Whatever Tomorrow Brings (The Californians 1) (37 page)

Kate found Sean on the loading dock at the back of the mercantile, preparing to leave for the night.

"Sean." Kate's voice was urgent. "I need to talk with you.

"What's the matter?"

"I want you to help me talk with Rigg."

Sean eyed her with a curious look. "You don't have any problem talking with Rigg. What's up?"

"This." Kate thrust the letter at him and waited as he read. She watched the emotions play across his face as he came to the part about their father's delayed return.

"I'm sorry, Sean. I know you're disappointed and I know my timing is bad but I need a favor. I want to tell Rigg that I love him but I know I won't be able to get it all out in English and I want you to translate."

They had begun walking toward Rigg's house and Sean turned his head to look at his sister as though she were crazy.

"Kaitlin, are you serious?" He sounded so incredulous that she felt ashamed.

"It's all right Sean. That was a terrible thing for me to ask you. Just forget it, okay?"

Sean didn't say anything to that. He knew she was embarrassed about having to ask him in the first place and then he had made it worse by ridiculing her. They walked on to Rigg's and Kaitlin asked Sean if she could wait for Rigg. Her question made him feel terrible and he nearly stuttered as he told her to make herself comfortable in the living room. Rigg looked very pleased to see her when he came in an hour later.

"I stopped by your place; we must have missed each other," he said with a smile.

There was no sign of Sean and Rigg noticed for the first time that Kate was looking rather agitated.

"I need to talk with you, Rigg."

"All right." Rigg answered, thinking that Kate had made up her mind about teaching in the fall. He sat next to her on the couch. When Kate sprang up away from him and stood in the middle of the room, wringing her hands, a frown covered his face and he doubted his own thoughts.

"I just haven't known how to approach you about this or really when to approach you. I mean I've prayed and-'

Rigg listened and watched without interrupting as Kate went from tears to anger and back to tears again, speaking all the time in Hawaiian. Near the end Rigg caught on that she was talking about them. But by now an intense look of regret had come over Kaitlin's face and Rigg felt his heart sink.

-;71'm not able to say it," Kate finally said, and Rigg felt that she was apologizing, not for her foreign words, but for something far more personal.

"Maybe if you give me -a little time."

"Sure." Rigg wondered what he had just agreed to and watched, his heart feeling as if it were caught in a vise, as Kate moved toward the door.

"Katie," Rigg called softly as she started to leave.

But Kate only looked at him with tears once again filling her eyes. "I'm sorry." With those words she was gone, leaving Rigg in painful confusion.

Sean, who had been listening from the kitchen, came into the living room and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry Rigg."

The older man stared at him, misunderstanding his apology.

"She was talking about us, wasn't she? Kate was explaining how she feels about me?"

"Yes and I'm sorry. I had no business being here but after she asked me to help and I told her I wouldn't, I got to thinking about how much she cares for you and how-"

"Sean," Rigg cut in, "did you hear what she said?"

"Yes."

"I want you to come in and tell me everything."

Rigg was more baffled than ever. He thought Kate was telling him that she couldn't love him and now Sean had blurted out how much she cared. Sean was obviously ill at ease and Rigg reassured him.

"Just tell me what you can. First of all, what did Kate ask you to help with?"

"Kate told me that she needed someone to talk with, you know, about you and her, so she wrote to Father. She's been waiting to hear how Father felt about her getting involved with someone. And today a letter came."

'And that's what she said to me?"

"Some of what she said." Sean was looking uncomfortable again.

"You still haven't told me why she wanted your help."

"She wanted me to translate for her. You know how frustrated she gets and she knew she'd never be able to get it all out in English."

"Get all what out?" Rigg was feeling a little frustrated himself.

"That she loves you. But she's never flirted before and she probably is too stuffy for her own good because she just didn't know how to tell you or show you how she feels." Sean felt out of breath, but he guessed Rigg understood because he was grinning like a fool.

The bigger man came toward Sean and pulled him out of his chair and into his arms. He gave Sean a mighty hug, thanked him and headed for the front door.

Kaitlin sat bent over the kitchen table. She was on her third piece of paper. She had cried all the way home over making a complete fool of herself and then, with a determined glint in her eye, she sat down to write a letter to Rigg to tell him how she felt.

The door opened without a knock and Kate looked up to see Rigg leaning against the jamb. His hands were stuffed into his pants pockets and his totally nonchalant stance belied the rush of emotions inside him. Kate felt herself blushing as he simply stood and looked at her.

"Do you know how many years I've prayed for you?"

Kate shook her head, unsure of how she was supposed to reply.

"I don't think there is ever a time Kaitlin, that I walk by those chairs in my store, you know the ones where the men sit while their wives are shopping, without wishing my wife was shopping somewhere in my store.

'And the times I've ordered dresses and undergarments, wishing as I did, that my wife could be with me when I unpacked them, so she could have first pick. Or when the boxes of children's shoes come in, wanting to have children of my own to put those little black shoes on."

Rigg pushed away from the door then and came to the table. He placed his hands on the top and leaned down, his nose almost touching Kate's.

"Do you understand what I'm trying to say Kaitlin?"

