Torn Paper Bags 1-3

Chapter 1

The hair bristled on the back of her neck. What was wrong? That was the third time it did that today. Each time it was accompanied by a queasy feeling in her stomach. Was someone watching her? Kadey spun around and surveyed the area. So much for stealth. No it wasn’t that kind of feeling. It felt more like she’d missed something or done something wrong. It couldn’t be that she forgot to close up the office right. She’d had the other two before that. She mentally traced through her steps just in case. She’d done everything. So maybe it was from earlier. She’d been fine that morning. So yesterday or the days before? It shouldn’t. Those had been good days. Kadey smiled as she recalled her weekend. She’d surprised her husband with a getaway. Life had been a bit to stressful lately and they’d needed the time away together. It had been a challenge to pull off but she’d done it. Glenn had been a bit difficult to convince to go but once they got there she’d got him in the mood, all had ran smoothly. She’d been rather pleased with herself, so that couldn’t have been the cause. It may just be the aftermath. They’d come home to several odd messages on the machine, followed by a long day of catch up in the office. She finally shrugged it off. She swiped her hand at the back of her neck to rub away the feeling. It would be nice to get up to the condo and just snuggle up on the couch. Glenn had left the office early to make a stop on the way home but he should be home now. She saw his car and smiled. She was looking forward to a nice relaxing evening.

She walked in and gave him a quick peck and then walked into the bedroom and changed into jeans and a T-shirt. She felt much better. When she walked back out he was standing in the same spot with a drink in his hands. When he saw her he downed the drink and set it down forcefully. The doomed feeling of the day pored down on her in overload as he turned on her and began to unload. As he spoke his voice became more and more forceful. By the time he had finished explaining that their marriage was a sham and he didn’t love her anymore, didn’t want to be chained to her anymore, and had found someone he did want, his voice was accusatory as though it was her fault.

She stared in shocked silence at him. Her mind ignored the last of his information for the moment. “How long have you felt this way?” She hated the tremor in her voice.

His eyes narrowed as though he thought she was trying to trick him. “Let’s just say it was a short honeymoon.”

“I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me you were having problems? We could have gotten help. We can.”

He exploded. “Me… problems?!” He stepped quickly toward her. She was pretty sure at that point he meant to hit her but she didn’t back away. He stopped short of her. “I don’t want to help us. I want out.”

Had she given way to her emotions in a crisis this would have undone Kadey but that had never been her style. The scratchy feeling in her throat and the tears welling up in her eyes set off a trigger and her demeanor went from one of pain and confusion to control and assessment. “Fine, leave.”

“Oh no. This is my house. You leave! I’ll send what is yours when I get around to it. Shouldn’t be long. I need to make room.”

She caught the implication. “I think not.” She turned and walked into their bedroom. She grabbed her largest suit cases and began filling them.

“I don’t think so!” he screamed at her and grabbed her arm. He yanked her away from the bag.

“Oh please continue. You know I bruise easily. I’d love to have lots of fun pictures to go with the divorce papers.” He backed off almost immediately.

“You take anything and my lawyer will ruin you.”

“Fair enough. Now you go call your lawyer and he’ll tell you that we are in what’s called a partnership, my dear. What’s yours is mine.” She continued grabbing items. She could see he wanted to grab her again but refrained. He pulled out his phone.

Kadey packed a few clothes but went more for mainstream. Her situation as of right now was move as quickly as she could with as much as she could. She looked at it as though there was a fire a mile away the authorities gave her an hour to get her most important possessions. That would have included photos of her marriage and other memorabilia and such. This wasn’t normally. She picked up the phone and called for some help with her boxes. Once that was done she kept filling. When he left the room to talk in secret, she took the opportunity and grabbed her papers. She considered herself an organized woman and all the paperwork she would need would be in this box. She grabbed her laptop and stuck it in one box. She grabbed her desktop tower and put it in another. She didn’t worry about the monitor, it was easier to replace but she had information and programs on the other she didn’t want to lose. She closed the desk tower door. He wouldn’t even notice until she was gone.

She grabbed a few pictures off the wall.

“Take them all,” his voice had an air of venom in it.

She almost retorted but she was in defense mode. Get what needs to be done, done. The door opened and the neighbor boys walked in. They could feel the tension in the air but seeing as they liked Kadey a whole lot more than her snooty husband, they just ignored him and helped Ms. Kadey. She gave them the keys and started them off with boxes. She stayed in the condo to keep an eye on her stuff still remaining. Once the guys had gotten the last of her things she took one last look around. She looked over at the boys. “Thank you.” They smiled back sympathetically and handed her the keys back. They left but didn’t go far. The oldest had decided that he would escort her out to the car and he let her know he’d be waiting for her, making sure to say it loud enough that everyone could hear.

She was almost out the door. She had managed to get out without a word or tear of rage. She had all that she needed to leave this world behind. Kadey stopped at the door. She turned and faced him. The look on his face was a mixture of hatred and disgust. She couldn’t even fathom where those emotions had come from. “I just don’t get it. How can you be the one who ended this marriage and look at me like that?”

“I may have ended this marriage but I didn’t kill it,” he declared. “I mean look at you, do you even have feelings?” he accused. “You’re like a cold fish. After a while you want a warm body in your bed.”

She drove around for a while and ended up at one of the only two places she had to go. She really only had two people in this town she could call friend and one wasn’t due back for a few days. She knocked on the door. Tarrissa opened up. She looked surprised to see her.

“You are not going to believe what happened to me.” She walked in and the two sat down to talk. She spilled it all. Tarrissa’s eyes grew large in disbelief as the story continued.

“Wow, Kadey. I am so sorry.” She sighed. “I knew you two weren’t right for each other,” she sadly reminded her.

Kadey remembered the warning. It hadn’t been the only one she’d gotten. Had she been a blind fool? “I don’t get it. Why now?”

Tarrissa sighed. She took Kadey’s hands in hers. “He found someone else. It needed to be ended. You wouldn’t want him to go on lying to you and cheating on you, would you?”

That was true. “I guess not but it’s just so out of the blue.” She closed her eyes. “He was so cruel.”

“Oh honey, you know Glenn. His defense mechanism is anger. He was nervous about telling you and felt guilty about how it all came about. It’s how he coped.”

Kadey leaned back. “Are you excusing him?!”

“Of course not. He’s in the wrong here and he had no right to take it out on you. I’m just trying to explain the way he acted. You know that’s not him. He’s not like that. He just acted inappropriately in the situation.” The look on her face reminded Kadey of TV Sitcom Psychiatrists. She was ready for this.

