East of Easy Read online

  He took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair. “Okay,” he said. “Maybe I wasn’t the smartest kid back then. I know I pushed you, but still…that’s no reason to treat me like this. And it sure as hell wasn’t reason enough for you to leave town the way you did.”

  Kate blinked, remembering the night so long ago. Pushed her? He’d been all over her. Too many beers combined with too much testosterone. But she didn’t blame him for that. It was what came afterward. The lies, the rumors, the snickering behind her back and everybody thinking she was easy—just like the sash she’d worn so proudly. Miss Easy County. Her cheeks burned with shame at the thought of how people must have laughed behind her back at the irony.

  By that time the rumors had already been flying. Max must have told half the town he’d gotten lucky with little Kitty Feathers because after that night her name wasn’t worth the paper it was scrawled on. The lies had spread like wildfire and by the time she’d realized her reputation was destroyed, it had been too late to take them back. The worst part was she hadn’t deserved it. She’d kept her virtue, even to this day. But who’d believe her? Everyone—including Max—had been more than willing to believe the worst of her.

  And then it had all come crashing down around her. Her crown, the scholarship it represented, along with all her hopes and dreams—she’d lost it all because of Max’s lies. Time hadn’t healed those wounds. If anything, it had only left deeper scars.

  Kate shook with suppressed fury. She couldn’t deal with this anymore. Seeing Max brought it all back, the pain as fresh as it was ten years ago. She wiped a hand over her eyes, as if she could erase the past.

  “Kitty?” Max reached out and touched her arm.

  Kate jerked away. “No. Don’t call me that.” It was petty, she knew, but Kate was the name of a woman in control of her life, while Kitty was a girl who let events control her.

  Max dropped his hand to his side and stepped back, as if sensing she needed space between them. “Kate,” he corrected. “A lot has changed while you’ve been gone.”

  “Yeah,” she muttered. “Like the fact that you’ve got fifteen kids now.”

  Max blinked in surprise, then roared with laughter. “You could say that. As a matter of fact—”

  “Look,” Kate said, interrupting him. “I’m not here to talk about your personal life. I couldn’t care less.” The statement rang false to her own ears. She straightened her shoulders, forcing herself to face him without a tremor of regret. “I’m here to look out for my family’s interest.”

  Max narrowed his eyes. “A little late for that, isn’t it?”

  Kate’s jaw dropped. How dare he?

  Max grabbed her arm, and this time he didn’t let go when she tried to pull away. “I’m not the villain here,” he said. “If you were so worried about your family, why didn’t you come home and see how hard your mother had to work to make a living? If you thought someone was taking advantage of her, why didn’t you come back to do something about it? Lillian prayed every single day for you to come home.” His voice dropped to a low rumble, like distant thunder. “If you were so worried about protecting your family, then why did you leave in the first place?”

  Kate trembled. How could he even ask? “I had my reasons,” she said. “You of all people should know that.”

  She pulled away and this time he let her go, a look of puzzlement on his face. He shook his head from side to side. “No,” he said. “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”

  Before she could do just that, however, a woman’s voice called out, “Max! Dinner’s ready.”

  Kate glanced at the woman standing at the porch railing. Her sundress fluttered in the breeze and one hand was raised to shield her eyes from the sun.

  “Your wife’s calling,” she said when Max made no effort to move.

  “I’m not married.” He held her with a penetrating gaze. “That’s my sister. You remember Sue, don’t you?”

  Kate nodded. Of course she remembered Sue. They’d been friends once, then competitors. What Kate remembered most was that when she’d been stripped of her crown, Sue had been waiting in the wings to take her place. Sue Connors’ was only one in a long line of betrayals that had kept Kate from coming home again.

  She spun on her heel. Escape was only a few feet away. But there was no escape from the bitterness she harbored inside. She knew from experience that no matter how far she ran, the whispers waited for her, nipping at her self-esteem in the darkest corners of the night.

