The two of them together churned her stomach.

Dennis’s gaze alighted immediately on the sobbing Blanche. He shot an accusatory look at Kate. “What happened here?”

“Your blushing bride was getting a talking-to about responsibility. And you should get one too, letting her lose that money for the children’s hospital. The money I’ve worked my ass off to get for those kids.”

Dennis held up a hand. “Now just hold on. What fault is it of mine?” He put an arm around Blanche, who dropped her head to his shoulder.

Kate sneered, teetering on the edge of physically throwing them out of her thrift shop. She knew she was overreacting, but her upset over the money took over. “Never you mind, monkey boy. Why don’t you just go comfort Sarah Heartburn somewhere else?”

Dennis shook his head. “The way you speak to people. One of these days, Kate, someone’s going to teach you some manners.”

Kate perched her hands on her hips. “Oh, yeah? Well it isn’t going to be you, lover boy. You aren’t man enough to teach anyone manners.” She suppressed a chuckle at the sight of Dennis’s pale cheeks flushing bright pink.

“Come on, Blanche. Let’s get out of here.”

“What’s the matter, Dennis?” Kate said as they turned to go. “No snappy comebacks?” She chuckled. “You’re a divorce lawyer; you should have plenty of them.”

Baiting him didn’t work. Ignoring her, Dennis ushered Blanche, still sniffling and dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, out onto the sidewalk and past the shop window until they were out of her sight. “Thank God,” Kate muttered, turning back to the box of donations she hadn’t had time yet to sort.

Kneeling down, she began to pull the items from the box. A woman’s ruffled blouse, children’s puzzles, a couple of belts. Nothing spectacular, but all serviceable. She didn’t need to carry the height of fashion in her store, as long as people bought the things and she could give the proceeds to the children’s hospital. She felt fortunate she

didn’t have to worry about income and was able to do this service. She didn’t know why this charity in particular drew her heart, but it did. Kate sighed, feeling a twinge of remorse for speaking so harshly to her sister. They had never been terribly close, but Kate had always felt responsible for Blanche since their mom had died. She didn’t like getting so mad at her, but she couldn’t help it. Blanche’s weaknesses nauseated her, the way she mooned over that asshole. She shuddered to think of that man as her brother-in-law, and she shuddered worse to think of him getting his hands on her father’s ranch.

Well, he couldn’t as long as Kate stayed unmarried. That was her father’s wish. Until Kate herself married, Blanche wasn’t permitted to marry Dennis. If she did, she lost her chance to inherit any but a tiny portion of her father’s estate. Kate smiled as she worked. Carl Rossi wasn’t a stupid man, not in the least. But at the same time, she would be dipped in s**t and rolled down Main Street if she would marry. There wasn’t a man on this earth who stirred her heart. They were all mice, as far as she was concerned.

Besides, her father was ill. Sadness fell over Kate like a blanket. She especially hated that he hid his illness from her. She wanted to confront him, to make him speak openly with her, but she didn’t want to upset him and make the situation worse. At the same time, she was angry with him for hiding it and angry with herself for not confronting him. She loved him in spite of the years she blamed him for being absent after Mom died, and hated the thought of losing him too soon.

Forcing her sadness into the background, a habit of long necessity, Kate continued her work. One of these day, Kate, someone’s going to teach you some manners. Dennis’s words echoed suddenly in her mind. Funny, nothing that jerk ever said before had come up on her. She shrugged and moved to the next box. Anyway, that someone didn’t exist. She wished he did. God alone knew how many countless hours she’d spent imagining what he’d be like and the passion they’d share. He wouldn’t give a s**t about her money, only about her, and she would trust him. She ached to trust someone, but couldn’t --not after Trevor. Her heart had already been ground to bits once. How could she live through it if it happened again?

She sighed. Such a man didn’t exist, and she had made her peace with the harsh reality. She wasn’t going to settle for some limp-d**k gold-digger who wanted to feast off Carl Rossi’s fortune through his daughter. She’d remain alone. Her abstinence made for some lonely nights. But the children at the hospital loved her and looked forward to her weekly visits. That was enough love for her.

Smoky Hill Ranch, Richmond, Montana

Peter stopped his truck and horse trailer in front of Carl Rossi’s sprawling ranch house the following afternoon. Once he’d reached the ranch, the drive to the house had taken nearly twenty minutes. Rossi’s outfit was several times larger than his own, spreading all the way to the smoky hills in the distance. The meadows and fields were dotted with herds of cattle as far as the eye could see.

At the massive front door, a uniformed maid ushered him in and led him to a plush office with overstuffed leather furniture and a massive mahogany desk. “Mr. Manning is here, sir.” She smiled briefly at Peter before closing the door behind her. The high-backed leather armchair behind the desk swiveled around, revealing a handsome, silver-haired man who looked to be in his early sixties. His rugged face was tanned and weathered, and he wore a light gray suit. “Mr. Manning.” He held out his right hand over the desk. “Carl Rossi. I’m so glad you could come. Can I offer you a drink? Bourbon? Scotch?”

Peter shook his hand. “No, thank you. I’d just like you to show me the filly you called about. I brought my own trailer to bring her back with me.”

A strange look passed through Rossi’s blue-gray eyes, and he cleared his throat.

“Please, have a seat. I think a trailer won’t be necessary.”