A memory flooded her thoughts. “You’ve been seeing a married man.” She didn’t say it to anyone, she just needed to say it out loud. Kadey remembered the day Tarrissa confided in her. Kadey had advised her that if all they said was true and the marriage was over that they needed to come out in open. He needed to leave, not cheat. How ironic was that? But that was a month ago. Why now?

Kadey laughed. “A little upset about our romantic get away, were you?”

Tarrissa’s expression lost that psychiatrist look but she quickly regained it. “I’m sorry that it had to be this way. You two were wrong from each other from the start. I tried to tell you,” she emphasized.

“And you two belong together.” Kadey stood and took a step back. “This is unreal,” she shook from the shock and anger. “I can’t believe I’m in this life. This is a freaking Lifetime special, not my life!”

“Now I know you’re upset but we can talk this out and it’s going to be okay.”

Did she think they were still friends? Was she still deluded that they had ever been friends? Kadey felt numb. She wasn’t sure which betrayal was worse. Tarrissa had been her one constant for seven years.

Kadey made sure to look the woman face to face, eye to eye. “You made your choice. Now live with it. You are not my friend.”

With that declaration Kadey turned and walked out of her life.

Chapter 2

            Travis Stockholm raised his head and searched for the source of the engine he could hear. He shook his head and gave a slight nudge to the man kneeling on the ground twisting the post into the soil. “Check this out.”

            The older man looked up and followed the other’s gaze. He gave a small sigh. It never seemed to fail. Someone always ended up trying to take the shortcut around town and inevitably ended up taking the longcut through his ranch. He wasn’t much in the mood for trying to give some city slicker directions. “Great,” he commented sharply under his breath.

            Travis grinned. He liked it when the old man was annoyed. He always got this look on his face that cracked Travis up.  “Shall we let Ms May handle the slickers?”

            “Oh goodness,” he grimaced. “No, thank you.” One of two things would happen if Ms May “handled” the situation and neither one was to his liking. The woman always went to one extreme or the other. He would have insulted, angry travelers complaining to the sheriff when they finally found their way back to town or he’d have house guests. “One of us had better head over there.” He made no move toward his horse.

            “One of us, meaning me.”

            “Yup,” he nodded in agreement. “Thanks for volunteering.”

            “Ha!” Travis mounted his horse and turned toward the house. “I’ll be back shortly. Well, depending on their ability to take simple instructions. Bet you five that they have a right nice navigation system in that car that they just can’t quite figure out.”

            “Yeah, a car that nice is bound to. Maybe you can program it for them.”

            He got another ha for his suggestion. “Not likely. They’re not about to let me put my grungy cowpoke hand into that fine vehicle.” With a quick laugh at his declaration he heeled his mount and headed out. “Yah!”

The car pulled to a stop just inside the house grounds. Travis pulled up on his mount as a very attractive woman stepped from the car. He eased towards her as she did a full spectrum turn and surveyed the area. He did a little surveying himself. This was one set of directions he wouldn’t mind doling out.

“You take a wrong turn?” he asked in his sexiest drawl.

She turned to him. She took the time to study him before answering. He flashed her his matching smile but neither seemed to impress her. She kept a neutral look on her face as she answered him. “No, I don’t recon I did.” She glanced around again. It looked different. She was definitely in the right place but some things had definitely changed. Course eight years could do that to a place. “Does Dan Mitchum still own this ranch?”

Travis was unable to hide his surprise. This was turning out quite differently than he expected. He tried not to look to disappointed that he wasn’t going to be able to rescue her in her time of need. “He does at that,” Travis answered. “You know ol’ Dan, do yah?”

She locked eyes with him a moment. He wanted to pull his horse back but he held his space. It wasn’t a cold hard stare and there was no malice in her eyes but something about her demeanor made him want to back off. She blinked and finally released him from her grip. He had a strange feeling that she could see something in him when she looked at him like that. He wasn’t a bad guy, at least in his estimations, but there was a thing or two he didn’t want her digging up through the depths of his eyes. Ok, now you’re being stupid, he told himself. She can’t see through or inside you. There was something familiar about her eyes. He gave her another quick look over. He was pretty sure he’d never met her before. He stopped a wry grin from forming; he would definitely remember that body.  She also didn’t give any indication that she knew him either. So what was familiar?

“It’s been a while but yeah, I know him.” She leaned her weight back on her right foot. “He know you call him that?”

Travis grinned his “Oh so sexy” grin again. “O I reckon there’s not much he doesn’t know.” He laughed to himself. If the ol’ boy did know he sure didn’t let on but Dan really did have a tendency to know everything. “You want me to go and fetch him for you?”

She seamed thoughtful. “He workin?”

“Yeah,” Travis nodded toward the hill. “Fencing. Over there a ways.”

“Near the snake pit?”

Again Travis was too surprised to hide it. “Yeah,” he answered slowly. Who was this girl? “It won’t take but a few minutes.”

She stared off into the direction. “No. If there’s work, there’s work. I can wait.” She looked over at the house.

Travis shrugged. She apparently understood ranch life. “Alright.” He jerked his head in the direction of the house. “Ms May is up at the house. She’ll see to you until Dan gets back.”

She half heartedly chuckled under her breath. He barely heard it and might have thought it was in his head if she hadn’t had a look on her face which indicated that she understood quite well how Ms May would see to her. “Alright,” she echoed back.

He pulled at the reigns to turn back and stopped abruptly. “You got a name?”

She gave him a wry look. “By a funny coincidence, I do.” She answered smartly.

He grinned. “Funny?”

“Well, not ha ha funny.”

“Okay,” he drew out. “How ‘bout, what’s your name, ma’am?”

She gave him a look that in no way mistook how she felt about being called ma’am. He liked it. “Kade. My name is Kade.”

“Kade?” he questioned more to himself than her. That was a different name for a girl if he’d ever heard one. “Did your dad want a boy?” he teased.

Kadey shrugged off the question. “You’d have to ask him.”

Travis stared at her. She was looking around at the land again. “You got a last name?” The question was out before he could stop and correct it.

She looked back at him, that wry look once again on her face. “By an even funnier,” this time there was an obvious ironic slant to her voice, “coincidence, no, I don’t. I’m between last names at the moment.”

He could easily see the obvious lack of humor in her statement. He wouldn’t touch that one with a ten foot pole. “Alright. If you’re still here, I’ll catch you later.”

