His gaze fell to the brown liquid swirling in his cup. “You imagined wrong. I had a fiancée once but never had a wife. No kids, either. I guess you could say I’m married to Three Rivers Ranch.”
At least that was what Lenore had told Blake when she’d slipped off her engagement ring and handed it back to him. Even though the memory of that humiliating scene was still as fresh as the day it had happened three years ago, he wasn’t about to share it with this woman. Katherine hardly needed to know he’d been unable to hold on to his intended bride.
* * *
Blake Hollister was single! Katherine was dumbfounded. He’d seemed like the type of guy who would mature into a family man like his father, Joel. Or perhaps that was just the way Katherine had wanted to see him.
When she’d been a senior in high school, Blake had been twenty-six. Katherine had thought he was the best-looking man on earth. Tall and muscular with thick sable-brown hair and handsomely carved features. Just getting a glimpse of him had set her eighteen-year-old heart aflutter. And if by chance he did happen to pass close enough to say hello to her, she’d felt like she’d been transported to heaven.
All those years ago, she’d had a major crush on the eldest Hollister son. Yet even at that tender age, Katherine had realized dreaming about Blake in a romantic way had been as futile as wishing for snow in the middle of July. It wasn’t going to happen in this part of Arizona. Not then. And not now.
“I’m surprised, Blake,” she admitted. “Of all of your brothers, I thought you’d be the first one with a bunch of kids and a sweet wife at your side.”
His rich brown eyes focused on something beyond her left shoulder and Katherine could see her comment had left him uncomfortable. Which only made her want to ask him all kinds of personal questions. Ones that she had no business asking.
“I thought the same thing. But it hasn’t worked out that way. Actually, my brother Joe is the only one of us Hollister boys who’s taken the matrimonial plunge. He and his wife, Tessa, are expecting their first child in a few months.”
“Congratulations to them. I hope everything works out well.” She pinched off a morsel of the brownie and popped it into her mouth.
“I do, too,” he said. “They’re madly in love and Mom is excited about becoming a grandmother again.”
“Again?”
Nodding, his gaze returned to her. “Vivian has an eleven-year-old daughter, Hannah.”
“Oh, do Vivian and her family live around here? I’ve not seen her around town.”
“Viv’s been divorced for several years now. She and Hannah live on the ranch with us. Actually, she never moved away. I think her ex thought living on Three Rivers would be easier than making a home elsewhere. Guess it just wasn’t easy enough for him.”
“I’m sorry to hear things didn’t work out for your sister.” She sipped her coffee and tried to ignore the way Blake’s eyes were roaming her face, as though he was trying to decide if there was still a part of that poor Anderson girl in her, or if she’d changed completely since she’d been away.
When he’d invited her to have coffee, she’d accepted, thinking it would be nice to catch up with news about him and his family. But now that she was sitting across this tiny table from him, she realized she’d made a huge mistake. He was making her feel things she shouldn’t be feeling, remember things she’d tried so hard to forget.
“Vivian didn’t need a man like him in her life,” he said bluntly.
Like she hadn’t needed a man like Cliff in her life, Katherine thought dolefully. At least, not the man he’d turned into during the latter half of their marriage.
Shoving that dark thought away, she said, “Actually, I’m surprised Vivian hasn’t married again. I remember her being so warm and beautiful.”
“She’s gun-shy, I think.”
Katherine knew the feeling. “Since I moved back to Wickenburg, I’ve not run into any of your family around town. But I do hear snippets of gossip from time to time.”
His grunt was full of humor. “Mostly about Holt, I imagine. He still likes to break wild horses and party afterward.”
She broke off another piece of the brownie and popped it into her mouth. Not because she was hungry, but because it tasted good and something about Blake was making her so restless she needed to do something with her hands. She only wished she could make her eyes find a different object to stare at. Just looking at his rugged face reminded her that she was a woman. One who hadn’t been touched by a man in a long, long time.
“I think most of the single ladies in town think of him as a man on the prowl. I mostly remember him playing football in high school. And your brother Chandler played baseball. They were both good athletes.”
“I’m sure you’ve seen Chandler’s animal hospital on the edge of town. He’s pretty much tied to his practice and seeing after the animal health on Three Rivers. As for Holt, he manages the horse division. Even though I joke about him being a rounder, he has more knowledge in his little finger about horseflesh than I’ll ever know in a lifetime.” He paused, a slow grin spreading across his face. “I’ve said enough about my family. What about your brother, Aaron? What is he doing now?”
“He went into law enforcement. He works as a deputy for Inyo County in California.”
“The Death Valley area. He must be tough. Is he married?”
Katherine tried not to grimace. “No. He doesn’t think he’s cut out to be a family man. And frankly, I think he’s right. He has a cynical attitude about...well, love and family. I don’t think any woman could put up with him for long.”
“Ouch. Sounds like the two of you aren’t exactly close.”
“Oh, we talk occasionally. And we care about each other. At least, I care about him. But we have different ideas about things, that’s all. I tried to get him to come to Wickenburg before Dad died, but he never would. That hurt. A lot.”
He studied her closely. “And your mother? She doesn’t want to come back?”
Katherine shook her head. “She likes the Southern California climate and being close to her sister. And she says there are too many bad memories for her here.”
Before she realized Blake’s intention, he suddenly reached across the table and covered her hand with his. The physical contact practically took her breath away, but the jolt of his touch couldn’t compare to his next words.
“I’m glad you don’t feel that way, Katherine. It’s nice to have you back home.”
Home. Was she really home? Since Cliff’s death, and more recently her father’s, Katherine had begun to wonder if she would ever know the true feeling of home again.
A hard lump suddenly lodged in her throat and she tried to swallow it away before she spoke. “Thank you, Blake. When I came back—to help Dad—I wasn’t sure I was doing the right thing. To say the least, our relationship had been strained. But now...well, long before he died, we made peace with each other. And that’s the most important thing. Don’t you think?”
“Absolutely.”
Lifting her gaze to his, she gave him a grateful smile. “Coming from you, Blake, that means a lot.”
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he continued to study her face as his thumb slowly stroked the back of her hand. The touch ignited a spark somewhere deep inside her and shot a wave of uncomfortable heat straight to her cheeks. Inside her head, a voice was commanding her to ease her hand away from his and run down the street as fast as her high heels would carry her. Yet she couldn’t seem to make herself move, or even speak.
“Katherine, I—”
The