  From the doorway, Sue Conners watched her brother and Kitty Feathers arguing. She wished Kitty had never come back. Everything had been going just fine, but ever since Kitty Feathers came back to town Max had that sad look in his eyes again. He spent all his time working, as if he could burn off his frustration with physical labor.

  All because of pretty little Kitty Feathers. She’d had it all…looks, brains and any boy she wanted. Everything seemed to come so easy for her—even the title of Miss Easy County. It had been down to the two of them, and Sue had had to fight back bitter tears when they laid the sash over Kitty’s shoulder and placed the crown on her head. As first runner-up, Sue had pretended to be happy, while once again Kitty Feathers got everything—the chance to move on to the Miss Arizona Pageant, along with a scholarship and prizes.

  Then along came Ed Tate with a grudge of his own. Between the two of them they’d destroyed Kitty completely, publicly stripping her of her title and all that went with it. After all, there could be no hint of a scandal associated with the Miss Arizona Pageant. One of the requirements of being a pageant participant was an unblemished reputation in the community. After Ed was done, Kitty Feathers could no longer claim to have good moral character. She’d been stripped of her crown and Sue had been crowned in her place. But the victory had been bittersweet.

  Sue turned away from the doorway, guilt flaming her cheeks. All she’d wanted to do was take Kitty down a peg. But that was a long time ago. She’d been a different person then. And she’d wanted Kitty Feathers out of her way.

  How was Sue to know Kitty would leave town in shame? How was she to know it would hurt the person she cared about most, nearly destroying Max?

  Besides, it wasn’t all her fault. She’d just put a bug in Ed’s ear and he’d done the rest. But as hard as she tried, Sue couldn’t justify what she’d had a hand in doing to Kitty. And she couldn’t think of a way to make it right now. If Max ever found out…

  She didn’t want to think about it. He’d never forgive her. Sue glanced back to where Max stood shaking his head, watching as Kitty turned on her heel and stormed away. Sue hoped Kitty Feathers left town for good this time.

  The sooner she was back in New York, the sooner things would get back to normal here.

  Max watched Kate storm off. “Women,” he muttered under his breath. He’d never understand them. Only when Kate’s car was no more than a shimmering spot on the horizon did he turn and head for the house.

  Sue met him at the porch. “Was that Kate Feathers you were talking to?”

  Max answered with a grunt. He scraped his boots and headed inside, followed by Sue and a thousand questions.

  “I heard she was back in town. How long is she gonna stay?”

  Max shrugged. He didn’t want to talk about Kate, but knew that Sue wouldn’t stop hounding him until her curiosity was satisfied. “Couple of weeks, from what I hear. Then she’s heading back to the big city.”

  Sue exhaled a breath that sounded like a sigh of relief. Max shot a questioning glance in his sister’s direction.

  She shrugged, color rising to her cheeks. “I just don’t want to see you hurt again, that’s all.”

  “I can take care of myself,” he assured her.

  She turned, but not before Max saw a quick flash of worry cross her face. Geez, what was it with him and women today? He couldn’t seem to say anything right. Max washed up then settled down at the table. Unfortunately, his run-in with Kate had spoiled his appetite.r />
  Chapter Six

  Still seething over Kate’s rejection the day before, Ed Tate paced back and forth in his mother’s small kitchen, looking for all the world like a lion confined in a too-small cage. And his mood wasn’t much better than that of a caged lion either. He turned up the volume of his stereo until the pulsing beat of BTO’s “Taking Care of Business” drummed like a war chant through his veins. Oh, he’d be taking care of business all right. Damn straight! And the first order of business was Easy’s own prodigal daughter, Kate Feathers.

  “Uppity bitch,” he growled. “I’ll show her once and for all.”

  And he would too. He’d show Kate Feathers and Max both. Thought they were so much better than everyone else. Always puttin’ on airs and acting too damn good for other people. Even other people who made something of themselves, like pulling themselves up by their bootstraps and becoming deputy sheriff—maybe even sheriff someday. And they still looked down their noses. Just who the hell were they, anyway? Some useless cowboy who was long on charm and short on brains, and a city girl who ran away when things didn’t go her way. Well fuck ’em both. He’d show them who ran this town.