She nodded but said nothing as he turned his horse and nudged her to go. “Yah, let’s go.”

He still had a bemused grin on his face when he reached Dan. She was something else that one. He slid out of the saddle and jogged the few steps to the fence. Dan had the wire pulled taunt and just needed a staple over it. “Good timing.”

Travis nodded. “I am known for my excellent timing,” he agreed. He pounded the staple in then reached down into the box for a second one. “That’s the kind of stranger one would like to give directions to.”

“Must have been a looker,” Dan commented with a shake of his head.

“Sure was,” Travis agreed, “to say the least.”

Dan pinched the next wire between the claw of his hammer then pulled it tight up against the wooden post. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

Travis placed the next staple and struck it with his own hammer. “I wouldn’t say enjoyed.”

This brought a chuckle from Dan. “Unaffected by your charms?”

Travis grunted. “She didn’t give much away, that’s for sure. But definitely good to look at.”

Dan let up on the wire. He shook his head at the boy. “You ever going to grow up?”

“This wouldn’t be the find a good woman and settle down speech is it?” He playfully provoked the older man.

It was Dan’s turn to grunt his answer. As he kneeled down for the third wire he realized that he hadn’t heard the car during its exit. “Where’d she need directions to?”

“She didn’t,” Travis answered grabbing two staples.

Dan sighed. Sometimes getting straight answers from these kids was harder than pulling a bobcat’s teeth. “Well what’d she want then?”

“She wanted to talk to owner of this fine establishment.”

Dan groaned. This wouldn’t be any fun. “She didn’t say it like that, did she?”

Travis grinned. “No, but she asked for you by name.”

That sounded a bit better. “Business type?”

Travis shrugged. “Could be. She held herself like she could be but she wasn’t dressed for it.”

“Hmmh. Wonder what she wants.” He looked at the stretch of fence he had left to do. “So much for finishing today.”

Travis shrugged. “She wasn’t in a hurry. I asked if she wanted me to fetch you. She said if there’s work to do there’s work to do and she’d wait.”

Now that was odd. Most folks, at least those who had never worked on a ranch or farm didn’t understand the lack of set hours. He reached over for the last wire. “She got a name?”

Travis resisted the urge to copy her answer. “Yep, different one than I’ve ever heard.”

Good grief, Dan thought, just tell me. “Travis,” he shot him a look. “Can’t you just answer a question the way you know it should be answered?”

Travis laughed. He’d still managed to answer as smart as she had. “Sorry, boss.”

Dan resumed his task. “Well?”

“Oh yeah, sorry. Kade. She said her name was Kade.” Something about the way Dan’s body stiffened grabbed Travis’ attention. He watched in marvel as the man he knew to be unshakeable, slowly stood and turned toward him, obviously shaken. That’s when he finally put the pieces together. He saw in his friends face what was familiar about the girl. “Now that I think about it, boss, she has your eyes.” He knew that the boss had a long lost daughter but no one really talked about her and he couldn’t recall anyone having dropped her name. “She’s much purdier than you but definitely those eyes.”

Dan looked off toward the house. They couldn’t see it from where they stood but he looked as if he expected the hill to jump to the side and reveal her standing before him. “She said she would wait?”

The amusement Travis had been feeling at the situation disappeared. He didn’t like this one bit. Daniel Mitchum was the steadiest and strongest man he’d ever met. Nothing shook him. He never gave away anything he didn’t want to. Travis heard more emotion in that one sentence than he had heard from the man in the entire three years he had worked for him. He followed the man’s gaze. Maybe he shouldn’t have left her standing there. He could have escorted her to the house before he came out. Something told him he might very well lose his job if she pulled out and headed on through. “She said she would, yes.”

Dan looked at the fence then back toward where the house stood. Travis did not like this one bit. “Look, let’s just pull this last wire then I can plant the rest of the posts myself and we can finish the wire out later.”

Dan nodded and bent back over for the wire. He hooked it and pulled it. Travis leaned over to put in the staple. The wire slid an inch and Travis jumped back. If Dan lost that it could whip up and strike him in the face. A barb lodged in his cheek wasn’t how he wanted to end the day.

“Sorry,” Dan murmured. He re-pulled the wire.

Travis got the staple in a bit faster than normal. “Got it,” he declared so Dan could let go.

Dan stood up and started gathering his own gear. Travis watched perplexed. He wasn’t sure if Dan was just being the thorough man he was or if he was stalling. Travis hoped it was the former. He didn’t believe Dan Mitchum had a yellow streak in him, not even a small one.

“Go on Dan, I’ve got the rest. Go see your kid.” Travis remembered the rest of his news. “Before you go,” Dan sidestepped the horse to see him, “she a…has a weddin ring.” He paused. “But when I asked her last name she said she didn’t have one. She was between last names.”

Dan didn’t speak. He just nodded and carefully mounted his horse. Without a word of goodbye he turned and started toward the house at a mild gallop.

“That was weird,” Travis declared. Then with a sigh and a shake of his head he turned and got back to work.

Dan rode to the barn. He ought to jump off and run into the house but he had a responsibility to his animals to care for them properly or so he told himself. As he hung the bridle by the door on his way out he noticed the tremor in his hands. Pull yourself together, he demanded. He paused outside the door. Please pull yourself together, he pleaded. He took several deep breaths. Ok, Lord, I need some help here. Don’t let me mess this up. He stepped through the door and carefully closed it behind him. He half expected Ms May to thunder into the living room and demand to know what took him so long.

There was no one. He listened carefully and heard some sounds from the kitchen. He walked in and looked around. Beside a surprised Ms May there was no one there.

“I didn’t expect you back this soon,” she declared.

“Where is she?” he demanded, ignoring her surprise.

She looked at him obviously confused. “Who would that be?”

Panic welled up inside his chest. He hurried to the window. The car was still there. He hadn’t imagined it. “The car is here. She has to be here.”

“What are you fussin about?” She looked out the window and saw the car. “I didn’t hear it pull up. Who’s here?”

“Where would she go?” He chewed on his lip as he thought.

“Daniel! You’ve turned eight shades of green. Who?”

He finally looked at her. “Kadey.”

It was her turn to turn colors. “Kadey’s come home?”

He started to nod but it came out as a half shrug. Maybe Travis was wrong. What if Travis was wrong? A tight knot formed in his stomach. “We thought someone was lost. Travis went out to give them directions. He said her name was Kade. She said she’d wait.”

