Her father patted her hand but looked at Kate. “They’re going to keep me here overnight and run more tests. Can you handle the store by yourself for a couple of days?”
“Of course. Anything you need, Dad; you know that.”
“That’s my girl.”
“She doesn’t have to do it alone. I’ll help,” Luther volunteered.
Kate’s first reaction: Oh, hell no.
Luther was good with the books, but he didn’t know the first thing about hardware. Having him hanging around would be more of a nuisance than anything.
“Don’t you have your own business to worry about?” she asked, trying to keep her voice pleasant.
“Kate!” her mother admonished.
“It’s all right, Mrs. H,” Luther said smoothly before turning back to Kate. “My accounts are online, so I can work anywhere there’s internet, and running the store is a lot for one person to handle. I want to help, Kate.”
“Thanks, but it’s not necessary. I’m sure Kylie won’t mind helping out for a few days.”
Kylie’s head popped up at the mention of her name.
“Nonsense,” Kate’s mother said, seeing an opportunity and pouncing on it. “Handelmann’s needs a man around to handle things.”
“What for exactly?” She was perfectly capable of running the store, pulling orders, operating the forklift and the loader. She’d done so many times.
Her father knew this, yet he remained silent.
“Hardware is a man’s business, Kate,” her mother said with impatience. “Most of our customers are men and like to deal with other men.”
Kate looked to her father for backup and saw the plea in his eyes. In her mind, she could hear his voice. Pick your battles, Katy-belle. Your mom is scared. Let her have this one.
“All right.” It was only for a few days, right?
A floor nurse came in to inform them that visiting hours were over, so they said their good nights. Kate was still shaken—there was something about seeing her big, strong father in the hospital that was terrifying—but she felt much better leaving the hospital than she had when she arrived.
“Go on ahead,” Kylie told Luther and their mother when they stepped outside. “I need to talk to Kate for a minute.”
Luther nodded and escorted their mom to her car.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Kylie grabbed Kate’s sleeve and hissed, “You’ve got to stop, Kate.”
Kate looked down at where Kylie’s long nails dug into her arm and gently but firmly removed it. “Stop what?”
“Seeing that Sanctuary guy.”
“Excuse me?”
“People are talking.”
“So?”
“You know it upsets Mom.”
“Yes, I know it does,” Kate said on an exhale, looking across the lot to where Luther had his hand on their mother’s shoulder as he leaned down to say something. Beth Handelmann nodded and then hugged him. “But she’s going to have to accept that I’m never going to marry Luther. And what does that have to do with Dad anyway?”
“Because that’s what they were fighting about when Dad had his heart attack. This is your fault, Kate.”
Kylie stomped off to join the others, leaving Kate feeling shell-shocked until Luther pulled up to the curb in front of her. The click of the door unlocking prompted her to open the door and get inside. The short ride was a tense, silent one.
Kate was exhausted when Luther dropped her off at her place. The adrenaline had long since faded, leaving her feeling tired and empty. Kylie’s words were still rattling around in her head.
Was this my fault?
If her parents had been fighting over Kate’s choice to do something that she wanted to do, could she be held partially responsible? And if so, at what point did she draw the line between their wishes and her own?
Her cell phone was on the counter where she’d left it in her earlier haste to get to the hospital. The light was blinking. She hoped it wasn’t more bad news. She wasn’t sure she could handle it.
When she dropped into a chair, Duke came by and nuzzled her, resting his head in her lap.
“Thanks, buddy.” She stroked his soft head, grateful for his unconditional support, and scrolled through the accumulated messages. Her sense of guilt grew when she saw the ones left earlier by her sister and Luther.
The most recent text was from Chris. He had indeed sent her a picture, as she’d requested. Not quite a full frontal, but a lovely tease that included a hint of his happy trail. It made her smile, the first time she’d done so in hours.
Rather than send a return text, she thumbed the Call button. He answered on the first ring.
“Love the pic,” she said in greeting.
“I was hoping you would.”
Chapter Nineteen
Mad Dog
“Kate, what’s wrong?”
Through sniffles and hiccuping sobs, Kate told him what had happened.
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry. What can I do to help?”
“Nothing. They’re going to run a bunch of tests, and then we’ll know more. I’ll be pretty busy handling the store for the next few days though. And I might need bail money.”
“Bail money? For what?”
“Because Luther is going to be there with me, and we stock quite a selection of items that could be used as weapons. I might not be responsible for my actions.”
Mad Dog stiffened. “Come again?”
Kate then proceeded to relay the conversation from the hospital room about the hardware store requiring a male presence. Personally, he didn’t agree. He knew plenty of strong, capable women and was fortunate enough to have been raised by one. But he also knew enough about small-town mentality to know that it was an issue for some.
He was more concerned with whom that male presence was.
“I’m not happy about it,” she told him. “But with my father in the hospital, I need to pick my battles.”
“I understand.” And he did. Sort of. That didn’t mean he was happy about it either.
“My biggest issue is the dogs. I’m going to be working even longer hours and spending as much time with my dad as possible.”
“What if I brought them up here for a couple of days? One less thing—or nine—for you to worry about.”
She sniffed. “You’d do that? Won’t they get in your way?”
“Not at all.” His trailer wasn’t huge, but it was big enough. Besides, he had a feeling once he told everyone about the situation, they’d want to keep the dogs in the main building. They had plenty of space, and someone was always around. Plus, in the few hours they’d been here, those dogs had managed to wrap everyone around their paws. “Want me to come down tonight?”
“No, but thanks for the offer.” She yawned. “I’m exhausted. I’m just going to head straight to bed.”
“Okay. If you need anything—and I mean, anything—you call me anytime.”
“What did I ever do without you?” she asked quietly, her voice thick from crying.
“I don’t know,” he told her, “but you’ve got me now, and I’m not going anywhere.”