  Ed Tate Jr., that’s who. Yeah. He curled his thumbs beneath his waistband, hitched his pants up and stood straighter. Tipping his head back, he slugged down the last of his beer and slammed the bottle on the counter. He was the man—the man with the badge. Edward Lamar Tate Jr. was a force to be reckoned with, and it was about damn time that certain people in this town realized it.

  Especially people who hadn’t learned their lessons the first time around.

  “Ya find it yet, Ma?” he called out.

  “Not yet,” Ginny Tate yelled back. Her voice was muffled, as if she had her head half buried in a closet, which in fact she did.

  “For Christ’s sake,” Ed howled. “You were married to the man. Didn’t you save any of his stuff?”

  Ginny stormed out of the bedroom, hands on hips, puffing a limp strand of hair off her forehead. “It was a long time ago,” she screamed back at her son. “And we were only married six months before he croaked on me.”

  “Well, if you’d find that damn paper, those six months might end up being worth it.”

  “Oh, it was worth it all right,” Ginny gloated. She’d never forget the look on Lillian’s face when she’d waltzed away with her man. Jebediah Feathers was a handsome scoundrel who knew how to make a woman smile, that’s for sure. And Ginny had done plenty of smiling, wallowing in her triumph over Lillian Feathers.

  But her victory hadn’t lasted long. After only six short months, she’d buried her new husband, along with the pleasure of having something Lillian still wanted. Of course, half the people in town acted as if Lillian were the grieving widow, forgetting that Jebediah Feathers had shared Ginny’s bed for the last six months of his life.

  “Ma!”

  At her son’s warning, Ginny turned and stalked back to the bedroom, muttering under her breath. She didn’t know why Ed was so intent on finding that slip of paper. It wouldn’t hold up in a court of law. If she thought it would, she’d have used it against Lillian a long time ago. She should never have told Ed about it in the first place.

  It just rankled her that Lillian had managed to pick herself up and turn that run-down old shop into the classiest business in town. And now, barely cold in her grave, people were starting to talk about her like she was some kind of saint, running a successful business all these years and raising her kids alone—and don’t think Ginny didn’t see the looks they cast her way when they pointed that out. As if she was some kind of scarlet woman or something.

  The fact that Lillian was dead didn’t dilute Ginny’s resentment. If anything, she was even more determined to prove she was the better woman.

  If Ed’s plan worked, she’d have it all—the shop and the town’s respect. They’d forget that Lillian Feathers ever existed.

  *

  Kate was still seething from her confrontation with Max the day before. She’d gone to the ranch to confront him and he’d put her on the defensive, making her feel weak and ashamed. But she wasn’t done. She’d have it out with him one way or another. Just not today. She was feeling too vulnerable to go on the attack. She needed fortification.

  Only two days behind the counter of the Tea and Crumpet Shop, and if Kate never saw another teapot again, it would be too soon. She needed coffee. Straight, black and pumped up with as much caffeine as the law and Juan Valdez would allow. A cup of that sludge they sold at the corner store wouldn’t do. She needed fresh-brewed—a whole pot of it. She wanted to drown in an ocean of coffee.

  If she had to be here for two weeks, she might as well invest in her own coffeepot. And a thermos, she decided. She could sneak in her own supply of coffee and no one at the Tea and Crumpet Shop would be the wiser.

  Kate stood in the center of the department store’s appliance aisle. Who knew they made so many brands and types of coffeemakers? Her mind went blank. Suddenly making one more decision was just too much to handle. She wanted to go home, to her own apartment, with a Starbuck’s on the corner and not a single cowboy or red pick-up truck in sight. And best of all, no memories to haunt her. No prying eyes watching her every move, judging her and whispering behind her back.

  Her fists clenched, fingernails leaving crescent-shaped depressions in the fleshy pad of her palm. How dare these small-minded people judge her? How dare they take away all of her dreams and never even give her a chance to defend herself?

  And after all this time, why should she still care?