“He just left her there!” she accused. “Why didn’t he escort her into the house?”

Dan couldn’t help but smile, even through his panic. “So you could chain her to the chair.”

“Darn right!” she declared.

He calmed at her panic. So long as someone was wigging out he could hold it together. As he calmed his brain began to work again. He knew where she was. He walked to the far window and stooped down to get a better look. Eureka. “Thank you, Lord.” He turned and beamed at Ms May. “We’ll be back.” He briskly walked out the door and followed the path up the hill behind their home.

Standing there, leaning against the fence was his baby girl. She stood exactly in the same spot he had found her in a hundred times. For a moment he floated away on a memory. Frozen in time and space he stood staring. Travis wasn’t wrong. She had grown into a fine woman. She had a figure a bit shapelier than her mothers. He had seen pictures of his own mother at that age and he would guess the girl took after her. He had always thought as much. He tried to speak but nothing was working correctly. Oh please, Lord. He didn’t even know exactly what to pray.

“I have yet to be proven wrong about this view,” she said.

He wasn’t even sure she was talking to him. She gave no indication that she knew he was there. Course he wasn’t exactly a light stepper. She was sure to have heard him walk up the path. He wasn’t sure if he could respond yet and didn’t know how to.

“There’s beauty all over this world, some I’ve seen in person other just on media, but none that has ever touched me the way this land did.”

He gritted his teeth at her wording. Had he hoped that everything was just magically going to be better? Hope. That’s all he had when it came to his baby. He would hold on to it. He pulled his emotions together. If it was to be a fight, he was ready. She turned to him. The breath left his body as fast as it would have had a sledge hammer struck his chest. There was no fight in her eyes. There was nothing. He had never seen a more defeated woman in the whole of his life. He would give anything at that moment for anger to flare in her eyes and for her to start layin into him like she had the last time they were together. There was nothing. He choked back his emotions. He didn’t know what was going on, but she was here and that was all that mattered. He understood what Travis meant about her not giving away anything. She was completely neutral.

They just looked at one another. At fifteen she had already been growing into a beautiful young woman. At 23 she far exceeded his expectations. He was stunned how closely her features were to his mothers at that same age, though her own mother was there as well. She got the best of them all. He would have given anything to know what she was thinking right then. Well maybe not. It was probably about how old he looked.

Kadey gazed at the father she had not seen for nearly eight years. He looked just how she remembered him, though perhaps there was a bit more grey at his temples. The longer she looked the more she could see the time in his features. The lines in his face were a bit more defined. His eyes had lost some of the color she remembered. He was just as handsome as she remembered.  She had always been proud of the way men and women had responded to her dad. The men respected him and the women looked just a bit longer than they might should. Even her mother had enjoyed the envy of the woman in town. He had only had eyes for his “girls”.

Travis was not the first to wonder if her father had wanted a boy but after a few minutes spent with the two of them, no one ever asked the question again. The two of them had been the world to each other. She was his best girl and he made sure everyone knew it. She couldn’t help but snort a little at the thought. Maybe that had done it. Her mother was jealous at a drop of the hat. Perhaps she envied their relationship. It didn’t matter anymore but it did explain the satisfaction on her mother’s face when Kadey had declared she would not return to the ranch.

She shook herself out of her reverie. She hadn’t been able to think of what to say to him. She wasn’t about to explain. She didn’t have any desire to talk about it with anyone let alone him. So what should she say? The simple truth, she guessed.  “I don’t have anywhere else to go right now. Can I stay for a bit?”

He wanted to say something along the lines of “stay forever” but knew it would be counter productive. So he nodded and said, “that’d be good.” He could tell that she was in no mood or condition to deal with emotional outbursts of any sort. She needed him to be steady. She might not choose to lean on him but he could sense that she needed him to be lean-able none the less. “Your room is still your room. Do you have supplies to unpack?”

The right tip of her mouth rose slightly at his choice in words. He was her dad all right. “Yes, sir. I do.”

He nodded. “Okay, you’d best say you’re greetin to Ms May before we start unloading. You might be a tad sorry if you don’t.”

She grinned this time but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Chapter 3

Ms May took her fine time sizing Kadey up. Kadey had received a lot of tsks from this woman over the years but never so many in one sitting. She tsked the highlights in Kadey’s hair down to the tennis shoes she was wearing. It wasn’t so much disapproval as not having had the opportunity to put her two cents worth in. Most might be annoyed with the appraisal but Kadey found it oddly comforting. She had never been squeezed so tightly in her life. She had thought the woman might be part boa constrictor. Every time she let out a breath the woman’s arms had tightened. One could not mistake her age for weakness. Her father finally had to save her. Now between the “needs fattening up” and “a might sickly” statements, Kadey actually felt at home. She glanced at her father who was obviously enjoying Ms May’s ranting. She finally took a breather to fix dinner.

Kadey took the time to unload her car. Her father helped her in silence. She couldn’t help but appreciate his tack. She had been dreading the probing. Only it hadn’t come. Ms May wouldn’t be Ms May if she hadn’t fussed but neither had pushed her one bit to talk about why she was there. She wondered for a fleeting moment if maybe they just didn’t care. She dismissed that idea at once. It was human nature to be nosey. Even if she’d been a stranger they would have wondered what was going on. They were in the very least curious.

She stood by her car having just checked it for the last of her things. She had cleaned it out of everything she’d brought. She’d taken care to carry the paperwork box herself. Looking back on the events of that day she couldn’t believe she’d had the foresight to grab it. Had she known subconsciously the whole time that she might need these things? She glanced at her watch. It was the 12^th. It had taken her two days to get here. She shouldn’t delay if she could help it. She stepped back from the car and looked it over. No one was there to see but her eyes lit with anger if only for a moment.

“So, you’re stayin for a bit after all,” a voice floated toward her.

She turned to her right and saw Travis walking toward her. She sized him up again. He wasn’t what she had expected in one of her father’s hired hands. He was around her age, maybe a bit older. He was rather handsome and he knew it. He had a charm to him and he knew it. He was a cocky country playboy and he knew it. One thing she had noticed and liked, when he smiled it reached his eyes. Time could prove different but he didn’t seem the type who needed to hide behind any exterior. Even her father kept his emotions well masked but Travis didn’t seem to care to take the time to do so. That and the fact that her father chose him to work beside told her that he was probably a good guy, despite the playboy antics.

