Twilight's Encore (6 page)

Katy shook her head, and then all of a sudden it clicked. “That was not homework, Mitch Taylor. You guys were looking at girly pictures.” She laughed, noticing Rebecca’s darkening frown with curiosity. She’d have to grill her friend later.

Susan dropped the menus she’d been carrying onto the table. “I’ll just let you get reacquainted,” she said, and winked. “Be back to take your order in a couple of minutes.” And with that she was gone, leaving an awkward silence in her wake.

Mitch slung his brawny arm around Rebecca’s stiff shoulders, and ignoring her gasp, helped himself to a shot of her coffee. “Well, isn’t this like a blast from the past?”

As Katy squirmed to keep a space open between her and the temptation she was sitting next to, she tried to decide whether to laugh, or groan.

CHAPTER TEN

Ty wanted to kick his own ass. What was he thinking? He’d already decided last night to put some distance between himself and the frustratingly beautiful bride-to-be. Yet the moment he’d walked into the restaurant, his senses had directed him straight to her booth like a freaking homing beacon.

Now, here he sat in the seventh level of Hell. So close he couldn’t help but inhale the lavender fragrance of Katy’s freshly washed hair, still slightly damp where it rested on her shoulders. So close he kept getting glimpses of the lacey edge of her white bra whenever she squirmed to avoid touching him. And the squirming… the squirming took him straight back to his kitchen the night before and his mouth feasting on her lips. Her sexy moans as his fingers teased her satiny heat and her writhing as he took her up and over the edge. The peach glow of her skin and the sultry scent of her release as she went boneless in his arms.

His jeans grew uncomfortably tight. Mitch’s smug smile across the table made Ty want to kick him. Ty’s addiction to Katy was no secret. Everyone in town had known. Which made it all the more important he proved he was well and truly over her.

Angry with himself and the whole situation, Ty removed his arm from the back of her seat and turned his attention to the interior of the restaurant, desperately hoping for a diversion.

His wandering gaze landed on his brother. Jack sat a few booths down and across the aisle, a sky-high platter of pancakes dripping with syrup on the table in front of him. He dipped his head in acknowledgement and gave Ty a troubled frown. Ty grimaced, and shrugged. Jack had tried to talk to him the last time Katy dumped him, but he’d been too wound up to listen. Jack was no doubt worried his brother was going to get hurt again, but Ty could have told him different. Once bitten, twice as careful; he’d learned his lesson.

Belying that, her soft laughter over something Mitch said made his stomach twist itself into a knot of jealousy. He glared across the table and Mitch smirked. Ty’s scowling gaze fell on Susan serving a stranger over by the old jukebox. He caught the guy staring at their table before he turned back to his menu. Must be new in town, anyone familiar with Grits and Grace knew the list of options hardly ever varied. Grace’s motto was,
“Why mess with something if it’s not broken?”
Customers loved her food just the way it had been served for the past twenty years. They didn’t like change. And neither did he.

But then Katy leaned forward to show something on her cell phone to her friend. The sun’s rays caught in her hair and turned the gleaming strands to antique gold. He’d always loved her hair. The soft, silky, fragrant feel of it gliding over his skin. He’d been hooked from the first time he saw her, sassing him from the safety of her father’s side, the flare of the flashlight highlighting her lithe figure. His gaze had followed her as she ran up the aisle, her beautiful mane flowing behind her, and just like that, he’d been lost.

Rebecca’s excited shriek jolted him back to the restaurant with a start. Her hands were clasped to her chest—along with Mitch’s appreciative gaze—and she vibrated with excitement.

“What did I miss?” he asked, his lips lifting with an amused quirk.

“I’m going to be a bridesmaid,” she squeaked. “My first time, and it’s going to be my best friend’s big day. Can you believe it?” She thrust the phone into his face. “Here, look.”

He had to grab it in self-defense or risk getting a black eye. Tapping the screen to refresh the picture, Ty gazed down at an undernourished model wearing a frilly dress. Not sure what he was supposed to say, all he could up with was, “Nice shade of green.”

“It’s sea-foam.” Rebecca corrected. “And look, the hemline is cut to give a sensation of waves. Oh, and I love the model’s iridescent shoes. It’s perfect.”

Ty was aware of Katy’s unnatural stillness.

Her bated breath.

The silent waiting, as though his opinion might actually matter to her.

