Whatever Tomorrow Brings (The Californians 1) (27 page)

Rigg could see that she hadn't addressed him that way deliberately; it had become a habit. He moved around her and stepped up to the first rung of the ladder. He turned, holding on with his right hand and reaching for Kaitlin with his left. He spoke after he had her jaw in his palm.

"I'm going up to see Marc. And Kaitlin," he paused to make sure she was listening. "If you call me Mr. Riggs again, I'll kiss you." With a look that said he hoped she would, he turned back to the ladder.

Kate's mouth swung open and she stood like a statue as he climbed and disappeared into the loft. She doubted he would do as he threatened-but she couldn't be certain.

'And I have to go to work for him tomorrow." The words were said just above a whisper, as Kaitlin's heart thundered in her chest. Was it fear or something else entirely?

forty-one

It didn't take Rigg more than a second to see that Kaitlin was terrified. He knew it was not what he'd said to her the day before because even though she'd been cautious, she had been fairly relaxed around him for the rest of the day.

No, this morning's nerves must have been the job and Rigg went out of his way to make her feel at ease.

"Here is your desk. And these are the books I want you to start with. Marcail took me by surprise when she found an error in my addition. I want you to check these books for mistakes-January through May of this year.

"This will also help you understand my system. I'm going to be working on an order so if you have questions, just ask."

Rigg went immediately and sat in his desk chair. Kate stood for a moment before doing the same. The extra desk was just a little smaller than Rigg's and he had pushed them so they faced each other. After sitting down, Kaitlin was painfully aware of Rigg directly across from her. She tried to look everywhere but at him and in doing so discovered what a wonderful view the office had of the store.

Kate opened the first book cautiously and began to read, pencil ready. Rigg's handwriting was a bold script, easy to read and a bit like her own in style. Kaitlin mentally congratulated the teacher who taught him the skill.

She worked for almost an hour, correcting some columns and putting a check by all she'd re-added, before she had a question. She loved numbers and once involved, it was an effort to drag her mind away. Rigg had been up and down and Kate, who would have said that no one could distract her, was finding out how wrong she was.

She tried not to stare at Rigg's dark hair and the way it curled slightly on his collar as she stood up with the January book and moved toward him. He looked up immediately, giving her his full attention.

"What do these letters mean?" Kate pointed to the side of the ledger next to the names of the brands.

"Those are my suppliers. H is Hicks, B is for Bates, Br is for Brenner and so on. They don't have any bearing on your work right now, but if at some point I show you the ordering, you'll have to know them. I'll write out a list of my suppliers for you over the next few weeks and give the letters for each one. Then if you need to refer to it you can." Kate thanked him and he smiled at her.

The remainder of the morning went by in similar fashion and Kaitlin was surprised when Rigg told her it was time for lunch.

"I was going to head down to the Binks, would you care to join me for-lunch?"-

Kaitlin was startled, not because his offer was such a surprise but because she'd once again forgotten to pack something for her noon meal. No wonder she and Marcail had both taken off weight. She kept forgetting to feed them!

"Yes, I would," Kate answered, and a moment later they were walking down the street to the Binks Hotel and Boarding House, the place where Kaitlin, Sean and Marcail had spent their first night in town.

The Binks was one of Santa Rosa's older lodging establishments and it was well managed. The food in the dining room was said to be the best in town. Rigg had gone to school with the present owner's son, Darrell Kolstad. Darrell ran the hotel with help from his wife, Jane. Darrell was on hand to greet Rigg and Kate when they came in and to see that they found a table.

Rigg asked Kate if he could order for them and she readily agreed. She wondered if he'd noticed her weight loss when he ordered the day's special. A mammoth plate of roast pork, mashed potatoes and gravy, brussels sprouts and green beans was placed before her. Kate stared at it and then at Rigg. He grinned at her.

"You don't really expect me to eat all of this, do you?"

"Not if you don't want to. I just thought you might be hungry. There's apple cobbler for dessert," he added, with another grin, and Kate shook her head at him and picked up her fork.

Their conversation was relaxed and when they were finished Kaitlin asked if she had time to go check on Sean and Marcail.

"Sure. Are you worried about them?"

"Not really. I just want to make sure that Sean gave her some lunch."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about-if Marcail is with Sean, she'll eat."

Kate agreed wholeheartedly. "You're certainly right about that. Sean's best friend is his stomach. But I'd like to see them just the same."

As they walked back to her cottage, she told him a little of what her father said in his letter. Rigg was a good listener as Kate shared some of her feelings about how suddenly she had become the main provider for the family.

"I really have been ignorant as to what it costs to house and feed a family. Sometimes I panic about what would happen to Sean and Marc if I got sick. Do you feel that way about the store?"