“Seems that way,” she agreed. She knew that she could be friendlier but she didn’t much feel like it. Maybe tomorrow.

“Be a nice vacation.”

There was something in the way he said it that struck her wrong. The glint in his eyes confirmed her suspicions. He was trying to get her goat. He’d have a hard time finding it, at least for today. She was too numb to respond today. She looked back at the car. It had to be today, she thought to herself. Just get it done.

She turned toward the house and with a quick glance at Travis, headed in. He followed behind whistling an upbeat tune. Her fingers twitched against her leg. She could hear each note as he whistled but didn’t recognize the tune. Mentally she wrote the notes down on paper, stored till she could get back to it later. She walked into the kitchen at exactly 12:30. Ms May checked the clock as they came through. It was never wise to show up to a meal late with Ms May. Well, unless it was ranch business that couldn’t wait but anything else was a quick death sentence.

She sat down and quietly waited for the routine she remembered well. She would have helped with the food but she’d already been refused her help. So she waited as the food was set on the table. Then her father prayed. She watched him as he bowed his head and folded his hands together. She listened to the sound of his voice but ignored the words. She didn’t want it to but she couldn’t help but feel at home in that moment. She was still watching him when he raised his head. It was obvious to him that she hadn’t prayed with them but he didn’t say anything or indicate disapproval. He simply continued with the meal.

She ate in silence. It could have been awkward but Travis made sure that silence wasn’t a problem. She half listened to the conversation but didn’t get too invested. She knew that they would continue on the fence after dinner then after supper later tonight he wanted to give Kojak another try. She drifted off at something about that horse “having a mean streak” and “worthless as an angry rattlesnake”. She snapped back at the sound of her name. She focused on Travis.

“You have plans today?” he asked again.

She cocked her head slightly to the side and gazed at him. He was amazed how she could send a definite message without actually looking cold or being rude about it. It was as though she sent every negative message through with a tinge of amusement to soften it. Well, he amused her. That was something.

She waited a moment mulling her options. She felt no obligation to tell him anything that was not of his business but on the other hand it made a good segue way. “I need to go into the city after dinner,” she admitted. There was a smaller town about forty five minutes away and a good sized city a ways beyond that. It wasn’t huge but it would do for what she needed. When she came out of her thoughts she felt eyes boring into her. She looked at Ms May. Kadey’s brows rose in question. “That a problem?” she asked.

“Not at all,” she was quiet a moment. “I actually have a few errands. Mind if I come along?”

Kadey studied her. For the first time since she’d come home she felt guilty about her absence. “That’d be fine by me,” Kadey agreed.

The relief she saw in Ms May and maybe even her father pulled at those guilt strings but she pushed them away. It hadn’t been her choice, she assured herself.

The ride was mostly taken in silence. Kadey was lost in thought and Ms May was content to let her get a little lost in silence. Occasionally though, when thoughts turned to painful subjects, Ms May would bring up a short conversation. It didn’t dawn on Kadey that it was purposeful until just before they got into city limits. The older woman was watching her. Kadey always did reveal too much when she wasn’t paying attention. The woman knew she was thinking where she ought not to think for now. Kadey smiled. It felt good to have someone watching out for her.

“It okay if I drop you off and pick you up in a bit.”

Ms May’s brows narrowed in response.

Kadey finally laughed and for the first time in days it was an honest laugh. “I’m not going to just ditch you. I wouldn’t dare,” she added.

Ms May leaned back and studied her. “Okay, that’d be fine.”

Kadey waited for the man to approach. When one did she was surprised by who it was. He didn’t seem to recognize her and that suited her fine for the moment. He flashed a smile at her that was a bit to genuine for his profession. She wondered if he made good money. “How can I help you?”

“Well,” she drawled slowly. “I’d like to unload this car.”

He looked at the car then eyed her suspiciously. She knew exactly what he was thinking, why would anyone want to unload this car? It probably cost more than his house and he had a descent home. He was trying to size her up and she realized it wasn’t to see if he could get a good deal for himself. He was afraid she was a car thief. “Well, I can help you with that,” he said slowly. “You have the paperwork?”

She smiled. “Sure do.” She handed the title over to him. She pulled out her ID and insurance information to support her claim of ownership.

He read over it silently. She could tell the exact moment he came to the names. He looked at the name, then up at her, down and up again. “Kadey?”

She chuckled. “Hello, Mr. Donovan.”

His mouth dropped. “Wow,” he looked as though he wanted to give her a hug, but managed to hold back. “You seen your daddy?” he asked matter of fact.

“Yes, sir. Earlier today.”

He nodded his approval. “Well, let’s go look at the blue book.”

“Mr. Donovan,” she interrupted. “You are my father’s friend so I trust you. I’m going to lay this out and let you go with it.” She had his attention. “I would like a trade in, a fair price, and I’d like you to come out well in this. You go check out the blue book and I’ll go check out cars.”

He gauged her for a moment then nodded in agreement. “I’ll get things in order.”

It didn’t take long to find her vehicle. It had a grand total of 37 miles on it. The perfect make, model, color, and package. It was the one she had wanted since she was old enough to want a car. The price wouldn’t even make a dent in her BMW’s price range and that actually made her like it even more.

Mr. Donovan caught up to her as she stared it over. He could see the salivating look on her face and knew she’d found her fit. “You do realize while a fine outfit, it doesn’t even stand in the same category as the car you have now.”

“I know. Isn’t it great?”

He smiled, though there was a touch of sadness in it. He wasn’t sure what was going on but this was a decision out of grief and he wasn’t sure what he should do. She was his oldest friends baby girl who none of them had seen for eight years. He had to do right by her.

“Mr. Donovan,” she said reassuring. “I am thinking straight. This is very much what I want. You needn’t worry about it. I promise I won’t regret this one bit.”

“Okay, Kadey. I trust you not to get me into your father’s bad graces.”

“You are very safe.”

He showed her a number. She looked up at him with a grin. “Is your boss doin a little dance?”

“Yes,” he admitted.

She smiled. “You getting good of it?”

“Fair enough.”

“Make it a bit more fair and it’s a deal. I wouldn’t want to be in Dan’s bad graces either when it comes to his people.” She joked.

She could tell in an instant he didn’t like that she referred to her dad by his name. That he’d just have to deal with. He decided to let it go. It wasn’t his business and it’d work out in the end, he was sure. “Okay. I’ll get the keys, the paperwork, and the check.”