He met her eyes—eyes that matched the color of the dress—and answered Rebecca. “Heart-stopping.”

~~~*~~~

Rebecca’s soft sigh of satisfaction and Mitch’s teasing all faded to white noise as a multitude of unsaid words passed between Katy’s tense body and Ty’s. Why was he making everything so difficult? She was getting married in six weeks. It was too late for them to be playing these old games.

But she couldn’t control her body’s response to his velvet dark voice or the heat in the blue-flame of his gaze. It made her dream impossible dreams. She wanted a chance to explain what happened all those years ago. To beg his forgiveness. But at the same time, she also wanted to know why he never even tried to get in touch afterward.

For months they had spent every moment together, so in love she’d known it was just a matter of time before they married. Ty was her first lover, the only one she’d ever accepted into her body. They were going to be together, have a family, and grow old together. Then it happened; her father’s betrayal, her mother’s depression, her brother’s defection. Katy’s perfect world turned upside down.

And then they were over. A few harshly said words and the supposed love of a lifetime ended.

Katy frowned as the hair stood up on the back of her neck. Someone was staring at her. She searched the vicinity of the restaurant, not quite sure whether it was her imagination or not. Her gaze landed on a stranger sitting by the jukebox. His dark head was down perusing a newspaper spread out across the table. She squinted to make out the tattoo on the back of the hand holding the page. Shrugging, she gave up and moved on to the next table.

Now, there was a man she knew.

“Ty,” Katy turned, her voice pitching upward in excitement. “Ty, your brother is here.” She squeezed his arm, temporarily setting their differences aside. “When did Jack become sheriff?”

The muscles under her hand had tightened to steel. “What’s wrong?”

Ty’s attention seemed to be focused on the man sitting behind his brother. “Nothing’s wrong. He’s been sheriff for a couple of years now.”

His shoulders seemed to grow wider, boxing her into her corner of the booth. “Do you know that guy?”

She took a second look. “I don’t think so, why?”

“He just seems familiar, that’s all.” Ty turned to gaze down at her, concern lighting the depths of his eyes. “You need to be careful. This isn’t the quiet little town you grew up in anymore. We get our share of transients.”

Katy couldn’t help the burst of laugher. “You do realize I live in LA, right?”

Ty’s eyebrows pulled down. “That’s right, city girl, laugh it up. It won’t be so funny when some jerk manages to sneak up on you because you figure you’re invincible. The craft store down the street was broken into a few days ago. You need to pay attention, that’s all I’m trying to say.”

Katy ignored the ‘city girl’ remark in favor of the warm glow washing over her from his concern. He’d masked it with gruffness, but she saw the worry etched along his tightened jaw and lowered brows. Even though she didn’t necessarily agree with him—in comparison to LA, Tidal Falls was as safe as a Sunday church service—she would do as he asked. It was better to be safe than sorry.

“He’s right, Katy. Annie told me all about it. She said he threw a knife and it just missed her.” Rebecca leaned over the table and stage-whispered the news. “It landed in the mannequin she uses for sewing class. She’s pretty upset.”

“Seriously? That is scary. Why would anyone break into a craft store?” Katy turned to the man at her side. “I’m sorry, Ty. I promise to be careful, okay?”

He gazed down at her as if he wanted to say more, then bit his tongue. “Okay.”

~~~*~~~

Ramsey kept his eyes down, staring at the paper laid out in front of him without reading a single word. On a scale of one to ten, this was a solid seven in the bad idea department. First the damn cop had to go and sit in the booth right in front of him. Then Reno boy had to go and turn suspicious like. He wasn’t too worried, even if they did decide to question him, this po-dunk police force probably wouldn’t have a clue.

On the other hand, if they did a background search it wouldn’t turn out well for him. Better he just keep his head down, and nose clean. Prison food sucked. With the money from this job, he could disappear for a while. Rent a condo on a beach, maybe somewhere like Barbados. Entertain a hot babe or two. Yeah, he could see it now. All he had to do was stop the renovation of the theatre and the cash was his.

And if he got the chance to have some fun with little Miss Sunshine while he was at it, all the better.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

What was it about Katy Fowler that made him feel like an over-sexed teenager? Even as he drew plans on a napkin and discussed the feasibility of what he wanted to get done with Mitch, Ty's attention remained focused on the woman at his side.

She precisely measured half a teaspoon of sugar to pour into her coffee, then ripped open two little creamers before carefully stirring the concoction together. His hungry gaze followed her hand as it brought the ceramic cup to temptingly puckered lips parted to blow lightly across the surface of the liquid. Her intent might be to cool, but instead it drove his temperature into the stratosphere.

Ty prided himself on his normally responsible attitude. His two older sisters, one a psychologist and the other a lawyer, and his superhero brother, Jack, babied him. He had to work hard to prove his independence to them. And now, just when he was making something of his life—reaching some measure of success—Katy hurtled back into his life like a meteor on a collision course, and ripped his comfortable world apart.

The rest of lunch at Grace’s was uneventful. Katy and Rebecca talked wedding plans over plates of fancy looking salads while Ty worked out the details of the afternoon’s welding job with Mitch. It almost had the feel of a double date, which should have had him running for the hills, but didn't.