"I did when I was younger. My father opened the mercantile and he and his brother ran it. They were partners on a very unbalanced scale. Not that that ever bothered either of them, but my father owned around 90 percent of the business and Uncle Leo the other 10 percent.

"When my father died, Uncle Leo naturally stepped in and took his place. I started working there when I was Sean's age. Uncle Leo taught me everything, making it plain from day one that someday the business would be mine.

"It happened sooner than we all thought. I was just 19 when a rich Texas widow came into town for a visit. It was love at first sight for my uncle and the next thing I know he's handing the entire operation over to me. He's never been back, but we get a letter from him and Aunt Ruth at Christmastime each year.

"I told you all of that so you wouldn't be discouraged. In the early days, when I'd just taken over the store, I nearly lived down here for fear something would happen if I was away. Nothing had changed really. Uncle Leo had pretty much handed the reins over to me. I see now that it was the best thing he could have done.

"You're experiencing the same thing I did. The suddenness and the newness can be frightening, but you're doing great. If you're like me, you'll find yourself turning to God more and more about the doubts and fears. He's taking care of everything, just like you knew He would."

They were at the house now and Kaitlin turned before opening the door. "I need to give myself time, something I'm not very good at. Thank you for all you shared, Mmmrr-Marshall." She had come so close to saying Mr. Riggs that she had used the first name she could think of.

Rigg's brows were halfway to his hairline. The only person who ever called him Marshall was his mother and that was when she was getting after him over something. Kate hadn't used his name in an endearing way, but he rather liked the sound of it.

Kaitlin was watching to see how he would respond. She had made an effort all day not to call him anything lest she make the very mistake she dreaded, but it never occurred to her to call him Marshall until that moment and she wondered if he minded.

"Are you going to go in and see if they're here?" Rigg's question propelled Kate through the door and also told her he wasn't upset.

As it was, Sean and Marcail were not there but Kate wasn't really worried. As they walked back to the mercantile, she guessed they were at Marshall's.

The rest of the day went by very well until almost closing time, when Kate spotted Joey Parker passing by the window. She hadn't had time to think about him all day and now as she prepared to leave for the day, her heart ached for him.

That ache continued through the evening and Kaitlin opened her Bible and asked God for comfort. She had just finished reading through 1 Thessalonians. It was on her mind to go on to the next book but she stayed in 1 Thessalonians and reread the first two chapters.

A half hour later Kate closed her Bible. She was surprised at the words she'd missed the first time through. Kate hugged the Bible to her and asked God to give her wisdom in applying the truths she had read.

forty-two

"Are you headed home Katie, or out to Taylors'?"

"I'm going to walk out to Joey Parker's and then to Taylors'. I'll see you when you get there."

It was the Saturday afternoon of Kaitlin's first week at the mercantile and she and Sean had both worked that day. Marcail was with May. Sean watched his sister head out of the store, his heart a little doubtful about what she was doing.

Sean had more work to do and he told himself, as he headed back to the loading platform, that Katie wouldn't do anything stupid.

Kaitlin's first view of Joey Parker's home made her wonder if it had been such a smart idea to come. It wasn't the house itself, but the location. Kate knew that the church was not too far away-but no one would be there on a Saturday night. There was a wooded area that bordered two sides of the house, giving it a feeling of being closed off from the world.

She had prayed very seriously about coming here and just how God would want her to handle her relationship with Joey, or if she was even to have a relationship with him.

The event that clinched the decision for her was remembering the way he had hung around the church. He hadn't been back since she took him in and sat with him but Kate was sure he was interested. This little boy needed Christ.

Her thoughts kept her feet moving toward the rundown building. Kate stepped carefully around the junk in the front yard and at one point caught her dress on some rusty barbed wire. Her hand returned again and again to her nose and she tried not to think about what might be causing the dreadful odor that hung in the air.

Her knock at the front door brought furious barking from within. If Kaitlin hadn't been frozen in terror she'd have bolted for her life. She thought she might faint when the door was thrown open and a dog the size of a small horse, stood in the doorway, barking as though he was going to devour her on the spot.

"Stop it Frank, be quiet," Joey maneuvered himself beside the huge animal and was shouting almost as loud as the dog barked. It took Kate a moment to realize they'd been joined by a third person.

You must be Joey's father." Kaitlin had to shout to be heard. "I'm Miss Donovan, Joey's-"

"Shut up!" the man suddenly bellowed, and Kate, Joey and Frank all halted in their tracks. The dog lay down next to the stoop with his head on his paws, looking for all the world like an innocent pup.

Kaitlin's hand had gone to her throat and she was hoping Parker wouldn't ask her in because she didn't think she could move her legs. She was also conscious of Parker's eyes on her, so she tried to collect herself enough to speak.