She followed him to the office. He started the paperwork. “Um,” he paused a long moment. “You have a secondary name on the BMW. Do you…” he stopped.

“Just my name, if you please.”

He nodded and did so.

Kadey made two more stops in her new outfit before she stopped to pick up Ms May. She half expected the woman to be outside waiting with a lookout party. As it was she had to go in after her. As she did she walked by a music department. She saw Ms. May up the walk a ways and nodded to her. Ms May indicated she was on her way, so Kadey just stood and waited for her. She stared at the keyboard in front of her. It was a sweet piece of musical machinery. It was the BMW of keyboards, a fact that actually didn’t take from its appeal in this instance. The sales associate walked up to her. His smile suited his profession. It was genuine but the man was a salesman. She looked full at his face and realized she knew him as well. Had everyone moved to the city in her absence?

“Mr. Cole.”

He was surprised at her recognition. “Yes.” He didn’t recognize her but she could tell he was searching to whether or not he was going to admit to it.

“Nice equipment,” she rescued him.

“Indeed,” he smiled.

“Do you write music?”

“Ahh, yes and no. I write a lot in my head but I rarely get it down to paper. I have the software,” she indicated their recommended software, “but I’ve never taken the next step.”

He studied her. Something was familiar the longer they spoke. “This would most definitely be the best to go with it. Do you play any other instruments?”

“I can write for most. I can play a good many sufficiently and a few rather well. Though it’s been a while since I had my fingers on the ivory.”

Ms May stepped up next to her silently. Mr. Cole looked from one to the other and recognition shone in his, though he didn’t let on to it. He looked down at Kadey’s fingers, then at the key board then back up to her. “You haven’t been playing?”

“Not piano, not for a while.”

To her surprise his face got a distinct scolding formation on it. “That’s just about as near a sin as you can come.”

“Excuse me?” It was the oddest thing she’d ever been told.

“I have never heard or seen in my life anyone as gifted as you Kadey. You need to be playing.”

She still wasn’t sure how to take it. “That was a rather mixed compliment.”

“It was meant as one,” he agreed.

She looked over at Ms May who looked as though it was a normal everyday comment. The woman most likely agreed with him. Kadey looked over the keyboard again. Truth was she really wanted it but even if she were inclined to buy it she wouldn’t now. Stubbornness prohibited it. “You ready,” she asked the other woman.

“Sure am.” They said their goodbyes to Mr. Cole and headed out.

The drive was again a quiet one. Kadey couldn’t help but notice the amused smile on her companions face the whole drive. She shook her head as they got out of the truck. She was home, that was glaringly obvious. She took Ms May’s things in first and then her own. She stood at the window looking out over the pasture where she had always raced through with her horse, Juxton.

Ms May followed her gaze. “You two were wild and free.”

Kadey smiled. She’d give anything to feel that way again. “Yeah, we sure were.”

Ms May sighed sadly. “He was a good fellow, your Juxton. He passed on last year but he did right by this ranch. He’s got a whole lotta kids out there, grandkids, you name it.”

Pain seared through Kadey at the news. She bit down in her lip to bite back the tears.

Ms May patted her shoulder. “I’m sorry honey but I thought you should know,” the sadness was evident in her voice. “He didn’t suffer. You’re daddy saw to that.”

Kadey nodded. “I’d best get my things from the truck.” Once everything was unloaded onto her bed, she set to sorting her things out. Unpacking gave her a sense of finality or at least longevity. She had mixed feelings about the notion; mixed feelings but somehow content.

“Now who’s here?” Travis took a step towards the road. “Is that them? Did she get a new outfit?”

Dan turned his head. “Looks like it,” a smile spread across his face.

“It wont stay that purty for long.”

“She’s wanted that truck for as long as I can remember.” He took another glance at the truck as it rounded the corner. He grinned again.

“By the look on your face this is a good thing.”

He nodded. He could see the boy was curious and he could use someone to talk to. So long as he didn’t go to into detail he thought it’d be okay. “Earlier I was worried. There was no fire, no nothing in her eyes. I’ve never seen that. I’ve seen her so angry she could have strangled a grizzly with her bare hands and sad eyes that would break your heart.” He shook his head, “but I could hardly bare those defeated empty eyes.”

Travis stared after the dust tracks they had left behind. “And this outfit means what?”

“I don’t know what’s going on for sure but she’s making a pretty big statement. She’s one mad girl and now she’s sloughing off this new shiny hide of hers, hopefully for something better. Either way she’s making some sort of stand here.”

“So you’re happy because she’s ticked off and showing it.”

“Yup.”

“Uh huh.” He nodded. “This family is about to get weirder, isn’t it.”

Dan shot him a dirty look but couldn’t hide the playful edge to it. “I sure hope so.”

Kadey couldn’t sleep. She felt like she hadn’t slept in three days. All she wanted was a blissful escape into nothingness. All she got was the rehashing of memories. Events played over and over in her mind. They changed slightly from reality. She reacted differently each time, saying things she wished she had said. His last biting words resounded in her head. She felt like she was drowning. Glancing at the clock she gave up. It was 4:30 in the morning. She got up and took out a pair of jeans, one of the work shirts she had purchased the day before along with work boots, gloves and other essentials. She put on her jacket. She’d only need it for a while. Once she got going she’d heat up right quick. She stopped at the door.

She’d spotted her father’s hat. She’d forgotten to get a hat. Her fingers lightly caressed the rim; the famous Dan Mitchum hat. It was his favorite possession. He didn’t let anyone touch it. She drifted into a memory.

“You ready to go, sweetheart?” he asked his seven year old daughter.

“Nope,” she answered straight out.

“Well, what do you need? We have work to do.”

“I know daddy, that’s why I’m not ready. I need your hat if I’m gonna help you work.”

He took a step back. “My hat? My favorite, special hat?” She nodded. “No one gets to wear my special hat.”

She leaned against the counter. “That’s too bad, daddy. Can’t work if I don’t got the hat.”

He grinned at her. “I see.” He plopped the hat on her head. It engulfed her. She pushed it back on her head so he could see her face. He was rewarded with the biggest smile he’d ever seen. “Boy you’d better work hard.”

“I will, daddy. You’ll see!” and that she had.

Kadey shook herself from the memory. She looked down the quiet hall. She opened the door but stopped before going through. “This is stupid.” She shook her head disgusted. Checking the hall again and seeing nothing, her hand shot out and grabbed the hat. She was out the door and gone, hat in tow.

