“I think you should go with Everett.”
She turned around and started putting the plates away in the cupboard, rattling them together loudly to stop the ringing of Rill’s words in her ears. She paused and turned around in surprise when she felt Rill’s hand on her arm. He stood close. She could take a lot of crap from Rill, but she couldn’t stand the expression of compassion in his eyes at that moment.
She jerked her arm out of his hold.
“Are you kicking me out?”
“No,” he said. “But Everett reminded me of something yesterday. I care about you, Katie. I’ve told you what I’m capable of right now.” His blue eyes flickered down over her. “I’ve showed you. I want to be able to offer you more. I just don’t think I can right now.”
Katie glanced down so he wouldn’t see her hurt. “I’m a grown woman. There are no guarantees when it comes to relationships,” she whispered. She swallowed thickly when she felt one hand on her shoulder and the other cupped her cheek, urging her to look at him. She tilted her chin up in desperate determination. “And don’t even think about telling me that we don’t have a relationship, Rill Pierce, or I swear, I’ll clobber you.”
He closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose, as though trying to gather his patience. Everett came into the kitchen carrying his suitcase, and Katie broke away from Rill’s touch.
They escorted Everett onto the front porch to bid him good-bye. Despite her frazzled state, after what Rill had just said, she smiled when the two men shook hands and then hugged.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Everett mumbled before he clapped Rill on the back and withdrew.
“Little late for that advice.” Rill attempted a smile, but Katie saw the tension in his whiskered jaw.
“Tell Mom and Dad that I’m fine,” Katie instructed when Everett squeezed her in a bear hug. “Tell them I’ve been eating fantastic and breathing smog-free air and that you’ve never seen me so healthy.”
“I’ll tell them you’re where you want to be,” Everett said as he leaned back and studied her face. “That’s the truth, right?”
“Yes,” Katie whispered.
Everett nodded. “Well, that’ll have to satisfy us, then.”
“Call me when you get home,” Katie said.
Everett tipped his newsboy hat and grinned as he went down the stairs. “Don’t be a stranger,” he told Rill.
“Yeah. I’ll try,” Rill replied, and Katie had the impression he really meant it. After Everett had gotten in his rental car and driven down the hill, Katie gave him a sideways glance.
“So . . . what happened between you two yesterday?”
“What do you mean?” Rill asked as he touched her shoulder, urging her into the house in front of him.
“You and Everett must have had it out over something. You don’t look like you want to tackle him anymore.”
“Yeah . . . well, we had a talk.”
“Did you tell him why you were mad at him?”
“Yeah, I did. And he told me why he was pissed at me. And then we got over it.”
His swift smile caused a swooping sensation in her belly. Katie examined him in the sunlit kitchen. Clearly, he wasn’t going to tell her the details of what’d happened between Everett and him.
“Hmmm, funny how men can do that,” she murmured. It struck her that they were all alone in the old, silent house. She thought Rill would try to resume the conversation they were having before Everett left, but the way he was staring at her mouth didn’t seem to fit with that topic. In fact, it called vividly to mind what had happened in the woods yesterday.
“Yeah. Funny,” Rill said, but Katie couldn’t recall to what he was agreeing.
“Rill . . .” she began, taking a step toward him, but he stepped back, his trance seemingly broken.
“I found some tools out in the shed. I’m going to fix some of those busted posts on the porch railing.”
“Okay,” Katie said dubiously, watching him walk away. She closed her eyes at the sound of the front porch door slamming shut.
“We are not going back to playing that old game, Rill Pierce,” she muttered under her breath.