"Yes." Kate felt out of breath and she couldn't take her eyes from the man across from her.

"Then tell me, Katie, will you be that wife? Will you marry me?"

Kate couldn't speak. Her heart thundered with joy and wonderment that he had come to her. She finally managed to nod, searching Rigg's face as she did, to see if he understood.

"I have one more question for you, Kate-love. And it's the last time I'll ask. Hereafter, I'll take my welcome for granted. May -I kiss you?"

"Oh, yes." Kaitlin had no trouble with those words at all. Rigg kept his hands on the table and leaned until their lips met. The kiss was brief and gentle. Kate was unsure as to whether or not she'd pleased Rigg and voiced her thoughts as soon as she could speak.

"I've never done this before."

"I haven't either." Rigg's voice was equally as soft as Kaitlin's had been and once again their lips met. No longer satisfied to remain so far from the woman he loved, Rigg moved around the table to take her into his arms.

When Kate could think once again, she found that Rigg had taken her chair and pulled her into his lap.

"I can't sit in your lap!" Kate was appalled and moved away from him. "We're not married."

"But we will be, very soon, Miss Prim and Proper." Rigg followed her right out of the chair and silenced her protestations with another kiss as they stood in the center of the room.

"You did say that your father was coming in the fall, right?" Rigg did nothing to conceal his enthusiasmKaitlin was finally going to be his wife!

Kate pulled the letter from her pocket and handed it to Rigg. As he read, she watched his face as she had with Sean. It occurred to her in the silence that she didn't know why Rigg had come after her and proposed. She was about to ask him when he sat at the table and took yet another fresh sheet of paper. He was a study in concentration as he began to write. A few minutes later he handed the paper to Kaitlin.

Dear Mr. Donovan,

It would give me great pleasure to be speaking with you in person but your delay doesn't make that possible. I would like your permission to wed Kaitlin. I just now asked her. She said yes, and showed me your letter. Thank you for the blessing to proceed in your absence. We have not discussed a date but my hope is that it will be this fall.

I have prayed long for a wife such as Katie and I thank you sincerely for the wonderful person that she is. I know the love that she bears for you will cause her grief at the time of our wedding but if you are agreeable, I would like you to marry us again at the time you return.

My prayers are with you and I look forward to the time we can speak face to face.

Sincerely,

Marshall Riggs

Kate read the letter and smiled through her tears. "Thanks Rigg. He'll be so pleased."

"It's my pleasure. I meant every word." He hugged Kate for a moment before taking her hand. Heading out the door, Rigg had one cryptic comment.

"That's one down, and two to go."

fifty-seven

Just as he'd hoped, Rigg found Sean at the house. He was eating supper and, with a mouthful of chicken, he stared at his sister and his employer. Sean noticed a marked difference about both.

Rigg's eyes, although always kind, held a certain tenderness that Sean had never seen before. And Kaitlin. She looked as if she needed a piece of string to keep her on the ground.

"I have a question to ask you Sean," Rigg stated quietly. "I just wrote to your father and asked if I could marry Katie. Now I want to ask you and then Marc. Do you mind if I marry Kaitlin?"

Sean wiped his mouth and hands on a napkin and then looked up at the two with an expression that was older than he was.

"I just have one thing to say to you Rigg," Sean paused and smiled slightly. "It's about time."

Kate laughed and moved to hug her brother. The two shared a long embrace before Rigg came to claim him. He held Sean by the upper arms and looked him in the eye.

"I love you Sean," Rigg told him honestly. "And I want to thank you for what you did to bring Kate and me together. I know you're disappointed about your father and I'm praying that he'll come home soon.

"But I want you to understand that you still have a home. I think Marcail will probably want to be downstairs here or have you upstairs with her. Whatever you both want. If you'd like to be upstairs, go up and pick out a room. Or better yet, do that later and come to my folks with us now, so I can ask Marcail."

Sean's eyes were shining with happiness and when Rigg finally hugged him, he held on tight. Being offered a home and a choice on a bedroom might have seemed a small thing to someone else but to a boy whose life had been so unsettled of late, it was a lifeline in a stormy sea.

As it was they all went upstairs together, a first for Kate and Sean. There were three bedrooms and Sean, surprisingly enough, chose the smallest. It had a large bed, dresser and a standing full length mirror.

"It's cozy," he told them. "And I like the view."

Sean planned to move his gear in the morning so they headed back to Kaitlin's so she could get a sweater and then on to the farm. Rigg was careful to hide his disappointment once they arrived and found both Jeff and Gil gone. A friend of Jeff's, who'd been away from the area had returned so he was at her house for supper. Gil, May informed Rigg, was coming back anytime. He'd just had some errands to run.

Rigg knew that his parents were suspicious with the way he and Kate asked Marcail to go for a walk but they stayed quiet even though they were more than a little curious.

"How was your day, Marcail?" Kate asked as Rigg sat quietly and watched them. The three had climbed into the loft in the barn.

"It was okay. I wrote a letter to Loni and one to Father. I think you need to read the one to Father though, Katie, because I told him I want him to come home. I don't want to send it if you think it will hurt his feelings."

"I can read it for you, Marc, but I got a letter today and Father said he wouldn't be coming until sometime after Christmas."