“So, what are you thinking?” Mitch repeated, tapping his fork against the side of his plate to get Ty’s attention.

Ty finished drawing the final lines on his paper diagram and gave the napkin a twist so his friend could see it better. “I’m
thinking
I want the stage to be in two sections. The back will be stationary, but the front will have three distinctive levels.” He pointed to the sidebar where he’d roughly drawn what he meant. “There’s a stage level for big performances, floor level for more intimate shows, and the dropped level for orchestras during plays and recitals.”

“Is that really necessary?” Mitch asked skeptically.

No, it probably wasn’t, but it’s what Ty wanted, and since he’d been given carte blanche…

Katy, overhearing their conversation, leaned closer to get a better look, and her hair brushed his forearm resting on the table. The slight contact sent a shiver of want straight to his groin. He cleared his suddenly parched throat and reached for the water glass.

“This looks amazing. Are you going to have the time to get it finished?” She turned those cat’s eyes onto him and blinked.

No, he wasn’t sure they could get it done in time, but he was going to give it his best shot. It was a matter of pride now. “Don’t you have any faith in me, sugar?”

A flush crept up her neck and she leaned back in her seat. “I never said that, it was an honest question.” And then, as if he didn’t feel like a big enough asshole, she added, “Tidal Falls is lucky to have you. This will make a big difference to the performing arts for the town. Thank you.”

Well, shit.

Kind of hard to retain an attitude against that, she took the wind out of his sails every damn time. Ignoring their audience across the table, he grasped her hand in a light squeeze and then pulled his plans over so she could have a better look.

