Filed to story: Love on the Sidelines (Natalie & Karl)
Taking the picture of Katie from my wallet, I curled up on the bed and ran my finger over her tiny face. It was the last picture I’d had made of her, one of the few I kept with me.
“Your father’s back, baby,” I whispered. “And you’ve got a brother. Oh, Katie, he looks so much like you that it hurts to see him. But don’t you worry. We’re going to be just fine, I promise. I don’t care how mad he makes me, he’ll never find out about you.
He doesn’t deserve to know. Not after he abandoned us. Not after he let you die.” The phone rang, but I ignored it. I was too busy repairing the crack Karl had put in my protective walls to deal with anyone right now. Brick by brick, I reinforced each section, making myself remember why I hated him, why I couldn’t go through this again.
It took me over an hour, but when it was finished, I was calm and cool, sure that nothing could endanger my emotional stability ever again. Especially not Karl.
Famous last words, or a premonition? Because Karl had meant it when he’d said he wasn’t going to leave me alone.
After changing into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, I slapped a couple of ham sandwiches together and carried my plate and a glass of tea to the bench in front of the barn. For someone who didn’t normally have much of an appetite, I was amazingly starved. It didn’t help that I could smell the mouthwatering scent of pork chops drifting from the house.
Finding a spot in the sunshine, I closed my eyes and pictured the supper being prepared. Fried potatoes and probably greens, I decided. With a sigh, I opened my eyes and took a bite from my own supper. I hadn’t felt welcome in the house since I’d left Hugh, especially not when Mama was there, like she was this evening.
The newest batch of kittens swarmed around my feet. They hadn’t learned the cool disdain of their elders yet, and begged pitifully for food, their tiny eyes nearly crossing with the effort they put into their cries. Needless to say, they wound up polishing off my second sandwich. I always had been a sucker for the underdog, or in this case, the undercat.
“Looks like it’s just you and me, fellows,” I told them, tearing the sandwich into bite-sized pieces they could handle, and making sure it was distributed equitably.
While miniature growls and paw-slapping erupted around me, I picked up my tea and stared toward Karl’s property. Curiosity was killing me, but hell would freeze over before I’d go over there. Apparently, the hammering yesterday had been due to driving in stakes that laid out the foundation of the house, and I could see small mounds of dirt that indicated the footing had been dug sometime today.
Karl certainly wasn’t wasting any time. And what made it even worse, he’d chosen the exact spot for the house that I would have. When finished, the house would be surrounded by trees. The huge mimosa I’d climbed as a child would be situated near the back porch, allowing the fragrance from its pink hula-skirt blooms to wash over anyone who sat there during the summer.
If he’d planned for years, he couldn’t have come up with a better way to drive his betrayal home. He was building my house, in my spot, and he was building it for Lindsey. The very thought made me so sick I was glad I hadn’t eaten that second sandwich.
I looked around hopefully when I heard the back door of the house close, but it was only Daddy. Taking a sip of tea, I leaned my head back against the barn wall and watched him approach. He sat beside me, dodging cats, and stretched his long legs out in front of him. A kitten promptly began crawling upward, using him for a ladder.
Why couldn’t I have inherited his height?I thought irritably. Being short, with everything out of reach, was a pain in the rear.
“You look tired,” he said.
“Not really. The sun is making me sleepy.”
“Why don’t you come to the house and have supper with us?” The kitten reached his knee and I scooped it up, cuddling it close, feeling it vibrate against me as it purred. “I can’t, Daddy.”
“Natalie, cutting yourself off isn’t going to help. Your mother loves you.”
“Does she?” I turned my head to look at him. “I haven’t seen much sign of it lately.
All she cares about is her status, about how people will treat her now that I’ve left Hugh. It doesn’t matter to her that I was miserable being married to him.”
“Have you told her that?”
“No. The only thing she wants me to say is that I’m going back to Hugh.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Talking works both ways, Natalie. You have to give her a chance to understand. Right now, all she’s hearing is Helena’s side of the story, and the woman has your mother fit to be tied. She’s just about convinced Ellie that you need therapy, that you’re suffering from depression and once you get help things will go back to the way they were.” He hesitated. “That episode today isn’t going to help matters any.”
“Episode?” I arched a brow at him.
“Kenny called. It seems you scared him right out of his socks, and then when you didn’t answer the phone, he really got worried. He’s never seen you blow up at a customer before.”
“Christ.” My head started to pound. “The whole family knows?”
“Natalie, half the town witnessed it firsthand. Everyone knows. They probably have a couple more betting pools going by now.” He grinned. “You’re getting rather notorious lately.”
This was going from bad to worse. “And what is so humorous about that?”
“Honestly?” He chuckled. “I’m thrilled something finally happened to shake you up a bit. If it took Karl coming back, then I’m grateful to him.”
“So you think I’m depressed, too?”
“Depressed, no.” His smile faded as he studied me. “But for a long time now I’ve watched you slowly shut your emotions away where no one can touch them. It’s not healthy, Natalie, and I admit it’s worried me more than a little. That stunt you pulled today gives me hope. Anger is an honest emotion and you showed it in spades. Maybe you’re finally starting to come to life again.” Jenna had called me a robot, Mama thought I need a shrink, then Daddy got all proud because I’d made a fool of myself. I needed some aspirin.
He glanced toward the house, then got to his feet. “There’s one more thing you should probably know. I’ve heard some rumors that a few people aren’t happy about Karl being back. They don’t like having a murderer running loose.”
I may have convinced myself that I hated Karl, but that didn’t mean I wanted lies spread about him. “That’s silly. It was self-defense. Karl is no more a murderer than I am.”
“I know. But the town has a long memory, and gossips don’t discriminate in their choice of victims. You should know that better than most.”
“Well, even if it’s true, there’s not much I can do about it. I can’t even get them to stop talking about me.”
He nodded. “That’s because you’re still a Morgan, the closest thing to royalty this town has, and that makes you fair game. It’sdifferentwithKarl.SomeofwhatI’ve heard is just plain vicious. Think about it, Sweetheart.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “I better get to the house before your mother sends the troops after me. The girls are in the midst of planning a trip.”