Ms May stopped in the hallway. Dan was standing there silently looking at an empty hat rack. She stifled a laugh. He glanced over at her. “What time did she get up?”

“I don’t think she slept. But she finally got up about 4:30 and went out.”

He nodded.

“Problem?” she asked innocently.

He shot her a look that said he knew that she knew the problem already. “She took my hat.”

Ms May nodded. “She sure did, and you just go on pretending that you’re not as pleased as a pup getting scratched behind the ears that she did.”

He huffed.

She returned the huff. “Feels good, don’t it?”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It sure did.

They heard a truck roll in and come to a stop out front. “Travis is here,” she declared the obvious.

“Hmmh.”

She studied him. “Problem?” This time she wasn’t so sure of it.

He gave here a wry look. “I’m wondering if I need to threaten his playboy carryin on tendencies.”

She got it then. She laughed quietly. “She’s a grown woman, Dan.”

“Oh I got that loud and clear. A might too good looking for her own good.”

“She looks like your mamma, though there’s some of Delila in her too.”

He nodded in agreement.

“Travis is a good man. He’ll behave, within reason.”

Dan looked at her. The real problem was Kadey and they both knew it. Neither knew what her within reason was. “A little threat won’t hurt will it,” he asked.

“It will if that girl finds out. She’s in shock now but don’t forget. She burns hot when she has the mind to.”

“I remember.” He couldn’t forget.

“Wow, look here. Not vacationing after all, eh?” Travis flashed his now famous smile.

Kadey reminded herself to keep her goat well hidden. She wasn’t about to let him have it that easy. She checked her watch. “Sleep in?”

He chuckled. “I don’t tend to have to get up too early. Doesn’t take me as long to finish a task as some people.”

Okay, goat, back in the pin. Back, bad goat! Okay, just keep your cool. “Exactly why are you in here?”

“Well, thought you were Dan at first. Knew I was wrong about that when I saw the first stall. It actually looked good so I knew someone else was in here. Just thought I’d check out who it was.” He answered.

Kadey shook her head. How did he transition from goading to complementing so swiftly?

“I heard that,” an un-amused voice chimed in.

The already present grin on Travis’ face widened. She could see that he liked riling up the boss. He turned and looked at the boss then back at her. “Well I’ll be,” he nodded. “I finally see it boss.”

“What’s that?”

“What you see in that hat. She makes that hat look good.”

Kadey barely stifled her laugh. She kept her back to her dad but she knew it did no good. He had an uncanny knack of knowing what she was thinking.

“Don’t you have work to do?” He turned his gaze to Travis.

“Yes sir, I do sir.” Travis tipped his hat to Kadey then walked off. 

She shook her head. Life around Travis wasn’t boring. She’d give him that.

Dan watched her finish up the stall. He waited to see what she’d do. When it was clear she was moving on to the next he stepped up. “Don’t you think that’s enough for today, Kadey?” He posed it as a question but neither of them were mistaken to his intent.

She leaned on the shovel and studied him. “Well, seeing as they’re not all done, I’d say no.”

This would be interesting. “When was the last time you had a shovel in your hands, Kade?”

Ooh, dropping the ending. Daddy’s getting serious. “It’s been a bit.”

“Don’t you think it might be wise to start out a bit light then?” He had to admire her spunk. She was never one to break eye contact or physically back down. She was formidable.

“You don’t think I can do it?”

“I have no doubt what so ever that you can. It’s a matter of if you should.” The corner of her mouth rose ever so slightly. He was getting a definite look from her but it was one he was unfamiliar with.

She looked at the next stall then back at him. He straightened his stance slightly, a move that had intimidated many who had apposed him. It did nothing for him now. Amused, that was the look with the little lip curl. He’d never seen it before because she had never been amused at his expense before. He had a wry feeling he would see it quite a bit from here on out. “Kadey, you’re done for the day. I will finish up.”

She waited a moment, just long enough so both of them knew that it wasn’t intimidation that got to her. This was his ranch and she was under his roof. She would yield to his direction because it was right to do so. “Alright.” She stepped forward and handed him the shovel. Then she plopped the hat on his unusually bare head. She stepped by without a word.

He watched her walk away for a moment. He was about to get to work when she stopped and stared at an empty stall. He grimaced. It had been Juxton’s stall. Putting that horse down had been the second worst day in his life. Afterwards he rode out to be alone and cried like a baby. “He was a good horse,” he said to break the silence. She didn’t respond. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t just shut up then but he kept going on like a fool. “He never was quite the same after you left.” Please can I take that back.

Her head slowly pivoted in his direction. If he’d wanted to see fire in her eyes, he just got his wish. She turned back to the stall. She could see Juxton there almost as if he were. She reached out and flickered her fingers over where his nose would be. She played a quick portion of his tune. Juxton was a quick country song. The kind you could really get swing dancing to. Her father’s horse had been a waltz. The only animal she’d ever heard a waltz over. She had been an elegant animal. Kadey missed that time in her life when she could look at anything and see a song. It had been second nature to her. She hadn’t even known then that it wasn’t normal for everyone. She had loved to play their songs on the piano. Everyone had thought she was some sort of musical genius when she played free style like that but all she was doing was playing the songs she saw around her. She’d lost that ability when she left.

“I’m not surprised. He loved me. He adored me. We adored each other.” She said as she looked at her memory before her. “He would have taken on a full grown grizzly bear to protect me.” She had to chew on her lip to bite back the pain. Her eyes sparkled with tears when she turned her head toward her dad. “I guess I can rest in the knowledge that at least one male in my life would fight for me.” With those jabbing last words she left her father standing heartsick in the barn.

The moment she stepped in the house Ms May walked by and informed her that a bath was being drawn for her. Rebellious anger flashed. Ms May walked back in the room with some ointment in her hands. “I put in Epsom salt so soak for a half hour or so then shower off. When you get out put some of this on your hands so they won’t blister as badly.”

Kadey would have normally just shaken her head and found the mothering comical but fuelled by the bout with her father she was in no mood. Ms May must have sensed Kadey’s mood for she suddenly stopped short and turned toward her. Ms May leaned her weight back on her right heel, straightened up, and waited for Kadey to throw her fit. Kadey stopped short. She didn’t even get a word out. She’d watch many a grown man falter to Ms May when she was younger. They all treated her with an air of respectful fear and Kadey had been no fool. If grown men, including her father, would not tangle with the woman then she would not dare to do so either. Now a grown twenty three year old she still would not dare. “Fine,” she grabbed the ointment with as much of an indignant air as she would dare and headed to the bathroom. She had never in her life purposely back talked the woman, at least not to her face. And the few times she’d been brave enough to mock her behind her back, she’d later had a notion that the woman somehow had known about it. As she closed the door behind her she looked into the mirror and made a mocking face. She laughed out loud at herself. Ms May would know the moment she looked at her that she’d just done that. It would be written all over her face.