“Want to see how this is going to work?”

~~~*~~~

Katy sat up, relieved that the mini crisis had been averted. She hadn’t meant to ridicule Ty’s work ethic, anything but. He’d come a long way from the young man she’d given her heart to as a teen. It was obvious that his employees respected him, and more than that, they liked him. Not an easy thing when you’re a boss. Ask her mother.

Pointing at a top portion of the hand-drawn stage she asked, “What’s this for?”

Ty used his carpenter’s pencil to shade the area in to look like heavy drapery. “That’s called the proscenium archway. It’s meant to create a frame around the performers so that the audience’s attention stays front and center. It also helps to hide what’s happening in the wings.”

Katy nodded. She’d seen stages like this before, but never realized the significance of the arrangement. “How do the curtain thingy’s work?”

Ty grinned. “Do you mean the pulleys?”

She shrugged, enjoying his enthusiasm.

“There are two ways they can open and close. One is called the guillotine style where the front curtain ascends straight up, or down. The other is named the travelers, which means they can move to the side, travelling across the stage. Make sense?”

“So far, yes.” She glanced at him quizzically. “What about for screen productions though? Are we still going to be able to show movies?”

Ty nodded. He flipped the napkin over and drew a few quick slashes near the top. Suddenly, she could see a raised catwalk with lights and pulleys.

“This is what’s known as the fly gallery. From here props, sets, even screens can be lowered on the fly, providing whatever is needed for the production. So for movies we can lower the screen, set up a projector, and there you have it, a theatre is born.”

He looked so proud of his ideas. Katy couldn’t help her response. She clapped, softly at first, and then when Rebecca chimed in, loud enough costumers turned to look. And still she clapped. Ty’s ears reddened and he reached out and grabbed her hands, stopping her.

“Enough already. What are you doing?” He frowned across the table as Mitch snorted into his coffee cup. “Watch it, wise guy, you’re next.” Then he leaned over and whispered in her ear, his warm breath sending a shiver down her spine. “You should get spanked for that.”

Holy.

Moly.

The man was lethal. He should come with a warning label: Danger of exploding hormones if within radius of erogenous zones.

Katy sat in a sensual fog as Mitch and Ty gathered the sketched plans, finished coffee, and paid the bill for lunch. After a hurried goodbye, they left the restaurant to get back to work. Rebecca’s soft laughter brought her down to earth, the cacophony of a crazy lunch rush jarring her sensitized nerves.

“What’s so funny?”

“You are. You’re still into him, aren’t you?” Rebecca’s sympathetic eyes made Katy feel twitchy.

“Of course not. Ty and I were over long ago, you know that.” Even as the words tripped over themselves leaving her lips, Katy’s gaze followed his broad back outside as he made his way over to his truck. She’d always liked his walk. He strode with confidence, those long legs eating up the distance.

“Katy…” her friend’s worried voice drew her eyes reluctantly away from the windowpane.

“What?” She picked up her spoon and absently stirred the rapidly cooling coffee.

“If you’re not sure…”

“
I
am
.” Katy interrupted, but couldn’t quite meet Rebecca’s gaze. “Jeff’s perfect for me. He’ll be here soon enough, and then you’ll see.”

Rebecca held her hand up in a stop motion. “Hey, you don’t need to convince me, I’m on your side, okay.” She lowered her hand to slow the twirling spoon. “I just don’t want you to do something you might later regret, that’s all. Take it from the voice of experience, some mistakes are hard to reverse.”

What had she missed in Rebecca’s life while she’d been gone? Katy was about to ask what brought those shadows to her friend’s expressive eyes when Ty’s brother stopped at their table.

“Ladies.” He tapped the brim of his Stetson. “Your pretty faces just made my day a little bit brighter.”

Katy smiled. She’d always liked Ty’s family. “Jack, Ty was just telling me you were a sheriff now, congratulations. How’s the rest of your family?”

“They’re good, busy, but good. Mind if I join you for a moment?” Jack slid into Ty’s seat, his bulky shoulders taking up most of the free space. “So, you’re getting married, huh?”

Katy shared an arched eyebrow with Rebecca at his more than obvious fishing expedition. “Well, that’s the word on the street,” she replied.

He shook his head, “Caught out, am I? You can’t fault a guy for watching out for his kid brother, now can you?”

No, she understood the need to protect those you loved, probably better than anyone. So instead of telling him to mind his own business, Katy stretched her arms around his considerable bulk and gave him an awkward hug.

“You’re a good man, Jack Garrett. Ty is safe from my lecherous hands. I don’t have any designs on his admittedly fine physique. Is that what you’re waiting to hear?”

Liar, Liar.

Even as she sat back and smiled the smile of the innocent, Katy childishly crossed her fingers at the fib. She didn’t
want
to get mixed up with Ty again, unfortunately her heart seemed to have different plans.

Jack’s attention wandered to the stranger she’d noticed earlier. He stood at the till now, his back to the table. The newspaper he’d been reading was rolled up and tucked under his arm revealing what looked like a holster under the edge of the man’s jacket.

Her heart beat faster. Why would a passerby need a gun?

Obviously the sheriff wanted an answer to that question also because he sent a distracted smile their way as he rose from the table, ready to follow the male out the door. “I’m glad everything worked out for you, Katybug. I’ll see you before the big day, I’m sure.” He tipped his hat at Rebecca, “Ladies.” Then he was gone, a man on a mission.

“Well, that was strange.” Rebecca said, peering out the window to see if she could catch the action.

Katy couldn’t agree more. She hoped Jack knew what he was doing. She’d never agreed with the concept of
‘open carry’
for firearms. To her that just asked for trouble. Katy was firmly on the make love, not war side of the gun debate. How can the law be expected to adequately police the people when every Joe on the street over the age of majority could legally carry a weapon? She’d seen firsthand the effects of a bullet versus a human body; the result wasn’t pretty, and could potentially be deadly. That last thought had her searching up and down the block. Ty hadn’t left all that long ago, she hoped he didn’t get caught in the middle of something he wasn’t trained to handle. Like a freaking gunfight for example.

Suddenly too anxious to sit still, Katy slid out of the booth.

“What are you doing?” Rebecca hissed, her voice teeming with undercurrents of excitement and worry.

Katy pasted a reassuring smile on her face. “Just going to the washroom, I’ll be right back. See if Susan will give us one more refill, okay?” Then, without waiting for a reply, Katy hurried down the aisle, but instead of taking a right toward the washrooms, she went left into the kitchen.

Grace, busy at a sizzling grill filled with the tantalizing aroma of frying onions and bacon, never even looked around. But over the noise of the dishwasher, a young man in a snowy white apron, his hair a mass of tight dark curls, made a move as if to usher her to the front. Katy lifted a forefinger to her lips and slipped past the bemused teen to slide out the back door. The alley, in contrast to the racket of the restaurant, was eerily silent.

Katy stepped down off the cement landing onto the gravel drive. The shadows created by the neighboring building brought goose bumps skittering across the surface of her skin. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. But she couldn’t just sit there as if nothing was going on. And besides, if anyone did get hurt—pray God not—it would be better if she was on scene when it happened.

Pulling up her courage, Katy edged her way along the side of the building toward the garbage dumpster. She jumped once when a stray cat suddenly hissed before hopping the fence across the alley and disappearing from sight. No gunshots yet, that was reassuring at least. When she reached the bin, Katy peeked around the side, saw the cars cruising back and forth on the street in front of the café, and decided everything must be okay.

She straightened, dusted down her dress, and hurried toward the patch of sunlight, which seemed to represent safety from the dank alley. Just as she cleared the front of the dumpster she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Before she could do much more than suck in a sharp inhale, a steely arm wrapped around her throat and dragged her back to the shadows.