  Kate stood straight, head held high. She wouldn’t let the small-town gossip get to her. Ignoring the throbbing at her temple, Kate grabbed the first coffeemaker she saw, not caring if it brewed ten cups or twelve, whether it had an automatic shut-off or timer or came with its own live-in butler. She just needed a decent cup of coffee until she could get out of this backwater town once and for all. And this time she’d never come back.

  Not for all the tea in China. She grimaced at her own pathetic joke, choking back a sudden wave of hysteria.

  “Kitty? Kitty Feathers, is that you?”

  Kate whipped around at the vaguely familiar voice. The woman balancing a chubby baby on her hip was just as vaguely familiar. A name danced around the corners of Kate’s memory…Carol? Cheryl? Carly?

  The woman advanced on Kate, the baby bouncing with each step. “Oh my God, it is you! I heard you were in town, but I thought you’d left already.”

  The woman threw one arm around Kate and gave her a gentle hug, enveloping her in warmth and the scent of baby powder. The baby burped, adding a current of sweet banana breath to the mixture.

  And just as suddenly, Kate put a name to the face. Cheryl Quillan. They’d been on the pep squad and yearbook committee together. Little by little, more memories slipped into place—picnics and bonfires and pajama parties. Kate was unprepared for the flood of carefree memories, which had for so long been overshadowed by bad ones.

  Kate stepped back and studied the woman before her. The Cheryl she remembered had been younger, thinner. But this older version had the same unruly mass of dark curls and the same sparkling eyes with a devilish glint, as if daring Kate to sneak a cigarette with her in the girls’ room of Easy County High.

  Kate couldn’t help smiling. “Cheryl, you look great!”

  “Nah. You do, though. Has it really been ten years? You don’t look a day older than you did at graduation.”

  The baby reached out and gripped a handful of Kate’s hair. Without missing a beat in the conversation, Cheryl untangled the baby’s fingers with a gentle admonishment. “No, TJ,” she said then turned back to Kate. “Are you staying in town for the reunion?”

  Kate wondered how many times she’d have to answer that question before the two weeks were over. She couldn’t have picked a worse time to be back in town. “No,” she said. “I’m only here long enough to help put things in order while my brother’s away.”

  Cheryl shi
fted the baby on her hip and reached out to squeeze Kate’s hand. “I was sorry to hear about your mother.”

  “Thank you.” And then, to avoid the embarrassed silence that always followed whispered condolences, Kate turned her attention to the baby. “And this little fellow is TJ?”

  “Named after his daddy,” Cheryl said, adoration shining in her eyes as she stroked the baby’s strawberry-blonde peach fuzz.

  TJ gave Kate a toothless smile. His head bobbed. “Da!” he said, either sneezing or confirming that he was named after his father. Kate couldn’t be sure which.

  “Not Tommy John Anderson?” Kate asked, remembering a gangly redhead who was a year ahead of them in high school. If she remembered correctly, he was also president of the Chess Club.

  “That’s the one,” Cheryl confirmed. “It took him long enough to get around to asking me to marry him, but he finally did.”

  “You look happy,” Kate said. It was true. Cheryl had been a bubbly teenager, but now she glowed with an inner contentment. Married life and motherhood obviously agreed with her.

  “I am,” Cheryl said. “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t you come over for dinner Friday night? Unless you have plans…”

  Kate didn’t, other than brooding around a too-quiet house or remembering how Max looked strutting around the shop in too-tight jeans.

  “Isn’t that blasphemous?” Cheryl asked.

  Kate blinked, afraid for a moment that Cheryl had read her thoughts about Max.

  But Cheryl was pointing at the coffeemaker in Kate’s shopping cart. “Aren’t you in the tea business?”

  “Not by choice,” Kate admitted with a smile. “And to be honest, I never really cared much for tea. Coffee is my drug of choice.” She gave Cheryl a conspiratorial wink. “But that’ll be our little secret, okay?”

  “My lips are sealed.” Cheryl made a locking motion over her lips. TJ mistook the gesture for one he was more familiar with and started blowing bubble-smacking kisses in every direction. He was very good at it.