She sighed and pulled her gloves off. Her hands were showing signs of the wear and tear. She rolled her shoulders. Yep, those were too. She’d be thankful for the bath. She hadn’t really liked being ordered what to do but she’d have hated it even more if she couldn’t walk tomorrow and saw the “told you so’s in their faces. One thing for Ms May, even when Kadey had followed an order unwillingly she had looked back and saw that it had been for her own good. As a teenager she’d hated that fact even more. Now as an adult she appreciated it a little more. As she slunk down into the water it occurred to her that was yet another problem in her past. She’d always shown Ms May the proper respect with only a minor infraction here or there concurrent with her age. She had not been as gracious with her own mother.

She could remember easily several times when she’d been fighting with her mother and it had been Ms May that had shut her up. The last had been the worst. Kadey had just turned fifteen. She and her mother were having a yelling match over who cares what. They were like oil and water and it didn’t take much to get them started. Ms May walked into the room horrified. “You do not speak to your mother in that manner!” was all she had to say and Kadey had silenced and backed off immediately. She’d even apologized without prompting. She’d headed to her room and was closing the door when her mother’s voice boomed behind her. She’d turned around and stood listening to her mother wailing at Ms May for ten minutes about how Kadey was her daughter and Ms May would butt out of their business. Kadey had never heard her mother be so disrespectful or out right mean before. Kadey had not risen to her mother’s snares after that. She’d been as obedient as she could. “What good that did,” she muttered to herself.

It had only been a few months after that day that Kadey’s world had fallen apart. Kadey slipped into the past before she could stop herself. She was fifteen again, back from a wonderful ride on her best friend Juxton. She almost didn’t walk into the house. Hindsight, she wished she hadn’t.

Her father stood furthest from her. He looked remarkably limp to her and she’d never seen him look quite so…weak. The hair on the back of her neck immediately stood and every sense heightened. She was in fight or flee mode and she wanted to flee but she stood her ground. “What’s going on?”

There was a man standing near her mother in a grey suit. He looked oddly smug. Her mother showed no emotion. She was calm and rather matter of fact. “There’s no easy way to tell you so I’m just going to say it. I’m leaving your father.”

Kadey had relaxed a little. She leaned up against the counter. “Okay, well, if that’s your decision I’ll abide by it. You will write?” She’d known that she should have acted more upset, but she wasn’t. Maybe she had seen it coming.

“Kadey,” her mother paused, possibly just for effect, “you’re going with me.”

“The hell I am!” It had been the only time she had ever dared swore in front of her parents. She very much expected a swift reprimand, but when she looked at her father there was none. He wouldn’t look at her. That was not a good sign. “I’m staying. Daddy, tell them I’m staying!” she demanded.

He finally looked up at her. She hated what she saw in his face. He was defeated, he was empty. She’d never seen him that way. He shook his head. “It’ll be okay, Kadey. You’ll visit. Holiday’s coming up, it won’t be long.”

“Daddy, no! No! I want to stay with you.”

“I know you do, sweetheart, but it’s just not possible.”

“Yes it is. Daddy, fight for me. You have to fight for me!”

She’d begged and pleaded but it had made no difference. His eyes told her that he wouldn’t budge. She stepped back and her demeanor changed in an instant. She’d pushed down her emotions and choked back her tears. “Daddy, you fight for me,” her voice carried a dangerous and threatening tone. “You fight for me or I will not step foot again on this ranch.”

She could see her words hit him with force but it had been no good. He didn’t relent. “If you just stand by while I walk out of that door… we are through.”

Had he thought it an empty threat born of anger? She’d meant it with all that she was. She held his gaze so he could see the seriousness in her eyes. Surely he knew this was a vital moment. Surely he knew it was time to step up.

“This is the way it has to be, Kadey. You’ll see. It’ll be okay,” he tried to assure her.

He’d let her go. He’d just let her go.

She’d spotted her already packed bag by the door. “You’ve made your choice. You live with it.” She’d grabbed her bag and walked away. The smug look that had appeared on her mother’s face had made Kadey want to slap it off, but she just ignored it. Ignoring her mother would become a ritualistic way of life from that point on.

Her father had called often when they got settled. The first call Kadey had taken the extended phone from her mother. “Have you changed your mind?” she’d asked matter of fact.

“Honey, that’s just not going to happen, we have to do what we can with how things are,” he’d tried to reason.

She’d hung up on him. After that she’d take the phone from her mother and simply set it back on the receiver. He’d come out after that. She took a look at him and asked the question again. “Have you changed your mind?”

“No,” he answered. “It’s not possible, Kadey. You have to understand that.”

She’d turned to her mother. She’d asked for permission to go down the street to see a friend. Her mother gleefully granted it. “You should spend your time with your father, but I won’t force you to. If you’d rather go, then yes, you may.”

The next time he’d come she knew he was there before she’d entered the house. She knew he’d be standing off to the side. She walked into the house purposely not looking around. “Mom, I’m getting tired of explaining why we have different last names. Can’t I just change mine too?”

Even her mother had been surprised by her intentional jab. She’d turned to her father. “What are you doing here?” She’d crossed her arms, set her jaw and looked as indifferent as possible.

“Fine, Kadey. This is your decision. This is your choice. I love you, puddin but I’m not going to take this from you.”

“I’m not asking you to,” she’d snapped back. “No one asked you to come.”

He nodded slowly a few times. She heard him suck in a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll wait then. I’ll wait for you to come home or I’ll wait till you ask for me to come.” He searched her hardened face. “You ask, baby, and I’ll come a runnin. I promise I will.”

She watched him walk toward the door. “Fight for me,” she pleaded one last time.

He turned to her, his voice and demeanor sad. “I am, the only way I know how.”

Kadey wiped furiously at her face. She didn’t want to think about that day. She didn’t want to remember the past. What good did it do? There was a quiet knock at the door. “That’s a long enough soak. You’d best shower up now.”

Kadey physically shook herself from the memory. She pulled the drain and waited while the water drained out. They’d all made their choices. They’d all had to live with them.